The dim gray street was lined with rogue cultivators from out of town, each casting subtle glances at the people emerging from the black market.
Lin Chang'an, still immersed in the joy of his recent success, had only just stepped out of the market when he suddenly felt someone watching him.
At that exact moment, a cultivator walking quickly with his head down brushed past him—and in that instant, a hand expertly reached toward the inside of his robe.
"Snap!"
A wrist was suddenly grabbed. Lin Chang'an's expression turned fierce, and the figure before him panicked, forcing a smile and hurriedly apologizing:
"Fellow Daoist, my eyes must be playing tricks on me. My apologies…"
Yet even as he spoke, his other hand reached for the sword at Lin Chang'an's waist with practiced ease. At the same time, two other figures nearby shot him vicious glares.
Career thieves.
And a coordinated gang.
One distracts and controls the target's weapon—while the other two strike.
But—
"Pfttch!"
A flash of green light cut through the air. Blood sprayed in all directions. The young thief's face was still frozen in a forced smile, his hand stiffly gripping the sword. But his mouth had already been pierced by the Bamboo Green Sword.
One strike—instant death.
He died before even realizing what had happened. Why was this guy so ruthless?
"Bamboo Green Sword! External mana projection! Damn—it's a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator! Fall back!"
The other two looked in horror at the mana shield that had just flared to life—but they didn't even get the chance to retreat.
The Bamboo Green Sword slashed again, clean and deadly. Blood flew, and the disbelief in their eyes faded as life left them.
In their final moments, they still couldn't believe it—after all, the three of them had been careful, only targeting broke nobodies. Who would've thought that walking too often by the river would finally get their shoes wet?
Damn that mid-stage Qi Refinement veteran pretending to be a second-stage newbie!These local cultivators are too cunning!Is tricking poor cultivators supposed to be fun?!
Everything happened in a flash. From the trio's surprise attack to Lin Chang'an's counterstrike—even activating his mana shield—he executed it all in a blink.
Too fast.
"Mid-stage Qi Refinement!"
That instantaneous counterkill made the shadows lurking nearby—those hoping to scavenge or spectate—shrink their pupils in fear and scatter quickly.
External mana projection and forming a mana shield were marks of a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
"Tch! Shameless outsider rogues."
Seeing the onlookers scatter, Lin Chang'an, face full of rough features and menace, snorted coldly—a perfect performance of a seasoned cultivator with real power.
Yet, as the wind blew, Lin Chang'an vanished in a blur, his speed no slower than those who had just fled.
Under the gloomy sky, only three corpses were left cooling in the street.
This was nothing unusual in the cultivation world. Before the sun even rose, the bodies would be taken.
After all, even a dead cultivator still had value.
After circling through the market for a bit, Lin Chang'an returned home before dawn.
The first thing he did was stick premium Golden Light Talismans on the doors and windows.
"Tch. Three outsider rogues daring to cause trouble—pathetic beggars."
He glanced at the loot—barely two dozen spirit crystals—and sneered with contempt.
A third-stage Qi Refinement, and two at second-stage… He couldn't decide if they were fearless newbies or just fools.
With their kind of power, even if they hadn't run into him, they were bound to get into trouble sooner or later.
It wasn't about being hostile to outsiders. He just couldn't stand cultivators who broke rules and disrupted peace.
Even black markets had their own rules—and those who broke them were the first to suffer. Especially those with the lowest cultivation.
After twenty years in the cultivation world, Lin Chang'an had encountered countless such people. He was used to it.
Back home, he immediately took off his scent-masking clothes and restored his original appearance.
Looking at the spirit crystals in his storage pouch, he couldn't help but smile.
It had been risky—but worth it.
After all, the low-grade Tier-1 Swift Movement Talismans he sold weren't attractive to mid-stage cultivators. Only desperate low-level rogues from outside would buy them without hesitation.
What kind of mid-stage cultivator would bother with such scraps?
"Still, they had a bit of awareness—they actually recognized the Bamboo Green Sword."
Twenty years ago, when this new market town was first being developed, the Lihuo Sect had distributed hundreds of low-grade Bamboo Green Swords as magical weapons.
So the moment they saw the green light, they panicked—thinking they had run into a seasoned killer.
After all, anyone who had gotten one of those swords twenty years ago…
Couple that with Lin Chang'an's ruthless look and mid-stage cultivation, and anyone would assume he was an old cultivator experienced in nighttime ambushes.
But when he looked at his house, doors, and windows—all protected with premium Golden Light Talismans—he couldn't help but sigh.
"Who would've thought I'd one day worry about making too many talismans?"
Extravagant. Just too extravagant.
He could've traded them all for spirit stones. Now they just sat cold and unused in his storage pouch—or were stuck onto his walls.
At that moment, he truly understood the pain of being alive but unable to openly exchange talismans for spirit stones.
It was too hard.
"Until I find a safe channel to the black market, I'll have to keep selling those low-grade Swift Talismans."
For safety's sake, Lin Chang'an sighed with regret. He could've sold premium Golden Light Talismans for spirit stones, but was forced to lower his prices and settle for spirit crystals.
After advancing to the fourth stage of Qi Refinement, Lin Chang'an felt even more motivated.
He trained, drew talismans, ate beast meat, and slept—repeating the same routine that others found dull but he found deeply fulfilling.
Out on the street—
"Who's stewing beast meat so early in the morning? Aren't they afraid of getting overheated?"
A cultivator who had just stepped outside sniffed the aroma in the air and instantly felt a wave of jealousy.
It wasn't that cultivators couldn't afford meat—but beast meat cost real spirit crystals.
If one really wanted meat, there were plenty of wild animals out there.
"Shh—keep your voice down. That smell is coming from Master Lin the Talismanist's house."
"Master Lin?!"
The middle-aged cultivator was stunned, and then filled with envy—followed by bitterness.
"They always say low-tier talismanists are worse than dogs… but a real talismanist makes way more spirit crystals than we desperate cultivators ever could."
"Spirit crystals? Don't be ridiculous—premium talismans go for a spirit stone each. Once Master Lin gets better and starts drawing mid-grade Tier-1 talismans, he'll be starting at three spirit stones apiece."
On the street, two cultivators chatted enviously. Sure, most cultivators could draw talismans, but those who could make premium ones were rare—one in a thousand, if that.
That day,
Li Erniu arrived in a rush, his face anxious as he banged on the door.
"Brother Lin—Elder Lu is gravely ill. He won't last much longer."
"What?!"
Hearing the news, Lin Chang'an's expression turned solemn, and he was filled with emotion.
Elder Lu was the immortal master who had introduced them to the world of cultivation twenty years ago. Even when the two had failed the entrance exam, Elder Lu had still guided them forward.
"Erniu—we must go send Master Lu off."
They weren't formally master and disciple, but the man had done more than enough for them. Calling him "Master Lu" was only right.
As for why Erniu received the letter first—well, that was the perk of being a live-in son-in-law of the stable Zhou family, known for beast taming.
Unlike Lin Chang'an, a low-level rogue cultivator who might have to move at any time, the Zhou family's estate was a reliable address. Even if something happened to either of them, the Zhou family would respond immediately.