Immortal Refiner

The Liu Clan’s campaign against the Flying Eagle Bandits was a grand spectacle, deliberately amplified rather than concealed.

It was clear that the Liu Clan intended to use these bandit cultivators as a public demonstration of their might.

In this operation, the Liu Clan deployed only its own cultivators, without summoning any rogue cultivators or Foreign Surname Retainers.

This served multiple purposes: to reassure their own members, to reinforce the Liu Clan’s authority among rogue cultivators, and to send a clear message to other influential forces in the cultivation world.

They sought to remind everyone that, despite years of avoiding direct conflict, the Liu Clan’s claws remained razor-sharp.

Li Qing had been closely monitoring the Liu Clan’s preparations.

”Though the Liu Clan bears some responsibility for Old Zhou’s death, the Flying Eagle Bandits were undoubtedly the direct perpetrators,” he mused. ”I hope the Liu Clan’s campaign goes smoothly. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until I’m strong enough to avenge Old Zhou myself.”

With these thoughts, Li Qing immersed himself in Qi Refining.

Whether driven by self-interest or genuine sentiment, he fervently hoped the Liu Clan’s campaign would end in a resounding victory.

After all, Li Qing was still under the Liu Clan’s protection, and his monthly mining income allowed him to accumulate a substantial number of spirit stones.

Moreover, if the Liu Clan’s operation went smoothly, the surrounding region would undoubtedly become more peaceful, and the Bandit Cultivators would likely lay low for a while.

This would allow Li Qing to proceed with his plans to visit the Heavenly River Sect’s market town without any trouble.

Despite the turmoil outside, the rogue cultivators under the Liu Clan’s protection continued to hold their regular trade fairs.

Having attended one before, Li Qing naturally wouldn’t miss this one.

Even if he couldn’t find the exact medicinal pills he needed, other items available could still be quite useful to him.

As before, Li Qing had prepared thoroughly. Even though he was now at the Mid Qi Refining Realm, he had no intention of flaunting his wealth ostentatiously.

In short, his strategy remained one of utmost discretion. He would resolutely avoid anything that might draw attention to himself, determined to minimize the risk of being targeted.

With over two thousand spirit stones at his disposal, Li Qing felt a newfound confidence as he scoured the fair for the supplies he needed.

On the first day, he focused on acquiring pills for Fan Tong: Beast Taming Pellets and Beast Nurturing Pills.

This time, Li Qing bought extra Beast Nurturing Pills. These pills were highly beneficial for demon beasts, and regular consumption could purify their bloodlines and significantly enhance their strength.

Li Qing’s plan was simple: he wanted to cultivate Fan Tong into a mid-stage Tier 1 demon beast.

However, Fan Tong’s bloodline was highly impure, much like Li Qing’s own mediocre aptitude for cultivation. To advance in this lifetime, they would either need to rely on accumulating resources or hope for some extraordinary stroke of fortune.

On the second day of the trade fair, Li Qing encountered the same arrogant Talisman Master he had met previously.

Today, the man wore a striking purple robe that made him stand out in the crowd. Unlike the previous trade fair, his talisman stall was now bustling with activity, and his business appeared to be thriving.

”It seems the Flying Eagle Bandits’ incident has prompted many to purchase talismans for self-protection, just in case,” Li Qing mused inwardly, understanding the crowd’s motivations.

He himself was tempted to buy more talismans for personal defense. Though expensive, they were undeniably valuable tools for survival.

The young Talisman Master, clad in a striking purple robe, brightened slightly as he saw Li Qing approaching, a mysterious smile gracing his lips.

Li Qing glanced over the stall, noting that the types of talismans hadn’t changed much. However, the paper used for some of them was remarkably unique.

It didn’t take long for Li Qing to realize that the special talisman paper was made from the bear hide he had sold to the Talisman Master six months prior.

Every part of a demon beast is a treasure, he thought. That saying really holds true!

”Give me two Fire Rain Talismans, the standard kind,” Li Qing said, pointing to the few remaining talismans on the stall. He had no intention of buying the ones made from demon beast hide; their prices would undoubtedly be exorbitant.

The young Talisman Master grinned triumphantly. ”Two Fire Rain Talismans will cost you thirty spirit stones!”

Li Qing froze, startled. ”Wait a minute! Six months ago, you were selling these for ten spirit stones apiece!”

”Don’t misunderstand,” the Talisman Master replied, ”I’m talking about the ordinary Fire Rain Talismans, not the ones made from bear hide.”

The young Talisman Master smiled smugly and shook his head. ”That was half a year ago,” he said. ”Things have changed since then. Isn’t it only natural for talisman prices to rise?”

He was clearly referring to the recent attack on the Liu Clan by the Flying Eagle Bandits.

Just because of that incident, the price of talismans had skyrocketed by five spirit stones! What had bought three talismans six months ago now barely covered two.

Greedy profiteer!

Li Qing cursed inwardly, though his expression remained impassive.In truth, the price hike was understandable. Li Qing knew that whenever regional stability faltered, the value of essentials like talismans and Magic Artifacts naturally surged.

In the end, Li Qing reluctantly parted with thirty spirit stones to purchase two more Fire Rain Talismans for self-protection.

His current arsenal now included two Fire Rain Talismans, one Thunder Flash Talisman, one Ice Arrow Talisman, one Aura Concealment Talisman, and several inferior-quality talismans he had confiscated from the mundane world.

With this purchase, Li Qing had effectively returned a portion of the spirit stones he had earned from selling the bear pelt to the Talisman Master six months prior.

The young Talisman Master watched Li Qing leave with a smug expression, feeling a measure of satisfaction for the cut he had taken half a year ago.

Having purchased his talismans, Li Qing strolled through the trade fair, searching for anything else he needed.

Besides pills to enhance his mana, Li Qing had also added spirit wood to his shopping list.

Unfortunately, both pills and spirit wood were exceedingly rare at this trade fair, organized by rogue cultivators.

In the end, Li Qing reluctantly settled for two jars of Jade Spirit Brew and one jar of Clear Mind Brew.

The price of the spirit wine hadn’t increased, remaining exactly the same as it had been six months prior.

The three jars cost Li Qing a total of fifty-five spirit stones. With his purchase complete, he stopped browsing.

By the third day of the trade fair, the pills and spirit wood Li Qing sought still hadn’t appeared.

The few pills that were put on display were snatched up instantly, leaving Li Qing no chance to acquire them.

In the end, Li Qing had to settle for some inexpensive spirit rice and spirit fish, returning to his courtyard slightly disappointed.

And so, the three-day trade fair passed without incident.

In the days that followed, Li Qing focused on two things: monitoring the Liu Clan’s progress in hunting down the Flying Eagle Bandits and diligently cultivating his Qi.

Since reaching the Mid Qi Refining Realm, his cultivation progress had slowed to a crawl, advancing at a snail’s pace.

To counteract this, he slightly increased his consumption of spirit fish and doubled his daily intake of spirit rice from one pound to two.

With ample time and spirit stones at his disposal, this method of cultivation suited him perfectly.

Yet even with the aid of spirit rice and fish, his progress remained painfully slow, making the breakthrough to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm seem like a distant dream.

As time flowed by, the Liu Clan’s campaign against the Flying Eagle Bandits fared poorly. After more than ten days of searching, they hadn’t even managed to locate the bandits’ trail!

This was terrible news for the Liu Clan. Many Late Qi Refining Realm Clan Elders held important responsibilities within the family, and their duties couldn’t be fulfilled if they were tied up in this fruitless hunt.

Liu Haitian, for example, led the spirit stone miners to the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine every month to extract the valuable resources.

As the day to descend into the mine drew near, the Flying Eagle Bandits remained elusive, casting a shadow of unease over the Liu Clan.

Soon, Li Qing’s worst fears materialized.

Liu Haitian was withdrawn from the bandit suppression team, yet at this critical moment, the Liu Clan insisted on proceeding with the mining operation.

They had no choice. After all, this was a collaboration with a major sect, involving substantial interests. They couldn’t let a minor threat like the Flying Eagle Bandits delay their plans.

Knock, knock, knock!

At dawn, the signal for the spirit stone miners to assemble echoed through Li Qing’s courtyard.

Li Qing slowly emerged from his cultivation session, his brow furrowing slightly.

”They still want to go to the mine at a time like this? What if we encounter the Flying Eagle Bandits on the way?”

”Even though the route has been kept secret for years, who’s to say those bandits haven’t discovered it by now?”

”And we can’t even carry storage pouches. If something were to happen...”

Li Qing trailed off, his heart sinking.

”I hope the Liu Clan has made adequate preparations for this.”

(End of the Chapter)

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