Star Sky Professional

"Old Deng, struck gold!"

Fang Xing stepped forward, his hands covered with nanotech gloves as he began to search the body.

Just then, the drone sounded a warning, detecting a cultivator approaching nearby.

He didn't dare to linger, hastily taking his spoils and immediately heading in the opposite direction...

At the temporary camp.

"This Old Deng, quite wealthy..."

Fang Xing picked up the old man's money bag and poured out five low-grade spirit stones and eight mana sand grains, his eyes lighting up: "This killing and robbing is indeed much faster than the hard work of selling herbs for money!"

The spoils on the old man weren't many, but each was a select item!

Aside from the money bag, there was also a smoking pipe pot, actually made entirely from some unknown metal, heavy in the hand, and capable of shooting poison needles—a truly masterful craft from ancient times.

The last item was an ancient book.

"Green Wood Skill?"

Fang Xing took a sharp breath as he read the words on the title page: "Could this actually be a cultivation method?"

He flipped through the pages with interest and found it was all about how to calm the mind, sense the heaven and earth's spiritual qi, and absorb and refine it into one's own mana.

The book showed signs of frequent use, its appearance betraying an unknown number of readings.

According to "Green Wood Skill," the method had a total of nine levels: the first three levels corresponded to the Qi Cultivation Initial Stage, the fourth to sixth as the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, and the final three levels as the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

And once one cultivated to the 'Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation,' there was another name: 'Perfect' cultivator, who could prepare to break through to the higher realm of 'Foundation Establishment.'

"This 'Green Wood Skill' is a wood attribute cultivation method, capable of being cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation..."

"Unfortunately, it's as good as trash for someone without a spirit root."

Fang Xing turned to the last page and saw a note — 'Without a spirit root, one cannot cultivate — hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!'

Seven hate characters in total, each forceful enough to pierce through the paper, clearly written by someone filled with extreme indignation.

On seeing this, Fang Xing felt a kindred sorrow.

"Without a spirit root, one cannot cultivate — seems to be an iron law..."

He sighed, put away the cultivation method, and then attached a 'Spirit Testing Talisman' to himself.

Moments later, this 'Spirit Testing Talisman' turned to ash with no miracle occurring.

The next one ended the same...

"Indeed, I have no spirit root, I cannot cultivate..."

Fang Xing shook his head: "Fortunately... I can still practice martial arts! And the Federation's Martial Arts, when cultivated to a profound realm can similarly grant long life!"

...

Several days later.

Inside the cave.

Fang Xing sat cross-legged, his mind calm and serene.

He had maintained this posture for more than three hours, his form still straight, not a tremble in sight.

In front of Fang Xing, the book "Green Wood Skill" lay open, displaying the content of the First Level 'Introducing Energy into the Body.'

"Still no success..."

After a long while, he opened his eyes, his expression neither sad nor joyful.

Of course, Fang Xing was still very interested in studying this cultivation method.

He understood every character on it and could grasp their meaning when strung together.

Yet still... the first step of sensing the heaven and earth's spiritual qi, he simply couldn't sense it at all!

"Indeed, without a spirit root, one cannot enter the path of cultivation... can't even become a mark on the attribute panel..."

If he could just get a start, even one in ten thousand, Fang Xing would push himself to the limit!

But what could he do against a foe that wouldn't even show its health bar?

"If I could cultivate, this world's value would be even higher... As it is now? It's not bad either."

Fang Xing stood up, dusted off his clothes, and moved to a cave nearby.

There, a small rice cooker was keeping warm, obviously rice had been cooked earlier.

The base's power supply now came completely from a 'nuclear fusion' battery, enough to keep the whole camp running for a thousand years.

After all, for the Blue Star Federation, controlled nuclear fusion had long been a solved problem.

"Lotus Fragrance Spirit Rice, truly fragrant..."

Once the rice was steamed, a faint scent of lotus leaves began to waft through the cave.

Fang Xing took a deep breath and suddenly felt hungry as his saliva began to secrete uncontrollably.

"My body, craving for Spirit Rice?"

He opened the rice cooker and, with the steam rising, the aroma of rice instantly became ten times stronger.

Inside the rice cooker was a pot full of seemingly luminescent rice.

Each grain was incredibly plump, carrying an astonishing aroma.

Fang Xing scooped himself a full bowl of the white rice and took a big bite.

The Spirit Rice melted in his mouth, carrying a rich rice fragrance that seemed even more delicious than Blood Tooth Rice.

"The key is... better nutrition."

Even without any side dishes, Fang Xing ate with satisfaction, continuously serving himself until he cleared out the entire pot in the rice cooker.

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"Ugh... truly satisfying."

After eating his fill, Fang Xing patted his stomach, his face revealing a hint of contentment, "Unlike ingesting 'Qi Blood Pills', there are no violent surges of Qi and blood. Instead, it feels like a clear stream flowing through my body..."

"Indeed, it's Spirit Rice, truly without a hint of pill toxin, and it feels especially comfortable... If one consumes it over a long period, it must subtly transform and improve the physique!"

He felt that if he continued eating Spirit Rice, even without 'Innate Pills', his foundation for advancing to Rough Jade, Courage Realm... and even higher realms would become much more solid, making breakthroughs easier.

"Spirit Rice is really a wonderful thing... I must buy more another day."

Thinking of Spirit Rice, Fang Xing couldn't help but remember that girl, Ding Hongxiu, who sold it.

Despite appearing somewhat inexperienced, she had a grandfather with broad knowledge, so he could foster a deeper connection and extract a lot of information and intelligence.

...

After a night of diligent cultivation, Fang Xing had roughly confirmed that although the effects of Spirit Rice were not as rapid as Elixirs, their subtle influence and lasting benefits were its strengths.

And considering the issue of pill toxin, it certainly needed attention.

The only catch was the price.

"My appetite now is at least three jin of Spirit Rice a day... ten jin last just over three days. That's already a Spirit Stone..."

"This isn't something the commoners on the bottom rung should be indulging in... Truly, those adorned in silk and brocade are not the ones who raise silkworms."

But for Fang Xing, since Spirit Rice had better effects and no side effects, even if it's a bit pricey, it should still be considered for inclusion in his diet.

"With the help of Spirit Rice, I can also quickly refine my Sinews and Bones, and then break through to the Rough Jade Realm!"

The Sinew and Bone Realm was more troublesome than the Skin and Flesh Realm.

Not to mention others, every single one of the hundreds of bones in the body had to be refined one by one.

Furthermore, areas like the skull and other vital parts required extra caution during cultivation, consuming a lot of time.

"Let's go!"

With a thought, Fang Xing took some wildflowers and fruits, as well as harvested herbs, filled half a basket, and prepared to set up a stall at Qinglin Square.

Setting up a stall not only allowed him to sell at higher prices, but it also made it more convenient to gather information.

He had already found out that setting up a stall at Qinglin Square didn't cost anything.

Unless it was a fixed stall or shop, one would only need to pay monthly rent.

...

Qinglin Square.

The crowd was still bustling.

"Darn it, the three Luo brothers are done for..."

"They say some Demon Beasts have appeared nearby, and unfortunately, a fellow Daoist fell victim... Sigh, we should never have started clearing the wilderness."

"Although the Great Wilderness is desolate, it also contains opportunities... Didn't the Zheng Family's ancestor luckily stumble into a predecessor's Cave Mansion while clearing the land, and obtain a chance for Foundation Establishment, thereby successfully becoming a prominent cultivator? Now the Zheng Family controls the auction house business at the square, making a fortune. I've heard that the old ancestor is preparing to marry his thirty-seventh concubine soon..."

Passersby were chatting about various things, seemingly discussing the migration of Demon Beasts.

Fang Xing wasn't too interested in this; with drone explorations, he had avoided several dangerous locations early on.

After strolling around, he soon approached a stall, "Miss Hong Xiu, we meet again."

The stall was displaying several baskets full of Spirit Rice, the seller being Ding Hongxiu.

"It's you..."

Ding Hongxiu recognized Fang Xing, even after his disguise, and nodded, "I haven't asked whom I'm speaking with..."

"My surname is Fang..."

Fang Xing replied with a slight smile, spread out a rough cloth, and started to display his wares.

Seeing Fang Xing setting up right beside her, Ding Hongxiu's face turned red, and she was too embarrassed to speak, glancing at Fang Xing's goods, "Fang Daoist friend, you're in the medicinal herbs business?"

"Indeed, your Lotus Fragrance Spirit Rice is good. If you could give me a better price, I would buy a few more jin..."

Fang Xing was all smiles, making the young girl too embarrassed to continue the conversation.

He chuckled to himself, took up a book to read, and from time to time, exchanged a few words with those who inquired about the price, all the while seeming to quite enjoy himself.

"Heavenly Gang Qi Gong?"

Ding Hongxiu, curious at the sight of the cover, asked, "Is this a martial arts secret book?"

"Hmm, you can buy them at the stall around the corner, a book for just one grain of Spirit Sand, quite cheap..."

Fang Xing sighed.

Martial Artists led a difficult life in the Cultivation Market, and many sold their most treasured techniques just to exchange them for a few grains of Spirit Sand to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, such Divine Skill Secret Manuals that would cause tumult in the Mortal World's martial arts community are, in the square, nothing but common goods – especially the hand-copied versions that are sold at the standard price of one grain of Spirit Sand per book.

To enhance his understanding of the Martial Artists in this world, Fang Xing casually bought a few, treating them like entertainment.

The Heavenly Gang Qi Gong book in his hand was one of the better ones; it could be cultivated up to the Innate Realm and even came with a Martial Arts Secret Technique called 'Innate Gang Qi'.

According to Fang Xing's assessment, this 'Innate Gang Qi' had the power of a B-level Martial Arts in the Federation, which was quite impressive.

As for A-level Martial Arts?

Those would likely be above Divine Skills, allowing Martial Artists to reverse the innate order postnatally, which was rare.

'This world lacks the foundation for Martial Arts...'

'Martial Artists peak at Innate and are only fit to be servants to Cultivators...'

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

Perhaps, it was the suppression of the Cultivators that caused the demise of Martial Arts, delaying the emergence of a realm comparable to the Courage Realm after Innate.

'Given the insular and conservative nature of the Cultivation World, even if a Martial Artist should break through Innate, they wouldn't receive much attention, and it's possible that the secrets of their breakthrough are gathering dust in the library of some Immortal Cultivation Sect...'

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