Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

According to the normal logic of the cultivation realm, he wasn’t optimistic about Li Ji’an’s future, but it did not prevent him from being grateful to Li Ji’an.

Although many in the sect, even the elders in the Dharma Transmission Hall, said that his entry into the Inner Sect had little to do with Li Ji’an and was due to his own luck, everyone regarded him as someone with extraordinary fortune.

However, setting aside Li Ji’an’s abandonment, he still remembered the kindness of being awakened by Li Ji’an back then.

He even kept thinking about how he could repay that past kindness.

But these years, he had always been in a low position, and at the critical moment of advancing to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he was willing but unable.

He also thought of waiting until after he reached Foundation Establishment, and if there was an opportunity to guard the Immortal City, to see if he could provide some convenience for him there.

This time he specially came to find Li Ji’an, not because he originally planned to return to his hometown as the messages said, but because he saw that Li Ji’an had this need and took leave from the sect, not hesitating to waste time accompanying Li Ji’an on a journey.

After three rounds of drinks and five tastes of dishes, the two became more familiar with each other, especially in the segment of reminiscing about hardships and joys. When they mentioned the sect’s trial from eighteen years ago, their relationship deepened further.

Afterward, the two discussed heading east.

The Flame Mountain Forbidden Land was slightly further than the southern desert, and the journey was rather barren, with no high-tier spirit veins and no dangerous mountains or rivers, merely taking some time.

It was finally decided to set off in three days.

”Fellow Daoist Li, I, Xiao, will take my leave first and come looking for you in three days.” After a full meal, Xiao Changfeng took his leave.

Li Ji’an politely said, ”Taoist Friend Xiao, if you don’t mind, I still have a guest room here where you can stay for two days.”

”No need, I have a senior brother assigned to guard duties at the Immortal City, and I must visit him, so I won’t trouble Fellow Daoist Li.” Xiao Changfeng replied truthfully.

”Very well, let’s meet again in three days then.”

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After Xiao Changfeng left, Xiaoqiao secretly poked her head out from within the house, her eyes flickering as she watched his departing figure.

”Xiaoqiao, don’t be afraid, that Uncle Xiao isn’t a bad person. The fact that he still remembers past events shows he cherishes gratitude.” Li Ji’an closed the courtyard door, patted Xiaoqiao’s head, and comforted her.

In the next three days, Li Ji’an adjusted his mindset and finally took out that high-grade talisman paper from the late period.

On the second day, a flash of inspiration hit, and a stream of light flickered and disappeared on the talisman paper.

”It’s done!”

In this realm, talismans do not store magical power but use the divine soul as a guide and magical power as a medium, embedding the heaven and earth spirit mechanism in the talisman, activating effects beyond what magical power can achieve, relying instead on the heavenly spirit mechanism.

The heaven and earth spirit mechanism is a reflection of the Law, and the Teleportation Talisman is a reflection of the Spatial Law, far from a true spatial law, yet more challenging to harness than the ordinary elements like the Five Elements, Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning.

Now successfully drawing a high-grade late-period Teleportation Talisman signified that Li Ji’an had entered the ranks of a Tier One senior Talisman Master.

”In an instant, it covers five hundred miles, which is enough to escape alive from beneath a Foundation Establishment Early Period cultivator!”

On the third day, capitalizing on his improved talisman art, Li Ji’an bought the materials for late-period Spirit Trapping Talismans from the talisman shop and successfully created three of them, just in case.

It’s hard to come by an opportunity to visit the Flame Mountain Forbidden Land, and if any encounters occur, he must not slap his thigh due to lack of preparation.

With everything properly prepared, Li Ji’an waited quietly for Xiao Changfeng.

However, when the appointed time was near, Xiao Changfeng suddenly messaged saying that he was temporarily assigned to participate in a task to track down a tribulation cultivator near the Immortal City, which might delay him for a few days.

To this, Li Ji’an simply smiled, understanding that as a sect disciple, he naturally didn’t have the freedom of a loose cultivator, and being temporarily pressed into service was quite normal.

Moreover, he had heard about the tribulation cultivator incident in the Immortal City recently.

It was said they crossed the mountains from the north of the Great Marsh Mountain Range of Celestial Origin Province, a decently powerful loose cultivator group objecting to the rule of the Ten Thousand Laws Palace in Celestial Origin Province, intending to secure a Tier Three spirit vein for all loose cultivators, thus prompted a pursuit spanning thousands of miles.

After fleeing here, they had no choice but to target cultivators coming to and from the Immortal City.

The matter had caused quite a stir within the Immortal City at the time.

As the number one sect in Cangyun State, the Immortal City hadn’t experienced such a vile event in nearly a hundred years; no local cultivators would dare act around the Immortal City.

However, at the time, Biyun Sect seemed short-staffed, only managing to strengthen the Immortal City’s defenses without capturing the intruders.

This time, they might have found the tribulation cultivator’s trail.

Fortunately, after just a half-month delay, Xiao Changfeng returned.

On this day, Xiao Changfeng came with a slight apology to reunite with Li Ji’an.

”Fellow Daoist Li, there’s no time to lose. To prevent further summons from the sect, let’s set off immediately.”

Li Ji’an packed everything, secretly put Gugu into the Spirit Pet Bag, and took Xiaoqiao’s hand to the courtyard gate.

When Xiao Changfeng saw that Li Ji’an intended to bring along the little girl who hadn’t even started cultivation, he was slightly surprised but ultimately said nothing. Protecting one more person was no problem; he had confidence.

At the east gate of the Immortal City.

Li Ji’an initially planned to summon a mid-Tier One magical artifact he’d purchased two years ago, but Xiao Changfeng had already brought out a flying boat.

”Fellow Daoist Li, this journey stretches over a hundred thousand miles. I specifically borrowed a flying boat from the sect elders, which should save some time.”

Li Ji’an was slightly surprised.

The flying boat, as a flying spiritual artifact, wasn’t cheap; the Yan Family’s flying boat, a mid-Tier One, took several generations to purchase one. The flying boat Xiao Changfeng borrowed was actually an upper-grade flying boat.

With a slight sensing, based on the expanded vision acquired over the years in the Immortal City, Li Ji’an judged this flying boat to be akin to the one used to bring them to the cultivation realm back then.

Sitting in the flying boat with Xiaoqiao felt indeed comfortable.

At the same time, Li Ji’an looked distantly towards the south, in the direction of the Sandstorm Forbidden Land.

That was where he first entered this realm fifty-seven years ago.

There was indeed an upper-grade flying boat like Xiao Changfeng’s there.

Just this one flying boat alone was worth over a thousand spirit stones.

After all these years, they never went to investigate it.

Back then, Li Ji’an was worried due to not understanding the capabilities within the cultivation realm. He feared those things might bear imprints from high-tier cultivators, a threat to track them.

With the current perspective, coupled with judgment on the family’s capabilities and the risk associated with their actions, one, the distance was far enough to ensure they couldn’t sense anything, and two, even the other party wouldn’t dare leave tracking imprints with clues on them.

”Forget it, just wait. Or, perhaps in the next life, there’ll be a chance to see if it’s there.” Ultimately, Li Ji’an suppressed the desire in his heart.

Heading east.

A month later, the flying boat completely left the influence range of Biyun Sect.

At the same time, the spiritual Qi, which had thinned since departing the Immortal City, was now entirely undetectable.

That day, seeing Xiao Changfeng swallow another Qi Replenishing Pill, Li Ji’an took out a jade bottle of pill medicine from his storage pouch and handed it to Xiao Changfeng.

The other party had already shown great sincerity by accompanying him and borrowing the flying boat.

Besides, in human interactions, the most important thing was mutual exchange; revealing one’s value at appropriate times was beneficial for maintaining the relationship.

”Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li.” Upon receiving the pill medicine from Li Ji’an, Xiao Changfeng hesitated a bit but expressed gratitude and accepted it.

The hesitation was due to him usually not using anything less than upper-grade pill medicine for magical power refinement.

His perception of Li Ji’an held some mundane biases; a loose cultivator Pill Master would sell good pill medicine for other resources, often retaining mid-to-low-grade ones for personal use.

This couldn’t be blamed on him, as the cultivation realm had always been this way.

The one dressed in finery isn’t necessarily the silkworm rearer!

The decision to eventually accept was to maintain Li Ji’an’s dignity.

However.

”Hmm?” Upon handling the jade bottle, he sensed the aura of the pill medicine within.

No longer hesitating, he opened the jade bottle.

”This...” He looked at Li Ji’an in surprise.

A bottle containing as many as twenty upper-grade Spirit Supplement Pills.

Li Ji’an smiled faintly, ”Taoist Friend Xiao, there’s no need to be polite. These are all personally refined by Li, and without your protection on this journey, Li can’t fully ensure his safety.”

”This... you usually leave such quality pill medicine for yourself?” Xiao Changfeng couldn’t believe it.

Li Ji’an shook his head, ”On ordinary days, I don’t keep such pills. Partly because traversing so many spirit-starved lands requires more Spiritual Qi replenishment, I specially kept some.”

”Oh, no wonder...” Xiao Changfeng let out a long breath.

However, before he finished speaking, Li Ji’an produced another bottle of superior-quality Qi Replenishing Pills, ”This is what I usually reserve for personal consumption.”