FVN Chapter 40 Two Years Later
Chapter 40 Two Years Later
"Inner core?" Han Li's face showed surprise, his eyes staring intently at the small dragon core on Lin Changqing's slender fingers.
Seeing Han Li's surprise, Lin Changqing explained, "This is just a dragon core. I obtained it by chance. If you hunt dragon beasts in the future, you can search for it and you will naturally find dragon cores."
"With this dragon core, it should be able to quickly break through to the top level of the first rank."
Early-stage breakthroughs for demonic beasts don't require meditation or cultivation. They only need to consume large amounts of rare and precious herbs and absorb energy while dormant to continuously advance in rank, making it much simpler than for cultivators.
However, not all monsters can consume these abundant natural treasures, so low-level monsters are the most numerous among them.
As a demon beast cultivated by Lin Changqing, it naturally wouldn't live too badly, and it would still have ample cultivation resources.
When the horned serpent saw the dragon pill, a fiery look appeared in its eyes. It kept begging Lin Changqing to throw it to it, and even tried to speak human language in its eagerness.
"Hiss! Hiss!" The horned serpent looked anxious as it climbed the giant tree, wriggling on the trunk. Its cries were impatient, much like a cultivator who had just encountered a treasure.
Since Lin Changqing has taken it out, he will naturally give it to her and won't let his spirit pet suffer so much.
With a flick of his fingertip, the dragon pill flew in a curve and landed in the mouth of the horned snake.
The horned snake, having obtained the dragon pill, did not retreat. Instead, it called out to Lin Changqing a few times, expressing its gratitude like a young child.
"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"
Lin Changqing smiled slightly, finding it quite interesting; he hadn't expected his spirit pet to possess such intelligence.
However, Lin Changqing did not intend to approach it. He would wait until he transformed into a dragon and could take it flying. So he simply waved his hand to dismiss it from refining the dragon transformation pill.
"Junior Brother Han, what are your plans for the future?" After dealing with the matter of the spirit pet, Lin Changqing turned around, leaned against the stone railing, and asked Han Li about some matters related to cultivation.
"I just want to focus on cultivation, learn some spells and the like, and reach the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible." Han Li clenched his fists, a resolute look flashing across his otherwise unremarkable face.
Lin Changqing saw in Han Li's eyes a heart yearning for the Dao, which he also thought was a longing for immortality. However, he also knew that Han Li's talent required a lot of Foundation Establishment Pills, so he couldn't bear to discourage him. He simply said lightly, "Very good! Junior Brother Han, it's good to have a firm heart yearning for the Dao."
Lin Changqing's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Han Li with his bright eyes and slowly said, with a sigh:
"Junior Brother Han, you've changed again. The fierceness on you has lessened considerably. You know, when I saw you two years ago, you had a bitter look on your face and a lot of depression in your heart."
"I didn't expect that coming to Yellow Maple Valley would make me feel much better and more motivated. I'm starting to want to build my foundation."
When Han Li heard Lin Changqing mention him, he paused and remained silent for a moment.
He has indeed changed again. He has seen the magnificence of the cultivation world, witnessed scenery different from that of the mortal world, and experienced things that he could only realize in his dreams before.
He still remembered when he and Lin Changqing entered Tai Nan Market. It was his first time entering the world of cultivation. He saw the grand hall built in the sea of clouds, the great river flowing in the sky, and the scene of cultivators strolling through the market, looking like mortals yet completely different from them.
In just a few months, Lin Changqing showed him a lot about the world, and his knowledge increased considerably. Some subtle changes did occur in his heart, but he didn't realize it himself.
These memories flashed through his mind like a fleeting moment. Before long, Han Li came back to his senses, his eyes filled with longing as he said, "Yes! Senior Brother Lin, the thought of living two more 60 years after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage makes my blood boil and my heart cannot calm down for a long time."
Han Li, who is only eighteen or nineteen years old now, is pursuing longevity just like all cultivators in the cultivation world. This is perfectly normal, after all, isn't the purpose of cultivation to live longer?
He saw Han Li now as if he were seeing himself back then, forging iron to extend his lifespan. There was no difference between the two; both were doing it for immortality, just to survive.
Lin Changqing didn't know if this pursuit was right. After more than ten years of cultivation, he was already able to live for hundreds or thousands of years. He wondered how many people would stay by his side after such a long time.
Two teenagers and young men who had come from the Seven Mysteries Sect were simply leaning against the stone railing, enjoying the evening breeze and the cool air coming from afar.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, one person looks at the distant, dusky sky, while the other looks at the scattered houses below the mountain, yet they can still talk to each other and smile from time to time, as if they have returned to the past.
This scene remained a constant reminder to Han Li and Lin Changqing throughout the relentless years that followed, reminding them that someone had accompanied them for a very long time.
......
Two years have passed in a flash, and Xiaochangqing Peak remains calm and peaceful.
Han Li's visits became less frequent. After his conversation with Lin Changqing, Han Li returned to the herb garden and devoted himself to cultivation. He had reached the eleventh level of the Everlasting Spring Technique and was preparing to begin the Foundation Establishment stage.
Now, two years have passed, and Lin Changqing knows from the talisman Han Li sent that Han Li is anxious and uneasy, and is about to start preparing for the Blood Trial. Therefore, he did not disturb Han Li in the remaining time.
The Crimson Trial is a trial jointly held by the seven factions of the Yue Kingdom. The Crimson Forbidden Land within it grows the main materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, which is also the basic way for most people in the Yue Kingdom to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills.
Han Li had no choice but to enter.
Like Han Li, Lin Changqing did not go out to train during these two years. Instead, he stayed on Xiaochangqing Peak to focus on refining weapons, alchemy, and researching formations, while also cultivating.
After two years of refining the weapon, his lifespan has increased considerably, approaching that of a Nascent Soul stage monster.
Lifespan: 961
Li Zhijing was naturally indispensable in handling so many things. He entrusted many matters to Li Zhijing, which reduced the waste of time and allowed him to focus on improving his weapon crafting skills and other techniques.
In addition to increasing his lifespan, he also made some improvements to his magical artifacts. He upgraded the Ironwood Flying Sword to the level of a top-tier magical artifact, and he also crafted the body of the second-level Flood Dragon into a top-tier flying magical artifact called the "Flowing Cloud Boat".
As for his cultivation, he has made some progress, but he is still in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Lin Changqing was only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old that year.
......
"You mean there's also a cultivation world covered in islands?"
Lin Changqing took the jade slip handed to him by Li Zhijing and carefully examined the information inside, trying to find some errors. However, he found that everything was reasonable and perfectly natural, as if there was a vast world of cultivation outside of Yue Kingdom and Tiannan.
Li Zhijing's expression was calm, her gaze firm. Her hair was unkempt and looked a little messy. She was only wearing a simple gray robe, yet she brought Lin Changqing some surprising news.
"Yes, I'm currently researching the location of an ancient formation and have some understanding of the cultivation world there."
"An ancient formation?" Lin Changqing looked puzzled. What did this have to do with anything? Li Zhijing must have read too many books; was she trying to fool him?
An ancient formation? Another cultivation world? He's not focused on cultivation at all, and he's only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. How will he ever establish his foundation?
However, Lin Changqing did not intend to discourage Li Zhijing, who had worked hard even if he had not made any great contributions. He reluctantly acknowledged what Li Zhijing said, but he could not help but urge him to improve his cultivation.
Lin Changqing put down the jade slip, looked directly into Li Zhijing's eyes, and said seriously, "Zhijing, I understand what you're saying, but shouldn't you work hard to cultivate and improve your cultivation level, so as not to lack the strength to succeed in Foundation Establishment?"
Seeing that Lin Changqing still didn't believe him and was still urging him to focus on cultivation, Li Zhijing felt distressed. She thought anxiously to herself, "These past two years, I've been studying these things to prepare for that premonition I had two years ago, so that Brother Lin could escape later. I didn't expect him to disregard it. Is it really all over?"
"I can't say that Brother Lin is in danger later, that would be asking for trouble. Who would believe the nonsense of a Qi Refining cultivator?"
"I hope my feeling is wrong. I've been calculating lately, and it seems Brother Lin's luck has been fluctuating constantly since he reached Foundation Establishment, not as smooth as before."
"Furthermore, having lived in the bustling city for so many years, and with his entourage consisting mainly of cultivators from all over, he clearly sensed that the cultivation world today is different from what it used to be, and may be undergoing a major transformation!!!"
While Li Zhijing was lost in thought, looking utterly hopeless, Lin Changqing was also struggling internally.
"Zhi Jing wouldn't deceive himself, and it wouldn't do him any good either. Even if he believed Zhi Jing, it would only be a waste of time searching. If there really is a new cultivation world, he could explore it himself and see other sights in the world. It would be a way to pass the time in his long lifespan."
After thinking it through, Lin Changqing looked at Li Zhijing seriously and said, "Zhijing, I believe the information you gave me, but do you even know where this ancient formation is?"
Seeing Lin Changqing's expression change and become serious, Li Zhijing quickly said, "The location is roughly near Yanjiabao in the southern part of the country. If we want to find a more specific location, we can only investigate in person."
"Yan Family Fortress? If it is Yan Family Fortress, then it's not too far. Searching for it for a while won't be a big deal. It's just a pity that the peak will be closed for a period of time, so there won't be much time to sell magic weapons and pills."
After a moment's thought, just as Lin Changqing was about to speak, Li Zhijing sensed Lin Changqing's thoughts and naturally came up with a countermeasure.
"Brother Lin, these magical artifacts and pills can be given to my younger sister, Li Yin. She will help keep an eye on Little Evergreen Peak."
"Hmm, that's fine. Miss Li Yin handled it very well last time. I'm very confident leaving these matters to you."
"As for me, I will prepare some things first, and then we will set off together to Yan Family Fortress to find the ancient formation built by the ancient cultivators."
After discussing the follow-up matters, Lin Changqing watched Li Zhijing leave, wondering if he had gone mad by searching for some kind of grand formation. However, considering all that Li Zhijing had done for him over the years, he decided to indulge in his madness for the time being.
If there really is some kind of grand formation, then it's a different story. Moreover, Li Zhijing was able to find a ruin based on a fragment of a map last time, so it's not impossible that he's looking for some kind of grand formation this time.
Of course, I also need to go to the Yellow Maple Valley Market to buy things, prepare for danger, and spend some of the spirit stones I've earned over the years.
There's no need to buy pills or magical artifacts, as I have plenty of them myself. However, I'm lacking in array materials. I've consumed quite a few materials in the past few years while researching arrays, so I need to replenish them.
I also need to buy some talismans. I haven't cultivated the art of talismans myself, so I bought many high-level talismans with spirit stones.