Chapter 105: Disappearing Without a Trace

"However, why does this feeling seem slightly different from what was described in the Elephant Armor Technique?" 

Li Ye pondered for a moment, bringing his body's post-breakthrough state under control, but a doubt suddenly arose. 

In the Elephant Armor Technique, it was said that to achieve perfection, one needed to refine the blood of the elephant demon to generate the necessary force to take the technique to the next level. 

This would also improve one's physique, allowing the activation of essence blood, enabling transformation and amplification. 

But Li Ye's situation was different. 

Although he had practiced exactly as described in the Elephant Armor Technique, ever since he began absorbing the Voidrealm Spiritual Essence, his body's vitality foundation had been continuously replenished, as if it were always in the optimal state. 

It was as if his talent had greatly advanced, and he had shed many constraints. 

After smoothly reaching the later stages of body cultivation, he did not encounter any stagnation. However, this was in contrast to the situation described in the Elephant Armor Technique. 

Moreover, the characteristics of his body after reaching perfection were distinctly different from the overwhelming and domineering traits described after perfecting the Elephant Armor Technique.

The seamless and harmonious nature of his control was in stark contrast to the aggressive and ferocious path described in the earlier stages, such as the Gray Leather, White Armor, and Jade Armor stages. It seemed he had taken an entirely different path. 

"Could it be that the Voidrealm Spiritual Essence replaced the elephant demon's blood, supplementing my body's foundation, which is why I was able to achieve this breakthrough so smoothly?" 

"But at the same time... this also made the technique more suitable for my body's state?" 

Li Ye couldn't help but speculate. 

His cultivation level was still too low, and for matters like this, only someone at a higher level would be able to discern any clues. 

Regardless of whether his speculation was correct or not, at least the change was something Li Ye was very pleased with!

"Even though I can't transform using essence blood, the explosive power I possess during this seamless control is extraordinary... It seems I still retain the ability to refine essence blood?" 

But since he had perfected this technique on his own, Li Ye would not consider refining essence blood unless it was necessary to boost his combat strength.

"Now, there's no need to be so cautious… As long as I don't take the initiative to strike, my blood energy remains hidden, and even a foundation-building cultivator would have a hard time seeing through it..." 

"And since I haven't refined the elephant demon's blood, the changes in my physique and blood energy are much more adaptable, and the imprint of the technique on my body should be much lighter..." 

"Even if I can't find that Ten Thousand Beasts Body in the future, if there's another higher-level body cultivation technique, perhaps I can try practicing it!" 

With this thought in mind, Li Ye's mood immediately improved. 

Now that his body cultivation was complete, and his spiritual power cultivation had no more barriers since his spiritual root had been enhanced, it was simply a matter of focused, hard training. 

As for his mental cultivation, he had an innate talent for it. He had already perfected the second layer of the Thousand Thoughts Divine Art, his spirit had grown much stronger, and his ability to multitask was smooth and effortless... the breakthrough to the third layer was not far off!

Since his Qi Refining had reached the fourth and fifth layers, he had been preparing for the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, the pieces of this puzzle were finally coming together! 

.... 

That evening. 

"Li Lang, today Tengyun Market was truly lively!" 

Lan Xinyi said with great excitement, "Puppets, Beast Masters, and Gu worms, these rare crafts usually, were all brought out for business..." 

"The prices of pills and talismans were quite affordable, and the Tu family's array master even opened a shop selling various simple formations. They spared no expense!" 

"Moreover, despite the hustle and bustle of the market today, the order was still maintained reasonably well. We didn't hear of any bandit cultivators causing trouble on the way back..." 

She seemed very interested in everything she had seen today, and after thinking for a moment, she added, 

"There was even a store in the market dedicated to selling materials from beasts, including all sorts of flesh, bones, skins, organs, and essence blood!" 

"Compared to the scattered cultivators who set up messy stalls, this was much more meticulous, without the bloody or disgusting atmosphere..." 

"Even the body parts and essence blood of rare elephant and tiger beasts were displayed, leading to a lot of competition!" 

"Elephant demon blood..." 

Li Ye's heart stirred, and his gaze shifted slightly. 

If he had gone today, he might have been tempted to buy that elephant demon blood, and if he used it to break through to perfection in body cultivation, the outcome might have been very different. 

Moreover... although the southern frontier was full of mountains and forests, and elephants were not uncommon, 

He had never heard of any traces of elephant demons in the Chidi Mountains before! 

Why would they go to such lengths to search for it and bring it to Tengyun Market? 

Back when he killed Luo Chai, the elephant roar, the jade-like skin membrane, and the immense strength he displayed if those were relayed to Fei Xing'an, it wouldn't be hard to guess that it was from the Elephant Armor Technique, a body cultivation method.

The elephant demon blood might have been specifically used as bait for Blackwood Daoists from the Luo family...

No matter who bought it, they would likely be pursued, with their lives at risk! 

Li Ye asked himself, and though he was confident in his strength, with Foundation Establishment so close at hand, he had no desire to get involved with that troublesome group of people! 

Of course, this was only his speculation. Perhaps the elephant and tiger demons were just a gimmick to attract attention...

Regardless of whether it was true or not, by not going today, he had eliminated the risk without leaving a trace!

At this point, Lan Xinyi was still talking. 

"Li Lang, our Changcui Mountain is so vast, yet the spiritual fields can only be developed to a few acres..." 

"Why don't we take advantage of the current favorable prices and head to Tengyun Market to see if there are any suitable spiritual beasts, and raise some in the mountains for some profit? What do you think?" 

Li Ye nodded in response, "That's a good idea!" 

"However, I'll need to wait for some time to observe the situation before considering whether to go to the market. Your Lan family need not worry about me, just raise some down in the valley on your own!"

At least the Lan family wasn't being unreasonable, asking to open a shop in Tengyun Market or borrow money from him.

If it was just about raising spiritual beasts, Li Ye fully supported it!

If there were any suitable ones, he wouldn't mind trying to raise a few himself...

Cultivating a few spiritual beasts that could assist with his farming would be quite beneficial, wouldn't it? 

"Ah..." 

Lan Xinyi initially smiled with joy, but upon hearing Li Ye's following words, she gave a somewhat disappointed smile and said, 

"In that case, we, the Lan family, will try it out for you first..."

... 

Looking at how Tengyun Market was growing more and more prosperous by the day, attracting numerous cultivators from the Chidi Mountains, 

The business of the Sanhui Market, on the other hand, was declining steadily. Apart from those families with shops in Tengyun Market, the mountain families near Pingyang Mountain were all panicking! 

Tengyun Market only accepted family mountains to open shops, and they had been entirely excluded. 

Now that business had been stolen away, it was like they were losing their money it was a blow to their lifeblood!

However, Pingyang Mountain remained unmoved. 

This continued for several months. 

Then, one day, bandit cultivators suddenly became active around Tengyun Market, and many cultivators suffered misfortune! 

As a result, the number of cultivators heading to the Tengyun Market sharply dropped. 

The momentum of the market's rising crowd came to a sudden halt, and the Chidi Mountains began to feel a little uneasy...

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