Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 105: The News Brought by Elder Xu

Ji Yuan, being a first-grade high-tier talisman master, had naturally heard of the renowned talisman treasures.

Compared to other second-grade talismans, these talisman treasures were truly valuable items that could serve as a trump card.

Talisman treasures were items that could only be crafted by Golden Core cultivators.

They required the cultivator to seal a portion of their natal magic treasure's power into a specific talisman.

Crafting a talisman treasure would also cause some damage to the cultivator's natal magic treasure.

Therefore, most cultivators were unwilling to craft them.

As a result, talisman treasures were scarce in the market.

Even if some cultivators did craft them, they were mostly given to their close kin as a means of protection and were rarely sold.

Even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Li Changhe, talisman treasures were extremely precious.

Otherwise, this talisman treasure, the 'Void-Evasion Shuttle', wouldn't have only one use left.

For Ji Yuan, aside from the Building Upgrade Panel, this talisman treasure was the most valuable item he had obtained so far. As Li Changhe had said, it was truly something that could save his life.

Once activated, it could allow him to escape from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Brother Li, this—"

"Just go. If I wanted this item, I could get it myself. Don't worry about it. Go quickly. When you come to the Water Dragon Sect, find me, and we'll have a good drink together."

Li Changhe waved his hand, pretending to leave.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan had no choice but to bow deeply to him before turning around to activate the Thunder Falcon Boat, diving into the lake and disappearing along with his aura.

Li Changhe waited for about half an hour before taking out a brand-new flying boat from his storage pouch and ascending into the sky.

"Sister Rou, I'm here!"

Immediately, a tall woman with a giant sword resembling a door panel on her back appeared before him.

She looked Li Changhe up and down and said expressionlessly, "Master sent me to collect your corpse."

...

"A talisman treasure, this is the legendary talisman treasure."

Deep beneath the Yunyu Marshlands.

Ji Yuan looked at the talisman treasure emitting a green light in his hand, still feeling a bit excited.

Talisman treasures were somewhat different from regular talismans. They didn't have as many runes on them.

For instance, this 'Void-Evasion Shuttle' talisman treasure only had a green streamlined flying boat phantom on it.

Once activated, its speed would be incredibly fast—

A trump card for escape, which Ji Yuan liked the most.

He admired it underwater for a full hour before carefully storing the talisman treasure in his storage pouch.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. It seemed that fate had its own plans.

If he had continued to hide and cultivate in Zengtou Market as before, how could he have obtained this talisman treasure?

Moreover, compared to the favor of saving Li Changhe's life, this talisman treasure wasn't much.

From their brief interaction, Li Changhe seemed to have a good temperament. Since Ji Yuan had saved his life, Li Changhe owed him a significant favor.

As he had said, once Ji Yuan joined the Water Dragon Sect, if he encountered any trouble, he could contact Li Changhe for help.

In other words, Ji Yuan now had a backing in the Water Dragon Sect.

As long as he was in the right, he wouldn't have to worry about being at a disadvantage.

Ji Yuan wouldn't do anything unjust.

After a while, a head slowly emerged from the lake surface.

He looked around to ensure there were no surprises before fully surfacing.

Then, the flying boat skimmed along the lake surface, not daring to ascend, fearing being targeted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The night he met Li Changhe was New Year's Eve. Afterward, he had spent over ten days on that unnamed island, so the Water Dragon Sect's selection date should be approaching.

Ji Yuan planned to return to Zengtou Market to gather some information.

To be honest, he didn't intend to use the Ascension Token that Li Changhe had given him.

He could join the Water Dragon Sect through the selection process, which wouldn't draw attention and would allow him to blend in with the crowd, even if he remained unremarkable after joining.

However, joining through the Ascension Token would make him too conspicuous.

Many people would take notice and might even investigate the origin of his Ascension Token, leading to more trouble.

It wasn't worth it for the simple matter of joining the Water Dragon Sect.

Ji Yuan never did things that didn't benefit him.

When choosing a place to recuperate earlier, Ji Yuan had already been heading toward Zengtou Market.

So now, after just half a day, he returned to his lakeside cottage in Zengtou Market.

Lin Hu seemed to have gone out on a boat, leaving only Wu Qin holding her baby and strolling along the path in front of the door.

From the neighboring Wen family, the cries of Wen Ling'er could be heard. It seemed she was being scolded by Zhao Yuechan for not writing properly again.

Hearing these familiar sounds, Ji Yuan felt a sense of nostalgia—indeed, living on a deserted island for too long wasn't ideal; it was necessary to occasionally walk among the people.

"Brother Ji, you're back!"

Wu Qin saw Ji Yuan's figure and called out in surprise and joy.

"Yes, the Water Dragon Sect's selection hasn't started yet, right?"

Ji Yuan landed and immediately asked.

"Not yet, it will start in ten days."

Wu Qin quickly replied.

Ji Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, everything was just right, and he hadn't missed the important event.

Zhao Yuechan from next door also heard Ji Yuan's voice and immediately came out with Wen Ling'er, greeting him happily.

After some pleasantries, Ji Yuan returned to his long-unseen home. Activating the [Cave Dwelling] effect, the accumulated dust immediately dissipated. He checked around and found no other anomalies.

A courtyard suitable for a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator still had some deterrent power.

Since there were still ten days before the selection, he could gather more information.

On his way back, Ji Yuan had already made up his mind. Since it was nearing evening, he planned to visit the Hundred Treasures Pavilion the next day to see if Elder Xu was there.

Then, he would make a trip to Tai'an Alley to find Du Wanyi.

She should have gathered quite a bit of information by now.

When visiting Elder Xu, it was essential not to go empty-handed.

During last year's selection, it was entirely thanks to his advance notice; otherwise, Ji Yuan would have ended up as cannon fodder on Liancheng Mountain.

Previously, Ji Yuan was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, while Elder Xu had already reached the late stage.

Therefore, it was challenging to find suitable gifts.

But now, Ji Yuan had also reached the late stage of Qi Refining, even at the ninth level, making gift selection easier.

Pills, talismans, and cultivation resources that Ji Yuan could use would also be beneficial to Elder Xu.

Not to mention, Ji Yuan had acquired the entire treasure trove of the Yue family.

Before long, Lin Hu, who had gone out fishing, and Wen Lin, who had gone to the market to sell pills, both returned.

Naturally, they sought out Ji Yuan for a good chat and catch-up.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Ji Yuan arrived early at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

As he stepped inside, several familiar cultivators from the Water Dragon Sect recognized him immediately.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, you're finally here. Old Xu has been talking about you for a long time."

"Exactly. He even said that if you didn't show up soon, he'd have to give you a good beating when he sees you at the Water Dragon Sect."

"Haha, with Fellow Daoist Ji's current cultivation, it seems more likely he'd be the one giving Elder Xu a beating."

Ji Yuan quickly pleaded for mercy.

Turning his head, he saw Xu Fugui, with white hair and beard, standing at the entrance, glaring at him.

"Disappeared for so long, we thought you'd died in the Yunyu Marshlands."

"No, no, just got delayed by some matters."

"Come in and let's talk."

Elder Xu had somehow picked up the habit of smoking a dry pipe and had become quite the heavy smoker, puffing away wherever he went.

Ji Yuan couldn't help but take a closer look.

Upon inspection, he was startled.

Xu Fugui's smoking pipe turned out to be a high-grade magical artifact.

"Been hanging around the Yunyu Marshlands lately?"

Xu Fugui sat down behind the counter.

Ji Yuan first presented the prepared gift box containing pills, talismans, and blood essence.

"Coming here is enough; why bring these things?" Xu Fugui raised his pipe. "Instead of learning good things, you're picking up these crooked ways."

"This is a gift from this junior to Grandpa Xu; there's nothing crooked about it."

Facing Xu Fugui, Ji Yuan set aside any pretense and promptly handed over the gift box.

Xu Fugui initially refused, but after some back-and-forth, he eventually accepted it—there was no choice; if someone else saw it, it would be hard to explain.

Seeing him accept it, Ji Yuan pulled over a chair and sat down, saying:

"Well, the selection is approaching. I've been honing my combat skills in the Yunyu Marshlands to avoid any issues when the time comes."

"That's the right thing to do."

Xu Fugui exhaled a puff of smoke, the white mist obscuring his face, making it appear somewhat somber.

"Doing the right thing?"

Ji Yuan sensed there was more to his words.

"Yes, because due to the batch of recruits from last year, the Water Dragon Sect doesn't plan to recruit as many people this year." Xu Fugui said slowly.

Ji Yuan thought to himself, it was indeed the right decision to come today.

Elder Xu truly had access to insider information!

"This matter is confidential. That Water Dragon Sect Mutual Aid Society you're involved in wouldn't be able to find out such news. So, I'm telling you, but remember not to spread it around."

Ji Yuan gave a big thumbs-up. "Grandpa Xu is truly resourceful."

Xu Fugui had significant connections; Ji Yuan had realized this a year ago.

"Heh."

Xu Fugui chuckled, then handed over a piece of white paper.

Ji Yuan took it and saw the handwriting was still as messy as ever.

He read it in one glance and was somewhat surprised.

Because the paper mentioned only one thing—this year's late-stage Qi Refining selection would not allow the use of talismans, pills, water bombs, or other external items.

Only magical artifacts and spells could be used for direct combat.

In previous years, during the selection, late-stage Qi Refining cultivators fought against late-stage first-tier demonic beasts, and they were allowed to use talismans. If a Foundation Establishment descendant used a second-tier talisman to directly kill the beast, the Water Dragon Sect would still accept it.

For such cultivators, the Water Dragon Sect valued the potential of their backing cultivation families.

But this year was different. To join, one had to rely on solid combat strength, focusing entirely on the mastery of magical artifacts and spells.

Other than that, spiritual root testing remained the same.

Dual cultivation paths like alchemy and weapon refining also remained unchanged.

The only rule change targeted late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

"Actually, it's not too bad. After last year's selection, there aren't many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators left in the entire Yunyu Marshlands. With your skills, taking down a late-stage first-tier demonic beast shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"As long as it's not underwater combat, it shouldn't be an issue."

Over the past six months, Ji Yuan had tried fighting late-stage first-tier demonic beasts on land in the depths of the Yunyu Marshlands and could handle them with ease.

Underwater, facing late-stage first-tier demonic beasts, if he could use talismans, it wouldn't be a big problem either.

"But if it's underwater combat and talismans can't be used, then it's no different from seeking death."

Xu Fugui shook his head.

"That's fine then."

"This junior will give it my all!" Ji Yuan solemnly cupped his fists toward Xu Fugui.

"Alright, see you at the Water Dragon Sect."

Hearing Ji Yuan's confident words, Xu Fugui also breathed a sigh of relief. He took a puff from his old pipe and said, "I'll be returning to the Water Dragon Sect next month. When you arrive, come find me at Room 78 in Area B of Hatchling Island."

"Got it."

"Next, let me brief you on some matters regarding joining the Water Dragon Sect; take note."

After Xu Fugui finished speaking, Ji Yuan even took out pen and paper.