Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

From within the Soul-Nourishing Wood, the voice of True Person Tianfu rang out, tinged with surprise: "You... you even brought back their counter?"

"Just something." Lu Yan put away the baby-transforming water and began to rummage through the items in the cabinet drawer.

A small pile of spirit stones, about a thousand pieces, a stack of blank talisman paper, the material of which was much better than that of the human world, a few talisman pens with faint spiritual light emanating from the bristles, and a lot of miscellaneous materials, none of which were ordinary.

Master Tianfu's voice carried a hint of joy: "These talisman papers and materials are enough to refine several Spirit Transformation Talismans."

Lu Yan's eyes lit up. It could actually refine spirit talismans! This was a life-saving treasure, and the material of this counter didn't look ordinary either.

He put the counter into his storage bracelet and stood up.

He counted the spirit stones on his body; they were almost empty.

"I'm broke again." Lu Yan sighed.

Every time he uses this cheat, he goes from rich to poor, and from poor to rich, over and over again. He's gotten used to it.

Master Tianfu laughed from within the Soul-Nourishing Wood, "The celestial materials you acquired this time, any one of them could fetch an astronomical price. Why worry about not having spirit stones?"

Lu Yan shook his head and did not reply.

He looked up at the sea, pondering his next move.

Jin Ming, the young master of the Suanni clan, has been lost somewhere. The Yuanhun Lamp is still lit, so the Suanni clan will not know for the time being that their young master is in trouble.

However, news of Jin Ming's disappearance will eventually spread, and once the Suanni clan begins their investigation, the situation in the outer seas will likely change.

Although he wasn't afraid, he didn't want to cause trouble.

"Let's go back to the inner sea first." Lu Yan took out the Sky-Splitting Cloud Shuttle, which transformed into a streak of silver light and sped towards Qiyuan Island.

-----

The light from the teleportation hall dissipated, and Lu Yan appeared in the center of the magic array.

The cultivators around him came and went, some were Qi Refining, some were Foundation Establishment, and occasionally a few were Core Formation, but none of them even glanced at him.

Countless cultivators pass through the teleportation hall of Tianxing City every day; one more or one less makes no difference.

Lu Yan stepped out of the magic circle, found a corner to stand in, and let out a long breath.

I'm finally back.

Yin Yue's voice rang in his mind, tinged with concern: "Brother Lu, when do you plan to form your Nascent Soul? We've already obtained the Nascent Soul Transformation Water. With your accumulated experience, if you go into seclusion now, your chances of success are quite high."

Master Tianfu also spoke up, his tone filled with excitement: "There's no rush to form a Nascent Soul. But I can teach you how to refine Spirit Transformation Talismans using those talisman papers and talisman pens that I obtained from the Immortal Realm."

That's one of my most prized talisman techniques. Once crafted, a single one can sell for tens of thousands of spirit stones. You rent a cave dwelling in Tianxing City, and we'll refine it properly for a few months. Then spirit stones will flow in like water."

"Stop." Lu Yan interrupted him, his lips twitching. "I have no money right now and can't afford to rent a cave dwelling."

"The money for this teleportation was actually stolen from some disciples of the Biyun Sect who were trying to rip me off on the way. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have been able to afford the teleportation array."

Silver Moon: "..."

Master Tianfu: "..."

Lu Yan sighed and rubbed his temples: "Besides, I don't plan to form my Nascent Soul in Tianxing City."

"Why?" Silver Moon asked.

"Because it's too conspicuous." Lu Yan lowered his voice: "What kind of place is Tianxing City? It's the territory of the Tianxing Twin Saints. If I, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator who's not even a hundred years old, suddenly form a Nascent Soul, do you think they won't notice? When the Twin Saints see this, they'll think, 'Wow, he's formed a Nascent Soul before he's even a hundred? He must have some incredible opportunity. Take him down.'"

He paused, then added, "I may have some trump cards, but I'm not done living yet."

Yin Yue remained silent for a moment, then flattered, "As expected of Brother Lu, you are indeed cautious. The Twin Saints of the Heavenly Stars have reached the position of overlords of the Chaotic Star Sea; their methods and cunning are beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. To form a Nascent Soul under their noses is indeed too risky."

Master Tianfu nodded: "Then where do you want to go?"

Lu Yan turned and walked out of the teleportation hall, his gaze passing through the layers of buildings in Tianxing City and looking towards the distant sea.

"Find a deserted island, cultivate quietly, and reach the pseudo-infant stage first."

-----

one year later.

The waters near Kuixing Island.

Above the sea, three level-seven demonic beasts were besieging a human cultivator.

A black-scaled sea python, an iron-winged thunder roc, and a crimson flame centipede are all notorious figures in the outer sea; any one of them would be enough to give a late-stage Core Formation cultivator a hard time.

Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back, not even moving a step.

Two dark green shields, the Azure Sea Shields, slowly rotated around him, their surfaces shimmering with light, forming a thick curtain of light.

The claws, fangs, and poisonous flames of the three demonic beasts crashed into the light barrier, creating ripples, but they didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

"That's it?" Lu Yan shook his head.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the voice of True Man Tianfu rang out, tinged with a hint of smugness: "How is it? The defensive power of these two shields that I guided you in crafting is undeniable, isn't it? If I hadn't taught you the layering technique from the ancient weapon-crafting arts, could you have forged that clam shell into such a treasure with your limited weapon-crafting skills?"

Lu Yan's lips curled slightly, and he said sincerely, "As expected of Senior Tianfu, your knowledge is indeed profound. My meager skills are entirely due to your guidance."

Master Tianfu gave a satisfied hum.

Lu Yan raised his right hand, holding a dark green bead in his palm.

The Illusionary Pearl was crafted from the demon core of a clam spirit, along with several rare ingredients. The pearl spun rapidly, releasing an invisible magical power.

"The world has been turned upside down."

As soon as the words were spoken, the three demonic beasts simultaneously let out terrified howls.

In their perception, heaven and earth suddenly reversed, the sea became the sky, and the sky became the abyss.

They lost their way, their bodies tumbling involuntarily, colliding with each other in a pathetic state.

Master Tianfu couldn't help but speak again: "When you were refining this bead, I had you temper it repeatedly with your magic power forty-nine times to achieve the effect of releasing it with a single thought. If you had used your original method, it would have only made them dizzy for a few breaths at most, not achieved this effect."

Lu Yan smiled slightly, his tone becoming even more respectful: "What you say is true, senior. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I've tried it, I understand its wonders. Senior's experience is indeed a treasure trove of wisdom."

Master Tianfu laughed heartily, clearly enjoying himself.

Lu Yan flipped his left hand, and the Xuanming Ink Bead rose into the air.

A powerful divine pressure erupted from the bead, crashing down on the consciousness of the three demonic beasts like a mountain.

With the blessing of the Xuanming Ink Pearl, Lu Yan's divine sense pressure was almost comparable to that of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. The three demonic beasts were powerless to resist and lowered their heads, letting out mournful cries of submission.

"This bead is truly my masterpiece!" Master Tianfu's voice was filled with pride. "If I hadn't taught you to refine it again using the Nine Revolutions Spirit Nourishing Technique, could it have amplified your divine sense to its current level? You, a human who has reached the Core Formation stage, were able to subdue three level-seven demonic beasts with just this bead. Who would believe that?"

Lu Yan put away his magical artifact, clapped his hands, turned around to face the sea, and said sincerely, "Senior is truly talented, and I admire him greatly. If there is an opportunity in the future, I hope that you will not hesitate to give me some pointers."

Master Tianfu was in high spirits and laughed, scolding, "You little rascal, all you know how to say is nice things. Alright, let's see how you perform. I still have plenty of good stuff in my belly."

Lu Yan's lips curled up, thinking to himself that having an elder in the family is truly like having a treasure.