Chapter 71: Gathering at Gathering Immortals Tower Again
Gathering Immortals Tower.
“Big Brother Lin, let me offer my early congratulations on your Foundation Establishment—may your immortal path flourish long.”
Inside the private room, Li Ernniu beamed as he lifted his wine cup. Compared to a few years ago, his appearance was noticeably more prosperous.
Beside him, Shen Lie also raised his glass with a smile. “Brother Lin, don’t blame me for this—it was them, once they learned of it, insisting on joining.”
“Big Brother Lin, wishing you immortal flourishing.” Lu Qingqing also smiled, raising her cup from a side.
Even Wei Buyi, who had been silent since the incident, rarely lifted his cup today. Thinking of his inexperienced youth, his face flushed with awkwardness.
“Brother Lin, I was rude back then. If not for the help of you Daoist friends, I might’ve died on the marketplace street already.”
Looking around at everyone, Lin Chang’an also raised his cup with a smile and said thoughtfully:
“Life spans decades, the path of cultivation is long. Having three or five true friends by your side is already a blessing. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
They clinked cups and drank, each showing sincere smiles and sparking memories.
In the shifting tides of the cultivation world, from meeting in youth to reuniting now, for everyone to still be alive and able to gather was already fortunate.
At the wine table, everyone brimmed with joy and nostalgia. After all, they were all over fifty, the age when one understands destiny.
Given that cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage live to well over a hundred, they’d already lived through half their expected time.
“Don’t be fooled by how peaceful Heavenly Mysterious City seems—outside, it’s still chaotic. The frontline remains tight, and the three Great Sects are still vying under the surface.”
“That’s right. Even though Palace of Blazing Fire and Pavilion of Mystic Sound are currently allied, that fragile alliance is held together by Master Lu. Behind the scenes, they’re still fiercely at odds over the Secret Realm incident.”
As the owner of the wine house, Shen Lie was most well-informed. Under the soundproofing formation in the private room, he spoke freely about the outside situation.
Ernniu chimed in now and then too. As a member of Beast‑Taming Zhou Clan, he had information Shen Lie didn’t.
Wei Buyi, who once loved showing off, remained silent and reserved. After suffering life-shattering blows, his personality had changed a lot.
Finally, as the banquet neared its end, Lu Qingqing smiled and looked at everyone, then pursed her lips and spoke:
“Big Brother Lin, since they’re all too shy to say it, I’ll start.”
At this, everyone smiled. Lu Qingqing pulled out a Spirit Stone pouch.
“Brother Lin is preparing for Foundation Establishment. Whether pooling funds with others, venturing into Cloudmist Mountain Range to hunt demon beasts, or bidding on Foundation Establishment Pills, some resources are needed.”
She placed the heavy pouch of Spirit Stones on the table. She didn’t specify how much. Shen Lie waved and said with a smile:
“Brother Lin, what Qingqing said is what I mean too. After all, we all failed the selection together. Brother Lin, you must establish your foundation to earn us some pride.”
In Shen Lie’s half‑joking tone, Wei Buyi silently nodded heavily.
“That’s right. When we failed the selection, we encountered those disciples of Palace of Blazing Fire many times over the years. Now it’s time to prove ourselves.”
Wei Buyi’s hoarse voice produced another Spirit Stone pouch.
Finally Li Ernniu looked at everyone, then at Lin Chang’an, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Big Brother Lin, you know how it is. My boy Yifan used up a lot of resources. And these years my family has added two chubby little ones.”
But in the next moment, Ernniu’s face went red as he reached inside his tall boots and pulled out a storage pouch.
But no one was fooled. Ernniu’s gesture showed that someone in his family didn’t think highly of Lin Chang’an, after all he couldn’t compare to a genius like Yunyao.
So Ernniu was using his own private savings this time.
“Ernniu, you’ve already reached Late‑stage Qi Refinement, and your habits still haven’t changed?” Shen Lie teased, smiling.
Immediately everyone laughed, even Wei Buyi revealed a smile and flash of longing in his eyes.
Watching this scene, Lin Chang’an’s gaze grew a bit misty.
On the path to the cultivation world together, Ernniu used to hide the family’s money in his shoes and socks. That habit never changed amidst cultivation.
When he was disheartened and prepared to return to the mortal world, Ernniu acted just the same.
The difference was that decades later, they were all cultivators with cultivation now, and Ernniu no longer used ragcloth—he used a storage pouch.
Facing everyone’s teasing, Li Ernniu’s old face turned even redder.
“Big Brother Lin, once you establish foundation, let me swagger a bit. Let Yifan know he has an Uncle with Foundation Establishment.”
Looking at the Spirit Stone pouches on the table, regardless of how small it might be for Lin Chang’an, somehow today those pouches felt exceptionally heavy in hand.
“Everyone!”
Lin Chang'an's smile gradually faded into a hint of solemnity. Just as the atmosphere turned slightly awkward, everyone exchanged glances—then burst into hearty laughter.
“Come! One last cup. Next time we gather, we’ll be drinking to Brother Lin’s Foundation Establishment celebration!”
Lin Chang'an also raised his cup. Facing everyone's smiling faces, he downed it in one gulp.
However, the taste of this drink was completely different from all the wines he had ever tasted before.
It was also the only flavor in his life that he would never forget.
Everyone knew that with a low-grade spiritual root, the chances of establishing a foundation were slim, yet they had all still gathered together without prior agreement.
…
Night gradually fell.
Inside the cave dwelling, Lin Chang'an wore a smile as he looked at one precious spirit stone pouch after another.
Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing, the husband and wife, had given three hundred spirit stones. Although it was not as much as what they had provided Yun Yao back then, they were now a couple—cultivating regularly and raising children.
For them to offer more than three hundred spirit stones this time, they had likely scraped together all they could.
Wei Buyi had also contributed over a hundred, while Er Niu had the least, with only eighty-nine spirit stones.
But the sentiment behind these three portions of spirit stones was far more valuable than the stones themselves.
“Not even afraid of ending up with nothing.”
Lin Chang'an chuckled and shook his head as he stored all the spirit stone pouches away. He had no intention of using them—these were his precious memories.
Although he was a First-rank Talisman Master, and even if he failed to establish a foundation, it wouldn't be difficult to repay these spirit stones, if he had evil intentions and chose not to acknowledge the debt, no one could demand repayment.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was the bond of over thirty years they had shared.
“It’s about time to prepare for Foundation Establishment. Hopefully, I can give everyone a pleasant surprise when the time comes.”
Lin Chang'an muttered to himself as he pondered his Foundation Establishment plan.
Right now, the three major forces in Tianxuan City had converged, and only these three possessed Second-rank Alchemists.
But the power of sects was deeply intertwined. Take Ghost Three Blades, who was now a prominent name on the bounty list—wasn't he once a bloody lesson himself?
No matter which alchemist he sought out, as soon as he entered, within half a day, word would get out that someone was refining a Foundation Establishment Pill.
News could easily leak, and he could be targeted—even if the chances were slim.
But he couldn't bet on luck.
Thinking this, Lin Chang'an secretly nodded.
“To be safe, I should visit Yun Yao.”
After all, Yun Yao had vouched for his formation purchases and even provided him with several mid-grade spirit stones. Her character could be trusted, at the very least.
And think about it—she was the personal disciple of a Golden Core stage master; she couldn’t possibly care about such things.
Favors worked both ways. That’s what made them favors.
It wasn't that Yun Yao owed him—rather, he owed Yun Yao. Maintaining this connection could be beneficial in the future. If any changes occurred in the upper echelons, having ties to a well-connected disciple was extremely practical for a rogue cultivator like him.
After all, who knew when the three great sects might go to war again?