Chapter 37: Return to the Wasteland

Li Ji’an was not surprised to hear that Yan Kongyi, an acquaintance of sixty years, was nearing the end of his life.

When they met at the Immortal City two years ago, Yan was already one hundred and thirty years old. Even with his expertise in longevity techniques, he had reached his limit; Li Ji’an had estimated at the time that he had at most ten years left. What was unexpected was that Yan would choose not to wait for a peaceful end, but to make one final contribution to his clan in his twilight years.

Three days ago, during the battle to defend the Joint Marketplace, Yan Kongyi faced a raid by bandits. Choosing a mutual destruction, he used a self-detonation talisman to take down a peak Qi-Refining leader, then used his soul-bound escape talisman to cling to a final breath of life. This was, in a sense, a tradition among the families of the Wasteland; once the situation turned dire, every elderly cultivator with little time left became a terrifying force. After all, when a cultivator embraces the certainty of death, their combat power can double.

Yan Qingwan’s message was not a request for Li Ji’an to return, but merely an update to inform him and convey Yan Kongyi’s sentiments. Without much hesitation, Li Ji’an decided to make the trip. Had he not reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he certainly would not have waded into the muddy waters of the Wasteland. But now, with his successful breakthrough and "Guagua" as his trump card, he did not fear even two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Coupled with the several late-stage displacement talismans he had accumulated over the years, he could retreat calmly even if besieged by several Foundation Establishment foes.

Having decided on the journey, Li Ji’an immediately fired up his furnace. He had long since decided what to do with the crimson spirit ginseng that Manager Qi had gifted him a month ago: refine a batch of Youth-Preserving Pills. Though the Youth-Preserving Pill was a first-tier pill, it contained the power of time, making it difficult for anyone below a second-tier alchemist to refine. He had previously planned to earn spirit stones from high-tier female cultivators, and this served as a good practice run.

The next morning, the first batch of "medical beauty" pills in his life was completed. As the rank of the pill increases, the yield per batch decreases. The maximum yield for this recipe was five, and Li Ji’an produced three. However, one was of exceptional quality and two were of high grade. This was the result of sacrificing quantity to ensure quality. A high-grade Youth-Preserving Pill preserves one's appearance for thirty years, while the exceptional one, in addition to five extra years, possessed an added effect of restoring youth, fetching a market price of over twelve hundred spirit stones. The total cost of the herbs was less than six hundred. Among all unrestricted second-tier pills, it was absolutely in the most lucrative category. Of course, this also depended on the alchemist's skill; not every second-tier alchemist could guarantee such profit margins. Furthermore, the main ingredients were scarce.

After the pills were finished, Li Ji’an put away Guagua and his fire spirit. He instructed Xiao Qiao to look after the house and focus on her cultivation, giving her a communication jade slip so she could reach him at any time. He also entrusted her with Granny You’s array formation heritage, encouraging her to study it in her spare time. He then sent a message to Manager Qi, informing him he would be away and that they would celebrate with fellow daoists upon his return.

Leaving the core of the Inner City, Li Ji’an went first to the Nine Cauldrons Merchant Guild to visit Zhao Shuyao. When he produced the exceptional Youth-Preserving Pill, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes, but she still declined. Having already aged, the pill held little meaning for her; even if it offered a few years of youth restoration, it would merely turn a ninety-six-year-old face back to ninety—hardly a significant difference. As for Tong Yaoyao, she was even more dismissive. It was only then that Li Ji’an learned that her ancestral cultivation technique already had youth-preserving effects, far superior to the pill itself. He had expected to bring a pill that would drive outside female cultivators mad and provide a pleasant surprise, but the result was slightly awkward; he couldn't even give them away.

After bidding them farewell, Li Ji’an went to the artifact shop where he had previously bought the high-quality magic tool for Xiao Changfeng and spent eighteen hundred spirit stones on a top-tier flying boat—the same model Xiao Changfeng had borrowed. The journey to the Yan clan in the Wasteland was long. If he traveled using his current Foundation Establishment escape light, it would take three months at full speed without regard for the consumption of spirit stones and recovery pills, or five months if he were to conserve mana. Using the flying boat would be much faster and consume far less energy.

Not long after, Li Ji’an left the Immortal City and steered the flying boat south. With his Foundation Establishment pressure radiating outward, he didn't need to worry about blind bandits lying in wait. Once on the boat, he calmed his mind and continued to simulate techniques in his thoughts. The profound comprehension brought by his "rejuvenation" was a powerful advantage, not just for the myriad arts of immortality cultivation, but also for his hope of achieving breakthroughs in the core realm of cultivation itself. After all, in the world of cultivation, the most critical aspect is one's realm; all other means should serve that end. In his past life, he had tried to deduce such techniques but had failed due to a lack of source material. In this life, combining the experience of the low-level techniques he practiced in his past life, the Yan clan’s "Flame Dragon Art" he practiced now, and the various low-level manuals he had bought over the years, his database was growing, and he had made small, incremental progress.

He realized that all the techniques he knew shared the same basic principles: using the dantian and spirit roots as a foundation, mobilizing the body’s meridians and energy gates, and sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with the soul. They then absorbed the corresponding energy into the body and refined it through the dantian's rotation into mana. The differences lay not in the principles, but in the methods of mobilization, circulation, and refinement. The human body has countless meridians and energy gates; their different combinations result in vastly different absorption effects. "If I have enough time and enough reference material, I might just be able to create a technique of my own!"

Nearly three months later, as he was about to enter the Wasteland, Li Ji’an withdrew his focus from his meditation. Over these three months, his understanding of cultivation techniques had deepened, and a vague hypothesis had formed in his mind.

"Hm?" A few days later, as he approached the Wasteland, he sensed several cultivator auras ahead—it appeared to be a guard post. The Wasteland was in the southeast of the Tiancang Region, and the Zheng clan was in the northwest, closest to other powers. From the Immortal City, the Zheng territory was the first point of arrival. However, he was still on the outskirts, a fair distance from the Zheng seat. Li Ji’an steered the flying boat straight into the Wasteland, ignoring the Qi-Refining "small fry" below.

A day later, a flying boat approached from afar. "Fellow Daoist, please stay," a voice called out, as someone on the boat radiated a Foundation Establishment aura and bowed from a distance. "Forgive us, Fellow Daoist. We are cultivators of the Zheng clan of the Wasteland. There is a rebellion here causing instability, and to quell the unrest, we have been forced to set up some hidden measures ahead. We come to warn you for fear of causing any accidental harm."

Seeing the boat approach, Li Ji’an saw a familiar face. He stood up at the bow, hands behind his back. "If you have no special..." The man, Zheng Tianxiang, began to speak, then stopped abruptly, his face stiffening. Li Ji’an, now thirty-eight, looked much like he did when Zheng first met him decades ago, though with a touch more maturity than twenty-three years ago. Zheng had first mistaken him for the Li Ji’an of the past, whom he had failed to recruit fifty-five years ago.

"Are you... Fellow Daoist Li Fan?" Zheng asked, recovering from his shock. But the astonishment in his eyes deepened. He frowned, searching his memory. Twenty-three years ago, when Yan Qingwan sent Li to the Biyun Sect for trials, Zheng had even sent a gift of two hundred spirit stones to foster an alliance, only to learn the boy hadn't gotten in. Later, he had sent Wei Huairen to ambush the boy to spite Yan Qingwan, only for Wei to vanish. Then, the boy himself had disappeared without a trace. He never expected that upon meeting again, the boy would have reached Foundation Establishment! *Could this kid have had some miraculous encounter?*

Ignoring the suspicion in Zheng's eyes, Li Ji’an smiled. "Fellow Daoist Zheng, it has been a while."

"Hahaha, congratulations to Fellow Daoist Li on your Foundation Establishment. However... you have been away from the Wasteland for over twenty years. Returning now... you should be careful not to ruin your own future." After regaining his composure, Zheng’s tone was no longer warm; it carried a threat and a trace of resentment. The reason the Zheng clan had tightened their borders was that the Wasteland Alliance, led by the Yan clan, had suddenly obtained a second-tier puppet and various strategic-level talismans. They knew such resources could only come from the Golden Brilliance Immortal City. They had cut off that route, but until now, they hadn't understood how those families got their hands on such resources. Now, it was clear: it had to be this kid.

"Is Fellow Daoist Zheng threatening me?" Li Ji’an asked, his demeanor calm and detached. When he first recognized Zheng, he had been tempted to act. The bad blood from the past—when Zheng tried to lure him out of the market to harm him—was deeply rooted. In this desolate place, it was a good opportunity. But sensing the opponent's aura—slightly stronger than his own—he wasn't confident in taking him down even with Guagua. As a former prodigy of the Zheng clan and their youngest Foundation Establishment ancestor, Zheng surely had hidden cards of his own. Li Ji’an preferred sure victories, not desperate gambles.

He was still short on trump cards. After Foundation Establishment, most of his first-tier late-stage talismans were useless, as was his peak-level body tempering. His main purpose in returning to the Wasteland, besides seeing Yan Kongyi, was to obtain the second-tier talisman heritage Yan had mentioned. Once he had that, he would be confident in crushing Zheng Tianxiang.

Sensing Li Ji’an’s lack of fear, Zheng hesitated, suddenly realizing this might not be simple. He immediately thought of the strategic resources the alliance had acquired and became convinced the boy had a powerful backer. "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Li, you misunderstand. Truth be told, I had a friendship with your father and admired him greatly. It is a pity he was led astray by that eldest miss of the Yan clan."

"Oh? Is that so?" Li Ji’an laughed.

"You didn't know? It is common knowledge in the Wasteland," Zheng said, feigning surprise. "Your father had remarkable talent, especially in alchemy, highly praised even by Master Mo. Yet, that Yan woman used her beauty to entrap him. Your father, failing to see her true colors, fell deep into her trap. And when he had sacrificed his life for her, the Yan clan cast him out when he was near seventy. In the end..." Zheng spoke with such vivid emotion, one would think he had seen it with his own eyes.

This rumor had been circulating to smear Yan Qingwan’s reputation, but Zheng was now using it to sow discord. Li Ji’an, however, was not the biological descendant they thought he was. He merely played along, sneering, "Hmph! Preposterous. I shall go ask my aunt myself."

Zheng was delighted. "Fellow Daoist Li, these aren't just my words; everyone in the Wasteland knows this. Feel free to ask anyone."

Li Ji’an didn't respond and steered his boat away. "Fellow Daoist Li, wait!" Zheng called out again.

"What? Do you truly wish to fight?" Li Ji’an glanced at him coldly.

"Haha, a misunderstanding! I said I had a friendship with your father; why would I attack you? Please, accept this as a token of my goodwill. If you ever need help, just ask. Farewell."

As he watched Zheng depart, Li Ji’an looked at the jade bottle in his hand and shook his head. He understood Zheng's motives: he feared Li would join the Yan clan and tilt the balance of the Wasteland’s power struggle. In truth, Li Ji’an had no such intention. He would help the Yan clan if he could, but he was not going to risk his life for a chaotic struggle he couldn't personally resolve.

The rest of the journey was smooth. Three days later, he arrived at the Yan clan. Looking at the Spirit Pearl Mountain, shaped like a jade bead, he felt a wave of nostalgia. He had lived and cultivated there from the age of eight until he left at fifteen.

"Which fellow daoist comes to our Yan clan, and for what purpose?"

As he entered the range of Spirit Pearl Mountain, his unmasked Foundation Establishment aura startled the Yan clan's two ancestors. Two figures rose into the air, flanking him in a defensive posture.

"Aunt, I am home!"