The success of the first talisman greatly boosted Gu Hong’s confidence.
They continued producing talisman paper, but nearly a year had passed, and the expenses were enormous—so much so that even Gu Hong’s supply of spirit stones was running dry.
After all, the materials needed to craft Second-Grade Talisman Paper were incredibly expensive. It had taken her over a thousand spirit stones just to refine a single usable sheet.
Coupled with the initial investment in talisman brushes and other supplies, her finances were stretched thin.
To help, Li An contributed another thousand spirit stones.
After all, the Second-Grade Talisman Brush and the incomplete talisman inheritance had already been more than worth the effort.
Gu Hong was deeply grateful.
Time passed again, another half a year went by.
The two-year agreement between Li An and Gu Hong was now a year and a half in.
“They’re finally all finished—”
Looking at the four talismans in her hands, Gu Hong’s eyes brimmed with emotion and satisfaction.
Hard work had finally paid off.
“Fellow Daoist Li, I plan to head to the Cloud Mirage Mountains. I already tracked down traces of a Soulcore Beast there two years ago.”
Gu Hong looked at Li An, a trace of expectation in her eyes. “Would you consider coming with me?”
After two years of close cooperation, a subtle intimacy had formed between them. Though Li An remained reserved, Gu Hong, despite having once been imprisoned and used as a Furnace by demonic cultivators, kept her pride and distance. She viewed herself as damaged goods.
So while they were close, there was still an invisible barrier between them.
This was partly why she invited Li An along. Given his cultivation—only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining—he would be of little practical help.
But somehow, having him nearby brought her peace of mind.
“My cultivation is too weak. If I were to enter the Cloud Mirage Mountains, I’d only be a burden to you, Fellow Daoist Gu.”
Li An declined.
He did not want to take unnecessary risks.
The Cloud Mirage Mountains were well-known throughout the Great Dawn Dynasty. Many cultivators ventured there to train or seek fortune, but it was also dangerous.
“Very well—”
Gu Hong nodded. “I’ll return to Tempered Moon Valley. For now. I won’t head to the Cloud Mirage Mountains for a few more months. If you change your mind, you can always find me.”
“Fellow Daoist Li, I still owe you for saving my life in the past… and now I owe you another.”
Li An smiled. “No need for such words between us.”
Gu Hong returned the smile and said nothing more before taking her leave.
After she departed—
Li An entered secluded cultivation.
He was ready to break through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
A large number of spirit stones were laid before him. He took out a pill—an Origin Spirit Pill.
The Origin Spirit Pill was a Grade One Pill, even stronger than a Qi Charging Pill, specifically for breakthroughs in the later stages of Qi Refining.
That single pill had cost him four hundred spirit stones.
Much of his cultivation over the past years had been made possible by the 3,500 spirit stones he had acquired from Chen Cheng. Otherwise, even selling First High-Grade Talismans wouldn’t have been enough to cover his expenses.
Purchasing Molten Gold Liquid, specialty poisons, talisman paper, brushes, pills—every one of them cost dearly.
Now, he had barely a thousand spirit stones left.
He held his breath, focused on the circulation of spiritual energy. In his dantian, the life seed had already sprouted six leaves, and the seventh had just begun to bud...
He swallowed the Origin Spirit Pill.
It dissolved into liquid—an immense surge of essence rushed into his dantian. At the same time, the surrounding spirit stones began to release their energy, which was rapidly absorbed into his body—
…
Two months later—
Li An awoke. After taking a hot bath, he felt completely refreshed.
“From this day on, I’ve officially stepped into the late stage of Qi Refining.”
His expression was calm but resolute.
At sixty-one, reaching the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining was effectively a ceiling for most cultivators. Few could go further.
After all, past the age of sixty, a cultivator’s qi and blood began to decline.
But Li An wasn’t worried. Even the peak of Qi Refining generally offered a lifespan under two hundred years.
But with his current state—just at the Seventh Layer—his lifespan had already surpassed two hundred years.
He was still “young,” and didn’t need to worry about physical decline.
“My spiritual root sensitivity has finally surpassed 50!”
He was thrilled. After years of slowly cultivating the Life-Nourishing Immortal-Forging Art, his root sensitivity had reached 53!
That put him on par with Tan Qingxue and not far from reaching the level of a Mid-Grade Yellow Root.
That was why this breakthrough had only taken two months. Improvements to spiritual roots fundamentally affected cultivation progress.
“My Golden Bone, Thundercrash Palm, and Cold Yin Finger have all reached Minor Completion.”
“Now that I’m in the late Qi Refining stage, I can finally try crafting Second-Grade Talismans on my own.”
With this breakthrough, a cultivator’s spiritual energy took a significant leap, and Li An’s was already far purer than most.
He still had some talisman paper left over from before. He retrieved it.
After all the practice with Gu Hong, he was now highly familiar with the Soul Suppression and Thunderstrike Talismans. He chose to work on those again.
He calmed his mind and focused.
Ten days later—
He had successfully produced two Thunderstrike Talismans and two Soul Suppression Talismans!
Of course, it had taken over a hundred sheets of Second-Grade talisman paper—an expense that made him wince.
“I’ll have to wait before trying other talismans…”
He sighed. Right now, these two were the only Second-Grade Talismans he could make with any reliability, and even that success rate was low.
Unless someone else came along to cover the cost, he couldn’t afford to explore new types for now.
“Maybe I should start studying formations…”
In his past life, Li An had also dabbled in arrays. During the two great disasters at the market, he had relied on them to turn the tide, so he valued formations highly.
Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators could begin studying and creating basic arrays.
Li An went to a formation shop and bought a mid-grade formation set, along with various materials.
It cost him another 300 spirit stones.
He was now down to just three or four hundred.
In the days that followed, Li An spent his time studying formations while also staying alert for news from the sect and reports of demonic activity nearby.
“The demonic cultivators around the Clear Sun Sect have suddenly gone quiet. The sect is sending people to investigate?”
That day, Li An received a letter from Tan Qingxue, and his heart instantly tightened with alarm!
For over a decade, he had been on edge, constantly prepared.
If the Clear Sun Sect really was targeted by the Yin-Yang Demonic Sect, Li An would be in serious danger.
In a collapsed nest, no egg remains whole. Especially since he was known for slaying the Horse Face of Death, the Demonic Sect would surely seek revenge.
He immediately began probing around the market, using underground channels to buy information. That alone cost him more than two hundred spirit stones.
Finally, he pieced together the situation.
About a month ago, sightings of demonic cultivators had already begun to decrease. In the past few days, they had vanished completely.
It was as if all the demonic cultivators around the Clear Sun Sect had disappeared overnight.
“So soon?”
Li An’s brow furrowed deeply.
The Demonic Sect was clearly making a move. The Clear Sun Sect might not be the target, but something was definitely happening.
At the very least, it was time to prepare.
After thinking it over, Li An decided he couldn’t stay in the market district any longer.
He had to retreat!
He immediately wrote a letter to Tan Qingxue, advising her to increase her vigilance. After a moment’s hesitation, he also asked her to personally travel to Liuyang River Market District to buy more materials for making Second-Grade talisman paper, and to keep this request secret.
Li An didn’t actually need the materials. The whole point was to get her to temporarily leave the sect.
Though the Liuyang River Market District belonged to the Clear Sun Sect, it was near another major power. The Hundred Beast Sect.
If the Yin-Yang Demonic Sect launched an attack on the Clear Sun Sect, they would avoid the Liuyang River area to prevent alerting the Hundred Beast Sect.
Collecting materials there would take at least ten days to half a month.
This was the only thing Li An could do for her.
After mailing the letter, Li An returned to deep thought.
He needed a place to hide as well…
After long consideration, he slipped out of the city, altered his appearance, and headed for Tempered Moon Valley—
Right now, the only person he could trust was Gu Hong.
…
(End of Chapter)