"A letter?"
Lin Changheng's eyes flickered.
'When it came to friends, it wasn't as if he had none over the past decade. He used to be in touch with the three people he had sought immortality with from the mortal towns, but as his depression and anxiety worsened, their correspondence had dwindled.'
Besides them, there were a few promising cultivators within the Xu Family whom he got along with and considered friends, visiting them from time to time.
'Who could it be?'
"Alchemist Lin, the letter is with Honored Guest Elder Mo. The Honored Guest Elder asked me to come and inform you..."
As he spoke, the attendant discreetly pointed upward.
"Understood."
Lin Changheng smiled with understanding and headed upstairs.
Ink Master was sitting in the reception hall. He spotted Lin Changheng at once and quickly waved him over. "Changheng, a letter came from Zhao Li."
'Zhao Li?'
An image of a girl of about fourteen or fifteen immediately surfaced in Lin Changheng's mind.
She was tall and graceful, with brows like painted ink and eyes like lacquer, her smile revealing two charming dimples.
The very picture of a budding beauty.
Mo Zhaoli, Ink Master's granddaughter and his only living relative.
'I wonder what she looks like now?'
"I'm here."
Lin Changheng's thoughts drifted as he approached with a reminiscent smile. "Ink Master, the last time we heard from Zhao Li was before the new year, wasn't it?"
"That it was!"
At his words, Ink Master's mind also seemed to wander. The deep wrinkles on his old face smoothed out with delight, but his tone remained stern.
"That little girl has really been too much. If she hadn't sincerely apologized and explained everything in detail this time, saying it wasn't that she'd forgotten about her old grandfather, but that the sect suddenly arranged a cultivation competition and she had her reasons... otherwise, I would not have let her off the hook!"
"Zhao Li has always been well-behaved and exceptionally talented. It's only natural that the Upper Sect would value her and focus on her training. It's perfectly normal that she might not have had time to send a letter for a while."
Lin Changheng knew exactly what the old man was thinking, so he said what he did.
Sure enough, Ink Master burst into laughter upon hearing this. He sent a sealed letter floating over to Lin Changheng with a wave of his Magical Power, pretending to be jealous. "Every time that girl sends me a letter, there's always one for you too, Changheng. Tsk, tsk. It seems your place in her heart is no less than mine."
"Not at all! I became your apprentice eleven years ago and was her friend for five or six years. Now that Zhao Li has entered an Upper Sect, she still hasn't forgotten her old friends. With a Heart Nature like that, her future is limitless."
Lin Changheng said with a smile as he accepted the letter.
The two chatted for a few more moments before Xu Liucai came to ask Lin Changheng to apply a Pill Formula. After paying his respects, Lin Changheng took his leave.
After applying the Pill Formula to the furnace, Lin Changheng opened the letter from Mo Zhaoli, the first he had received in over five years.
The small characters inside were elegant.
First, she congratulated Lin Changheng, saying he had finally achieved his dream of becoming an Entry Tier Alchemist.
Evidently, Ink Master must have mentioned it in a letter to her for her to know.
Next, she gave an update on her own situation in the Purple Extreme Sect, her tone light and casual.
But Lin Changheng could sense the immense pressure she was under in the Purple Extreme Sect, even with her Middle Grade Spirit Root.
Although her Middle Grade Spirit Root possessed a full fifty strands of Spiritual Charm, just one strand shy of an Upper Grade Spirit Root, her cultivation was still significantly slower.
She had to work relentlessly to keep up.
Fortunately, her hard work paid off. She finally broke through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation within the time limit set by the sect.
She had also received a considerable reward of cultivation resources.
If she could keep this up, she would have a chance to enter the Inner Sect and study under a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Everything would be different then.
Reading this part made Lin Changheng's scalp tingle. The competition was just too intense.
The rat race was on among Loose Cultivators with ordinary Spirit Roots, but those with better Spirit Roots just had a higher-stakes version of the same race!
Even someone with Mo Zhaoli's aptitude had to fight this hard, so much so that she didn't even have time to write back to her own grandfather. Tsk, tsk...
Indeed, if you didn't look closely, it was hard to see the suffering beneath someone's glamorous exterior.
Finally, at the end of the letter, Mo Zhaoli revealed a piece of gossip.
She urged Lin Changheng to protect himself and be careful, because the "Great Reclamation" led by the Purple Extreme Sect this time would last a long while and could be exceptionally dangerous. As a piece of supporting evidence, the sect was rumored to be offering five Foundation Establishment Pills as a reward to the most meritorious influences participating in the reclamation!
This rumor was rampant within the sect but had not been suppressed.
It was suspected to be intentional.
The probability of it being true was high!
She had also shared this news with her grandfather, who would surely pass it quietly to the Xu Family, prompting some kind of reaction.
The allure of a Foundation Establishment Pill to a Qi Cultivation Clan was immense!
This wasn't just about one cultivator reaching Foundation Establishment; it was about a family's rise, a chance to stop being the meal on the table and finally take a seat to play the game!
'When this news gets out, the major influences will go crazy! I have to be careful!'
A chill ran down Lin Changheng's spine.
He then returned to his room and picked up a brush to write a reply to Mo Zhaoli.
He first thanked her for her congratulations and congratulated her on her progress.
He also shared some of his recent news and reminisced about their past, expressing his sentiments.
Finally, he expressed his hope that their relationship would remain unchanged and their friendship would last forever.
Lin Changheng's final flourish was aimed at maintaining their connection, to slow the inevitable process of them drifting apart.
With distance and a growing gap in status, drifting apart was inevitable. Lin Changheng couldn't stop it, but he could try his best to delay it.
After all, the Cultivation Realm wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was also about human relationships and social intricacies.
Having a friend in a sect had many benefits. In terms of information alone, the channels were broader, the level was higher, and you received news before anyone else.
And it was hard to say that Mo Zhaoli's influence wasn't a factor in how tolerant Ink Master had been toward him before his awakening.
...
「Four months later.」
「Dusk.」
Su Shuangjiang once again knocked on Lin Changheng's door, carrying the thick stench of blood.
"Quick, please come in."
Lin Changheng invited her inside, serving her a cup of Fragrant Tea and a plate of Spirit Gourds and Strange Fruits.
This was the female cultivator's second visit in four months.
She had come to find Lin Changheng the moment she returned from the Outer World, without even taking the time to wash away the blood.
Sensing the eager anticipation in her neighbor's eyes, Su Shuangjiang smiled faintly. "Take a look."
With that, she swept a fair hand across the table, and a row of small glass vials filled with Essence Blood appeared.
Lin Changheng did a quick count. There were twenty-two vials in total.
"Among them, sixteen vials of adult Fire Crow Essence Blood, and six from juveniles."
Su Shuangjiang's red lips parted. "It's about the same amount as last time. Unfortunately, Fire Crows are hard to kill, and few Loose Cultivators go out of their way to hunt them. They usually only try if they happen to run into one. Besides, the Outer World is a bit turbulent right now, so for safety, Loose Cultivators are all going out in groups to hunt bigger game. They generally don't bother with Fire Crows... so this is all I could get."
"No matter. We purchase by quantity anyway, so any amount is fine."
Lin Changheng gave a carefree smile, his mindset peaceful.
The last time, he had been puzzled by the continuous supply of Essence Blood despite the difficulty of hunting Fire Crows. He had discreetly questioned Shopkeeper Xu Qianyou and learned that a Beast Taming Clan, having noticed the market, had started specially raising Fire Crows to supply Essence Blood to several clans involved in Alchemy, Talisman Making, and Spiritual Food. The demand was far greater than the supply.
"I wonder if Brother Lin has any more Red Flame Pills? Because of the turmoil, the demand for Elixirs in the Outer World is even higher. Brother Lin, you could raise your price by another ten percent."
Su Shuangjiang then brought up another matter.