blueteamnovel Chapter 298: Cultivation in the Oasis
Chapter 298: Cultivation in the Oasis
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one year later, lan chang'an returned to the oasis, marking the tenth year of his stay in the fengyuan kingdom.
he was now 222 years old.
over the past decade, lan chang'an focused primarily on secluded cultivation. despite possessing enough conventional methods to dominate the oasis, he remained behind the scenes.
his body refinement had reached the mid-stage of the third rank.
next, he planned to continue his secluded cultivation until he reached the mid-stage of the core formation realm. at that time, he would advance his plans, including mastering advanced puppet techniques.
if he could refine a superior grade third-rank exotic spirit puppet and infuse it with the soul shadow of his second life, lan chang'an would be able to avenge zhao siyao without risk.
he might even use it to remotely checkmate the peacock saintess and give her a hard time.
in the mountain-water manor’s secret chamber, lan chang'an was nurturing over sixty treasure talismans using his evergreen mana.
these talismans were all forged with third-rank materials. aside from a few refined in recent years, most had been nurtured to mid-grade third-rank quality.
among them, there were eight superior-grade treasure talismans.
using the third-rank superior-grade "tong ghost bamboo" acquired years ago in a trade with wang feng as the base material, these talismans had now been nurtured into superior-grade third-rank treasure talismans.
of these, the two strongest had already reached near-peak third-rank power, as they were superior grades from the start.
the eight most promising treasure talismans were lan chang'an’s contingency plans against nascent soul experts and a secret weapon to hold against the peacock saintess.
he had a premonition that his karmic ties with the peacock saintess would have to be resolved sooner or later.
the peacock saintess might have a nascent soul trump card, so lan chang'an needed to prepare even more thoroughly.
"my talisman crafting in this life has fully surpassed my previous one," lan chang'an remarked with satisfaction as he stored the numerous treasure talismans away.
in terms of power, the two strongest talismans had already surpassed anything he had achieved in his past life.
in his second life, he had barely managed to become a third-rank superior-grade talisman master, and he hadn’t created many superior-grade talismans in his lifetime.
one reason was the rarity of materials. refining them required items like the blood of late-third-rank great demons and rare hide from critical body parts.
similarly, spirit wood of the same rank took an even longer time to mature.
another reason was the low success rate of creating superior-grade third-rank talismans.
after finishing the nurturing process, lan chang'an retrieved a sealed jade box.
inside the box lay a vividly lifelike five-colored feather, its aura carefully masked.
this was one of the three great crown feathers of the five-colored peacock.
the peacock saintess’s beast-taming cultivation method was deeply tied to the five-colored peacock, her life-bound beast.
the loss of her life-bound beast’s essence origin would hinder her progress on the nascent soul path.
this was a critical factor behind the mental knot that had been plaguing her.
lan chang'an suspected that the peacock saintess wanted to lure him back to liang kingdom to retrieve this severed feather and resolve her heart knot.
next, lan chang'an began nurturing the feather with his evergreen mana to cultivate its spirituality.
from the records of the record of transformative spirit puppets he obtained from ada wan, lan chang'an found several blueprints for crafting exotic spirit puppets imitating mythical true spirit beasts, including the five-colored peacock.
this feather was the only key material lan chang'an had been able to acquire for crafting such a puppet.
in the future, as long as his craftsmanship improved and he gathered a few more rare materials, lan chang'an could begin building a replica of the five-colored peacock spirit puppet.
although the replica wouldn’t match the power and abilities of the original, it wouldn’t be difficult for it to surpass other cultivators of the same rank.
in order to play it safe, lan chang'an not only used refining techniques to erase the feather’s original aura but also applied seals and divination-blocking techniques to prevent tracking.
over the years, lan chang'an had faintly sensed that the peacock saintess had enlisted the help of a master diviner, likely one of superior-grade third-rank.
when his puppet clone returned to liang kingdom to gather information, he learned that the lifespan of that divination master was nearly exhausted.
now that lan chang'an understood the situation and had prepared for it, even if the diviner came to fengyuan kingdom in person to track him down, lan chang'an remained confident and unafraid.
after all, his 1,100 years of remaining lifespan was his greatest advantage.
...
the following year.
on river source oasis, a large-scale conflict erupted between two major merchant guilds, involving hundreds of cultivators in battle.
unlike the structured order of an immortal city, river source oasis lacked such stability.
as one of the leading powers in the region, the wan hua merchant association was a key enforcer of the local order.
years ago, wan hua's core formation elder had been gravely injured during the assassination attempt. however, he had now fully recovered from his wounds.
the mysterious assassin, who had vanished without a trace in the intervening years, seemed to have disappeared entirely.
logically speaking, the star moon merchant association, struggling with financial constraints, couldn’t possibly afford to retain the assassin's services over the long term.
this assumption emboldened the wan hua merchant association to instigate a direct clash, aiming to completely eliminate the star moon merchant association in the absence of their enigmatic protector. they hoped to consolidate their dominance and reassert their authority over river source oasis.
however, wan hua had made a grave miscalculation.
in the midst of the guild war, that very same mysterious assassin reappeared.
like a shadow clinging to bone, relentless and inescapable.
...
in front of the river bay where the two major guilds were fighting in fire.
“elder chishe has been assassinated again!”
“quick, chase him down! don’t let the assassin escape!”
chaos erupted in the ranks of the wan hua merchant association’s forces.
boom!
a foul-smelling cloud of black smoke suddenly exploded, spreading across several li and shrouding the battlefield in darkness.
a mysterious figure, draped in a gray-white robe and a black cloak, unleashed a deadly attack. the man, with a straw hat obscuring his face, vanished into the shadows of the black fog after his strike.
“stop... don’t chase him!”
a gaunt old man with a sinister expression and a snake staff tightly clutched the sleeve arrow that had pierced through his chest from behind. trembling, he collapsed to the ground.
in fact, the nearby few fake dan elders from wan hua merely postured as if they were going to give chase., despite their loud roars, none of them dared to actually pursue the assassin.
elder chishe was a true dan expert, in his prime, responsible for the security of wan hua’s trade caravans.
even someone as powerful as him had fallen victim to the assassin twice. for fake dan cultivators to pursue him would be no different from throwing their lives away.
“it’s bad! the poison is mid-grade third-rank!”
elder chishe’s body convulsed, and the crimson veins of his protective core formation energy on his body flickered unsteadily.
from the core within his dantian, waves of excruciating pain radiated outward as the strange and insidious poison corroded him from the inside.
with his core poisoned, trying to purify it with core energy would be as futile as drinking poison to quench thirst.
“elder chishe!”
the senior cultivators of the wan hua merchant association turned pale as they watched the scene unfold.
within mere moments, the poison took full effect. the once-mighty core formation cultivator's body began emitting black and blue toxic fumes, tainting the air around him.
“aahh! help me...”
several nearby foundation establishment cultivators who accidentally came into contact with the poisonous smoke found their skin rapidly decaying. two of them died on the spot as the toxin overwhelmed them.
“quick, get away from him!”
“elder chishe has become a poison zombie!”
panic swept through the ranks of the wan hua merchant association, and their formation fell into complete disarray.
meanwhile, another core formation elder from wan hua—a female cultivator—was locked in battle with the fake dan couple from the star moon merchant association.
the duo wielded their signature technique, star moon jue, combining their powers to drive her back step by step.
with elder chishe, their most experienced combatant, incapacitated, and the guild’s forces thrown into chaos, wan hua, despite its numerical superiority, found itself at a distinct disadvantage.
thus, during his first assassination attempt, he had only used a low-grade third-rank poison.
the ideal result was to maintain a balance of power between the wan hua and star moon merchant associations.
as long as the star moon merchant association remained slightly weaker, they would continue to rely on the straw hat assassin.
in the future, whenever lan chang'an needed to collect specific materials, he could issue orders to the star moon merchant association as black lord, a member of the azure dragon society.
in contrast to the severely weakened wan hua merchant association, the star moon merchant association gained significant prestige from the battle.
the terrifying strength of the mysterious assassin left a deep impression on the people of river source oasis.
soon after, the star moon merchant association officially announced that their operations had turned profitable and were back on track. they opened their doors to recruit talented individuals widely.
with lan chang'an’s support, the star moon merchant association secured a firm foothold in the oasis and inflicted severe losses on the wan hua merchant association.
out of fear of the mysterious assassin, other major forces in the oasis began building friendly ties with the star moon merchant association and refrained from provoking them.
in essence, lan chang'an had single-handedly reshaped the power dynamics of the entire oasis.
there were no late-stage core formation cultivators in river source oasis.
lan chang'an, with his mid-stage third-rank body refinement, combined with his puppet assassin clone and the earth burrowing rat of the same cultivation level, had no true rival.
moreover, operating from behind the scenes, he enjoyed unparalleled security.
lan chang'an even joked to himself:
"whether river source oasis is peaceful or chaotic... it’s up to me, old lan, to decide."
...
that evening, the straw hat assassin visited the star moon merchant association and had another private meeting with the guild’s leaders, tang mian and tang yue, the star moon dao couple.
the puppet clone returned to the mountain-water manor with the payment.
back at the secret chamber.
lan chang'an opened a box containing spirit stones, rare materials, and a white jade tablet.
the jade tablet had a mural etched into it, depicting a starry sky.
to cultivate the core formation chapter of the star moon jue, one needed to meditate on this mural as part of the process.
the tang couple, who had frequently requested black lord’s help and protection, lacked sufficient spirit stones and resources to cover their debts.
as compensation, they allowed him to borrow this starry sky mural for half a month to offset part of the payment.
"inheritance imprint!"
lan chang'an studied the mural, and his mind was soon immersed in a mysterious space filled with endless stars. the profoundness of it was breathtaking.
the core techniques of many major factions couldn’t simply be stored in ordinary jade slips or books.
instead, such techniques were passed down through special spiritual objects to enable comprehension and, at the same time, prevent their secrets from being leaked.
after meditating, lan chang'an noticed that the spiritual energy within the mural had dimmed slightly.
without sufficient cultivation or a deep enough understanding of the star moon jue, one wouldn’t be able to imprint its knowledge.
in his previous life, lan chang'an had witnessed a treasure imbued with a nascent soul elder’s insights spark a bloody struggle in great kun.
because the inheritance treasure contained the cultivation insights and divine abilities of the nascent soul old monster, etched into it.
even someone with mediocre talent or comprehension could defy their destiny and achieve incredible progress through the inheritance treasure!
unlike those treasures, this starry sky mural did not contain pre-etched insights. it required the user to slowly comprehend the technique through observation and meditation.
for lan chang'an, who had the insights of a nascent soul cultivator and relying on the spiritual power of his second life soul, replicating such a mural wasn’t too difficult—something ordinary core formation cultivators could never hope to accomplish.
although lan chang'an couldn’t cultivate the star moon jue in this lifetime, he wasn’t limited to just one life, thanks to the nine seal stele.
this combined attack technique, capable of surpassing whole cultivation realms, was as profound as his evergreen technique. even if he couldn’t use it himself, keeping a copy on hand was wise.
even in this life, with his long lifespan and eventual advancement to higher realms, the technique could serve as a resource to train future disciples or subordinates.
...
after the battle between the two merchant guilds.
the river source oasis returned to peace and stability, passing the next five years without incident.
by now, lan chang'an had reached the age of 228.
during these five years, he lived quietly in the mountain-water manor, focusing on his cultivation and avoiding worldly entanglements. occasionally, he would take on alchemy commissions.
during this time, elder duan made a visit to the estate. he expressed his satisfaction with lan chang'an’s low-profile and diligent demeanor, especially appreciating how he refrained from stirring up trouble.
elder duan also brought two new alchemy apprentices to replace the old ones, but niu jie was allowed to stay at the estate to continue learning from lan chang'an.
as per their original agreement, lan chang'an’s responsibilities included overseeing the estate, accepting a certain number of alchemy commissions, and training three alchemy apprentices every ten years.
one day, yun ling, who had reached the peak of the ninth layer of qi-refining stage, came to the estate to visit again.
lan chang'an happened to be free and was sitting in a pavilion, enjoying tea.
“mister xu, ling’er brought you some spirit fruits.”
yun ling gave a light bow and placed a flower basket on the stone table in front of lan chang'an.
“i hear you’re preparing to break through to foundation establishment?” lan chang'an asked.
in the decade she had been visiting the mountain-water manor, yun ling came by almost monthly to play with the "water jet turtle," however, due to lan chang'an’s frequent secluded cultivation, they didn’t always meet.
lan chang'an noticed that yun ling’s grandmother had likely given her a second-rank beauty retaining pill.
even after all these years, she still looked like the same fresh and pure young woman with bright starry eyes, snow-white skin, and a slender, willowy figure.
“mm, grandma said it’s best to relax my state of mind before attempting a major breakthrough, so i came to the estate to play with big turtle,” yun ling said with a sweet smile, her dimples showing as her voice carried a light, happy tone.
perhaps because of their natural affinity or the many years they had known each other, yun ling no longer showed the nervousness she had when she first met lan chang'an. her demeanor was now relaxed and natural, as though they were old friends reunited after many years.
woosh!
the water jet turtle floated up from the pond, carrying yun ling on its back as it wandered around the estate.
seated cross-legged on the turtle’s back with her arms wrapped around her knees, yun ling glanced over at lan chang'an, who was sampling the spirit fruits she had brought.
for some reason, her delicate face suddenly flushed red, and her heart began to race.
over the years, yun ling had experienced a recurring dream.
in the dream, she found herself inexplicably in an intimate relationship with the refined and handsome mister xu.
despite having no such experiences in reality, the scenes of affection in her dream were vivid and detailed to an uncanny degree.
what embarrassed her even more was that, in the dream, she had been the one to initiate the intimacy—something entirely out of character for her.
every time she recalled the dream, yun ling couldn’t help but blush and feel flustered.
though she found mister xu pleasant and even somewhat endearing, her feelings had not reached the point of true admiration or love.
this secret was so mortifying that she had told no one about it—not even her grandma, with whom she shared everything.
after half an hour, the water jet turtle brought yun ling back to the pavilion, where she prepared to take her leave.
“mister xu, ling’er is about to attempt foundation establishment. since you’re a core formation expert, could you offer me some guidance?”
yun ling stepped off the turtle’s back, her bright eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at him.
years earlier, lan chang'an had given her an incomplete talisman crafting inheritance materials. though it was seemingly ordinary, it had greatly benefited her.
thanks to that guidance, she had become a second-rank talisman master.
“since i’m free, i’ll share a few thoughts,” lan chang'an said, motioning for yun ling to sit beside him.
he then began explaining his insights into foundation establishment, recounting the guidance he had once given to guan qiaozhi.
yun ling listened attentively, her delicate face occasionally lighting up with expressions of understanding and enlightenment.
although lan chang'an’s pointers were not necessarily better than those of her grandmother, they resonated with her in a way that made her feel she grasped the concepts more fully.
despite her above-average mid-grade spiritual roots, solid foundation, and abundant resources, there was still a certain possibility of failure.
“mister xu, if ling’er succeeds in reaching foundation establishment, i’ll be sure to repay your kindness,” yun ling said solemnly as she bowed deeply before departing to prepare for her breakthrough.