Chapter 56: Planning for Foundation Establishment
“What's going on!”
Everyone was startled awake. Lin Chang’an and Shen Lie, both looking grim, quickly flipped onto the eaves to observe the situation. Even Wei Buyi, leaning on his iron crutch, poked his head out at this moment, his expression full of tension.
The wind and snow howled. However, when the two on the eaves exchanged glances, they both saw the shock and unease in each other’s eyes.
“That’s a spirit beast!”
Shen Lie nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, while Lin Chang’an stared solemnly into the distance and said in a low voice:
“That’s right. Judging by the sound and presence, it's a second-rank spirit beast. And not just one.”
In the darkness, screams and chaos echoed from the outskirts of the marketplace, while within the areas protected by the two major sects, the defensive formation barriers were slowly being activated.
Several large clans also gathered their members and activated smaller defensive formations.
This left the rogue cultivators in the outer regions to suffer. Although they had paid spirit stones, the cultivators responsible for their protection were only at most at the late-stage Qi Refinement level. How could they possibly defend them?
Thus, in the darkness, the tide of battle shifted. Cultivators were swiftly reduced to food for spirit beasts.
Seeing the defensive formations rise, Shen Lie on the eaves couldn’t help but secretly let out a sigh of relief.
“At least those ten spirit stones weren’t paid for nothing.”
However, Lin Chang’an’s expression remained grave. He connected it to the responses the sects and clans had shown recently.
“Could it be that these major clans and sects had already known about the spiritual energy leakage and the incoming beast tide?”
Upon thinking this, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. These sects and clans were indeed monstrous forces that devoured everything without spitting out even the bones.
“Brother Lin!”
Beside him, Shen Lie nervously gulped down again. Even the darkness of night couldn’t hide his panicked expression.
“Have you noticed? During this snowstorm, the spiritual energy seems thicker than usual.”
At this time, Shen Lie had activated the Spirit Eye, and naturally noticed the abnormal density of the spiritual energy.
Shen Lie seemed to have thought of something terrifying, while Lin Chang’an’s expression grew gloomier, as if all his earlier suspicions were being confirmed.
This secret realm probably contained a high-grade spiritual vein, which invisibly attracted all kinds of spirit beasts to settle here.
The disaster brought by the spirit beasts would likewise attract countless cultivators to flock in.
With the high-grade spiritual vein at its center, a new marketplace would surely be established!
Back then, wasn’t the Bamboo Mountain Marketplace founded after the discovery of a low-grade spiritual vein, using the same method?
“Brother Shen, speak cautiously!”
Lin Chang’an’s throat had gone dry. Scenes from his early days entering the marketplace surfaced in his mind. He was all too familiar with the establishment of the Bamboo Mountain Marketplace.
Just a low-grade spiritual vein had already caused such a fierce and chaotic struggle. A high-grade spiritual vein... he didn’t even dare to imagine how messy it could get.
“But I’m not the same as before, acting purely on youthful fervor!”
Lin Chang’an gritted his teeth silently. Back then, with low cultivation and relying solely on his innate martial prowess, he still managed to survive. Now, he was already a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.
Magical tools, spirit pets, spirit stones—he lacked none of them. He was far stronger than those low-level cultivators in the outskirts.
After all, spirit beasts represented endless resources, and there was no need to venture deep into danger. The allure was simply irresistible.
…
The next morning.
Three feet of thick snow was blown away under spells, and the entire marketplace returned to its usual bustling state.
“A spirit beast attack... how many people can it devour each time, really.”
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. He didn’t know when it started, but even his own heart had grown cold.
Hunting spirit beasts for resources—yet at the same time, spirit beasts fed on human cultivators.
“Fellow Daoist Shen, where are you heading?”
Early in the morning, he saw Shen Lie and his wife arguing for a bit, but in the end, Lu Qingqing clearly yielded. Lin Chang’an looked on with confusion.
This couple had always had a good relationship.
“The Gathering Immortals Tower is gone, and I don’t have the skills you and Brother Wei possess. I can’t just sit around waiting to starve, can I?”
Shen Lie smiled helplessly, then quickly put on his usual confident expression and patted his storage pouch.
“In this life, I may have no other abilities, but I do know how to seize opportunities and do a little business. With the beast tide rampant, spirit beast meat is definitely a profitable venture.”
At this point, Shen Lie even turned to look at Lu Qingqing, who was holding their child with a worried expression. He laughed freely and said:
“Qingqing, don’t worry. It’s not like I’m personally going out to hunt spirit beasts. I’m just finding a few old acquaintances in the marketplace to purchase some spirit beast meat and make a few spirit stones.”
Good grief, seeing this scene, Lin Chang’an couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Truly, every person had their path—rat pups were born to dig tunnels.
Shen Lie really was worthy of being chosen by Yun Yao; he was born to do business.
While Lin Chang’an had only thought about how chaotic things might get, Shen Lie had already spotted a way to profit.
People really couldn’t be compared to one another.
“Spirit beast meat, huh? If possible, Fellow Daoist Shen, help me purchase some high-grade spirit beast meat as well.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Lin. The spirit beast meat you want—I promise I won’t earn a single coin from it.”
Upon hearing Lin Chang’an request high-grade spirit beast meat, Shen Lie grinned broadly.
He was sincere, but while it seemed like he wouldn’t profit, he actually would.
High-grade spirit beast meat was already rare and expensive. Lin Chang’an’s request was effectively opening up Shen Lie’s business channel.
At the same time, Lin Chang’an also nodded silently. The nourishing effect of high-grade spirit beast meat was very beneficial even to late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
Once Shen Lie left the house, Lin Chang’an also headed into the marketplace to gather information.
…
“Have you noticed? After this heavy snow, the spiritual energy seems much denser.”
“You can sense it with the Spirit Eye. I’m telling you, this secret realm must have been the cultivation ground of a powerful expert. Otherwise, how could it exert such influence from so far away?”
On the marketplace streets, countless cultivators were whispering to one another. What they discussed wasn’t last night’s spirit beast attack but rather the secret realm.
After all, to cultivators, life and death were commonplace. Spirit beast attacks might seem dangerous, but they also represented opportunities.
Lin Chang’an had already seen several beast-hunting teams calling out for members, preparing to lay traps and wait for the spirit beasts to come.
“With the increase in spirit beasts, it might actually be a good thing.”
As Lin Chang’an walked along in disguise selling talismans, seeing so many cultivators in the marketplace preparing to counter-hunt spirit beasts gave him a new idea.
One of the main ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill was a beast core.
But second-rank spirit beasts normally only lived deep within the Cloudmist Mountain Range. Now that a large number of them had come out, it seemed the opportunity to hunt them had increased.
“Maybe I’ll even have a chance to buy a beast core out here.”
Lin Chang’an nodded to himself. If he could buy it with spirit stones, why risk his life?
However, this kind of strategic resource—even if it entered the market—would still be monopolized by the sects and major clans. It was extremely difficult for it to reach rogue cultivators.
“Prepare both paths. I can’t slack on talismans either.”
Lin Chang’an always prepared for the worst. If he could break through in his craft early and produce premium-grade first-rank talismans, it would ensure both his safety and future spirit beast hunts.
Amid the howling cold wind, more and more rogue cultivators continued to pour in from outside. There were even cultivators from other nations joining the influx.
After this snowstorm, Lin Chang’an turned fifty.
Yet the Bamboo Mountain Marketplace had only become even more prosperous.