83: Hard work, young people

Lu Ming then taught Zhou Kang some sales pitches, returned to the third floor, and instructed Zhou Kang not to let anyone disturb him.

Returning to the third floor, he set up some small warning Restrictions, and then his Clone emerged from his body.

He activated the 'Thread Control Puppet Art' to leave a trace of his Divine Thought imprint on the Corpse Puppet, allowing it to maintain basic operation.

After doing all this, the Clone left Ink Talisman Pavilion and headed towards the Immortal City's Immortal Cave area.

Just now, a message came from the main body: Liu Yunlong of the Poisonous Dragon Gang was holding a Foundation Establishment Banquet seven days later, inviting many Loose Cultivators from outside the city.

Everyone knew what his intentions were.

Although they secretly cursed him for being shameless, the Cultivators who received invitations dared not refuse to go.

However, this time the Poisonous Dragon Gang was targeting low-level Cultivators, mostly Early Stage and Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

And as luck would have it, Dong Pingan was one of them; he came to report to Lu Ming after receiving the news.

Seeing that Liu Yunlong still had the mood to hold a Foundation Establishment Banquet, Lu Ming decided to join the fun and crash the party.

So he asked Dong Pingan to leave the invitation, preparing to let his Clone go in his stead.

However, what the Clone didn't notice was...

On the street he had just flown over, several people were huddled together, whispering and pointing at Zhou Kang, who was hanging a signboard in front of Ink Talisman Pavilion.

"Is this the newly opened Ink Talisman Pavilion?"

One of the fat middle-aged men said in a muffled voice.

"Heh heh, I wonder which greenhorn, not understanding the rules, dares to open a Talismans shop here."

Another tall, thin man in luxurious clothes sneered.

"The customer base around here has long been divided among our few families. How can a newcomer like him make money? I bet he won't last two months!"

"I bet he'll close down and get out in a month! Look at what's written in front of his door: 20% off the entire store? What a joke!"

"Let's go, let's go. Just a clown, giving discounts to Loose Cultivators. How unpromising."

"How boring..."

The few people chatted and laughed, not taking Ink Talisman Pavilion seriously. They didn't think Ink Talisman Pavilion could pose any threat to them.

However, as they parted ways, they spat in the direction of Ink Talisman Pavilion.

Zhou Kang, who had just hung the wooden sign, saw this scene, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

"Laugh all you want, let's see how long you can laugh!"

...

The morning sun was just rising, but its light couldn't penetrate the Immortal Cave. It was dark inside, like a Vicious Beast opening its mouth, ready to devour someone.

In the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened.

His body surged with powerful Bloodspring Qi, which was finally absorbed into his body.

"The 'Demonic Bloodspring Method' has been successfully cultivated. I need to get a batch of resources to rush to Qi Refining Perfection in one go."

Lu Ming muttered to himself, the crimson light in his eyes receding.

At this moment, the Clone also arrived in front of the Immortal Cave.

Lu Ming waved his hand to open the Immortal Cave Restriction, and the Clone slipped in.

There was no need for communication, as the two shared a single consciousness and knew what to do through their shared thoughts.

Lu Ming took out Zhao Tiancheng's Corpse Puppet from his Storage Pouch, and the Clone entered it.

This time, he would use Zhao Tiancheng's identity to cause trouble at Liu Yunlong's Foundation Establishment Banquet.

Both Lu Ming's main body and his Clone needed a large number of Cultivators as advancement resources.

The members of the Poisonous Dragon Gang were the best choice.

However, Li Guanqi's previous appearance made Lu Ming realize that he couldn't kill wantonly in the Immortal City.

Therefore, Zhao Tiancheng, seeking revenge for his younger brother, causing some commotion would be a good excuse.

...

Poisonous Dragon Gang's headquarters.

Outside the Cultivation chamber of Gang Leader Liu Yunlong.

"Gang Leader, we have inquired about the Foundation Establishment Nurturing Spirit Liquid. It's at the Immortal Dynasty Ji Family's trading firm, but the price is a bit high. Our gang might not be able to afford that many Spirit Stones."

The Poisonous Dragon Gang's Right Protector Wu, Wu Qishan, stood respectfully outside the closed-door chamber, his tone a bit bitter, reporting to the inside.

After a long while, a somewhat weak voice came from within.

"Go try first. If not, then wait a bit longer. After the Foundation Establishment Banquet, we should have enough Spirit Stones."

"Yes, this subordinate will go and handle it!"

Wu Qishan took his leave.

After he left, the door of the closed-door chamber opened with a roar, and Liu Yunlong, dressed in a black Dragon robe with a stern face, walked out.

At this moment, he no longer had the arrogant demeanor he displayed when he Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

His somewhat pale face showed his weakness.

Look, he had lost a whole circle of weight.

Liu Yunlong's expression was grim, and he felt incredibly stifled.

He had sought the Dao for sixty years, enduring countless hardships, but even in the most difficult times, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Recalling his experiences during this period, even as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he found it hard to bear.

Qi Refining Cultivators who wish to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment must lay a solid Foundation for their essence, Qi, and Divine Soul.

But he had already Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and all three had long since transcended the mortal, so there shouldn't have been any hidden dangers of an unstable Foundation.

However, for some unknown reason, starting a month ago, problems with his essence, Qi, and Divine Soul began to appear without warning.

First, his blood Qi began to wither and decline, then his Divine Soul power gradually decreased, and his Foundation Establishment Stage magical power became unstable and impure.

Although not too severe, it was unbearable for it to continue indefinitely.

What he found most intolerable was that this strange symptom would recur every two days!

Every time he thought he was getting better, the strange symptom would act up to torment him.

After more than a month, his already unstable Realm began to show signs of falling.

He had gone through immense hardship to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, and had spent half of his life's savings to buy a low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill.

If his Realm fell, he might never have another chance to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in this life.

This was truly difficult for him to accept.

Moreover, if he, who should have been high above, were to fall in Realm due to an unstable Foundation, he felt he might as well die.

Lest he become the biggest joke since the Immortal City was built.

No, perhaps no one in the entire Cultivation world could surpass him.

Although he was keen on fame and fortune, he didn't want to become famous in this way!

So he began to look for ways to stabilize his Realm, even neglecting the affairs of the Poisonous Dragon Gang.

He also knew that someone was targeting the Poisonous Dragon Gang; its members were dying and getting injured, and it had become a chaotic mess.

But he no longer had time to deal with these matters; these people were not as important as his own Dao.

Fortunately, he found a solution, which was the Foundation Establishment Nurturing Spirit Liquid, a second-tier spiritual item that could stabilize one's Realm and solidify one's Foundation.

However, the unfortunate truth was that Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment had already consumed a large amount of resources.

Now he couldn't afford enough Spirit Stones to purchase the Foundation Establishment Nurturing Spirit Liquid, which was why he came up with the idea of using the Foundation Establishment Banquet as a pretext to gather wealth.

But he didn't dare to go too far. Some Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators had intricate connections within the Immortal City, and perhaps other Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood behind them.

If he were in his prime, he naturally wouldn't be afraid, but in his current state, it was not suitable to make enemies.

Therefore, he could only make those juniors suffer a bit to continue his Dao, Liu Yunlong's Dao.