"One hundred and fifty-five years old, eight floors of foundation building."
Lu Changan felt that the powerful lake of mana in his body had expanded by approximately 30%.
Since it is not a breakthrough in a small realm, the "quality" of mana has not changed significantly, and the improvement in strength is not significant.
It's just a step further in the later stages of foundation building.
"Based on the current progress of cultivation, reaching the ninth level of foundation building will probably make you around one hundred and seventy years old."
Lu Changan speculated.
With nine levels of foundation building, you can theoretically reach the core formation stage.
However, in order to increase their confidence, most alchemy practitioners will try their best to reach the peak of the ninth level of foundation building. Even if they fail, they will still have to consolidate for two or three years.
At that time, Fu Xuemei first entered the ninth level of foundation building and began to form elixirs not long after they were consolidated. Due to insufficient foundation, the quality of the final elixirs was affected.
Even so, Fu Xuemei's aptitude for the spiritual root, and after understanding his mind, he managed to form a true elixir.
Lu Changan's situation is different.
He wants to take the route of "turning the elixir back into liquid and reshaping the condensed elixir", which is not something that can be accomplished overnight.
When forming a pill for the first time, there is no need to pursue the peak of the ninth level of foundation building.
If the quality of the finished elixir is higher, the difficulty and risk of crushing the inner elixir will be greatly increased.
This is my first time to convert elixirs into liquid, so I don’t have enough experience. To be on the safe side, it’s best to form a fake elixir like Zhang Tieshan did first.
…
A few days later, Lu Changan left the customs and followed the underground tunnel to the bottom of the deep pool behind the mansion.
First check the growth status of the blackwood gourd vine.
There are almost no signs of growth on this gourd vine, and the small fruits on it are withered, yellow, black, and lifeless.
"It seems that the 'Xuantian Gourd' in the records of Tinghai Pavilion has completely failed to condense..."
Not even Lu Changan's Evergreen Secret Technique can do anything about it.
He once spent his longevity to nourish the dead fruit, but the result was like a stone sinking into the sea, without any reaction.
Fortunately, the vitality of the gourd vine has been stabilized, and the small green patch on the vine is more conspicuous than before.
Compared with the dying situation in the ancient ruins back then, it is much better.
Lu Changan looked at the Xuan Shui Turtle aside and injected Evergreen mana into it to promote its growth.
Over the years, since the Blackwater Turtle has been guarding the Blackwood Gourd Vine and irrigating it, it rarely takes the initiative to suck the residual aura from Lu Changan's cultivation.
Lu Changan guessed that some kind of benefits brought by Xuanmu Gourd Vine were more popular in Xuanshui Turtle's mind than his own Evergreen Skill.
With the boost of evergreen mana and black wood gourd vine, the black water turtle's growth rate is far faster than that of its kind.
It usually takes four to five hundred years for a normal Xuan Shui Turtle to reach the level of true elixir.
Lu Changan's Xuan Shui Turtle probably won't be used half the time.
"As an earth-grade bloodline, this turtle has the qualifications to defeat rock rats far away, and it also has the unknown benefits of black wood gourd and vine. In the future, I wonder what kind of inner elixir it will form?"
Lu Changan was looking forward to and curious about this.
Return to the above-ground mansion.
Xia Wenyue was waiting outside the door, asking to see something.
"Come in." Lu Changan waved his sleeves and opened the door.
Xia Wenyue bowed her sleeves and said sternly: "Mr. Lu, there was a message from the tribe just now, saying that a foundation-building monk outside Qingshawan is visiting you."
"Does that person have a registration number?"
"No, he concealed his appearance." Xia Wenyue replied.
Lu Changan was about to refuse.
"That man claimed to be your old friend in Liang State." Xia Wenyue quickly added.
"Old friend of Liang Guo?"
Lu Changan pondered for a moment, then finally nodded and ordered Xia Wenyue to bring the man over.
For a brief moment just now, he let the rock rat go over to explore and smell a familiar scent.
The visitor is indeed an old friend, with whom we have a close friendship.
…
A quarter of an hour later.
Xia Wenyue left and came back, followed by a toga-robed monk wearing a bamboo hat and a green gauze.
The whole body of the man was wrapped in robes, and neither man nor woman could be distinguished.
Xia Wenyue retreated tacitly and closed the door to the side hall.
Through the green gauze of his bamboo hat, Lu Changan looked hazily into a pair of dark eyes and smiled slightly:
"Miss Shen, I haven't seen you for twenty years. How are you?"
Hearing this, the toga-robed monk stiffened for a moment and immediately took off his bamboo hat and green veil.
It was the face of a woman, about thirty-seven or eighteen years old.
The facial features are beautiful, but the crow's feet are obvious, the fair skin has slightly dull spots, and the dark eyes are no longer bright, but there is a calmness and depth that has passed through the years.
Lu Changan couldn't help but be startled, as if he couldn't associate the gentle, quiet, beautiful lady with skin as white as snow back then with the "half-aged lady" in front of him.
"It makes Master Lu Fu laugh. I am old and old, married and have children. I cannot afford to be called a 'girl'."
Shen Bixin's voice was calm, but her charm could not conceal her bitterness and loneliness.
"You don't have to worry about it, fellow Daoist Shen! As cultivators like us, our appearance is not important, it's just a layer of skin."
Lu Changan spoke in a gentle tone, smiled and raised his hand, asking Shen Bixin to take a seat.
Shen Bixin is the eldest lady of the Tengxing Chamber of Commerce in the Liang Kingdom, and she once had business dealings and cooperation with Lu Changan.
We first met when Jiang Yechen came to Wu Qi Mountain for medical treatment while carrying her unconscious.
Shen Bixin originally fell in love with Jiang Yechen, but was opposed by the elders of the Chamber of Commerce.
In the end, she married Song Wenshu, who had a good background and a promising future in Lihuo Palace.
When he sat down, Lu Changan looked at Shen Bixin calmly and found that her cultivation level had stagnated at the peak of the late foundation building stage.
"The spirit has faded and the magic power has become stagnant."
Lu Changan judged that this woman should have failed to form the elixir and suffered a backlash, resulting in severe damage to her vitality and damage to her body's foundation.
Otherwise, with Shen Bixin's rich net worth, taking beauty-preserving elixirs would prevent her appearance from fading so quickly.
This is not the worst outcome.
It is not unusual for some losers of the elixir formation to die on the spot, or to fall into a state of decline.
In fact, Shen Bixin has good qualifications and her background is better than that of ordinary monks.
Logically speaking, the hope of forming a fake elixir is not small.
At least in Lu Changan's opinion, he has more hope than Shi Xianzi who has not been promoted to the third level formation master.
However, things in the world of cultivating immortals are unpredictable and it is difficult to be absolutely sure. It is normal to fail.
"I wonder how fellow Taoist Song is doing?"
Lu Changan didn't want to expose Shen Bixin's shortcomings, so he changed the subject.
As an elite member of the Lihuo Palace, Song Wenshu had a good background and had some friendship with Lu Changan.
"Wen Shu... was unfortunately killed in the battle to cultivate immortals a few years ago."
Shen Bixin's eyes were dim and her face was sad.
"Song Wenshu died in battle?"
Lu Changan's expression was stagnant, but he didn't expect to change the subject and reveal the scars of Shen Bixin, the widow.
The war of cultivating immortals in the Liang Kingdom resulted in heavy deaths.
True elixirs, fake elixirs, and real people all died in battle.
Death in battle during the foundation building period is naturally not that noticeable, unless it is a friend who pays special attention to it.
Therefore, Lu Changan only learned about the death of Song Wenshu at this time.
"When did Fellow Daoist Shen come to Jing Country?"
"The Tengxing Chamber of Commerce where I am located has transferred part of its direct lineage and property before the war started in Liang Kingdom... Three years ago, I brought my husband's flesh and blood heirs and came to Jingguo with the direct lineage members of the Chamber of Commerce. develop."
Shen Bixin recounted the past a few years ago.
Lu Changan secretly sighed that the Tengxing Chamber of Commerce had prepared for a rainy day and even deployed manpower and industry in Jing Kingdom in advance.
In this way, it will be easier to take over the monks from Liang through the connections here.
…
"Friend Daoist Shen's visit this time, to conceal his identity, shouldn't it be just to reminisce about old times with Mr. Lu?"
Half an hour later, Lu Changan finally got to the point after learning about the ups and downs of Shen Bixin's life for nearly twenty years.
"Master Lu Fu owed me a favor back then, but does it still count now?"
Shen Bixin looked directly at Lu Changan's expression.
"count."
Lu Changan did not hesitate.
He does owe Shen Bixin a favor.
In the past, during the middle stage of foundation building, in order to collect a batch of materials, including hard-to-find third-level materials, and to speed up body refining and advance to the quasi-third level, I asked Shen Bixin's chamber of commerce for help.
At that time, Shen Bixin did not ask for any reward from Lu Changan, only a favor promise from him.
"Master Lu Fu is indeed of noble character, honest and reliable."
Shen Bixin was delighted and showed a smile for the first time.
"Oh, Fellow Daoist Shen wants to fulfill the promise he made back then today?"
"No! I'm not at the end of my rope yet. What I just said is just to verify Master Lu Fu's character and integrity."
"I came here this time because I was entrusted by someone to act as a go-between. Whether what I'm going to talk about next will come true or not, I hope Master Lu can keep it a secret."
Shen Bixin looked solemn and switched to voice communication.
Lu Changan realized that what Shen Bixin mentioned was a serious matter, so he set up an isolation ban in place.
The two looked at each other, their lips moved, and they communicated through sound for a long time.
"The grandson of Elder Wang from Lihuo Palace, Wang Feng?"
Lu Changan's head was filled with surprise, but he remained calm on the surface.
It turns out that the "Wang Gongzi" who smuggled himself through the cross-border spirit ship back then was actually named "Wang Feng", and he was a genius with earth spirit roots that was specially trained by the Lihuo Palace.
Wang Feng's grandfather, "Elder Wang", is one of the top three powerful elders in Lihuo Palace, with peak cultivation in the late stage of pill formation.
Elder Wang's strength is definitely higher than that of Lu Changan in his previous life.
Wang Feng and Song Wenshu met each other and became the object of the latter's friendship and attachment.
Shen Bixin married into Lihuo Palace and had a relationship with Wang Feng once or twice.
Just a few months ago, "Mr. Wang", who had returned to the foundation-building stage, approached Shen Bixin and asked for his help.
Mr. Wang wants two things from me:
First, use the channels of the local chamber of commerce in Jing State to return to Lihuo Palace in Liang State.
Secondly, he wanted to find a skilled pharmacist to recuperate his body and repair the hidden wounds caused by his decline in cultivation.
If I can help, Mr. Wang will be very grateful, and in the future he will be able to get favors from the sect's later stage of Dan Dan Overhaul.
"My chamber of commerce has a weak foundation in the Jing Kingdom and is barely able to gain a foothold in the country. It is rejected by hostile forces. Both of Mr. Wang's requests are ineffective."
Shen Bixin said in a voice message.
Lu Changan's eyes flashed slightly, revealing Shen Bixin's selfishness.
Song Wenshu's birth relationship was in Lihuo Palace, and Shen Bixin gave birth to his heir.
If we can establish a relationship with Mr. Wang and Elder Wang, it will definitely be beneficial to Shen Bixin's descendants.
It is true that the war situation is not good for Lihuo Palace.
However, even if a behemoth like the Nascent Soul level sect is defeated and withdraws from the Liang Kingdom, its inheritance is far superior to that of a sect like Jinyun Valley.
"Elder Wang, I'm afraid Lu cannot reach such a big shot as Mr. Wang..."
Lu Changan declined politely.
In this matter, Shen Bixin was simply acting as a middleman and did not waste any favors.
Lu Changan has no shortage of spiritual stones and techniques, and has all the elixir-forming things ready. He has no intention of clinging to the lineage of Elder Wang and Young Master Wang.
Mr. Wang was once hunted by demonic forces, so there was a certain risk in this matter.
"Master Wang said that if Master Lu agrees to help, his reward will include a piece of third-level high-grade spiritual bamboo."
Shen Bixin added.
Hearing this, Lu Changan couldn't help but move.
It was not easy to get the third-level high-grade spiritual bamboo when he was in the pill-forming stage in his previous life.
Lu Changan once bought a third-level mid-grade spiritual wood at the largest auction in Liang Kingdom. At that time, he was not sure about refining the third-level treasure talisman's embryo, which is still preserved to this day.
If the treasure talisman starting from the third level is used to cultivate, its power will be immeasurable.
In addition, Lu Changan's technique is of the wood type. Using third-level high-grade spiritual bamboo as the main material, he can refine excellent wood type magic weapons.
"If Master Lu Fu is interested, go to the Xunxian Mansion Inn in Yunyan Fairy City within half a month... At that time, Mr. Wang will personally negotiate with you."
"Well, let me think about it."
Lu Changan did not make a promise.
There was some doubt in his heart. How could Mr. Wang be so destitute now that he had seen him so well?
…
After talking about business, the atmosphere relaxed.
The two stopped talking to each other and talked about the past, simply reminiscing about the past.
In the past, the three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain, Lu Changan, Shi Xianzi, and Ye Fei, all had a good relationship with Shen Bixin and had cooperation relationships.
At that time, Shen Bixin was quiet, gentle, and generous, which even made Ye Fei of Xiaodanfeng feel moved.
"By the way, how is Fellow Daoist Jiang doing?"
Lu Changan suddenly thought of Jiang Yechen, the man Shen Bixin truly loved.
Jiang Yechen carries the treasure of the Soul Dao. Without his help and the memory of the restorer fairy, Lu Changan and his two men would not have had the important opportunity to learn about the ancient ruins.
At least, Shi Xianzi didn't become a third-level formation master so smoothly.
"Jiang Yechen... How can I be qualified to see him again?"
Mentioning this person, Shen Bixin looked downcast, her cheeks were no longer as delicate as before, and the wrinkles on her brows became more obvious.
Lu Changan heard something unusual in the words.
Shen Bixin didn't say "I don't have the face to see him again", but there was unconcealable regret and loss in her tone.
"A few years ago, he had been promoted to True Alchemy, but he refused the invitations from the major sects in Liang Kingdom, and then traveled to other countries..."
"Jiang Yechen, promoted to true elixir?"
Lu Changan was moved and couldn't help but look at Shen Bixin.
He simply stroked it.
Back then, Shen Bixin gave up her true love Jiang Yechen and married Song Wenshu, who had a better background and more promising prospects.
As a result, Song Wenshu was killed in battle, leaving Shen Bixin as a widow.
And Jiang Yechen, who was considered to have an extreme temperament and was not favored back then, actually formed a true elixir!
What's more subtle is.
Jiang Yechen's promotion to the True Pill and Song Wenshu's death, these two events... seemed to have happened in those few years.
Jiang Yechen was Lu Changan's first old friend in this life who confirmed the news and formed a true elixir.
Although the relationship between the two is very ordinary.
In addition, there is Zhang Tieshan, but there is no news about him in these years.
The difficulty of real elixirs is much higher than that of fake elixirs.
In many fairy cities, fake elixirs can sometimes be seen by real people, but it is difficult to come into contact with real elixirs.
…
Shen Bi felt depressed and quickly said goodbye.
Lu Changan knew that this was because he had exposed her scar.
But he really didn't mean it.
Who knew in advance that Shen Bixin's life in the past twenty years would be so tortuous.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, take care."
Lu Changan watched Shen Bixin's thin figure, covered by loose clothes, bamboo hat and green gauze, fly out of Qiufeng Island.
Shen Bixin hid her identity and visited because she was worried about Mr. Wang's affairs and implicated Lu Changan.
According to her, Mr. Wang faced intense pursuit in the early years. Although the Merchant Alliance did not explicitly want him, some forces from the Chamber of Commerce secretly cooperated with the Demon Cult's actions.
In recent years, the situation has become much more relaxed, and the intensity of pursuits has dropped significantly.
Mr. Wang recovered most of his cultivation and gained a chance to breathe.
Seven days later.
Lu Changan announced to the outside world that he was in seclusion, leaving behind the phantom atmosphere simulated by the "Illusion True Talisman" in the secret room.
He himself used the earth escape ability of the rock rat to leave the Xia family in Qingshawan without anyone noticing.
If the Earth Rock Rat is promoted to the third level, Lu Changan will avoid negotiating with Mr. Wang in his true identity.
After all, it involves the upper echelons of the Liang Kingdom clan.
Now I have less worries.
Attracted by the third-level high-grade spiritual wood, he didn't mind meeting Mr. Wang.
…
Yunyan Fairy City, Xunxianfu Inn.
This is the place where Lu Changan and the down-and-out Mr. Wang first met in Jing Kingdom.
However, Mr. Wang did not know Lu Changan's identity at that time.
The formation restrictions in Xunxian Mansion can only hinder the spiritual exploration of False Dan Master at best.
This couldn't stop Lu Changan, who owned the Nine-Seal Monument. With the blessing of the soul imprint of his previous life, his true elixir-level consciousness quickly revealed the truth.
"This Mr. Wang has been hunted for a long time, so he has learned to be cautious."
Lu Changan discovered that in the guest room where they agreed to meet in Xunxian Mansion, there was also a shadow left behind by a phantom.
The real Mr. Wang pretended to be a servant of the inn and was secretly keeping an eye on the guest room.
Lu Changan confirmed that there was no ambush around Xunxian Mansion.
The person with the highest cultivation level living in the inn is a fake alchemist who is playing with a pair of twin female cultivators.
Lu Changan did not follow Mr. Wang's lead.
He opened a first-class guest room in Xunxian Mansion, then walked over and asked Mr. Wang to come and serve his room.
"Boy, come to the uncle's room for a massage and a back massage! If you serve well, you will be rewarded with spiritual stones."
Mr. Wang, pretending to be a servant, was slightly confused, looking at the bearded man in front of him.
The nearby servants and maids couldn't help but feel cold in their hearts, watching Mr. Wang with small arms and thin legs being pulled by the bearded man into the superior guest room.
The superior guest rooms in Xunxian Mansion are independent houses.
In the hall, Lu Changan and Mr. Wang stared at each other.
"Guest officer, you are..."
"Yes, I am the person you want to see."
The aura of Lu Changan's figure changed, turning into his original appearance.
"Wang Feng, I have met Master Lu Fu."
Mr. Wang took off his turban and bowed his hand in greeting. His face blurred for a while, revealing the face of a handsome man with sharp edges.
This image is completely different from the proud young man with oily hair and pink face on the Jiuchen Chamber of Commerce Spirit Ship.
The other party definitely didn't show his true face at that time, and even his last name was fake.
Lu Changan didn't know what the original Mr. Wang really looked like.
However, after more than ten years of ups and downs, normal people's temperaments will change.
"Mr. Wang, there is something unclear about Mr. Lu, please give me some advice."
Lu Changan took the initiative and spoke first, secretly observing Mr. Wang's condition.
"Master Lu Fu, please ask."
Wang Feng's attitude was humble, not at all arrogant like a true disciple of Lihuo Palace and the grandson of an elder.
"I heard from Fellow Daoist Shen that Mr. Wang wants to return to the Lihuo Palace in Liang. Today, in the world of immortal cultivation in Liang, the war situation is unfavorable, chaotic and dangerous. This is not a good choice."
Thinking from his perspective, Lu Changan would definitely not want to return to Liang Kingdom, unless he had to do so because of something extremely important.
Hearing this, Wang Feng smiled heartily:
"Master Lu Fu is right! Not long ago, he changed his mind and decided not to return to Liang Kingdom!"