The night hung like a curtain, obscuring the bright moon.
Shen Yunjiao was in a foul mood. Returning to the backyard, she casually formed a hand seal.
The earth churned and rolled to either side, and a large pit quickly formed. She casually tossed the corpse from her Storage Bag into it. Then, with another hand seal, the soil immediately rushed back to cover the hole.
After dealing with the corpse, Shen Yunjiao's expression grew even more disgruntled. She had only brought up that rumor about Cultivators turning into Evil Spirits out of resentment after death because she'd been trying to earn some Spirit Stones.
In reality, the Divine Thought of a Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator was indistinct and their soul was weak. It was completely impossible for one to transform into an Evil Spirit.
She had even used a Cleaning Talisman to help Zhao Zuo clean up the bloodstains in his room.
But Zhao Zuo had said he had no Spirit Stones at the moment and asked to pay on credit, making her dispose of the corpse for free. If he had said so earlier, she absolutely would have saved that Cleaning Talisman.
'What a... massive loss!'
Meanwhile, Zhao Zuo had dismantled the bedroom door and tossed it into the backyard.
He squeezed back into the gap in the firewood pile, his expression somewhat complicated.
Before Shen Yunjiao had taken the body away, Zhao Zuo had pulled the mask from his attacker's face, only to discover it was a familiar figure from his past.
Yan Fang. He and the body's original owner had gone through life and death together. Zhao Zuo's only interaction with him had been when Yan Fang came to his door to borrow Spirit Stones, which had nearly erupted into a conflict. After that, they had no further contact.
'If you had trusted me and quit gambling when you had the chance, you never would have fallen so low.'
'We weren't always like this.'
Zhao Zuo gazed at the grain of the firewood and sighed softly. Discovering that his attacker was a close friend with whom he had once weathered storms, he felt his mood, influenced by the original owner's memories, suddenly turn somber and melancholic. But the feeling was fleeting.
'Was he so cornered by gambling debts that he took this desperate risk, or did he become greedy after seeing me come out of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion?' Zhao Zuo leaned toward the former... After all, the debts from gambling dens were all about interest, on top of interest, on top of interest... on top of interest.
Once you got hooked, it was like falling into an abyss from which there was no return.
After brooding for a long while, Zhao Zuo finally used his Mana to claim ownership of the shuttle-shaped Magical Artifact. He planned to upgrade it once and then sell it at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, hoping to gather enough Spirit Stones as soon as possible... to buy a second Supporting Magical Artifact.
Once his Mana was completely depleted, Zhao Zuo checked the experience progress. He had gained a total of eight experience points. Twenty-five more times would be enough to complete the upgrade.
At his current rate of five times per day, the shuttle-shaped Magical Artifact would be good as new in five days.
After a short rest, Zhao Zuo began meditating to recover his Mana. The Clear Heart Jade Pendant on his chest continuously emitted wisps of cooling energy that pacified his Heart Realm and did its best to soothe his stinging Meridians, though the effect was unfortunately rather lackluster.
His mind had been agitated from the battle, so Zhao Zuo hadn't slept at all the previous night. He had ground for experience twice more and even taken the time to replenish his depleted Mana, yet he still didn't feel tired.
The morning sun streamed through the window, shining down on Zhao Zuo. Having been through a life-and-death battle, he had lost some of his previous hesitation and anxiety, replaced by a steady calm that would remain even if the sky were to fall.
Zhao Zuo squeezed out of the firewood pile, stretched his arms straight toward the ceiling, then assumed the first posture of the Golden Body Technique. As his blood began to circulate more quickly, his body was finally, thoroughly awakened, shaking off the numbness and exhaustion from sitting in one position all night.
He waited a moment for his body to fully wake up before going to the backyard to wash himself.
After a moment of thought, he first went to the kitchen to wash the Spirit Rice clean and light the firewood.
Zhao Zuo sat nearby, watching the iron pot on the stove. A unique, clean fragrance gradually filled the air, growing richer as time passed. White steam continuously billowed out of a round hole in the pot lid, jetting upwards like a column.
Zhao Zuo reflected silently. Since transmigrating, he'd had his share of thrills, but he had never been so close to death as he was last night. Yan Fang had been closer to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer than he was.
If the fight had dragged on... he probably would have lost early due to Mana exhaustion.
Had he been careless? 'Probably not... this calamity was unavoidable. I dodged the initial assassination attempt by hiding in the storage room, and I even devised what I thought was a perfect plan before the fight.'
In the end, it was simply a matter of insufficient strength and too little Mana. Even his Sky-Breaking Saber, on which he had pinned such high hopes, was nearly blocked by his enemy's Double Vajra Talisman. For the first time, he clearly understood the importance of protective measures.
Zhao Zuo lifted the iron pot from the stove, stirred the Spirit Rice evenly with a wooden spoon, and began to eat. Although the ingredients were monotonous and the cooking method primitive, the rice's fragrance was something that even the greatest delicacies of his past life could not compare to.
About fifteen minutes later, he had finished all the Spirit Rice.
Adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, Zhao Zuo quickly returned to the storage room and began to meditate, absorbing Spiritual Power and converting it into Mana to fill his Dantian. He didn't open his eyes until two hours later.
At the current concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in this district of the Market, it would take at least seven months for him to break through his current bottleneck.
After what had happened yesterday, he suddenly felt a greater sense of urgency to improve his strength. To raise his Cultivation quickly, he needed Purifying Spirit Pills and the Spiritual Power concentration of the core area.
Purifying Spirit Pills had to be purchased with Spirit Stones, so his grand money-making scheme had to continue.
Furthermore, Zhao Zuo discovered that his speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power had increased.
In truth, this was because his comprehension had improved. He had gained a deeper understanding of the basic Qi Cultivation spell, which in turn increased the speed at which he could convert Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. It was predictable that... if he continued to improve his comprehension, then both his Cultivation and Body Refining progress would accelerate.
A few minutes later, after the stinging in his Meridians had subsided, Zhao Zuo decided to test a theory. He knew that using a Magical Artifact would increase its experience value. 'Since the Clear Heart Jade Pendant was active the whole time I was cultivating,' he thought, 'does that count as two consecutive two-hour periods of use?'
His right hand pressed lightly on the Clear Heart Spirit Jade, and a transparent interface immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Clear Heart Jade Pendant]
[Experience: 300/200]
[Status: Upgradeable]
[Creation Points: 6]
Zhao Zuo's heart leaped with joy. As he'd suspected, using a Magical Artifact according to the rules granted experience points. That was how it had gained so much experience overnight. This way, he could quickly upgrade his Supporting Magical Artifact, which would in turn increase his Cultivation speed, and then promote a rapid upgrade for the Sky-Breaking Saber, creating a virtuous cycle.
He also noted that the experience gain for a Supporting Magical Artifact was different from a Combat Magical Artifact. Otherwise, by his calculations, one two-hour period should have yielded six hundred experience points, yet it had only gained three hundred over several hours.
Zhao Zuo didn't dwell on the logic behind it, instead focusing his attention on the Jade Pendant before him.
His next plan of action was already decided. First, he would upgrade the Clear Heart Jade Pendant.
"Upgrade."
The same gray light enveloped the Clear Heart Jade Pendant before completely merging into it. A cool sensation spread from his hand, flowing up his palm and into the Meridians that still stung from his Cultivation, and began to gently nourish them.
The purpose of the Clear Heart Jade Pendant was to Clear the Heart and Calm the Breath, and to Nourish Meridians and Protect the Body.
...
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