’This treasure came at the perfect time!’

As Li Chang’an’s strength grew, the cultivators he encountered also became increasingly powerful.

The Pupil of Truth was a fine ability, but its tier was simply too low.

"This Stone Eye is the perfect thing to shore up this weakness of mine."

Li Chang’an held the Stone Eye, examining it closely.

For some reason, he had a feeling that this Stone Eye wasn’t a treasure crafted by an Artifact Refiner, but had once been a real eye!

’Just a petrified eye has reached Tier Three. How terrifying must its owner’s full power have been when they were alive?’

Li Chang’an thought for a moment, a sense of wonder washing over him.

With his current strength, his corpse could also be considered a treasure after death, but it would be nowhere near the level of the Stone Eye.

His eyes alone would, at best, be considered Tier One Treasures.

’That Mu Hua was only at the Qi Refining stage, yet he came across a Tier Three opportunity. He couldn’t refine it, though. If he had known the Stone Eye’s specific tier, he probably would have offered it to the Five Poison Wanderer.’

Li Chang’an put away the Stone Eye and continued to inspect the Storage Pouch.

The remaining treasures held no surprises and were quite fitting for someone of Mu Hua’s status.

He patted his sleeve and said to the Ten Thousand Poison Gu inside, "Come on out, little guy. Time to eat some more good stuff!"

Hearing this, the Ten Thousand Poison Gu’s round body immediately squirmed out, radiating its desire for the treasures.

Li Chang’an took out the Tier Two Poisonous Insect and numerous Poison Dao Treasures, feeding them all to the Ten Thousand Poison Gu.

"Eat up. Grow quickly, and reach Tier Three soon."

He still wasn’t confident enough to deal with the Five Poison Wanderer.

That old poison master had been famous for a long time. His Poison Techniques were formidable, and his strength far surpassed that of his many disciples.

Although the Ten Thousand Poison Gu was already at the Tier Two Late Stage, it might not be able to handle all the poisons under his control.

’That old geezer has survived this long while being targeted by the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage. He must have a few tricks up his sleeve. I can’t be careless,’ Li Chang’an mused. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Although Huang He Master and his eldest disciple hadn’t acted personally, Xiahou Hong, a Fake Pill cultivator, had tried several times without ever managing to eliminate the Five Poison Wanderer.

’I can’t rush this. I’ll just let those two sides slowly wear each other down.’

Li Chang’an made up his mind not to make a move for the time being.

He would just remain securely on Changqing Mountain and watch how things unfolded.

At his current rate of growth, even without any new opportunities, his power was increasing rapidly. Sooner or later, he would surpass all his enemies.

...

Half a year flew by.

「On this day.」

Good news suddenly came from the Chen Family at the foot of the mountain.

A descendant of the Chen Family had been tested and found to possess a Middle Grade Gold Spirit Root!

Chen Yuanshan, already over a hundred years old, was beaming with joy. He carried the child up the mountain to beg Li Chang’an to take him as a disciple.

"Chang’an, the boy’s name is Chen Da’an. I originally wanted to name him Chen Ping’an, but his parents said it wasn’t appropriate. What do you think?"

"Da’an? The name’s fine," Li Chang’an commented casually.

Ever since he reached Foundation Establishment and renamed his abode "Changqing," many of his old acquaintances had started deliberately giving their children names like "Changshun" or "Ping’an," clearly hoping to ride on his coattails and leech some of his good fortune.

The most shameless of them all was Xu Fugui, who had directly named his ninth son Changqing.

But he didn’t care.

Most of his good fortune came from his divinations; the younger generations couldn’t take it from him.

As for Chen Yuanshan’s request for him to take a disciple, Li Chang’an refused once again.

He used the Spirit Testing Technique and saw that the child had thirty-three strands of Spiritual Root, which was considered upper-mid level for a Middle Grade Spirit Root.

’The boy’s talent is decent. If nothing unexpected happens, he has a good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future,’ Li Chang’an calmly assessed.

Although he didn’t take the boy as a disciple, he gave him a Top Grade Gold Element Cultivation Method, as well as two Gold Element Techniques—one for offense and one for defense.

In addition, he made the same promise.

"In the future, when it’s time for Foundation Establishment, if you don’t have a Foundation Establishment Pill, you can come to me and get one on credit. You can just pay me back after you succeed."

This news quickly spread throughout the surrounding region.

Many of the small Qi Refining Clans and Sects in the area were incredibly envious, as they didn’t have such a wonderful opportunity.

Many people praised Li Chang’an for his sentimentality and loyalty, remembering his past connections.

Luo Yunshu, who lived halfway up the mountain, also sent a gift.

Even though she had reached Foundation Establishment, her disposition hadn’t changed much, and she didn’t allow the Luo Family to devour the interests of the other two families.

That day, she made a public statement. The three families all came from Qinghe and had known each other for many years; they should support one another. They shouldn’t become adversaries like the Zheng, Wu, and Cao Families.

Hearing this, the Chen and Wang Families both breathed a secret sigh of relief.

For the Chen Family, it meant their Middle Grade Spirit Root prodigy could grow up safely in this favorable environment.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the Wang Family had grown a bit strange.

「The next day.」

Wang Hu, who was also over a hundred years old, announced he was taking another concubine.

This news truly shocked everyone.

Even Li Chang’an was a little surprised.

’He’s over a hundred and still taking a concubine?’

Although a cultivator’s body is far superior to a mortal’s, most become decrepit by the time they are over a hundred.

After all, a Qi Refining Cultivator’s lifespan is only one hundred and twenty years.

Regarding this matter, the people at the foot of the mountain were all talking about it.

Wang Hu paid no mind to the outsiders’ gossip.

He stood before the Wang Family estate and sighed deeply.

"SIGH. The Luo and Chen Families have both produced geniuses. Why can’t my Wang Family ever produce one?"

’Is the Wang family’s stock no good?’

For some time after that, Wang Hu led by example, urging the many disciples of the Wang Family to have more children. They absolutely had to produce a Celestial Pride!

The news soon reached the mountain.

Li Chang’an glanced at Dahuang, who was lying in a corner. He knew Dahuang had secretly given Wang Hu some treasures to boost his vitality.

’Senior Wang Hu really has it tough. I wonder if he’ll live to see the Wang Family produce a Celestial Pride.’