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

Several hours later, in the eastern part of Taiyue Mountain, where Bibo Cave is located.

"Disciple Wang Li greets Master and Master's wife."

"Hmm, get up. Good lad, you've really succeeded in establishing your foundation."

The speed at which a Core Formation stage cultivator can retract and expand their divine sense is truly astounding, and he barely notices it.

"I was just lucky."

Wang Li bowed respectfully.

"Alright, I know all about your messy affairs."

Li Huayuan rolled his eyes, a low murmur still lingering on his lips:

"Just establishing a foundation, and I've already taken three Foundation Establishment Pills. What a waste."

Fortunately, Wang Li didn't hear it, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would have changed his plans and kept the secret.

"Speak, what brings you here?"

Clearly, Old Li was still bothered by the fact that he hadn't gotten any benefit or advantage from Wang Li in the matter of taking on a disciple.

“Master, there are two cultivation techniques that I believe will greatly benefit your future plans and the improvement of your own strength. That is why I have come here specifically to present these supreme treasures.”

At this moment, Wang Li's expression was unusually solemn and serious.

"Oh? It can be of great benefit to someone like me who's at the Core Formation stage? Kid, you're not bragging, are you?"

Li Huayuan did not believe it.

"I'm sure Master understands the benefits of a strong spiritual sense better than I do. One of these two techniques can make your spiritual sense several times stronger, far surpassing others of the same level. The other can grant you access to numerous Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation stage combatants. Aren't these incredibly beneficial?"

Wang Li is going to hand over the Great Evolution Technique and the Puppet True Solution?

Not bad.

Why shouldn't we hand over the two cultivation techniques that were just engraved on the jade slip?

Anyway, these two techniques weren't actually his own creation; he was just a middleman who had gotten the Great Evolution Technique and the Puppet True Explanation for free, and he had already made a fortune.

Why eat alone?

The habit of eating alone is sometimes not good.

Looking at it from a broader perspective: his current efforts are investing in a future pseudo-infant, or even a Nascent Soul stage expert. If Li Huayuan were to take charge of Yellow Maple Valley in the future, rather than Lei Wanhe, his confidence would be even greater.

Furthermore, in the great battle between Tiannan and the Mulan people, if Li Huayuan hadn't made any changes and had gone to the battlefield as he always had in the original story, he would definitely have died.

From both a moral and ethical standpoint, this is not in Wang Li's best interest.

"What? It can double my spiritual sense? And give me a lot more reliable combat power?"

Li Huayuan suspected that he was hallucinating.

How dare you, a mere junior who has just established your foundation, speak such boastful words?

"Please take a look, Master. However, I hope that after you have reviewed it, you will simply memorize the technique. It would be better to destroy these two jade slips. Senior Brother Lin also agrees with this."

Wang Li spread out his right hand, and two jade slips flew to the old man above.

"Senior Brother Lin? Where did you get to know this Senior Brother Lin? Wait, this is... the kung fu technique that Qianzhu taught that old bastard?"

The first thing Li Huayuan looked at was the one that contained the true secret of puppetry.

After finishing reading the Great Evolution Manual, this person abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, his expression instantly becoming uncertain. After a short while, he finally exhaled a heavy breath, then looked intently at Wang Li:

"Did you steal it? Or did he offer it to you?"

"No, such a supreme skill should not be offered to me, of all those in the valley. And with your current abilities as a beginner in the Foundation Establishment stage, you certainly can't snatch it by force. So, you threatened him with my name?"

Those who can form a core are either exceptionally talented and incredibly intelligent, or they are a bit dim-witted and endearingly simple-minded.

Li Huayuan clearly belongs to the former category.

“Master, the Great Evolution Technique and the Puppet True Explanation were not obtained by me by force, but because Senior Brother Lin also had something to ask of you.”

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"Master must already be making preparations for the next Blood Trial, right? Senior Brother Lin means that in the future, he can take some time to train any of Master's disciples who intend to attempt the Blood Forbidden Trial, teaching them simple puppetry techniques to enhance their survival abilities. Master, Senior Brother Lin's puppetry techniques are truly perfect for the Blood Forbidden Trial."

It is extremely useful for detection and early warning, offense and defense, infiltration and ambush, etc.

The survival rate in the forbidden area trial directly correlates to the number of spiritual herbs one can ultimately harvest. The reason Elder Chen was able to defeat the Qingxu Sect's Floating Cloud Daoist was precisely because of the extra person in their party; this advantage determined their success.

Wang Li's words were all pearls of wisdom, hitting Old Li right where it hurt.

There was no other way; we were poor.

Watching Old Chen grow stronger, watching his cultivation improve, watching how Old Chen, who was originally last, became second to last after reaching the Core Formation stage, and now has a tendency to develop into third to last.

I'm so envious.

So, how do you turn things around?

The fastest way is, of course, the Crimson Trial a few years later.

Besides hoping that the Qi Refining stage disciples would produce more spiritual herbs, and then accepting one or two nominal disciples to receive half of their tribute, winning a bet with someone of the same level would also be quite good.

Therefore, he did not resist Wang Li's intention that cooperation would benefit both parties, and even wholeheartedly agreed with it.

"This is the idea you gave him?"

"I'm just worried that you're not prepared enough, Master."

None of the senior cultivators at the Core Formation stage from the six sects were easy to deal with. Especially that old Daoist Fuyunzi; because his disciple helped Master Chen win the bet, he unleashed his aura, causing the disciple considerable internal injuries—a memory he still vividly recalls!

I was wondering if the other party would make more preparations after returning, and then, when the next forbidden area trial begins, first provoke Master into a small, harmless bet, while secretly plotting against Master?

The disciple's good intentions are evident to Heaven and Earth.

Master, we mustn't be careless! We need to prepare in advance so we can wipe them out completely and give them a big surprise; and incidentally, make a small profit.

Want to make a quick buck?

Hey hey hey.

I like this style.

"Ahem, Brother Fuyun, it's not what you think; but since he bullied the weak, we have to get our revenge."

The master and disciple exchanged a glance, and everything was understood without a word.

"Alright, look at you two, so pathetic. All you know is how to scheme against that Fuyunzi."

The master's wife, unable to bear it any longer, rubbed her forehead and pointed out:

"Winning against one family is winning, winning against two families is also winning. In that case, why not invite a few families from Tianque Fortress and Huadaowu to join in the betting and have a little fun together?"

The master and apprentice twitched their lips in perfect unison: Women are ruthless, aren't they?

"Madam, you may not know this, but the strength of the Hidden Moon Sect is unfathomable. It has always been the strongest of the seven sects, and its trial results have always dominated the first place. If we drag the Hidden Moon Sect into this mess, we're afraid we won't come out unscathed."

Li Huayuan has that much self-awareness.

"Yes, Master's wife, the reason why our Huangfeng Valley was able to defeat the Qingxu Sect, which was of similar strength, in the last trial was purely by chance; the stronger Yanyue Sect and Ling Shou Mountain would definitely be at a much higher level if it weren't for the several accidents that happened in the forbidden area."

What was the situation between Spirit Beast Mountain and the Hidden Moon Sect back then? Why did they only manage to produce so many spirit herbs?

Hey, no one knows better than Wang Li.

If he can successfully dissipate his cultivation using the Third Revolution and re-enter the forbidden area, it would be best if he could do so without delaying his cultivation or his plans.

But it's better to be safe than sorry.

If they fail to obtain the "Silver Page" from the barefoot giant within four years, preventing him from participating in the next forbidden area trial, then the chances of Huangfeng Valley winning this forbidden area duel are truly slim. In the original timeline, Old Li lost a piece of iron essence worth several thousand spirit stones to Fuyunzi.

This indirectly leads to a vicious cycle.

Think about it: for most of those thirty years, he spent refining iron for others, serving them. When the Mulan people invaded, Old Li, who was completely unprepared and had little resources, would have been a miracle to have survived.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot drag the Hidden Moon Sect and the Spirit Beast Mountain into this mess, otherwise it will most likely be a case of throwing good money after bad.

However, if it were just a matter of fighting Qingxu Sect head-on, even without Wang Li's participation, the contestants who received great training and guidance from Old Li and Senior Brother Lin would likely be able to overpower Qingxu Sect.

In four years, we will find good candidates and train them immediately. We don't expect these people to master the original Great Evolution Technique, but it shouldn't be too difficult for them to achieve even a little bit of success with the abridged version used by our disciples.

As for puppets, Senior Brother Lin already had more than three hundred finished products that were comparable to high-grade magic weapons and ordinary top-grade magic weapons.

As an investment, each person can deliver two or three items, and once inside, they can form teams of more than a dozen people, which is more than enough to challenge the Spirit Beast Mountain.

Learning to block the gate and collect tolls is also an acceptable practice.

"Is the Hidden Moon Sect really that strong?"

Although the young woman was at the Foundation Establishment stage, she didn't seem to know the true situation of the major sects.

"The Hidden Moon Sect is very strong; it requires the combined efforts of two of the other sects to contend with it."

It is about confrontation, not equality, much less retaliation.

"Alright, Wang Li, we, master and disciple, have received such a great benefit from that kid surnamed Lin, so we can't treat him unfairly and cause him to harbor resentment. Here's what we'll do: I have a few mid-level talismans here, as well as this Azure Light Blade and Clear Moon Spear that I used to use. Send them to him together to avoid people gossiping behind our backs."

Good heavens, two ordinary top-tier magic artifacts plus a few talismans that even he, Wang, wouldn't even look at. Worth at most two thousand low-grade spirit stones, but most likely can be acquired for fifteen hundred spirit stones.

Tsk tsk, if I hadn't left behind some pills, and Old Li had really given these things away, I'd probably have offended the other party, who was once the young master of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, to the point of death.

How should I put my own master?

Yes, he wasn't wrong about this guy: stingy.

No, it should be said: poor.

"It seems I'll have to be careful around this guy from now on. I can't let this cheap master find an excuse to rip me off."

That's what I was thinking.

However, he had to pretend to be happy for Senior Brother Lin, and also flatter Li Huayuan: "With such a generous gift from Master, Senior Brother Lin will surely be satisfied."

Upon hearing this, Li Huayuan's face twitched.

He coughed lightly, pretending not to understand the meaning behind it: "Alright, you should go now."

Wang Li clasped his hands in a fist salute, but did not leave. Instead, he patted his storage bag and took out a series of puppets: "Master, these eight puppets, made of ironwood that is three or four hundred years old, were given to you by Senior Brother Lin for your research on the true meaning of puppetry."

Eight puppets?

Is it made of ironwood that is three or four hundred years old?