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Apart from his main duty of alchemy, Lan Chang\'an rarely interacted with others, spending most of his time at his Autumnwind Isle cultivation ground. His presence became a familiar but distant one to the Xia Family’s cultivators, who gradually grew accustomed to the quiet, middle-aged alchemist from a neighboring nation.

Compared to his early years, the higher-ups of the Xia Family were far less wary of him now. Their surveillance and scrutiny had significantly diminished.

Several months ago, the Xia Family\'s leadership had invited Lan Chang\'an to participate in an important internal meeting. However, he declined without hesitation, citing that it had nothing to do with his alchemical responsibilities outlined in his spirit contract.

Lan Chang\'an’s purpose for coming to Jing Kingdom was to secure a stable cultivation ground, advance to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and ultimately seek Core Formation. He had no interest in the internal affairs of the Wufu Merchant Association or the Xia Family.

Besides, the invitation was likely just a test from the family to gauge his intentions.

"Up!"

On this day, inside the alchemy room of Autumnwind Isle, Lan Chang\'an performed a series of incantation gestures, activating his alchemy technique.

Buzz!

The large, purple-copper cauldron in front of him, about a zhang tall, flickered with spiritual patterns and emitted a wave of heat. The cauldron’s lid trembled before being lifted smoothly by a stream of spiritual light.

As the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the air, three sparkling, plump purple pills flew out from the cauldron’s heat and landed in Lan Chang\'an’s palm.

Lan Chang\'an carefully examined the three pills. Two of them had four distinct Dao lines on their surface, indicating they were low-grade second-rank pills. The third pill had only three and a half lines, making it a inferior substandard pill.

Of course, inferior pills were not unusable. They simply had lower efficacy, more impurities, and a higher likelihood of containing some residual pill toxins.

"Little Ming, take these three Tranquil Heart Pills to the storeroom," Lan Chang\'an said, handing the bottle containing the pills to a round-faced, fair-skinned young man dressed as an alchemy apprentice.

This youth was Xia Mingcheng, one of the two apprentices who assisted Lan Chang\'an in his alchemy.

Alchemy was not only a matter of skill but also required significant physical endurance. Many high-quality pills took more than a few days to complete, and having skilled apprentices was indispensable for any dedicated alchemist.

This allowed the alchemist time to cultivate without significant interruptions.

When refining simpler pills or those with lower value, Lan Chang\'an would often delegate the more stable, repetitive steps to the apprentices, allowing them to watch over the process. This saved him energy and gave the apprentices valuable training opportunities.

"Yes, Alchemist Wu," Xia Mingcheng respectfully accepted the task and retreated.

Though labeled as an apprentice, Xia Mingcheng was actually a first-rank mid-grade alchemist, and Lan Chang\'an regarded him as a half-disciple of sorts.

In terms of alchemical talent, Xia Mingcheng also surpassed Lan Chang\'an.

"The number of opportunities and experience I\'ve accumulated in these past few years far exceeds the past two decades of closed-door training," Lan Chang\'an mused.

His alchemy skills had improved significantly compared to when he first arrived in Jing Kingdom.

Although he had achieved the level of a second-rank alchemist many years ago, his progress had stagnated due to a lack of natural talent and insufficient practice. The opportunities to refine pills were scarce, and his skills had barely advanced.

However, in the Xia Family, opportunities to practice alchemy were plentiful. The Xia Family or the Wufu Merchant Association provided all the necessary materials, and the variety of pills he had refined here far exceeded what he had ever attempted before.

In such an environment, Lan Chang\'an\'s alchemy skills had naturally improved. Though advancing to the level of a mid-grade second-rank alchemist remained difficult, he could at least feel his steady progress.

Most of his alchemy duties involved refining pills for the Xia Family, with some additional tasks for the Wufu Merchant Association. On paper, Lan Chang\'an was a member of the Wufu Merchant Association, as he had signed a spirit contract with them. However, in practice, he was an external cultivator hired by the Xia Family.

After all, the Xia Family provided his cultivation ground, his daily resources such as spiritual rice, and his remuneration for alchemy. Additionally, the Xia Family had paid a sum of spirit stones to the Jiuchen Merchant Association when they signed Lan Chang\'an’s spirit contract three years ago on the spirit ship.

Purchasing the second-rank spirit contract had been another significant expense.

"That said, the materials provided by the Xia Family and the Wufu Merchant Association are mostly for common types of pills," Lan Chang\'an reflected.

High-value pills such as Foundation Establishment Pills or second-rank pills for breaking through bottlenecks were never included in the materials he received.

Without the opportunity to practice with these rare ingredients, Lan Chang\'an knew his success rate and quality for refining such pills would be hard to guarantee.

The Wufu Merchant Association had a more advanced second-rank top-grade alchemist, but that elder was too old and lacked the energy to handle all of the guild\'s alchemical needs. Hence, important pills were left to the elder, while common second-rank pills were entrusted to Lan Chang\'an or other alchemists in the guild.

...

Lan Chang\'an stepped out of his alchemy room and entered the peaceful courtyard of Autumnwind Isle.

"Alchemist Wu, this is the intelligence that the young master recently gathered from the Merchant Alliance," a soft, feminine voice called out.

Dressed in a simple skirt, Xia Wenyue, the pale-faced young woman, had just returned to Autumnwind Isle. She bowed and handed Lan Chang\'an a jade slip.

Since settling on Autumnwind Isle, Lan Chang\'an had requested only two apprentice positions. Xia Wenyue filled the second one.

She also served as his attendant, handling mundane matters on the island, such as receiving guests and managing daily affairs.

Sickly from childhood, Xia Wenyue possessed a vast knowledge of medicinal herbs and followed a path similar to that of Ye Fei from Wuqi Mountain—a path that emphasized herbology and healing, but also included basic alchemy.

"Mm, you may rest now," Lan Chang\'an said, taking the jade slip and glancing at Xia Wenyue’s pale face and labored breathing.

Even after flying only a short distance, she appeared visibly exhausted.

During his two or three years on Autumnwind Isle, Xia Wenyue’s delicate appearance had always been the same—pale and frail, with an air of melancholy that seemed to linger between her brows.

Despite her sickly constitution, Xia Wenyue’s beauty and temperament were unmatched within the Xia Family.

To remain on Autumnwind Isle, she had willingly taken on the role of a servant. In addition to assisting with alchemy, she handled many of the island’s affairs, including menial tasks like serving tea or running errands.

Yet her frail body often struggled with the demands of the job, and her weak spiritual power made things even harder for her.

On one occasion, Xia Wenyue had collapsed while working on the island.

Impressed by her diligence and humility, Lan Chang\'an had grown to have a favorable opinion of her.

During a casual conversation on one of his better days, Lan Chang\'an had kindly suggested, "Little Yue, your body is weak and cold-natured. It seems you have some underlying illness. I have some knowledge of medicine and can take a look for you."

This suggestion came from both goodwill and curiosity.

Even with his spiritual sense, Lan Chang\'an had been unable to determine the root cause of Xia Wenyue’s illness. He suspected she might possess a special constitution.

A deeper examination would require direct contact with her spiritual power and an internal scan of her meridians.

To his surprise, however, Xia Wenyue had politely declined his offer.

"Thank you for your kindness, Alchemist Wu. My frail condition has been with me since birth. Before she passed, my mother consulted a third-rank healer, but even they couldn’t cure me. I can only rely on medicines to suppress the cold energy within me and barely maintain my cultivation."

"I’ve already come to terms with it and no longer have any unrealistic expectations," Xia Wenyue had said at the time, glancing at the round-faced, slightly oily-looking middle-aged man in front of her.

She had declined his offer with grace.

Lan Chang\'an naturally didn’t insist. While still curious, he never brought up the topic again.

He couldn’t help but think that if he had presented himself with his real appearance, the result might have been different.

Disguised by his Hundred Illusions Mask, Lan Chang\'an had adopted another person’s appearance and mannerisms. Though his current image wasn’t exactly ugly or unsightly, it did carry the slightly greasy air typical of many middle-aged men.

...

"One-quarter of Liang Kingdom’s cultivation sites have been captured by the Golden Sun Sect? Now, even more Liang Kingdom cultivators are fleeing to the neutral Jing Kingdom..."

Back in his room, Lan Chang\'an reviewed the intelligence contained in the jade slip.

Although he rarely left Autumnwind Isle in the past two or three years, he had kept a close eye on the ongoing war in Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world.

The Jing Kingdom’s Merchant Alliance had extensive intelligence networks, and the Wufu Merchant Association frequently conducted business in the Liang Kingdom.

Lan Chang\'an had asked Xia Mingqu, the young master of the Xia Family, to bring him back any news related to the war.

At the same time, Lan Chang\'an was particularly interested in whether the secrets of the ancient ruins had been exposed.

He couldn’t ask about the ruins directly, so he instead expressed concern for the situation in and around Huanglong Immortal City, asking the Wufu Merchant Association to help keep him informed.

"Still no mention of the ancient ruins. I can reasonably conclude that the secret hasn’t been widely leaked," Lan Chang\'an thought.

"Fairy Shi became a third-rank formation master a few years ago and has remained safe since. She must have taken care of any loose ends before leaving the ruins, keeping the most crucial secrets hidden."

Lan Chang\'an reached a conclusion.

The Xuanmu Vine he had retrieved from the ruins involved a major opportunity, one related to Nascent Soul-level cultivation or higher.

If that core secret had been exposed, not even Fairy Shi’s identity as a third-rank formation master could protect her.

For an ordinary ruin or a typical opportunity, her advancement to the Fake Dan stage and status as a third-rank formation master would have been more than enough to safeguard her.

At present, Fairy Shi was considered a big shot in the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom.

About a year ago, the Wufu Merchant Association had brought back some intelligence mentioning this newly-risen third-rank formation master from the area around Huanglong Immortal City.

Interestingly, the Wufu Merchant Association had business dealings with the Beast Taming Zhou Family in the Liang Kingdom.

Some of the intelligence came from cultivators within the Zhou family.

"There’s been no bounty posted for the ‘Turtle Talisman Master’ from the Golden Sun Sect in Feng Kingdom. Could it be that Mu Jiuan and his group concealed the matter, avoiding pursuit by the sect?"

Lan Chang\'an had also been keeping an eye on this other hidden danger.

He was fairly certain that the tiny Turtle Talisman Master had not entered the eyes of the Golden Sun Sect’s upper echelons.

Had it been an important figure, the sect would have issued an inter-nation bounty through their Nascent Soul-level leadership.

"At present, neither of these hidden dangers seems to pose much of a problem."

Lan Chang\'an reflected, thinking, "Once I—or perhaps the Earth Burrowing Rat—succeeds in reaching Core Formation, these issues will no longer be a concern. I might even be able to cultivate openly under my real name in Jing Kingdom."

After reviewing the intelligence, Lan Chang\'an felt more at ease.

In the three sets of intelligence reports provided by the Wufu Merchant Association, there had never been any mention of the Turtle Talisman Master.

The name "Turtle Talisman Master" had only gained minor recognition in the Liang Kingdom’s cultivation world, and no one outside of the Liang Kingdom seemed to be aware of it.

Unless you were a figure of significant renown—like Huanglong Immortal, whose reputation extended beyond Liang Kingdom—or a third-rank formation master like Fairy Shi, foreign intelligence networks wouldn’t bother paying attention to you.

Lan Chang\'an suspected that the Xia Family had likely investigated the identity of "Wu Fan" within his first two years.

The results might have led to suspicions that he was using an alias, but this was no longer important.

As long as Lan Chang\'an maintained no ill intentions toward the Xia Family and continued refining pills as expected, what trouble could a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator on the run from a neighboring nation cause?

In the short term, Lan Chang\'an had little concern about his true identity being exposed.

First, cross-border investigations were difficult, and the Wufu Merchant Association’s influence was limited.

With the chaos of the ongoing war, it was common for cultivators to disappear in the Liang Kingdom. No one would find it unusual for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to vanish.

Second, no one knew that Lan Chang\'an was a second-rank alchemist.

Even if someone made a connection to the Turtle Talisman Master, the fact that he was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment alchemist would be enough to rule him out.

After all, it was difficult for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to conceal their true cultivation level from the Xia Family\'s Fake Dan elders.

...

Late at night.

Lan Chang\'an dismissed Xia Wenyue and went alone to the basement beneath Autumnwind Isle’s main residence.

On Autumnwind Isle, the two apprentices lived in separate housing near the outskirts.

Lan Chang\'an\'s residence, along with the deep pond behind it, was shrouded by the quasi-third-rank formation.

Beneath the basement, there was a secret tunnel leading to the deep pond behind the residence.

This tunnel had been quietly excavated by the Earth Burrowing Rat within the first few months of arriving on Autumnwind Isle.

The Profound Water Turtle usually resided on the other end of the tunnel, in the deep pond. It surfaced occasionally, but whenever visitors arrived, it would dive back into the depths.

Thanks to the combination of both the outer and inner layers of the formation, the secret tunnel and the Profound Water Turtle had remained undiscovered by the Xia Family’s cultivators.

Lan Chang\'an had instructed the turtle to disguise itself as an ordinary spirit turtle.

Squeak, squeak!

A rat demon with yellowish fur lifted the hidden door of the tunnel and led the way for Lan Chang\'an.

This yellow-furred rat demon bore a striking resemblance to a species known as the “Yellow Rock Rat,” a common variety closely related to the Earth Burrowing Rat.

This transformation was the result of the Earth Burrowing Rat’s practice in the shapeshifting technique.

Due to the similarity in their bloodlines, even a seasoned beast tamer would find it difficult to discern the difference.

Normally, it worked around the island as a second-rank mid-stage spirit beast, disguised as a Yellow Rock Rat. It handled basic tasks and guarded the estate.

As long as it didn’t encounter Xia Hongyu, the patriarch of the Xia Family, there would be no issues.

Moments later…

Lan Chang\'an followed the tunnel to the other side, arriving at the bottom of the deep pond.

Within the pond, there was a hidden stone chamber protected by a formation that blocked out the water.

Splash!

The Profound Water Turtle surfaced, carrying Lan Chang\'an and the rat demon into the hidden stone chamber.

The ground inside the chamber was dry and firm, with patches of soil here and there.

In the center of the chamber stood a large porcelain jar filled with multicolored soil, in which a withered vine was planted.

This was none other than the Xuanmu Vine that Lan Chang\'an had brought out from the ancient ruins.

A hole had been made at the bottom of the porcelain jar, allowing the soil inside to make contact with the earth beneath it, connecting the gourd vine to the earth’s spiritual energy.

Though it wasn’t truly "rooted in the earth," this setup provided a similar effect.

Lan Chang\'an had carefully considered the placement of the Xuanmu Vine.

First, this deep pond was connected to the earth\'s spiritual veins, with abundant spiritual energy and strong earthly qi.

Second, the natural terrain of the deep pond, combined with the quasi-third-rank formation’s hidden layer and the materials crafted from shadowstone, ensured high levels of concealment.

Third, the Profound Water Turtle resided in the pond and could keep a watchful eye on the gourd vine.

When Lan Chang\'an was too busy, the turtle would use its water-control abilities to nourish the vine and maintain its vitality.

The Profound Water Turtle was very happy to do this job.

"Leaving the Xuanmu Vine here to grow is far more secure than carrying it around with me."

Based on his past-life knowledge, Lan Chang\'an had repeatedly examined the Xuanmu Vine, even attempting some basic calculations.

He had concluded that the gourd vine had the ability to shield itself from divination and spiritual calculations.

Of course, Lan Chang\'an wasn’t skilled in divination, and his attempts had been rudimentary at best. Using his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, his divination results were unreliable.

Lan Chang\'an approached the withered gourd vine, observing it for a while before shaking his head.

Despite its connection to the earth’s spiritual energy, the vine showed no signs of growth.

Since being removed from the ruins, the Xuanmu Vine had shown no improvement under his care. All Lan Chang\'an could do was maintain its current state of vitality.

If he were willing to expend his own lifespan and use the Evergreen Technique, he could slightly increase the vine\'s vitality.

Perhaps, by sacrificing a significant amount of lifespan, he might even reverse its withering.

However, Lan Chang\'an wasn’t willing to gamble with his own lifespan for an uncertain result.

Even if he were to experiment with this method, he would wait until he reached the True Dan stage, when his lifespan would increase dramatically.

...

"Let’s go."

Lan Chang\'an waved his hand, storing the porcelain jar filled with the five-element soil and the Xuanmu Vine into his storage pouch, temporarily severing its connection to the earth.

He was preparing for a journey to seek Core Formation opportunities for the Earth Burrowing Rat.

Although keeping the Xuanmu Vine hidden here was secure, Lan Chang\'an felt safer carrying it with him.

As long as it was nourished by the five-element soil and the Evergreen Technique, the vine’s vitality would be preserved.

"After three years, I’ve gained the Xia Family’s initial trust. It’s time to move forward..."

Lan Chang\'an patted the Earth Burrowing Rat on the head.

Then, he returned through the secret tunnel and emerged back into the courtyard of Autumnwind Isle’s main residence.

The following morning...

Lan Chang\'an sought an audience with Xia Mingqu, the young master of the Xia Family, and explained his intentions.