Within the Market.
Lin Chang'an tidied up, then moved to the residence arranged by the Zhou Family.
Compared to his previous residence, this was a courtyard.
There was a small courtyard, and the beautiful environment was no exaggeration; the living conditions were much better than before.
[Golden Light Talisman +5 (Mastery 18/1000)]
Inside the house, looking at the Tier One Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman manual provided by the Zhou Family, a prompt sounded in Lin Chang'an's mind, yet his expression turned contemplative.
Because on the lifespan section, he seemed to have discovered an important issue.
[Lifespan: 40/98]
"Although I can earn Spirit Stones now, and even my cultivation has broken through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, it seems there's still one thing that hasn't changed."
Before the Golden Finger came, I only lived to a hundred years. The Golden Finger came, and I still live this century. Isn't the Golden Finger useless then!
Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an's previous good mood was suddenly gone, perhaps because this reunion had stimulated him by seeing others already planning for Foundation Establishment.
The main issue was awakening too late; if it had been twenty years earlier, he might be preparing for Foundation Establishment now, without having to worry about lifespan as he does now.
"Foundation Establishment cultivators start with a lifespan of two hundred years!"
"Relying on the talent I awakened now, it's not necessarily overambitious."
Although the Golden Finger didn't grant him immortality, it did offer him infinite opportunities.
The more Lin Chang'an thought, the more motivated he became.
"After age sixty, the chances of establishing a foundation only get smaller. There's twenty years left; set a small goal first, break through to Qi Refining Seventh Layer within ten years."
"If I can't break through before sixty, I must enjoy life while there's still time, or it would all be for nothing."
Having set a goal, Lin Chang'an was full of energy, putting down the manual and approaching the symbol painting table he had already prepared.
Holding his breath and concentrating, Lin Chang'an took a deep breath. Without closing his eyes like other Talisman Masters to concentrate, he resolutely dipped the Talisman Brush in cinnabar.
"Swish, swish!"
The tip of the brush danced on the talisman paper, the movement fluid and graceful.
"Puff!"
A cloud of thick smoke rose, making Lin Chang'an cough — clearly, his first Tier One Middle Grade Talisman had failed.
"Again!"
Unlike other Talisman Masters who need to readjust after failure, his extraordinary talent meant he didn't need to.
Lin Chang'an was not discouraged; instead, he concentrated fully and began painting the talisman once again.
Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman, not only exhausting more materials and mana, but more importantly, it was much more intricate and complex — the difficulty was a complete step up from the earlier simpler Lower Grade talismans.
Swish, swish!
With white smoke rising from one talisman paper after another, finally, on the sixth piece, a golden spiritual light flickered.
"It's done!"
Lin Chang'an, with a face full of joy, couldn't help but laugh out loud looking at the first Tier One Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman in his life.
"I never thought there would be a time when I could actually create a Tier One Middle Grade Talisman."
Half a year ago, he was still a despondent Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator, ready to return to the mundane and waste his life away, but in less than half a year.
Now, he not only broke through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer but could also make a Tier One Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman.
"A Tier One Middle Grade Talisman, and a defensive Golden Light Talisman at that, is worth four Spirit Stones outside."
From one Spirit Stone to four, he achieved yet another qualitative leap.
In the days that followed, Lin Chang'an returned to a recluse life.
In the eyes of the Zhou Family, Lin Chang'an was a somewhat talented Talisman Master, who in just two months mastered and made his first Middle Grade Talisman.
Starting from the third month, Lin Chang'an began teaching the four apprentices arranged by the Zhou Family.
...
Wang Family.
Inside a secret chamber, caged demon beast cubs wailed in iron cages, among them two bared their deadly teeth aggressively.
"Great Elder, we caught a total of thirty-eight Black Wind Wolf demon beast cubs, among which two carry the bloodline of the Wolf King, a Tier Two demon beast."
In the dimly lit secret chamber, hearing the report, the Foundation Establishment Elder of the Wang Family showed a satisfied smile and nodded.
"Good, very good, this time, we must let the Beast-Taming Zhou Family take a big hit."
The Wang Family's late-stage Qi Refining Great Cultivator, who followed behind, showed a pained expression upon hearing this.
"Great Elder, do we abandon these two Tier Two bloodline demon beasts too?"
It wasn't that he was being stingy, but if nurtured to adulthood, a Tier Two demon beast could rival a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Yet the Great Elder snorted coldly.
"Demon beasts! Setting aside the difficulty of raising them, isn't the time and resources spent on raising a beast better used on cultivating our clan's young cultivators?
Our Wang Family is thriving, unlike the Zhou Family who mingle with beasts."
"Yes, yes," the late-stage Qi Refining Great Cultivator bowed.
"Be careful."
Looking at the cages in the secret chamber, the Wang Family Great Elder wore a greedy smile on his face.
"With the chaos in the market now, release these wolf cubs into the black market; the Zhou Family absolutely won't miss this chance. Then we can spread rumors to bolster the Zhou Family's renown.
Let all cultivators know one thing: the Beast-Taming Zhou Family has gained two more Tier Two demon beast cubs."
The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator of the Wang Family wore a sinister smile after hearing this.
"Rest assured Elder, I personally led the team that left behind Zhou Family disciples' clothing, talisman scents, and even the fragmented armor of the Zhou Family's guardian spirit beast, the Profound Water Turtle, when catching the wolf cubs. These beasts must have already gone crazy."
"When the demon beasts attack the market, the Zhou Family will have no choice but to take the blame!"
The Wang Family Great Elder's eyes bore a flash of hatred at the mention of the Profound Water Turtle.
"Twenty years ago, because of this beast, otherwise the market would have long been our Wang Family's domain. This time, we must take down the Zhou Family!"
Twenty years ago, the Wang and Zhou Families had a grudge over market resources. The Zhou Family, backed by their trump card, the Profound Water Turtle, barely avoided defeat but suffered greatly as well.
It was precisely because of this that Li Erniu had the opportunity to marry into the Zhou Family.
...
Cloud Mist Mountain Range, from a valley came eerie wolf howls.
Under the moonlight, the wolf dens appeared empty with traces of battles between cultivators and demon beasts still visible.
The scene was too horrific to behold, with dismembered wolf cubs and mother wolves everywhere, extremely brutal, as if it were an act of revenge.
Under the oil-green, humanly angry beast eyes floating, atop the valley appeared two Black Wind Wolf demon beasts exuding terrifying auras.
They fixed their gaze on the direction of Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market, then howled at the moonlit sky above the valley.
The sound waves of their howls shook the valley's loose stones into a cascading roll; sensing something was amiss within a hundred li, numerous demon beasts were instantly petrified with fear.
At the same time, more intense howls echoed within the valley.
Under the cover of night, led by the Wolf King, numerous dark shadows streamed out of the valley, not targeting the Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market, but the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
The leading Wolf King, while leading the pack toward the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, turned back to glance in the direction of Cyan Bamboo Mountain Market, its chilling beast eyes revealing deeply ingrained human-like hatred.
As the wolf packs disappeared, an eerie stillness pervaded the night under the valley, yet on the outskirts of the valley, on the branch of a large tree, a human figure slowly emerged.
"Such terrifying momentum; this Wolf King's aura must have reached Tier Two Late Stage, and there's even a Tier Two Early Stage demon beast."
The revealed figure, looking at the vanished wolf silhouette in the distance, flashed a sinister smile.
"A group of beasts, now obediently drive the demon beasts out of the mountains, recreating the chaos of the beast attack on the market fifteen years ago."
Amidst a hoarse laugh, thinking of the scene of the beast attack fifteen years ago still invoked fear in his eyes.
"But this time it's different, all the fury of the market's cultivators will be vented on the Zhou Family."
Wearing a cold smile, the figure then tossed out a flying boat, disappearing into the night.
The Black Wind Wolves, not only with strong vendettas but also extremely intelligent.
When facing the human market, they didn't impulsively seek revenge. As predicted by the Wang Family, they chose to rush into the mountain, using their strengths to drive out countless demon beasts, thereby causing chaos in the market.