Starting as a Talisman Master

The various upheavals and bloodshed in Dongyue County gradually faded from Lu Chi's consciousness as the outline of Qingque Mountain Market faded away.

He was an orphan who lost both his parents. He had been struggling in the mud and cold stares since childhood and had never experienced any kinship or family ties.

Therefore, whether it was the mundane marketplace of Dongyue County or the turbulent world of cultivation, to him they were nothing more than a resting place on a long journey, with no one or anything worth caring about.

After successfully obtaining the Concentration Fruit and the remnant root of the Earth Vein Ginseng, he had no more attachments.

Lu Chi first found a secluded desolate mountain, then summoned a flying magic artifact called "Cloud Piercing Boat" and fled out of the territory of Dongyue County without stopping.

Once they were completely out of the sphere of influence of those powerful families and made sure they had no one following them, they slowed down their pace slightly.

The Jingzhao Kingdom has a vast territory, and in order not to attract too much attention and to conserve magical energy in case of unforeseen circumstances, he has become increasingly cautious in his actions.

Sometimes he would urge his flying boat to travel through the clouds, and sometimes he would conceal his cultivation, switch to ordinary horses, and travel along official roads and remote mountain paths alternately.

After more than half a month, he had already traversed a significant portion of the Jingzhao Kingdom.

Along the way, Lu Chi witnessed countless famous mountains and rivers and diverse local customs.

To his surprise, the long journey went remarkably smoothly. Not only did he not encounter any troublesome mountain spirits or monsters, but he also rarely ran into any of those bandit cultivators who often committed murder and robbery in the wilderness.

"I wonder if it's because I'm just lucky, or because the Daoist practices in the heart of Jingzhao Kingdom are so clear." Lu Chi stood at the bow of the boat, letting the mountain wind blow through his green robe, looking at the vast land rushing past below, and chuckled to himself.

As he continued his journey, Lu Chi pondered his next destination for a long time.

If he were to find another market town for independent cultivators like Qingque Mountain to settle down, it would be easy. However, as long as he still possessed the skill of drawing talismans and needed to show his face in exchange for cultivation resources, he would inevitably fall into the sights of the local "local bullies" and cultivation families once again.

A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime; the old story of Qingque Mountain will most likely repeat itself.

However, if one were to live in seclusion in a mortal city, while it would be peaceful, the spiritual energy in the mortal world would be as thin as paper. Not to mention the enormous energy required to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, even maintaining daily breathing exercises would be a struggle, which would be tantamount to cutting off one's path to immortality.

After much deliberation, Lu Chi finally set his sights on the Taiqing Palace.

In his storage bag, the remains of Senior Yun Chen and the Taiqing Token still lay quietly.

He did not expect to be able to take advantage of the illusory rumor of the "Ascension Order" to directly join such a top sect.

However, Taiqing Palace, as a prestigious and orthodox sect, has strict rules and a profound history. If the remains of an inner disciple could be returned, it would surely create some positive karma.

Even just taking the opportunity to settle in the immortal cities surrounding Taiqing Palace and be protected by the rules of top-tier sects is far more secure and enjoyable than scheming against local bullies in those lower-level markets.

Having made up his mind, Lu Chi was no longer confused and sped northward.

Several days later, the flying boat passed through a vast swamp shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth ahead suddenly became rich and clear. Taking a breath, even the flow of magic power in the body became a few degrees lighter.

Lu Chi descended from the clouds and landed on a wide, flat ancient road made of bluestone.

He looked up and saw that in the far distance ahead, several majestic peaks with radiant light pierced through the sea of ​​clouds, with cranes circling and rays of light shining everywhere, just like a true celestial realm.

This place is Cangwu County, one of the most prosperous and spiritually vibrant prefectures in Jingzhao Kingdom.

Those peaks that disappear into the clouds are the mountain gate of Taiqing Palace, one of the three top sects in Jingzhao Kingdom.

Cangwu County, Taiqing Immortal City.

This vast immortal city, built against the backdrop of a top-tier sect's mountain gate, is far more magnificent than any secluded market town like Qingque Mountain.

The towering lapis lazuli walls stretched to the horizon, and within the city, pavilions and palaces stood side by side. From time to time, radiant flying boats and cultivators riding strange spirit beasts flew across the sky, creating a magnificent and prosperous scene of a celestial realm.

Lu Chi landed his flying boat in a dense forest outside the city. As always, he was cautious and suppressed his cultivation to around the fifth level of Qi Refining. He changed into a gray-blue Daoist robe, which was typical of a rogue cultivator, and then slowly followed the flow of people to pay the entrance fee and step into the Immortal City.

In the first few days after entering the city, he did not rush to settle down, but instead frequented several well-informed teahouses, taverns and markets for independent cultivators, secretly inquiring about the Taiqing Palace and its disciples.

However, after several rounds of indirect probing, Lu Chi's brows gradually furrowed.

As the top sect in Jingzhao Kingdom, Taiqing Palace has extremely strict rules and regulations.

As the top sect in Jingzhao Kingdom, Taiqing Palace has extremely strict rules and regulations.

Its true mountain gate is hidden in the array of peaks above the sea of ​​clouds. It is closed to the public year-round. Ordinary cultivators are not allowed to enter, and even if they come within a hundred miles of the mountain gate, they will be mercilessly driven away by the law enforcement disciples on patrol.

As for the inner disciples of noble status, they spend their days in seclusion on the spiritually rich immortal mountains, rarely venturing into the immortal city at the foot of the mountains.

Occasionally, a few would go out to carry out sect missions, but they were always in a hurry, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

"It seems that finding a reliable Taiqing Sect member to make contact with and hand over Senior Yunchen's remains and token in a proper manner will not be possible in the short term."

Lu Chi sat by the window in a teahouse, picked up a cup of spiritual tea, took a sip, and secretly made plans in his mind.

He had considered going directly to the gates of Taiqing Palace and proclaiming that he had the remains of an inner disciple to return. But the thought only lingered in his mind before he completely dismissed it.

It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings.

The Taiqing Palace is such a behemoth that there are countless stewards and outer disciples in charge of its outer perimeter.

As a rogue cultivator with no background, if I rashly go to the sect with the token, and happen to run into a deacon who is greedy for credit and has malicious intentions, I will not only get away with nothing, but may also be accused of "murdering a sect disciple".

"We must not rush things. We need to wait for the right opportunity to hand over the items directly to an influential member of the Taiqing Palace, preferably an inner disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage. This will maximize the benefits and protect ourselves."

Having made up his mind, Lu Chi decided not to rush things.

Anyway, he's new here, so he has plenty of time.

Moreover, although Taiqing Immortal City has extremely strict rules and its land is incredibly valuable, its public security is exceptionally good.

Private fights are strictly prohibited within the city, and the Taiqing Palace's law enforcement team patrols day and night. For Lu Chi, who has just experienced a bloody storm at Qingque Mountain, this is simply an excellent place for peaceful seclusion.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Lu Chi went straight to the "Internal Affairs Pavilion" in the Immortal City.

The rental of cave dwellings in this immortal city is all managed by the outer sect property of Taiqing Palace.

Lu Chi was very generous and spent a large sum of spirit stones to rent an extremely quiet "Class B" cave dwelling in a mountainside area with abundant spiritual energy in the immortal city. The rental period was tentatively set for one year.

This cave dwelling is not only spacious, with a quiet room and a pill refining room, but more importantly, it also has a half-acre of second-tier spirit field in the backyard protected by a spirit array.

After obtaining the array plate token for the cave dwelling, Lu Chi's first action upon taking up his post was to use his [Array Master] skills to carefully review and reinforce the cave dwelling's existing security and isolation arrays before he could finally relax.

Then he stepped into the spirit field in the backyard.

The soil here is a fertile, dark red color, brimming with spiritual energy, far superior to the meager plot of land he had in his small courtyard on Qingque Mountain.

Lu Chi took out the spiritual plants that were carefully preserved in the jade box from his storage bag.

He first replanted several precious second-tier spiritual plants such as "Purple Thunder Bamboo" and "Purple Marrow Ganoderma", and then skillfully planted some auxiliary medicines needed for daily alchemy.

After doing all this, his expression became extremely solemn, and he carefully took out two cold jade boxes with sealing talismans attached.

This was the Ning Shen Fruit and the remnant root of the Earth Vein Mystic Ginseng that he had obtained from Qin Su Niang.

If these two remnants of the main ingredients of the Foundation Establishment Pill fell into the hands of ordinary rogue cultivators, they would most likely be left to watch helplessly as their vitality faded and they eventually withered away.

However, in the hands of Lu Chi, who possesses the [Spirit Farmer] profession, it is completely different.

Lu Chi took a deep breath and carefully dug up the spiritual soil at the "array eye" where the spiritual energy was most concentrated in the center of the spiritual field. He planted the two remaining roots alternately, buried them in the soil, and compacted the soil.

Immediately afterwards, the [Dew Condensation] talent was activated, and the spiritual liquid transformed into a gentle drizzle of spiritual rain, falling softly from mid-air and precisely nourishing the newly renovated spiritual soil below.

Under Lu Chi's meticulous control, comparable to micro-sculpture, and with the profound nourishing power contained in the Xuan Shui magic, the two sections of the remnant roots, which originally faintly exuded withered yellow and deathly aura, miraculously showed a faint but tenacious green vitality after greedily absorbing the spiritual rain.

He's alive.

Lu Chi let out a long breath, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and a genuine joy flashed in his eyes.

Once these two remaining roots revive and grow back into usable material, it will only take a few months. When he eventually reaches the ninth level of Qi Refining, and with the aid of Foundation Building Pills, his chances of breaking through to the next realm will be much higher.

The medicinal herbs have been planted, and the cave dwelling has been settled.

Standing in this peaceful and tranquil backyard, feeling the rich and pure spiritual energy around him, Lu Chi suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of peace welling up in his heart.

In this brand-new Cangwu County, in this Taiqing Immortal City, he can finally let down his guard for the time being and begin the next stage of his arduous cultivation without any distractions.