With the second-tier mid-grade spirit wood in hand, Li Ping's steps became lighter.
After so much work, he had finally gathered enough nourishment for the second-tier mid-grade talisman-making technique inheritance.
In fact, if it weren't for his pride as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would have liked to whistle a few times to add to the festivities.
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Soon, he could skip countless years of talisman-making training and directly ascend to become a second-tier mid-grade talisman maker.
With the second-tier mid-grade talisman-making skill in his possession, coupled with the 100% success rate granted by the inheritance tree, he shouldn't have to worry about spirit stones anymore.
Thinking of this, Li Ping quickened his pace even more; he couldn't wait to return to his courtyard and let the inheritance tree absorb its nourishment.
...
Inside the main house of the courtyard, Li Ping carefully closed the door, then used his divine sense to meticulously check the surrounding 150-foot radius.
After confirming there were no problems, he took out three items from his storage bag and placed them on the desk.
These were a talisman brush with a bluish-purple handle and a crimson nib, three liters of vibrant, blood-red liquid in a jade bottle, and a piece of pale blue spirit wood with faint purple patterns on its surface. The talisman brush
was the original work of Meng Qingyi, a mid-grade second-tier talisman-making technique she had used for many years.
The blood-red liquid was mid-grade second-tier talisman ink that Li Ping had purchased from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
The spirit wood was mid-grade second-tier purple-patterned wood that Li Ping had just obtained from the Bai family.
With a wave of his hand, a small pile of thumb-sized, multicolored spirit stones also appeared on the desk—exactly 1000 stones.
Just as Li Ping was about to let the Tree of Inheritance absorb the nutrients he had prepared, his expression suddenly changed, and his gaze fell on the purple-veined wood.
The purple-veined wood given to him by the Bai family had been preserved with its roots intact to maintain its vitality. If he could find a mid-grade or higher spiritual land of the second rank, he could plant the purple-veined wood and continue cultivating it.
And the three-foot length required for the Tree of Inheritance was more than enough, even after removing the roots.
Thinking of this, Li Ping took out a magical artifact from his storage bag, infused it with magical power, and cut the purple-veined wood in two at the root.
One section, about three feet long, could be used as nutrients for the Tree of Inheritance, while the other section, including the roots, was only a few inches long. Li Ping then sealed it back into the jade box and stored it away.
In the future, if he settles down, he can plant the purple-veined wood, now only its roots remain.
Then, like a withered tree sprouting new shoots, it will spring back to life.
...
Having completed all preparations, Li Ping took a deep breath. Within the purple energy space of his mind, the Tree of Inheritance on the gray island suddenly lit up.
Then, centered on Li Ping's ten fingers, a transparent aura, visible only to him and seemingly non-existent in this world, continuously spread, enveloping the talisman brush, talisman ink, spirit wood, and spirit stones on the table.
Entangling, absorbing... all the items on the table slowly disappeared into thin air...
...
Li Ping seemed to be having a dream. In the dream, he became a talisman brush, held between the fingers of a soft, delicate, clean, and fair hand.
Suddenly, the hand lifted the brush and brought it down.
With the rotation of the wrist, the brush tip, dipped in talisman ink, moved like a dragon and snake across the flat talisman paper, and in the blink of an eye, an incredibly complex spiritual energy circuit was completed.
Then, the owner of the hand cast a powerful spell and sealed it into the spiritual energy circuit.
Meanwhile, a flood of experience and knowledge in talisman making and spellcasting poured into his mind, captivating him completely.
Li Ping's talisman-making skills improved rapidly during this process…
While Li Ping was trapped in the illusion, the Tree of Inheritance in his sea of consciousness, having absorbed sufficient nutrients, saw its single branch representing talisman-making techniques visibly grow after a slight tremor.
Even the Tree of Inheritance itself seemed to be slowly increasing in height
…
When Li Ping awoke from the illusion, he found the sky had already darkened.
He remembered that it was only around noon before he received the inheritance.
In other words, receiving the second-tier talisman-making inheritance had taken him almost half a day.
Feeling the knowledge etched into his memory, Li Ping couldn't help but smile.
Through countless talisman-drawing experiences and continuous learning in the illusion, he was now a mid-tier second-tier talisman-making master.
The Tree of Inheritance in his sea of consciousness was also reminding him of this.
Under Li Ping's conscious observation, the lonely, thin branch at the base of the Tree of Inheritance has now become much thicker and stronger, and the text appearing on it has changed to: [Talisman Maker: Second-Tier Mid-Grade].
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that after absorbing the nourishment, even the Tree of Inheritance itself seemed to have grown slightly taller than before.
...
Inside the room.
Li Ping took out the second-tier low-grade talisman paper and ink he had prepared beforehand and placed them on the desk. Then he took out the silver wolf pen that Han Xingyan had given him on behalf of the Talisman Alliance.
Dipping the pen tip in the ink, Li Ping's expression instantly became serious.
Then, he wrote with flowing strokes, completing an incredibly complex spiritual energy circuit on the flat talisman paper in the blink of an eye. Finally, Li Ping made a hand seal, mobilizing the Foundation Establishment stage mana within his body, and cast the second-tier low-grade spell 'Fire Rain Technique'.
At the moment when the spell's power was about to erupt, he directly guided this terrifying power into the spiritual energy circuit on the talisman paper!
The surface of the talisman gradually turned crimson red by the power of the spell.
Second-tier low-grade Fire Rain Talisman, complete!
...
Holding the crimson talisman between two fingers, Li Ping examined it carefully, a smile appearing on his face.
Second-tier talismans and first-tier talismans are completely different things.
Even a high-grade first-tier talisman only has the power equivalent to a single strike from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Therefore, late-stage Qi Refining cultivators don't even consider high-grade first-tier talismans.
They'd rather save up to buy magic artifacts. Magic artifacts of the same tier have similar power to talismans, but cost ten to twenty times more. However, magic artifacts can be reused as long as they're not damaged, making them more cost-effective.
Meanwhile, early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators who need high-grade first-tier talismans are short of funds.
Because the market is so small, Li Ping almost destroyed the first-tier talisman price system in the Immortal City with just 500 talismans.
Second-tier talismans are different; their power is equivalent to a single strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
These talismans are highly sought after among Qi Refining cultivators and can be used as a trump card.
Even for a Foundation Establishment family like the Bai family, second-tier spirit talismans are crucial war supplies, treasures that can save the family in critical moments.
Therefore… even though second-tier spirit talismans are dozens of times more expensive than first-tier ones, they are still in high demand and short supply.
According to Li Ping's understanding, the low-grade second-tier 'Fire Rain Talisman' he possesses can easily sell for over fifty spirit stones, while its cost is only a single-digit figure.
Of course, this cost does not include the labor value Li Ping expended.
The intangible labor value is the biggest cost, and the reason why spirit talismans can sell for such a high price.
After storing the completed Fire Rain Talisman in his storage bag, Li Ping frowned again as he briefly assessed the changes within himself.
Just casting a low-grade, second-tier Fire Rain Technique had consumed about a third of his early Foundation Establishment stage mana.
While this was partly due to his lack of cultivation of higher-level techniques, resulting in lower mana purity, the sheer power consumption of a second-tier spell was evident.
This made Li Ping reflect on why cultivators preferred magical artifacts over spells in combat. Perhaps spells were slower than magical artifacts,
but the excessive mana cost of spells was likely a major reason why cultivators abandoned them. "
...
I can only draw two low-grade second-tier talismans consecutively before I have to stop and meditate to recover my mana." Li Ping silently calculated, "If it's a mid-grade second-tier talisman, drawing it once will consume more than 80% of my mana. As for high-grade second-tier talismans, even if I have the corresponding skill inheritance, I can't draw them at all if my cultivation and mana are insufficient." " When my mana is
depleted, I have to stop and meditate to recover."
The severe mana consumption also affects Li Ping's efficiency in drawing talismans.
He made a preliminary calculation: if he doesn't cultivate and focuses entirely on talisman making, including the time spent meditating to recover mana, with the blessing of the Tree of Inheritance's '100% success rate in talisman making,' he can draw about 10 low-grade second-tier talismans or about 5 mid-grade second-tier talismans per month.
If he moves to a second-tier spiritual land to cultivate, the speed of mana recovery through meditation will increase, and the efficiency will be further improved.
Assuming he sells all these talismans, his monthly income will be about 500 spirit stones, and even the net profit will be at least 400 spirit stones.
A year's net profit would be 4,800 spirit stones, enough to buy another Foundation Establishment Pill with some left over.
Of course, other second-tier low-grade talisman makers have a chance of failure in talisman making, and their efficiency in earning spirit stones is far inferior to Li Ping's.
However, Li Ping wouldn't be so foolish as to spend all his time on talisman making.
For cultivators, the most important thing is their own cultivation; spirit stones are just external possessions, enough is enough.
Once he buys a suitable cultivation technique, he will devote most of his time to cultivation, and won't spend too much time and energy on talisman making.
Drawing a few dozen second-tier low-grade spirit talismans each year is enough to earn the resources needed to maintain his cultivation.
" ...
Many people in the Immortal City know that I am quite skilled in talisman making, and I'm not far from becoming a second-tier low-grade talisman maker," Li Ping pondered. "Therefore, it's only natural that I would create a second-tier low-grade spirit talisman; no one would find it strange. But it's not suitable to show off a second-tier mid-grade spirit talisman, otherwise it would easily attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."
To outsiders, Li Ping's talisman-making skills might have already reached the first-tier high-grade level before he established his foundation.
After successfully establishing his foundation, his mana and spiritual sense increased more than tenfold, and talisman making requires extremely high levels of mana and spiritual sense.
With mana and spiritual sense more than ten times stronger than before, it's not surprising that he made progress in talisman-making skills and broke through to become a second-tier low-grade talisman maker.
It's common knowledge in the cultivation world that a cultivator's skills improve after a breakthrough in cultivation.
Therefore, if Li Ping were to display his second-tier low-grade talisman-making skills to the outside world, no one would pay attention; at most, they would make a few comments.
However, if other cultivators knew that he had leaped two levels in a short period of time, actually reaching the mid-grade of the second tier in talisman-making skills, it would likely attract considerable attention.
In the cultivation world, many have experienced extraordinary encounters, and he might be mistaken for one of them. Some might try to investigate his adventures and forcibly seize them.
While Li Ping wasn't afraid, he didn't want to cause too much trouble.
Furthermore, the profits from his low-grade second-tier talisman-making were already sufficient for his cultivation needs.
Moreover, since he aspired to be a reclusive cultivator, Li Ping felt it necessary to prepare some methods beyond his current level.
Therefore, Li Ping didn't plan to reveal his actual talisman-making skills. From now on, he would only sell low-grade second-tier talismans.
He would also draw some mid-grade second-tier talismans, but he would only use these as his trump cards.
In a battle, throwing out seven or eight mid-grade second-tier talismans at once would force even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to temporarily dodge, and a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who couldn't dodge in time would be severely injured, or even risk death.
"If anyone mistakes me for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, hmph..."
...
A month later, thanks to Li Ping's tireless overtime work, his storage bag contained six various low-grade second-tier spirit talismans and two mid-grade second-tier spirit talismans. The
mid-grade second-tier spirit talismans were for his self-defense, while the low-grade second-tier spirit talismans were for selling to spirit stones.
Before this, he had searched through several large shops in the inner city in search of mid-grade second-tier spirit wood, but none of them gave him any face.
Although Li Ping said he "understood," he actually harbored a lot of resentment.
In addition, second-grade low-tier spirit talismans were completely a seller's market, with supply falling short of demand; as soon as they were put on the shelves, they would be snapped up by cultivators who rushed to buy them.
Therefore, Li Ping didn't need to let those large shops take a cut.
He planned to price all the second-grade low-tier spirit talismans he had drawn at 50 spirit stones and sell them in his third brother Gu Musheng's small shop.
As for Gu Musheng's payment, considering the need to take care of his brother, he tentatively set it at 1 spirit stone per talisman.
Of course, this payment was not from Li Ping to Gu Musheng, but rather Gu Musheng would pay him.
A steady stream of low-grade second-tier spirit talismans would bring a huge influx of customers to Gu Musheng's shop. While these cultivators were snapping up the talismans, they would likely also buy other supplies, thus boosting sales of other low-grade magic weapons and spirit talismans. This
would bring Gu Musheng considerable profits.
One spirit stone was the commission Gu Musheng would pay him for this customer referral.
In this way, he could earn 51 spirit stones per talisman, and it wouldn't be long before he had enough spirit stones for a high-level cultivation technique.
Thinking that he had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator for over half a year, yet still lived on a first-tier spirit vein in the outer city, and didn't even have a high-level cultivation technique, and hadn't even seriously practiced once,
Li Ping couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
While pondering this, Li Ping stepped into his third brother's 'Green Bamboo' shop.
Li Ping's arrival startled Gu Musheng, who was meditating behind the counter. Seeing Li Ping, Gu Musheng's face lit up with joy: "Brother, what brings you here? I was just about to look for you."
"Looking for me? Huh!" Li Ping was slightly puzzled, but he quickly noticed the change in Gu Musheng's aura.
Seventh level of Qi Chain!
It turned out that Gu Musheng had broken through to the late stage of Qi Chain without him even realizing it.
...
The dog solemnly closed the shop door, and Gu Musheng approached Li Ping with a mysterious expression: "Brother, regarding the high-level cultivation technique you wanted, I have a connection in Immortal City. It's a bit risky, but the price is very low."
Li Ping listened, first puzzled, then surprised, and finally unconsciously smiled.
He nodded inwardly: "This kid has some skills after all. You've done a good job this time, so I won't charge you for referring him!"
After closing the shop door, Li Ping couldn't help but wonder about Gu Musheng's cultivation level.
He remembered that not long ago, this third brother was only at the sixth level of Qi Chain. How could he have broken through so quickly in just over a month?
With his four spiritual roots, breaking through to the late stage of Qi Chain shouldn't have been so easy.
Faced with Li Ping's curiosity, Gu Musheng didn't try to hide anything from him. He frankly said, "Brother, I was lucky. I bought a 'Qi Condensation Pill' from Master Hu's disciple, which allowed me to break through the bottleneck of the late stage of Qi Chain in one fell swoop."
Li Ping nodded slightly. He also knew about the Qi Condensation Pill. It was a pill with similar effects to the Foundation Establishment Pill, helping to break through bottlenecks.
However, the Foundation Establishment Pill could be used to assist in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm, while the Qi Condensation Pill could only be used to assist cultivators in breaking through to the late stage of Qi Chain.
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Despite this, pills that can help break through bottlenecks have always been highly sought after by cultivators, commanding exorbitant prices, second only to longevity pills.
Although the Qi Condensation Pill is only a high-grade first-tier pill, its value is more than ten times that of an ordinary high-grade first-tier pill, costing at least a hundred spirit stones.
Such a high price usually means that only cultivation families or Foundation Establishment cultivators are willing to buy it for their younger generations.
Gu Musheng's ability to produce such a large sum of spirit stones shows his considerable wealth.
Furthermore, according to Li Ping, the Qi Condensation Pill, as a pill that can improve a cultivator's realm, is more popular in the Immortal City than second-tier spirit talismans.
Furthermore, the spiritual materials needed to refine Qi Condensation Pills are hard to find, and it might take a long time to refine even one batch. Therefore, a batch of Qi Condensation Pills is often snapped up by various connected individuals before it's even finished.
His third brother's ability to get a share of the profits is quite impressive.
Of course, Li Ping is aware of this.
Unlike him and his other siblings, who are craftsmen earning their living through their skills,
Gu Musheng is a businessman. For a businessman, the most important thing is to cultivate relationships across various industries and stay well-informed.
Gu Musheng said he was lucky to buy the Qi Condensation Pills.
But Li Ping believes he must have deliberately cultivated a relationship with Master Hu's disciple long beforehand, planning meticulously for a long time before decisively seizing the opportunity at the crucial moment.
...
Now, he had gotten a connection from a fellow cultivator.
This allowed Li Ping to purchase high-level cultivation techniques needed for Foundation Establishment cultivation at a very low price.
Gu Musheng unconsciously lowered his voice: "Brother, Senior Wang, who guards the Secret Technique Pavilion in Immortal City, recently failed to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage and suffered severe damage. He only had forty or fifty years left to live, and this injury further damaged his very essence. We don't know when he'll pass away. So, before he dies, he intends to leave his descendants more spirit stones so they won't be left without protection after his departure."
Li Ping nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Therefore, he secretly spread the word to reliable cultivators outside that as long as they were willing to pay a certain amount of spirit stones, they could sneak into the Secret Technique Pavilion he guarded to choose cultivation techniques and secret methods," Gu Musheng continued. "I happened to have done business with a descendant of Senior Wang, and he considered me reliable, so I learned about this from him."
Gu Musheng smiled boastfully, "Hehe... because he was about to pass away, this Senior Wang was very easy to talk to. According to the price his descendant told me, it only costs one hundred spirit stones to enter the Secret Technique Pavilion and choose a high-level cultivation technique to take away." "
One hundred spirit stones for a high-level cultivation technique?" Li Ping was genuinely surprised this time.
You see, he had previously inquired about the prices of high-level cultivation techniques from the major merchant guilds in the inner city, and the cheapest they quoted started at one thousand spirit stones, while the most expensive ones cost several thousand spirit stones.
As for the black market, because it was held outside the city, Li Ping hadn't been there since he established his foundation, but he guessed the prices should be roughly the same.
Here, it only costs one hundred spirit stones!
Li Ping couldn't help but sigh. This Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Wang really knew his power was worthless if he didn't use it!
However, for him, this was a good thing.
Originally, it would have taken him quite a while to gather enough spirit stones to buy the cultivation technique, but now… it seemed like he could get it immediately?
Thinking of this, Li Ping was tempted, but at the same time, he had some doubts: "If he acts so recklessly and gets caught, won't he implicate me?"
Although the price of the cultivation technique was very tempting, the risk of poaching a Core Formation cultivator still made Li Ping uneasy.
Gu Musheng saw Li Ping's doubts and analyzed, "Brother, there are risks involved, but they're not too great. The Wang family certainly wouldn't dare to tell anyone. After all, if True Person Fenglan finds out about what they've done, and if True Person Fenglan doesn't show any mercy, he might cripple their entire clan's cultivation and expel them from the Immortal City."
"Those who go to choose cultivation techniques are all reliable people, and Senior Wang also required them to swear an oath of Dao heart, so the possibility of information leaking from them is not high," Gu Musheng continued. "Moreover, if you really go to the Secret Technique Pavilion to choose a cultivation technique, you will definitely go incognito."
He smiled and said, "Even the Wang family cultivators don't know exactly who chose the technique, so even if the Wang family really suffers, it won't implicate you, brother."
Li Ping nodded. According to Gu Musheng's analysis, the risk wasn't that great.
Going incognito meant that even if the Wang family's affairs came to light, the Immortal City wouldn't have any evidence to prove Li Ping's involvement.
But the problem was, this wasn't Earth, but the cultivation world. With a Core Formation cultivator like True Person Fenglan in charge, did the Immortal City need evidence to do things?
After much hesitation, Li Ping finally decided to follow Gu Musheng's path and go to the Immortal City's Secret Technique Pavilion to choose a cultivation technique.
He believed that although this matter had risks, it was within control.
First, no Foundation Establishment cultivator is a fool. That Wang family Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Immortal City has lived for over 150 years; he wouldn't do something so stupid if he wasn't confident.
He dared to do it because he wasn't worried about being discovered by True Person Fenglan.
Second, as Gu Musheng said, he went incognito, so the probability of him being implicated if the Wang family really suffered was low.
Finally, because of Dai Sangyu's scheme, Li Ping didn't even dare to return to Jiang Kingdom to see his master one last time. Therefore, he not only deeply resented this woman but also harbored resentment towards the Immortal City officials.
Now, having the opportunity to undermine the Immortal City gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
After carefully inquiring about Gu Musheng's information, Li Ping handed the overjoyed Gu Musheng six low-grade second-tier spirit talismans from his storage bag, took 300 spirit stones from him, and then left.
...
That night, in a residence near the inner city of the Immortal City, Li Ping's figure quietly appeared.
At this moment, he was dressed in a gray Taoist robe, wearing a mask that blocked divine sense, and a black bamboo hat on his head. Even his aura was concealed by a secret technique, reduced to the ninth level of Qi Chain.
This outfit was something he had specially prepared for his trips to the black market, and he never expected it to come in handy now.
As soon as Li Ping appeared outside the courtyard, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator stepped forward and exchanged a secret code with him. Hearing the code, Li Ping changed his voice, speaking in a hoarse tone. This code was something Gu Musheng had obtained from a Wang family cultivator and then passed on to Li Ping. After
exchanging the code, the late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Wang family smiled and led him into the courtyard. Once inside, Li Ping's gaze swept across the area, immediately spotting five figures dressed similarly to him, scattered and seated cross-legged. The moment he was led in by the Wang family cultivator, he also attracted the attention of these five figures, but most of them only glanced at him before quickly averting their gaze, appearing extremely cautious. Li Ping understood that these five cultivators, hiding their identities, were here with the same purpose as him. What unsettled him was the audacity of the Wang family Foundation Establishment cultivator. Before coming, he had thought that the other party would at most secretly send one or two cultivators into the Secret Technique Pavilion to select secret techniques. But now, there were six of them, including himself. As far as he knew, a Core Formation cultivator could cover a thousand-foot radius with a single thought. Wouldn't this get them caught on the spot by True Person Fenglan? Could this Fellow Daoist Wang really be so capable, handling this kind of commotion with such a large scale? ... As Li Ping pondered, a voice entered his ears, bringing him back to reality. "Fellow Daoist," the late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Wang family solemnly addressed Li Ping, "Regardless of where you learned this information, you know the rules. This trip carries great weight for our Wang family, so each of you must pay 100 spirit stones before departure and swear an oath not to leak a single piece of information." The serious tone of the late-stage Qi Refining cultivator reassured Li Ping somewhat. Yes, how could someone daring to do something like this not have everything arranged perfectly? That Fellow Daoist Wang must have already smoothed things over, preparing to act swiftly and decisively to complete this deal in a short time. After all, if only one or two people go in at a time, although it may seem discreet, the number of times they do so will inevitably be much more frequent, and the more times they do so, the greater the probability of being discovered.
It would be better to send a large group of cultivators in at once, rip them off, and then stop.
Thinking this, Li Ping nodded, took out 100 spirit stones from his storage bag, and lowered his voice, making a hoarse sound: "Hehe...no problem, keep the 100 spirit stones."
With the spirit stones in hand, Wang Jialianqi's serious expression instantly relaxed: "Fellow Daoist, please make an oath."
Since Li Ping had already given the spirit stones, he wouldn't hesitate about the oath and immediately made a vow not to leak the secret or report to the Immortal City authorities, as requested.
After completing this, Li Ping looked at Wang Jialianqi: "Can we set off now?"
Wang Jialianqi pointed to the courtyard: "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. We'll set off at midnight."
...
Since Wang Jialianqi said to wait until midnight, Li Ping had no choice but to find an open space, sit cross-legged, and wait silently, just like the other five figures.
In the following hours, several more people arrived, and Wang Jialianqi guided them through the procedures one by one.
First, they paid with spirit stones, then they swore oaths.
By midnight, there were a total of 12 figures sitting in the courtyard, and without exception, they had concealed their identities and auras.
Li Ping was shocked by the sheer number of people, and this further confirmed his earlier suspicions: "Perhaps the Wang family only plans to hold this Foundation Establishment event once. Luckily, I came decisively, or I would have missed it."
After waiting a while longer, no one else arrived; it was now past midnight.
Wang Jialianqi stopped waiting, and his voice rang out in the quiet courtyard: "Fellow Daoists, we are about to depart. Please follow closely."
No one responded, but everyone's actions were synchronized; they all stood up and followed Wang Jialianqi. Li Ping was no exception; he deliberately chose a spot towards the back, so that he could easily escape in case of an emergency.
The group of thirteen, led by Wang Jialianqi, headed towards the inner city gate.
Cultivators possess keen hearing and eyesight, aided by their divine sense, and require no sleep to recover their strength.
In reality, day and night make little difference to them. However, to maintain order within the city, the immortal city closes its gates at night, prohibiting cultivators from traveling between the inner and outer cities.
But Li Ping witnessed Wang Jialian simply take out a communication talisman and say something; the closed city gates automatically opened, allowing them to enter the inner city.
Seeing this, Li Ping felt even more relieved.
Just as he had expected, the Wang family's Foundation Establishment cultivator had cleared all the obstacles, making this trip completely unimpeded. With
the high-level cultivation technique seemingly in his grasp, Li Ping unconsciously began to think about his future plans.
After securing the technique, he needed to consider the matter of a suitable cultivation location.
His current residence in the outer city courtyard only possessed a first-grade superior spiritual land.
In a first-grade spiritual land, he could recover his mana, although the recovery speed would be slower than in a second-grade spiritual land, it was still barely sufficient.
However, cultivation was completely impossible. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, staying in a first-grade spiritual land would prevent any progress in cultivation, no matter how much he cultivated.
Therefore, he needed to rent a cave dwelling in the inner city, preferably one with a second-grade superior spiritual land, to ensure his cultivation speed wouldn't be hindered.
"But I can't rent a cave dwelling immediately; I should wait a few months until this whole mess has calmed down," Li Ping secretly reminded himself.
After all, if he rented a cave dwelling immediately after obtaining the cultivation technique, the timing was too coincidental. If something really happened to the Wang family's Foundation Establishment cultivators later, attracting a thorough investigation from the Immortal City, he would be highly suspicious.
...
Pondering his future plans, Li Ping suddenly looked up: "Something's not right!"
The Secret Technique Pavilion, containing numerous cultivation techniques and inheritances, is arguably the most important building in the Immortal City, and its location must be within Azure Dragon Mountain.
But now, Wang Jia Lianqi wasn't leading them to Azure Dragon Mountain, but instead heading towards a cultivation family's residence in the inner city.
Li Ping wondered, "That should be the direction of the Wang family's ancestral land, right? What's going on?"
Forcibly suppressing his doubts, he followed Wang Jia Lianqi's footsteps, and the group of twelve finally stopped outside a pavilion in the Wang family's ancestral land.
At this point, not only Li Ping, but everyone felt something was amiss.
Wang Jia Lianqi pushed open the pavilion door and went in first, his voice coming from inside: "Please come in, everyone."
...
A moment later.
"This is the Secret Techniques Pavilion?"
Standing inside the pavilion, looking at the hundreds of Qi-manipulating techniques displayed on the shelves, including the 'Golden Sword Technique,' 'Eternal Spring Skill,' and 'Spring Rain Technique,' everyone was dumbfounded.
The Wang family's Qi-manipulating expert smiled and said, "That's right, this is my Wang family's Secret Techniques Pavilion. As agreed, you are free to browse and choose one technique to take away."
Hearing this, Li Ping finally realized he had been tricked, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What a damn beast!"