Chapter 167: Breakthrough at Seventy
Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Breakthrough at Seventy
Immortal Peach Mountain.
A year passed in the blink of an eye as Li Ping single-mindedly focused on his cultivation.
Toward the end of the year, perhaps having learned what had happened to Li Ping from Bai Qing, Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, Cheng Yao, and Bai Qing all arranged to visit Li Ping on Immortal Peach Mountain together for the first time in over a decade, just like they had in the early years.
Back then, the Cultivators of the Friends Association would gather at Immortal Peach Mountain every year to discuss their gains and losses from the past year.
But over the years, they had all achieved success and started their own families and careers. Their big brother, however, had remained on Immortal Peach Mountain, never leaving and living as a Home Cultivator.
Now, even his only handmaiden had abandoned him, turning their big brother into a lonely old man.
So, they were privately a little worried about his state of mind.
Zhang Tie walked into the cave residence and saw that his big brother’s expression was as normal as ever. Only then did he smile and say, "Big Brother."
Behind him, Gumu Sheng and the other two also entered, greeting him with a smile. "Big Brother."
All four of them were smiling, except for Bai Qing, who looked slightly embarrassed.
"Come in, let’s talk inside." Li Ping beckoned them to sit down in the pavilion.
Afterward, a puppet served them Spirit Wine and Spirit Fruits.
At first, the four of them thought the puppet was a new servant Li Ping had hired and didn’t think much of it.
But soon, Gumu Sheng noticed something was wrong. "Huh? Big Brother, why does this servant have no aura?"
Hearing this, the other three quickly looked at the puppet and were instantly stunned.
Zhang Tie said urgently, "Big Brother, have you lost your mind? How can you use corpse refining in the Immortal City? If Dai Sangyu finds out, it’ll be too late for regrets!"
They all knew that Dai Sangyu’s newly ascended Foundation Establishment disciple had once been abducted by a Demon Cultivator and nearly died.
Because of this, Dai Sangyu detested the wicked practices of Demon Cultivators more than anything. If she found out their big brother dared to use corpse refining, she would undoubtedly slice his head off with a single stroke of her sword.
How could they stand by and watch their big brother walk down a path of no return?
Li Ping didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he shook his head. "What nonsense are you talking about? This is a puppet, not some refined corpse."
"A puppet?" Surprised, the four of them simultaneously swept their Divine Sense over the puppet servant.
A moment later, they discovered that the servant was indeed not a refined corpse, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Yao couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Big Brother, what is this puppet? Why have I never heard of it?"
The art of puppetry had long been lost in the Cultivation Realm. Li Ping himself had only learned of this skill among the hundred arts of cultivation from the *Evergreen Chronicles*.
Cheng Yao was a simple girl who worked the fields and didn’t enjoy reading in her spare time.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, she was too busy throwing her weight around in the Wang family to have any time for books.
As a result, she had absolutely no idea that the art of puppetry even existed.
The other three were not much better off. Only Gumu Sheng showed a hesitant expression; as a businessman, his knowledge was far beyond that of an ordinary Cultivator.
Li Ping shook his head helplessly and proceeded to explain what puppets were.
When they heard Li Ping explain that puppets could not only move on their own but also fight with Dharma Artifacts like Cultivators, all four of them were amazed. They all had the same thought: ’If I had a Tier Two puppet, wouldn’t that be like having another helper with the same level of combat strength?’
But their hopes were quickly dashed.
Li Ping clearly told them that the art of puppetry had long been lost. He had only obtained this puppet through a fortunate coincidence, and there was likely not a second one in the entire Western Wilderness.
"Congratulations on obtaining such a Treasure, Big Brother," Gumu Sheng said with a cheerful smile, moving past the topic.
...
The five of them chatted about everything under the sun, and gradually, Zhang Tie brought up another matter.
Apparently, under Dai Sangyu’s arrangement, Meng Qingyi had already stepped down from her position as the administrative Sect Leader to focus on preparing for her marriage into Purple Cloud Valley.
As for the new administrative Sect Leader, it was Dai Sangyu’s recently ascended Foundation Establishment disciple, Lin Yue.
Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, and Cheng Yao, all of whom held high positions in the Immortal City, looked deeply concerned.
Fenglan Master only had about sixty years of life left and was not far from the day she would pass away.
After she was gone, the one to take charge of the Immortal City would undoubtedly be Dai Sangyu.
As the saying goes, a new ruler brings their own court. As remnants of the old era, they feared their days would not be easy.
Moreover, both Zhang Tie and Gumu Sheng were sons-in-law of the Meng family, deeply and closely tied to them.
The Wang family, where Cheng Yao held power, had once been allies with the Meng family. Furthermore, they had clashed over the matter of the Wang family’s old ancestor, so they were also considered to be on the Meng family’s side.
Dai Sangyu had nonchalantly stripped Meng Qingyi of her position as administrative Sect Leader. If she wanted to deal with them, it would be even easier.
As they discussed this, the spirits of the three were not very high.
Bai Qing, on the other hand, looked unconcerned. The Bai family had its own Spiritual Land and was relatively independent.
They didn’t care about the shifts in power within the Immortal City.
Independent Cultivation Clans like them only needed a Core Formation Cultivator to preside over the Immortal City and maintain stability in the region spanning tens of thousands of miles.
They didn’t care who that person was.
To them, it was all about pledging allegiance. What difference did it make who they pledged it to?
Li Ping was even more indifferent. He was a Loose Cultivator with no attachments.
Whoever was in charge of the Immortal City, he would stay out of it, uninvolved and unconcerned.
As for Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, Cheng Yao, Bai Qing, and the others, he had come to terms with their situation.
In the end, they had all come together to help each other achieve Foundation Establishment. They weren’t sworn brothers like Liu, Guan, and Zhang, bound by the Peach Garden Oath to live and die together.
Now that they had all reached Foundation Establishment, they each had to walk their own path forward.
...
The feast was a joyous affair for both hosts and guests.
It lasted until morning before the four of them took their leave.
Before they left, Li Ping specifically entrusted Gumu Sheng with finding him a Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman Maker’s legacy.
Gumu Sheng naturally agreed to his big brother’s request without hesitation.
After the four of them departed, Li Ping sat alone in the pavilion, lost in thought.
There were no Talisman Makers of Tier Two Middle Grade or higher in the Immortal City. With his cultivation on the verge of a breakthrough, he couldn’t be bothered to make a trip to Jixia, so he simply chose to spend more Spirit Stones to buy a Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman Maker’s legacy.
Once he broke through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, his Magical Power would be sufficient to cast Tier Two Upper Grade Magic. With the help of the Tree of Legacy, he was confident he could then create Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talismans.
Having a large number of Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talismans on hand would undoubtedly be a huge boost to his strength.
This was especially important since he was planning to set out to capture Yan Liming and help Yan Hengchuan achieve his Foundation Establishment breakthrough right after his own.
As a Core Formation old demon who had been reborn through Possession, Yan Liming was cunning and had numerous tricks up his sleeve, making him difficult to deal with.
The stronger he himself became, the greater his confidence in dealing with Yan Liming would be.
However, he didn’t plan on going straight for a Tier Three Talisman Maker’s legacy.
After all, the nurturing materials required for a Tier Three legacy were very troublesome to acquire, and he didn’t have the time to run around collecting Spiritual Materials. He would just make do for now.
...
Soon after, Gumu Sheng did indeed bring Li Ping a complete Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman Maker’s legacy.
[Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman Maker’s Legacy. Requires 1,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones, three sheng of Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman Ink, and three chi of Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Wood as nurturing materials to master Tier Two Upper Grade Talisman-making techniques.]
After taking out the Spirit Stones to pay for the legacy, Li Ping also entrusted Gumu Sheng with collecting the required Spiritual Materials.
His third brother was very reliable, so he wasn’t worried.
Gumu Sheng, of course, readily agreed.
By the middle of that year, he had indeed found a three-chi-long piece of Tier Two Upper Grade ’Jade Purifying Wood’ for Li Ping, completing his commission.
At the same time, he excitedly shared some good news with Li Ping.
It turned out that Lin Yue, the one who had replaced Meng Qingyi as the administrative Sect Leader of the Immortal City, had once been injured and treated by their fifth brother, Qi Hanmo.
Because of this, she had a very favorable impression of Qi Hanmo.
By extension, she was also very respectful toward Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, and Cheng Yao. As a result, the three of them were not sidelined after Meng Qingyi’s departure. On the contrary, because Lin Yue was unfamiliar with administrative affairs, they gained even greater autonomy.
When Meng Qingyi was the administrative Sect Leader, she knew the ins and outs of the job, so they wouldn’t have dared to slack off.
But now... well, Gumu Sheng was very happy, at any rate.
Li Ping just shook his head upon hearing this. ’I suppose this is what they call a blessing in disguise,’ he thought.
They were certainly lucky. The connection Qi Hanmo had left behind in the Immortal City had coincidentally worked out in their favor.
...
At the end of that year, Li Ping once again met with Yan Hengchuan, who was cultivating outside the Immortal City.
From constantly hunting Demon Beasts and refining their blood essence, Yan Hengchuan exuded a lingering, ferocious Evil Qi that he couldn’t completely conceal, despite his best efforts.
Fortunately, many Cultivators in the Immortal City made a living by hunting demons. Cultivators with his kind of aura were common enough that he wouldn’t draw strange looks walking down the street.
Li Ping swept his Divine Sense over Yan Hengchuan and found that his cultivation had grown considerably. He was not far from the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Level.
As soon as they met, Yan Hengchuan first gave the puppet that led him in a surprised look, then informed Li Ping with a solemn expression, "Grandmaster, I sensed Yan Liming’s aura heading north. He has already crossed through the Liang and Yan Kingdoms and gone deep into the Grassland."
"The Grassland? What would that old demon be doing there?" Li Ping wondered.
But he quickly pushed the doubt aside. No matter what Yan Liming was doing now, he wouldn’t change his own plans. He would at least wait until he reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment and was fully prepared before going after Yan Liming.
’No matter what changes, I must prioritize my own plans,’ he thought.
Thinking this, he nodded. "Hengchuan, I know you’re anxious, but don’t be. Go back and focus on your cultivation for now. When the time is right, we will set out."
A flash of anxiety crossed Yan Hengchuan’s eyes. He explained, "Grandmaster, I hope you can understand. I desperately want to reach Foundation Establishment."
Li Ping nodded with a smile, indicating that he understood.
...
Another year passed. Thanks to their connection with Qi Hanmo, Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, and Cheng Yao were still thriving.
The Meng family, however, was rather frustrated. When Li Ping went to pay his rent, he would occasionally chat with the Meng family’s old ancestor and noticed that while the old man was still all smiles, there was a hint of lingering irritation in his eyes.
Evidently, even after three years, he still hadn’t been able to come to terms with Meng Qingyi marrying into another family.
At the end of this year, inside the empty cave residence, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi suddenly grew turbulent before quickly calming down again.
In its place, an exceptionally powerful pressure emanated from the training room.
A short while later, the door to the training room was pushed open from the inside.
A figure in a green robe strode out. It was Li Ping.
A touch of emotion crossed his face. "Thirty years of arduous cultivation, and I’ve finally broken through in my seventies. At long last, I’ve reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment."
This year, Li Ping was over seventy years old.