Immortal Refiner

True Lord Fu Xuan was an unconventional cultivator who cared little for formalities. His cave abode was sparsely furnished, lacking any extravagant or luxurious decorations.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing exchanged a glance before following Daoist Jin Bao into the cave.

As soon as they entered, Daoist Jin Bao clasped his hands in greeting, about to explain their purpose. But before he could speak, a lively female voice echoed through the cave:

”Ugh! I already know all these basic rune variations! I don’t want to keep practicing these boring, tedious runes!”

Immediately, True Lord Fu Xuan’s stern reprimand boomed through the cave:

”Nonsense! The foundation of talisman crafting is paramount, especially these fundamental rune transformations. They are directly linked to the success or failure of talisman creation!”

”As a rogue cultivator by origin, I built my dao foundation with unwavering diligence. This allowed me to achieve an eighty to ninety percent success rate in talisman crafting, saving vast amounts of cultivation resources and materials, which ultimately led to my current achievements!”

For rogue cultivators, cultivation resources are always the most scarce.

True Lord Fu Xuan’s brief words just now revealed the key to his remarkable success.

It was his astonishingly high talisman creation success rate that allowed him to conserve vast amounts of resources, step by step, ultimately establishing him as the universally renowned master of talismanship in the Great Wilderness Domain.

In truth, for an ordinary Talisman Master, achieving a 50% success rate—producing five talismans from ten sets of materials—would be considered quite impressive.

Especially as one progresses to more advanced talismans, the success rate plummets.

Though they appear to be mere consumables, the creation of a single High-Grade Talisman requires an immense amount of materials.

Third-tier talismans, in particular, demand the most meticulous selection of Talisman Paper and ink, often requiring the hides and essence blood of third-tier demonic beasts as raw materials.

This explains the exorbitant value of a third-tier Formation-Breaking Talisman.

The Restriction-Breaking Talisman is inherently one of the most complex types of talismans, exceedingly difficult to create, with an abysmal success rate.

This scarcity and persistent demand, even without supply, explain why such talismans remain so rare on the market.

Because the success rate was so low, the spirit stones earned from selling a Restriction-Breaking Talisman sometimes couldn’t even cover the cost of the raw materials wasted in the process!

After True Lord Fu Xuan finished scolding his beloved disciple, she actually dared to retort:

”Hmph! I’m not some rogue cultivator. I used to be a talismans prodigy, basking in the shade of a great sect!”

”As long as I can develop a talisman that defies fate, a little waste is just a trivial detail, not worth mentioning!”

”I am destined to become a talismans prodigy who will shake the entire cultivation world!”

”If Heaven hadn’t birthed Chu Lingyi, talismanship would have remained in eternal darkness—”

Before she could finish the word ”night,” True Lord Fu Xuan’s furious roar, born of disappointment, echoed from within the cave abode:

”You rebellious disciple! Your stubbornness is truly infuriating!”

”Do you still think you’re a disciple of a great immortal sect, with endless resources to squander?”

Yet his female disciple showed no fear, instead replying with nonchalance:

”Then release me. I don’t want to be your disciple anymore. I’m leaving immediately to single-handedly destroy the Shangqing Sect and rebuild my Great Lingyun Sect!”

Daoist Jin Bao, who hadn’t yet entered the cave abode, awkwardly turned to face Li Qing and Shen Ningbing.

”Hehe, please don’t mind her, seniors. Fu Xuan’s newly accepted direct disciple has a rather eccentric personality and a mind that leaps about like a wild monkey. But her talent in talisman crafting is truly exceptional.”

”Eh? Why do you two look so surprised?”

As he spoke, Daoist Jin Bao noticed that Li Qing and Shen Ningbing had frozen in place, their faces displaying a remarkable mix of emotions.

Indeed, Li Qing was stunned. He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes filled with disbelief.

When he had first entered the cave abode, he had found the woman’s voice vaguely familiar. But as she continued speaking, a tidal wave of memories crashed through his mind!

In an instant, the image of a spirited, eccentric young woman flashed vividly through his mind.

Such a coincidence...

Shen Ningbing slowly turned to Li Qing, her beautiful eyes filled with a turbulent emotion. ”Senior Brother Li...”

Ignoring Daoist Jin Bao’s bewilderment, Li Qing strode into the cave abode without another word.

Inside the cave abode, a young woman in yellow robes, her hair braided into pigtails, was stubbornly covering her ears, glaring at a stern-faced middle-aged cultivator. Her lively eyes seemed to be saying, ”I’m not listening! I’m not listening to your nonsense!”

The cultivator was True Lord Fu Xuan, clad in black robes with temples streaked with gray, his demeanor radiating ancient rigidity. Originally intending to continue scolding his beloved disciple, he reluctantly flicked his sleeve and turned to greet the guests entering the cave abode.

The pigtail-braided woman in pale yellow robes also turned, her gaze meeting Li Qing and Shen Ningbing’s.

In that instant, Chu Lingyi seemed to freeze in place, as if someone had pressed the pause button on her. Only a complex, unreadable emotion gradually surfaced on her face.

Plop!

A teardrop the size of a bean splashed onto the cave floor with a crisp sound.

”Junior sister Chu, it’s been years. You haven’t changed a bit,” Li Qing said with a gentle smile.

Shen Ningbing, never one for words, offered a warm smile as well. ”Junior sister Chu, how have you been?”

Yes, the woman inside was none other than Chu Lingyi, formerly of the Lingyun Sect.

Li Qing had even purchased talismans from her several times before. He never imagined he’d run into her here!

The scene instantly stunned Daoist Jin Bao, who had been following closely behind. Even the usually stern True Lord Fu Xuan showed a hint of surprise.

”Senior Brother Li! Waaah! I thought you had died that day!”

”And Senior Sister Shen, what are you doing here? Didn’t you two miss the ancestor’s spirit warship?”

As she spoke, Chu Lingyi rushed forward, seemingly about to embrace Li Qing.

But Shen Ningbing moved faster. She stepped forward, immediately grasped Chu Lingyi’s hands, and looked at her with concern.

”Junior Sister Chu, Senior Brother Li and I survived thanks to a Void-Piercing Talisman. But what about you? Tell us quickly, what happened to the fellow disciples who left that day?”

Only then did Chu Lingyi react. Her eyes widened again as she stared at Shen Ningbing and Li Qing, then exclaimed in shock:

”Wait, Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Shen... your cultivation levels...”

It was only then that Chu Lingyi realized the two core formation cultivators Daoist Jin Bao had brought were Li Qing and Shen Ningbing!

Understanding this, Chu Lingyi immediately reacted. She turned and pointed at True Lord Fu Xuan, her cheeks puffed up in anger.

”Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Shen, hurry and teach this old geezer a lesson! He forced me to become his disciple and torments me every day, forcing me to learn those dull and tasteless basic runes!”

”Your beautiful junior sister has been reduced to a miserable state! Waaah!”

Hearing this, the three core formation true lords present instantly darkened.

True Lord Fu Xuan was particularly furious. He hadn’t even fully grasped the situation yet, and his newly accepted disciple was already publicly uttering such treacherous words.

”You... you ungrateful wretch! This is utter treachery!”

Seeing True Lord Fu Xuan’s fury, Li Qing sighed deeply.

Though he didn’t know the full story, from the earlier exchange, True Lord Fu Xuan seemed to be a proper master—certainly not the tormentor Chu Lingyi described.

For a moment, Li Qing even felt sorry for the man, who had somehow ended up taking Junior Sister Chu as his Personal Disciple.

Li Qing cleared his throat and spoke:

”Junior Sister Chu, stop this nonsense. Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan would never do such a thing.”

”Being able to study under his tutelage is your Fortuitous Destiny. How dare you disrespect your master so!”

Having confirmed Chu Lingyi’s relationship with Fu Xuan, Li Qing was confident that obtaining the third-tier formation-breaking talisman would be a simple matter.

But Li Qing had grander ambitions. True Lord Fu Xuan’s reputation resounded throughout the Great Wilderness Domain.

If he could secure this esteemed figure’s allegiance, their upcoming expedition to the Azure Ridge Domain would be far more secure!

Though he longed to learn about Chu Lingyi’s fellow disciples, the immediate priority was to win over this renowned master of talismanship.

Hearing Li Qing’s words, True Lord Fu Xuan’s darkened complexion finally softened slightly.

But in the next moment, Chu Lingyi dropped another bombshell:

”Well, well, Senior Brother Li, you’re siding with outsiders now! Not only won’t you help me get revenge, but you’re trying to push me further into the fire!”

Siding with outsiders! Pushing me into the fire!

These words struck True Lord Fu Xuan like a thunderbolt, nearly causing his head to explode and him to faint.

Li Qing’s lips twitched uncontrollably, momentarily at a loss for words.

”Junior Sister Shen, please take care of Junior Sister Chu for now. Make her be quiet,” Li Qing said, waving his hand. He prepared to personally negotiate with True Lord Fu Xuan.

Shen Ningbing, who had been restraining herself, immediately tapped Chu Lingyi’s pressure points. A wisp of gentle ice spiritual energy flowed into Chu Lingyi’s body, temporarily immobilizing her limbs and silencing her relentless, outrageous mouth.

Seeing this, Li Qing clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said:

”Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan, please forgive us for this unexpected encounter with my junior sister. You’ve likely experienced her temperament these past few days. If she has offended you in any way, I humbly ask for your understanding.”

True Lord Fu Xuan finally regained his composure, though his brow remained furrowed. ”Let’s set aside these matters for now,” he said. ”Fellow Daoists, would you please explain the purpose of your visit?”

He desperately wanted to understand why these two had come to his cave abode. If they intended to take away his newly accepted direct disciple, he would never allow it.

Li Qing smiled warmly and recounted his encounter with Daoist Jin Bao, casually mentioning that he had come to request a third-tier formation-breaking talisman.

”Ah, so you’re here for a talisman,” True Lord Fu Xuan said, his tone slightly relieved.

If it was just a talisman, that was easily handled. While a third-tier formation-breaking talisman might be rare and precious to others, he could craft one effortlessly.

However, Li Qing’s tone shifted. ”Heh, Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan, are you familiar with our origins?”

True Lord Fu Xuan’s brow furrowed again. ”My unworthy disciple mentioned you a few times. You’re cultivators from the Outer Domain, aren’t you?”

Without denying it, Li Qing openly acknowledged, ”Indeed. We hail from the Azure Ridge Domain north of the great wilderness and belong to an ancient cultivation sect. Junior Sister Chu entered the sect alongside me.”

This was a subtle hint that Chu Lingyi already had a background and that accepting her as a disciple without proper inquiry was inappropriate.

But True Lord Fu Xuan retorted, displeased, ”Yet I heard your immortal sect has already been destroyed.”

Li Qing remained unfazed.

”That’s true, the Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate is gone. But as long as we still consider ourselves disciples of the Lingyun Sect, it cannot be said to be truly destroyed.”

”Moreover, we plan to leave the great wilderness soon and head north to the Azure Ridge Domain to plot the sect’s reconstruction.”

Upon hearing this, True Lord Fu Xuan finally fell silent. After a long moment of contemplation, he spoke:

”My unworthy disciple is only at the mid-foundation establishment stage. I doubt she would be of much help in rebuilding the Lingyun Sect.”

”How about this? I’ll give you the Restriction-Breaking Talismans you want for free, but I have one condition: my unworthy disciple must remain in the Great Wilderness Domain to continue her studies with me.”

Seven third-tier Restriction-Breaking Talismans in exchange for a mid-foundation establishment cultivator to become the disciple of a core formation true lord!

If word of such a trade got out, every cultivation sect would likely be eager to make the deal.

But Li Qing wanted more than just this. Hearing Fu Xuan repeatedly refer to Chu Lingyi as his ”unworthy disciple,” Li Qing became even more convinced of Fu Xuan’s unwavering determination to take her as his apprentice.

”Heh, Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan, I have something to say, though I’m not sure if it’s appropriate.”

”Just now, as I entered, I overheard Junior Sister Chu’s words. It’s clear her resolve to rebuild the Lingyun Sect remains steadfast.”

”If she willingly chooses to stay here and study talisman art, I naturally have no objections.”

”However, after we depart for the Azure Ridge Domain, I doubt Junior Sister Chu will be able to truly focus on her studies with you here.”

Upon hearing this, True Lord Fu Xuan’s brow furrowed even deeper, as if pondering the matter.

Through their time together, he had come to realize that his disciple’s mind rarely found true stillness.

And in the path of talisman cultivation, such mental clarity was paramount.

After a moment of silence, True Lord Fu Xuan asked, ”What are you suggesting?”

Li Qing smiled and replied,

”I’ve long heard of Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan’s great reputation. Meeting you in person today, I find you even more remarkable than the legends suggest—truly a paragon among rogue cultivators!”

”I won’t beat around the bush. I plan to lead an assault on the Shangqing Sect in the Azure Ridge Domain to rebuild my Lingyun Sect. Would Fellow Daoist Fu Xuan be willing to join me?”

”If we succeed, I can appoint you as the supreme ancestor of the Lingyun Sect. In the future, you’ll have your pick of direct disciples from across the entire Azure Ridge Domain, including Junior Sister Chu!”

Indeed, he wanted to recruit True Lord Fu Xuan. Success would greatly increase his chances of rebuilding the Lingyun Sect.

However, this wouldn’t be easy. True Lord Fu Xuan shook his head.

”Since achieving core formation, every immortal dao faction, including the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty and the Moonchase Palace, has extended an olive branch. Yet I’ve declined them all.”

”Not for any particular reason, mind you. I simply wish to immerse myself fully in the art of talismans, untainted by worldly conflicts.”

”Therefore, I struggle to see any reason why I should join your Lingyun Sect.”

(End of the Chapter)

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