Geniuses were a rare breed. Otherwise, so many Foundation Establishment Clans wouldn’t have fallen into decline.

Li Chang’an shook his head, put the matter out of his mind, and continued his cultivation.

That night.

He lay in the medicinal bath, tempering his body with the potent liquid.

His body had now reached the Tier Two Seventh Layer. Even without using the Ancient Wood Divine Armor, he could withstand an attack from a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Before he knew it, it was Midnight.

A golden light appeared, just as it always did.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Neutral]

[The Loose Cultivator Wu Huaiqian will come to ask you for Alchemy services. You will sense something is amiss. Using the Stone Eye Treasure, you will discover a Bloodline within his body.]

"Wu Huaiqian?"

Li Chang’an stared at the Divination’s text, lost in thought.

The man was a Loose Cultivator and was on good terms with the Peak Masters of Cui Ping Mountain’s four peaks.

Back when he first became a Tier Two Alchemist, Wu Huaiqian had come to him for Alchemy.

Since then, Wu Huaiqian had become a regular customer, often coming to buy Elixir Pills or request his Alchemy services.

’To think... he had also been turned into a Bloodline.’

’It seems the incident with Mu Hua has stirred Murong Kang’s killing intent once more,’ Li Chang’an mused.

’No, wait. Perhaps he doesn’t want to kill me. He wants to refine me into a Bloodline, too!’

Killing him, with the level of strength he’d displayed, would be a waste.

If he were refined into a Bloodline, Murong Kang would surely stand to gain a great deal.

’Unfortunately, the man is cautious. I’ve never found a good opportunity to deal with him.’

Murong Kang spent all his time on Yellow Crane Mountain. He barely stirred even when faced with a Beast Tide, and he remained indifferent to the Ancient Sect Ruins deep within the mountains.

He would occasionally disappear for a few days, but his timing was erratic and his movements were a mystery.

Against an enemy like that, the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin!

Li Chang’an had no desire to become a Bloodline.

’If he could turn Wu Huaiqian into a Bloodline, he could do the same to someone closer to me. I have to handle this with extreme caution. Thank goodness I have the Stone Eye.’

The Divination indicated that the Tier Three Stone Eye Li Chang’an had just acquired could detect the presence of a Bloodline within a Cultivator.

This puzzled him.

’According to the legends, Bloodlines are incredibly difficult to detect. Even a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator using a Tier Four Treasure can’t perceive them. Otherwise, Mo Qingkuang wouldn’t have risen so smoothly ten thousand years ago.’

So why could his Tier Three Stone Eye see a Bloodline?

’Could it be... that this Stone Eye was special in some way? Or was Murong Kang’s Demon Planting Technique incomplete, making the Bloodlines he refined inferior to those made by Mo Qingkuang himself?’

All sorts of questions flashed through Li Chang’an’s mind.

But he didn’t dwell on them, setting the questions aside for the time being.

’First, I need to figure out how to deal with Murong Kang.’

...

「The next day at noon.」

Wu Huaiqian arrived at Changqing Mountain for a visit.

"Is Daoist Li here?"

"Daoist Wu, please, come in!"

Li Chang’an smiled and opened the two Arrays.

Wu Huaiqian was also all smiles, showing no signs of anything unusual as he flew inside the perimeter of the Array.

He took out some Alchemy Materials and asked Li Chang’an to refine some Tier Two Top Grade Elixir Pills for him.

It sounded just like any other time he had come asking for Pills.

But Li Chang’an knew that during Alchemy, an Alchemist’s focus and energy were entirely on the Pill Furnace, making them vulnerable to a sneak attack.

He secretly activated the Stone Eye, and the image of Wu Huaiqian before him instantly changed.

Through his eyes, Wu Huaiqian’s entire body was covered in fine, dense Bloodlines. All of them converged just below his heart, forming a single mass, the Bloodline.

’Just as I thought.’

The Divination was correct.

The Stone Eye was even more effective than Li Chang’an had imagined.

Before his gaze, Wu Huaiqian held no secrets. In addition to those Bloodlines, he could also see numerous old, lingering injuries.

"Daoist Wu, please follow me to the Alchemy Room."

"Of course!"

The two entered the Alchemy Room, one after the other.

With a casual wave of Li Chang’an’s hand, the door slammed shut, sealing them off from the outside world.

Wu Huaiqian, not yet sensing anything was wrong, smiled and asked, "Daoist Li, are these materials enough?"

"They’re a little short."

"Not enough?"

Surprised, Wu Huaiqian immediately prepared to take more materials from his Storage Pouch.

But he suddenly found... he couldn’t move!

An immense Array Power had descended upon him at some point, making him feel as if he were facing a Golden Core Great Cultivator. His entire body was pinned down, completely immobilized.

Wu Huaiqian’s heart tightened, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Daoist Li, you... what is the meaning of this? We’ve known each other for years. Don’t you trust me?"

"Daoist Wu, when did you become one of Murong Kang’s Bloodlines?"

Li Chang’an didn’t bother with pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

Hearing this, the color drained from Wu Huaiqian’s face.

"Murong Kang? Daoist Li, are you talking about that Mur... from Yellow Crane Immortal City..."

Before he could finish, the pressure on his body abruptly intensified.

CRACK!

Wu Huaiqian cried out in agony as a web of fractures instantly spread through the bones in his legs.

He scrambled to speak. "Six months ago! It was six months ago! Murong Kang suddenly found me and invited me to go Treasure Hunting in the Ancient Wood Secret Realm!"

Feeling the ever-increasing pressure, Wu Huaiqian’s face was ashen as he quickly confessed everything.

At the time, when Murong Kang had approached him, he hadn’t suspected a thing. In fact, he was secretly pleased, since Murong Kang was a disciple from a Righteous Influence.

If the Treasure Hunting went well, he could befriend Murong Kang, a Master Disciple, and expand his personal connections.

But he never would have imagined that midway through their Treasure Hunting, Murong Kang would launch a surprise attack, grievously wounding him and forcibly planting the Bloodline within him.

He only learned later that Murong Kang had already tried the same method on three other Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The first three attempts had all failed, forcing him to kill them.

Those three Foundation Establishment Cultivators had all been frequent customers of Li Chang’an, buying either Elixir Pills or Talismans.