Chapter 36: Relocating the Dojo

After bidding farewell to Zhao Shuyao, Li Ji’an returned to the residential area located at the junction of the inner and outer city. As soon as he stepped into the alleyway, neighbors approached one after another to offer their respectful greetings. By the time he reached his own gate, nearly every neighbor in the alley had followed him.

Li Ji’an had lived here for nearly thirteen years. He had always maintained his social interactions and exchanges of interest with measured propriety. Aside from Granny You, a confidante with whom he could chat to pass the time, his relationships remained at a level just short of friendship, yet possessing a bit more trust than one would have with a stranger. This approach avoided intrusive breaches of boundaries while sustaining reasonable transactions.

"A reward for you all!" Li Ji’an maintained a calm expression, though he added a reasonable, subtle aura of detachment to keep others at a distance. After tossing out twenty or so spirit stones, he waved his hand. "May you all be diligent in your cultivation. I shall wait for you further along the path."

With people like Zhao Shuyao, there was no need to put on the airs or posture of a Foundation Establishment senior. However, with others, Li Ji’an still found it necessary to observe local customs; after all, he did not yet possess the strength or confidence to act entirely on whim and treat the world as his playground.

After dispersing the crowd, Li Ji’an activated the array and entered his courtyard. Xiao Qiao, Guagua, and Little Fire had already been waiting expectantly.

"Uncle Li!"
"Qua!"
"Hoo-hoo!"

Li Ji’an set aside his distant expression and smiled warmly at them. "I have successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Things will only get better from here on out."

That day, Li Ji’an took charge of the cooking himself and taught Xiao Qiao a few of his signature dishes. It served as a small celebration for their little family. Afterward, he had wanted to spar with Guagua—not only to test the power of his newly attained Foundation Establishment magic but also to keep the creature in check. Unfortunately, the courtyard was too small to fully unleash his strength.

Later, when he attempted to cultivate, he clearly felt that the first-grade superior spirit vein of this location could not meet the demands of absorbing and refining spiritual energy at the Foundation Establishment stage. Compared to a second-grade superior cave dwelling, the efficiency was only about thirty percent.

Relocating was inevitable. In fact, he had already anticipated this before his breakthrough. What was most scarce in Cangyun Province? Undoubtedly, spirit vein cultivation grounds. The reason rogue cultivators struggled so much was precisely because there were no free places to cultivate. Any location with an ownerless spirit vein would be fiercely contested by countless people.

However, Li Ji’an now had a relatively wide range of options.

If he wanted a free ride, he could join one of the five great families as a guest alchemist. As long as he revealed sixty percent of his true alchemical prowess, they would surely welcome him with open arms. However, this move would essentially sever his path to further advancement, making it impossible to accumulate resources for Golden Core formation.

Another option for a "free ride" was to join the Biyun Sect as a dedicated alchemist. This would require sacrificing his freedom and committing himself fully to alchemy, which might even hinder his cultivation progress. The benefit, however, was the hope of gaining access to Golden Core formation resources—rare items in Cangyun Province that couldn't be bought even with spirit stones. But accumulating the necessary contribution points for such rewards would not be easy. Moreover, the Biyun Sect was currently throwing all its efforts into a major endeavor with an uncertain outcome; now was not the best time to join.

Beyond these, there was the option of renting a cultivation ground. Besides Jinhuang Immortal City, there were two other large trade hubs in Cangyun Province featuring second-grade spirit veins, both controlled by the five great families. However, Jinhuang Immortal City remained the top choice for its safety, the abundance of its spirit veins, and the variety of second-grade supplies available. The steward of the Qi family had already extended an olive branch, promising a discount on second-grade dwellings in the inner city if Li Ji’an chose to stay.

The next morning, Li Ji’an packed up everything in his residence, placed Guagua into his spirit pet bag, tucked the Fire Spirit into his dantian, and set off with Xiao Qiao for the Immortal City administration office.

Steward Qi was overjoyed and personally led Li Ji’an to the core residential area of the inner city. This area had been renovated by the Qi family after they took control, specifically designated as housing for special talents. Only high-level talents recognized by the city were permitted to rent here, and the rent came with significant discounts.

As an alchemist, Li Ji’an didn't have much room for selection because the houses in this area were built and decorated according to one's craft. Currently, there were only two mansions for second-grade alchemists, both designed to cater to the needs of such practitioners, with all arrangements centered on the path of alchemy. One mansion was already occupied; Alchemist Zou was among the first group of masters invited to reside in this area, and his mansion was situated near the front, the second one on the east side.

To separate masters of the same craft and avoid malicious competition, Steward Qi showed Li Ji’an a mansion located at the far west end. Both were second-grade mid-level spirit vein sites, covering nearly ten mu—about the size of a football field. The surrounding mansions were separated by at least ten zhang, and because it was at the very end, the nearest neighbors were a mansion carved with the character "Gou" across the way, a mansion carved with "Hua" to the east, and a slightly further mansion across the diagonal carved with "Bai."

Steward Qi explained that the Gou mansion across the way belonged to a second-grade puppet master. Li Ji’an had heard of this person; during the city's technician evaluations ten years ago, the Puppet Master Gou had become widely known. Who would have thought that a cultivator who was only at the late stage of Qi Refining back then could actually craft a second-grade puppet? Most people suspected he had encountered some great stroke of fortune. If he were to leave the city, he would likely disappear quickly. The Hua mansion belonged to a second-grade artifact refiner; Steward Qi specifically warned him that the man had a poor temper and that it was best to interact with him as little as possible. As for the Bai mansion, it piqued Li Ji’an’s interest—it belonged to a second-grade physician.

Li Ji’an was quite satisfied with this mansion; it was relatively independent, quiet, and wouldn't lack for clients. It was worth noting that after Li Ji’an’s promotion to a second-grade alchemist, his status as a guest at the Alchemy Pavilion became meaningless, unless he continued to refine first-grade pills. The alchemy shops of trade associations primarily served the general mass of cultivators, focusing on first-grade pills to move volume. Second-grade pills, however, had a limited market and were mostly purchased from alchemists the buyers trusted. Furthermore, second-grade pills were difficult to refine—only a few were produced each month—so they were sold individually and were not suitable for high-volume trade. Consequently, trade associations in Jinhuang Immortal City could hardly reach cooperation agreements with second-grade alchemists.

Now, Li Ji’an’s clients would be those who sought him out directly. Living here, with the city’s reputation, he wouldn't need to worry; clients would come to him on their own. Most importantly, this area received special protection from the Immortal City, greatly increasing his safety.

Ultimately, Li Ji’an paid five thousand spirit stones in a lump sum and obtained a ten-year residence right for the mansion. Once Steward Qi handed him the jade token to control the defensive array, he carved the character "Li" into the empty space in the center of the mansion. For the next ten years, the Li Mansion would be his sanctuary for cultivation and his pursuit of the Dao.

After seeing Steward Qi off, Li Ji’an entered with Xiao Qiao. The four-courtyard mansion was so large that even a single side chamber in the front court was bigger than the house he had previously rented. Inside were pavilions and winding paths, with a trickling stream meandering from the front court into a wide pond in the back. Guagua was ecstatic and dove right in. Xiao Qiao also began measuring every inch of the mansion from the gate inward.

Li Ji’an first activated the defensive array, then used his divine sense—comparable to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—to inspect every corner. He then had Guagua tunnel underground to thoroughly survey the area beneath them. Only after confirming there were no issues did he truly feel at ease.

That night, just as Li Ji’an was preparing to send a message to Yan Qingwan to inform her of his breakthrough and inquire about the current situation in the wilderness, a message from her arrived first: Yan Kong was severely injured and not long for this world; he wished to see him one last time.