Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

Lu Yuan knew this.

Unlike the pharmacist and him, Ji Ming did not have the means to make a living through his cultivation.

He is not like Zhang Dashan, who could abandon his so-called face and become a son-in-law in the family.

He only had a sword in his hand.

You either hunt monsters to obtain cultivation resources, or you suddenly gain enlightenment and become a fearsome cultivator.

After all, killing monsters to obtain resources is nowhere near as fast as killing people.

For him at this moment, joining the Azure Lotus Sword Sect and fighting for the sect is a good choice.

After receiving guidance from Lu Yuan, Ji Ming gradually came to his senses and his fighting spirit was rekindled.

After calming down, the group exchanged pleasantries and discussed their recent situations.

Upon learning that Lu Yuancai had just returned from the Nine Ridges Mountains and was not familiar with the current situation in the market, Ji Ming and the pharmacist explained it to him.

Let's start with the pharmacist...

I learned from him that the number of independent cultivators coming to Jiulingfang City is increasing.

The Qi Condensation Pill business is almost always in short supply. Every time I refine the pills for a month, I go out to sell them at a stall and they are all sold out.

During this time, they were targeted by the robbers again.

However, with Ji Ming living with him, they managed to escape danger and successfully kill Jie Xiu.

After that.

Therefore, no cultivator dared to make a move against the pharmacist.

The prosperity and flourishing inevitably bring chaos first. The outer city of Jiuling Market is now a melting pot of all sorts of people, and several gangs are gradually gathering together.

Three gangs approached the pharmacist, extending offers to him.

On one hand, they promised to guarantee his safety, and on the other hand, they promised various benefits, all in order to get the pharmacist to hand over a certain number of Qi Condensation Pills every month.

However, the pharmacist refused all of these offers.

He understood very well that he was now all alone and unrestrained, and the only danger came from the Tribulation Cultivator.

However, if one were to attach oneself to a gang in an outer city.

That might attract the attention of the opposing side, which would be putting the cart before the horse.

Lu Yuan agreed with the pharmacist's idea.

But Ji Ming is about to embark on a long journey, at which time only the pharmacist will remain here...

An elderly cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, skilled in alchemy and possessing abundant spirit stones for cultivation, is bound to attract the covetous eyes of those seeking to quell the chaos.

Even without the tribulation cultivators, the cultivators living nearby, knowing this situation, might still have other thoughts.

maybe.

Someone has already set their sights on him and is waiting for Ji Ming to leave before making a move against the pharmacist.

Lu Yuan was considering whether to bring the pharmacist to live with them.

There is also a storage room in his current residence, which, once cleaned up, can also be used as a pharmacist's residence.

Although he was used to living alone, it wouldn't be right for him to ignore the pharmacist's comforting words in this situation.

However, there was still more than half a month before Ji Mingyuan's departure, so there was no rush.

Let's leave that aside for now.

The news he heard from Ji Ming immediately sent shockwaves through Lu Yuan's heart.

According to Sun Qi's oral account...

The mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator who attacked him was dressed entirely in a black robe and had an ice spirit root.

Moreover, he could tell that the ice sword wielded by this Foundation Establishment cultivator was the same one that had been auctioned off to a black-robed cultivator earlier.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan felt extremely uneasy.

He barely listened to what Ji Ming said afterward.

He wondered to himself whether his past interactions with Gu Qingyao had exposed him.

Images flashed before his eyes like a fleeting glimpse, and Lu Yuan felt relieved.

Perhaps Gu Qingyao did it intentionally.

The scene of the two of them together was not exposed to outsiders. Even in the Nine Ridges Mountains, those cultivators who were secretly watching were all killed by her with a single sword.

It's likely that Gu Qingyao already had this plan at the time, and this action was taken to avoid implicating Lu Yuan.

At the time, Lu Yuan thought that Gu Qingyao was like him, cautious in her actions and retaliating most severely against the malice of others.

Afterwards, Lu Yuan asked a few more questions indirectly.

After learning that Gu Qingyao's assassination attempt on Sun Qi had failed, and that although she had been injured, she had already fled far away before any reinforcements arrived, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

……

half a month later.

Lu Yuan arrived at Jiang Zhi's residence and retrieved the protective magic artifact she had crafted for him.

After adding some more materials, the Golden Shadow Sword was reforged in the furnace by Jiang Zhi, and now it is a top-grade magic weapon.

Top-grade magical artifacts require late-stage Qi Refining cultivation to unleash their full power.

However, it also significantly improved Lu Yuan's combat strength.

And another protective robe.

It was made from the fur of the Bloodclaw Brown Bear and the skin of the Flame Python, and is also a top-grade magic weapon.

The inner lining is made of the skin of a Flame Python, which is soft and close-fitting, while the outer lining is made of the fur of a Bloodclaw Brown Bear.

Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator cannot easily break through its defenses.

"Sister Jiang, I don't know how to thank you enough."

Lu Yuan accepted it with a smile, thinking to himself that he would have to express his gratitude in other ways in the future.

"Don't be so formal with me."

Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes at him, then said seriously, "Don't use that sword talisman you used before in front of others anymore."

She didn't ask anything, she just gave these instructions.

Lu Yuan nodded.

After learning about Gu Qingyao's actions from Ji Ming, he noticed a sense of unease and panic in the market.

Fortunately, ice spirit roots are not common.

Otherwise, who knows how many innocent cultivators would be implicated in this battle.

……

After leaving Jiang Zhi's residence, they followed her to a mansion in the inner city of the market.

Upon entering, they met the second-tier alchemist that Jiang Zhi had mentioned.

"Master Wu Dan".

Lu Yuan and Jiang Zhi greeted each other.

This Master Wu had a youthful face and white hair, a ruddy complexion, and wore a loose, moon-white robe, giving him a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal appearance.

He himself is only a little over ninety years old this year, and he has already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Little Jiang, decades have passed in the blink of an eye. The child from back then is now about to reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

Master Mo Dan sighed.

He was a close friend of Jiang Zhi's father, so they were of the same generation. Jiang Zhi, who was usually carefree, did not dare to be negligent at this moment.

She obediently made Lu Yuan feel like a stranger.

"Uncle Wu, you've taken good care of me since my father passed away. I'm so sorry to trouble you again this time," Jiang Zhi said obediently, changing her form of address.

Master Mo stroked his beard and nodded, then turned his gaze to Lu Yuan: "And this is...?"

"His name is Lu Yuan, and he is an array master. He accompanied me here to observe the refining process of the Foundation Establishment Pill..."

As Jiang Zhi introduced the situation, she said calmly, "I also wanted to show Uncle Mo what kind of person he is."

Lu Yuan: ?

Are there still scenes like this where the parents are being met?

Lu Yuan smiled helplessly and said, "Greetings, Master Mo Dan."

After hearing Jiang Zhi's words, Master Mo looked at Lu Yuan again and saw that his form of address had not changed and he had not tried to take advantage of the situation, so he nodded.

Under normal circumstances.

For a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining to establish a relationship with a second-tier alchemist or a Foundation Establishment cultivator is something they would be extremely eager to do.

However, Lu Yuan did not act in that way; on the contrary, he seemed to keep his distance.

This made him realize that Lu Yuan was not the kind of person who was good at flattery.

"Your Uncle Mo's eyesight is failing, he can't see the young people these days clearly. But since you refined the Foundation Establishment Pill and brought him here, I'm rather curious about your relationship..."

Lu Yuan hadn't even had a chance to speak.

Jiang Zhi remained calm and said softly, "Uncle Mo, please don't guess. He thinks I'm too old. We're just ordinary friends now."