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Chapter 226 The First Three Years

Time flew by and two or three years passed.

Lu Chang'an, who first came to the Jing Country's Immortal Cultivation World, practiced in the "Qing Sha Wan Xia Clan" of the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce in a low-key and peaceful manner, and seldom dealt with outsiders except for his own duty of refining pills.

He stays in the Dojo of Qiufeng Island all year round and hardly goes out.

Unconsciously, the cultivators of the Xia Clan got used to him, a middle-aged Foundation Establishment Stage Dan Master from a neighboring country.

Compared to the first one or two years of his arrival, the Xia Clan's senior management's guard and supervision of Lu Chang'an had lowered quite a bit.

A few months ago, the senior management of the Xia Clan invited Lu Changan to attend an important meeting of the clan.

Lu Chang'an decisively refused, reasoning that it had nothing to do with the alchemy duties of signing the Spirit Contract.

Lu Chang'an came to the Jing Kingdom to seek a stable cultivation path, to safely transition to the peak of the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and to seek for the completion of pills.

Lu Chang'an lacked interest in the internal affairs of the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce and the Xia Clan.

Besides, the invitation from the Xia Clan's senior management was most likely just a test.

"Rise!"

On this day, within the alchemy room of the Autumn Wind Island residence, Lu Chang'an pinched his fingers and performed the furnace opening technique.

Buzz!

In front of him, the ten-odd feet high double-eared violet copper furnace, the spirit pattern flickered, emitting a blazing aura, the lid of the cauldron suddenly trembled, and was smoothly opened by a spiritual haze.

Accompanied by a rich medicinal flavor, three crystal full purple pills flew out from the heat wave and landed in Lu Changan's palm.

Lu Changan scrutinized the three pills in his hand, two of them had four dao lines on the surface, representing the second rank lower grade pills.

The remaining one, with three and a half Dao lines, belonged to the Inferior Grade Pills.

Of course, inferior pills are not impossible to use, just less potent, more impurities, and may contain a certain amount of poison.

"Xiao Ming, you take these three Heart Suppressing Pills and send them to the storehouse."

Lu Chang'an handed the bottles of pills to the square-faced boy with a white complexion dressed as a medicine boy.

Xia Mingcheng, was one of the two medicine boys who assisted Lu Changan in refining the pills.

Alchemy is not only a technical task, but also a continuous physical labor.

Many high-quality pills cannot be made in three or five days.

Therefore, a medicine boy to assist in the alchemy is indispensable to every full-time elixir master.

Only then would the dan master have time to cultivate and not be significantly delayed.

Lu Chang'an would leave the stabilizing steps in the middle, those boring hours, to be guarded by the medicine boy when he refined some elixirs that were not too difficult or valuable.

In this way, he could save his energy, and the pill boy could also get guidance and exercise.

"Yes, Master Wu Dan."

Pill boy Xia Mingcheng received the pills and respectfully retreated.

Although Xia Mingcheng is a medicine boy, he is actually a first rank middle grade dan master, and is considered to be half of Lu Changan's disciple.

In terms of alchemy talent, Xia Mingcheng also surpasses Lu Changan.

"These two or three years, the accumulated alchemy opportunities and experience surpasses the past twenty years of working behind closed doors."

Lu Chang'an's alchemy skill at this time was much more refined than before he came to Jing Country.

Years ago, he became a second-ranked elixir master.

Due to the limitations of his talent, his opportunities to practice were far less than that of a full-time dan master, and his alchemy skills have been almost stagnant for many years since then.

When he arrived at the Xia Clan, Lu Changan had too many opportunities to practice, and the materials were all provided by the Xia Clan or the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce.

The types of pills he could make were likewise more than ever before.

In this environment, Lu Changan's alchemy skills had finally improved.

It was still difficult to advance to the second ranked middle grade, but at least he could feel the progress in his skills.

Lu Chang'an mainly helped the Xia Clan with their alchemy, followed by some of the alchemy tasks from the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce.

Nominally, Lu Chang'an was a member of the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce, as was the spirit contract he signed.

In essence, he belonged to the Xia Clan's external cultivators.

After all, Lu Chang'an's dojo, spiritual rice sustenance, and alchemy rewards for his cultivation were all provided by the Xia Clan. Moreover, three years ago on the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship, the Xia Clan signed a spirit contract with Lu Changan and paid the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce a sum of spirit stones.

Including the purchase of a second-order spirit contract, it was also an expense.

"However, the alchemy materials provided by the Xia Clan and the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce are mostly less precious and ordinary items."

Like the Foundation Establishment Pill, the second-stage breakthrough pills, Lu Chang'an had never refined them before.

Lacking the opportunity to practice accordingly, Lu Changan could not guarantee the success rate and quality of such pills.

The Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce has a higher ranked second grade top grade elixir master who is mainly responsible for refining important elixirs due to his old age and lack of energy.

For ordinary second-rank pills, they are handed over to Lu Chang'an or other family's pillsmiths.

......

Lu Changan walked out of the alchemy room and stepped into the quiet garden courtyard.

"Dan Master Wu, this is the information that the Young Master has recently gathered from the Merchant League."

A soft young girl's voice came.

Xia Wenyue, dressed in a plain skirt, just flew back to Autumn Wind Island shortly afterward, bowed with obeisance and handed a jade cylinder to Lu Chang'an.

Lu Chang'an only needed two medicine boy places to join Autumn Wind Island.

Xia Wenyue is the other medicine boy.

Xia Wenyue is the other medicine boy, and she also serves as a maid, taking care of the affairs of the island, including the reception of people and things.

She is a sickly child with rich knowledge of pharmacology, and is a pharmacist, similar to Ye Fei of Wu Qi Shan.

Pharmacists focus on pharmacology, including medicine and poison, but the basic skills of alchemy is also essential, but not as specialized as the Dan Master.

"Well, you first go down to rest."

Lu Changan took the jade cylinder and glanced at the jade pale and panting Xia Clan girl.

Just flying a short distance within the clan made it seem strained.

Lu Changan had been in Autumn Wind Island for two or three years, but Xia Wen Yue had always had a sickly pale face, with light smoke shrouding her brows, giving her a sense of sadness.

Even though her body is weak, Xia Wen Yue's appearance and temperament is one of the best in the Xia Clan.

In order to stay on Autumn Wind Island, Xia Wen Yue was willing to be a maid.

In addition to assisting in the alchemy, she also had to take care of many things on the island, including serving tea and water, and running errands.

But this woman's body is sick and weak, and her magic power is not good, so she can't cope with it.

One time, Xia Wen Yue fainted while working on the island.

Lu Chang'an saw that this woman is a good person, hard-working, and her temperament is not evil, so he has a good impression of her.

In a good mood of casual conversation, Lu Changan kindly mentioned:

"Xiao Yue, your body is cold and weak, you seem to have some kind of disease root. Mister Wu has a little experience in the medical path, and can help you look at it."

Lu Changan's proposal, in addition to partly being kind, was also out of curiosity.

His divine sense had probed, but he couldn't see the cause of Xia Wen Yue's illness.

He couldn't help but wonder if this woman had a special physique.

That would require mana contact and an in-depth examination into the body.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chang'an's good intentions were rejected by the girl.

"Thank you, Master Wu Dan, my daughter's weakness is from her mother's womb. My mother had asked a third-rank pharmacist to look at it before she was born, but she was unable to get a cure, and could only stabilize the Yin Cold Qi through potions, barely maintaining her cultivation."

"Over the years, Wen Yue has already been contented and does not have more extravagant hopes for this."

At that time, Xia Wen Yue glanced at the round-faced, yellow-bearded, slightly oily middle-aged man, and politely declined the good intentions.

Lu Chang'an naturally wouldn't stick a cold ass on a hot face.

Even though there was some curiosity and a slight sense of strangeness, the topic was not mentioned thereafter.

He guessed that if he were to change into Lu Chang'an's original appearance, the result might be different.

Lu Chang'an's identity disguised by the Hundred Illusions Mask, inherited the appearance and temperament of others, the image is not ugly and lewd, but more or less a middle-aged man's greasiness.

......

"Liang cultivation world, a quarter of the spirit vein dojo, was attacked by the Golden Sun Sect camp? Now, there are more Liang cultivators, fled to the neutral Jing country......"

Back in his room, Lu Chang'an checked the intelligence information in the jade cylinder. In the two or three years since he had been stationed on Autumn Wind Island, although he hadn't gone out much, he had kept an eye on the Liang Cultivation War.

The Jing Country Business Alliance had a wide range of information channels, and the cultivators from the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce, went to Liang once or twice a year.

Lu Changan then asked Xia Mingqu, the young master of the Xia Clan, to bring back to himself information about the wars in the Liang cultivation world.

At the same time, he was curious to know if the news of the ancient ruins had leaked out.

Lu Chang'an couldn't ask directly, so he found an excuse to say that he was concerned about the situation around Huanglong Immortal City and asked the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce to help him keep an eye on it.

"There is still no news of the ancient ruins. We can be sure that the news of the relics has not leaked out on a wide scale at least."

"Fairy Shifu has become a Third Order Formation Master for a few years, and so far she is safe and sound. Before she left the ruins, she should have dealt with the head and tail, not exposing the most central secret......."

Lu Chang'an came to the basic conclusion.

The Xuanmu Gourd Vine on his body involves a major chance above the YuanYing level.

If this core secret were to leak out, the identity of a Third Order Formation Master wouldn't be able to protect Fairy Shifu.

If it were an ordinary cave or relic.

Fairy Shifu has been promoted to False Dan and has become a Third Order Formation Master, her identity is comparable to that of a True Dan, so she can be completely covered.

Nowadays, Fairy Shifu is considered to be a big shot in Liang's immortal cultivation world.

A year ago, in the information brought back by the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce, there was a brief mention of this newly promoted Third Order Formation Master in the vicinity of Yellow Dragon Immortal City.

It is worth mentioning.

The Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce has some business dealings with the Liang Kingdom's Royal Beast Zhou Family.

Some of the information was provided by the cultivators of the Imperial Beast Zhou Family.

"On the side of the Golden Sun Sect in the Beacon Country, there is no news about the reward for the 'Turtle Talisman Master' so far. Could it be that Mu Jiuan's group back then, concealed this matter and didn't attract the Golden Sun Sect's pursuit?"

Lu Changan was equally attentive to the other hidden danger.

He could only be sure that a small turtle talisman master had not entered the vision of the Golden Sun Sect's senior management.

If it was an important bounty figure, it would have been rewarded by a YuanYing level sect transnationally.

"At the moment, it seems that these two hidden dangers are not much of a problem."

Lu Chang'an pondered,

"In the future, if I or one of the Ground Rock Rats succeeds in achieving dan, it won't be enough to worry about. There's even no need to hide my identity, and I'll be able to cultivate normally in the Land of Jing as Lu Chang'an."

After reading the information, Lu Changan's state of mind became more and more stable.

In the three times that the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce provided information, the "Turtle Talisman Master" was never mentioned.

The name of "Turtle Rune Master" was only slightly known in the Immortal Cultivation world of Liang, but once you crossed the Immortal Cultivation countries, basically no one knew about this person.

Unless it is a person like Huang Long Zhen Zhen, who has a certain "legend", even in the neighboring countries, some cultivators know about him.

Unless it's a person like Huang Long Zhen, who has a certain "legendary status" and is known to some cultivators even in neighboring countries.

Lu Changan guessed that the cultivators of the Xia Clan must have checked the identity of "Wu Fan" two years ago.

The result of the investigation might suspect that Lu Chang'an had used an alias.

But this is no longer important.

As long as Lu Changan didn't have bad intentions towards the Xia Clan, he could honestly make pills. How big of a wave could a middle stage Foundation Establishment who had smuggled himself across the border for refuge make?

In the short term, Lu Changan wasn't worried about exposing his true identity.

For one thing, the influence of the Five Fortunes Chamber of Commerce is very limited when it comes to cross-country investigations.

There were not a few cultivators who fled to the Jing Country. In the context of a chaotic war, the disappearance of a Foundation Establishment stage is not too normal.

Secondly, no one in the outside world knew that Lu Chang'an had the attainments of a Second Order Dan Master.

Even if some people had the heart to associate it with the Turtle Talisman Master, a second-order dan master and a mid Foundation Establishment stage cultivation would rule out Lu Chang'an.

Normally, concealing one's cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage would make it difficult to conceal it from the Xia Clan's False Dan Ancestors.

......

The night is ten minutes old.

Lu Changan dismissed Xia Wen Yue and went alone to the basement below the Autumn Wind Island residence.

On Autumn Wind Island, two medicine boys lived in the housing built on the periphery.

Lu Chang'an's mansion and the deep pool behind it were in the shroud of a quasi third-order formation. Underneath the basement, there was a secret tunnel that connected to the deep pool behind the mansion.

This tunnel was secretly dug by the Ground Rock Rats a few months after they arrived at Autumn Wind Island.

The Xuan Shui Turtle lives in the deep pool at the other end of the tunnel and comes out when no one is around, and dives down when a cultivator comes over.

Due to the concealment of the two formations, the secret tunnel and the Xuan Shui Turtle have not been discovered by the cultivators of the Xia Clan so far.

Moreover, Lu Changan had it disguised as an ordinary spirit turtle.

Zee!

A rat demon with mottled yellow fur topped the dark door of the tunnel and led the way for Lu Changan in front.

The yellow-spotted rat demon, judging from its appearance, is a common species called the "yellow rock rat", which is a close relative of the ground rock rat.

This is the result of the Ground Rock Rat practicing the art of changing shape.

Due to the similarity in bloodline, it is not easy for the Beast Master to recognize it.

During the day, as a Yellow Rock Mouse, with a cultivation level of the middle of the second stage, it stays in the residence of Autumn Wind Island, responsible for labor and guarding.

With the formation to cover it up, as long as the Ground Rock Rat doesn't run into the Xia Clan's leader, Xia Hong Yu, there's no problem.

A few moments later.

Following the tunnel, Lu Chang'an arrived at the deep pool at the other end.

At the place of the deep pool, there was a stone house covered by an array formation to isolate the water flow.

Wow!

The Xuan Shui Turtle carried Lu Chang'an and the Rat Demon, shielding the water flow and entering the hidden stone house at the bottom of the pool.

Inside the stone house, there is a moderately dry and wet soil underfoot.

A large porcelain tank stands on the surface of the soil.

The jar is filled with colorful soil and planted with a withered gourd vine.

It was the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine that Lu Changan had brought out from the ancient ruins.

At the bottom of the porcelain jar, a hole was broken open; the five elements of soil at the bottom of the jar came into contact with the soil at the bottom of the lake, connecting it with the "earth's qi", and it was no longer rootless.

Although it is not really rooted, but it has a similar effect.

Lu Changan naturally had some considerations when he placed the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine here.

Firstly, this deep pool is connected to the earth's veins, so the aura is active and the earth's qi is strong.

Secondly, with the natural geography of the deep pool, the combination of the quasi-third-order formation's dark formation, and the isolation material created by the Shadow Stone, it is well hidden.

Thirdly, the Xuan Shui Turtle resides in the deep pool and can be looked after all year round.

When Lu Changan was busy, the Xuan Shui Turtle performed the Cloud and Rain Technique to help water the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine and maintain its vitality.

Xuan Shui Turtle is very happy to do this job.

"Putting the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine here to grow is more hidden and difficult to find than me taking it out with me."

Lu Chang'an had repeatedly scrutinized the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine and even made a slight projection based on his experience in his previous life.

As a result, he came to a conclusion.

The Xuan Mu Gourd Vine has the ability to block heavenly chances and projections.

Of course, Lu Changan was not proficient in projecting in his previous life, he only slightly got the skinny, and the effect of the projections launched with his late Foundation Establishment cultivation was very cockamamie.

Lu Changan approached the withered gourd vine and observed it for a moment, he couldn't help but shake his head.

After the gourd vine was connected to the earth's energy at the bottom of the pool, there was no obvious sign of growth.

Since the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine was taken out of the ruins, all Lu Changan could do was to maintain its vitality.

If one pays for one's lifespan and performs the Secret Art of Evergreen, one can feel the vitality of the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine increase by a very small margin.

Perhaps, by investing a large amount of longevity, there is the possibility of reversing the growth.

However, how could Lu Changan be willing to use a large amount of his life span to gamble on an unknown outcome?

Even if he wanted to try a little, he would at least have to be promoted to True Dan and have his longevity increase significantly.

......

"Let's go."

With a wave of his hand, Lu Changan put the large porcelain jar planting the gourd vine and containing the five elements of earth into his storage bag, temporarily disconnecting it from the earth's qi.

Next, he was going to go out and plan for the Earth Rock Rat's dan formation.

Although the Xuan Mu Gourd Vine is hidden here, subjectively it is better to carry it with him.

As long as it is nourished by the five elements of earth and Evergreen's magic power, it will be able to keep the gourd vine from withering and dying.

"Three Years to Gain Xia's Initial Trust. It is not advisable to delay any longer......" Lu Chang'an patted the head of the Ground Rock Rat.

He then returned to the ground of the Autumn Wind Island residence through a secret tunnel.

The next morning.

Lu Chang'an took the initiative to pay a visit to the Xia Clan's Young Lord, Xia Mingqu, and stated his intentions.