Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"The power is decent!"

Chen Li felt quite satisfied in his heart.

"If I had been able to activate the Max Level Traction Skill during the assassination attempt on Zhou Xutang..." Chen Li silently pondered:

"Max Level Traction Skill, comparable to a First Order Ninth Grade technique. Although it’s not purely offensive, it still has the power of a First Order Eighth Grade spell. Plus the attack from my sonic boom enhanced sword..."

Chen Li couldn’t imagine the exact power it possessed.

But generally, those at the early stages of Foundation Establishment would probably meet their demise.

"Alas, my body’s strength just can’t keep up!" Chen Li sighed, unable to help but touch his once broken right hand, which seemed to start throbbing faintly again.

"My swordsmanship emphasizes extreme explosive power, where I can instinctively and effortlessly channel my body’s entire strength, unleashing an extraordinarily powerful strike. From initially cultivating the flesh to later cultivating the viscera, every step serves this purpose."

Chen Li thought to himself, as he bent down to pick up a sharp-edged rock, grabbed it in his hand, and forcefully squeezed it.

Accompanied by a faint cracking sound.

When he opened his palm, fine stone powder immediately scattered down.

Apart from a few red marks on his hand.

It was unscathed.

The marks even faded quickly.

"In fact, my body has already been tempered to be quite tough, resistant to ordinary weapons. But clearly, my offensive power far exceeds my defense," he dusted off his palm and thought to himself, "Ordinary attacks are manageable, but if I strike with full force, my muscles will tear at the very least, and at worst, my bones will fracture."

"Sigh, I hope there will be an improvement once my basic swordsmanship advances to Grandmaster level!" Chen Li exhaled. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He checked his game panel.

’Basic Swordsmanship Master: 1321/1600’

"It’ll be soon, at most half a year’s time."

On his way back, Chen Li saw that old steward, Mr. Liu, standing under a big tree outside the slum area, his gaze wandering towards the horizon as if he hoped to see something.

"Steward Liu, what are you looking at?" Chen Li walked over and stopped beside him to ask.

"Why haven’t they come yet? It’s been almost ten days!" Steward Liu stared at the sky, muttering to himself without even glancing at Chen Li.

"How could it be so quick, didn’t you tell me the last time took almost a year?" Chen Li said.

"That won’t do, that just won’t do. If it goes on for another year, so many people will die!" Steward Liu shook his head repeatedly, his emotions flaring up, "I have to call them back, we can’t keep fighting. If this continues, the Longevity Sect will be finished."

It was evident that he was mentally unstable, somewhat deranged.

As Steward Liu was about to head towards the wilderness, the direction from which the Flying Boat had disappeared that day, Chen Li quickly reached out to grab him, saying half-jokingly, "You expect to catch up with them just by walking? How long do you think that will take? Even if you did get there, they wouldn’t listen to you."

"They will, they definitely will. When I served the Golden Core Ancestor back in the day, Huang Xiaohan wasn’t even the sect master yet. When he saw me, he was very polite and wouldn’t dare to show the slightest disrespect," said Steward Liu with emotion.

It turned out this person was once close to a Golden Core Ancestor.

However, new kings bring their own courtiers.

You, a former confidante of an ancestor, were driven out of the sect and reduced to managing rentals in the slums. How despised must you be, and you still don’t see it?

He’s really become senile.

Chen Li thought critically to himself.

"Do you even know where they are?" he asked.

Upon hearing this, Steward Liu shook his head in confusion.

"If you don’t even know that, how will you find them? You might as well go home and rest. The news will eventually come. You’re already up in years; stop running around aimlessly," Chen Li advised him.

Then, without saying more, he turned and walked away.

After walking more than a hundred meters, he looked back and saw that the man was still staring fixedly at the sky, hunched over and muttering to himself about something.

...

Days went by, but there was no news of the war ahead.

Dusk.

At the entrance to the courtyard.

Zhou Hong and the widow next door sat together, picking vegetables and chatting.

"You’re so young, have you never thought about finding another man?"

"Sigh, with a kid to take care of and one that’s not at ease, what’s the point of looking for someone? I’ve long since lost that desire. My greatest wish now is to raise my child to adulthood!" The widow, surnamed Wang and named Qing, gestured towards her own doorstep and said.

"Does giving birth hurt a lot?" Zhou Hong asked.

"Of course it hurts. It was so painful I thought about dying at that moment. Luckily, I had an easier time, gritted my teeth and pushed, and out he came with a plop," Wang Qing said with a smile. "Why, are you thinking of having one?"

Zhou Hong said resentfully, "I’d like to, but my husband doesn’t agree. He says I’m still young and worries that it would affect my cultivation."

"Your man is really good to you. What does he do? I hardly ever see him leave the house," Wang Qing said enviously, noticing that the couple wore high-level magic robes, which were not something ordinary people could own.

"Him? He’s a Talisman Master!" Zhou Hong replied with a pursed smile.

"Tsk tsk, you’re really lucky," Wang Qing remarked.

As a Talisman Master who could afford high-level magic robes, he must be a top-tier Grandmaster. Wang Qing continued with a mysterious expression, "You have to hold on to him tight. I’ll teach you a secret technique..."

Zhou Hong’s face flushed with shyness, yet her ears drew ever closer!

...

"What are you talking about that’s making you so happy?" Chen Li asked curiously when he saw Zhou Hong return with a shy smile now and then.

"I won’t tell you. It’s a woman’s topic, and you wouldn’t understand even if I told you," Zhou Hong said with a coquettish laugh, giving him a sideways glance with her beautiful eyes.

It wasn’t until later that night that Chen Li understood what kind of wicked secret technique Zhou Hong had learned.

Wang Qing, the widow, seemed decent enough, but appearances are deceiving.

...

Several days later, in the Talisman room.

Chen Li set down his brush.

A Golden Light Body Protection Talisman had been successfully drawn.

"I won’t have to worry about Spirit Stones in the future!" Chen Li thought with satisfaction.

The price of the Golden Light Body Protection Talisman had recently dropped, but even so, its current market price was still a robust twenty-five low-grade Spirit Stones. At such a rate, even Chen Li couldn’t ignore it.

Even if he drew just one a day.

After deducting various costs.

There would still be an income of 80 mid-grade Spirit Stones a year, enough to buy a top-notch Magic Artifact and a top-notch magic robe, almost enough to buy a Single Storage Bag. The entire wealth of most at the later stages of Qi Cultivation didn’t even amount to eighty mid-grade Spirit Stones.

This was the earning power of a top-tier Talisman Master (during the Qi Cultivation Stage).

And Talisman Master was the art with the lowest threshold, least investment, and most students among the three arts of cultivation. One could only imagine how much more profitable top-tier Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were.

Once the blood ink had dried, Chen Li put away the talisman.

He then took out the Golden Light Body Protection Skill scroll and started studying it.

Although both the Golden Light Body Protection Talisman and the Golden Light Body Protection Skill were based on the same technique, they differed in expression: one through talismanic connection, the other through chanting spells and forming hand seals. Perhaps fundamentally the same, but from Chen Li’s level and perspective, he hadn’t yet reached such an understanding.

Even having learned the Golden Light Body Protection Talisman did not aid in the slightest in learning the Golden Light Body Protection Skill.