Treasure Gathering Immortal Furnace

Since entering the Dao Sect, the sentence that Lu Fan saw and heard most often was, "My lifespan is almost over, and I'm afraid I have no hope of breaking through."

Those cultivators who died in despair ultimately did so because they lacked the resources for cultivation.

The Great Yan region is located in the southeast corner of Canglan, a place with scarce spiritual energy and resources, far inferior to the center of the Canglan Continent.

If Lu Fan, as a rogue cultivator, could gather all the materials needed to form his core in a very short time, that would be considered a miracle in Canglan.

"I've only met you once. After all, it's not convincing that this material, worth over 40,000 spirit stones, came from someone as basic Foundation Establishment as you," Lu Fan said. Although he was already somewhat convinced, he still felt uneasy.

"Senior, I have been in Thousand Peaks City for over a hundred years and have seen many cautious rogue cultivators. I can understand."

"If I didn't have something to offer, I wouldn't even bother to negotiate this kind of deal."

At this point, Luo Yan took a few steps with his hands behind his back, then held up three fingers and said, "Senior, give me three months to collect the materials. I will not take a penny during this time, until I have gathered all the materials you need, and then we will exchange money for goods."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan was also surprised, not expecting the other party to be so confident. He said, "Aren't you afraid that I'll go back on my word, or even kill you and steal your goods?"

"Haha, what you say makes sense, senior. I've done so many transactions and quite a few people have gone back on their word. But fifth-tier demon cores are in high demand and out of stock. If you don't buy them, I'm not worried about finding buyers. Of course, if you want to get them for free, senior, I'm not without a powerful backer," Luo Yan laughed, his confidence evident.

Lu Fan pondered for a moment. What the other party said was true. Fifth-order demon cores were highly sought-after items in the Great Yan Dynasty and were indeed easy to sell. Moreover, the fact that the other party dared to do this kind of business alone meant that there was probably at least a hidden force supporting them.

There's no guarantee that there aren't Core Formation cultivators watching me from the shadows.

"Alright, since you are so confident, I will wait for you for three months. Forty-three thousand spirit stones is not a small amount, and I also need time to raise them."

"Of course, even if I raise the spirit stones, I won't carry them with me. We'll only trade once I'm sure you can provide the materials I need."

Lu Fan spoke slowly, taking caution to the extreme.

"It's a deal. We'll meet here again in three months. I'll share the secret to obtaining the Dew of Creation for free, as a way to make friends with you, senior," Luo Yan said, cupping his hands in greeting before disappearing in a flash.

Watching the other party leave, Lu Fan pondered in his heart. The other party mentioned that they were going to a very far place to collect it, so they probably weren't in the territory of the Great Yan Kingdom, or even the Feng Kingdom.

Moreover, the round-trip travel expenses require five thousand spirit stones, which can only mean one thing: either the other party is traveling to other countries in Canglan by some extremely fast flying boat to purchase demon cores, or they are leaving through a teleportation array to some continent that even Lu Fan does not know about.

It seems necessary to befriend this black market merchant named Luo Yan. After all, as his cultivation level increases, without the help of a sect, he will have to leave the Great Yan and go to other regions with richer resources to cultivate. At that time, he will be able to make use of the other party's Rat Dao.

...

After finalizing the deal with Luo Yan, Lu Fan found an inn in Qianfeng City and settled down for the time being.

After setting up the formation, he hid in the house, just like a young woman waiting to be married, without showing his face.

These are all habits that Lu Fan developed while staying at the Dao Sect.

Back in the Dao Sect, he always adhered to his three principles: go out less, cause less trouble, and get involved less.

It was these three ironclad rules that allowed Lu Fan to survive and grow up.

Even after leaving the Daoist sect and entering the chaotic world of cultivation, these three ironclad rules still apply.

After all, if you go out for a casual stroll without any particular reason, unexpected things are bound to happen.

For example, if you run into the disciples or descendants of some powerful sects, these people are used to being arrogant and domineering, and they always want to show off their power. If they see a cultivator they don't like, they want to go up and mock him. This can lead to friction and trouble.

Such things are commonplace in the cultivation world, after all, not everyone is smart, and there are plenty of stupid fools out there.

By staying indoors, Lu Fan essentially eliminated this possibility at its source.

But he didn't just stay in the room doing nothing. Instead, he took out the Heaven-Mending Furnace and prepared to replicate some spirit beast pills and spirit stones.

"Forty-three thousand spirit stones, plus several hundred spirit beast pills, I'm afraid most of the energy that the Heaven-Mending Furnace just replenished will be lost again," Lu Fan sighed helplessly as he looked at the Heaven-Mending Furnace.

Then she crushed the spirit stones and spirit beast pills and threw them in.

It took half a day to complete the replication of more than 40,000 spirit stones and 500 spirit beast pills.

Just as Lu Fan had predicted, the Heaven-Mending Furnace suffered a significant loss of energy, leaving only 20% remaining.

After all, more than 40,000 spirit stones is no small amount, and the potent nature of the spirit beast pills further accelerates the energy depletion.

"Gathering all the materials for Core Formation already consumes so much; I'm afraid the consumption of regular pills needed after Core Formation will be even more terrifying," Lu Fan sighed, then tossed two spirit beast pills into his spirit beast pouch.

The two three-eyed crows, who had been listlessly lying in the storage bag, suddenly felt something floating down from above and immediately opened their beaks to make chirping sounds.

As the spirit beast pill was consumed, the three-eyed crow happily flapped its pair of featherless little wings, looking quite content.

"I'm glad you like to eat. I don't need any more pills from you. I hope you grow up quickly and can help me soon," Lu Fan smiled.

And so, for the next three months, Lu Fan fed her almost every day without fail.

Under his intensive feeding, the two little ones, who were initially frail, gradually grew covered in downy fur and became larger.

They still hadn't opened their eyes, but the two little ones were very active, bumping around in the spirit beast pouch.

Don't be fooled by its small size; it's surprisingly strong. Every time it hits the spatial wall of the spirit beast pouch, it makes a loud clanging sound.

Judging from their powerful strength, it's clear that these two little guys will be quite strong once they're raised.

"It's almost time. I should go keep my appointment. I hope that kid won't disappoint me." Lu Fan calculated that it had been three months.

Only then did he remove the formation and push open the door.

However, Lu Fan was still cautious and released Zi Yuan in advance, keeping her at a distance of 100 meters from him at all times.

After all, it was a transaction involving more than 40,000 spirit stones, so if the other party cheated, Lu Fan would be able to deal with it immediately.

A moment later, Lu Fan arrived at the alley where they had agreed to meet three months earlier and began to wait.

About half an incense stick later, a figure appeared silently in the alley; it was none other than Luo Yan, who was covered in dust from his journey.

"Hehe, as expected of you, senior. It seems my efforts were worthwhile," Luo Yan said, brushing the dust off his clothes.