In the courtyard.
"This kind of talisman is easy to learn but hard to master. Although your spiritual roots are weak, the key to cultivation and all arts lies in the word 'comprehension.'"
Under the bright sunshine in the courtyard, four young disciples from the Zhou family, all with poor spiritual roots, sat resolutely at the table, holding their brushes as they practiced drawing talismans.
Especially after Lin Chang'an mentioned that drawing talismans requires悟 (comprehension), it was almost an encouragement to them.
Their spiritual roots were fixed, but their journey in talisman crafting was just beginning.
"The concept of 'comprehension' has puzzled thousands of cultivators. Some experience a sudden enlightenment at the start, while others toil for decades before finally having a breakthrough, after which their progress becomes unstoppable. Such cases are countless in the cultivation world."
Clad in a long robe of blue, Lin Chang'an taught the four Zhou apprentices like a dedicated teacher.
Since he was benefiting from the Zhou family's generosity, he naturally took his teaching seriously and did not hold back like others might.
When accepting payment, he truly put in the effort.
After all, his talent in talisman craft was something no one else could easily learn.
"Better to master a few than be mediocre at many. This golden light talisman…"
Lin Chang'an generously shared all he knew, even carefully pointing out each student's mistakes.
By mid-morning, after two hours of intense practice and draining more than half their mental focus and spiritual energy, the four early-stage Qi Refinement Zhou youths finally stopped.
"Master Lin, your teaching is excellent. We've heard Master Huang speak before, but never in such detail."
The four smiled happily and complimented him sincerely.
Despite their poor spiritual roots, these youths were more mature than their peers and could clearly tell who was genuinely invested in teaching and who was just going through the motions.
Facing their praise, Lin Chang'an relaxed and smiled, advising:
"Don't flatter me. I'm using your Zhou family's spiritual stones to teach you, so naturally, I have to be serious. Otherwise, you'd have kicked me out already."
The four laughed. After two months of acquaintance, they had grown from nervous to familiar and adapted well to this easygoing Master Lin.
"The market is getting lively lately. Freelance cultivators keep coming in waves. I heard the market is expanding and construction has started on the outskirts."
"Also, a lot of freelance cultivators have been lucky recently — many have bought black wind wolf cubs."
"But I heard those are actually the Zhou family's tamed beasts."
As their conversation drifted away, Lin Chang'an pondered quietly.
"This market is getting busier. While frontier development often causes chaos, it also means opportunities."
He could secretly sell some talismans and earn cultivation resources.
"Maybe I can even sell a small batch of first-rank mid-grade Vajra talismans. Since the market is bustling, such talismans won't be too rare."
Just as Lin Chang'an was thinking this, a voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Brother Lin, look what I brought you!"
Li Erniu entered the courtyard with a big smile, carrying two bottles of spiritual wine, causing Lin Chang'an to chuckle softly.
"Erniu, this spiritual wine isn't cheap."
"Brother Lin, you're wrong. This is a family reward. Every mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator in the clan gets a bottle of top-grade spiritual wine."
Hearing it was top-grade, Lin Chang'an smiled knowingly. This was the benefit of joining a big clan: not only a powerful backing but also rewards during festivals and celebrations.
"This top-grade spiritual wine must be worth at least one spiritual stone. Is the clan celebrating something?"
"Yes. The clan leader just acquired two black wind wolf cubs with second-rank bloodlines. If trained well, they could become Vajra-stage spirit beasts."
Black wind wolves have a huge advantage: a short training period, unlike the Zhou family's current clan beast, the Xuan Shui Turtle, which took nearly two hundred years to mature.
That beast had served several generations.
"Two second-rank bloodline spirit beasts — that's truly good news."
Lin Chang'an smiled broadly as he accepted the wine, but suddenly a spark of suspicion flashed across his mind, and his smile stiffened.
Old He's head, black wind wolf cubs, the Zhou family capturing two second-rank beast cubs — none of these alone seemed suspicious, but combined, something felt off.
Suppressing his doubts, Lin Chang'an casually asked:
"Erniu, recently I heard a lot of black wind wolf cubs being auctioned in the market?"
Li Erniu didn't think much and nodded with a smile.
"Yes, even in the black market. Many late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators have bought them. I even wonder if the clan is secretly selling off spirit beasts."
Li Erniu's words were tinged with longing:
"If one day I break through to late-stage Qi Refinement, I want to buy a spirit beast cub from the clan for my kid."
Seeing this expression, Lin Chang'an frowned deeply.
"Erniu, you said it's the Zhou family selling spirit beasts outside?"
Li Erniu smiled proudly.
"Though the clan doesn't admit it, who in Qingzhushan market doesn't know the famed Zhou family Beast Tamers?"
Lin Chang'an's smile stiffened further. Even Zhou family insiders thought so. His unease grew.
He had just happily joined the Zhou family and gained a powerful backing, but now it felt like he'd stepped into a conspiracy vortex.
…
At the Zhou family residence.
"Father, are you saying many black wind wolf cubs have been sold recently in the market?"
Zhou Renmao, head of the Zhou family, had just acquired two second-rank beast cubs at auction. His joy vanished, replaced by seriousness.
"Yes. Right after you arranged the spiritual stones to buy these two beasts, the market incidents appeared."
The Zhou family's Vajra-stage elder, with white beard and hair, showed a grave expression.
"The Wang family!"
The father and son exchanged glances and grimly named the culprit.
"Damn it, that Wang family is a persistent thorn."
Though furious, as clan head, Zhou Renmao composed himself and devised a countermeasure.
"Training spirit beasts takes time, especially second-rank ones. This time, the frontier opening is imminent. The Wang family is deliberately draining our clan's foundation, just like fifteen years ago."
"They use the frontier development to exhaust our Zhou family. These second-rank beasts might become the last straw to break us."
He ground his teeth and snarled, "The Wang family is truly vicious."
Second-rank cubs are expensive. If Zhou family falls into trouble and misses the best training window, the beasts will be wasted.
"First, stabilize the situation. No matter what, two second-rank cubs are good news for the clan. We must increase our presence and use this time to recruit freelance cultivators."
The Vajra elder pondered. The Zhou family was forced to take a defensive stance. The power gap with the Wang family was still clear.
Though Zhou family had two Vajra cultivators, their lifespans totaled about thirty years. Even counting the clan beast, they had three Vajra beasts at best.
In contrast, the Wang family had five Vajra cultivators, with the oldest two elders still having fifty to sixty years of lifespan, and the other three in their prime.
They could only resist the water with earth.