Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

“Ah… without spirit stones, we leave this treasure trove empty-handed. Truly lamentable…”

After the exchange session concluded, Fang Xi departed from the market alongside Nine Profound Reverend and Di Qi.

Nine Profound Reverend stroked his beard, sighing deeply with a melancholic expression.

It must be said, Lu Zhi’s clearance sale featured many valuable items, all priced at least one to two tenths cheaper than the market rates!

Even Di Qi couldn’t resist purchasing several paper talismans typically crafted by Symbol Master Zong.

Only Fang Xi and himself truly felt impoverished, left watching enviously from the sidelines.

“Sigh… what about me? Fellow Daoist Chen is truly impressive, securing the legacy of a Symbol Master!” Di Qi echoed another sigh, displaying a hint of discontent. “The craftsmanship of Symbol Master Zong was exceptional; I even suspect he might have obtained a tier-2 legacy… wonder how much of it will be revealed in those notes?”

“There’s no chance of that. A tier-2 legacy for merely two hundred spirit stones? Does Fellow Daoist Lu think we’re fools?” Fang Xi chuckled incredulously.

In his estimation, if the jade slip contained methods for crafting just a few high-grade tier-1 paper talismans, it would already be considered generous on Lu Zhi’s part.

“You’re right… but Fellow Daoist Chen still has an opportunity,” Nine Profound Reverend remarked solemnly. “If he marries Fellow Daoist Lu, wouldn’t it be a win-win situation? Not only would he win the heart of a beauty, but also gain access to a true talisman master’s secrets.”

“Haha! Let’s hope so.” The three men shared a knowing laugh typical among their gender.

---

The next day.

Fang Xi ventured down the mountain to purchase supplies and briefly returned to the Daliang World to extensively feed on Tai Sui, subsequently harvesting its flesh.

After several days, he had accumulated nearly four hundred pounds of Beefwood meat.

At the Hundred Skills Pavilion:

Thud!

Four hundred pounds of mythic beast meat crashed onto the floor, eliciting a wide grin from Shopkeeper Qi Liu.

His honest business practices were indeed paying off. As evidence, this wandering cultivator brought more mythic beast meat straight to him.

“Esteemed Daoist, choosing our Hundred Skills Pavilion truly is an honor for us. Yingsong, please serve some tea,” said Shopkeeper Qi with a warm smile.

After all, the previous batch of dozens of pounds of mythic beast meat was sold at a high price to a body cultivator, yielding a small but significant profit.

“My pleasure!” Yingsong promptly brewed a cup of spirit tea, but Fang Xi merely raised it without taking a sip.

In the cultivation world, one must always be cautious, especially when consuming anything. Vigilance is paramount.

“The quality of this mythic beast meat matches the earlier batch; they must come from the same creature… Hm?” After examining the meat, Qi Liu suddenly appeared puzzled and uncertain. “Could it be that this mythic beast has no bones? Beast bones are highly valuable - their marrow can serve as auxiliary ingredients for pill concoction, and the bone material itself is useful for crafting artifacts…”

“Excellent observation, Shopkeeper! This mythic beast indeed has remarkably soft flesh, almost boneless - truly peculiar. Unfortunately, there’s only one such specimen available…”

Fang Xi feigned a sigh, secretly vowing never to sell Beefwood meat at this market again.

After all… once he leaves Blackstone City, he can easily hunt other beasts for sale.

Mythic beasts in the Daliang World are abundant and generally weak, making them perfect targets for farming experience!

“The 400 pounds of mythic beast meat totals forty spirit stones, Daoist friend. Does that sound fair?”

Qi Liu swiftly calculated the weight, rounding up slightly in favor of Fang Xi.

“Generous offer, Shopkeeper.” Fang Xi grinned widely. “However, I’m also interested in purchasing a paper talisman. Do you happen to have any at Hundred Skills Pavilion?”

Compared to Heavenly Talisman Hall or Pill Cauldron Pavilion, Hundred Skills Pavilion seemed more like a general store, prompting him to inquire here.

“Oh, which type of talisman?” Qi Liu appeared somewhat surprised.

“A banishing talisman, just a first-tier one will suffice,” Fang Xi emphasized firmly.

“A first-tier banishing talisman?” Qi Liu pondered briefly before smiling. “Your timing is fortunate, Daoist friend. Such talismans are exceedingly rare; our pavilion usually doesn’t stock them. However, coincidentally, a customer sold one yesterday. It’s in pristine condition with minimal loss of spiritual energy. Please take a look!”

With a gentle tap on his waist pouch, Qi Liu retrieved a wooden box that looked somewhat familiar to Fang Xi. Upon opening it, a banishing talisman identical to the one he had seen before appeared before Fang Xi.

‘Could this be from Symbol Master Zong’s collection, and the buyer subsequently resold it to Hundred Skills Pavilion?’

A thoughtful expression flickered across Fang Xi’s eyes.

However, regardless of its origin, it didn’t significantly matter to him.

After carefully examining the talisman, Fang Xi asked for the price, “Impressive, indeed a high-grade first-rank banishing talisman. May I inquire how much you’re selling it for?”

“Ah… Heavenly Talisman Hall would charge at least thirty-five spirit stones for such a talisman. However, I won’t add any handling fee; simply the original price will suffice, Daoist friend.” Qi Liu said sincerely, taking a sip of tea.

‘I distinctly remember Lu Zhi sold this talisman for only thirty-one spirit stones… Oh well, there’s no point bringing it up.’

Fang Xi maintained his aloof demeanor as a demon-hunting cultivator and nodded, “The shopkeeper is fair!”

Internally, though, he felt like spitting blood due to the steep cost.

This single transaction nearly wiped out his savings from the past two years.

After Fang Xi left, Qi Liu stroked his chin, somewhat disgruntled. “Misjudged him… This lad might truly be just a low-rank cultivator with sheer luck. Did he think such limited knowledge could fool me? Hmph!”

Fang Xi, being only a minor cultivator, despite having memories of his predecessor, was constrained by his limited experience and couldn’t fully conceal certain issues. Just a few exchanges with Shopkeeper Qi revealed his shortcomings.

“Several dozen spirit stones, forget it…” Shopkeeper Qi sighed, leisurely returning upstairs to resume meditation and sipping tea…

Upon hearing his sigh, Yingsong’s eyes shifted as he went to the shop’s backyard, clutching a voice-transmission talisman and muttering under his breath, “Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu… It’s not that I’m disobeying you, but for you, several dozen spirit stones are mere pennies. To me, though, it’s quite a fortune…”

With magical energy surging, the voice-transmission talisman transformed into a burst of flame and swiftly flew away, disappearing from sight…

---

Exiting the market, Fang Xi instinctively took a circuitous route.

“Hmm, something’s not right?”

As he activated his Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing Art, he sensed an anomaly and swiftly dropped to the ground, pressing his ear against it.

With True Force amplifying his hearing, he detected subtle vibrations through the earth.

“Behind me… someone is tracking me… likely two individuals!”

Fang Xi promptly changed direction, increasing his speed.

However, no matter how many times he altered course, the pair behind him persisted in pursuit. In fact, they were closing the gap, evidently sensing his unease and accelerating as well.

Soon, within Fang Xi’s field of vision, two figures emerged - one tall, one short.

A beginner in Early Stage Qi Refinement and another at Middle Stage Qi Refinement!

Sensing their unmasked spiritual power and malicious intent, Fang Xi felt slightly relieved internally but remained vigilant. He demanded, “Who are you? Why are you following me?”

“Heh heh, kid, hand over all your valuables!” The shorter cultivator, around thirty years old with numerous freckles on his face, sneered coldly. Holding several paper talismans, he began maneuvering from the side, intending to cut off Fang Xi’s escape route.

“Calamity cultivators!”

Fang Xi’s expression turned grim as he swiftly flicked his wrist, sending the Qinghe Sword soaring through the wind. It transformed into a streak of jade-green sword light, directly targeting the short cultivator.

“A magical artifact! Big brother, help me!” The short cultivator hastily slapped a Golden Light Barrier Talisman onto himself, enveloping his body with a golden aura before crying out in panic.

“Haha… Such a shabby magical artifact, truly just a paper tiger!” Seeing the damaged edge on Qinghe Sword, the tall cultivator laughed instead of showing anger. He then tapped a dusty pouch at his waist.

A pitch-black ghost-headed blade emerged as a magical artifact, turning into a beam of dark light that entangled with the green sword glow of Qinghe Sword, effortlessly overpowering it.

“Low-grade magical artifact!” Fang Xi’s resolve strengthened upon witnessing this scene.

His Qinghe Sword was already a subpar low-grade magical artifact, so being easily suppressed by the ghost-headed blade made sense.

“How… How did you find me?” Fang Xi shouted sternly but inwardly fearful, quickly deciding to flee amidst his panic.

“Haha… Big brother, let this kid be mine. Just a third layer of Qi Refinement, should be easy pickings.”

The shorter cultivator, brimming with excitement, focused his gaze on Fang Xi while muttering incantations - clearly casting some form of spell!

As he uttered the final syllable, two bright yellow earth spikes materialized before him.

“Go!” The short cultivator pointed at Fang Xi, sending the spikes hurtling forward.

Fang Xi somersaulted hastily to evade, his disheveled appearance further thrilling the short cultivator. “With ‘Three Sun Incense’ on your hands, you can’t escape! Prepare to die!”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, one of the earth spikes pierced through Fang Xi’s back.

“Ahh!” Fang Xi screamed and collapsed onto the ground.

However, in his panicked flight, he seemed to have misjudged his path, falling dangerously close to the taller cultivator.

“You talk too much!” remarked the tall cultivator to his shorter companion as he approached Fang Xi’s supposed corpse. Suddenly, something felt amiss.

Without its owner’s magical support, how could that sword-shaped artifact continue to engage with the ghost-headed blade? It wasn’t inherently sentient!

“Uh-oh!”

Realizing this, the tall cultivator attempted to retreat.

But it was too late!

Fang Xi, who appeared lifeless on the ground, suddenly surged towards him at a terrifying speed, reaching within striking distance almost instantly.

In desperation, the taller cultivator hastily activated a Water Shield Talisman, enveloping himself with a protective aura of water.

Moments later, Fang Xi’s fist slammed into the water shield!

Whump!

The shield bowed ominously under the impact but didn’t break, its glow significantly dimming instead.

“A mid-stage body refinement cultivator!” Fear immediately surfaced on the tall cultivator’s face. “Daoist… misunderstanding…”

“Primordial Strength!”

However, Fang Xi had no intention of further conversation. He raised his right hand high, gathering immense power at his fingertips before forcefully striking the water shield again!

Bam!

With all his might, Fang Xi unleashed Primordial Strength infused with multiple energies, causing an explosive burst that shattered the water shield, revealing the utterly despairing expression of the tall cultivator behind it.

The tall Calamity cultivator tried to speak further, but Fang Xi’s finger had already pierced his throat.

Crack!

Fang Xi casually discarded the dead body and turned towards the pursuing short cultivator, asking, “Did you enjoy that fight just now?”