Chapter 204: Late Bloomer

Lu Changan knew what happened to Chifeng, and changed the subject:

"How is your Aunt Guan doing now?"

Guan Qiaozhi left Xiaogui Peak thirty-three years ago. She was seventy-five years old at the time, and had no hope of practicing. She gradually aged and lost her beauty.

Lu Changan had judged that Guan Qiaozhi was well maintained and did not fight. If there were no accidents, her life span would be close to the upper limit of the Qi Refining Period.

"Over the years, Aunt Guan settled in a mountain villa in the mortal world and adopted some orphans. There are beautiful mountains and rivers there, and she is self-sufficient and does not fight with the world..."

When talking about Guan Qiaozhi's situation, Chifeng, a young and strong man, showed a trace of warmth in his eyes.

Guan Qiaozhi first appeared as his immortal guide, and the subsequent care and guidance she gave was equivalent to half a mentor.

He also treated Aunt Guan as his adoptive mother.

"It's not bad to spend her old age in the mortal world."

Lu Changan said to himself.

As long as immortal cultivators are low-key and don't cause trouble, they can live comfortably in the mortal world.

During the war of immortal cultivation, some cultivators would choose to hide in the mortal world to avoid the disaster of being killed.

This choice has both advantages and disadvantages.

In the mortal world, there are no spiritual veins to supply cultivation, and the air of the mortal world is too heavy.

After staying for a long time, the cultivation of the immortal cultivators will stagnate, and they may even be in a situation where they are sailing against the current and will not advance or retreat.

The higher the realm of the cultivator, the greater the gap will be if they stay in the mortal world.

Therefore, the mortal world is only suitable for low-level Qi-refining cultivators to take refuge, and the time cannot be too long.

It is normal for the war of immortal cultivation to last for ten or twenty years.

The life span of Qi-refining cultivators is not much. If they delay for ten or eight years in their golden age, they are destined to have no chance to build a foundation in this life.

Moreover, hiding in the mortal world is not necessarily safe.

The immortal cultivation sects have many means to sense the fluctuations of the cultivators' mana.

Unless there is a sophisticated method of gathering Qi, it can be avoided.

Of course, the war in the immortal cultivation world of Liang State is far from the point of exhaustion, so that they go to the mortal world to capture able-bodied men.

The quality of low-level cultivators hiding in the secular world is worrying.

At present, the Liang Kingdom sect is targeting the spiritual veins in various places.

All the large and small immortal cultivation forces, such as families, immortal cities, and chambers of commerce, cannot do without spiritual veins.

The monk can run away, but the temple cannot.

Especially for the immortal cultivation families that are connected by blood and have families to support, they can only honestly contribute their manpower.

...

"Qifeng, what are your plans next?"

"When the junior recovers from his injuries, then..."

Qifeng hesitated, with an unspeakable sense of confusion.

Xiaoguifeng is just a temporary safe haven.

Liang Kingdom was caught in the immortal cultivation war, and as a wanted young cultivator, he was wandering outside and had no place to stand.

He could only go with the flow and let his life and death depend on fate.

Lu Changan said: "Xiaoguifeng is in need of a mountain guard who does odd jobs and runs errands. Are you willing to stay and do some hard work?"

"Stay in Xiaoguifeng to do odd jobs?"

Qifeng was stunned for a moment, and knelt down to thank him in ecstasy.

"Junior is willing! Chifeng will remember the kindness of Grandpa Lu in taking me in!"

When he first entered Xiaogui Peak, he seemed to have stepped into a pure land without conflict with the world, guarded by spirit beasts, and picturesque scenery.

In the depths of his heart, Chifeng yearned for such a spiritual vein dojo, but he did not dare to have any unreasonable thoughts.

Auntie Guan did not allow him to come to Xiaogui Peak easily, obviously not wanting to trouble this ancestor in the foundation-building period.

"You practice the "Open Source Sutra" left by Lu, and embark on the immortal road, which is a chance."

Lu Changan raised his hand and motioned him to stand up.

A hundred years ago, he left the "Open Source Sutra" in the Nujiang Gang in gratitude to his adoptive father, leaving his descendants with the immortal fate.

In addition to the relationship with Guan Qiaozhi.

Taking into account the two old feelings, Lu Changan made an exception to take in Chifeng.

"Chifeng, you have cultivated to the eighth level of Qi Refining. Have you ever used the elixir for breaking the level?"

Lu Changan asked about his cultivation status.

"No." Chifeng answered honestly.

Seeing that his foundation was solid, Lu Changan nodded with satisfaction.

"Take these bottles of pills first. In the future, if you have any questions about cultivation, you can ask me for advice."

"Thank you, Grandpa Lu."

Chifeng suppressed his surprise and excitement and bowed to take the pills.

Being able to practice in the second-level spiritual vein dojo and get guidance from a master in the late stage of foundation building is a dream opportunity for him who has experienced a difficult life of casual cultivation.

The pills given by Lu Changan came from a part of the pills he had practiced before, and the quality was acceptable.

Nowadays, the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world is caught in a war, and he has plans to escape to a foreign country.

During the preparation period, Lu Changan doesn't mind giving some advice to his adoptive father's descendants.

...

Chifeng walked out of the cave and took a deep breath of the fresh air on the top of the mountain.

The pure spiritual energy of the second-level spiritual vein dojo made him feel relaxed and happy, and the circulation of mana in his body was a little smoother.

"Sister Lan."

Before his injury was healed, Chifeng took the initiative to find the maid Lan Rou to learn about the affairs on the mountain.

There was only one maid on the mountain, and the manpower was not enough.

Fortunately, there were spirit pets and puppets on the mountain, which undertook most of the labor work.

After discussing for a while, the two of them made clear the division of labor.

"Nowadays, the world outside is not peaceful. You are responsible for guarding the mountain, helping the master to run errands, and sharing some chores on the mountain."

"No problem, I used to be a bodyguard."

Chifeng felt very familiar when he returned to his old job.

In addition to his rich combat experience, he did not have any good skills.

The two chatted.

A second-level flying boat, carrying three cultivators, headed straight for Xiaogui Peak.

A long-bearded man stood at the bow of the boat. He was about thirty or forty years old and was a cultivator in the middle stage of foundation building.

Behind him, there are two Qi Refining monks, a man and a woman, who are on the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refining respectively.

"The sect inspects the monks!"

Qi Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately recognized the two sect Qi-refining monks, a man and a woman, who had hunted him down not long ago.

The sect man and woman saw Qi Feng and communicated in a low voice with the bearded man in the foundation building stage.

The bearded man glanced lightly.

Qi Feng was so flustered that he did not dare to look directly at the sect's foundation-building expert.

He was about to go to the cave to report, when Lan Rou's soft and pleasant voice, neither humble nor overbearing, came to his ears:

"Senior Liu, my master has informed me that he would like to go to my house to discuss this matter."

"Can you please Miss Blue, lead the way?"

The long-bearded man showed a kind smile, and was received by Lan Rou before entering the Little Guifeng Cave.

During this time, Qi Feng never glanced at him again.

After Qi Feng regained his composure, he noticed two details.

The sect's foundation-building monks came in person, but Grandpa Lu did not come out to greet them in person.

Moreover, the Ji-building monk surnamed Liu was quite polite to Lan Rou, a maid.

Outside the cave.

Qi Feng and the pair of male and female monks from the sect stared at each other in silence for a moment.

Qi Feng noticed that there was no longer much hostility in the eyes of the two sect monks who had been chasing and beating him a few days ago.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, what is the connection between you and Senior Lu?"

The female cultivator from the sect broke the silence, revealed an implicit smile, and explored.

"Grandpa Lu, follow me..."

Qi Feng's thoughts were whirling and he responded intelligently. His speech was no longer awkward and he seemed calm and unhurried.

Unconsciously, the three people who were enemies before started chatting.

Half an hour later.

Lu Changan and the man with a long beard walked out of the cave, chatting happily.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, we are all one family, so there is no need to send you off politely."

The bearded man had a ruddy face and a cheerful tone.

Before leaving, he glanced at Qifeng:

"Little friend Qi, please stay in Xiaogui Peak with peace of mind from now on. There is insufficient evidence for the wanted warrant on you. Once you are presented to the Law Enforcement Hall, with Elder Zhang's care, you can be officially removed from the list."

"Thank you, senior, for taking care of me."

Qi Feng bowed and was overjoyed, but at the same time, there was a storm in his heart.

Without investigation and cross-examination, he, a major suspect, was cleared of charges?

Maybe the other party doesn't care about the truth at all.

…

Qi Feng, who had been busy for a long time, presented an exquisite fruit plate to Lan Rou and complimented her for a moment.

"Sister Lan, the foundation-building monk of Jinyun Valley, why are you so polite to Grandpa Lu?"

Qi Feng was so confused that he didn't dare to ask Lu Changan directly.

"That Inspector Liu has something to ask for from me."

Lan Rou slowly ate the spiritual fruit.

"Two months ago, Inspector Liu asked me to refine a quasi-third-level talisman among the tasks shared by the sect. I refused because of my lack of ability and did not buy his account."

"This person doesn't have any resentment?"

"My dear friend, Master Tianfeng, is the outer elder of Jinyun Valley and the deputy head of the Law Enforcement Hall. It's too late to flatter him, so how can he dare to get angry?"

"Elder Jinyungu?"

Qi Feng was shocked that his non-blood ancestor actually had such strong connections.

at dusk.

From the two adjacent main peaks, two foundation-building monks flew out and headed straight for Little Turtle Peak.

The two foundation-building cultivators, one male and one female, were very handsome and had a vague amount of spiritual pressure that was better than the previous Liu Xinxun.

Especially the female foundation-building cultivator, dressed in a moonlight dress, with a tall and plump figure, elegant and refined, and a high and quiet charm.

Qi Feng was shocked to be a heavenly being. As a casual cultivator, he had never seen a female Foundation Establishment cultivator with such a temperament.

"Shi Xianzi and Ye Yaoshi are here."

Lan Rou arranged her appearance and quickly stepped forward to receive her.

Lu Changan also came out of the cave to welcome him.

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Lu, for being promoted to the late stage of foundation building."

Shi Xianzi and Ye Fei came to congratulate him.

Previously, Lu Changan had just broken through and needed to consolidate his realm, so they did not come over immediately.

Regarding Lu Changan's promotion to the late stage of foundation building, Ye Fei had mixed emotions, including surprise and envy.

No matter how old he is, after taking this crucial step, Lu Changan has surpassed most of the foundation building stages.

Most of the monks in the Foundation Establishment Stage will never be able to advance to the later realms throughout their lives.

Master Shixianzi smiled. As a former pillow person who fought side by side with Lu Changan and had a deeper understanding, he was not surprised.

At the age of one hundred and forty, it is indeed rare to be promoted to the late stage of foundation building.

However, Lu Changan's cultivation speed was slow, step by step, steady, and showed no abnormality.

Many years ago, he asked Huanglongshan to collect materials and refine the level-breaking elixir for the later stage of foundation building.

Sufficient financial resources, cultivated skills, a deep foundation, a better state of mind than ordinary people, and obtained the level-breaking elixir... With various blessings, Lu Changan's breakthrough can withstand scrutiny.

In this case, the outside world can at best guess that he has a certain chance, but not much.

Who among the casual cultivators who can cultivate to the late stage of foundation building would not have a chance?

Now, Lu Changan's ability to protect the Tao has been greatly improved, and he has strong connections with the sect elders. He no longer even needs to hide the second-level cultivation of Xuan Shui Turtle.

…

In the cave, Lu Changan held a banquet to celebrate, took out the second-level spirit wine, and entertained the two peak masters.

After three rounds of drinking.

Ye Fei's face was ruddy, he burped and said:

"With Fellow Daoist Lu's attainments in talismans, why not draw more high-quality talismans, strive to gain military exploits, and exchange for some scarce resources."

"Not a good deal."

Lu Changan shook his head and said, "If you want to exchange for war merits, you must exceed the basic tasks assigned, and there are requirements for the grade of talismans. Lu is not short of spirit stones and cultivation resources for the time being."

"Besides, at Lu's age, there is no hope of forming a pill, so there is no need to work day and night."

During the war, the Liang Kingdom sect opened up war merits to the recruited monks and even the monks who shared the logistics tasks.

However, this exchange rule is very cunning.

The monks who go to the front line to fight are given more war merits and are relatively easy to obtain.

But this kind of monks are prone to death, the risk is high, and they may not be able to enjoy it.

The proportion of war merits exchanged for craftsmen who provide logistics and combat readiness resources is much lower, and there are corresponding requirements for the grade.

If Lu Changan can steadily refine and supply quasi-third-level talismans, the war merits obtained will be very considerable, and can even be exchanged for most of the scarce materials of the crystal-condensing pill.

However, Lu Changan has experienced several lives and deeply understands the principle of "the more capable, the more work".

If you show too much ability, you may be given more tasks and more expectations.

Therefore, Lu Changan adopted the strategy of slacking off and being a slacker.

He only completed the basic tasks and did not expect to gain military merit.

He looked down on a small amount of military merit.

Too many military merits would easily attract the attention of the sect's top leaders. If he ran away in the future, it would increase invisible resistance.

"No hope of forming a pill?"

The fairy master pursed her lips and smiled softly, saying meaningfully:

"Daoyou Lu can be regarded as a representative cultivator who achieved great success late in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world. He has a hundred years of life left. If he encounters a great opportunity in the future, he may be able to break through another limit."

The theoretical upper limit of the life span of the foundation-building period can reach 240 years.

However, 90% of the foundation-building cultivators, not counting those who died halfway, only lived to about 200 years old.

In the long years of one or two hundred years, the lives of most cultivators will have ups and downs, experience great joys and sorrows, and encounter certain accidents.

In addition to fighting, small omissions in the cultivation method will affect life span.

"Thanks to Master Fairy's good words, I am lucky to have a fake pill in my lifetime."

Lu Chang'an heard the hint in Master Fairy's words.

The so-called great opportunity refers to the ancient ruins in the Black Mist Mountains.

According to the agreement, after Lu Chang'an is promoted to the late stage of foundation building, this matter will be put on the agenda.

Ye Fei echoed: "Daoyou Lu is getting stronger with age. After a hundred years, there should be some hope for him to achieve a fake pill."

...

It was late at night.

Lu Chang'an sent the two peak masters out of the cave.

Master Fairy stayed and had a few words with Lu Chang'an alone.

"Haven't you seen the rock rat in the past few months?"

Master Fairy looked around the mountain with a pair of clear eyes and said in surprise.

In the past, every time she came to Xiaogui Peak, even if the rock rat did not show up, she could vaguely feel the sense of surveillance in the dark.

"A few months ago, the rock rat was taken to Zhou's house by Miss Zhou to receive the baptism of the 'Blood Spirit Pool'. It should be back soon."

Lu Chang'an explained.

Lu Changan thought carefully about the quota for the Blood Spirit Pool and finally gave it to the Rock Rat.

The Blood Spirit Pool can significantly increase the cultivation of spirit beasts, improve physical fitness, and slightly improve blood.

The Black Water Turtle has a high blood grade, and the effect of improving blood is negligible, and the cost performance is too low.

As for improving cultivation, it is not bad.

The Black Water Turtle has been practicing Changqing Gong with Lu Changan for many years, and the speed of blessing is already very fast.

A few days ago, Zhou Qingxuan wrote back: The Rock Rat is living a comfortable life in the Zhou family, and there are many of its kind to accompany him, so he didn't come back immediately.

Lu Changan is not worried about the Rock Rat encountering an accident.

As long as he is safe and sound and doesn't go to the Beast Control Zhou family, Zhou Qingxuan can't play tricks.

"Daoyou Lu has just entered the late stage of foundation building, so you might as well consolidate it for a year or two and prepare more methods."

Shi Manrong changed to voice transmission.

"During this period, I will contact Jiang Yechen and negotiate with him."

"Oh, which plan does Master Fairy intend to adopt?"

The two strategies mentioned by Lu Changan before were the analysis of an observer.

Which plan to adopt and whether to take action depends on Master Fairy's idea.

"I plan to use courtesy first and then force, and try not to take action." Master Fairy pondered, "However, Jiang Yechen recently returned to the Jiang family and encountered a lot of trouble. I'm afraid it will be difficult to contact him."

"The Jiang family, one of the seven great families?"

Lu Changan thought for a while, thinking of the location of the Jiang family on the Liang State map, and roughly guessed what trouble Jiang Yechen was facing.