Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

[Ancient Treasure: Seven-Jeweled Glass Umbrella]

[Rank: Damaged state; after repair and evolution, it can rival a Nascent Soul magic weapon]

[Note: This artifact was crafted by ancient cultivators using seven rare and precious materials. It is both offensive and defensive, possessing boundless power. It requires special techniques and materials for repair. Currently, it can only unleash the power of a quasi-second-tier magic weapon.]

Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat.

Comparable to the magic formula for infants.

He remained expressionless, took out a spirit fruit from his storage bag—the kind that spirit beasts especially liked—and waved it in front of Zhao Cai.

"How about we replace this umbrella with this one?"

Zhao Cai glanced at the spirit fruit, then at the Seven Treasures Glazed Umbrella, and without hesitation pushed the umbrella over, grabbed the spirit fruit, and began to devour it, splashing juice everywhere.

Li Changsheng carefully put the Seven Treasures Glazed Umbrella into his storage bag.

Li Shiren also picked up something from the pile of clutter—a palm-sized token, entirely black, with an ancient seal script character "令" (command) engraved on the front and a mysterious pattern on the back. He infused it with spiritual power, but there was no reaction; he then tried to bind it to his owner with his blood, but still there was no reaction.

"What is this?" he frowned.

Zhao Cai raised its head from the spirit fruit, glanced at it, then lowered its head to continue eating, rolling its eyes as if to say, "Anyway, I don't know either."

Li Changsheng took the token, but the Heavenly Book offered no guidance. He pondered for a moment and said, "Grandfather, this thing might require divine power to activate."

Li Shiren was taken aback, then suddenly understood. He pressed the token to his forehead, attempting to communicate with the Heavenly Dragon God. After a moment, the token suddenly emitted a faint light, which vanished in a flash.

"As expected!" Li Shiren exclaimed with delight. "This is a temple decree, which allows me to use the power of the statue to cast divine spells!"

Zhao Cai paused in his eating of the spirit fruit, looked at the token, then at Li Changsheng, his eyes filled with reluctance.

Li Changsheng immediately took out another spirit fruit and waved it in front of it: "Double."

Zhao Cai's eyes lit up, and he snatched the spirit fruit, pushing the token towards him as if afraid he would change his mind.

"This little guy is only at the early stage of the first tier; I wonder where he scavenged all these treasures from?"

Zhao Cai looks like it was just born recently.

Li Changsheng glanced back at the barrier gate: Could it be that Zhaocai slipped out from inside?

If that's true.

That "bringing wealth" has quite a history.

...

...

After leaving the cave, Li Changsheng set up his younger sister's small illusion array plate at the entrance, completely concealing the entire area.

Back at the Tianlong Temple, Li Changsheng took out a bottle of Forget-Me-Not Water and handed it to his grandfather.

Li Shiren took it without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp.

A moment later, his eyes became blank. He shook his head and looked at Li Changsheng: "Changsheng, why are you still here? Hurry up and get on the road, or you'll miss the aristocratic family competition."

Li Changsheng probed his grandfather and, seeing that he truly couldn't recall anything from last night, explained the divine token with a suitable reason, gave him a few instructions, and then took his leave.

at this time.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Li Changsheng stood in front of the temple, habitually communicating with the Heavenly Book.

"Today's divination result is 'open'."

hum-

The celestial book trembled slightly, yellow light surged, and lines of deductive text slowly emerged:

[The hexagram depicts the stalls of old man Jiang in the scattered cultivators' market area of ​​Anyang County.]

As his life was drawing to a close, Old Man Jiang risked his life to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land to gather cultivation resources for his granddaughter. He narrowly escaped death but obtained a batch of goods. Among them was a seemingly petrified seed, which was actually an ancient mutated seed that required a contract signed with human blood essence to nurture it within his dantian.

[Appendix: Ancient Contract Text—Using essence and blood as the guide, and the divine soul as the contract, place these elements in the dantian, nurture them with spiritual power, and once they take root and sprout, they can coexist with the host, greatly enhancing cultivation aptitude.]

Li Changsheng's eyes lit up.

An ancient mutated seed! Nurture it in your dantian! Enhance your cultivation aptitude!

He immediately recalled the legend of the Crimson Forbidden Land—that place was extremely sinister; some people who went in emerged with weakened vitality and a rapidly shortened lifespan; but those with good luck remained unaffected and were able to bring out priceless treasures. The Ouyang family, an eighth-rank noble family in Lanzhou, had risen to prominence from the Crimson Forbidden Land, defying fate.

That is why countless people nearing their end want to go in and take a gamble, dreaming of becoming the next Old Ancestor Ouyang.

But in the past hundred years, only Old Ancestor Ouyang has emerged.

"An ancient mutated seed... If it's real, I absolutely can't miss it."

Today I am on my way to Anyang County to participate in the Grand Competition of Noble Families.

It's a perfect match.

……

Qinglan County, Zhenshisi Teleportation Hall.

After Li Changsheng presented his identity token and deducted merit points from the imperial court, he stepped into the teleportation array.

A flash of light, and the scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

The teleportation hall in Anyang County was even more magnificent than he had imagined. Its dome soared dozens of feet high, illuminated by spirit stones, and the floor was paved with spotless white jade bricks. Teleportation arrays stood one after another, their lights flashing and fading intermittently, and a constant flow of people filled the area.

Stepping out of the teleportation hall, Li Changsheng was stunned by the bustling scene before him.

The streets were wide enough for six carriages to travel side by side. Flying spirit beasts occasionally swept across the sky, carrying elegantly dressed cultivators on their backs; all sorts of flying boats and magical artifacts darted through the air, leaving trails of spiritual light behind them. Shops lined both sides of the street: restaurants, alchemy shops, artifact shops, talisman shops... their signs gleaming in gold, and shop assistants stood at the entrances, loudly soliciting customers.

What shocked him even more was—

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators who could dominate a region in Qinglan County were nothing more than ordinary passersby here. Occasionally, one could see cultivators with profound auras walking by, surrounded by guards, and pedestrians would give way.

"Compared to the county seat, Qinglan County is indeed a rural area," Li Changsheng thought to himself.

Instead of rushing to the market area where repairmen set up stalls, he first turned into a small alley and used his disguise technique. He subtly adjusted his appearance, concealed his aura, and changed into an inconspicuous gray robe before stepping out again.

……

The area for independent cultivators to set up stalls is located at the far end of the eastern market of the county town.

Although it's called a stall area, it's actually a wide-open space with hundreds of stalls crammed together, selling all sorts of things—spiritual herbs, ores, talismans, fragments of magical artifacts, unknown antiques... a dazzling array of goods.

As soon as Li Changsheng stepped into the stall area, he was surrounded by enthusiastic independent cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist! Take a look at my talismans; they'll be more than enough for you up to the first rank!"

"Fellow Daoist! I have some top-quality spirit ore here, essential for refining weapons!"

"Don't listen to them, come to me! I have a map to a secret realm; I guarantee you'll find your destiny!"

The rogue cultivators' eyes lit up. Rarely seeing unfamiliar faces, they all thought they were easy prey and were eager to use all their skills. Some boasted that their spiritual herbs were once-in-a-millennium finds, some patted their chests to guarantee that their magical artifacts could kill enemies of higher levels, and others whispered mysteriously that they had maps of ancient secret realms, which they would only sell to those with the right destiny.

Li Changsheng wasn't in a hurry. He stopped at each stall to listen and take a look, considering it an opportunity to broaden his horizons.

After a while, the casual practitioners saw that this "fat sheep" only looked and didn't buy, and their enthusiasm gradually faded, complaining about the bad luck they had so early in the morning.

……

At the end of the street vendor area, a loud argument broke out.

Li Changsheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged woman standing with her hands on her hips, cursing loudly at the stall owner next door.

The stall owner next door was a gaunt old man, hunched over, with a sallow complexion, festering skin, and a foul stench emanating from him. He kept his head down, silent, as if he had grown accustomed to such insults.

As Li Changsheng approached, he clearly heard what the female cultivator was saying.

"You old geezer! You jinx! You know I sell food, yet you still insist on sitting next to me! Look, not a single customer all morning! You've driven them all away!"

A thin male cultivator standing nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer and advised, "Sister Zhang, please say less. We're all independent cultivators; life isn't easy for anyone. Old Man Jiang has it even harder; he risked his life for his granddaughter..."

The female cultivator immediately turned her attention to him, retorting, "Who has it easy? My family has eight children to pay for the academy's tuition, who has it easy? You pity him? Then you buy everything from his stall! Anyone can talk the talk, walk the walk!"

The skinny male cultivator awkwardly shut his mouth and said no more.

The female cultivator had been cursing scathingly, but when she turned her head and saw Li Changsheng standing beside her, a smile immediately spread across her face. Her change of expression was faster than turning the pages of a book.

"Oh my! This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting the market? Come, come, try my spiritual fruit cakes, poria cocos cakes, and calming tea. They're all freshly made this morning, I guarantee they'll be delicious!"

She deftly brought out several dishes and warmly invited Li Changsheng to try them.

Li Changsheng tasted a piece of spirit fruit cake; it was sweet and refreshing, and his spiritual energy stirred slightly—it was indeed quite good. He then tried a poria cocos cake, which was crisp and delicious; although it contained little spiritual energy, its flavor was its greatest asset. The refreshing tea further invigorated him.

Seeing that he was eating with great satisfaction and his eyes were getting brighter and brighter, the female cultivator thought she had met a big customer.

"Fellow Daoist, these are all good things! Spirit fruit cakes are three spirit stones per pound, Poria cocos cakes are two spirit stones per pound, and a pot of Tranquilizing Tea is five spirit stones per pot. If you want them all, I'll give you a 10% discount!"

Li Changsheng wiped his mouth and shook his head, saying, "I've used up all the spirit stones I brought with me today."

The smile on the female cultivator's face froze instantly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to curse but not daring to—she didn't know who the other person was, and if she offended someone she shouldn't, it would be troublesome. She could only mutter under her breath:

"You come to the market area without spirit stones? And you even tried every single food item I had... You ate without buying anything, shameless."

Li Changsheng wasn't annoyed and turned to walk towards Old Man Jiang's stall next to him.