Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans...

Chapter 15 The storm is about to arise
In the courtyard.

"The art of talismans is easy to learn but difficult to master. Although your spiritual roots are inferior, the essence of all the arts of cultivation lies in comprehension."

In the bright sunshine of the courtyard, four young men and women from the Zhou family with inferior spiritual roots were drawing talismans at the table with resolute expressions.

Especially when Lin Chang'an mentioned that drawing talismans requires comprehension, he was practically encouraging them.

The spiritual root is already set, but the talisman drawing has only just begun.

"But this word 'enlightenment' has stumped countless cultivators. Some people have an instant enlightenment when they first encounter it, while others have studied it diligently for decades, only to have an instant enlightenment and then become unstoppable. Such examples are countless in the cultivation world."

Lin Chang'an, dressed in a long blue robe, was teaching the four apprentices of the Zhou family with the seriousness of a schoolteacher.

After all, he had received benefits from the Zhou family, so he naturally had to teach them diligently and wouldn't hold back like others.

He takes money from people and actually gets things done.

After all, in the art of talismans, he relied on his own talent, which others could not learn.

"Broad knowledge is not as good as refined expertise, this golden light talisman..."

Lin Chang'an shared his knowledge without reservation, even pointing out everyone's mistakes in detail.

Two hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, the four Zhou family youths, who were at the early stage of Qi Refining, finally stopped because their mental energy and magical power had been depleted by more than half.

"Master Lin, you explained it so well. We've heard it from Master Huang, but he explained it in such detail."

The four of them stepped forward with genuine delight to offer their flattery.

Those of them, who were born with inferior spiritual roots, were far more mature than their peers and could naturally tell who was teaching with their heart and who was just going through the motions.

Faced with the four people's flattery and ingratiation, Lin Chang'an readily accepted it, smiling as he offered his guidance:
"Don't flatter me. I'm using the spirit stones from your Zhou family, so of course I have to teach you properly. Otherwise, I'll be kicked out of your Zhou family."

The four of them smiled. After two months of getting along, they had gone from being apprehensive at the beginning to being familiar with each other, and they had gotten used to the easy-going Master Lin.

"The market has been bustling lately, with waves of independent cultivators arriving. I heard that the market is planning to expand and has already started construction on the outer perimeter."

"Recently, quite a few rogue cultivators in the market have had good fortune. I heard that many Black Wind Wolf cubs have been bought by them."

"But I heard that it is a spirit beast tamed by our Zhou family."

As the conversation of the four people as they walked away reached his ears, Lin Chang'an fell into deep thought.

"This market is getting more and more lively. Although clearing land may mean some chaos, it is also a good opportunity."

Taking this opportunity, he could secretly sell talismans and earn some cultivation resources.

"Perhaps, we can also sell a small number of mid-grade first-tier Vajra Talismans. After all, the market is so lively right now, mid-grade first-tier talismans are not rare."

Just as Lin Chang'an was pondering this, Er Niu's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Brother Lin, look what I brought you."

With a broad smile, Li Erniu carried two bottles of spirit wine and stepped directly into the courtyard, causing Lin Chang'an to chuckle in disbelief.

"Erniu, this spirit wine isn't cheap."

"Brother Lin, you've misunderstood. This is a family reward. Every mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator in the clan receives a bottle of top-grade spiritual wine."

When Lin Chang'an heard that it was top-grade spirit wine, he couldn't help but smile. This was one of the benefits of joining a powerful clan. Not only did he have a powerful backer, but the clan would also reward him for festivals and celebrations.

"This top-grade spirit wine isn't cheap; it costs at least one spirit stone. Is there some joyous occasion in the clan?"

"The clan leader has acquired two Black Wind Wolf cubs with second-tier bloodlines. If they are raised properly, they could become two Foundation Establishment Realm spirit beasts in the future."

The biggest advantage of demonic beasts like the Black Wind Wolf is their short cultivation period, unlike the Zhou family's current clan-guarding spirit beast, the Xuan Shui Turtle, which took nearly two hundred years to reach adulthood.

Two or three generations have passed away already. "Two second-tier bloodline demon beasts, this is truly a joyous occasion."

As Lin Chang'an accepted the spirit wine with a smile, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and his smile instantly froze.

Old He, the Black Wind Wolf cub, and the two second-tier demon beast cubs that the Zhou family acquired—each item seems insignificant on its own, but when put together, something feels increasingly off.

Seemingly remembering something, Lin Chang'an suppressed his suspicions and casually asked:
"Erniu, I've heard recently that there are quite a few Black Wind Wolf cubs being auctioned in the market?"

Li Erniu didn't think much of it and instead smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I've even heard that they're available on the black market, and many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators have already bought them. I even suspect that the clan might be taking this opportunity to sell spirit beasts."

At this point, Li Erniu revealed a longing expression and sighed:
"If one day I can break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, I will also buy a spirit beast cub from the clan for my brat."

Seeing Li Erniu's expression, Lin Chang'an seemed to have grasped something, and his brows furrowed.

"Erniu, are you saying that the Zhou family is selling spirit beasts outside?"

Upon hearing this, Li Erniu smiled with a hint of pride.

"Although it is not officially recognized within the clan, everyone in the entire Qingzhushan market knows the prestigious reputation of the Zhou family of Beast Taming."

Looking at Erniu, Lin Chang'an's smile became even more stiff. Even the Zhou family members thought so, and his unease grew stronger.

He had just joined the Zhou family and was happy to have a powerful backer, but now he felt like he had entered a vortex of conspiracy.

……

Zhou family.

"Father, are you saying that there have been many Black Wind Wolf cubs being sold in the market recently?"

Zhou Renmao, the head of the Zhou family, had just won two second-tier demon beast cubs at an auction. The joy on his face vanished, replaced by solemnity.

“That’s right. Almost immediately after you transferred spirit stones from the clan and bought these two spirit beasts outside, this happened in the market.”

The Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Zhou family had a solemn expression on his white-haired face.

"The Wang family!"

After the father and son checked their accounts one after the other, they exchanged a glance and, with grim expressions, revealed the person behind the scenes.

"Damn it, the Wang family is like a persistent ghost."

Although Zhou Renmao was furious, as the head of the Zhou family, he calmed down and came up with a solution.

“Spirit beasts take time to cultivate, let alone second-tier spirit beasts. With this new frontier approaching, the Wang family is deliberately depleting our clan’s resources, just like they did fifteen years ago.”

"They're using the land reclamation to constantly deplete my Zhou family's resources, and even this second-tier spirit beast could be the final straw that breaks the camel's back."

At this point, Zhou Renmao gritted his teeth and said, "The Wang family is still so insidious."

Second-tier spirit beast cubs are already quite expensive. If the Zhou family gets bogged down in trouble and misses the best time to raise spirit beasts, the beasts will be ruined.

"Let's stabilize first. No matter what, two second-tier spirit beast cubs are a good thing for the family. This time, let's make a big show of it and take advantage of this time to recruit more people from the independent cultivators outside."

The Zhou family's Foundation Establishment ancestor pondered for a moment. At present, the Zhou family could only passively defend, after all, there was still a gap in strength between the two families.

Although the Zhou family has two Foundation Establishment cultivators, their lifespan is at most around thirty years. Even including the clan's guardian spirit beast, there are only three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In contrast, the Wang family has five members who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage. The two eldest elders still have fifty or sixty years of lifespan remaining, while the other three are in their prime.

We can only try to stop the water with earth.

(End of this chapter)