I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 76: Negotiations

Even though Lan Chang'an had anticipated it, he couldn't calm his heart upon hearing the unfavorable news about the Mu Family.

Humans are not made of grass and wood, how can they be absolutely emotionless?

In this life, he started his cultivation in the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake, living there for two or three decades.

In a certain sense, he could be considered half a cultivator of the Mu Family.

Two years ago, Lan Chang'an had seen the elderly Mu Maode. Unfortunately, he perished in this battle and couldn't die a natural death.

The only good news:

The two people Lan Chang'an was closest to in the Mu Family, Li Erqing and Mu Xiuyun, survived the battle.

Then, Zhao Siyao detailed the battle situation between the two big families.

The Maple Leaf Huang Family now had four Foundation Establishment cultivators. In the battle a few months ago, they deployed three Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading the elite of their family, to launch a night attack on Feiyue Lake.

Among them was Huang Tankong, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

They had thought they could easily crush the Mu Family, but unexpectedly, the Mu Family had hidden their strength.

Firstly, the Mu Family had secretly purchased a second-rank spirit beast, which, although physically aging, was rich in combat experience.

Secondly, a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator emerged in the Mu Family, which was Li Erqing.

Thirdly, the Mu Family had greatly strengthened the formation defense of their family's land over the years, constructing two medium-sized second-rank protection arrays.

With the help of these formations, the Mu Family barely withstood the Huang Family's attack.

Additionally, Mu Xiuyun demonstrated her skills as a second-rank talisman master in this battle on her home turf, playing a significant role.

In this battle, the Mu Family suffered heavy losses, with the family elder Mu Renlong severely injured, and dozens of mid-to-late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators dead or injured.

The second-rank spirit beast was also seriously injured and wouldn't live for many more years.

The Huang Family also suffered significant losses, but considering their size and heritage, they would recover in a few years.

"Li Erqing, when did he obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill?" In truth, Lan Chang'an had a vague answer in his heart; it couldn't be achieved by his own ability.

"Regarding this matter, Fellow Daoist Li told me privately." Zhao Siyao's voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of peculiarity in her expression.

"Li's son, Mu Jiuan, accidentally triggered a rare treasure while collecting herbs outside nine years ago. The treasure's light reached the sky and was noticed by a nearby cultivator."

"Mu Jiuan was very smart and took the initiative to offer the treasure to the cultivator who arrived later."

"That cultivator accepted the treasure and decided to take Mu Jiuan as a disciple. However, that cultivator was not from the Liang country and wanted to take Mu Jiuan away..." Upon hearing this, Lan Chang'an already knew the answer.

A treasure that could move a Core Formation cultivator was likely a third-rank treasure.

Compared to that, what was a Foundation Establishment Pill worth?

If it were Lan Chang'an in his previous life, he would have been thrilled to gain a third-rank treasure and a promising disciple. Giving a Foundation Establishment Pill and some resources as compensation was a fair trade, it is considered to be the end of the karmic consequences.

That Foundation Establishment Pill was requested by Mu Jiuan for his father.

"No wonder, years ago, when Li Erqing had his son send me the materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill, he was so generous."

"It turns out, he had already obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill by then, and kept it hidden from me." Lan Chang'an unraveled the mystery from years ago.

Li Erqing had kept the Foundation Establishment Pill a secret not only from him but also from the Mu Family, even going out to secretly establish his foundation.

Li Erqing's advancement to the Foundation Establishment Realm was beyond Lan Chang'an's expectations.

Unexpectedly, this guy, relying on having children, made steady progress, breaking through his original fate and advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Li Erqing's only period of misfortune was when he changed his name to Li Changqing and stayed at the seventh layer of Qi-Refining for over a decade.

Before leaving the Mu Family, Lan Chang'an helped Li Erqing change his name and unwind at the Hundred Fragrance Immortal Pavilion, relieving his mental burden.

After returning, Li Erqing advanced to the seventh layer of Qi-Refining without using a breakthrough pill, leaving some potential for his future Foundation Establishment.

...

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, thank you for stepping in this time; otherwise, the Maple Leaf Huang Family might not have retreated." Lan Chang'an expressed his gratitude.

When Zhao Siyao went to the Mu Family, the Maple Leaf Huang Family was stationed near Feiyue Lake, having suffered significant casualties without achieving their goal, they were unwilling to back down.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the sect, Zhao Siyao mediated, and the Maple Leaf Huang Family finally chose to withdraw.

"If they had fought to the end, even if the Maple Leaf Huang Family had taken down the Mu Family, they would have paid a heavy price. My presence merely gave them an excuse to retreat." Zhao Siyao smiled lightly, not taking credit.

"This repulsion of the Huang Family ensures peace for Feiyue Lake for at least a few years." This family conflict made Lan Chang'an worry greatly for the Mu Family.

...

After discussing the Mu Family, Zhao Siyao brought up the matter of training in the Black Fog Mountain Range.

In recent years, her cultivation had stagnated, and she was facing a bottleneck, feeling mentally exhausted and doubtful of her path.

The confidence and ambition she had when advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage had been largely worn away.

If she continued to stay in the sect and cultivate in comfort, her hopes of reaching the Core Formation Realm in this lifetime would be slim.

Zhao Siyao's current state was something Lan Chang'an, with his insight from his past life as a Core Formation cultivator, could see through at a glance.

The fundamental reason was that Zhao Siyao's spiritual root qualifications had no advantage after entering the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the sect, nearly half of the Foundation Establishment cultivators had high-grade spiritual roots, or, like Zhao Siyao, roots close to high grade.

If Li Erqing's original limit was the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, then Zhao Siyao's limit would be roughly the mid to late Foundation Establishment Realm.

Without a fortuitous encounter, the hope of her becoming a Core Formation cultivator in the future was very small.

In Lan Chang'an's view, Zhang Tieshan had a higher chance of reaching the Core Formation Realm than Zhao Siyao.

Zhang Tieshan was blessed with good luck, firm will, and great ambition, even if his aptitude was slightly worse than Zhao Siyao.

Zhao Siyao clearly realized her situation and knew she had to go out and train, seeking fortuitous encounters, just as she did when stuck at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining.

...

"Fellow Daoist Lan, you want my help to kill second-rank demonic beasts and obtain special demon cores to replace the main ingredient Xuanling Fruit?" Zhao Siyao hesitated upon hearing Lan Chang'an's idea.

Such special demon cores typically came from second-rank demonic beasts with superior bloodlines or higher.

If Zhao Siyao encountered them alone, she might not be able to defeat them.

In the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world, many Foundation Establishment cultivators had lost their lives hunting such second-rank demonic beasts for their children.

Although Zhao Siyao had a good relationship with Lan Chang'an, it was far from that of blood relatives. She had repaid some of the favors she owed him in recent years.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, take a look at these two trump cards of mine before you decide." Lan Chang'an smiled slightly and took out a talisman disc from his storage pouch.

Infusing it with mana, the disc glowed and released sixteen superior-grade talismans.

These talismans simultaneously emitted electric arcs, forming a miniature lightning formation in the room.

The formation's power made Zhao Siyao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, feel a hint of threat.

This talisman formation was something Lan Chang'an had prepared during his mid-Qi-Refining stage in Bamboo Leaf Mountain and could resist an early Foundation Establishment cultivator for a short time.

"Fellow Daoist Lan possesses such skill in talismans?" Zhao Siyao couldn't help but be amazed.

Just this alone made her feel that with Lan Chang'an's assistance, she could kill second-rank demonic beasts that she previously couldn't defeat, obtaining more resources.

She guessed that Lan Chang'an might already be a second-rank talisman master, or at least close, and probably had second-rank talismans.

Little did Zhao Siyao know, this was merely one of Lan Chang'an's cards from his mid-Qi-Refining stage.

By now, it was long outdated.

The second-rank talisman formation Lan Chang'an had recently prepared could potentially kill a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"What is Fellow Daoist Lan's second trump card?" Zhao Siyao was quite expectant. Lan Chang'an's first demonstration had already won her over.

Lan Chang'an put away the talisman disc and patted the spirit pet pouch at his waist, from which emanated a strong and fierce demonic aura.

"A second-rank demonic beast!" Zhao Siyao's delicate face showed surprise; the beast in the bag gave her a strong sense of pressure.

Lan Chang'an's two trump cards, if used properly, had the chance to kill Foundation Establishment cultivators.

No wonder, with Lan Chang'an's cautious nature, he would consider the special demon core method.

“Fellow Daoist Lan, you’ve had quite a bit of good fortune since coming to the Huanglong Immortal City. You even managed to get your hands on a second-rank demonic beast.” Zhao Siyao couldn’t help but sound a bit envious.

“It was all luck. I owe this luck to Zhou Qingxuan from the Beast Taming Zhou Family...” Lan Chang’an explained the situation.

The breakthrough of the Earth Burrowing Rat into the second-rank had left a trail of clues behind.

Zhou Qingxuan couldn’t be sure what would happen when she sold the Earth Spirit Pill. It would be interesting to see how she reacted when she learned what had happened.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, to possess such strength, this journey to the Black Fog Mountain Range will surely be fruitful with our sincere cooperation." Zhao Siyao smiled faintly, beautiful like a fairy in a painting. At this moment, she completely treated Lan Chang'an as a peer in the Foundation Establishment stage.

If Lan Chang'an were to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, as a second-rank talisman master with a second-rank spirit beast, his status among Foundation Establishment cultivators would be quite high.

The two quickly reached an agreement to go to the Black Fog Mountain Range half a month later.

During this period, Zhao Siyao needed to purchase some supplies in the city.

"If Fellow Daoist Zhao doesn't mind, there are vacant guest rooms at the Water Moon Residence that can provide temporary accommodation." Lan Chang'an suggested.

"No need, I can stay at the Jin Yun Valley station." Zhao Siyao's clear and charming eyes glanced at Lan Chang'an, smiling as she declined.

Lan Chang'an's suggestion was merely a courtesy.

He didn't insist and watched as Zhao Siyao, in her fairy-like dress, rode away on the wind.

(End of chapter)

Author Notes;

It's understandable if there's controversy over this chapter. This shopkeeper will now lay out the timeline for you. In the book, Zhao Siyao had the best aptitude, cultivating to Foundation Establishment twenty-something years ago. Mu Xiuyun failed to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment one or two decades ago; the book has detailed the process, mentioning that she advanced to the seventh layer of Qi-Refining using a breakthrough pill and didn't use a Foundation Establishment Pill. Li Erqing cultivated Foundation Establishment ten or twenty years later; his progress once outpaced the protagonist by quite a bit (Lan's limited by time, and a low-grade wood spirit root), and he was ahead at the seventh layer of Qi-Refining but got stuck there for quite some time. Before Lan Chang'an left the Mu Family, he helped Li Erqing change his name and relax at the Hundred Fragrance Immortal Pavilion, resolving his mental barriers. After returning, Li Erqing advanced to the seventh layer of Qi-Refining without using a breakthrough pill, leaving some potential for future Foundation Establishment.

If the chance of reaching Foundation Establishment is one in a thousand, then that's absurd. A standard Foundation Establishment Pill comes with a twenty percent success rate, not counting personal factors. With a bit of good fortune, there's a chance for anyone to achieve it.