Dragon Palace.
“Teacher! Teacher, look quickly!”
Li Pingcan excitedly unfurled the beast skin scroll of the "Nine Suns Spirit Refining Formation" in front of the Formation Spirit like it was a treasure.
“Hm?”
The Formation Spirit was half-asleep, lying on the cloud bed, reluctantly opening his eyes. He blew his beard and glared, “What is that? Is it really worth you making such a fuss?”
Though he complained, he slowly floated down and took the scroll. After casually glancing at it, his ancient eyes, usually calm like a deep well, suddenly widened in shock.
“This is... the Nine Suns Spirit Refining Formation?!”
He snatched the scroll away and examined it repeatedly, his expression more excited than when Li Pingcan first found the Soulwood seed.
“Excellent formation!”
The Formation Spirit stroked his beard, praising continuously, “It draws on the Earth’s true fire, gathers the power of the nine suns, refining items into spirits... Such craftsmanship and design are beyond what ordinary formation masters can achieve! Boy, where on earth did you dig this up from?”“Teacher, your insight is as sharp as a torch.”
Li Pingcan chuckled, saying he just got lucky and ‘picked it up’ from an unfortunate fellow.
“Luck is part of strength.”
The Formation Spirit unusually did not contradict him. He stared at the formation diagram, his gaze full of obsession, then sighed, returning the scroll to Li Pingcan. “What a pity, such a pity.”
“Why do you say that, teacher?”
“Do you think this second-tier formation is some child’s play?”
The Formation Spirit gave him a warning glance. “The foundation of this formation requires a second-tier superior ‘Earth Core Fire Marrow’ to support it. The formation eye must be a ten-thousand-year warm jade. As for the thirty-six formation flags that maintain the array’s operation, they must primarily be made of Nine Heavens Divine Iron, supplemented by demonic beast spirits, and must be sacrificed and refined for forty-nine days.”
With every item he listed, Li Pingcan’s face darkened a little more.
By the time the Formation Spirit finished reciting the long list of materials Li Pingcan had never even heard of, the smile on Li Pingcan’s face had completely vanished.
“Teacher, you mean...” He struggled to speak, “Not a single one of these materials can be missing?”
“Nonsense!” The Formation Spirit blew his beard and glared, “A second-tier formation draws on the power of heaven and earth. If it’s off by even the slightest bit, it’s not a formation; it’s a ‘self-detonation’! With your meager cultivation, you’d probably turn to ashes before the formation is even set!”
Li Pingcan felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, chilling him from head to toe.
“So after all this, I ended up with an SSR blueprint, but I can’t even gather the materials?”
He grumbled in his heart, “Immortal cultivation sure is pay-to-win! No money, no play!”
“Enough, enough, stop sulking here.”
The Formation Spirit looked at his dejected face and couldn’t help but feel a little pity, waving his hand.
“You’re blessed with deep fortune. Maybe one day you’ll step in dog crap and pick up one or two of these. You have to take it step by step. First, master the first-tier formations before moving on.”
Li Pingcan wasn’t convinced. “Teacher, can these second-tier spirit materials be found in the Rogue Cultivator Market?”
“Rogue Cultivator Market coins?”
The Formation Spirit laughed as if he heard the world’s biggest joke, “Those poor wretches can barely afford a few first-tier mid-grade magical implements, let alone seventh-tier second-grade materials. Does he think these are wild cabbages to pick up carefully?”
He paused, then lazily added, “But it’s not impossible. Some places indeed spawn things that ordinary Earth Realm areas don’t have.”
Li Pingcan’s eyes lit up. “Please, teacher, enlighten me!”
“For example, those ancient battlefields soaked in the blood of living creatures, filled with raging resentment, or the fierce lands where demonic beasts gather and rivers run red with blood.”
The Formation Spirit’s voice carried a strange meaning. “Death and life are two sides of the same coin. When destruction reaches its peak, new life naturally emerges. Those spirit materials absorb enough ‘nourishment’ and evolve into second or third-tier—nothing rare. If we talk about the richest treasures, it would be the noble clans and ancient dynasties.”
“Nourishment?”
Li Pingcan frowned, asking.
The Formation Spirit didn’t elaborate and waved his hand impatiently, “These things, not just you, even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would go bankrupt trying to gather a full set. Boy, focus on mastering your Seven Spirit Array first.”
Saying this, the Formation Spirit floated back to his cloud bed, looking like he wanted to be left alone, “Alright, I’ve said enough. Don’t waste my sleep.”
Li Pingcan had no choice but to leave the Five Elements Hall, but he kept turning over the Formation Spirit’s words in his mind.
“Nourishment...”
Through the Fungal Lord Domain, Li Pingcan’s gaze fell on the buried bodies of soldiers from the Great Yu Dynasty and Great Qian Dynasty.
An uncontrollable thought arose.
Could it be that those mortal sacrifices were not just for consumption?
The so-called “nourishment”... could it actually be these?
The flesh and blood of mortals, the souls of warriors, all nourishing those heavenly materials and earthly treasures—“cultivating” some unspeakable “spirit materials” that provide fertilizer for cultivators climbing the mountain path?
This was no simple matter of life and death.
It was using countless living lives to water a bloody “harvest”!
“So it turns out, human life is the cheapest yet most effective fertilizer in this world...”
“What a cultivation world, what a survival of the fittest.”
Upon reflection, every word from the Formation Spirit carried hidden meaning!
Li Pingcan’s heart grew icy cold.
Immortal and mortal really were two separate worlds.
He gathered his mind and stopped thinking further, heading to the familiar Rogue Cultivator Market.
Though he now had some spirit materials, he was still far from setting up the Nine Suns Spirit Refining Formation. He couldn’t resist trying.
In front of Tie Zhong’s stall, the furnace still blazed fiercely.
Seeing Li Pingcan, the weaponsmith unusually showed a slight smile, “You kid sure are tough, still alive.”
“Master Tie jokes. I cherish my life.”
Li Pingcan placed several good wines on the stall, “This time, I want to ask you something.”
He handed over the list of materials including “Earth Core Fire Marrow” and “Nine Heavens Divine Iron.”
Tie Zhong glanced at it, stunned at first, then laughed heartily, bending over and straightening repeatedly.
“Brother, where did you dig up this ancient treasure map?”
He pointed at the names on the list, overjoyed, “Earth Core Fire Marrow? Nine Heavens Profound Crystal? Don’t say my little smithy, even if you turned over the whole Songling Prefecture, you probably wouldn’t find a single piece!”
“Is there really no way at all?”
“There might be.” Tie Zhong lowered his voice, his face serious, “But that place isn’t a good one.”
He paused, continuing, “I heard from an old friend that on the border between the Great Qian Dynasty and Great Yu Dynasty, there’s a place called the Blood Maple Forest. It’s said to be an ancient battlefield where two immortal sects clashed, countless cultivators fell, including several Foundation Establishment masters.”
“The place is filled with intense resentment. Ordinary people entering won’t take more than three steps before the murderous energy knocks them unconscious. But because of this, the land there is nourished by the blood essence and magical treasure fragments of countless cultivators, often producing very high-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures.”
Many desperate people go there to try their luck. The lucky ones find one or two broken magical treasures or spirit materials and make a leap to greatness. The unlucky become permanent “nourishment” for the forest.
Tie Zhong looked at Li Pingcan and earnestly advised, “Friend, take my advice: that place is very evil. Don’t go if you can avoid it.”
“Thank you for the warning, master.”
Li Pingcan clasped his fists in thanks, secretly memorizing the name “Blood Maple Forest.”
Just as he was about to leave the valley, he suddenly stopped breathing for a moment. Something seemed to have locked onto him!
Without hesitation, he activated a skill, triggering the [Detection Technique]. His divine consciousness spread like mercury flowing.
In the dark perspective, a glaring red hostility suddenly lit up the whole screen.
[Great Qian Black Origin Sect cultivator Zou Daoping, Refining Qi eighth layer, a talisman cultivator.]
[Spell fluctuations: Minor Gale Technique, Black Origin Sword Light Technique...]
[Talisman spiritual fluctuations: first-tier superior Thunderstrike Talisman, first-tier superior Divine Movement Talisman, first-tier superior Fireburst Talisman...]
“A cultivator from the Great Qian Dynasty? How did he get here? The Rogue Cultivator Market is chaotic enough, but an enemy nation’s cultivator sneaking in?”
In the raging flames, the figure not only didn’t turn to ashes but calmly strolled out, his clothes not even singed.
As if he just took a warm bath.
[Fire Affinity]!
“The flame’s temperature is just right, warm enough.” Li Pingcan stretched, his hoarse voice carrying a trace of playfulness.
“Who... who exactly are you?!” The masked man panicked. He had never seen such a strange scene.
A flesh-and-blood body resisting spells? Is this even human?!
Before he could be shocked for long, seeing the situation worsening, the masked man slapped his storage pouch. A banner flickering with sinister ghostly energy appeared in his hand.
He waved the banner, and several streams of black energy poured out, forming three snarling evil ghosts in midair, clawing toward Li Pingcan.
This was a rare ghost-path magical implement!
Facing these vicious ghosts, Li Pingcan neither dodged nor avoided but casually spat out one word.
“Thunder.”
Before his voice fell, purple-golden electric light flickered at his fingertips.
“Boom!”
A bowl-sized purple thunderbolt descended from the sky, carrying overwhelming heavenly authority, striking precisely above the three evil ghosts’ heads!
After [Elemental Amplification], combined with [Divine Blessing of Nature]’s bestowed [Thunderclap Wave]!
“Ah!”
The three evil ghosts didn’t even have time to scream before they instantly turned into three wisps of blue smoke, vanishing without a trace.
“What!?”
The masked man’s eyes nearly popped out. His “Three Ghost Banner” was his treasured possession, refined for many years, devouring countless souls. Even mid-stage Refining Qi cultivators would avoid it.
Yet now... it was instantly destroyed by his opponent’s move?
What the hell kind of technique was this?
Its power was outrageous!
Without hesitation, the masked man turned to flee.
But as soon as he turned, he realized his feet had become quicksand without him noticing. A huge suction force made it impossible to move.
“Trying to run?”
Li Pingcan’s figure appeared like a ghost before him, “Trying to leave without leaving something behind? That won’t do.”
“You! Don’t come closer!”
“Spirit stones! Pills! Magical implements! Take them all! Please spare my life!”
He knelt with a thud, kowtowing to Li Pingcan repeatedly, no longer arrogant.
Li Pingcan looked at this tearful man and shook his head.
“I want it all.” He said softly, “Including your life.”
Before the words fell, the Jingzhe Sword in his hand was already unsheathed.
A black sword light flashed and disappeared.
The masked man’s begging abruptly ended.
Li Pingcan sheathed his sword skillfully, collected all the spoils from the ground, then searched the body to confirm nothing was missed. Finally, he flicked a spark and burned the body to ashes.
Having done all this, he looked at the vast night sky and sighed softly.
“This world is getting more chaotic by the day.”
“Looks like I have to speed up my pace.”
He transformed into a flying bird, soaring into the sky, disappearing into the night.