Cultivation: I Can Steal Lifespan from Spirit Beasts

Chapter 139: Foundation Establishment Banquet

The news of Cultivator Yan’s successful Foundation Establishment came as quite a shock to Wang Ba.

In his memory, he vaguely recalled that just a year ago, this Cultivator Yan was at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, just like him.

Yet, within a single short year, the man had broken through consecutively, his speed as astonishing as if he were riding a flying Magical Artifact.

It made Wang Ba involuntarily think of Lin Yu, who had been treated as mere cultivation material back in the day.

Of course, unlike Lin Yu—a young cultivator with shallow roots—Cultivator Yan was older, possessed a solid foundation, and had exquisite talisman-making skills. He was experienced and shrewd, not the type to be easily deceived.

Therefore, Cultivator Yan seemed more like a representative of someone who had accumulated strength over time and finally erupted.

After sighing with emotion in the Spirit Water Courtyard, Wang Ba decided not to refuse Cultivator Yan’s invitation.

He had originally intended to build a good relationship with the man. With Yan’s talisman-making skills, Wang Ba would definitely have a use for him in the future. Wasn’t that exactly why he had gifted him Spirit Stones for free back then?

Of course, it was also because the man was honest and reliable—someone worth befriending.

If everyone were like Lu Yuansheng—ungrateful souls who repaid kindness with enmity—Wang Ba would have distanced himself long ago.

Thinking of Lu Yuansheng, Wang Ba couldn’t help but feel a stifling anger.

If he hadn’t already bred a Top Grade Spirit Poultry and secured his safety against Lu’s demands, he would probably be living in constant anxiety right now.

“The difference between the brothers Lu Yuanfeng and Lu Yuansheng is simply too great.”

Wang Ba shook his head secretly and returned to the chicken farm.

After much thought, he prepared a pair of Middle Grade first-tier Yellow-Throated Spirit Turtles as a congratulatory gift.

In the cultivation world, spirit turtles were popular gifts due to their long lifespans and spiritual nature. For cultivators craving longevity, they carried excellent symbolism and were highly favored.

Not to mention, some special varieties of spirit turtles had unique effects when consumed.

For example, the Shield-Armored Giant-Headed Turtle was reportedly a favorite delicacy of the Huansheng Path cultivators.

On the day of Cultivator Yan’s Foundation Establishment celebration banquet, Wang Ba took the two Yellow-Throated Spirit Turtles and headed to the market district, entering a restaurant he usually couldn’t bear to patronize.

Upon reaching the third floor, he discovered that Cultivator Yan had reserved the entire level.

“Talisman masters are truly wealthy!”

Wang Ba couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

Cultivator Yan might not have more liquid Spirit Stones than Wang Ba right now, but while Wang Ba was eating into his savings, Yan had a continuous stream of income.

Unlike raising Spirit Poultry, which immediately lost its appeal after the switch from the Eastern Sage Sect to the Heavenly Gate Sect, talisman masters were welcomed wherever they went.

The same applied to alchemists, artifact refiners, formation masters, and spirit vein masters.

Wang Ba truly wanted to choose one of these trades to study diligently. Unfortunately, mastering them required following a mentor day and night for instruction. Trying to learn from just a few books was a fantasy.

And right now, he was focused wholeheartedly on breaking through to higher realms; where would he find the time?

It would be better to wait until his cultivation progress slowed down in the future before attempting to learn a trade.

Cultivator Yan was chatting and laughing with a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Heavenly Gate Sect. When he saw Wang Ba, he immediately excused himself and walked over happily.

“Haha, Fellow Daoist! You came, that is enough—why bring gifts? Between you and me, there is no need to stand on ceremony.”

His face showed no trace of arrogance, nor did he look down on his old friend after reaching Foundation Establishment.

This put Wang Ba’s slightly uneasy heart at ease.

However, he dared not take the polite words too seriously. Their cultivation realms were different now, and a gap in status naturally existed.

“Not at all, not at all. Today is a joyous day for Fellow Daoist; this is just a small token of my regard.”

Saying this, he presented the pair of Yellow-Throated Spirit Turtles. A servant boy immediately stepped forward to take them, grimacing and struggling to hold the heavy creatures.

After all, Middle Grade Yellow-Throated Spirit Turtles were not light.

Fortunately, there was no dramatic scene of other Foundation Establishment guests mocking Wang Ba’s gift. Wang Ba glanced around and noted that while his turtles weren’t precious treasures, they were passable among the pile of gifts.

“Fellow Daoist, you’ve spent too much.”

To Wang Ba’s surprise, Cultivator Yan didn’t just exchange a few pleasantries and leave. Instead, he pulled Wang Ba aside and continued chatting, soon turning the topic to himself.

“My smooth Foundation Establishment was also a matter of luck,” Cultivator Yan sighed. “Do you remember the Inheritance Spirit Talisman Competition I participated in?”

Wang Ba nodded, though he didn’t quite follow.

Cultivator Yan discreetly activated a Sound Isolation Talisman and lowered his voice.

“In that competition, although I spent my entire fortune, I ultimately finished third due to my insufficient cultivation. I was fortunate enough to be noticed by an expert from the Profound Talisman Path and obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill. But it was a blessing in disguise. I later learned from others that the Inheritance Spirit Talisman was actually a trap! It contained the remnant soul of a Golden Core Elder from the previous generation, waiting to possess a body!”

“Oh? Then the winner of that competition…”

Hearing this, Wang Ba was surprised but not overly shocked.

Not because he had foreseen it, but because such schemes were endless in the cultivation world—a common trick among high-level cultivators.

Like Elder Qin of the Eastern Sage Sect. Like the Incense Path cultivator Ji Lin who seized Pan Long’s body. Even the Mystic Maiden Path cultivator who devoured Lin Yu.

Cultivators, with their minds like honeycombs filled with twisting schemes, had the habit of keeping a hidden hand ingrained in their very bones.

“Exactly! I knew the winner well; we were in the same trade and had exchanged insights before. But after he received the inheritance that day, I met him again. His expression, his temperament—everything was completely different. Although he hid it well, my eyes are honed from years of talisman crafting. I saw through it at a glance!”

Cultivator Yan sighed deeply. “We both came from the Eastern Sage Sect, and you, brother, have shown me great kindness. Speaking from the heart, in this Sect, even if you encounter a stroke of good fortune, you must weigh it again and again. That ‘good thing’ might be hiding a hook underneath!”

Wang Ba nodded in agreement.

He not only agreed with Yan’s words but also respected the man himself. For Yan to share such a secret meant he truly regarded Wang Ba as one of his own.

Wang Ba sighed internally; he hadn’t misjudged the man. Cultivator Yan was indeed worth befriending.

After chatting a while longer, Wang Ba sensed dissatisfied gazes from some of the Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby. He quickly took the initiative to end the conversation, urging Cultivator Yan to attend to his other guests.

As a newly advanced Foundation Establishment talisman master, many people intended to use this opportunity to build a relationship with Yan, hoping to leverage the connection later.

Wang Ba scanned the room and found a corner table to sit at alone.

He usually spent his days either tending to Spirit Poultry and turtles at the farm or cultivating arduously in the Spirit Water Courtyard, so he wasn’t familiar with most of the people present.

However, he soon spotted a few familiar faces.

Some were customers who had bought Spirit Poultry from him or exchanged supplies. Others were well-known figures like Meng Randao and Jing Kuang. Even Dong Qiyu had come.

Meng Randao, once the highly prominent face of the Eastern Sage Outpost, still hadn’t achieved Foundation Establishment. The entourage of cultivators following him was noticeably smaller than when Wang Ba last saw him.

This time, he personally delivered a pair of jade ruyi scepters to Cultivator Yan’s servant.

Compared to his former dazzling brilliance, he now appeared restrained and respectful before Cultivator Yan, even bowing as a junior.

No one found this strange; everyone took the hierarchy for granted.

Cultivator Yan merely exchanged a few perfunctory words with him before moving on to greet other guests.

Meng Randao glanced around, then proactively walked toward the table occupied by the few Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, he didn’t seem very welcome there. Throughout the meal, he barely spoke. Instead, he occasionally took dishes from the waiters and stood up to serve tea to the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were chatting happily among themselves.

When the group laughed at a joke, Meng Randao’s stiff face hurriedly squeezed out a smile to join in.

He looked clumsy and lonely.

Watching this scene, Wang Ba didn’t know what to feel.

Soon, Jing Kuang also arrived with a gift to congratulate Cultivator Yan.

Toward him, Cultivator Yan’s smile was clearly even more polite and distant.

“You’ve spent too much, too much!”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Jing Kuang put on an expression of being overwhelmed by the honor.

After simple pleasantries, his gaze swept the room. He seemed to intend to join the Foundation Establishment table as well.

But as he approached and prepared to sit, a Foundation Establishment cultivator shot him a cold glare.

Jing Kuang’s heart tightened; he quickly apologized and retreated.

As his gaze wandered, he spotted Wang Ba and clearly showed surprise.

He recognized Wang Ba immediately and seemed shocked that the poultry farmer was qualified to attend a banquet of this level.

After hesitating for a moment, he walked over to Wang Ba’s table and sat down beside him.

Facing this fellow with whom he had an unpleasant history, Wang Ba simply smiled a greeting.

He knew the man’s cold, ruthless nature well and had no desire for further dealings. After all, years ago, Jing Kuang had decisively betrayed Chen Mian—a cultivator who followed him wholeheartedly—just to gain merit points. That alone was enough to reveal his unscrupulous character.

But several years had passed. Meeting him again, Wang Ba felt no fear.

Faced with Wang Ba’s undisguised aloofness, Jing Kuang narrowed his eyes, seemingly displeased at being slighted. But in this setting, he could only forcefully suppress his irritation.

Not long after, Cultivator Yan found a moment to return to Wang Ba’s table, specifically urging him to eat and drink his fill.

Wang Ba nodded quickly and insisted he attend to the other guests.

After Cultivator Yan left, Jing Kuang looked at Wang Ba with a gaze full of shock and complexity.

He hadn’t expected Wang Ba to have such a close relationship with Cultivator Yan—the only person from the Eastern Sage Outpost to successfully reach Foundation Establishment so far!

This greatly exceeded his perception of the man.

In his mind, Wang Ba was still that Qi Refining first-layer minor cultivator living in the Stone Cave Dwelling years ago. Now, at most third or fourth layer, he shouldn’t even be qualified to speak to Jing Kuang, let alone hobnob with Foundation Establishment experts.

But what surprised him even more was the arrival of Dong Qiyu.

When Dong Qiyu came to offer congratulations, his eyes lit up the moment he saw Wang Ba. He quickly walked over, enthusiastically pulling at Wang Ba’s arm and chatting animatedly.

It was obvious, however, that Wang Ba wasn’t paying much attention to Dong Qiyu either.

Jing Kuang didn’t know what to say.

This was Dong Qiyu!

Although he hadn’t achieved Foundation Establishment yet, it was only because he refused to use a pill, intending to rely on himself for a ‘Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.’ Otherwise, with the merit he earned from the Mirror Moon Mansion operation, he could have secured three or four Foundation Establishment Pills easily.

Even in the eyes of the Sect disciples, Dong Qiyu was already a quasi-Foundation Establishment cultivator, just waiting for the right moment to break through.

Sure enough, a moment later, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Meng Randao’s table came over and forcibly dragged Dong Qiyu to sit with them.

Truly enviable!

Jing Kuang looked at Dong Qiyu sitting at the high table, his eyes filled with longing.

The banquet’s atmosphere finally reached its climax with the arrival of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Profound Talisman Path.

After a lively feast that had little to do with him, Wang Ba walked out of the restaurant.

Looking back at the gradually dispersing crowd, a trace of steel determination rose in his eyes.

“Foundation Establishment…”