Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Lu Zhenhua’s Demise

The door opened,

and their eyes met.

Li Jizhou’s seemingly eternally calm and serene smile came into view, and Wu Daniu excitedly rushed over.

“Big Brother, you really live here? You’re truly amazing, no wonder you didn’t want to stay in the Yang family as a retainer!”

Li Jizhou gently patted his shoulder: “I’m just struggling to make a living, barely getting by.”

After some small talk, he casually mentioned that he was still practicing alchemy.

This was met with admiration and exclamations from Wu Daniu and Yang Yutong.

Zhao Qian had prepared wine and dishes in advance, and the four of them drank and chatted.

As they drank along, Wu Daniu’s face was flushed red. The Hundred Flowers Brew spirit wine was strong, and he was indeed drunk.

“Big Brother, I really envy you.”

“We all came from that chaotic slum of Inverted Mountain, and now, only you, Brother Zhao, and Lin Caiwei are living the best.”

“Do you remember those three brothers I mentioned in the letter a few years ago who went to the mundane world indulging in pleasures?

Ha~ A Qi Cultivation First Level cultivator was killed by martial artists from the mundane world, it’s really laughable and pitiful.”

“I’ve relied on diligently producing offspring for my family over the years, thought I had a bright future, but now I fear I can’t even hope for a Breaking Rank Pill.”

“Brother Zhao is also impressive, having reached the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, just half a year behind Lin Caiwei.”

“Big Brother, although your progress in cultivating the Evergreen Skill is slow, with your current abilities, obtaining a Breaking Rank Pill should be effortless, and advancing to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation is just a matter of time, probably even faster than me.

I really am… sigh!”

Wu Daniu was honest in his drinking, not using any magical power to dissolve the alcohol, and was by now completely drunk, speaking incoherently, saying whatever came to mind.

Zhao Qian, on the other hand, had been using magical power to dissolve the alcohol and was only mildly intoxicated. Hearing Wu Daniu’s words, he felt pleased but quickly said, “Brother Daniu, you shouldn’t talk nonsense. Compared to Brother Li’s abilities now, I couldn’t catch up even if I tried. It was only by luck that I obtained a Breaking Rank Pill, and even Lin the Fairy didn’t use one, let alone me.”

Li Jizhou showed no interest in this topic, just responded with a faint smile and offered no opinion.

Yang Yutong took a small sip, defeated by the spicy throat-searing sensation, keeping her distance from it, opting instead to enjoy the delicious food Zhao Qian had brought.

From time to time, she glanced at Li Jizhou, her eyes turning into crescent moons with a smile.

Until the evening set in, Li Jizhou used magical power to sober Wu Daniu up before rising to see them off.

As they were about to leave, Wu Daniu said something that made Li Jizhou regard him more highly.

“Big Brother, you clearly settled here yet didn’t contact me. I understand, don’t worry, I won’t frequently disturb you in the future. However, can I occasionally write to you? You were once my only family, many things I can only confide in you.”

Previously, when unexpectedly learning at the Yang family that Li Jizhou had become an Honored Guest Elder at the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion and a Tier One Talisman Master, Wu Daniu felt somewhat off-balance, even slightly sycophantic.

But now, with Li Jizhou additionally having the status of a top Pill Master, living alone in a villa at the foot of the mountain, financially strong and of noble status,

the gap seemed like a vast chasm in an instant.

Wu Daniu was left with only envy and admiration.

The disparity in levels was too great to have any meaningful comparison.

Even trying to curry favor seemed entirely unnecessary.

Ultimately, only the most genuine feelings remained.

Li Jizhou had no objection to this and agreed.

Zhao Qian, however, didn’t have this realization, and in the following time, he frequently sent gifts, and multiple times procured talismans and pills from him at prices ten percent higher than the shop’s, clearly displaying a fawning demeanor.

For this person, Li Jizhou instinctively added a layer of vigilance.

Six months later,

the much-anticipated battle finally unfolded.

Announcements were plastered everywhere in the marketplaces of various Immortal Cities, with the three sects and five families rallying under the banner of seeking justice for Daoist Venerable Mo Li to eliminate the bandits occupying Inverted Mountain, gathering disciples to march on Inverted Mountain for a bandit purge!

Simultaneously, they publicly disclosed the numerous crimes of the Inverted Mountain bandits.

For a time, momentum was grand, and the masses were agitated.

Prices for ingredients needed in battle, such as pills, talismans, and magical artifacts, soared instantly.

And on this day, it was also the time when Li Jizhou awakened his Innate Wisdom, marking eleven years of cultivating the Evergreen Skill.

In a trance, an obscure and indescribable aura gathered in his Dantian.

The place where the eleventh ring of an annual cycle should appear showed no change.

Instead, the first ring suddenly flashed with a glimmer, and the previously thread-like annual ring thickened slightly, with its color appearing even more vibrant compared to the other nine rings.

“There’s actually such a change!” Li Jizhou had thought the annual rings were just a matter of adding one after another in the usual manner, but never expected such a transformation.

He proceeded to thoroughly examine its effects.

“Faster accumulation of magical power, with greater volume.”

“Magical power appears purer with each exchange.”

“Vitality seems even more abundant.”

“And there’s this vague sense from the unknown, yet always unreachable, unable to comprehend…”

After a thorough examination, Li Jizhou felt more anticipation for further changes to follow.

That mysterious feeling left him somewhat involuntarily excited, he speculated it must have triggered some extraordinary function.

However, unable to capture it for now, he didn’t dwell on it.

He got up and left the villa, wandering aimlessly in the marketplace.

Along the way, he saw notices posted in the marketplace and those exaggerated narratives and dire situations within Inverted Mountain.

Looking at the surrounding crowd, all filled with righteous indignation.

Li Jizhou suddenly felt a slight doubt.

This seemed somewhat illogical.

The three sects and five families wanted to take down Inverted Mountain, but just relying on those leading dozens of Core Formation loose cultivators gathered with tens of thousands of disorganized followers, there might not be much resistance.

The previous public opinion build-up could be understood as a show for Daoist Venerable Mo Li, as he resided in the Central Domain, perhaps only being able to understand the situation in Qi Kingdom’s cultivation world through the Celestial Secret Tower’s reports, which was understandable.

But in such a cultivation world, the oligarchical ruling class such as the three sects and five families in Qi Kingdom had absolutely no need to perform for the loose cultivators within the marketplace.

In a world where mighty power was concentrated in individuals, the strong need not care about the opinions of the lower class.

So then…

Under normal circumstances, after the public opinion build-up ended, it should have been a thunderous blow, willing to lose some strength to wipe out Inverted Mountain in one fell swoop.

Yet now, they were still building up momentum in the marketplace, assembling a large force at a leisurely pace.

“Is it because none of the three sects want to expend their own strength, they’re wary of each other, with the three sects standing in a tripartite confrontation… unity for long must split, and after long division must reunite… so they each might prefer using cannon fodder to charge, keeping their strength to guard against the other two sects and families…”

A moment later, Li Jizhou suddenly realized.

“Viewed this way, it could become a prolonged tug-of-war, with the three sects all aiming to deplete each other’s core sect strength.”

This outcome was something Li Jizhou had previously overlooked.

The direct impact was that he might not quickly profit from the stockpiled medicinal herbs.

It might take a while before significant gains could be realized.

However, Li Jizhou didn’t mind because he had all the time to wait.

Already out, he then went to the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, planning to sell off half a year’s worth of talismans for some Spirit Stones to meet daily life needs.

After all, his previous Spirit Stones had all been converted into herbal stocks, making him temporarily short of funds.

However, at the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, he received unexpected news.

“Shopkeeper Qi rushed back to the main pavilion a few days ago because Lu Zhenhua failed in his Foundation Establishment and died!”

How could this be?

Lu Zhenhua had received Celestial Grace from the main pavilion three years ago, rewarded with a Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and also in such a superior cultivation venue as Golden Crow Immortal City!

If someone like him could fail at Foundation Establishment, what hope would there be for other loose cultivators to attempt Foundation Establishment?

Li Jizhou immediately expressed doubt about this news!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep