I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 304

## Chapter 300: Cultivating in the Oasis

One year later, Lu Changan returned to the Oasis, marking his tenth year in the Wind Yuan Kingdom. He was now 222 years old.

During the past ten years, Lu Changan had focused on cultivating in seclusion. Even with enough regular methods to dominate the Oasis, he stayed behind the scenes. His Body Refinement had reached the mid-stage of the third realm.

He planned to continue cultivating until the mid-stage of the Core Formation Realm, then formulate his next plan, including the advanced Puppet Legacy.

If he could refine a third-realm superior quality Spirit Puppet and inject the soul shadow of his Second Life, Lu Changan could take revenge on Zhao Siyao without any risk. He could even remotely manipulate the Peacock Saintess, causing her trouble.

In the secluded chamber of the Mountain Water Manor, Lu Changan used his Evergreen True Qi to nurture more than sixty precious talismans. All of these talismans were made with third-realm materials. Except for a few recently refined ones, most were nurtured to the mid-quality level of the third realm.

There were eight superior quality talismans. He had used the third-realm superior quality “Spirit Bamboo of Penetrating Mystery,” obtained through his trade with Wang Feng years ago, to refine these into third-realm superior quality talismans.

The two most powerful ones, which had a superior quality foundation since the beginning, now approached the peak of the third realm in power.

Lu Changan planned to use these eight most promising talismans to defend against Nascent Soul True Jun in the future, and also have something up his sleeve against the Peacock Saintess.

He had a feeling that he would eventually have to settle his karma with the Peacock Saintess. Since she had a Nascent Soul trump card, Lu Changan had to prepare even more.

“My talisman artistry in this life has surpassed my previous life.”

Lu Changan smiled in satisfaction, putting away the numerous talismans. In terms of power, the two strongest talismans already surpassed his previous life.

His Second Life had barely achieved the level of a third-realm superior quality Talisman Master, and hadn’t refined many third-realm superior quality talismans in his lifetime.

One reason was that the materials were rare. They needed the blood of a late-stage third-realm Great Spirit Beast and the fur from specific parts of their bodies.

As for the same grade of spirit wood, they had even longer growth cycles.

Another reason was that the success rate of refining third-realm superior quality talismans was quite low.

After finishing nurturing the talismans, Lu Changan took out a sealed jade box. Inside was a lifelike five-colored feathered wing, its energy treated and sealed.

This was one of the three main feathers of the five-colored peacock. The Peacock Saintess’s Beast Taming technique was closely related to the five-colored peacock, her life beast.

If her life beast were to lose its essence, it would hinder the Peacock Saintess’s path to Nascent Soul. This was also a major cause of her inner turmoil.

Lu Changan guessed that the Peacock Saintess wanted to lure him back to Liang Guo to retrieve the severed five-colored feather and resolve her inner conflict.

Next, Lu Changan used his Evergreen True Qi to nurture this peacock feather and cultivate its spirit.

The “Strange Puppet Records of Transformation” he obtained from Adawan contained several kinds of Spirit Puppets that mimicked the forms of legendary true spirit divine beasts. The theoretical crafting conjectures included the five-colored peacock.

This was the only crucial material Lu Changan had gathered for this type of Spirit Puppet.

In the future, as long as his skills were sufficient and he could acquire some rare materials, he could start crafting a five-colored peacock Spirit Puppet imitation.

While it was unrealistic for the imitation to achieve the power and supernatural abilities of the original, it wouldn’t be difficult for it to surpass cultivators of the same realm in power.

To be safe, Lu Changan not only used his refinement techniques to erase the feather’s original energy, but also placed seals and divination techniques to prevent divination.

Over the years, Lu Changan had vaguely sensed that the diviner the Peacock Saintess had hired was likely a third-realm superior quality divination master.

His puppet clone had gathered some intel when it returned to Liang Guo last time. The diviner’s lifespan was not something that could be wasted.

With his knowledge of the diviner’s background and preparations, even if the diviner came to Wind Yuan Kingdom in person to track and divine him, Lu Changan wouldn’t be afraid.

His 1100+ year lifespan was his greatest advantage.

…

The next year.

On the He Yuan Oasis, two major trading houses erupted into a large-scale battle, with hundreds of cultivators participating.

The He Yuan Oasis wasn’t like a fairy city; its order wasn’t as stable. As a giant, the Wan Hua Trading House was one of the main upholders of the oasis’s established order.

The Core Formation cultivator of the Wan Hua Trading House who had been attacked and seriously injured years ago had recovered.

The mysterious assassin had vanished for the past few years.

Logically, the Star Moon Trading House was financially strapped and didn’t have that much capital; it wouldn’t have been possible for the mysterious assassin to act as their guardian for so long.

The Wan Hua Trading House initiated the battle to take advantage of the mysterious assassin’s absence. They wanted to swallow the Star Moon Trading House in one fell swoop and maintain their prestige in the He Yuan Oasis.

However, the Wan Hua Trading House was wrong. The mysterious assassin appeared again during the battle.

He was like a plague, a persistent illusion.

In front of the riverbank where the two trading houses were battling, a Wan Hua Trading House cultivator exclaimed, “Not good… Elder Chi She has been assassinated again!”

“Quickly chase after him, don’t let the assassin escape!”

The Wan Hua Trading House’s cultivator formation fell into chaos for a moment.

Boom! A putrid cloud of black smoke exploded, covering a radius of several miles.

A mysterious cloaked man wearing a gray and white robe and a black cloak unleashed an attack before transforming into a hazy black shadow, merging with the shadows of the black smoke.

“Don’t… don’t chase him!”

A thin old man with a sinister face, gripping a snake staff, held onto the sleeve arrow piercing through his chest. He swayed, slowly sinking to the ground.

In fact, the nearby Fake Dan cultivators merely pretended to chase.

Their roars were deafening, but no one dared to truly pursue.

Elder Chi She was a Core Formation cultivator in his prime for the Wan Hua Trading House, responsible for the trading house’s guards and security.

Even a powerful figure like him had been attacked twice by the mysterious assassin. It would be like sending a sheep to the slaughter for any Fake Dan cultivator to chase after him.

“Not good! It’s a third-realm mid-quality poison.”

Chi She’s body shuddered, and the red marks of his True Qi on his body fluctuated, bright and dim. His Core Formation area felt a stabbing pain, corroded by the strange and terrifying poison.

His Core Pill was poisoned; using True Qi to purge the poison was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

“Elder Chi She!”

The high-ranking cultivators of the Wan Hua Trading House turned pale in the formation.

Within a few breaths, Chi She’s poison took effect, and the True Qi radiating from his body emitted black and blue poisonous smoke.

“Ah, ah, save me…”

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators accidentally came into contact with the poisonous smoke, their bodies immediately began to rot, and two died instantly from the poison.

“Quickly, quickly, dodge!”

“Elder Chi She has become a poison person!”

The Wan Hua Trading House’s formation became even more chaotic.

Another Female Core Formation cultivator was battling a Fake Dan couple from the Star Moon Trading House. Faced with the combined attack of the “Star Moon Absolute”, she was pushed back step by step.

Losing Chi She, a Core Formation cultivator skilled in combat, coupled with the internal chaos, the Wan Hua Trading House, which had the advantage in numbers, was now at a disadvantage.

“Quickly retreat, the medicine… the medicine garden…”

Chi She, before passing out, managed to utter a few words.

The Wan Hua Trading House monopolized most of the spirit wood and herbs in the Oasis, including many rare and precious spirit herbs.

If they were defeated today, their first priority would be to protect their most vital resources.

Fortunately, the Wan Hua Trading House’s spirit vein herb garden was located in the heart of the oasis, guarded by a very old Core Formation Alchemist.

He was the most senior Core Formation cultivator in the Wan Hua Trading House.

…

Major forces across the He Yuan Oasis were watching the battle between the two trading houses.

Lu Changan, remotely controlling his puppet assassin clone, quietly approached the cliffside spirit vein where the Wan Hua Trading House was located on the oasis.

“Huh! The herb garden formation is activated, and there are battle fluctuations?”

Lu Changan was surprised. He didn’t expect the island’s Core Formation masters to react so quickly.

His puppet assassin clone had just finished the assassination, setting the tone for the battle, when two Core Formation cultivators simultaneously attacked the Wan Hua Trading House’s herb garden.

Aside from the two Core Formation cultivators, another Core Formation mid-stage cultivator was hiding in the shadows.

None of this escaped the perception of his puppet clone, which had the senses of a Core Formation peak cultivator from his Second Life.

The herb garden’s guardian was a white-haired Core Formation cultivator.

After activating the formation, he calmly commanded the defense, resisting the joint attack of the two Core Formation cultivators.

However, before long, the hidden Core Formation mid-stage cultivator quietly bypassed them, attacking the weak point of the formation.

Poof!

A gap was broken in the Wan Hua Trading House’s third-realm grand formation.

The Core Formation mid-stage cultivator wore a monkey-faced mask that blocked divine sense detection and broke into the herb garden to loot it.

He seemed to be familiar with the place and went straight for the most valuable area of the herb garden, where they cultivated centuries-old medicinal herbs, including a third-realm Longevity Fruit.

“Stop!”

The white-haired herb master roared in anger, summoning his magic weapon to block the incoming Core Formation mid-stage cultivator.

Although the white-haired herb master was old, the True Qi radiating from his body was almost at the mid-stage of Core Formation. He was simply old and weak, and his technique wasn’t suitable for combat, so he wasn’t much stronger than a typical early-stage Core Formation cultivator.

“They’re all old folks.”

Lu Changan’s puppet clone scanned the herb garden and found that three of the Core Formation cultivators were over four hundred years old, and the youngest one was over three hundred and fifty.

The white-haired herb master tried his best to stop the monkey-faced Core Formation mid-stage cultivator from approaching the central area.

The Wan Hua Trading House had two Fake Dan cultivators helping them defend the formation. They managed to withstand the pressure of the three Core Formation cultivators.

After holding out for a quarter of an hour, the main force of the Wan Hua Trading House retreated.

“Too bad…”

The monkey-faced Core Formation mid-stage cultivator seemed reluctant. He and the other two Core Formation cultivators looted some herbs in the herb garden, but they had to withdraw.

“Master Lu! The third-realm Longevity Fruit is gone! And a few other rare and precious herbs…”

A Foundation Establishment spirit planter rushed over, his voice distorted, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

“Third-realm Longevity Fruit? How is that possible! This old man clearly blocked them…”

The white-haired herb master swept his divine sense over the area and was stunned. He couldn’t believe it.

Just now, he had risked his life, fighting with the help of the formation, and managed to protect the precious herbs in the core area.

Even the Core Formation mid-stage monkey-faced cultivator hadn’t been able to break through.

Yet, the third-realm Longevity Fruit and several other rare and precious treasures were still stolen.

“The traces of earth escape?”

Lu Yao walked to the forbidden area of the herb garden. This place was heavily fortified. Ordinary Core Formation cultivators couldn’t steal anything under the watchful eyes of several Core Formation cultivators.

After investigating, he found traces of faint demonic energy.

Lu Yao pondered for a moment and concluded, “It must be a third-realm strange beast skilled in earth escape, taking advantage of the chaos to quietly steal the third-realm Longevity Fruit and other precious things.”

Even if a cultivator of the same realm practiced earth escape, they couldn’t match the innate talents of a demonic beast.

Just as cultivators of the same realm couldn’t fly as fast as birds.

Even more astonishing was that this third-realm earth escape strange beast had actually broken through a few of the restrictions without triggering the alarm.

He was skilled and seemed to be a habitual offender.

“Demonic beasts are not typically good at restrictions. That third-realm earth escape demonic beast was probably directed by someone behind the scenes. They gave it restrictions-breaking and concealment talismans.”

Lu Yao had reached a rough conclusion.

The mastermind was either the Star Moon Trading House, the mysterious assassin, or one of the major forces in the Oasis.

…

That night.

News of the theft from the Wan Hua Trading House’s herb garden and Chi She’s death from poison spread throughout the He Yuan Oasis.

In the tranquil Mountain Water Manor.

Squeak!

A yellow-brown glow shimmered on the surface of the pool, revealing the Earth Rock Rat.

Avoiding the senses of Niu Jie and the three new medicine boys, the Earth Rock Rat went to Lu Changan’s room to deliver his loot.

“Not bad! Third-realm Longevity Fruit, Red Sun Grass, the key auxiliary herb for the Crystal Condensation Pill…”

Lu Changan was pleased as he counted his spoils.

The only regret was that the third-realm Longevity Fruit was still twenty years away from full maturity.

If it had ripened, it wouldn’t have been his for the taking.

His original plan was to have his puppet assassin poison the Wan Hua Trading House’s herb garden, create chaos, and distract the guardian so the Earth Rock Rat could steal the third-realm Longevity Fruit.

He didn’t expect that some old geezers would also have their eyes on the Wan Hua Trading House’s herb garden. This saved him some puppet crystals.

Third-realm mid-quality puppet battles were quite expensive in terms of puppet crystal consumption.

Each third-realm mid-quality puppet crystal required a lot of spirit stones to be refined to sustain a puppet battle of this level.

To save puppet crystals, the assassin puppet would usually be quiet and consume very little energy. Even during battles, it would act as a dirty trickster.

Every time he made a move, it was a surprise attack. Once he launched an attack, he would run, regardless of success or failure, and never engage in a frontal confrontation.

“Hmm, I’ve basically gathered the materials for the third-realm Longevity Pill. Moreover, this batch of precious herbs replenished the key materials for the Crystal Condensation Pill.”

Lu Changan was in a good mood.

When the time was right, he would refine the third-realm Longevity Pill and the Crystal Condensation Pill.

Although the Crystal Condensation Pill was useless to him right now, it was a high-level strategic resource. He could exchange it for a third-realm Longevity Pill or other resources he needed.

For example, more realistic puppet techniques or materials.

Lu Changan only had one third-realm mid-quality puppet, not because he didn’t want to refine more.

It took years to gather enough materials for each one.

A third-realm superior quality puppet, equivalent to a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, would require materials that were several times more difficult to obtain.

It was unimaginable that the Thousand Mechanism Sect could refine Nascent Soul-level puppets. The wealth and rare resources they consumed were immeasurable.

…

Half a month later.

Lu Changan received confirmed news that Chi She of the Wan Hua Trading House, barely managing to save his life, had his Core Formation crystal corrupted by poison, and his cultivation had fallen to the Fake Dan level.

Had the trading house not had a third-realm alchemist who arrived in time to save him, he would have died from the poison.

This outcome aligned with Lu Changan’s expectations.

If the cloaked assassin had dealt the finishing blow at that time, Chi She would have died. But if that had happened, he would have had to engage in a direct battle, in broad daylight. This would have risked exposing the puppet.

Lu Changan didn’t have any deep hatred for the Wan Hua Trading House, nor did he want to see it destroyed.

Therefore, when he first had his puppet clone assassinate Chi She, he used a third-realm lower-quality poison.

The ideal scenario was for the Wan Hua and Star Moon Trading Houses to remain relatively balanced.

If the Star Moon Trading House was slightly weaker, it would become dependent on the cloaked assassin.

In the future, if Lu Changan needed something, such as collecting certain materials, he could use his identity as “Black Owl,” a member of the Qinglong Society, to order the Star Moon Trading House to do it.

Compared to the Wan Hua Trading House, which had suffered heavy losses, the Star Moon Trading House had gained prestige in that battle.

The mysterious assassin’s terrifying power had become ingrained in the hearts of everyone in the He Yuan Oasis.

Soon, the Star Moon Trading House formally announced to the public that their business had turned profitable, they were back on track, and they were open to recruiting talented individuals.

With Lu Changan’s support, the Star Moon Trading House had firmly established itself in the Oasis, severely damaging the Wan Hua Trading House.

Fearing the mysterious assassin, the major forces in the Oasis befriended the Star Moon Trading House and dared not provoke them.

In short, Lu Changan had single-handedly affected the entire格局 (geju – framework, situation) of the Oasis.

There were no late-stage Core Formation cultivators in the Oasis.

Lu Changan, with his third-realm mid-stage Body Refinement, his puppet assassin clone, and his Earth Rock Rat of the same cultivation level, had no natural enemies.

Moreover, he was working behind the scenes, ensuring his safety.

Lu Changan could even boldly say, “The He Yuan Oasis is in my hands, Lu Changan’s.”

…

That night, the cloaked assassin visited the Star Moon Trading House and met with the Star Moon couple, Tang Mian and Tang Yue, in private.

The puppet clone brought a reward and returned to the Mountain Water Manor.

Inside the secluded chamber, Lu Changan opened a box. Inside, besides some spirit stones and materials, there was a piece of white jade.

The jade was inscribed with a mural of a star chart.

To practice the Core Formation chapter of the “Star Moon Absolute,” one had to observe this mural.

The Star Moon couple had asked “Black Owl” to help them numerous times and had even asked him to protect them. The trading house’s spirit stones and resources were not enough to pay for everything.

This star chart was to be borrowed for half a month as a partial payment.

“Legacy Imprint!”

Lu Changan observed the mural for a while, immersing his mind in the mysterious space of countless stars. It was incredibly profound.

Many major forces’ treasured techniques could not be contained in ordinary jade slips or books.

They could only be practiced and comprehended through special legacy spirit objects. This also prevented the core techniques from being leaked.

After Lu Changan’s comprehension, the spirit in the star chart mural dimmed slightly.

Without a high enough realm and without comprehending the “Star Moon Absolute” to the corresponding level, one couldn’t inherit the legacy imprint.

In Lu Changan’s previous life in Great Kun, there was a legacy treasure of a Nascent Soul True Jun that sparked bloody battles for its possession.

The treasure contained the extracted comprehensions of the Nascent Soul elder’s cultivation of powerful techniques and supernatural abilities.

Even someone with mediocre talent and comprehension could achieve a change of destiny by obtaining this legacy treasure.

The current star chart wasn’t a legacy treasure containing extracted comprehensions. One still had to observe it and comprehend it step by step.

Lu Changan had the Nascent Soul perspective of his Fourth Life and the Second Life’s soul power. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to make a copy. Ordinary Core Formation cultivators couldn’t do it.

Lu Changan couldn’t practice the “Star Moon Absolute” in this life. But with the Nine Seal Stele, he wasn’t limited to one life.

This type of cross-realm combination technique was as profound as the Evergreen Technique. Even if he couldn’t use it himself, it was good to have a copy.

Even if his lifespan in this life was long and he would reach a higher realm in the future, he could use it to cultivate his disciples and followers.

…

After the battle of the two trading houses.

The He Yuan Oasis regained stability and enjoyed five years of peace.

Lu Changan was now 228 years old.

During the past five years, he had cultivated in seclusion in the Mountain Water Manor, staying out of trouble and occasionally taking on some alchemy commissions.

In the meantime, Elder Duan had visited once. He was satisfied with Lu Changan’s low-key and reliable nature, his aversion to getting into trouble.

Elder Duan brought two new medicine boys to replace the others, while Niu Jie remained in the manor to continue learning from Lu Changan.

According to their agreement, besides looking after the Mountain Water Manor and fulfilling a certain number of alchemy commissions, Lu Changan would help teach three alchemy apprentices every ten years.

One day, Yun Ling, who had reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refinement, came to the Mountain Water Manor to play.

Lu Changan happened to be free and was drinking tea in the pavilion.

“Mr. Xu, this is a spirit fruit I brought for you.”

Yun Ling bowed slightly and placed a basket of fruit on the stone table in front of Lu Changan.

“I heard you’re preparing to reach Foundation Establishment.”

Lu Changan asked.

Over the past ten years since she had moved into the Mountain Water Manor, Yun Ling had come to visit almost every month to play with the “Water Arrow Tortoise.” However, Lu Changan sometimes went into seclusion, so they hadn’t met.

Lu Changan could tell that Granny Yun had given Yun Ling a second-realm Agelessness Pill. Even after all these years, she was still the same innocent girl, with starlit eyes, a bright smile, snow-white skin, and a slender willow waist.

Splash!

The Xuan Shui Tortoise surfaced, carrying Yun Ling as they played in the manor.

Sitting on the tortoise’s back, with her hands clasped around her knees, Yun Ling glanced at Lu Changan, who was enjoying the spirit fruit.

Suddenly, she thought of something, her fair face turning a strange shade of red.

Over the years, Yun Ling had been having a dream, and not just once.

The dream was inexplicable. In it, she was with Mr. Xu, who was elegant and handsome, and they were doing intimate things.

She had never done anything like that in reality, but the intimate scenes and details in the dream were incredibly vivid.

The most embarrassing thing was that it was she who initiated the intimacy, contrary to her real personality.

Every time she thought about it, Yun Ling’s face flushed and her heart beat fast.

She hadn’t told anyone, including Granny Yun, to whom she confided everything.

After half an hour, the Xuan Shui Tortoise brought Yun Ling back, ready to leave.

“Mr. Xu, I’m going to return to reach Foundation Establishment. You’re a Core Formation cultivator, can you give me some guidance?”

Yun Ling stepped off the tortoise’s back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Several years ago, the incomplete Talisman Master legacy Lu Changan had given her seemed very ordinary, but it had helped her a lot.

Now, she was a second-realm Talisman Master.

“I happen to be free, so I’ll give you some advice.”

Lu Changan raised his hand, inviting Yun Ling to sit down beside him.

Then, he recounted the advice he had given Guan Qiaozhi about reaching Foundation Establishment years ago, replaying it for Yun Ling.

Yun Ling listened intently, her delicate white face occasionally showing signs of understanding.

Lu Changan’s guidance wasn’t necessarily better than Granny Yun’s, but it made Yun Ling understand it even more.

Although Yun Ling was considered a top-tier talent among mid-grade spirit roots, with a solid foundation and plenty of resources, there was still a chance of failure.

“Mr. Xu, if I succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment, I will surely repay you.”

Before leaving, Yun Ling bowed deeply, leaving those words solemnly, then returned to reach Foundation Establishment.

The bookworm’s insults are understandable. My hemorrhoids are acting up again…

I had treated them with medicine before and they had gotten better, but I didn’t continue using hot baths. Now, with the hot weather, I’ve been sitting for long periods and they flared up again. The hemorrhoids weren’t painful before, but this time they are very painful. I can’t even sleep without lying on my side. It’s gotten a little better now.

I’ll also say that the store manager didn’t lie to everyone about the monthly tickets. Because my child went to school on September 1st, I have less time to spend with him. I’m planning to return to a stable update schedule.

Except for when this book was first released, the author hasn’t really asked for monthly tickets. Many books that are not half as good as this one have better monthly ticket scores. The store manager knows what’s going on.

Finally, I’ll say this. The author is far from financially free. If I were truly financially free, I would have already stopped writing because of my health problems.

(End of Chapter)

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