Chapter 67: Tie Lanshan and Li Ye

Within just one day, the news that the VIP auction hall had sold the top-tier cultivation method Qingdi Changsheng Gong had spread throughout the entire shopping mall.

Everyone was surprised, and at the same time they were all speculating about who had managed to purchase that top-tier cultivation method.

After returning to Tiangang Institute, Tie Lanshan and the others were also discussing this matter, and the price of seventy thousand spirit stones made them curious as to which faction's heir possessed such financial resources.

"Goodness! Seventy thousand spirit stones! If exchanged for cultivation resources, that would be enough for me to reach Foundation Establishment!"

Wu Yue said enviously.

"The number one wood-element cultivation method! Sigh!"

Li Ye let out a sigh!

The few exchanged glances and remained silent; among them, Li Ye was a spirit plant master with top-grade wood spirit roots, and it was obvious that the allure of the top-tier cultivation method Qingdi Changsheng Gong for him was extraordinary.

"Alright! Alright, let's not discuss this anymore; no matter how good it is, it belongs to others. Let's talk about Foundation Establishment Pills instead! The smooth gathering of materials this time is beyond our expectations! Now we have the materials for two Foundation Establishment Pills ready; next, old man me will go into seclusion to refine pills!"

Zhang Zuo changed the subject and announced something that made them happy!

Wang Ye also laughed and said: "Hahaha! That's right, but we still need to thank Fellow Daoist Lan for his ten thousand spirit stones; without his spirit stones, we might not have been able to purchase the Mysterious Spirit Fruit."

Saying this, he suddenly realized that Fellow Practitioner Lan had not yet come to Tiangang Institute to meet with them, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"Huh! Where did Fellow Daoist Lan go? By rights, he should have come out before us! I still wanted to ask about the VIP auction hall!"

At this point, the others also sensed something was off, and they all turned their gazes toward Tie Lanshan.

Among them, Fellow Daoist Lan had the closest relationship with Tie Lanshan.

Tie Lanshan laughed and said: "Let me get in touch!"

Saying this, he took out his jade slip to make an inquiry, but noticed the jade slip flickering unstably—this was because someone had sent him a message via jade slip—so he immediately pointed his finger and said, "Appear!"

Whoosh!

In less than a breath, a jade slip descended from the sky!

Tie Lanshan caught it in his hand, placed it on his forehead, and after seeing the information inside, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Putting the jade slip down, Tie Lanshan laughed and said:

"It's a message from Fellow Daoist Lan; he is going into seclusion for a period of time! He has already activated the protective grand formation of Jin Garden!"

Seclusion?

At this time?

Activating the residence's protective grand formation? That's the rhythm of sealing oneself off completely!

Everyone was puzzled, and Tie Lanshan had his own suspicions, but he would not tell the others.

Jin Garden, basement!

At this point, Wang Ping had already abandoned the Green Wood Longevity Technique and truly began cultivating Qingdi Changsheng Gong.

Qingdi Changsheng Gong's Qi Refining chapter consists of four layers; the first three

layers correspond respectively to the early, middle, and late stages.

Dispersing the cultivation is not about scattering all of his spirit power throughout his body, but about abolishing the circulation route of the Green Wood Longevity Technique within him.

At this moment, he was like a martial arts master who possessed internal power but did not know how to unleash it.

The first step is often the most difficult; his body's 1,398 threads of spirit power had already contracted into a clump, and even though it was the number one wood-element method, at this moment its operation was extremely slow.

However, this is merely an adaptation period, and soon the first thread of spirit power was mobilized by him.

The circulation route of Qingdi Changsheng Gong is extraordinarily complex; at the outset, even a single thread of spirit power moves with extreme slowness.

Fortunately, his spirit power is extremely pure and also carries a hint of spirit realm aura, so it does not need multiple refinements; after just one circuit, the first thread of spirit power is already completely under his control.

Wang Ping's idea was good; he thought that having completed the first step, the rest would be much easier.

But who would have known, what happened next left him laughing and crying at once.

After the first thread of spirit power had circulated once according to Qingdi Changsheng Gong, it already carried a strong aura of the method.

This caused it, upon entering the dantian, to almost be squeezed out by the mass of spirit power.

Such an obvious scene of exclusion made Wang Ping somewhat laugh and cry.

Would his own clump of spirit power treat that single thread as a traitor?

Wang Ping was about to mobilize his mental power to suppress it, but who would have known that after that thread of spirit power was squeezed aside, it seemed as if the old emperor himself had been provoked.

It charged forward again, only to be bounced back once more, but this time it actually brought out another thread of spirit power.

Wang Ping hurriedly circulated the method again; after one circuit, two threads of spirit power, imbued with a strong aura of the new method, re-entered the dantian.

Yet they were still compressed, but this time they brought out four threads.

Wang Ping, unable to contain his joy, circulated the method once more; thus, Qingdi Changsheng Gong operated rapidly in an unimaginable way.

In just one night, he had mastered 108 threads of spirit power, and his strength had recovered to the peak of early Qi Refining.

Wang Ping was happily proceeding with the method change here, while outside, due to the upheaval surrounding the number one wood-element Qingdi Changsheng Gong, things were becoming increasingly intense.

All factions inquired at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion about the aura of the owner of that private room.

Moreover, someone offered a bounty of ten thousand spirit stones for information.

On the night after Wang Ping obtained the method, Tie Lanshan silently hid in a corner, watching the activated Guard Garden Grand Formation within Jin Garden.

Given his attainments in formation dao, this formation could not stop him.

At the instant he saw the jade slip, he had a faint suspicion; he originally should not have come here, but the reason he rushed over was because a faint, almost invisible figure had suddenly appeared at the corner of Jin Garden's outer wall.

The previous night, he had set up an investigative formation on the road near Jin Garden.

Today the formation showed fluctuations, so he came.

Li Ye nervously and cautiously looked around; his right hand tightly gripped a blue cone resembling an iron awl.

He wore a very rare treasure, an invisibility cloak, which could conceal his form; as long as he remained in the shadows, no one at the Qi Refining stage could detect him.

Standing before the corner of Jin Garden's wall, Li Ye's eyes turned red, and within his red gaze lay a hint of greed.

"Once the news of Qingdi Changsheng Gong spread, you went into seclusion—what a coincidence! Moreover, you even participated in the VIP auction hall's bidding! The number one wood-element method must be in your hands."

Li Ye gritted his teeth and muttered softly.

It seemed as if doing so could bring him a hint of comfort; he desperately needed the Qingdi Changsheng Gong. Admittedly he possessed top‑grade wood spiritual root, giving him a high chance of reaching Foundation Establishment, but in this life he absolutely refused to stop at Foundation Establishment.

On the path of cultivation, each realm is a different heaven, the scenery changes daily, and crossing each major realm is extraordinarily difficult.

The ratio of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment is five hundred to one, ranging up to one in a thousand.

But the proportion of Foundation Establishment cultivators who successfully advance to Golden Core is even more astonishing.

In the West Droop region, over a thousand are Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet only three have become Golden Core; the Golden Core cultivators of the three major sects all attained True Person status over a hundred years ago.

How many of them are Qi Refining cultivators, and how many are Foundation Establishment?

Advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core cannot be achieved solely by relying on pills.

Talent, cultivation method, willpower, comprehension of the heavenly Dao, resources, and luck—none can be lacking.

Basically, one must excel in every aspect to have a chance of becoming a Golden Core cultivator.

To become a True Person who can enjoy five hundred years of spring and autumn.

Li Ye harbored great ambition, absolutely unwilling to become an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator; he had already traveled a long way on the path of Qi Refining Great Perfection, nearly reaching the level of two thousand strands of spiritual power.

But this step is hard to cross; it's not that his talent lacks, but his cultivation method is lacking—his method isn't particularly outstanding among those at this level of strength.

Therefore, up to now, no matter how firm his will or how abundant his spiritual power, he has not made any forward progress for over a year.

Li Ye was about to give up, but who would have thought—heavens pitying him, the news of the top wood‑system cultivation method appeared at the city auction.

This ignited a spark of hope in him, and what excited him even more was that the owner of the Qingdi Changsheng Gong method was very likely his recently made good friend, Lan Ming.

Although he knew Lan Ming possessed a water spiritual root, Li Ye still believed that Lan Ming possessed the top wood‑system cultivation method.

Li Ye's eyes flashed; he lingered before the wall for a full ten breaths, then finally thrust the blue cone in his hand toward the Guardian Formation of Prudent Garden.

Sorry about this, Fellow Daoist Lan Ming!

Li Ye chanted silently in his heart! Just as he was about to thrust forward, a faint voice sounded from behind:

"If I'm not mistaken, what you hold in your hand is a formation‑breaking cone, Fellow Daoist!"

Li Ye was so startled he almost dropped the formation‑breaking cone in his hand, he turned his head back in disbelief, and under the faint moonlight, the Blue Formation Master stood silently three feet behind him.

When did he arrive?

How could I not have noticed even a trace?

How could he possibly detect me?