A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Rogue Cultivator

And they made enemies for no reason.

At extremely close range, however, making a mark on an object is different; it is extremely subtle, difficult to be noticed, and can be actively removed at any time.

There's a lot of operational complexity involved.

Therefore, when people like them set their sights on potential prey, they first approach them and then leave their divine imprint on the other party's clothing and accessories.

The two of them never expected that Wang Li would clean up his belongings as soon as he left the market. And neither of them was strong enough to add another divine sense imprint several miles away; even the Core Formation stage couldn't do that.

In this situation, it's too late to catch up.

Because of the five-mile-long no-fly zone, they couldn't fly; they could only use talismans to speed up their running. But by the time they crossed this no-fly zone, their target would have already flown beyond the maximum range of their divine sense, which was typical for mid-to-late Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although the Foundation Establishment stage is far stronger than the Qi Refining stage, it has not yet reached the level of the Core Formation stage, where the divine sense can extend over a range of tens or hundreds of miles.

In the typical Foundation Establishment stage, it's already quite good if one's spiritual sense can extend for several miles.

Given Wang Li's speed, this time would be enough for him to fly forty or fifty miles.

Forty or fifty miles away, without any divine imprint to guide us, where do we go to chase after them?

Unless a large number of people are mobilized, or a senior cultivator at the Core Formation stage is asked to help.

"Should we investigate this kid? I think he's probably just using the Chen family's name to fool us! He's not actually working for the Chen family!"

The longer someone lives, the more shrewd they become.

"Are you sure it's worth provoking a promising junior for a few thousand spirit stones?"

Old Xu was actually very tempted, but he couldn't act on it. His intuition told him that if he embezzled the money, not only would his reputation be ruined, but he would also make a very terrifying enemy.

"He's just a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator..."

"But there's a high chance he's backed by the Chen family."

That's a Core Formation family.

"Moreover, the Crimson Trial is about to begin! Don't you think he's preparing for the Crimson Trial?"

A hint of worry flashed by.

Wang Li is still a bit too inexperienced.

……

"They didn't chase after us?"

Instead of heading due north towards Huangfeng Valley, Wang Li chose to fly east towards Qingxu Gate, ready to unleash his speed at any moment. He put the mid-grade wind-attribute spirit stone he was clutching in his hand back into his storage bag.

It was a false alarm.

"That shouldn't be the case. Why is the reaction so slow? Or is this purely accidental, and we encountered a good bird?"

But if it's a good bird, why hide its cultivation level... and say it's only at the Qi Refining stage?!

Wang Li outwardly displayed a cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, while the old man was at least at the tenth level! The key point is that even with his Heavenly Eye Technique, he couldn't see through the trickery of the other party's cultivation level!

That's the problem.

Pretending to be weak to deceive others?

He's clearly only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he's pretending to be a Qi Refining cultivator, constantly calling me a Foundation Establishment senior. It's really irritating.

However, it was also because Old Man Xu, a seasoned veteran, failed to notice some details in his usual habits. For example, when Wang Li offered the old man a discount, giving him half of the profit from the Youth-Preserving Pill, the old man subconsciously replied that he was too tired to run and didn't care about those few dozen spirit stones.

This in itself demonstrates the cultivation level of this old Yin Coin:

Foundation Building Stage!

You're just a Qi Refining stage cultivator, why do you look down on a few dozen spirit stones? Do you own a spirit stone mine?

Furthermore, is it possible that you could run before, even though you can't run now?

A classic case of letting something slip without realizing it.

At that moment, Wang Li was in a complete panic, but on the surface, she had to pretend that she knew nothing.

Furthermore, there must be a third person lurking in the shadows where they are.

How did you find it?

It was all because his family had a timid little mouse that had grown up and was already able to count to one or two—literally, one or two. And within the five-meter radius, there was clearly another source of danger lurking within him.

A source of danger that Wang Li could not discover.

"I'm still not cautious enough. Having a few trump cards, I've become a bit blind to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak."

I examine myself three times a day, and this time I must reflect on my actions!

The Chen family is not his support; they are unreliable.

Huangfeng Valley was not his support either, and was equally unreliable.

Only he himself can be his own support and his only reliable support!

"It would be safest to sweep through the various markets after we've established our foundation..."

But at that time, how could he possibly value so many things?

This mistake must never be repeated!

Chapter 22 Return

"Of the seven market districts, only Huangfeng Valley's own market district is missing. But there's no rush, we'll go after we get these spirit stones."

It's not too late to go then.

Anyway, it's impossible to give the spirit stones to Uncle Chen.

Just kidding, giving him such a large sum of money, whether he'll get it back is another matter, but whether his "love" will turn into "even more love" is uncertain. Although we've made three contingency plans, it's best not to use the other two if possible.

"Then let's proceed according to the initial plan. Hopefully, nothing unexpected will go wrong."

On his return journey, after concealing his cultivation level and deliberately displaying a little wealth to present himself as a novice cultivator, two unfortunate low-level rogue cultivators, intent on killing him and robbing him of his treasure, approached him. Left with no other option, Wang Li had to defend himself. He let himself bleed, soaked parts of his clothes in the blood of the two men for half a day, and then let them air dry along the way. After repeatedly washing his clothes several times, he leisurely returned to Yellow Maple Valley.

Having been away from the valley for a year and a half, returning now brings a bittersweet feeling.

Oh dear, I haven't done the quest I accepted when I left the mountain gate yet?

Well, failure is failure. What can he do? It's something he can't help but accept. He just happened to have an unexpected encounter and had to go into seclusion. He figured the Foundation Establishment stage master who issued the quest wouldn't bother with a mere Qi Refining stage junior like him.

They can't just come to the Linggu Plantation and eat him, can they?

Besides, he didn't get a reward for not completing the task, so nobody owes anyone anything.

So, only Uncle Chen remains as the hurdle.

At the mountain gate, Wang Li, still full of excitement, hadn't even stopped his escape light to straighten his slightly disheveled clothes when a familiar figure appeared beside him. Then, with a wave of magical power, the figure lifted him into the air.

The person was naturally terrified.

This welcoming ceremony... wait a minute, please allow him to retract his earlier disdain for the Foundation Establishment stage.

He said he was wrong.

The difference between the Foundation Establishment stage and the Qi Refining stage is quite significant.

"Boy, where have you been all this time? Has the Chen family treated you badly?"

His voice was full of sharp intent.

what's going on?

The script is wrong; it shouldn't be like this!

"Wang Li pays his respects to Martial Uncle Chen!"

Bowing is definitely the right thing to do. Take a moment to sort out your thoughts and see where things went wrong.

"Huh, you're almost at the peak of Qi Refining? So fast? What kind of rare treasure did you consume?"

After placing the boy in his hands behind him, Uncle Chen carefully examined him from head to toe for quite some time:

"That's strange. In just over a year, you, with only three spiritual roots, have actually grown to this level?"

"No, it's only been two years and three months, yet you've broken through from the ninth level of Qi Refining to the thirteenth level, and you're only one step away from Foundation Establishment!"

Is he cheating?

"Hehehe, Uncle-Master, I only had a minor adventure, a minor adventure."

His smile was sly and wicked, as if he were revealing his true nature, showing no regard for the person in front of him as an outsider.

But Uncle Chen still kept that cold face:

"A serendipitous encounter? My foot! You killed someone and stole their treasure, didn't you? Do you think I can't smell the blood on you up close? You went on a long trip without even bringing a few changes of clothes?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Li gave an awkward smile.

After scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he took out two more robes, also bearing a faint smell of blood, from his storage bag.

Upon seeing this, Uncle Chen's face twitched: Good heavens.

"Hmph, it's good that you left. You've really screwed me over. Do you know how those bastards have been talking about my Chen family and praising me, Chen Tianya? They're so opportunistic and ruthless..."

The more she talked, the angrier she got, like a volcano about to erupt.

Wang Li understood.

Indeed, it's not a problem for him to just leave, but after disappearing for more than a year, those who knew he had traded Foundation Establishment Pills with the Chen family didn't think it was a simple matter.

Some people might think that the Chen family killed him once the storm had passed.

This is something that the Chen family doesn't get along with, so wouldn't this topic spread like wildfire throughout the valley?

"Isn't my junior brother back now? Don't worry, Uncle Chen, the rumors will subside on their own. The reputation that has been lost over the past year will surely be restored many times over after this incident."

Wang Li was certain of this.

Rumors are a double-edged sword. Since the other party didn't use them well, it's time for the Chen family to reap the rewards.

"Hey, that's true. Cough cough, let's talk about you, kid. What happened? You disappeared for over a year. I thought you'd perished out there!"

It seems that this senior apprentice really cares about him.

As for how to deal with such probing questions?