Divine Level Witch Doctor

"Yes, yes, he's here. I've already sent for him. If you'll just wait a moment." The lobby manager quickly led Zhao Yuan to the lounge area and served him hot tea and fruit.

A few minutes later, the stout but surprisingly nimble Hao Li rushed from the kitchen into the lobby like a gust of wind. Seeing Zhao Yuan, he chuckled and said, "Little Brother Zhao, what brings you here today?"

Zhao Yuan stood and said, "I don't show up unless I need something. This time, I've come to borrow your Lingyun Pavilion."

"Borrow Lingyun Pavilion?" Hao Li was taken aback, but then he seemed to realize something. He waved away the staff in the lounge, then lowered his voice and asked, "Little Brother Zhao, are you planning on doing Alchemy in Lingyun Pavilion, or Artifact Creation?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

'Right now, the only people who know I can perform Alchemy and Artifact Creation are the Ying Family.'

'Hao Li must have heard about it from Ying Ji, but that was way too fast, wasn't it?'

'Do Hao Li and Ying Ji have some kind of secret relationship?'

Zhao Yuan's inner gossip-monger flared up. "Ying Ji told you? What's the deal between you two?"

Hao Li might be an otaku, but he wasn't an idiot. How could he not understand what Zhao Yuan was implying? He quickly waved his hands. "We're just friends, really! It's not what you're thinking. Ying Ji is too feisty, and she's always meddling in everyone's business, like a mother hen. She's not my type."

"Then what type do you like?" Zhao Yuan asked casually.

"I like Reimu!" Hao Li said, his eyes shining.

"Who's Reimu?" Zhao Yuan was completely confused.

"Seriously, Little Brother Zhao? You don't even know who Reimu is?" Hao Li looked astonished, then immediately launched into a spiel to educate and convert Zhao Yuan. After listening, Zhao Yuan realized this "Reimu" was a girl from the world of 2D animation.

As an otaku, once Hao Li started talking about the 2D world, he was a non-stop chatterbox.

Zhao Yuan had to cut him off. "Okay, okay, stop. You can stop talking about Reimu. I just want to know how you found out so quickly that I can perform Alchemy and Artifact Creation."

For some reason, Hao Li was a little afraid of Zhao Yuan. Seeing his serious expression, he didn't dare ramble on about anime anymore and explained obediently, "Well, we have a WeChat group. Today, Ying Ji said in the group that a very powerful Cultivator had visited her family. She said he not only improved their Ghost Language but also possessed extremely high-level skills in Alchemy and Artifact Creation."

"Oh, but don't worry, Ying Ji didn't reveal your name or identity. But who am I? I'm Hao Li, known as the second Conan, the portly Kindaichi! I immediately deduced that the amazing Cultivator she was talking about was you, Little Brother Zhao!"

At this, Hao Li puffed up with pride. He slapped his chest a few times, making his C-cup-sized pecs jiggle, and boasted without a hint of shame, "To be honest, I actually wanted to enroll in the police academy back in the day, but I was rejected for being too fat! Hmph, what do they know? I may be fat, but this isn't blubber—it's all Essence of Spiritual Energy! For us Tripod Food Cultivators, our method of Cultivation is cooking and eating. It'd be a miracle if we *didn't* get fat!"

Zhao Yuan had no interest in hearing him brag. Instead, another matter piqued his curiosity. "You guys have a WeChat group? Are there a lot of people in it? Are they all Cultivators?"

"Not many," Hao Li explained. "It's just a small group, four people in total. Besides me and Ying Ji, there are two other guys. One is a Feng Shui Master who follows the path of Dragon Seeking and Acupoint Exploration and Observing Celestial and Earthly Phenomena. The other is a Cultivator from the Dual Cultivation School who practices the Bedroom Technique of Yang Replenishment by Yin."

Zhao Yuan asked, "Are they all Cultivators from here in Western Shu Province?"

"Nope." Hao Li shook his head and continued, "The guy who practices the Bedroom Technique is in Huashang. His family's loaded; he's a rich kid. As for the Feng Shui Master, I have no idea where he's from. Judging by the photos he posts on his WeChat Moments, he travels all over the country. He's a bit strange, though. He never posts selfies or sends voice messages. He's probably some unkempt slob with no confidence in his looks."

That last part surprised Zhao Yuan. "What? You guys have never met?"

"Never," Hao Li replied. "We all met on a forum. Since we hit it off, we added each other on WeChat and started a small group."

"What forum?" Zhao Yuan became more and more curious.

Hao Li explained, "It's a forum where Cultivators gather. People can go there to exchange and discuss knowledge about Cultivation, and also trade things like Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Elixirs, and materials. The forum also has a collection of many cultivation texts that registered members can look up and study."

Zhao Yuan's eyes lit up. "There's a place like that? What's the forum's address?"

The *Hundred Instruments Manual* he had obtained from the Ying Family Library contained instructions for creating many Magical Artifacts, but he couldn't craft most of them because he lacked the necessary materials. If he had to find everything himself, there was no telling how long it would take. Being able to buy the materials he needed from this forum would be incredibly convenient!

Of course, what truly tempted Zhao Yuan was the forum's collection of cultivation texts.

He didn't need to think twice to know that the cultivation texts on the forum were probably just common, run-of-the-mill stuff. After all, nobody was stupid enough to casually put their treasured Secret Techniques on public display.

But common didn't necessarily mean bad!

This was especially true for Zhao Yuan. Although he had the Information Leaf, he actually knew very little about the broader world of Cultivation. So far, the Information Leaf had only unlocked two Cultivation Techniques and a few Talismans for him.

Zhao Yuan knew the Information Leaf was holding back because it was afraid he would get ahead of himself. It wanted him to build a solid foundation, one step at a time, before revealing what came next.

But he still wanted to broaden his horizons and increase his knowledge!

Even if he couldn't learn new Talismans or Magic, just reading some theoretical books on Cultivation would be beneficial!

Once he understood the theory, his Cultivation would be twice as effective with half the effort, right?

For all these reasons, Zhao Yuan was extremely interested in the Cultivator forum.

"The address is a bit complicated, I can't remember it. I'll just text it to you."

While speaking, Hao Li took out his phone, opened a saved URL in his browser, copied it, and sent a text message to Zhao Yuan.

Then he enthusiastically invited, "Little Brother Zhao, do you want to join our WeChat group? I can add you."

"I'll pass on the WeChat group. I don't know the other two members," Zhao Yuan said after a moment's thought, politely declining.

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