txolops Chapter 23 Another Tribulation Cultivator? Tipping Off!
Chapter 23 Another Tribulation Cultivator? Tipping Off!
Chapter 23 Another Tribulation Cultivator? Tipping Off!
Time flies, winter has passed and spring has come; another three months have gone by.
Inside the quiet room of the small courtyard on Xuankun Mountain, spiritual energy surged and churned like mist.
Lin Chuan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of crimson-gold light in them. His aura was more solid and substantial than it had been three months ago, and he had firmly established himself at the late stage of the twelfth level of Qi Refining, not far from the perfect thirteenth level.
He exhaled a long breath, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, and a satisfied look appeared on his face.
"The effects of this 'Purple Sun Pill' are indeed astonishing," he muttered to himself, toying with an empty jade bottle in his hand.
The Ziyang Pill is more potent and direct than the Ningyuan Pill, and its effect on improving cultivation is significant.
Over the past three months, he has consumed two bottles of Ziyang Pills that Han Li had refined for him, supplemented with Jin Yuan Pills and daily arduous cultivation, and his cultivation progress has far exceeded expectations.
"At this rate, in about six months, I should have a chance to reach the threshold of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining," Lin Chuan estimated in his mind.
The thirteenth level of Qi Refining is the perfect state, where spiritual power is condensed to its peak, making it the best state to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, the Ziyang Pills have been used up, and the Jinyuan Pills are also running low.
To maintain this cultivation speed, it is necessary to replenish with elixirs.
"It seems I'll have to ask Junior Brother Han to help me refine another batch," Lin Chuan pondered.
Han Li's alchemy skills are indeed superb, but he needs to purchase all the main and auxiliary ingredients required to refine the Ziyang Pill himself from the market.
Han Li was only responsible for refining the ingredients, not for the materials; this was an unspoken agreement between the two.
"Alright, I'll head to the market tomorrow to buy alchemy materials, and while I'm at it, I'll also ask at Wanbaolou if they sell 'Void Stones'."
Lin Chuan made a decision.
The fragment of the jade pendant that I got from Zhao Yong has been lying in my storage bag. The divination indicates that it needs to be activated with a Void Stone, but I have never been able to find it.
He habitually looked at the divination result that had been updated today—it was still "minor auspicious," and the divination text indicated that there was a low-grade spiritual herb that was fifty years old somewhere in the back mountain.
Over the past three months, the divination results have been quite "stable".
The vast majority of days are "minorly auspicious," with only a few occasions being "moderately auspicious," which only indicate small opportunities worth tens to hundreds of spirit stones.
As for "great luck," it has never appeared even once.
Lin Chuan had a very positive attitude towards this.
"So what if it's a minor or medium-good omen? The advantage is that it's safe and secure, with no risk whatsoever." He felt at ease.
"For now, I have enough resources, and steadily improving my cultivation is the key. Cultivating in seclusion within this sect may mean missing out on great opportunities, but it also means avoiding countless dangers. This is not necessarily a bad thing."
He enjoys this stable and controllable pace of cultivation.
He cultivated step by step every day, studied the "Limitless Array Scripture", and nurtured his spiritual spikes. His cultivation level steadily increased, and his trump cards gradually multiplied. This fulfilling and peaceful feeling made his Dao heart more stable.
The next morning.
Lin Chuan finished his routine cultivation and looked at the newly refreshed divination results.
A golden light appeared unexpectedly.
This time, it's finally not just the monotonous "small luck".
Today's divination result: Very auspicious.
[The divination text reads: You went to the market in Huangfeng Valley to purchase supplies. On your return journey at Shenshi (3-5 PM), you passed through Luanfeng Slope and discovered your fellow disciple Li An fighting a Jiexiu cultivator. You secretly observed from the shadows. Before dying, Li An used a talisman to severely injure the Jiexiu cultivator. You seized the opportunity to intervene and gained a great deal.]
"Great luck!"
Lin Chuan's spirits lifted, but he immediately frowned: "Another cultivator undergoing tribulation? And it involves a battle between fellow disciples..."
Although the hexagram indicates "great fortune," this "fortune" clearly refers to the final "abundant harvest."
The whole process was bloody and dangerous—Li An, a fellow disciple, fought to the death with Jie Xiu, and in the end, Li An died. Jie Xiu was severely injured by Li An's dying counterattack, and only then did Li An, the "oriole," take the lead and reap the benefits.
"The cultivators who have undergone the tribulation are fierce, and their counterattack when they are about to die is the most terrifying. If I am discovered while I am lying in wait, or if the cultivator still has strength left when I make my move... Getting injured is a small matter, but delaying my cultivation progress or even leaving hidden dangers would be a great loss." Lin Chuan quickly weighed the risks.
Guided by the auspicious hexagram, there is a high probability that you will ultimately succeed and profit without harm, but the process will inevitably be dangerous and far from being as easy as sightseeing.
More importantly, the divination text mentions a fellow student—Li An.
Lin Chuan pictured a handsome and polite young man in his mind.
Li An, who lived with him on Xuankun Mountain, was at the twelfth level of Qi Refining and came from the powerful Li family of cultivators in the Yue Kingdom.
More importantly, Li An is a key Foundation Establishment seed cultivated by the Li family in this generation, and is said to be deeply loved by a Foundation Establishment elder in the clan who serves as a steward in the sect.
The two live on the same mountain and greet each other when they meet. They have occasionally collaborated at exchange meetings or when carrying out simple tasks, and their relationship can be considered harmonious.
"If Li Anru dies, especially at the hands of a Tribulation Cultivator... how could that Foundation Establishment elder of the Li family let this go? He will definitely use all his resources to investigate!"
"If I get involved, even if I only end up getting a small advantage, there's no guarantee I won't be caught up in the investigation. How will I explain that? Just say I happened to be passing by? Who would believe that?" Lin Chuan felt increasingly uneasy. Getting involved in the wrath of cultivation families and the potential trouble that might follow for some unknown gain was definitely not a wise move.
"Sigh, this is the only good luck I've had in three months..." Lin Chuan couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
The opportunities presented by auspicious divination hexagrams are usually extraordinary.
But as soon as the greed arose, he suppressed it with even stronger willpower.
"Never mind, safety first. We're better off without this opportunity."
He was about to ignore this risky "great fortune" as usual and continue his cultivation plan.
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
"Wait a minute... It's supposed to be a very auspicious day, does that mean we won't get any benefits at all?"
Lin Chuan's eyes flickered as he carefully studied the divination text: "Li An used a talisman before his death, severely injuring the Tribulation Cultivator... This indicates that the Tribulation Cultivator was quite powerful, forcing Li An to use his trump card for survival. The two sides are locked in a life-or-death battle, and the commotion will certainly be significant."
"What if I... didn't follow the divination's guidance of 'lying low and observing, then taking advantage at the last minute,' but instead used a different approach?"
An idea gradually became clear.
He checked the time; it was already late morning.
The divination text mentions "returning at Shen time and passing through Luanfengpo", indicating that the event occurred in the afternoon.
Lin Chuan got up, changed into an inconspicuous gray outfit, and quietly left Xuankun Mountain.
Instead of heading to the market, he rode his white feather towards another mountain peak within the sect. On that mountain peak was the "External Affairs Hall," responsible for handling some of the sect's external affairs.
He remembered that the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Li family seemed to be serving as a steward in this hall.
He didn't go up the mountain to ask for an audience directly, as that would be too conspicuous.
Instead, he landed in a secluded grove at the foot of the mountain and took out a very ordinary sound transmission talisman.
After a moment's thought, he used his spiritual power to leave a message in the talisman: "Senior Brother Li An is in trouble. Chaotic Wind Slope, come to his rescue immediately!"
The message was extremely brief, with no self-disclosure of information, no background or context, and only highlighted the key points.
He imitated a slightly rapid, yet deliberately vague, fluctuation of spiritual energy.
He activated the sound transmission talisman, watching it transform into a faint light and fly straight towards the area where the Li family steward usually resided atop the mountain peak of the Foreign Affairs Hall.
Having done all this, Lin Chuan did not hesitate. He immediately mounted Bai Ling, made a large circle, and quickly returned to his small courtyard on Xuankun Mountain.
Activate the formation to isolate the inside from the outside.
He acted as if nothing had happened, meditating and regulating his breathing as usual, only silently calculating the time in his mind.