.......

Yun's Cultivation Shop.

The shopkeepers were a couple in their forties.

Both husband and wife were at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. Their shop sold some arrays, talismans, all kinds of herbs, and various cultivation odds and ends.

"Oh, it's Alchemist Zhang. What can I do for you?"

The male shopkeeper saw Lin Chang'sheng walk over, his expression respectful as he spoke.

"I want to buy a few array scriptures to take home and study."

Lin Chang'sheng glanced over his stall and spotted a book about the Illusionary Array, one about the Cloud Mist Array, and one about the Five Elements Array. He spoke up right away.

Having hung around the Celestial Lake City Marketplace for so long, Lin Chang'sheng knew that the shopkeeper's name was Gong Cheng, and his wife was called Yan Fen.

"Since Alchemist Zhang is interested, you can have these three books for free!"

Gong Cheng looked at Lin Chang'sheng, speaking respectfully.

He often asked Lin Chang'sheng to refine pills for him, so gifting a few array manuals and getting on good terms with Alchemist Zhang Han wasn't a bad deal.

"Hey, I should still pay whatever they cost."

Lin Chang'sheng's eyes flashed. He took out three spirit stones, put them on the counter, but Gong Cheng wouldn't hear of it. In the end, Lin Chang'sheng dropped the insistence and accepted the three array scriptures.

Copying down these arrays didn't take them much time anyway.

"Thanks, you two. If you need pills next time, I'll give you a discount!"

Lin Chang'sheng tossed the three array books into his storage bag and addressed the couple.

"Thank you, Alchemist Zhang!"

When Gong Cheng and his wife heard this, smiles broke out on their faces. They did have three batches of Spirit Storage Pills that required Zhang's help.

Lin Chang'sheng chatted with the couple for a while, then returned to the West Garden Elixir Shop, sat at the entrance, and pulled out the three array secret manuals along with the Tiger Killing Array, starting to study them carefully.

[Detected entry-level mastery of Tiger Killing Array. Do you wish to consume one spirit stone to simplify this technique?]

After studying the Tiger Killing Array twenty times, a red prompt flashed on his interface.

"Simplify!"

Lin Chang'sheng immediately clicked to confirm.

[Dao Simplification: Simplifying Tiger Killing Array........ Simplification successful...... Tiger Killing Array = Tiger Slayer Soul!]

Just three breaths after Lin Chang'sheng clicked confirm, the red prompt flashed again on his panel.

"Tiger Slayer Soul?"

Lin Chang'sheng was briefly stunned by the result.

Looks like I'll have to go up the mountain and catch a few tigers to capture their souls?

"Better simplify these other arrays to entry level too!"

Lin Chang'sheng made up his mind and began studying the Illusionary Array, Cloud Mist Array, and Five Elements Array. In less than an hour, he'd simplified all three to the entry level.

The Illusionary Array simplified into Light the Signal Smoke!

The Cloud Mist Array simplified into Create Water Vapor!

The Five Elements Array simplified into Step the Five Elements!

"Light the Signal Smoke, I just need to burn a pile of firewood to get a thick smoke—should work."

"Create Water Vapor, just heat a pot of water and there we go."

"Step the Five Elements... maybe put the Five Elements items on the ground and step on them?"

Lin Chang'sheng stared at the results from his simplifications, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Seems I'll have to make time to head out of the city and catch a few tigers nearby to capture their souls. But I can't go until my Cultivation Experience reaches Perfection."

Having made his decision, Lin Chang'sheng swept his storage bag. A faint white Essence Pill, radiating a rich medicinal fragrance, appeared in his hand. He tossed it back, activated the Five Elements Pure Yang Technique, and absorbed the surging medicinal power, transforming it into magical power in his Dantian.

Casually consuming the pills, the experience points on his panel continued to rise.

[Qi Refining Ninth Layer (223003/256000)]

"Just thirty-three thousand points to Perfection. Then I can try for Foundation Establishment."

"As long as I can break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, I can control the sword and soar through the sky—fulfilling my dream!"

Lin Chang'sheng looked at his experience points at the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, his eyes full of expectation.

Just thinking about it made him even more motivated.

Gotta say, being an alchemist is the best way to earn spirit stones. Ever since he became an alchemist, he realized he never had to worry about running out of Spirit Storage Pills—there were always loose cultivators coming to him to refine batches. Per batch, he only gave out three or four pills but usually made six or seven in profit.

It's just that requests to refine Essence Pills were pretty rare.

Because Essence Pills were taken by cultivators above the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer, and the herb materials for them were more expensive. Celestial Lake City was mostly filled with lower-level cultivators below the Seventh Layer.

So, not much chance for Essence Pills.

But Spirit Storage Pills still increased experience, just a bit less. Lin Chang'sheng popped those like they were candy.

........

Min Nan County.

Mu City.

A giant chasm split the middle of the city, dividing it in half.

A young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in green with three drifting clouds embroidered on his robe, stood at the edge with his hands behind his back, silent.

"Back when Big Bro's Black Tiger Gang was wiped out, Lin Chang'sheng was living in Mu City. Soon after the three masters were killed, he left for Min Nan City. With Big Bro's strength, unless a second-class or higher martial arts expert acted..."

"When Lin Chang'sheng joined the Liu Yun Immortal Sect, his martial arts cultivation wasn't low. Could Big Bro's death be related to him?"

Zhao Fuhu thought for a long time, murmuring to himself.

"Looks like I'll just have to pour myself into cultivation, try to reach the Nascent Soul Realm as soon as possible, and practice divination too. When I reach that point, I'll know who the killer is and be able to resolve my heart's demons!"

Zhao Fuhu took a deep breath, muttering.

He knew.

That Lin Chang'sheng was only a suspect. He didn't have any evidence that Lin Chang'sheng was the one who killed his big brother.

On top of that, Lin Chang'sheng had seized eight strands of Heaven and Earth Qi and disappeared without a trace—now, both Righteous and Evil Dao's people were hunting him. His odds of survival were slim to none.

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