Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 258 Lingdan Hall

There was a strong wind and surging waves on the sea outside Wuchen Island. The dark grey clouds in the sky seemed to be solidified and pressed down deeply. The sky and the earth were dark and depressing, and a storm was about to come.

Wu Qi came riding on a lone boat, breaking through the waves. He stood in the boat, hands behind his back. His blue shirt rustled in the strong wind, and the three short wisps of beard under his chin also flew up in the wind and fluttered to the side.

Wow!

A huge wave hit the boat, and suddenly a layer of light blue light shield appeared outside the boat, which kept the huge wave out. Instead, the boat took advantage of the surging wave to increase its speed.

Wu Qi is a cultivator. His cultivation level of the tenth level of Qi Refining allows him to look down upon all the waves and winds in the Yuqing Sea. He keeps on urging his magic power, and the boat shoots out like an arrow, and in less than a quarter of an hour, it reaches the shore of the Wuchen Island.

At this moment, a dazzling flash of lightning suddenly flashed in the gray sky. After a while, a rumbling thunder came from deep in the clouds, followed by heavy rain, and the sky and the earth were filled with rain.

The ship that had just entered the port hurriedly dropped its anchor. The boatman pulled the rope with all his might, shouting non-stop, trying to stabilize the large ship that was shaking violently in the wind and waves.

Wu Qi frowned, walked to the shore, folded up the boat, stepped on the ground, and floated away.

He really didn't like the noise of mortals, but he hadn't built his foundation yet and couldn't fly for a long time. He could only travel by boat, and it was inevitable that he would come into contact with these mortals.

This time I must buy ten, no, twelve Mountain Breaking Talismans, kill a few more monsters, and save enough spirit stones for a Foundation Establishment Pill...

Wu Qi's mind was turning as he walked quickly towards the market on Wuchen Island, not forgetting to perform the water-avoiding technique. An invisible air shield condensed around him, and the rain slid to the sides, leaving his blue shirt without a single stain of water.

He is a casual cultivator, with neither good nor bad aptitude. He possesses four spiritual roots and has the hope of building a foundation, but he needs at least one foundation-building pill to have a chance of achieving this goal.

He had been working hard to accumulate spirit stones for the Foundation Establishment Pill. After nearly ten years, he had already saved up most of the spirit stones. As long as he went to the Mo Sea to hunt five or six more monsters, he would have enough spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill.

But monsters are not so easy to hunt. Level 2 monsters are everywhere in the Ink Sea, and level 3 and 4 monsters can be seen everywhere. Even level 5 monsters often appear. He can only team up with others to hunt level 2 monsters on the edge of the Ink Sea, and he has to take great risks.

They also didn't want to hunt down the second-level monsters, but most of the first-level monsters in the sea live in groups, with dozens or even hundreds of monsters in a group, and are more difficult to deal with than second-level monsters.

Wu Qi was just a casual cultivator, and the skills he practiced were mediocre. He only had one top-grade magic weapon in his hand, which was quite shabby.

The companions who joined forces with him to hunt monsters were much stronger than him. Every time they entered the edge of the Ink Sea to hunt monsters, his contribution was almost always the lowest, and he also received the least monster pills and monster materials.

He used this painstaking method to accumulate spirit stones bit by bit, getting closer and closer to his goal of obtaining a foundation-building pill.

But now, he can no longer patiently accumulate spirit stones in this way. He is sixty-six years old this year, and will be seventy in four years.

If a cultivator cannot establish a foundation before the age of seventy, the difficulty of establishing a foundation will greatly increase afterwards.

Wu Qi could feel that his body was slowly decaying, and the speed at which he absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was also a little slower than before. He could not wait any longer.

He must buy a foundation-building pill and break through to the foundation-building stage before his physical body decays.

If he can successfully build the foundation, he can continue to practice Taoism. If he fails, he will find a female cultivator to be his Taoist partner, give birth to children, and continue the Wu family's incense.

This was not difficult for Wu Qi. There were many female cultivators who could not even break through the bottleneck of the late stage of Qi Refining. After all, he had reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining. He also had an elegant appearance and looked to be only in his forties. It was not difficult for him to find a Taoist partner.

But he had already seen the scenery of the world of immortal cultivation, and had seen foundation-building cultivators who could fly and hide in the ground, as well as Jindan immortals who had the power to overturn rivers and seas. He was unwilling to turn into a handful of yellow earth after a hundred years, and he was determined to break through the bottleneck of foundation-building and live another hundred years.

In order to build his foundation, he needs foundation-building pills and more spirit stones.

He hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to spend half of his fortune to buy twelve Mountain-Breaking Talismans, and then enter the Ink Sea to hunt monsters!
The Mountain-Breaking Talisman is a high-level earth-attributed talisman. It has extraordinary power and is extremely effective against water-attributed monsters. If used properly, several Mountain-Breaking Talismans can even kill a second-level monster.

If you are lucky, the twelve Mountain-Breaking Talismans can kill three or four level two monsters. The monster pills and monster materials you get can be exchanged for spirit stones, and together with the original spirit stones, it will be enough to buy a foundation-building pill.

Wu Qi used his light body technique to come to the market town. There was a formation protecting this place, so not a drop of rainwater accumulated. The streets were bustling with people coming and going.

Wuchen Island is the central island of the nearby thousand-mile sea area. All the wandering cultivators in the vicinity gather here, and it is never short of popularity.

As far as Wu Qi could see, most of them were cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage, and there were only a few cultivators in the middle Qi Refining stage. There were also quite a few cultivators who were introverted and unfathomable, and who had at least reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

With his humble status, he naturally did not dare to go to those talisman shops that charged high prices. He carefully avoided those cultivators who were suspected to be in the stage of foundation-building, and with a clear goal in mind, he turned a few streets and headed towards the northeast corner of the market town.

Nine years ago, Wu Qi accidentally discovered a simple little shop called Yuan Fu Tang, where the talismans sold were not expensive, but of good quality.

He bought a few talismans, which came in very handy when hunting monsters. From then on, he would buy a few talismans from Yuan Fu Tang every one or two years.

The last time he came to the market on Wuchen Island was two years ago. During these two years, he had been hunting monsters on the edge of the Ink Sea. He only came back a month ago and recovered from his injuries before he had time to come to Wuchen Island.

Wu Qi walked for a while and finally arrived at a remote corner in the northeast corner of the market town, which was the location of Yuanfu Hall.

But when he saw Yuan Fu Tang, he was stunned.

The plaque engraved with the three characters "Yuanfu Hall" has been replaced with "Lingdan Hall". The door is open, and a pair of couplets are posted on both sides.

With a kind heart and skillful hands, he refines elixirs, and his magical powers are revealed with one furnace.

Wu Qi frowned and walked into the Lingdan Hall, feeling confused.

He just hasn't been to Wuchen Island for two years. Did Yuanfu Hall change its owner?

After entering Lingdan Hall, Wu Qi became even more puzzled.

The main hall was empty, with flawless white walls on all four sides and no other furnishings. There was only a monk sitting on a cushion in the center of the hall, his eyes slightly closed, his face calm, as if he was meditating and practicing.

This man was dressed in a Taoist robe and looked to be only in his twenties. Just sitting there, he gave people a carefree and indifferent feeling. However, a hideous scar running from the left eyebrow to the corner of his mouth greatly destroyed his otherworldly temperament.

The young Taoist slowly opened his eyes and looked at Wu Qi. He smiled slightly, which moved the scar on his face, making it look even more hideous. He said calmly, "Does this Taoist want to refine pills?" Wu Qi's consciousness swept over this strange cultivator, but the next moment his face changed and he bowed deeply, "I am not here to refine pills. I accidentally came here and disturbed your meditation. Please forgive me."

The young Taoist had a strong spiritual pressure, which he did not conceal at all. He was actually a cultivator in the middle stage of foundation building!
The young Taoist said gently, "It's alright. I opened the Spiritual Alchemy Hall to welcome guests from all directions. What crime have you committed? But since you are not here to make elixirs, what is your purpose?"

Wu Qi was relieved to see that the young Taoist seemed easy to talk to, but he still looked respectful and explained, "I haven't been to Wuchen Island for two years. I didn't know that the Yuanfu Hall here has changed its owner. I will leave now."

The young Taoist nodded slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist, please do as you please. If you need to make an elixir, you can come to me. No matter what kind of elixir it is, I will only take one pill as a reward."

After saying this, he closed his eyes again and said no more.

Wu Qi bowed and left Lingdan Hall. He looked at the couplets on both sides of the gate, shook his head, and turned to leave.

What a pity, I can no longer buy cheap and affordable talismans from Yuanfutang.

He went to another shop selling talismans and bought ten Mountain-Breaking Talismans.

The talismans sold by Yuan Fu Tang are the cheapest in the market of Wuchen Island, but the production volume is not high and it is not very famous. The other shops selling talismans are well-known and their prices are higher.

Wu Qi originally wanted to buy twelve Mountain-Breaking Talismans, but now he used the same number of spirit stones but only bought ten. He felt very depressed and walked quickly to Fengyun Tower.

In addition to purchasing talismans, he also came to Wuchen Island to meet with a good friend who also went monster hunting with him to discuss the next monster hunting trip.

His good friend is named Lu Huafang, a member of the Lu family's side branch. His cultivation is also at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining. Like Wu Qi, he is a cultivator with four spiritual roots. Although he bears the title of a member of the Lu family, he is actually only slightly stronger than a casual cultivator and needs to raise resources for cultivation on his own. For more than ten years, the two have been working together to hunt monsters and have a deep friendship.

Wu Qi went up to the second floor, looked around, and sat down at a square table by the window.

A middle-aged monk was sitting at the table sipping tea. When he saw Wu Qi, he smiled and said, "Brother Wu, you are a little late today."

Wu Qi took a porcelain cup, filled it with spiritual tea, picked it up and drank it all, and said depressedly: "Brother Lu, you don't know that the Yuan Fu Tang that I often go to has changed its owner. I had to go to Fu Hai Pavilion to buy ten Broken Mountain Talismans, and I lost a lot of spiritual stones."

Lu Huafang frowned and said, "I told you a long time ago, you just need to give me the spirit stones, and I will help you buy the talisman from the clan. It is much cheaper than buying it in the market. Why do you have to waste spirit stones to buy the talisman yourself?"

Wu Qi said, "Brother Lu also has a limit on the amount of talismans he can buy in the clan. How can I make it difficult for Brother Lu?"

Lu Huafang shook his head and wanted to say something else, but Wu Qi didn't wait for him to open his mouth and took the initiative to change the subject: "Brother Lu, do you know that after the Yuan Fu Hall changed its owner, it turned into a Lingdan Hall?"

"Lingdan Hall?" Lu Huafang showed curiosity, "Does this shop sell elixirs?"

Wu Qi said, "There are no pills for sale in this Spiritual Pill Hall, but there is a young Taoist in the middle stage of foundation building who asked me if I wanted to refine pills. His attitude was very gentle, and he also said that no matter what kind of pill it is, he would only take one pill as a reward."

Lu Huafang's expression was slightly serious: "Middle stage of foundation building? Could it be that this person is a master of alchemy?"

Wu Qi shook his head and said, "I don't think so. Does an alchemy master need to open a shop? But there is a couplet posted on the door of the Spiritual Alchemy Hall, which reads 'A virtuous heart and skillful hands refine spiritual medicines, and one furnace can transform all things into magical powers'. It sounds quite arrogant."

Lu Huafang's expression became solemn. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then he bowed to Wu Qi and said, "This matter is a little strange. I need to report this matter to the clan. I'll take my leave first. I hope you can forgive me for my negligence, Brother Wu."

Wu Qi was startled, then smiled and said, "Brother Lu, what are you talking about? Go and do your work. I will stay in the market tonight and discuss the monster hunting with you tomorrow."

Lu Huafang immediately stood up and said goodbye, left Fengyun Tower, walked out of the market town, and headed towards the Lu family's land in a hurry.

Although he was a member of the Lu family's side branch, he knew that the clan lacked alchemists and had to exchange spiritual herbs for elixirs to supply them for cultivation. There were also many foundation-building cultivators who had spiritual herbs but were unable to refine elixirs.

If this Lingdan Hall is really as Wu Qi said, with a cultivator in the middle stage of foundation building in charge, who claims to be able to refine pills for people, he is very likely a master alchemist. As long as this matter is reported to the clan, it will be a great achievement.

The Lu family is located in the northern part of Wuchen Island, covering a very large area. There are gardens and mansions scattered around, with pavilions and towers. There are more than ten thousand members of the Lu family living here, most of whom are mortals, and there are only more than two hundred cultivators.

In the center of the Lu family's land is a Dustless Mountain Range that stretches for more than ten miles. This is also the location of the small spiritual vein on Wuchen Island. Only foundation-building cultivators are qualified to open a cave here.

Lu Huafang is just a Qi-refining cultivator who owns a three-story mansion at the foot of the Wuchen Mountains, but he cannot easily enter the Wuchen Mountains.

This place is guarded by the Lu family's protective formation. Anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy.

Lu Huafang came to a stone staircase leading into the mountain and showed his token to the two Qi Refining Level 10 cultivators on duty there. Only after their identities were verified were they allowed to pass.

The scenery in the Wuchen Mountains is tranquil and beautiful, and there are also the magical birds and beasts raised by the Lu family. It is surrounded by clouds and mist, and it looks like a fairyland.

But Lu Huafang had no intention of viewing the scenery in the mountains. He quickly went to the cave of a cousin he knew well and told him everything about Lingdan Hall.

His cousin was named Lu Bin, a cultivator in the early stage of foundation building. He once complained to Lu Hua about the lack of alchemists in the clan.

When Lu Bin learned about this, he was very surprised. He immediately rewarded Lu Huafang with a bottle of elixir for cultivation and asked him to lead the way to Lingdan Hall.

Lu Huafang had already heard about Yuanfu Hall from Wu Qi and knew its location, so he immediately led Lu Bin there.

Lu Bin carefully looked at the couplet outside the Lingdan Hall, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He had accumulated two furnaces of spiritual herbs over the past few years and wanted to make elixirs out of them, but the clan's only master alchemist, Lu Dongji, gave priority to refining elixirs for cultivators in the late and middle stages of foundation building. He could only wait in line and had long been impatient.

If the Taoist in the Lingdan Hall was really a master alchemist, he would naturally be willing to give him the spiritual herbs to make pills, but he was also worried that this person was just a boaster and would waste the spiritual herbs that he had worked so hard to collect.

However, Lu Bin only hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, asked Lu Huafang to wait outside the door, and walked into the hall.

In the past few years, he could only slowly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transform it into true essence bit by bit. The speed of cultivation was extremely slow, and he no longer had the patience to continue practicing so hard.

I have been outside all day today, so the update is a little late, sorry.

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(End of this chapter)