Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Daoist Ji’s Arrival

He watched as Elder Lin and Zhang Tie departed.

Li Ping’s gaze shifted to another location on Immortal Peach Mountain. He was looking directly at the cave residence of Hu Feng, the Demon Cultivator who had been posing as an Alchemy Master.

Before leaving, the Demon Cultivator had left behind a Jade Scroll in his cave residence. It exposed his conspiracy with a certain cultivator named Ye to plot against the Wang family.

After killing the Demon Cultivator, Li Ping had added content to the Jade Scroll implicating Dai Sangyu and a Senior Brother Xiong.

Several days passed, yet the Meng family hadn’t noticed that the cave residence was empty. Nor had they barged in and found the Jade Scroll left by the Demon Cultivator.

After all, it was common for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to enter seclusion for a year or two.

This was especially true for the Demon Cultivator, who had lived on Immortal Peach Mountain for over a decade. The Meng family trusted him completely. They wouldn’t bother him even if he was a year or two late on his rent.

So, it might be several years before the Meng family discovered that the Demon Cultivator had left without saying goodbye.

Only then would they force their way into the Demon Cultivator’s cave and see the Jade Scroll he had left behind.

Li Ping was in no hurry. He certainly wasn’t going to cause unnecessary trouble by reminding the Meng family. ’If they find out a few years late, so be it.’

A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years.

Besides, he had already killed the Demon Cultivator. As long as Li Ping kept quiet about it, that damned Sword Cultivator would never achieve the mental peace needed to attempt Core Formation.

Of course, given his "good relationship" with Hu Feng, he would continue to visit the cave every few months, casually leaving a Sound Transmission Talisman.

Everything would seem perfectly normal.

The shot had been fired. Now, all he had to do was let the bullet fly for a while.

...

Li Ping took two Jade Scrolls from his Storage Bag. One was the Tier Three Alchemist inheritance that the cultivator named Ye had traded to the Demon Cultivator, who in turn had given it to him.

The other Jade Scroll contained the first level of the Nine Tribulations True Spirit Scripture, which he had copied from the Blood-Colored Armor Fragment!

He had been so busy lately that he hadn’t had a chance to examine the contents of either Jade Scroll.

He first looked at the Jade Scroll containing the Tier Three Alchemist inheritance. As his gaze fell upon it, a line of text materialized.

[Tier Three Lower Grade Alchemist Inheritance. Nutrients required: 100 Middle-grade Spirit Stones, three Millennial Spirit Medicines, one strand of Tier Three Spiritual Fire. Consumption grants mastery of Tier Three Lower Grade Alchemy techniques.]

The nutrients for a Tier Three Lower Grade Alchemist inheritance were clearly a step up. Not only were Middle-grade Spirit Stones required instead of regular Spirit Stones, but it also demanded three Millennial Spirit Medicines and a strand of Tier Three Spiritual Fire.

The Spirit Stones were manageable, but the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Fire would be difficult to acquire.

Thanks to the Demon Cultivator’s "selfless contribution," he already had one Millennial Spirit Medicine. He just needed to find two more.

The Tier Three Spiritual Fire, however, was a bigger problem.

Both Millennial Spirit Medicines and Tier Three Spiritual Fires were typically items used by Core Formation Cultivators. Whenever Spiritual Objects of that caliber appeared, they would quickly end up in the hands of such experts.

It was extremely difficult for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to get their hands on them.

In truth, Li Ping now had two options for advancing his Alchemy skill. The first was the Tier Two Peak-Grade Pill Furnace left by the Demon Cultivator. The second was the Tier Three Alchemist Inheritance Jade Scroll.

Either choice would satisfy his needs, providing a clear path to Core Formation.

Using the Pill Furnace as the nutrient would require three five-hundred-year-old Spirit Medicines and a strand of Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Fire.

The requirements were significantly lower, but in turn, Li Ping would only inherit Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemy skills. He would also lose a Tier Two Peak-Grade Pill Furnace in the process.

However, if he absorbed the Tier Three Alchemist inheritance directly, while the nutrients were rarer, he would become a Tier Three Alchemist in one go.

Plus, assuming the Demon Cultivator hadn’t left any tracking marks on it, he could keep the Tier Two Peak-Grade Pill Furnace.

But Li Ping considered the possibility that he might not be able to gather the required nutrients.

So, he decided to wait. If he couldn’t gather the nutrients for the Tier Three Alchemist inheritance by the time he reached the peak of the Early-stage Foundation Establishment, he would settle for the next best thing and absorb the Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemy skills instead.

After putting the Jade Scroll with the Tier Three Alchemist inheritance back into his Storage Bag, Li Ping turned his attention to the other jade scroll.

He picked up the Jade Scroll and immersed his Divine Sense within, beginning to study it carefully.

The Transform Appearance ability granted by the Nine Tribulations True Spirit Scripture was practically essential for a Gou Cultivator like him. He decided to pause his training of the Nourishing Life Skill and focus on completing the first level of the Nine Tribulations True Spirit Scripture first.

Since he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, cultivating a Qi Refining Stage technique—and only the Body Refining portion at that—would be quick. He estimated he could reach the peak of Body Refining in less than a year.

...

In his training chamber, several hours later, Li Ping lowered the Jade Scroll with a strange expression on his face.

The Body Refining portion of the Nine Tribulations True Spirit Scripture’s first level wasn’t particularly complex. Within a few hours, he had grasped all the cultivation steps.

What truly struck him as odd was the Body Refining process itself.

It didn’t just require a large quantity of precious Spiritual Materials; the technique involved refining those materials directly into one’s body as a form of sustenance during cultivation.

’It’s like,’ Li Ping thought, ’I’m the main ingredient, and I’m adding all these supplementary materials to refine myself into a Dharma Artifact.’

"It sounds a little like ’The flesh is weak, time for mechanical ascension!’" Li Ping couldn’t help but feel bewildered. ’Is all Body Refining like this? It feels so strange.’

The doubt in his mind was fleeting. He recalled how the Demon Cultivator had used this very technique to transform his appearance, moving without a trace and wreaking havoc in the Immortal City.

Li Ping’s resolve solidified.

’Body Refining. I must master Body Refining!’

...

Li Ping briefly reviewed the materials needed for the First Level of Body Refining. He could purchase most of them within the Immortal City.

However, his Body Refining cultivation was a decent trump card to have in a crisis, and he didn’t want anyone to know about it. Therefore, he had to purchase the materials himself.

Over the course of half a month, Li Ping visited all the major shops and black markets in the Immortal City’s marketplace. Sometimes he wore a mask to hide his identity; other times, he showed his face openly.

At long last, he had gathered all the materials required for the First Level of Body Refining.

But just as he was preparing to begin, a visit from a special guest interrupted his plans.

...

After a Steward from the Meng family informed him he had a visitor, Li Ping hurriedly rode his Escape Light to the foot of Immortal Peach Mountain.

He immediately spotted the elderly figure sitting in the hall, conversing with the Meng family Steward.

Recognizing the elderly figure, he strode quickly into the hall, grabbed the man’s hand, and said with excitement, "Hahaha... Brother Ji, I can’t believe you came to the Immortal City yourself! Forgive me for not giving you a proper welcome!"

Seeing Li Ping, the Meng family Steward quickly rose and bowed. "Elder Li."

Li Ping waved his hand, gesturing for him to dispense with the formalities, his gaze fixed on the elder before him.

The elder’s Cultivation was only at the Middle-stage Qi Refining. He wore a gray robe, and his hair, beard, and eyebrows had all turned snow-white. Most peculiar were his eyebrows, which were so long they nearly touched his earlobes.

Though the elder looked ancient, his eyes were clear and bright, not at all murky.

He only seemed weary due to the fatigue of a long journey.

The elder before Li Ping was none other than Daoist Ji Xiu, the very person who had guided him onto the Immortal Dao and helped him immensely in his early days of cultivation.

Hearing how Li Ping addressed him, a smile touched the corners of Daoist Ji’s mouth.

Back in the Jiang Kingdom, Li Ping and he had formed a friendship that transcended their age difference.

He had called Li Ping "Little Brother Li," and Li Ping had frankly called him "Brother Ji."

Before his arrival, Daoist Ji had actually been quite anxious. After all, he hadn’t seen Li Ping in nearly thirty years. Now, Li Ping was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; who knew if he would still acknowledge a worn-out old man like himself.

But Li Ping’s greeting put him completely at ease. He was still the same "Little Brother Li."

Daoist Ji Xiu stood up, gestured to the two youths behind him, and said with a smile, "Little Brother Li, these two youngsters have never been far from home. This is their first time traveling to a place as distant as the Immortal City. This old man was worried, so I had to drag my old bones along to escort them."

Hearing this, Li Ping’s gaze fell upon the two youths beside Daoist Ji. The two boys quickly bowed respectfully and called out, "Grandmaster," and "Elder," respectively.

From their greetings, Li Ping deduced that one was likely his own master’s great-grandson, and the other was Daoist Ji’s grandson.

He smiled and nodded, then turned back to Daoist Ji. "Brother Ji, since you’ve come all the way to the Immortal City, you must stay for a while before heading back. Come, let’s go to my cave residence to rest."

Outside the hall, Li Ping brought out his Floating Shadow Shuttle. He invited Daoist Ji Xiu to board, then beckoned for the two youths to follow.

Once the three were settled, he piloted the Floating Shadow Shuttle toward Immortal Peach Mountain, heading for his cave residence.

The two youths leaned over the side of the shuttle, curiously taking in their surroundings. As the flying vessel entered Immortal Peach Mountain, their eyes grew wide, and they stared intently at the mountain scenery.

Daoist Ji was just as impressed. He ran his hand over the deck of the shuttle and clicked his tongue in amazement. "Little Brother Li, this flying shuttle of yours couldn’t have been cheap, could it?"

Li Ping just smiled and shook his head. "It’s merely a means of transportation."

Immortal Peach Mountain wasn’t very large, and in just a moment, the Floating Shadow Shuttle landed before Li Ping’s cave residence.

He put away the shuttle, deactivated the Array, and led Daoist Ji Xiu and the two boys into his cave residence.

Feeling the dense Spiritual Qi within the cave, Daoist Ji was once again left speechless. He had never in his life cultivated on a Spiritual Land at or above Tier Two.

Li Ping led Daoist Ji to a seat in the pavilion. Bai Lin served Spirit Tea, and Li Ping introduced them to each other.

When she heard that the white-haired elder before her was the man who had guided her Young Master onto the Immortal Dao, Bai Lin’s surprise was coupled with a newfound respect for Daoist Ji.

Daoist Ji, in turn, took a liking to Bai Lin. He even took a Tier One Middle Grade Dharma Artifact from his Storage Bag and gave it to her as a first-meeting gift.

With a nod from Li Ping, Bai Lin accepted the Dharma Artifact with a smile.

Afterwards, Li Ping asked Daoist Ji about their journey.

Daoist Ji took a sip of the Spirit Tea and began to recount their travels with a smile.

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