Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Hearing this, Lin Changsheng seemed to be deep in thought.

He carefully observed Lai Gaoyi's expression without making a sound.

He even suspected that the three cultivators who had attacked him earlier were related to this person.

They came here today specifically to sound me out.

However, Lai Gaoyi's next words suddenly disrupted Lin Changsheng's thoughts, causing him to be slightly distracted.

"Lai has been pestering Master Lin to buy the Illusionary Heart Sand several times before, causing him trouble. But now it's no longer needed."

As he spoke, Lai Gaoyi glanced at Lin Changsheng with a sullen expression and explained in a sullen tone, "Actually, I asked for the Illusionary Heart Sand not for myself, but to curry favor with Senior Tie Antong, a 'quasi-third-tier' weapon refiner from the Nangong family."

"A few days ago, I overheard from a friend of the Nangong family that the senior Tie Antong planned to replicate a magic weapon used by Master Nangong in his early years, but he put it aside because he was still lacking some of the auxiliary material 'Illusion Heart Sand'."

"Therefore, I, Lai, wanted to purchase the Illusionary Heart Sand from Master Lin, hoping to do Senior Tie of the Nangong family a favor before he made the purchase. After all, we are both weapon refiners, and if I could receive guidance from Senior Tie, I, Lai, would very likely advance to a first-tier fine weapon refiner within the next few years. But just a few days ago, my friend brought me the latest news: Senior Tie has replenished the missing Illusionary Heart Sand and will soon begin refining weapons..."

As Lai Gaoyi spoke, a look of regret was hard to hide on his face.

They seemed to regret missing such a good opportunity.

"TieAnTong?"

Lin Changsheng's eyes widened slightly, concealing his inner turmoil, and he couldn't help but ask, "Senior Tie Antong, are you referring to the 'quasi-third-tier' weapon refiner of the Nangong family?"

At this moment, although Lin Changsheng remained outwardly calm, a bad feeling crept into his mind.

"That's right, Senior Tie Antong is the only 'quasi-third-tier' weapon refiner in the Nangong family, and his own cultivation is also in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He has been a friend of True Person Nangong for many years. Could it be that Master Lin knows Senior Tie Antong? Hmm... Could it be that when you went out a few days ago... you went to the Nangong family to deliver Illusion Heart Sand to Senior Tie Antong?"

Upon hearing Lin Changsheng's question, Lai Gaoyi suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Lai is joking. How could I, a mere rogue cultivator, possibly know someone of Senior Tie Antong's stature?"

At this moment, Lin Changsheng had calmed down and said with a faint smile.

"That's true. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I'll take my leave."

After hearing Lin Changsheng's words, Lai Gaoyi also felt that they made sense.

In his view, if Lin Changsheng really had such a relationship, he wouldn't have been confined to Qianhe Immortal City, opening a small shop in such a remote place.

……

Back inside, Lin Changsheng's previously calm expression turned somewhat grim.

"That Tie Antong is Jiang Tian's master!"

"I never imagined that Jiang Tian's master would also be in need of the Illusionary Heart Sand at this very moment..."

Lin Changsheng frowned, his thoughts somewhat jumbled.

Lai Gaoyi probably didn't know that he had asked Jiang Tian to refine the 'Netherworld Spirit Pearl'.

It was just a coincidence that he came to my door today and mentioned that Senior Tie Antong had replenished the Illusionary Heart Sand.

However, Lin Changsheng was 60-70% certain that the portion of Illusionary Heart Sand that the latter supplemented was most likely the one that had been taken from his hands.

If that's the case, then my attempt to refine the 'Netherworld Spirit Pearl' is definitely doomed.

It's unclear whether Jiang Tian deliberately withheld his own refining materials to curry favor with his master, offering up the Illusionary Heart Sand without mentioning refining it for himself; or whether Senior Tie Antong took it upon himself to misappropriate his Illusionary Heart Sand.

But in any case, this matter has become somewhat troublesome.

If that's the case, then the three tribulation cultivators I encountered on my way back are very likely related to Jiang Tian or Tie Antong.

The more Lin Changsheng thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

The material itself, Illusion Sand, is not precious, but it is produced in remote areas.

This can be seen from the fact that Han Erniu, the "Heavenly Poison Master," searched desperately for the Netherworld Spirit Pearl in order to refine it.

If Jiang Tian and his apprentice are determined to embezzle the Illusionary Heart Sand, it will be a matter of credibility for weapon refiners.

Reputation is extremely important to these 'craftsmen'.

In particular, several mainstream skills such as alchemy, weapon crafting, and formation.

If an alchemist has wicked intentions and adds other ingredients to the pills, the pills will turn into poison, destroying a person's foundation or even causing death.

The weapon refiner clearly knows the characteristics, power, and weaknesses of the magical artifacts his clients possess, which are all potentially fatal to any cultivator.

Most array masters set up various defensive and protective arrays for their families or personal dojos; they are intimately familiar with the loopholes, weaknesses, and methods to break their arrays. If someone were to harbor even the slightest ulterior motive, the entire array would become useless.

Therefore, if these 'craftsmen' lose their credibility, it is equivalent to losing their source of customers, and they may even be resented by others.

Lin Changsheng is now considering that if Jiang Tian and his apprentice really dare to embezzle his materials, he will only have two choices in order to maintain his credibility in the future.

Firstly, promise to compensate with double the value of other treasures to gain the understanding of the owner.

Secondly, they secretly killed him; only the dead can keep secrets.

At this moment, Lin Changsheng suddenly remembered that the Nangong family had been secretly inquiring about him a few days ago.

I initially thought Jiang Tian was investigating my past deeds, but now it seems there's more to it than meets the eye.

But in any case, these are just my guesses for now.

After much deliberation, Lin Changsheng decided not to bring up the matter yet, leaving some room for maneuver.

I'll write a letter in a few days and see how Jiang Tian reacts.

Perhaps the Illusionary Heart Sand of Senior Tie Antong came from somewhere else; it's all just my wild guessing.

In the following days, Lin Changsheng waited patiently.

Daily training involves tempering the physical body and feeding the Crimson Centipede and the Mutant Cold Crow.

In addition, he also began to study the puppet inheritance he had acquired that day.

The art of mechanical puppets was not something that "Heavenly Poison Master" had explored; Lin Changsheng had to study it on his own.

Fortunately, in the accompanying materials, Fellow Daoist Han Yongxiang had also included a compilation of his own insights on puppetry.

In just one month, Lin Changsheng gained a rudimentary understanding of mechanical puppetry, which can be considered as entering the field.

But to Lin Changsheng's dismay, a month had passed and he still hadn't received a letter from Jiang Tian.

So Lin Changsheng took the initiative to write a letter and send it to the Nangong family.

The content is very simple.

Aside from simple greetings, he would inquire about the progress of crafting the treasure for himself.