Chapter 45: Lucky Star

Several days later, in a quiet room within the Blood-Robed Tower.

Fairy Feixia had long since departed gracefully, while Lu Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, beginning to study the talisman arts inheritance he had received from his seated discourse with Fairy Feixia.

As for romantic love, Lu Yang had never held such matters in his heart.

This was simply because he knew clearly that where the Holy Sect was concerned, there was no such thing as true love; it was merely an exchange of interests.

The grace of saving her life was only one aspect; the other was that while he held the market town, even a Qi Condensation Great Perfection expert could do nothing to him, and Fairy Feixia needed his help.

Another part of the reason was that dual cultivation allowed for a faster pace of discourse.

After all, the Holy Sect possessed the Yin-Yang Great Joy Ode, a dual cultivation technique that could directly harvest knowledge, making physical exchange far more convenient than verbal communication.

However, if Fairy Feixia thought she could demand any favors from him based on these few days of interaction, that was absolutely impossible.

After all, during these few days, he had also taught Fairy Feixia array formations.

Money and goods exchanged, very fair!

"Talisman arts, ah."

As one of the hundred arts of cultivation, talisman arts were also a highly sought-after category, and after several days of deep interaction, Lu Yang had gained a deeper understanding of them.

In his view, so-called talisman arts were essentially a type of temporary miniature array formation; although their power was far inferior to that of proper arrays, they excelled in portability, required no ley lines or spiritual energy support, had no geographical restrictions, and could be activated simply by the user injecting magic power.

Lu Yang focused his mind and looked at the interface of the 【Book of Hundred Lives】.

【Golden Light Talisman (Entry Level), Five Thunders Talisman (Entry Level), Sword Qi Talisman (Entry Level), Wind-Returning Fire Talisman (Entry Level)】

Fairy Feixia had transmitted a total of four talismans to him; among them, the Golden Light Talisman, Five Thunders Talisman, and Sword Qi Talisman were all relatively common, ranking no higher than Ninth Grade.

Only the last one, the Wind-Returning Fire Talisman, was a great talisman of Seventh Grade.

This talisman could imprint and preserve a cultivator's state from a specific period of time, overlaying it when needed to allow the cultivator to return to their peak condition for a short duration.

For instance, if you had just endured a fierce battle, were covered in injuries, and retained less than a tenth of your magic power, using this talisman would immediately restore you to an undamaged state with peak magic power; although the subsequent backlash would worsen your injuries by three parts, it was sufficient for emergencies at critical moments.

The fact that Fairy Feixia had previously managed to flee all the way back to the market town was thanks to this talisman.

That she would voluntarily transmit such a life-preserving talisman showed that although she harbored other intentions during this exchange of discourse, she still possessed a degree of sincerity.

Of course, the effects of the Wind-Returning Fire Talisman could not be stacked.

Moreover, because its efficacy was outstanding, its cooldown period was correspondingly longer; after one use, a three-month interval was required before it could be used a second time.

"Heaven is round, earth is square; laws and decrees in nine chapters; now I lower my brush, and ten thousand spirits cower in hiding."

Several sheets of talisman paper floated in the air; Lu Yang formed a hand seal with one hand while circulating magic power with the other to write upon the paper, occasionally losing control of his magic power and destroying a sheet.

However, very quickly, Lu Yang would draw in new talisman paper to replace the lost ones.

After a long while passed in this manner, Lu Yang slowly finished his work, and before him now lay four talismans glowing with spiritual light, each differing in color and inscription.

"Success!"

Lu Yang first stored away the most precious Wind-Returning Fire Talisman, then picked up the remaining three talismans, gazing at them intently, when suddenly a thought arose in his mind.

"Unlike the Wind-Returning Fire Talisman, these Golden Light, Five Thunders, and Sword Qi talismans are quite conventional and do not require profound talisman techniques; as long as materials are prepared and production is increased, they can essentially be mass-produced—the only problem lies in how to find so many people to draw talismans for you without pay."

Fortunately, this was something Lu Yang had never worried about.

It just so happened that the banner spirits within the Myriad Souls Banner were idle all day with nothing to do; he could pass down the art of talisman drawing to them, giving them some work to pass the time.

Doing so would even save a sum of money.

After all, if he hired Holy Sect disciples to draw talismans, he would have to pay them wages.

But banner spirits? Ridiculous; the fact that he was willing to give them work was already their blessing; if they wanted wages, he would not hesitate to lay them off!

Stepping out of the quiet room, Yun Miaoqing, who was guarding outside, brought Lu Yang some unexpected news.

"Zhao Xuhe?"

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, pondering in his heart why this Senior Brother Zhao would suddenly come to seek him, especially since he had been full of vigilance toward him during their last conversation.

Seeing Lu Yang frown, Yun Miaoqing said softly, "If Daoist Brother does not wish to see him, shall I drive him away?"

"... o need." Lu Yang smiled slightly. "Let us meet him."

Soon, Zhao Xuhe was led into the reception hall of the Blood-Robed Tower; Lu Yang secretly observed the surroundings and, finding nothing amiss, entered.

"Senior Brother Zhao! I've missed you to death!"

Lu Yang laughed heartily, embracing Zhao Xuhe the moment he entered the door, and said excitedly, "To be honest with you, some time ago I fought too fiercely against that true disciple from the Divine Martial Gate; although I slew him, I suffered heavy injuries and had to recuperate for quite a long time before recovering, keeping Senior Brother Zhao waiting."

"No, no."

Zhao Xuhe smiled awkwardly yet politely, but in his heart, he was gnashing his teeth in rage, for he had seen Fairy Feixia walk out of the Blood-Robed Tower!

However, his Dao heart was firm, and he quickly shook off the negative emotions.

"Junior Brother Lu, I have come this time with a request."

Zhao Xuhe got straight to the point, saying in a deep voice, "Does Junior Brother know of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm? Recently, news about this secret realm has been on everyone's lips..."

"Of course I know it." Lu Yang nodded.

Seizing the momentum, Zhao Xuhe continued, "To be honest with Junior Brother, I actually possess some clues regarding the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, which may be related to a Foundation Establishment opportunity!"

"Oh."

Lu Yang's bland reaction instantly left Zhao Xuhe stunned.

This wasn't right.

In his expectations, a Foundation Establishment opportunity was such a monumental matter that upon hearing of it, shouldn't Lu Yang have immediately anxiously questioned him for specific details?

Little did he know that Lu Yang's state of mind was currently very calm.

One must remember that when he first learned of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, it was only after transforming Ouyang Feng into a banner spirit that he unearthed the information; it was absolutely a little-known secret.

But now?

The entire Skull Mountain was spreading news of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm; everyone was discussing it, as if finding the secret realm meant even a mortal could successfully achieve Foundation Establishment.

'When the old ladies in the neighborhood start discussing stock trading, you should leave the market.'

Was a secret that everyone knew still a secret?

They were just waiting to cut the leeks!

Lu Yang saw this very clearly; the more the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm was hyped to the height of its power, with opportunities seemingly everywhere, the more determined he became not to step half a foot outside the market town.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately shook his head. "I apologize, Senior Brother, but I have no interest in secret realms."

"This..." Zhao Xuhe's mouth hung wide open, and he hurriedly persuaded, "Junior Brother, cultivation is not easy; a person lives only one life; how can you shrink back at such a critical moment?"

"The ancient Witch-Ghost Path was a great demonic sect; although it was eventually destroyed by the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, a centipede with a hundred legs does not die stiffly; there must still be some good treasures left, perhaps even a Foundation Establishment oddity; could it be that Junior Brother is not moved? You must know that opportunities are hard to come by in a lifetime; once missed, they are gone forever!"

'Opportunities are hard to come by in a lifetime... that applies to you.'

'I am different; if this life doesn't work, I'll just try again in the next life.'

Lu Yang cursed silently in his heart, but on his face, he firmly shook his head. "My decision is made; one must remember that what is destined will eventually come, and what is not destined cannot be forced."

Zhao Xuhe stood in place, speechless.

There was no way around it; with words spoken to this extent, if Lu Yang still had no intention of leaving the mountain, he had no other choice but to curse him as a damn old tortoise in his heart.

"... ince that is the case, let it be."

"However, in coming here, I have another transaction I wish to discuss with Junior Brother."

Zhao Xuhe clenched his teeth tightly and had to switch to his second plan, saying with a pained expression, "I possess a secret technique that can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment."

"I wish to use it as collateral to borrow thirty thousand contribution points from Junior Brother."

"... Foundation Establishment secret technique?"

At these words, Lu Yang, who had been intending to show his guest out, suddenly brightened his eyes; looking at Zhao Xuhe, he found him exceedingly pleasing to the eye; this man truly was his lucky star.

Speculating on substitute death yin puppets, the Nine Transformations Dragon Art, the Skull Mountain Market Town.

And now, another Foundation Establishment secret technique!

To date, among the many opportunities he had relied upon, which one did not have dear Senior Brother Zhao behind it? That he could reach where he was today, Zhao's contribution was truly indispensable!

(End of Chapter)