Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Zhang Tie’s Hesitation

One of the two Fierce Arrowhead Eagles was killed instantly, while the other fled and disappeared into the distance.

The low-tier Demon Beasts that had gathered were also completely scattered by the continuous bombardment from the short, stout cultivator and Fenglan Master.

The beast tide naturally subsided.

The crisis facing the Immortal City was resolved.

Some of the bolder cultivators even formed parties and ventured outside the city to hunt the straggling Demon Beasts.

...

At his cave residence on Immortal Peach Mountain, Li Ping was speaking with a staff member from the Immortal City.

Over the past few months, he had earned a great deal of military merit by creating Spirit Talismans for the Immortal City.

After exchanging some of his merit for a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Brush and the shell of a Tier Two Upper Grade Turtle Demon, he still had a considerable amount left over.

He didn’t plan on holding onto the merit; he wanted to spend it all.

After hesitating for a moment over the redemption list, Li Ping finally chose to redeem a Tier Two flying vessel: the Floating Shadow Shuttle.

According to the description, this Flying Shuttle didn’t require its owner to channel Spiritual Power to control it. Simply inserting Spirit Stones would provide it with immense power, and its flight speed was even slightly faster than that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Li Ping had redeemed it with the thought that if he ever encountered another beast tide or a similar event, the Floating Shadow Shuttle would be a great help for escaping.

Seeing that Li Ping had made his selection, the Female Cultivator sent by Meng Qingyi said respectfully, "Senior, after redeeming the Floating Shadow Shuttle, you have 31 military merit points remaining. Would it be acceptable to pay out these remaining points to you in Spirit Stones?"

Li Ping nodded, agreeing to the Female Cultivator’s proposal.

The Female Cultivator bowed and withdrew. Later, other cultivators would deliver the Floating Shadow Shuttle and Spirit Stones Li Ping had redeemed.

A few days later, with the Floating Shadow Shuttle in his possession, Li Ping gave it a brief test run and was quite satisfied with its performance.

For long-distance travel, having a flying vessel meant he wouldn’t have to use his own Flying Escape technique, which would save him a great deal of fatigue.

...

「Shortly after.」

Li Ping, who was meditating in his training chamber, was roused from his quiet cultivation. A Sound Transmission Talisman flew in from outside and landed directly in his hand.

’Who’s looking for me?’ Li Ping tore open the Sound Transmission Talisman, puzzled. He was surprised to hear Master Hu’s voice emerge from it.

His neighbor had left the Immortal City before the beast tide erupted, and his whereabouts had been unknown. Now that the beast tide was over and the situation was safe and stable, he had casually returned.

Li Ping couldn’t help but secretly admire how well-informed he was and how decisively he had fled.

’Still, it’s good that he’s back. I still hope to obtain the Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemy inheritance from him.’

"Master Hu, it’s been a long time!"

Li Ping welcomed Master Hu inside with a smile, and the two sat down in the courtyard pavilion.

After they had chatted for a while with no tea being served, Master Hu gave him an odd look and asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, where is that concubine of yours?"

The question left Li Ping feeling a little awkward.

The beast tide was over, but his young stewardess hadn’t come back. He didn’t know if she had been delayed by family matters or was just giving him the silent treatment.

Li Ping answered vaguely, "She went home to visit her family. Perhaps she’ll be back after a while."

Master Hu didn’t press the issue. Instead, he and Li Ping began discussing the recent events in the Immortal City.

When the conversation turned to the beast tide’s eruption, the siege by Demon Beasts, and the countless cultivator casualties, Master Hu’s expression grew solemn, as if he were tensing up at the memory of the Immortal City’s perilous situation.

Li Ping smiled. "Fortunately, Senior Huang from Purple Cloud Valley acted decisively. He slew one of the Fierce Arrowhead Eagles and scattered the beast tide."

In recent days, Li Ping had learned from casual chats with other cultivators that the one who had saved the Immortal City was a Late-stage Core Formation Cultivator from Purple Cloud Valley in the Yue Kingdom, named Huang Yunzi!

"A Core Formation Cultivator... Truly something to aspire to," Master Hu said, his expression full of envy. "To repel a beast tide single-handedly—what incredible power!"

Li Ping’s expression showed his agreement.

’Who wouldn’t aspire to become a Core Formation Cultivator?’

Master Hu chatted for a little longer, but perhaps because his throat was dry from the lack of tea, he soon took his leave.

...

Before he knew it, the end of the year had arrived. Bai Lin still hadn’t returned, but it was time for the Friends Association’s annual gathering.

On New Year’s Eve, all the cultivators of the Friends Association, with the exception of Teng Feng, gathered at the cave residence on Immortal Peach Mountain.

Everyone waited until sunset, but Teng Feng never arrived.

In fact, ever since the beast tide began, the six of them, including Li Ping, had been looking for Teng Feng, but there had been no sign of him.

Throughout the months the beast tide lasted, and in the time since it ended, there had been no news of Teng Feng whatsoever.

Even back then, everyone had vaguely suspected that something had happened to Teng Feng. Perhaps the beast tide had struck so suddenly that he hadn’t had time to retreat into the Immortal City.

Now that he had failed to even attend the Friends Association’s annual gathering, that suspicion was all but confirmed.

The thought that Teng Feng might have perished cast a pall over Zhang Tie’s expression; he and Teng Feng had always been the closest.

He had been the one to invite Teng Feng to join the association in the first place.

’Sigh...’ Li Ping lamented inwardly.

...

With Teng Feng absent, only six people attended the gathering.

Zhang Tie was still at the Qi Refining Ninth Level, but his aura was much more refined than last year.

Gumu Sheng was at the peak of the Qi Refining Seventh Level; perhaps he could break through to the eighth level next year.

Cheng Yao was at the Qi Refining Seventh Level. She seemed to have been held up by something, as her cultivation hadn’t progressed much this year.

Qi Hanmo was at the peak of the Qi Refining Fifth Level and expected to break through next year.

Bai Qing was at the Qi Refining Fourth Level and was also planning to attempt a breakthrough to the fifth level next year.

Due to Teng Feng’s suspected demise, everyone’s spirits at the gathering were low.

After a brief discussion, Li Ping argued that they couldn’t definitively conclude that something had happened to Teng Feng just because he missed this one meeting.

After all, it was perfectly normal to be delayed for a year or two if one got trapped in a dangerous location.

Li Ping made a decision. "If there’s still no word from Teng Feng by next year, we’ll assume he has perished. In accordance with the arrangements he made for his own affairs, we will return the Spirit Stones he contributed to the people of his home village."

The others remained silent, voicing no objections to Li Ping’s decision.

With Teng Feng’s situation addressed, it was time to collect this year’s contributions to the Foundation Establishment Fund.

Li Ping contributed 300 Spirit Stones, Zhang Tie and Gumu Sheng each contributed 100, Cheng Yao 30, and the remaining two, Qi Hanmo and Bai Qing, both contributed 20. The total for the year was 570 Spirit Stones, bringing the Foundation Establishment Fund’s grand total to 2,310 Spirit Stones.

Once the Spirit Stones were collected and stored away, everyone shared their recent experiences and the difficulties they had faced in their cultivation and daily lives.

The others had fared well. During the beast tide, they had stayed within the Immortal City, working in logistics or seizing opportunities to profiteer, and had all managed to turn a small profit.

The only exception was Bai Qing. He was a family cultivator, and the Bai family had chosen to defend Gaoji Mountain during the beast tide instead of relocating to the Immortal City.

Li Ping’s gaze fell on Bai Qing. "How are things with the Bai family? Is your ancestor well?"

In truth, he was most concerned about Bai Lin.

But he was too embarrassed to ask about her directly in front of his younger "brothers," so he could only inquire about the Bai family and their ancestor in a roundabout way.

Hearing his big brother’s question, Bai Qing quickly answered, "At Gaoji Mountain, the situation was dire at first when the beast tide laid siege to the mountain. But then our ancestor and my uncles joined forces and killed three Tier Two Demon Beasts. After that, the remaining Demon Beasts gradually left the mountain. Gaoji Mountain wasn’t attacked again for the rest of the beast tide."

Li Ping nodded. "And your ancestor? Is he unharmed?"

Bai Qing quickly smiled. "The ancestor is fine. When I was leaving for the Immortal City, he specifically told me to thank you on his behalf. The Bai family is immensely grateful for your help, Big Brother. He said that once he’s finished with family matters, he will come to the Immortal City to visit you personally."

"That’s good." Li Ping nodded with a smile, then asked, "And your Patriarch? Is he well?"

Although Bai Qing found it strange that his big brother was so concerned about the Bai family’s affairs, he still answered respectfully, "The Patriarch is also fine."

Li Ping was just wondering how to steer the conversation toward Bai Lin when Gumu Sheng, having already read his mind, chimed in. "Seventh Brother, I remember Big Brother’s concubine also went back to Gaoji Mountain during the beast tide. Did she happen to mention when she’d be returning to the Immortal City?"

Hearing this, Li Ping mentally gave Gumu Sheng a thumbs-up, though he maintained a nonchalant expression on the outside.

Bai Qing scratched his head. "I don’t really know much about Bai Lin’s situation. But during the beast tide, all the Low-tier Cultivators stayed inside the protective Array, so she should have been very safe."

Hearing that Bai Lin was safe, Li Ping inwardly nodded, satisfied, and asked no more about the Bai family.

...

In the morning, as the first rays of the new year’s sun shone down, the five "siblings" rose to depart.

But Li Ping stopped Zhang Tie, telling him not to be in a hurry to leave, as he had something to discuss with him.

Once the others had left, Li Ping turned to Zhang Tie and began to speak slowly. "According to the Immortal City’s rules, an auction is held every five years. There’s always one Foundation Establishment Pill put up for auction for Loose Cultivators. You know that, right?"

’If he hadn’t happened to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill on the black market, this auction would have been his goal as well.’

Zhang Tie nodded. "I know, Big Brother."

"Mm," Li Ping nodded and continued, "The price of a Foundation Establishment Pill at the auction is typically between 3,000 and 3,500 Spirit Stones. The Foundation Establishment Fund currently has 2,310 Spirit Stones. If you’re interested in bidding for the pill, I can make an executive decision to lend you 500 Spirit Stones. You’ll have to find a way to make up the rest of the shortfall yourself!"

"Big Brother, I..." Hearing Li Ping’s offer, Zhang Tie couldn’t help but hesitate.

Seeing his expression, Li Ping knew he was reluctant to take on so much debt for the sake of Foundation Establishment.

Finally, under Li Ping’s watchful gaze, Zhang Tie said hesitantly, "I’ll go back and discuss it with my master."

Li Ping nodded. "Alright. Come find me when you’ve made your decision. An opportunity for a Loose Cultivator to get a Foundation Establishment Pill only comes once every five years. Miss this chance, and you’ll have to wait another five. Think it over carefully!"

"Yes, Big Brother!"

...

Zhang Tie left. Li Ping watched his departing figure, his eyes filled with expectation.

’Four years ago, to gather enough resources for my own Foundation Establishment, I sold every last one of my Protective Spiritual Artifacts. It was that decisive gamble that led to my current success.’

’Zhang Tie’s situation now is much better than mine was. Not only will he have the 500 Spirit Stones I’m lending him, but he also has the support of his master!’

But Li Ping wasn’t sure if Zhang Tie would be willing to pay the extra Spirit Stones to attempt Foundation Establishment five years early, or if he would choose to wait.

He sighed. ’I hope they can think this through clearly.’

’In five years, the Spirit Stones in the Foundation Establishment Fund alone would be enough for Zhang Tie to attempt Foundation Establishment, without him needing to raise any extra.’

’But in five years, Zhang Tie will be forty-five. His body will have begun its decline, and his chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment will drop significantly.’

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