Immortality and Cultivation: I Have Three Times the Lifespan

Chapter 58 Development Direction

He quickly calculated that Liu Xiaoying had borrowed a bag of spirit stones containing a total of three hundred stones. Ninety stones were used to break the contract, and renting a room would cost two hundred and eighty-eight stones. In an instant, three hundred and seventy-eight stones were gone.

Now, all I have left in savings are sixty-two spirit stones.

This amount of money won't last long in the market, let alone be used to buy materials to craft puppets and make money.

A powerful sense of urgency to survive surged back like a tide.

"This is the place!" Yang Changsheng said without hesitation; time was of the essence.

He took out the Ice Silkworm Spirit Stone Bag and then took some from his own storage bag, counting out a total of 288 spirit stones and handing them over.

The female cultivator checked everything and found nothing wrong. Her smile became even more sincere. She took out a palm-sized bronze array plate covered with runes and a jade key and handed them to Yang Changsheng.

"The array plate is the core of the gate's restrictions. You can control it by refining your magic power. The jade key is the physical key to the gate. Courtyard No. 9527 is located in the middle section of Tingchao Lane in the southwest district. You can find it by following the map."

She handed over a jade slip with a simple map marked on it.

After the transaction was completed, Yang Changsheng held the array plate and the jade key in his hands, finally securing the first cornerstone for establishing himself in the market.

Without further delay, he left Zhaihang and hurried towards Tingchao Lane in the southwest district.

Tingchao Lane is located in the southwest corner of the market. It is situated on slightly higher ground, and one can faintly hear the subtle sound of the tide coming from the distant Bishui Lake, hence the name.

The alleyway is not wide, but it is quite clean and tidy. On both sides are mostly small courtyards, with a few slightly larger row houses in between.

There weren't many cultivators around during this time, making it quite peaceful.

Yang Changsheng quickly found the courtyard number 9527.

The gate to the courtyard was an ordinary blue stone door, which looked unremarkable.

Following instructions, Yang Changsheng began refining the bronze array plate by circulating his internal magical power.

"Buzz!"

After a few breaths, the array plate trembled slightly, and the runes on its surface gradually lit up, emitting a soft light before disappearing.

He immediately sensed a subtle connection with the restrictions placed upon the courtyard.

By bringing the array plate close to an inconspicuous groove on the door, a flash of light appeared, and a slight turning sound of a mechanism came from inside the door. With a "click," the courtyard door opened in response.

Stepping into the courtyard, a spiritual energy much richer than outside rushed towards him. Although it still couldn't compare to the core areas, it was definitely stronger than the awning boat he was on in the middle of the waterway.

The effects of this spirit-gathering array were indeed worth the price.

The courtyard is not large; it is rectangular, about eighty square meters.

The ground was paved with polished bluestone slabs, and several clumps of emerald green moss grew tenaciously in the cracks.

The courtyard was simply furnished with a round stone table and four stone stools. Several stalks of green bamboo were planted in the corner, their verdant leaves swaying in the wind, adding a touch of life and elegance to this little world.

It's not luxurious or exquisite, but it's spacious, clean, and private.

What Yang Changsheng cared about most was the protective barrier that covered the entire courtyard.

With a slight thought, he sensed through the array plate that all the basic functions were complete.

The Awareness Array can block divine sense detection, making it difficult for those below the Foundation Establishment stage to forcibly spy on you.

The light curtain array forms a visual distortion barrier, preventing observation from high altitudes.

Soundproof array... and a trigger-activated defensive array, but its strength is average, better than nothing.

But for him, who needed to create puppets and cultivate ancient techniques, this was enough.

He pushed open the door to the main house.

The master bedroom was small and simply furnished, with a sturdy rosewood bed, an elegant screen embroidered with swirling cloud patterns separating the inside from the outside, and a set of ordinary wooden table and chairs—that was all.

The second bedroom was completely empty, with only a long table and a few empty wooden shelves, clearly a workshop prepared for a craftsman, which suited his needs perfectly.

"That's enough."

Yang Changsheng looked around the small courtyard and rooms and let out a long sigh of relief.

Despite paying a heavy price, in these turbulent times, I finally found a safe haven in the city that was entirely my own.

This will be the starting point for his future cultivation, puppet making, and accumulation of strength.

"Buzz!"

An invisible wave spread, and the small courtyard paved with bluestone slabs was isolated from the hustle and bustle of Tingchao Lane under the protection of the light barrier.

The early autumn breeze rustled softly through the few green bamboo stalks in the corner, further emphasizing the tranquility of the courtyard.

Yang Changsheng sat cross-legged on the cold floor of the secondary bedroom workshop, with only an old futon under his body.

The rosewood bed is in the master bedroom, which is the foundation for his plan to make puppets and make a living.

His gaze swept across the empty yet promising workshop. He took a deep breath and calmed his jumbled thoughts.

The most pressing matter is how to survive in this chaotic market and repay Liu Xiaoying's heavy debt of three hundred spirit stones as soon as possible.

He embarked on the path of immortality at the age of fourteen, starting as a fisherman at the first level of Qi Refining. Now, in his early twenties, he has reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Despite his seemingly rapid progress, far surpassing that of ordinary rogue cultivators, Yang Changsheng knew that his greatest reliance was never his meager cultivation level, but rather the mysterious and unpredictable golden ancient tree imprint deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Finally, I have my own place. Here, I can try things without any worries and use the power of the ancient tree imprint to the fullest."

He silently recited it to himself, a barely perceptible sense of relief passing through his heart.

For more than six years, from the spirit-locking net by the Biyue Lake to the jade crystal rice spirit seed in Luogang Town, and then to pacifying the small dragonfish, he has been carefully exploring and verifying the power of this mark.

Its core efficacy has now been confirmed.

First and foremost, there is boundless vitality.

This life force primarily affects oneself. Whether it's the damage caused by being scorched by the true fire of the sun or frozen by the cold qi of the moon during the cultivation of the Nine Revolutions of the Sun and Moon Forging Tribulation Scripture, or the hidden injuries left by fighting, they can all be quickly healed under the gentle life force emanating from the ancient tree.

The resilient physique he forged is the foundation for his courage to cultivate the ancient body-refining technique and repeatedly escape danger and win.

Secondly, it acts on external objects.

The pale golden life force can accelerate the growth of spirit beasts. The crystal shrimp and small dragonfish in the Azure Lake grow faster and have stronger physiques than their counterparts under its influence, saving the need to purchase expensive spirit stones to assist them.

Furthermore, it can accelerate plant growth. For example, in Luogang Town, the optimization of spiritual seeds and the promotion of jade crystal rice seedlings have proven its significant promoting effect on spiritual plants.

Then, one can use it to remove impurities from the pills and purify their medicinal power.

This was the first time I had taken the Marrow Cleansing Pill to accelerate my cultivation, and then I obtained it by purchasing discarded pills from Su Wanqing to verify its effects.

The toxicity and impure medicinal properties accumulated in the discarded pills can be slowly peeled off and purified under the cleansing power of the ancient tree's vitality, restoring some of the pure medicinal properties. Although it is far inferior to the original pill, its value far exceeds that of the discarded pill itself.

"call……"

Yang Changsheng slowly exhaled the stale air from his chest, but his brows furrowed even more tightly.

He has the ability, but how can he convert it into real spirit stones to solve his current survival crisis?