Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 103: The Foundation Establishment Battle

On the way back to Misty Island, Ji Yuan was already sorting through the storage pouches of Yue Zhu and Wang Shan.

Wang Shan's storage pouch contained little of value.

Aside from a single flying boat as her only magic artifact and over twenty spirit stones, it was mostly filled with various women's garments.

There were also some aphrodisiac pills.

It was clear she was not a proper cultivator.

Therefore, Ji Yuan burned the garments and kept the pills, thinking they might prove useful in some special circumstances.

However, even if they were used, it would be for others, not for himself.

As a body cultivator, he had no need for such things!

In contrast, Yue Zhu's storage pouch was a treasure trove. Ji Yuan estimated that it contained the entire wealth of the Yue family.

Considering that Yue Zhu was the head of the Yue family, this wasn't surprising.

There were ten mid-grade spirit stones alone, equivalent to a thousand low-grade spirit stones. Truly, he was a damned dog.

Additionally, there were two to three hundred low-grade spirit stones.

There weren't many magic artifacts.

The bronze armor he wore was a high-grade protective artifact.

Although it had been slightly damaged by the "Stored Explosion," Ji Yuan still planned to wear it beneath his protective robe, using the robe as a disguise and adding another layer of defense.

When it came to protective artifacts, Ji Yuan wished he could arm himself to the teeth.

In case of a life-threatening situation,

even without extra spiritual energy to control the artifacts, relying solely on their inherent defensive capabilities might save his life.

As for offensive artifacts, there was the iron rod in his hand that could change size.

This iron rod seemed to be refined from some mountain root and had likely accompanied Yue Zhu through many life-and-death situations, showing significant wear.

It wasn't as useful as the Water Dragon Spear, so Ji Yuan planned to exchange it for spirit stones.

Moreover, there was a high-grade artifact resembling a meditation cushion.

After refining it, Ji Yuan discovered it could enhance cultivation efficiency, albeit modestly, increasing it by about ten percent.

It was only effective during the Qi Refining stage, but still a valuable item!

Ji Yuan planned to use it during his own cultivation sessions.

Artifacts that assisted in cultivation were often expensive, so even if he no longer needed it in the future, he could probably sell it for a good price.

At least worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones.

There were also numerous talismans and pills, all of high quality.

Otherwise, during their previous encounter, Yue Zhu wouldn't have been able to use four high-grade talismans in one go.

Unfortunately, the effect of the "Stored Explosion" was probably similar to that of a water mine.

A full-force strike from a peak Qi Refining cultivator, combined with the suppression of four golden seal talismans and a high-grade flying sword in formation.

The elderly and frail Yue Zhu died a fitting death.

Regarding Foundation Establishment herbs, besides the thousand-year-old Qinghui Grass, Yue Zhu's storage pouch also contained two century-old Gentian herbs, which surprised Ji Yuan.

He hadn't expected such a harvest.

This also indicated that among Foundation Establishment herbs, century-old Gentian was relatively common.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have found five of them in the small Yunyu Marshlands.

Additionally, Ji Yuan found two pill recipes and a talisman technique, which made the trip worthwhile.

Both the pill recipes and talisman technique were high-grade, suitable for Ji Yuan's current use.

The two pill recipes were for the "Life-burning Pill," which could boost one's strength in desperate situations, and the "Clear Void Pill," which aided in cultivation.

The Clear Void Pill wasn't valuable, but the Life-burning Pill was. Once Ji Yuan advanced to a high-grade alchemist, it would provide another avenue for earning money.

The high-grade talisman technique was for the Phantom Talisman, excellent for both escape and ambush.

Once he mastered it, there would be no worry about finding buyers.

After obtaining the thousand-year-old Qinghui Grass, Ji Yuan felt even less pressure.

Moreover, upon returning, he heard something that he had long anticipated: Qingbo Pond had been "reclaimed by the sect."

The Water Dragon Sect had stationed two Foundation Establishment cultivators there, enclosing the entire Qingbo Pond.

Although they still recruited fishermen from Yunyu Marshlands to mine, everything was under the sect's unified management, and the purchase prices had been lowered.

However, Ji Yuan learned from Du Wanyi that only the purchase prices in Yunyu Marshlands had decreased.

In nearby places like Qingshan City, the Water Dragon Sect's purchase price for Cold Iron Sand hadn't dropped; in fact, it had increased slightly.

This meant Ji Yuan had even less to worry about.

He was content with this arrangement, spending his days on Misty Island cultivating, drawing talismans, and refining pills.

He didn't have to deal with the various chores of the buildings; he just needed to lie down and collect his basic income daily.

If he ever felt bored, he could have Big Toad catch some spiritual fish or beasts from the water for a feast, which was also Big Toad's happiest time.

Especially after tasting the various "delicacies" prepared by Ji Yuan, it lost interest in ordinary spiritual fish.

Even if it had to eat them, it preferred them grilled by Ji Yuan.

Days passed by.

This time, Ji Yuan made a point to keep track of time, so he wouldn't miss the New Year's celebrations.

In previous years, he had celebrated the New Year in Zengtou Market, where many items could be easily purchased, and the festive atmosphere was stronger. But this time was different.

Living on this desolate island, his only companions were a toad and a corpse puppet.

Even so, Ji Yuan still set aside his cultivation a day in advance to properly decorate his new home.

Cleaning wasn't necessary; with the "Cave Dwelling" effect activated, everything was spotless.

His main focus was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, so he had Big Toad start catching various ingredients several days in advance.

He also instructed it to catch different species each time.

Although Big Toad didn't know what Ji Yuan was planning, it understood that good times were ahead, so it worked diligently.

Sometimes, it even went out twice a day, bringing back two different species of spiritual fish or beasts.

Thus, Ji Yuan's storage pouch was also filled with all kinds of ingredients.

Fish, shrimp, and crabs were a given—even loaches and yellow eels, which were classified as demonic beasts, had been caught by Big Toad.

Originally, Big Toad had planned to hunt a second-tier demonic beast for ingredients, but Ji Yuan had talked him out of it.

It was just the New Year—no need to risk one’s life.

But even with just what they had, it was more than enough.

On New Year's Eve, Ji Yuan got up early. Even with Tu Yue helping him on the side, it still took him the entire day to process all the ingredients.

Thankfully, he had a storage pouch. Once a dish was cooked, he could store it inside, without worrying about it getting cold or spoiling.

For each demonic beast, Ji Yuan only took the most refined and essence-filled parts of their bodies.

As for the rest—he burned an old tree into charcoal and grilled the remains over it.

Big Toad would eye the roasting meat and gulp down the pieces that looked just right. Both man and toad enjoyed themselves immensely.

That night.

Ji Yuan laid out a full table of delicacies inside his little wooden house, and even prepared a small pot of sweet osmanthus wine for himself.

It was an extremely elegant and carefree scene.

The only flaw was Tu Yue’s corpse was far too stiff in movement and couldn’t speak; otherwise, she could have sung a little tune or performed a dance.

Now, all she could do was stand by the door and keep watch for him.

After three rounds of wine.

Ji Yuan had no idea what time it was—he only knew he was full and drunk, with his belly round and tight.

Too lazy to cultivate, he simply lounged in a soft chair, enjoying the satisfaction of being full and warm. Cleaning up was Tu Yue’s responsibility, of course.

But just then—

An ear-shattering boom suddenly echoed from the skies above, even shaking Ji Yuan slightly.

The alcohol-induced haze cleared instantly.

He froze for 0.01 seconds, then sprang up from the soft chair and stepped outside in a flash.

Big Toad, who had also spent the day eating and drinking, was now staring up at the misty sky, its eyes revealing a trace of fear.

This was the first time Ji Yuan had seen such emotion in its gaze.

A toad bold enough to go after second-tier demonic beasts was now showing fear—what kind of cultivators were battling up there?

They had to be at least in the mid to late Foundation Establishment stage.

Definitely not Core Formation cultivators.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Ji Yuan swiftly put away Tu Yue.

Time to run!

He had to flee!

Damn it! Forced to abandon home even during New Year’s—what the hell?

Cursing in his mind, Ji Yuan told Big Toad to hide deep in the lake.

Having survived this long, Big Toad was no fool; even without Ji Yuan saying much, it had already started hopping toward the shore.

Ji Yuan took a deep breath and looked up.

The booming sounds continued, echoing across the entire sky.

Sometimes from the east, sometimes the west—but never far off. Ji Yuan figured the two cultivators were fighting right above the mist.

In that case, should he still run?

Just as that thought surfaced, Ji Yuan made up his mind.

He would definitely flee, but there was no need to go outside—he’d just hide on a different island within the mist.

Running out there would make him a live target.

Even the aftermath of a Foundation Establishment battle could easily destroy a Qi Refining cultivator like him.

Fortunately, there were many islands in the mist.

As Ji Yuan took off aboard his Thunder Falcon Boat, the splash of Big Toad entering the lake could already be heard. Urgently, Ji Yuan urged the boat to leave.

Silently navigating through the mist, he dodged and weaved, doing his best to avoid the battle zones.

After some time,

Ji Yuan finally arrived at a nameless island.

Though small, it was densely wooded. He casually found a branch to perch on, planning to wait until the storm passed.

Half an hour went by before the fighting above the sky gradually faded.

Ji Yuan figured the battle must have ended—or perhaps the two cultivators had taken their fight elsewhere.

Even so, it wasn’t safe. He decided to wait another two or three days before emerging.

Just then, he suddenly saw a streak of light fall into the mist. Before he could react, a weak voice sounded in his mind.

“Fellow Daoist, I am Li Changhe, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Water Dragon Sect. I was gravely injured while exterminating a demonic cultivator and have exhausted my strength. Do you have any healing pills? I will never forget a life-saving favor.”

Ji Yuan: “???”

So he really was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and seriously wounded at that—probably out of pills, too.

Ji Yuan’s first thought was: mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!?

If he played the oriole this time, he might land a real fortune.

Not just the treasures of one Foundation Establishment cultivator, but two!

Ji Yuan even thought of a plan: he couldn’t take the risk himself, but he could send Big Toad.

It was already a second-tier demonic beast—taking down a seriously injured Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn’t be too hard.

The more he thought about it, the more promising it seemed.

But then, two figures suddenly appeared in his mind.

Luo Tian and Yao Jingfeng.

He shivered.

A gamble… he couldn’t take that gamble!

Foundation Establishment cultivators had countless tricks. If this Li Changhe still had a hidden trump card and turned it on Ji Yuan, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

Even if Ji Yuan succeeded, if the Water Dragon Sect got wind of it, someone at the Qi Refining stage like him would be as good as dead.

“Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps hesitant for some reason?”

Li Changhe’s voice came again, interrupting Ji Yuan’s thoughts.

“Rest assured, if you save me today, I will repay you handsomely in the future!”

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“Senior, how can you prove that you are a cultivator of the Water Dragon Sect and not a demonic cultivator?”