Demon Taming: Start by synthesizing a Lantern Ghost with Divine and Demonic Talents

Chapter 89: Homecoming, Qingyun Ranking Conference
Li Chunfeng's ghost clan friends were clearly unimpressed by his enthusiasm, and even somewhat displeased.

And I didn't reply to him.

That's so rude.

Is this how you treat the richest man in Yuancheng?

Who do you think you are, daring to act tough with me?

Li Chunfeng decided not to stoop to its level, after all, they were now on different social classes.

So they sought out wealthy human tycoons, Jia Fu.

After some haggling, they finally sold 500,000 Heavenly Dao Coins at an average price of 105 Dao Merit Points.

This was the second time Jia Fu had made a deal with Li Chunfeng, shamelessly asking him for a friend slot.

"What a coincidence, the timing is too perfect."

The last time Li Chunfeng sold coins on a large scale was when he sold Earth-rank Devouring Magic Cores and Earth-rank Talent Stones.

This time, it was after the Earth-rank Nightmare Knight Soul Crystal was sold.

He had suspected it before, and with this latest incident, he was certain that Li Chunfeng was most likely the one who sold the Earth-rank Soul Crystal, or if not him, then it was closely related to him.

In addition, Li Chunfeng was not an unknown figure in Yuancheng at this time. His three times of godlike status were enough to rank him among the top 100 in the race's camp.

Jia Fu had naturally heard of Li Chunfeng's name.

So he sent Jiang Jingyun a message: "Old Jiang, you're still focused on climbing the rankings. Maybe you should pay more attention to the newcomers who have recently emerged."

"Who is it? I'm about to enter the Illusionary Realm. Speak plainly."

"The original owner of the Devouring Magic Core, the seller of the Earth-Rank Soul Crystal, was named Li Chunfeng."

"...Okay, I understand."

Jiang Jingyun is currently in a crucial period of trying to break into the top three of the rankings, and he will come in to play a few matches whenever he has free time to consolidate his ranking.

The 'Devouring' technique was of great help to him, but its effects were more evident in his martial arts body tempering.

He was, after all, a cultivator, specializing in the path of the soul; he could still distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.

Unroll the list of robbers and search for Li Chunfeng.

It was discovered that he had 2,000 points, but hadn't played a single battle. It should be noted that the Arena has a minimum monthly requirement for the number of battles played; his ability to ignore this rule clearly indicates a promotion in privileges.

Jiang Jingyun himself was a top performer who had achieved godlike status multiple times, so he was naturally aware of the benefits of privileges in Yuancheng.

An immediate assessment of Li Chunfeng's condition was made:

Three times he achieved godlike status.

Moreover, it was obtained consecutively during the three Abyss Tribulations.

That's quite impressive; no wonder the privileges were upgraded so quickly.

He knew all too well how difficult it was to achieve a "Godlike" rating consecutively. To his knowledge, no one in the entire Yuan City had ever received a "Godlike" rating four times in a row.

"Is it possible for Li Chunfeng to achieve four consecutive godlike feats?"

Jiang Jingyun used his access privileges to access Li Chunfeng's past battle footage.

"His natal demon pet is actually a lantern ghost? Interesting." But his opponents weren't strong, and he was clearly holding back, so it can't be used as a reference.

Jiang Jingyun had a premonition that once Li Chunfeng started climbing the rankings, it would inevitably cause a reshuffling of the top ten.

"He's a formidable opponent. Try to find out more about him when you have time. I don't believe someone like him could be an unknown nobody."

Jia Fu: "Okay."

"Ah!"

Li Chunfeng sneezed violently several times.

He's in excellent health, so it's impossible for him to catch a cold; these sneezes were completely out of the blue.

He guessed that someone must have been saying he was handsome behind his back.

Selling some Heavenly Dao Coins yielded a total of 52.5 million Dao Merit.

His net worth also climbed to 65 million Dao merits.

With so much money, Li Chunfeng couldn't keep it overnight. He only kept five million Dao power for backup, and without hesitation, he invested the remaining sixty million Dao power into the acquisition mission of the Lantern Ghost.

Having spent over 100 million, his status in the mission hall was elevated again, reaching the level of a VIP. For a fee, he could handle the entire mission process, including cross-border transportation.

After formally bidding farewell to his friends, he prepared to board the flying boat back to the Ghost City.

Having been in the Ghost Realm for more than half a year, Li Chunfeng still doesn't have many friends.

As he was leaving, many people were worried about him.

The proprietress gave him a pot of special spiritual tea, and the Nine-Lives Cat Demon took a large pile of source stones from him.

Feng Yang then gave him two more jars of spirit wine.

Chi Xuancai gave him a flower seed, promising that he could contact her anytime he returned to Canyon City and she would give him a ride.

Su Bai suggested that everyone get together, but he declined, citing his need to return to Jiecheng that very night.

Xu Changliu wished him a safe journey: "Perhaps we will meet again soon."

It was night when they returned to Ghost City.

It was still the familiar metropolis, and the familiar mass graves all around.

This is where he spent many nights working hard to build his fortune.

I was quite moved.

After a while, the lantern ghosts were back in full force across the fields. Li Chunfeng couldn't resist venturing into the wilderness and launching a massive capture operation.

When the 108,000 lantern ghosts split into multiple forms and launched a pursuit and interception of their fellow countrymen, the capture efficiency was astonishing.

In less than an hour, the visibility at night in this mass grave area decreased dramatically at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Arriving at the dried-up river valley where the spatial rift had been discovered before, he found that the rift was still there, and he refrained from sending the lantern ghosts to explore it again.

Song Zhijie went to other cities to do missions, and Li Chunfeng regretted that he couldn't see him one last time before leaving. He could only leave him some gifts and say goodbye over the phone.

"Uncle Song, I'm going back to Zhuxia. I've left you a gift; please remember to pick it up when you return."

"...Have a safe trip. If you need any help next time you come, please feel free to contact me."

It wasn't until more than ten days later, when Song Zhijie returned, that he discovered the gift left by Li Chunfeng was somewhat unexpected.

[Chieftain Battle Axe: Tier 2 Divine Weapon. It contains the 'Limitless Leap Slash' martial arts seed, allowing the user to unleash a powerful leap slash to damage enemies. Upon landing, it also creates a stomp effect, stunning enemies.]

[Beast Blood Demon Core: Second-tier demon core, containing the 'Rage Blood Slash' technique seed, a martial arts technique seed, high-grade Yellow rank.]

[Soul Battle Arena: Human-Rank Technique Seed, Basic Technique Seed of Soul Martial Arts.]

That's something for later.

Li Chunfeng boarded a flying boat returning to the Earthly Realm. He flew through the void for five days through the familiar realm portal before successfully arriving at the Earthly Realm.

Shanhai Academy.

Hu Yifei still had obvious marks on his face from being punched, and Chen Lingsu had just applied medicine to them.

He failed in this academy competition when vying for a spot on the Mountain and Sea Continent's Azure Cloud Ranking.

Even if the difference is too great, it doesn't necessarily mean feeling dejected.

There were only ten eligible participants in the same year, and he was ranked exactly eleventh.

It was only by a single step that I felt such deep regret.

In the most crucial battle, his strength was similar to his opponent's, and he even had a slight advantage during the fight. However, at the critical moment, a gust of wind blew by, and he was blinded by sand. His opponent took advantage of this and won by trickery.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

I was originally planning to wait for Li Chunfeng to come back so he could see the prowess of the academy's top ten masters, but now I can't show off at all.

Frustrated, I opened my phone and wrote a sentimental poem I'd copied from the internet on a social media app:
"The wind and snow have weighed me down for two or three years, yet I laugh as the wind clears and the snow falls softly. My heart still holds lofty ambitions, and one day I will reach the summit and roar at the heavens. When I achieve success and fame, even the bitterest taste of gall will be sweet. No one will support my soaring ambitions; I will tread the snow myself to the mountain peak!"

Cheer yourself up; it's also a way to inspire and enlighten your mind!

After writing and sending it out, I felt quite satisfied, and my mood improved a little.

"Hmph, I, Hu Yifei, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. When I reach the top one day, I will make those who once looked down on me pay the price."

"Who are you trying to make look good?"

Hu Yifei jolted awake, his phone flying away.

"you you you……"

He looked up and saw his familiar partner smiling at him.

"Damn, why did you suddenly come back without giving me any warning?"

Hu Yifei turned his head slightly, not wanting his dog son to see the injury on his face.

Li Chunfeng laughed and said, "If I hadn't suddenly returned, how could I have seen the great poet express his feelings?"

Hu Yifei's face darkened immediately. That bastard had disappeared for more than half a year, but he hadn't changed at all; he was still just as annoying.

He recalled his relentless training day and night for the past six months and decided to put Li Chunfeng to the test. He clenched his fists so tightly they cracked. "It seems that someone has been away training for half a year and thinks he's quite strong now. Perfect, let me, the eleventh-ranked expert of the academy, test you."

Li Chunfeng smiled. Judging from Hu Yifei's blood and qi levels, he had already entered the Refining Organs Realm, which was quite a fast pace.

It should be noted that Li Chunfeng himself consumed a great deal of precious resources to raise his martial arts cultivation to the Refining Organs Realm.

It also includes a Human Essence Elixir.

Where did Hu Yifei get these cultivation resources?
It seems he has other opportunities and is quite powerful.

"I don't want to beat up the injured guy; I still need to report to Teacher Yan later."

Although Hu Yifei really wanted to show off, he decided to let the kid off the hook since he had just returned. Then, thinking about his recent failure, he said with annoyance, "You really missed a good opportunity. The spots for the Qingyun Ranking in the academy have already been decided. It would have been so much better if you had come back a few days earlier."

"I know, I received the message on my way back. Teacher Yan told me there's also a team competition?"

Hu Yifei's eyes lit up. "Yes, there's also a team competition."

But then, as if remembering something, her eyes dimmed. "The team competition is fierce, and there's only one spot. Do you know what kind of teams are competing for that spot? Your old flame Zhou Si is quite formidable, firmly holding the top spot in the academy. I don't know how strong you are now, but you're probably about the same as me. It's too difficult for the two of us to compete for that spot."

His impression of Li Chunfeng was still based on the video of the first tribulation he had watched last time.

But he believes he has made greater progress during this period.

Not only did he awaken a special innate martial arts body—the Indestructible Vajra Body—with astonishing defensive power, but he also leaped into the Martial Arts Refining Realm, transforming from a penniless student into a martial arts genius with some renown.

However, it is not as easy for cultivators to improve their cultivation level as it is for martial artists.

Normally, it takes several years to advance to the Divine Realm.

"Is that so... It seems everyone has made considerable progress."

Li Chunfeng remained noncommittal, tossing a soul core to Hu Yifei, "I'm going to see Teacher Yan."

"What is this?"

"For you."

(End of this chapter)