Chapter 87: Future Plans
"Gift? This Miss Fu is indeed a person of integrity."
Lan Chang'an accepted the exquisite gift box, maintaining a calm demeanor.
The cave mansion was at the foot of Huanglong Mountain, to prevent prying spiritual senses from detecting their activities, they mustn't reveal any dissatisfaction, no matter how aggrieved they felt.
Though he didn't harbor an overwhelming grudge, Lan Chang'an still remembered the humiliation of having his cultivation path obstructed.
"The glory of Huanglong Immortal City will last only a century or two. The number one loose cultivator in the Liang Kingdom, the famous Huanglong Immortal, has less than a hundred years left to live. Relative to the long river of history, it is as fleeting as a blooming flower." Having lived through two lifetimes, Lan Chang'an had seen too many rises and falls.
Even someone as strong as Huanglong Immortal would eventually grow old.
Fu Xuemei was emotional and might not be able to bear the banner, especially if she continued to disregard consequences in her attempts to support her brother.
Today's cause will inevitably have its effect in the future.
"Fu Xuemei, I hope your cultivation path will continue for many years to come, and you won't perish midway."
"Alchemist Hua, refine a few more Life Extension Pills for yourself."
Lan Chang'an wasn't worried about lacking the strength for revenge in the future but feared that his enemies wouldn't live until that day.
If such a day did come, however, he wouldn't shy away from unleashing violence upon the elderly and the young.
Every era's strong ones mostly didn't have long periods of prominence; there would always be a low point in life or a time when the hero grew old.
He practiced the Evergreen Technique, maintaining a vigorous state even in the future. If old dead bones were hard to chew, in that case, bullying their descendants ought to be a piece of cake.
...
Lan Chang'an's thoughts were racing as he opened Fu Xuemei's exquisite gift box.
Inside was a finely crafted talisman brush with a dark blue barrel and a moderately tough tip.
"A mid-grade second-rank talisman brush." Lan Chang'an's eyes brightened.
The talisman brush he was currently using was only low-grade second-rank, unable to fully utilize his real strength.
Fu Xuemei's promised gift was indeed sincere.
A mid-grade second-rank talisman brush plus a standard Foundation Establishment Pill; the price difference in trading a superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't much.
A superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill only increased the probability by five percent compared to an ordinary one, but due to its scarcity, its value increased by more than half.
If an immortal in the Core Formation Realm forcibly bought it for a descendant, the price might even double.
Fu Xuemei also promised a favor.
In terms of value alone, Lan Chang'an didn't lose anything.
Considering his successful Foundation Establishment, he actually made a profit.
Lan Chang'an put away the talisman brush, feeling much better.
In light of the sincerity of this talisman brush, Lan Chang'an resolved to go easy on Fu Xuemei in the future.
...
"Fellow Daoist Lan, I won't bother you further. I'll return to the Jin Yun Valley base." After chatting for a while, Zhao Siyao rose to bid farewell.
"For this Lan to get the Foundation Establishment Pill and break through successfully; Fellow Daoist Zhao deserves much credit."
Before leaving, Lan Chang'an gave Zhao Siyao a few second-rank talismans.
Indeed, he could have killed the low-grade second-rank White Jade Python in the Black Fog Mountain Range alone.
But Zhao Siyao was familiar with the Black Fog Mountain Range environment, and having an actual Foundation Establishment cultivator helped bear a lot of risks.
Moreover, Zhao Siyao provided cover during the pill refinement process.
"Fellow Daoist Lan for this token of appreciation, Siyao mustn't be polite." Zhao Siyao smiled and accepted the talismans frankly.
She was now completely certain that Lan Chang'an was a second-rank talisman master.
Lan Chang'an had always shown a decent talent in talisman-making. Now, having reached Foundation Establishment in his seventies, it was unsurprising that he had attained the status of a second-rank talisman master.
...
In the next two months.
There were many visitors, most of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Some represented their factions, extending olive branches with sincere conditions.
Some were from city-based immortal cultivation families inviting Lan Chang'an to be an elder; others from large shops wanted him as a Foundation Establishment talisman master.
Logically, Lan Chang'an, a "white-headed man" achieving Foundation Establishment, had no potential and shouldn't be so popular.
There were three main reasons.
First, besides being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lan Chang'an was also a skilled talisman master.
Second, there were rumors that Fu Xuemei owed Lan Chang'an a favor.
Third, Lan Chang'an had a clear background and good character, and his achievement in Foundation Establishment in his seventies gave him a certain amount of fame.
Lan Chang'an had been quietly cultivating in Huanglong Immortal City for many years, never causing trouble, showing respect to his immortal guide, and even taking in his guide's female disciple.
Cultivators recruiting talents valued character.
Cultivators with poor character, constantly making enemies everywhere, were not truly liked by any faction.
Lan Chang'an's good character, non-confrontational nature, and skills naturally made him a popular recruit.
Some cultivators visited purely to see the "mascot."
Lan Chang'an's ancient age foundation establishement broke a thousand-year-old record, making him akin to a living fossil. These visitors merely wished to catch a glimpse of this wonder.
Lan Chang'an was torn between laughter and tears—but thankfully, none of the visiting cultivators harbored any ill intent, whether they sought to recruit or merely came to make friends.
Those who visited all brought congratulatory gifts, so even though Lan Chang'an was a rare for a while, he didn't miss out on the entrance fee.
...
Fortunately, the popularity of achieving Foundation Establishment in their ancient age gradually faded in Huanglong Immortal City.
After this wave of enthusiasm passed, no one would pay attention to Lan Chang'an anymore.
In the cultivation world, strange and interesting events were numerous, with all kinds of news every month.
No matter how shocking the news, it couldn't stay in the headlines forever.
Achieving Foundation Establishment in ancient age was merely inspiring, not defying the heavens.
Although Lan Chang'an had broken a thousand-year-old record in Liang's cultivation world, when placed in the annals of the entire Great Qing, let alone the vast cultivation world, his accomplishment barely caused a ripple.
...
"Upon achieving Foundation Establishment, the illumination speed of the second life in the Nine Seal Stele has indeed significantly increased."
One day, Lan Chang'an entered the Nine Seal Stele in his consciousness.
The handsome man of the first life was fully illuminated.
The white-bearded old man of the second life had a large portion of his hair illuminated.
He estimated that in about ten years, he could fully illuminate the second life of the peak Core Formation Realm.
During this time, Lan Chang'an also considered his future plans for the Foundation Establishment stage.
He had little interest in the recruitment offers from various factions.
Firstly, he didn't wish to be constrained by their rules and regulations.
Secondly, he harbored secrets, and long-term contact with high-level cultivators might expose them.
"Alchemist Hua's model is good, being an independent loose cultivator without constraints while networking with important figures of major factions." Lan Chang'an thought.
Alchemist Hua indeed schemed against him, but his achievements today were not just due to his superb alchemy skills but also his shrewd methods.
Like Alchemist Hua, Lan Chang'an had excellent skills.
Alchemist Hua had limited longevity, being over a hundred years old.
Lan Chang'an had a long lifespan and plenty of free time.
There was no need to fight for a moment's gain or loss, the older you get, the stronger your magical power will become.
...
Lan Chang'an also considered the more distant goal of forming a core.
He was in the habit of planning ahead, which was why he had come to the Huanglong Immortal City during the Qi-Refining stage.
Without so many years of preparation, it would have been nigh impossible to gather all the ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill on his own.
Fake-Dan, True-Dan, Golden-Dan.
These were the three qualities of a core.
A Fake-Dan, also known as an inferior dan, was an incomplete core formation cultivator.
Such cultivators had only forty percent of the total mana of a True-Dan and a lifespan extension of one hundred years. Furthermore, their cultivation could never progress beyond the early stage of the Core Formation Realm.
In other words, they could never hope to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.
A True-Dan was the normal or better-quality core, and such cultivators theoretically had the opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. However, without extraordinary opportunities, their chances were slim.
A Golden-Dan was an excellent-quality core, and those who attained it were often referred to as "seeds" for the Nascent Soul Realm, with a significantly higher chance of reaching it.
"With my qualifications in this life, even if I succeed in Foundation Establishment, according to common sense, the ultimate limit would be a Fake-Dan Immortal." Lan Chang'an was clear about this.
This estimation did not take into account any potential boost from the Evergreen Technique.
Generally speaking, anything below a superior-grade spiritual root would make achieving an Inferior-Dan difficult, and aiming for a True-Dan without extraordinary opportunities was nigh impossible.
In this life, Lan Chang'an did not aspire to a Golden-Dan; Achieving a True-Dan with a high enough quality to preserve his chances at reaching the Nascent Soul Realm was in line with his expectations.
"It's still too early to consider my core formation goals. I'll think about that when I reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment."
Lan Chang'an was just making preliminary plans, organizing his future cultivation path.
...
Entering the Foundation Establishment stage granted a long lifespan.
Even with superior spiritual roots, ignoring minor realm bottlenecks, it would take at least several decades to progress from early to late Foundation Establishment.
Adding the bottlenecks, over a hundred years was normal, and success wasn't guaranteed.
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators spent their lives stuck in the middle stage, unable to progress to the late stage.
Lan Chang'an's Evergreen Technique had abundant magical power, vitality, and potential; the minor bottlenecks were relatively easier.
If this characteristic was retained, the steady progression of the Evergreen Technique would no longer be a disadvantage in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"I cultivate a Life-Nourishing Technique, so I may need a hundred years in Foundation Establishment. I must now focus on strengthening my defensive means." Lan Chang'an had already roughly charted out his course of action.
First, gather materials and create superior second-rank talismans as soon as possible.
Second, purchase more second-rank spirit sand stone to cultivate the body refinement manual until reaching the fifth layer, corresponding to mid-Foundation Establishment.
Third, embark on his Treasure Talisman Project, thereby correcting the regret of his past life.
In the Foundation Establishment stage, top superior magical weapons were considered standard defensive means. Cultivators in mid- to late-stage Foundation Establishment typically possessed such items.
What is stronger than a top superior-grade magic weapon is a talismanic treasure.
A talismanic treasure contained a portion of a magic treasure's power sealed within a talisman. Generally speaking, they possessed around twenty percent of the original magic treasure's might, enough to utterly dominate ordinary cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, talismanic treasures were extremely rare and required a Core Formation cultivator to pay a significant price to create.
The "treasure talismans" Lan Chang'an planned to prepare would follow the opposite approach.
The idea was that a talisman made of excellent materials would be nurtured as if it were a magic treasure, and the longer it was nurtured, the more terrifying its power would be!
(End of chapter)