Chapter 111 : Good Man Song Tingfeng

Chapter 111: Good Man Song Tingfeng

Tianxuan City.

Riding on the Zhou Family’s flying spirit beast, Lin Changan arrived at the ornately carved and painted loft beside the Fengle Auction House.

“Fellow Daoist Zhou.”

“This is Fellow Daoist Lin, also a guest cultivator of Tianxuan City.”

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Lin, my apologies for not recognizing you.”

“Greetings, fellow Daoists.”

Lin Changan cupped his fists with a modest expression, but secretly observed his surroundings and came to a conclusion.

This so-called trading gathering was, in plain terms, a periodic event held privately by old Foundation Establishment families and cultivators with deep foundations.

Unlike them, who were rootless drifting cultivators, the Foundation Establishment cultivators here were mostly deeply rooted in the city, and any turbulence in the situation would heavily affect them.

Thus, this private gathering allowed them not only to interact but also to form alliances ahead of any potential upheavals.

“No wonder these families rarely face major turmoil. Even if they experience temporary decline, they manage to recover in due time.”

As he entered and saw the faces of each cultivator, Lin Changan secretly marveled.

The cultivators gathered here practically represented all the old Foundation Establishment families within Tianxuan City, as well as some powerful and influential individual cultivators.

Only at this moment did he gain a deeper understanding of what ‘foundation’ truly meant.

A family like Chen Qing’s, which had a Foundation Establishment cultivator merely by luck, actually lacked stable cultivation resources within the clan.

They still needed to rely on occasional provisions from the Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it extremely difficult for such a family to sustain its lineage.

On the other hand, an old family like the Zhou Family had a deep foundation, with stable income sources within the clan, not only supporting the family but also funding Foundation Establishment cultivators in their cultivation.

They could even ensure that every generation had cultivators stepping into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, those cultivators are from Foundation Establishment families under the Xuanyin Pavilion. The Li Family specializes in spirit plants, the Huo Family in artifact crafting...”

“And those over there are... specializing in...”

As the Zhou Family Patriarch Zhou Renmao introduced these cultivators to him via secret transmission with a beaming smile, Lin Changan nodded internally.

Indeed, every Foundation Establishment family present had a stable lineage and inheritance.

From here, it was also apparent that the powers were divided into four groups.

The first group consisted of local Foundation Establishment cultivators, whose families closely supported one another.

The second group belonged to families under the governance of the Xuanyin Pavilion.

The third group, whose cultivators wore exotic attire and were the most numerous, were clearly migrants from other countries.

Though from different nations, once in Tianxuan City, these outsiders understood the importance of unity.

The last group consisted of true rogue cultivators, respected for their personal cultivation or skill.

After observing the whole room, Lin Changan couldn’t help but nod inwardly.

“This could be called the assembly of Tianxuan City’s upper echelons. It truly isn’t easy to become part of it.”

Being a rogue cultivator not affiliated with any family, Lin Changan was surprisingly the most welcomed presence, greeted with smiling faces all around.

Especially the family cultivators from other nations—each smile almost seemed to spell out their intentions.

“Fellow Daoist Lin.”

Just as Lin Changan smiled and nodded at everyone, a familiar voice rang out, followed by many respectful and admiring gazes.

The speaker was none other than Su Miaoyin, dressed in the robes of a Daoist nun, now the direct disciple of Master Lu of Tianxuan City.

“Fellow Daoist Su.”

Seeing her, Lin Changan saluted with a cupped fist, though in his heart he murmured—so this so-called gathering was likely organized by Fellow Daoist Su.

A faint guess began forming in his mind.

With Tianxuan City newly established, Fellow Daoist Su had probably organized this trading event under the city’s banner to promote stability.

“Fellow Daoist Lin is too polite. I must thank you again for your previous assistance.”

Su Miaoyin, rarely seen smiling, conversed with Lin Changan in such a friendly manner that the surrounding crowd assumed they were good friends.

Sure enough, upon hearing her words, Lin Changan confirmed that she had definitely seen through his identity last time.

But he felt no tension—in fact, being seen through might actually yield better results, given his preparations.

“Not at all. I am but a rogue cultivator who seeks only to cultivate in peace—nothing more.”

Lin Changan smiled lightly and waved his hand, the very picture of an honest and sincere bitter cultivator.

This scene caused Su Miaoyin to chuckle gracefully. The inadvertent charm exuding from her brows and eyes startled even the Foundation Establishment cultivators present.

To affect the minds of others so easily—if Su Miaoyin didn’t possess some kind of innate charm physique, then her divine sense must be incredibly powerful.

“Fellow Daoist Lin thinks too much.”

Su Miaoyin smiled again. Cultivators like Lin Changan who sought only peaceful cultivation were highly welcomed in her eyes.

Especially since he had previously uncovered the Blood Spirit Grand Formation of the Palace of Blazing Fire—he was undoubtedly a friend to Tianxuan City.

After chatting for a while, Lin Changan also brought up his intention to find a wood-attributed spiritual item.

“A wood-attributed spiritual item, you say.”

Hearing this, Su Miaoyin slightly furrowed her brows before nodding lightly.

“Such items are usually used either for artifact crafting or to aid cultivation. They are indeed quite rare, but in this trading event, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Spiritual items were one thing, but the requirement for wood-attribution meant it would take a bit of luck.

“A second-rank wood-attributed demon beast core would also suffice.”

“A wood-attributed demon core? Coincidentally, I have two in my possession.”

This encounter with Su Miaoyin turned out to be fortuitous. Lin Changan was delighted inwardly.

Indeed, different circles gave access to different treasures.

Normally, when ordinary Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators gathered, such treasures were almost never seen. But here, they were practically commonplace.

After some conversation, Su Miaoyin let out a soft laugh and signaled that the trading event was about to begin.

As everyone took their seats, Song Tingfeng, the third disciple of Master Lu of Tianxuan City, stepped forward with a spring breeze smile and cupped his fists.

“Everyone, this trading event serves not only to exchange what we need, but also as a wish of my master’s—

—to help us get to know each other, since all of us will be developing roots here in Tianxuan City, and future interactions are inevitable...”

As the gathering began, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Dongyu Kingdom stepped forward with a smile.

“I am Xia Tianhou. I will overstep my bounds and start us off.”

This middle-aged man with exotic features, Xia Tianhou, took out a spiritual fruit radiating intense heat, causing a collective gasp from the crowd.

“Blazing Flame Fruit—extremely beneficial to Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially those cultivating fire-attribute arts. If refined by a high-grade alchemist into pills, the effect will be even better.

Our Xia Family only wishes to make friends with fellow Daoists here and will exchange this for some resources.”

With the opening made, the crowd began nodding in agreement and started taking out treasures to exchange.

This truly broadened Lin Changan’s horizons, making him understand one thing even more clearly—cultivation was not all about combat. Social interaction and etiquette were vital too.

There was none of the fierce competition seen in auctions; only harmonious exchanges.

Everyone revealed their treasures and traded for what they currently needed.

Pills, spirit herbs, fruits, magical artifacts, spirit pets, and rare stones—everything one could imagine was here, greatly expanding Lin Changan’s vision.

“Yet among all these trades, it’s rare to see spirit artifacts used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

Among the crowd, Lin Changan shook his head secretly at the thought—not because others weren’t wealthy, but because he had underestimated his own money-making ability.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators with second-rank craftsmanship skills earned sixty to seventy mid-grade spirit stones a year at best.

And a single spirit artifact started at five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

For such cultivators, planning to acquire one would take ten years—provided they had no major expenses during that time.

“Indeed, for Foundation Establishment cultivators like Chen Qing, spirit artifacts are simply out of reach for now.”

Thinking of this, Lin Changan chuckled wryly to himself. He had underestimated himself a little, though his own resource requirements for cultivation had always been high.

That explained why he hadn’t accumulated much savings.

“I have two second-rank demon beast cores of excellent quality with wood attributes. Fellow Daoist Lin, how much are you willing to offer?”

When it was Su Miaoyin’s turn, she calmly brought out two demon cores from her storage pouch.

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators were instantly tempted—demon cores were vital ingredients in refining Foundation Establishment Pills. No family would think they had too many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Yet everyone’s eyes subtly turned toward Lin Changan, full of surprise.

“Fellow Daoist Su, for the higher-quality one, I’m willing to offer eighty mid-grade spirit stones.”

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Lin Changan replied with a light smile, while inwardly acknowledging—Fellow Daoist Su was helping him build his network.

Whether it was to win people over or just for show, Lin Changan was indeed very satisfied.

As for trouble? In Tianxuan City, Master Lu was the greatest trouble of all.

Demon beast cores were also graded. The two in Su Miaoyin’s hand were of fairly good quality among early second-rank demon beasts.

Even for the same demon beast tier, their values could vary greatly.

For example, some late second-rank demon beasts might be powerful, yet only their cores, claws, and pelts were of real value.

Others, like the Demon Mantis Insect he had hunted, though merely early second-rank, were extremely valuable—especially its pair of forelimbs, each worth as much as an ordinary spirit artifact.

“Good. Since this Fellow Daoist Lin is willing to exchange for one, our Han Family is willing to trade for the other with Fellow Daoist Su.”

The Foundation Establishment cultivators present did not raise the price. Instead, they all conducted their trades amicably.

After this exchange, everyone became even more enthusiastic toward Lin Changan.

After all, it seemed this person had a decent relationship with Master Lu’s disciple.

“Senior Sister, who is this person?”

Privately, Song Tingfeng couldn’t help but feel puzzled upon seeing his beloved senior sister being friendly with a mere early Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator.

As for jealousy, not at all. After all, a tiger does not walk with dogs, a dragon does not dwell with snakes.

Su Miaoyin was a Core Formation prospect, and their cultivation gap was so vast that such thoughts never crossed Song Tingfeng’s mind.

“Junior Brother, this Fellow Daoist Lin was of great help to us before…”

Su Miaoyin transmitted a message in secret. Upon hearing it, Song Tingfeng showed a look of realization, and when he looked at Lin Changan again, he even gave a rare friendly smile.

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Lin.”

Facing the enthusiastic full Foundation Establishment cultivator Song Tingfeng, Lin Changan dared not be impolite. He smiled and returned the greeting.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Song.”

Lin Changan also sighed inwardly. As expected, the world of cultivation wasn’t always about immediate conflict and violence.

Most people still preferred to deal with matters harmoniously.

“If Fellow Daoist Lin ever needs a wood-attributed spiritual item, I’ll keep an eye out for you in the future.”

Song Tingfeng’s smile carried the warmth of a spring breeze, naturally increasing one’s goodwill toward him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Changan cupped his fists humbly and smiled.

“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Song. However, I’m limited in wealth. I fear I won’t have enough spirit stones in the next two years.”

With this modest demeanor, the two chatted pleasantly.

Or rather, who among them had a red face?

Everyone wore smiles, and once the trading ended, they chatted further—many even began discussing their family businesses.

“I just wonder how long this peace and stability can last.”

Looking at the harmony around him, Lin Changan sighed inwardly. This was because Tianxuan City was presently rich in resources and faced external pressure—only by joining hands could everyone grow stronger.

Thus came the current scene.

Just like back in the Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace—why didn’t the Wang Family and Zhou Family clash? Was it not because the marketplace’s profits were so vast? If one family took more, the other would get less.

“However, the resources of Tianxuan City are enough to support the development of all major families for centuries.”

During this trading gathering, Lin Changan also got acquainted with nearly every well-known Foundation Establishment clan in the city.

Connections—intangible, invisible—yet undeniably real.

For instance, without the Zhou Family’s introduction today, he wouldn’t even have access to this circle.

“Fellow Daoist Lin possesses extraordinary comprehension. No wonder you’ve progressed so deeply in the Talisman Path.”

After chatting with Song Tingfeng, Lin Changan couldn’t help but smile wryly. At first, he thought this man would be hard to get along with—who would’ve thought he was so familiar so quickly.

“Fellow Daoist Song, don’t say that. What am I, a mere low-grade second-rank Talisman Master?”

For the first time, Lin Changan felt a bit embarrassed. What he had always taken pride in—being a low-grade second-rank Talisman Master—really didn’t mean much here.

But Song Tingfeng earnestly shook his head.

“I’ve dabbled in formations for decades, yet I still haven’t reached the threshold of second-rank.”

Song Tingfeng sighed with helplessness, speaking of his hardships. Yet he had no idea Lin Changan wanted to roll his eyes at that.

You, with your full Foundation Establishment cultivation, complaining like that?

“I started learning formations purely because I admired Senior Sister. If I could truly become Dao partners with her, even forming a core in the future wouldn’t be impossible—Tianxuan City would be the dowry.”

Good grief!

Seeing Song Tingfeng’s blunt and candid attitude, Lin Changan was a little stunned—his enthusiasm seemed excessive.

Those familiar with him just smiled awkwardly, clearly already used to it.

Even Su Miaoyin merely gave her junior brother a calm glance, her expression completely indifferent.

“Ahem… Fellow Daoist Song is truly a man of sincerity.”

Lin Changan laughed awkwardly. This man was certainly straightforward.

But come to think of it, how many people could openly admit their inner desires so frankly?

And he wasn’t wrong either. Planning for Core Formation was tough. Now that a shortcut presented itself—would you not want to take it?

Even a dog would shake its head in disbelief.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, let me tell you about the Formation Path…”

As Song Tingfeng launched into his endless monologue, Lin Changan initially wanted to slip away—but hearing the topic was about formations, his feet refused to move.

“So that’s how it is… This Formation Path truly is vast and profound.”

Suddenly enlightened, Lin Changan had rarely encountered someone willing to explain formations like this.

He had looked into formations before—after all, he had a quasi-second-rank formation in his possession.

But using and understanding were entirely different things. He had never grasped the key.

Unexpectedly, this day, thanks to Formation Master Song, that thin veil was pierced. Like clouds parting to reveal the sun, sudden insight bloomed.

Although Song was only a premium-grade first-rank Formation Master, that was perfect for a beginner like him. The higher the level, the less approachable it became.

It was this first-rank master’s explanation that made everything clear.

Looking at his attribute panel, Lin Changan showed a look of gratitude, chatting even more eagerly with Fellow Daoist Song.

“Good man!”

Seeing Lin Changan’s earnest attitude—so unlike the false modesty of others—Song Tingfeng got even more excited.

“Fellow Daoist Song, a good man!”

Lin Changan’s face was full of excitement as well.

Song Tingfeng, delighted, spoke more passionately. Even Su Miaoyin, who occasionally glanced over, looked somewhat surprised.

How did these two kindred spirits suddenly hit it off so well?