Chapter 318: Invitation

A silver orb hovered, then landed in his hand.

His gaze at the silver orb was filled with delight. If he could refine a batch of second-tier commodity puppet beasts, it wouldn't necessarily allow them to sweep through the Taiyi Mountain Range, but it would certainly provide much greater security.

Wang Changsheng flipped his palm, and the silver orb vanished.

He planned to acquire a batch of artifact-refining materials to craft several more high-grade second-tier puppet beasts. If he returned to his family with a few high-grade second-tier puppet beasts, Wang Mingjiang and Wang Changfeng would be safer when hunting demonic beasts.

As he stepped out of the inn, he saw Wang Changfeng approaching. Wang Changfeng was still at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 3, his face filled with worry, his brows deeply furrowed.

Wang Changfeng had been in seclusion for a year, cultivating with the aid of elixirs, but he had still failed to advance to Foundation Establishment Stage Level 4.

This was not surprising. If breaking through a bottleneck were so easy, many Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't remain stuck at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 3, unable to break through for their entire lives.

"Big Brother, you're out of seclusion. Where's Uncle Twenty-One?"

"Uncle Twenty-One is still in seclusion, Ninth Brother. Let's go into the mountains to hunt demonic beasts! This time, I don't plan on returning to the market city until I've spent at least six months to a year there."

Wang Changfeng's gaze was resolute. After a year of secluded cultivation and elixir consumption, he was still stuck at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 3. To overcome this bottleneck, he needed to experience more combat.

Wang Changsheng was already at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 6 and could control multiple second-tier puppet beasts. The absence of Wang Mingjiang wouldn't have a significant impact.

"That's not a good idea! Uncle Twenty-One warned us not to hunt demonic beasts carelessly. After all, there are only two of us, and puppet beasts are inanimate objects with limited assistance."

Wang Changsheng tactfully refused. He knew Wang Changfeng was eager to overcome his bottleneck, but for caution's sake, it was better to wait until Wang Mingjiang emerged from seclusion.

"We don't know when Uncle Twenty-One will emerge from seclusion. As long as we're careful, there shouldn't be too much danger."

Wang Changfeng persisted, trying to persuade him. Seeing Wang Changsheng's cultivation grow increasingly higher while he remained stagnant, Wang Changfeng felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Wang Changsheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's wait. Uncle Twenty-One might emerge in a few days. We can discuss it then, and I can refine several more second-tier puppet beasts."

"All right! We'll talk about it later then."

Wang Changfeng agreed, knowing it would be safer if Wang Mingjiang accompanied them.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, are you both here? We were just looking for you!"

A man's voice, full of pleasant surprise, rang out.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng looked towards the source of the voice, seeing Zhao Wuji and Xiao Tianzheng walking towards them, accompanied by a graceful young woman in a blue dress.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, Fellow Daoist Xiao, long time no see."

Wang Changsheng smiled and greeted them, and a smile also appeared on Wang Changfeng's face.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Wang. Are you free? Ruyi Tower has introduced some new dishes; let's go try them. Oh, by the way, where's your uncle?"

Zhao Wuji said politely.

They had confirmed through various channels that Wang Mingren was able to join the Taiyi Immortal Sect because the traitor Chen Qingshu had died at the hands of Wang Changsheng and his companions.

After Wang Changsheng handed over Chen Qingshu's corpse, the Taiyi Immortal Sect disseminated the news of Chen Qingshu's demise to serve as a warning to other disciples, so they would know the consequences of harming fellow sect members.

Of course, the Taiyi Immortal Sect did not explicitly state that Wang Changsheng and his two companions killed Chen Qingshu, but Zhao Wuji speculated that Chen Qingshu had most likely died at their hands.

They certainly weren't from a major cultivation clan; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent three Foundation Establishment cultivators to escort Wang Mingren to the Taiyi Immortal Sect. If they weren't a major cultivation clan, they would undoubtedly send their strongest forces to escort Wang Mingren. Zhao Wuji understood perfectly what a spot in the Taiyi Immortal Sect meant for a minor cultivation family.

Wang Changsheng's cultivation might not be the highest in the Wang family, but he was definitely among the top ranks.

"Uncle Twenty-One is in secluded cultivation and hasn't emerged yet. Since Fellow Daoist Zhao invites us, we are naturally free."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng did not decline and readily agreed.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Wuji and the other four were in a private room at Ruyi Tower.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, let me introduce you. This is Junior Sister Chen Yuhan."

Zhao Wuji pointed at the woman in the blue dress and introduced her enthusiastically.

"My name is Wang Changsheng."

"My name is Wang Changfeng."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng did not slack; they promptly introduced themselves.

Xiao Tianzheng took out a blue porcelain bottle, handed it to Wang Changsheng, and said with a wry smile, "Fellow Daoist Wang, this contains twenty catties of undiluted Profound Ice Cold Water. Thank you for your help last time. The contribution points required to exchange for Profound Ice Cold Water are too high, so this is all I could get."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you're too kind. I am already extremely grateful that you were able to obtain twenty catties of undiluted Profound Ice Cold Water."

Wang Changsheng expressed his gratitude and accepted the blue porcelain bottle.

For the rest of the time, the five exchanged toasts and discussed cultivation matters. Of course, they avoided revealing their specific cultivation methods, usually only touching upon them briefly. When the conversation turned to bottlenecks, Wang Changfeng humbly asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, how does one resolve a cultivation bottleneck? I've been stuck at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 3 for many years, and even consuming elixirs in seclusion hasn't helped."

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Wang, there are several ways to overcome a bottleneck, and these methods aren't really secrets. The simplest way is to gain insight and break through amidst life-or-death situations. This method is quite dangerous, but it's the choice of many Foundation Establishment cultivators. Another way is to travel around, seeking fortuitous encounters. Higher-level cultivators often do this. When people say they're stuck at a bottleneck, it's often a resource issue. If we were given a few third-tier elixirs that enhance magical power, it would be hard *not* to break through."

As Zhao Wuji spoke, a hint of longing appeared in his eyes.

Wang Changfeng was a little disappointed; he had hoped Zhao Wuji had other good methods. The methods Zhao Wuji mentioned were widely known in the cultivation world and not secrets. It seemed he would still need to hunt demonic beasts.

"Third-tier elixirs are extremely precious. It's quite difficult for us to purchase a bottle of them. That's why many Foundation Establishment cultivators choose to hunt demonic beasts to overcome their bottlenecks. Fellow Daoist Wang, the three of us are planning to hunt demonic beasts and are looking for two more people. Are you interested?"

Xiao Tianzheng said with a beaming smile, his tone very sincere.

Wang Changsheng hesitated. He hadn't known them for long and naturally wouldn't rashly agree to join. However, Zhao Wuji and Xiao Tianzheng seemed like decent people, and with Wang Changfeng still stuck at Foundation Establishment Stage Level 3, Wang Changsheng couldn't stay in Taiyuan Market City for too long.

Wang Changfeng was somewhat tempted, but he didn't have much of a relationship with Zhao Wuji and his two companions, so he wouldn't rashly agree to join. Wang Changsheng's attitude was also important; if Wang Changsheng didn't agree, Wang Changfeng wouldn't join alone.

One must always be wary of others. While Zhao Wuji and Xiao Tianzheng were decent people, it didn't mean Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng would trust them implicitly.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, we recently visited your clan uncle, Junior Brother Wang Mingren. He entrusted me with a transmission talisman for you. Please take a look!"

Zhao Wuji took out a transmission talisman and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then crushed the transmission talisman on the spot. Wang Mingren's voice immediately sounded: "Brother Twenty-One, Changfeng, Changsheng, how are you all doing? I'm doing quite well at the Taiyi Immortal Sect. My master treats me very well. I'll cultivate diligently and achieve Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Brother Xiao have visited a few times, and they've been very caring towards me."

Hearing Wang Mingren's words, Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng's faces brightened with joy. As long as Wang Mingren was doing well in the Taiyi Immortal Sect, that was all that mattered.