With the expansion of the family’s influence, those rare materials that were once unattainable could now be delivered directly to Li Pingcan with just a list, no longer requiring him to waste time and effort searching.  

Even some "forbidden items" were included.  

Looking at the sulfur, saltpeter, and even iron pieces and iron sand crafted by military artisans before him, mixed in specific proportions, and after hundreds of failures and improvements, he finally developed a brand-new type of "Thunderbolt Pellet."  

This "Thunderbolt Pellet" was encased in an iron shell, filled not only with gunpowder but also densely packed iron sand inside. Once detonated, its power was immense, and the flying iron fragments could cover an entire area, dealing devastating damage to early Refining Qi stage cultivators without protective talismans.  

Li Pingcan sighed again in his heart. It truly was easier to get things done with powerful connections in the government; such things were unimaginable in the past.  

"By the way, big brother, I need some special materials," he cautiously asked. "Like century-old peach wood or Five Elements spirit materials..."  

Li Pingfu frowned slightly at these words. "Those things are hard to find, especially the Five Elements spirit materials. They are rare and usually circulate only among immortal families. However..."  

He paused thoughtfully. "Your second brother has been organizing confiscated goods from the Zhou family recently. The Zhou family has a substantial fortune; there might be some century-old peach wood there."  

...........  

Li Pingcan immediately sought someone to inform his second brother.  

Even though he was family, without a guide, he was not allowed to wander freely inside the county government office.  

"Young Master Li, please wait a moment. I will go fetch Lord Li right away."  

The tax collector respectfully presented a cup of tea, completely lacking the arrogant attitude he showed toward ordinary civilians.  

He dared not be disrespectful but had witnessed Lord Li’s usual coldness toward outsiders softened into doting indulgence for this younger brother—calling it spoiled affection would not be an exaggeration.  

Before long, Li Ping'an hurried over with news.  

Having removed the "cancer" that was the Zhou family, although his expression was as usual, one could tell by his confident frown that he walked with purpose.  

Li Pingcan activated Spore Sense to monitor the surroundings, then quietly asked,  

"Second brother, do you have any century-old wood or rare stones with Five Elements attributes here?"  

"Those mundane materials from the Mu family aren’t enough for your tinkering?"  

Li Ping'an looked up and shook his head helplessly before changing the subject. "But during this confiscation of the Zhou family, a few items were identified as 'rare artifacts' containing some strange power and have been sealed separately."  

"Rare artifacts?" Li Pingcan’s heart skipped a beat.  

"Exactly." Li Ping'an nodded and took out a list from his pocket.  

Li Pingcan took the list and examined it carefully.  

[Millennium Thunderstrike Jujube Wood] — it seemed to retain a trace of thunder power.  

[Xuan Water Stone] — pitch-black all over, cold to the touch, kept in a sealed space for years; the moisture does not dissipate and can condense dew.  

[Leaving Fire Jade] — crimson red and smooth like jade; held in the palm, it radiates a faint warmth.  

"These are Five Elements spirit materials!" Li Pingcan exclaimed, surprised that the Zhou family had such depth.  

Thunderstrike Jujube Wood contained the essence of wood and thunder. Xuan Water Stone was a water-attribute spirit material. Leaving Fire Jade was a fire-attribute spirit material.  

Although these were the lowest-grade spirit materials, they were still highly coveted!  

Unfortunately, these belonged to the county government and were considered Lord Liang’s property. How could Li Pingcan risk the family’s destruction by "snatching food from the tiger’s mouth"? He could only glance over the list for a moment to satisfy himself.  

"Throat!"  

Looking at the three true spirit materials, Li Pingcan could only sigh quietly.  

His strength was insufficient. Even with such opportunities right before him, he couldn’t compete for them...  

Following the principle that a thief leaves nothing behind, he took some ordinary treasures confiscated from the Zhou family and returned home in low spirits.  

"Although I can’t get the Zhou family’s spirit materials, something is better than nothing. I still have the treasure location Su Meiniang entrusted to me along with my own savings."  

The savings of a wanderer cultivator still amounted to a decent income.  

Li Pingcan carefully studied the treasure location provided by Su Meiniang.  

It was an abandoned Taoist temple on the outskirts of Yunshui County city.  

Beneath the temple was another hidden realm.  

Tonight was cloudless, with a bright moon and sparse stars.  

Li Pingcan transformed into a bird and perched on a branch, then suddenly there were several cracking sounds. His entire skeleton shifted, muscles reshaped; the originally delicate and handsome young man abruptly became a burly man with a face full of flesh, eyes fierce.  

Even his own mother, Lady Qin, standing before him, probably wouldn’t recognize this coarse and ferocious man as her youngest son.  

This was one of the innate powers obtained through martial cultivation after birth, similar to "tendon shifting and bone altering" to change appearance.  

"This should do."  

He was satisfied. With this disguise, he wouldn’t have to worry about revealing his true identity if a fight broke out or if someone escaped alive.  

The abandoned Taoist temple was overgrown with weeds and covered in thick spider webs, showing signs of long neglect.  

Li Pingcan didn’t rush inside but spread out spores. The breeze blew, and mushrooms grew vigorously in the wind.  

After finishing this, he walked toward the temple. Under his formation master senses, he felt a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.  

"There really is a sealing method."  

A smirk curved Li Pingcan’s lips. This was exactly the "door only she could open," as Su Meiniang had described.  

He circled the temple several times, probing every inch of land with his divine sense like tentacles, meticulously checking.  

The seemingly random dead wood and broken stone tablets were actually part of the formation.  

He didn’t force his way through but found several weak points in the formation based on the records in the Five Elements Profound Formation. He lightly flicked his finger, and several stones engraved with special runes were accurately placed at the formation’s core spots.  

"Open!"  

With a low shout from Li Pingcan, his magic power combined with the runes on the stones, and the faint spiritual energy ripple on the formation’s surface began to tremble violently.  

"Hum!"  

A soft sound, like gears meshing.  

The seemingly sturdy small door suddenly opened inward with a rushing sound, revealing a dark, narrow passage.  

"It’s open!"  

Li Pingcan’s face lit up with joy. It felt like unlocking a hidden level in a game, full of mysterious adventure.  

He continued to use Spore Sense, countless tiny mushroom spores silently drifting into the cave like countless eyes guiding his way.  

Though he had information extracted through illusion realm interrogation, it was not the latest intelligence. He didn’t want to overlook any details.  

After a moment, the spores transmitted back the information: no traps inside the cave and no living creatures.  

Only then did Li Pingcan relax and step inside.  

Darkness surrounded him, with a faint musty smell and spiritual energy permeating the air.  

Following the passage downward, soon a stone chamber about several dozen square meters appeared.  

The walls were carved with various runes, clearly meant to reinforce and conceal.  

"This is Su Meiniang’s treasure site?" Li Pingcan looked around carefully, his gaze finally resting on the stone platform at the center.  

On the platform, several small wooden boxes and a few jade bottles were neatly arranged, along with an ancient scroll wrapped in animal skin.  

Li Pingcan stepped forward and took the animal skin scroll, gently unfolding it. A line of ancient characters appeared — The Allure Sect's Heavenly Desire Scripture.  

"So it really is this thing. This must be the original, not a copy."  

Then he opened the wooden boxes and jade bottles.  

"Is this... Spirit Pills?"  

In one jade bottle lay several plump pills radiating a faint spiritual energy wave.  

These pills were commonly used by cultivators to restore mana and were quite valuable for Refining Qi stage cultivators.  

It looked like a good life of pill-consuming cultivation awaited him!  

Li Pingcan then picked up a green talisman and felt the pure wind-element spiritual power contained within.  

"And this Wind Movement Talisman, although not as good as the Divine Movement Talisman traded with Tiger Elder, is still quite good."  

A low-grade first-level talisman—who needed a bicycle?  

"A nice little windfall!"  

Li Pingcan chuckled like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.  

Besides these, he also found spirit crystals and spirit stones used to maintain formations, as well as material ores. Though far inferior to spirit materials, they could still serve as treasures for the Five Elements formation.  

He looted everything, even prying loose a few luminous jade stones embedded in the walls for lighting.  

Every little bit counts; as a druid, he deeply understood the art of "waste utilization."  

"Perfect completion!" Li Pingcan was satisfied and, moving faster than before, turned to leave.  

...........  

"How can this man run so fast? If he were a noble disciple or sect immortal seedling, he wouldn’t behave so sneakily and greedily to rob a Refining Qi stage three wanderer’s stuff..."  

In the forest, a woman dressed in tight black night clothes, with a slender and alluring figure, covered her face with black veil, revealing only a pair of shrewd and cunning eyes.  

She was a close friend of Su Meiniang and naturally knew the secret beneath the temple. Su Meiniang hadn’t appeared for several days, possibly having met with misfortune.  

In life, they were friends. In death, she would not betray that friendship and would carry on her friend's legacy by continuing cultivation!  

The world of wanderer cultivators was that cruel!  

But she could not open Su Meiniang’s sealing, so every time she could only stand nearby, staring helplessly.  

She never expected that burly man would take Su Meiniang’s treasures.  

"Kill this man, avenge Meiniang, and take all the treasures from his body!" Greed flashed in the black-clad woman’s eyes.  

She immediately slapped out a Wind Movement Talisman and, light as a swallow, chased after that burly figure.  

"I’ll ambush from behind; he won’t know. Strike first to gain the upper hand!"  

However, just as she was about to strike, the burly man’s figure vanished like a phantom beneath a gnarled dead tree.  

"Is he a rabbit-born? Running so fast, where is he?!"  

"Right behind you."  

A faint voice sounded behind the black-clad woman. The voice was soft but exploded like thunder in her heart.  

"Lady immortal, the night is dark and windy. You skulking around like a ghost—are you here to rob and kill?"  

The black-clad woman’s mind trembled violently as the roaring wind howled behind her, making her suddenly break out in a cold sweat.  

This was bad!  

She hadn’t expected a close combat expert!  

She immediately ignited a Golden Shield Talisman. Golden light flashed, forming a spherical shield that completely protected her, enduring the punches from Tian Han.  

A flicker of pain crossed her eyes. The Golden Shield Talisman was a mid-level first-tier talisman, a last-resort measure!  

Ignoring the pain, she formed a hand seal again, and several black wind blades instantly condensed, howling as they charged at the burly man!  

Although she was a Refining Qi stage three cultivator, she was not like Su Meiniang with no combat ability, but a genuine spellcaster!  

"Just in time!"  

A ring-shaped spell, an upgraded version of the resistance enhancement spell, Element Absorption!  

The burly man remained motionless as the black wind blades struck him hard, but they seemed to vanish like mud sinking into water. Though they tore his clothes, revealing solid muscles beneath, they caused no actual harm.  

Instead, at that moment, his aura suddenly surged higher!  

The black-clad woman’s pupils shrank sharply; the color drained from her face, her eyes filled with disbelief.  

"What... what kind of evil spell is this?!"  

Her wind blades could easily cut through refined iron, yet the burly man remained unscathed? His aura even strengthened?  

This completely overturned her decades of cultivation knowledge!  

Li Pingcan did not answer.  

Element Absorption significantly enhances resistance against elemental damage. When receiving elemental attacks, it converts 10% of the damage into his own mana and resistance. Coupled with his innate physical strength equivalent to mid-stage Refining Qi cultivators,  

It was no wonder the black-clad woman’s wind blades were useless!  

Ignoring her second and third wind blade attacks, which only served to boost his mana and resistance, he flashed forward and relentlessly struck the Golden Shield Talisman with hundreds of punches.  

As the shield’s glow dimmed, the wind blade spells still had no effect, and the black-clad woman finally broke down.  

"Don’t come any closer!"  

Her eyes were filled with terror; her voice was sharp and piercing. "I was wrong! Immortal, spare me! I have treasures and secret manuals. I’m willing to serve as your slave or maid!"  

She instantly abandoned all dignity, kneeling on the ground, tearful and pitifully begging.  

Yet Li Pingcan’s face showed no emotion.  

He had seen too many like her, mouths begging for mercy while plotting revenge.  

"Too late. You’re dead. I’ll get your things anyway."  

The black-clad woman shuddered, knowing she was truly doomed this time.  

"Immortal, spare me!"  

Seemingly powerless, she suddenly pulled a pitch-black throwing knife from her storage pouch, its cold light filled with hatred, and fiercely hurled it at Li Pingcan.  

This was her last treasure, her most effective sneak attack weapon.  

However, in Li Pingcan’s eyes, her movement was like slow motion.  

He neither dodged nor blocked, only slightly raising his hand. The black throwing knife spun in his palm and was reflected straight back.  

"Thud!"  

The throwing knife pierced the center of the black-clad woman’s brows.  

Blood flowed down her face like a stream.  

"You... you..."  

Her eyes were full of hatred and despair as she glared at the burly man, but before finishing her words, she lost consciousness and died.  

"With such strength, you dare to rob me?"  

Li Pingcan expressionlessly pulled out his dagger, stabbed it hard into her heart, twisted it violently, then emptied all her treasures before burning her clothes and corpse on the spot, finally burying everything deep underground with Earth Shaping.  

He didn’t linger or look back, quickly leaving the crime scene.  

........  

Transforming into a bird, he scouted the treetops for any tracking devices or dropped items. Changing his appearance, he circled around and returned to Peach Blossom Village.  

He counted the gains from this trip.  

"This woman is richer than Su Meiniang."  

Li Pingcan looked at the various pills, ten spirit stones, a bottle of Spirit Pills, a bottle of Antidote Pills, and the precious Thunderstrike Wood, unable to suppress a smile.  

Besides spirit stones and some basic pills, he also found several low-grade talismans and the throwing knife treasure.  

Its blade was extremely thin, shaped like a willow leaf, extraordinarily sharp. The handle was carved with intricate patterns and felt substantial in hand. Spirit energy propelled it, making it incredibly fast and explosively penetrating.  

If not for Li Pingcan’s constant vigilance, reflexes trained by the Water Dragon Guard, and strong body, ordinary cultivators would have no defense.  

"These pills will sustain my cultivation for a while."  

No fat horseweed for the horse; no sudden wealth for a man.  

Though the cultivation world was harsh and dangerous, one could become rich overnight, which gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength.  

"But constantly hunting will eventually get you hunted. It’s better to avoid such fights."  

He had some rough thoughts in his mind.  

Human cultivators provided him with pills, cultivation methods, magical tools, and talismans.  

Spirit beasts provided him with heavenly materials, battle support, and even bloodline talents...  

Of course, some things could overlap, like “information.” The more channels, the more complete the information. To sustain long-term development and establish a foothold, clear intelligence was crucial.  

........  

With ample plundered materials, Li Pingcan’s path in formation arts made a leap forward.  

He first thoroughly upgraded the materials for the Spirit Gathering Formation at Listening Wind Cliff.  

Now at Listening Wind Cliff, the spiritual energy had almost solidified into a tangible white mist. Under such nourishment, the spirit mulberry sapling had grown into a small tree with an elegant canopy, its branches faintly radiating spiritual light.  

Training here, combined with pill consumption, nearly tripled his efficiency.  

"The Spirit Gathering Formation is now roughly complete. Next, it’s time to focus on the Concealment Formation."  

He took out the Concealment Formation recorded in the Five Elements Profound Formation — the Hidden Profound Concealment Formation.  

Such a concealment formation could protect the residence; no invader could detect its anomaly. This meant the Li family would have an absolutely safe "hidden paradise," able to grow and prosper without worry.  

However, this formation was far more complex than the Spirit Gathering Formation and required rarer materials.  

But with the spirit stones and auxiliary materials "borrowed" from the black-clad woman and Su Meiniang, it was worth a try.  

Yet he had overestimated himself.  

The Hidden Profound Concealment Formation was more than ten times more complex than the Spirit Gathering Formation. The latter only guided spiritual energy into the body; this one had to deceive the heavens. The intricate runes alone were dizzying.  

"If only a senior expert in formation arrays could teach me."  

Li Pingcan sighed, suddenly understanding why Su Meiniang was so ecstatic after meeting the illusion realm "master."  

A self-taught wanderer cultivator was truly struggling!  

Fortunately, he benefited from the Divine Blessing of Nature’s luck enhancement. Whenever he was stuck, a streak of spiritual light would break through the fog, some obscure formation principle would suddenly become clear, and his mind would open up.