Chapter 29: Wood Spirit Thorn
In the alley.
“Third Brother.”
Another cultivator robber came from the other end.
When he saw the figure lying on the ground, he couldn't help but feel both shocked and furious.
He rushed forward and used Object Manipulation to support his brother.
After confirming it wasn’t a trick, he found that Third Brother had already lost all breath.
This left him terrified—his brother had been killed so quickly.
No way!
He had to leave immediately!
However, just as he was about to leave, he instinctively reached for his brother’s storage pouch.
In the next instant, a wave of searing heat swept over him, illuminating his cheeks with a red glow.
“Not good!”
Firelight reflected in his pupils.
At the moment he hurriedly activated his mana shield, a streak of green light flashed past his back.
The mana shield flickered, and a tiny crack showed that something had pierced through it.
Boom!
As the firelight burned, Lin Chang’an calmly brushed past from the shadows.
At the same time, he raised his hand and tucked away the two now-silent storage pouches into his robe.
In the silent alley, the firelight scattered with the wind, leaving only traces of charred remains at the scene.
...
He changed his disguise several times while roaming the marketplace.
He even went once to a brothel full of makeup and decadent music to mask his scent.
He also fenced the two storage pouches.
They only contained a little over a dozen spirit stones.
After confirming multiple times that no one was following him, Lin Chang’an finally returned home.
Inside the cultivation chamber.
“Combined with a magical artifact, the power is actually this strong!”
After returning home, Lin Chang’an couldn't hide the shock in his heart.
These were two real cultivators of the same level.
Though the sneak attack was the main factor, the more important point was that their mana shields were pierced instantly.
Among cultivators of the same level, mana shields weren’t so easy to break.
“Let me try.”
With a solemn expression, Lin Chang’an affixed a mid-grade Golden Light Talisman to the wall.
In the next moment, he raised his hand and cast the minor divine ability.
Poof!
A flash of green light followed by a dull thud echoed as it penetrated the wall.
At the same time, the Golden Light Talisman was pierced, and its faint golden glow slowly dissipated.
“A mid-grade Golden Light Talisman, pierced in a single strike!”
He had tested the power of this spell before.
But the power after pairing it with a magical artifact made Lin Chang’an swallow hard.
The defense of a mid-grade Golden Light Talisman was equivalent to the mana shield of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
In other words, in a same-level battle, as long as he struck unguarded at close range, he could instantly kill his opponent.
Of course, that assumed the opponent didn’t have any defensive magical artifacts either.
“What about a high-quality mid-grade talisman!”
As if recalling something, Lin Chang’an’s expression grew solemn, and he took out another talisman.
A high-quality mid-grade Golden Light Talisman—this was said to be close to the defensive level of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator’s mana shield.
The same process.
【Wood Spirit Thorn】
Poof!
This time, to the naked eye, the faint golden mana shield resisted for an instant.
But it was still pierced through.
“How is this possible!”
Lin Chang’an was shocked.
At the same time, a breakthrough notification echoed in his mind.
【Wood Spirit Thorn +80 (Perfect 1/10000)】
In just over three months, relying on its low consumption and spirit stone recovery, he had directly advanced it to the master level.
Of course, one key reason for such rapid progress was also the handwritten notes Yun Yao had given him.
The cultivator who created this spell had meticulously recorded everything.
That allowed him to comprehend it so quickly.
He hadn't expected that there was a level beyond master for the skill.
Under the insight of the perfect-level skill, Lin Chang’an once again immersed himself in a wonderful state of comprehension.
At that moment, it felt as if he had become the cultivator who created this minor spell, from the simplest Spirit Flick to combining it with a magical artifact to develop a powerful minor divine ability.
“So that’s how it is!”
After a while, Lin Chang’an finally opened his eyes in realization.
This insight allowed his mastery of the spell to be no less than that of its original creator.
Of course, that was assuming the original creator hadn’t kept any secrets.
“So perfect-level means the cultivator becomes completely in tune with the creator’s understanding.”
With a wave of his hand, two wooden thorns flew out from the wall riddled with tiny pit marks, and a smile appeared on Lin Chang’an’s face.
“Three Wood Spirit Thorns—no wonder this spell was called a minor divine ability even by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Its power is quite shocking.”
“That means, even if I face a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator now, I still stand a chance.”
Of course, that was only for sneak attacks at close range.
In a real fight, there were too many factors to consider.
Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators had sharper senses and more magical artifacts—they weren't like the poor mid- or early-stage ones.
If the opponent had a defensive artifact, the chance of failure was high.
One could only say that perfect-level made him comparable to the original creator and gave him a trump card.
“And this is just a damaged high-grade magical artifact.”
Lin Chang’an thought greedily, but then shook his head and sighed.
High-grade magical artifacts cost over a thousand spirit stones.
Although he could earn that much in a year, his current cultivation wasn’t enough to draw out their full power.
And they were more likely to attract envy.
“If I really had a thousand spirit stones, that’d be enough to cultivate to late-stage Qi Refining.”
Lin Chang’an shook his head with a smile.
But then he thought of Yun Yao again.
It had been nearly half a year since she borrowed the spirit stones.
He hoped she would return.
After all, Yun Yao owed him quite a lot of spirit stones.
If she never came back, that favor would be gone too.
...
Now that he had a means of protection, Lin Chang’an went with Erniu to the Juxian Tower.
The Minor Marquis Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing also wore concerned looks.
But Yun Yao’s cultivation was stronger than theirs, and they didn’t know what she had gone to do either.
They could only pray that nothing happened.
At the very least, she would return safely.
Time would bring opportunities.
Afterward, Lin Chang’an resumed his daily life of talisman drawing and cultivation.
Of course, he also added practice for the Wood Spirit Thorn spell.
It was just that the walls of the secluded chamber were a bit unfortunate.
Covered in dense pinholes, they looked like they’d been plowed through by a barrage of Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.
However, half a month later, the peace of the marketplace was broken again on a night.
“Another demon beast!”
The entire marketplace was thrown into chaos again, with countless cultivators staring in shock at the formations activated above.
But this time, just as the unrest began, Foundation Establishment cultivators from Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion shouted coldly.
In an instant, the entire marketplace was lit up as bright as day.
“That’s a Gale Eagle!”
When Lin Chang’an stepped outside and looked up at the night sky, bright as day, he was utterly shocked.
Above the marketplace, dozens of massive second-rank demon beasts—the Gale Eagles—were circling.
These were communal second-rank Foundation-level demon beasts.
“Who the hell stirred up a second-rank demon beast nest!”
Seeing the scene of the eagles circling and attacking the marketplace’s barrier, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but curse.
Damn it, these weren’t just Black Wind Wolves.
These were dozens of second-rank Foundation demon beasts.
And they were flying types.
Against cultivators of equal rank, human Foundation cultivators had no advantage in the sky.
That night, the marketplace had no rest.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators of various major families, along with those from Lihuo Palace and Xuanyin Pavilion, cast spells and activated magical artifacts in fury throughout the marketplace.
Through the barrier, it became a dazzling feast of spells.
They spent the entire night shooting birds—no, eagles.