Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 361 Self-directed and self-acted
A sea of ​​fog reaching the sky.

On an unnamed deserted island, Lin Chang'an and two early-stage Core Formation cultivators from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance landed there one day.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, these people are really cautious. They actually chose this place, and they didn't even let us bring more people."

"Alright, stop nagging. If it were you, wouldn't you be afraid of being double-crossed?"

After the trade fair concluded, Lin Chang'an discussed the spirit mines with the cultivators from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, and no one wanted to miss out.

Then Lin Chang'an pretended that the other party only allowed three people to go, and that their cultivation level could not be too high.

The Seven Nations Alliance was also for long-term interests, and no one had ever thought of betraying the alliance.

After all, how strong are the Core Formation cultivators who hunt the Yin Spirit Beast King in the Tongtian Mist Sea in such a team? How many of them are there? Do they have powerful backers?

If you don't understand any of the above, and you offend them, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance is not a group of independent cultivators; each member has a sect or family.

Moreover, judging from the other party's words, it was clear that they knew of more than just one or two spirit mines. If they were to be double-crossed and the trail went cold, they would ultimately be the ones who suffered the most.

Therefore, the G7 generally agrees that long-term cooperation is the most beneficial.

They can even sell the demon cores and other materials of these Core Formation cultivators to them.

No loss whatsoever.

"Alright, everyone, we'd better be careful."

Lin Chang'an looked at the two of them with a solemn and wary expression, observing his surroundings.

The matter of spirit ore is too complex; if he could trade with the other party on his own, it would raise suspicions.

After all, how many treasures could one possibly exchange for this information?

The real money comes from earning spirit stones from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

"Fellow Daoist Lin is right. We should be careful to avoid falling into his trap."

The two were only at the early stage of Core Formation, and they were extremely polite to Lin Chang'an, showing no displeasure whatsoever.

This time, Fellow Daoist Lin brought them here to earn spirit stones.

It's the kind of thing that can help their sect or family rise to prominence.

Just as the three were secretly on guard on the deserted island, Lin Chang'an was also secretly manipulating his avatar to make its appearance.

A moment later, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through the gloomy clouds, attracting the attention of Lin Chang'an and his two companions on the island.

"Haha, I've kept Fellow Daoist Lin and the other two waiting."

A wild laugh echoed as the man landed on the deserted island, wielding a thunderous halberd.

Upon seeing the halberd, the two early-stage Core Formation cultivators behind Lin Chang'an both narrowed their eyes in shock.

This magical artifact exudes a strong aura of demonic beasts, suggesting it was crafted using materials from some kind of demonic beast, and its grade is quite high.

This confirms that the other party is a team that has been hunting monsters for a long time.

And this lightning, isn't it naturally designed to subdue most of the demonic beasts in the Tongtian Mist Sea?

"Fellow Daoists, be careful, there are two more people in the clouds."

However, at that moment, Lin Chang'an secretly sent a telepathic message to the two of them, telling them that the other party was not alone.

Sure enough, as Lin Chang'an finished speaking, the two men's expressions turned serious.

The hardest part of trading is the first time; only by succeeding on the first try can you build the most basic trust.

"Is what you said before true? This time, our Seven Kingdoms Alliance has brought you what you need."

Lin Chang'an stared solemnly at his clone, and with a wave of his hand, he took out two storage bags. The two people behind him also took out a storage bag.

The burly, masked cultivator opposite him burst into wild laughter and waved his hand, saying:
"We trust Fellow Daoist Lin, but this transaction is so large, and it's not just Fellow Daoist Lin alone, so we have to be careful."

Upon seeing this, Lin Chang'an narrowed his eyes, nodded slightly without any hesitation, and with a wave of his hand, the two resources collected by the Seven Kingdoms Alliance flew over.

The two people behind them exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, threw over the storage bags they had brought.

The other party opened and inspected the four storage bags with a solemn expression, then smiled.

"Good, Fellow Daoist Lin is a straightforward person, and the fellow Daoists of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance are no less so. We have received this trust today."

The other party then patted his storage bag, and a maritime map appeared in his palm. Without any hesitation, he threw it over.

“Fellow Daoists of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, the place marked on this maritime map is a copper mine. We will proceed with the next transaction after you confirm it.”

Copper ore isn't particularly precious, but the advantage lies in the fact that the spiritual mine they mentioned has large reserves and is easy to mine.

Copper is also an excellent material for refining magical artifacts and spiritual weapons. If the Seven Kingdoms Alliance had a large amount of copper, it would definitely be able to greatly enhance its strength in a short period of time.

Moreover, the cultivation world is currently in turmoil, which is also a strategic resource, enough to exchange for many useful things.

As Lin Chang'an opened the maritime map, a red dot was marked on it, and the two people behind him nodded secretly.

Whether it's genuine or not will be known once the transaction is confirmed.

The deal was completed without any conflict between the two sides; the G7 alliance wanted a long-term relationship.

The other party was simply an avatar of Lin Chang'an. He laughed wildly, cupped his hands, and then transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the sea of ​​mist.

However, as the other party left, two auras flashed across the distant sea of ​​mist, startling the two Core Formation cultivators behind Lin Chang'an.

"As expected, there are still two Core Formation cultivators!"

"These people are not simple!"

At this moment, the two finally confirmed that the other party was powerful, having dispatched three Core Formation cultivators.

As a cultivator in the mid-stage of Core Formation, Lin Chang'an's divine sense was stronger than theirs, so he took it for granted that he could detect them and didn't have much doubt.

Lin Chang'an, who insisted on playing the entire role, nodded solemnly and said:

"Over the past ten thousand years, countless cultivators have hidden in the Tongtian Mist Sea. There are even some sects and clans that have fled to the depths of the Tongtian Mist Sea after provoking a great enemy."

The descendants of these people, or teams of powerful cultivators, have lived here for countless years, and their understanding and development of the Heavenly Mist Sea far surpasses that of us.

“Indeed, Fellow Daoist Lin is right.”

Neither of them doubted Lin Chang'an's words in the slightest.

The Tongtian Mist Sea is boundless, and no one knows how big it is. It is only known that one corner of the Tongtian Mist Sea connects to several sea areas in the outer sea, and the other end is rumored to connect to the depths of the abyss.

Legend has it that deep within the Tongtian Mist Sea, there dwells a legendary transformed Yin Spirit Beast King, along with a transformed seabed demon king.

"Let's go."

Lin Chang'an and the two of them vanished in a flash of light.

The only sound around the deserted island was the crashing of the cold waves.

……

A few months later.

The cultivators from the Seven Kingdoms Alliance on Bibo Island gathered together, and each of them looked extremely excited.

"Fellow Daoists, we went to investigate ourselves and found that there is indeed a copper mine on this island, enough for our Seven Kingdoms Alliance to mine for a hundred years."

"Haha, we made a profit on this deal."

"Who can argue with that? If the other party has a large number of sects or clans behind them, how could it be our turn to mine them?"

"When we went to investigate, we found that on this island, which was filled with yin energy, a large number of yin spirits gathered on the outside, while there was a simple concealment formation inside."

It seems the other party was also reluctant to part with it, but didn't want to waste it, so they left it behind. More importantly, there were only a few near-third-tier Yin Spirits on the island.

After confirming that there was no problem with the spirit mine, the members of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance all breathed a sigh of relief.

They weren't afraid of being cheated. Although the spiritual items they traded were quite valuable, they could afford the loss if they shared the entire amount.

What they feared was losing this opportunity to rise to power. Fortunately, after exchanging glances, they all smiled.

Finally, everyone's gaze turned to Lin Chang'an.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Lin Chang'an naturally knew what was going on, and said in a deep voice:

"I have surveyed this spirit mine area. We can set up a defensive formation, but mining in this Yin vein area for a long time will be detrimental to the cultivator's own cultivation."

"Or we could set up another Heavenly Yang Spirit Gathering Array to combine Yin-attribute spiritual energy, so that both mining cultivators and those stationed there could cultivate within it..."

Lin Chang'an explained his suggestions in detail, and everyone nodded in agreement.

If one is to mine spirit ore, whether for secrecy or for other reasons, it is best to have disciples from one's own sect involved.

Similarly, no one wanted to delay their disciples' cultivation by mining spirit ore, and even the cultivators who were in charge of overseeing the operation did not want to.

Therefore, although Lin Chang'an's proposal would require further expenditure, it was of great value for long-term development, and almost no one hesitated about it.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, news of this spirit mine will inevitably leak out sooner or later. I suggest that the island's protective formation should ideally be at the third level."

Although they have to hand over a portion of the profits from mining spirit ore to Lu Zhenjun behind them.

But this place is a vast, foggy sea, a chaotic land where no one cares.

It's perfectly normal for plunderers and demonic cultivators to loot and then flee for their own benefit.

Therefore, the backing of a Nascent Soul cultivator is only useful for some cultivators who have sects or clansmen to rely on. For some desperate people, as long as there is enough profit, there is nothing they wouldn't dare to do.

Therefore, without Lin Chang'an saying anything, everyone suggested that the formation should be at least at the third level to ensure safety.

This made Lin Chang'an extremely satisfied. What was he doing all this for? Wasn't it just to earn spirit stones?

He can make a profit by selling information about spirit mines, then he can make another profit by mining them, and he can also make a profit from the formations or similar things on the spirit mines.

"Alright, in that case, let's start by making arrangements for mining the spirit mines and the personnel stationed there."

No one was a fool. Although they had to consume resources to refine a formation, the formation ultimately belonged to everyone and wasn't being consumed directly.

Once this spirit mine is fully mined, the formation can be removed and reused, so it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

“We haven’t had a good life these past few years. Although the local cultivators have taken on some disciples, they are too involved, and it’s been a turbulent time.”

I suggest bringing some cultivators from the seven kingdoms to mine together.

"It's not necessarily bad; having connections prevents reckless behavior."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion about the mining cultivators.

After all, not everyone in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance has risen to prominence as rapidly as the Xuan Yin Pavilion over the years.

Many forces not only failed to develop, but were actually weakened compared to when they first arrived.

Others are from powerful families, whose disciples are naturally not wealthy. For these families, the decision is to bring some cultivators from the local area to make it easier to manage them.

However, all of this was no longer relevant to Lin Chang'an, who was now overjoyed to have accepted a large order.

And it's a long-term one.

……

Tianquan Peak.

Since the Seven Nations Alliance established itself on Bibo Island, the situation on Five Dragons Island has also undergone some changes.

The Sihai Chamber of Commerce secretly negotiated cooperation with the Long family, while the Xuan Yin Pavilion, whose power was expanding again, did not provoke conflict, but instead shifted some of its focus to the outer sea.

As a result, the market on Wulong Island has become surprisingly calm.

Inside the Earthfire Cave, the three external avatars were busy refining formations every day.

【Lifespan: 228/790】

[Realm Level: Mid-Golden Core (60/100)]

"It's still better to mine for spirit stones."

Looking at the considerable profits and his own cultivation progress, Lin Chang'an could only nod in satisfaction.

"I have now broken through to the third-tier high-grade level in the art of formations, but I will be patient for now and wait until some time before revealing my talent, so as not to attract attention if my talent is too good."

As he walked into the Earthfire Cave, Lin Chang'an frowned slightly as he looked at the mid-grade third-tier wind-attribute demon core.

"If we use this low-quality one for the Ancient Treasure Four Symbols Dragon Scale Armor, it will affect the overall defense, but there is really no better one at the moment."

Once the power of the four elements is compatible, and if a higher-level wind-attribute demon core becomes available, he will need to replace them all.

"Let's wait a bit longer. The current state of this defensive armor isn't bad. If we don't find a better one before the secret realm opens, we'll refine this one."

Just as Lin Chang'an was pondering his precious armor, a phoenix from the Earth Fire Cave landed on his shoulder, its face full of flattery.

"Master, you've even made a magic weapon for that silly ox, can you make one for me too?"

Third-tier demonic beasts can already use some magical artifacts, but these are mostly used by spirit pets raised by human cultivators.

Most real demonic beasts fight using their powerful demonic bodies, although some demonic beasts use their shed armor, horns, or similar items as crude magical weapons.

Although crude, its power is not weak because it is connected by blood.

For human cultivators, these materials are invaluable treasures.

The Phoenix's fawning manner was naturally due to the fact that Lin Chang'an had recently acquired some materials to forge a set of defensive armor for the Green Horned Ox.

Seeing the phoenix's appearance, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile and comfort it:

"Once we've collected enough materials, you'll get your share."

Of course, those who can afford to prepare magical treasures for their spirit pets are mostly quite wealthy.

Lin Chang'an is now quite wealthy, so he naturally doesn't lack these resources. Moreover, improving the combat power of his spirit pet is like giving himself extra insurance.

He was willing to spend this much money.

Unlike human cultivators, demonic beasts cannot effectively utilize many sophisticated magical artifacts.

Most of them prepare some simple magical items.

For example, that third-tier bronze-armored corpse was a simple water spirit orb defensive magic item.

"Demon beasts are ultimately different from human cultivators. They are more adept at using their demonic bodies and innate supernatural abilities, so magical treasures are at most simple auxiliary types."

Lin Chang'an pondered for a moment, then remembered that he still kept the eggshell that the Phoenix Bird had shed when it broke through to the next level, as it was the best material.

"Furthermore, the Yin Soul Sect's heritage contains many vicious and bizarre methods for crafting magical artifacts, specifically targeting the soul."

Lin Chang'an pondered. Now he had the Four Symbols Dragon Scale Armor for defense and the Sun Piercing Divine Sword for offense, making him a perfect combination of offense and defense.

However, his three avatars are still somewhat lacking in magical treasures; ideally, they should be the kind that wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Attack methods with completely different attributes are the best.

Even the skillful coordination of the three clones, working seamlessly together, can be a trump card in crucial moments.

"The Yinming Stones left behind by the transformed Yinming Beast King are excellent materials for refining magic weapons. We used to lack some materials, but now the Seven Kingdoms Alliance can use them."

"The next clue to the spirit mine will be found using these missing materials as collateral; I won't need to worry about it."

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance has nearly twenty Core Formation cultivators, and their influence extends to several surrounding sea areas. If they really wanted to collect some materials, they would be far more capable than him alone.

Just as Lin Chang'an was preparing to improve his combat power, the communication talisman in his arms finally lit up, which made him smile.

I was a little worried before, because Yun Yao said she would come over last time, but I didn't hear from her for a long time. Now I finally hear from her.

　One update today. I have to go back to my hometown for some business. I will resume two updates tomorrow. I hope you fellow cultivators can understand.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)