Chapter 78: Chapter 78 Old Friends Visit
 

With a net worth of two thousand spirit stones, the Heavenly Thunder Pearl was enough for protection.

Evil cultivators are not brainless plunderers; on the contrary, they are even more cautious than ordinary people, after all, one only has one life.

They would rather kill a few more weak ones than fight to the death with those of the same level.

Zhou Yi still felt it was not safe enough, visible deterrents must be in place, but he also needed to prepare secret measures!

A few days later.

Jade Law Pavilion.

A sallow-faced man entered, towering at eight feet tall and walking with a strong gust.

The shop assistant sensed the mana pressure, at least a mid-Qi Refinement realm cultivator, and hurriedly went up to greet him.

“What does the guest need?”

“The complete set of Guiyuan Technique, Hundred Treasures Technique, Five Thunder Technique!”

Zhou Yi stated his purpose directly, having frequented the marketplace daily, he had already become familiar with the prices of cultivation techniques and took out the spirit stones from his bosom without hesitation.

“Please wait a moment.”

The assistant rarely saw someone so generous, as most cultivators would haggle over every spirit stone.

Once Zhou Yi received the spell jade slips and verified they were complete and undamaged, he found a quiet place to once again use the Art of Transformation.

In the blink of an eye, he changed from a tall sallow-faced man into a short, plump, and simple-looking middle-aged man.

The Art of Transformation only altered the appearance; mana and breath remained unchanged, so it could only be used to deceive strangers. Acquaintances would grow suspicious if they paid close attention.

Of course, in the marketplace, hardly anyone used their real name or appearance, so the familiar face known to acquaintances might not be the actual one.

The Cultivation World is a dark forest where everyone lives with extreme caution!

A moment later.

The plump middle-aged man went to Hundred Refinements Workshop, buying two protective magic artifacts.

An inferior defensive magic artifact, the Turtle Shell Shield, and the Mystic Iron Inner Armor, one for external and one for internal defense.

The next morning, Zhou Yi transformed into a withered monk, holding iron prayer beads, and bought two magic artifacts.

An inferior offensive magic artifact, the Gathering Heart Nail, fast and small, specialized in breaking through protective spells.

A mid-grade auxiliary magic artifact, the Water Elemental Pearl, which upon activation, could rain down a clear spiritual water curtain, slightly increasing defense, effectively isolating poison gas and evil miasma, and substantially improving Water Escape speed.

In the evening, he finally acquired his first flying sword, a mid-grade magic artifact, the Five Elements Sword!

All five magic artifacts were fine examples of their kind; Zhou Yi nitpicked to bargain, and just barely had thirty spirit stones left in his pocket.

“Spirit stones really don’t last, I’ve become broke in the blink of an eye, but armed with these, I now have the means to protect myself in a spell fight!”

Returning to his cave dwelling.

Zhou Yi first memorized the Guiyuan Technique, a total of thirteen layers, which could be cultivated to the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement.

At the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, one could attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment, but without the aid of Foundation Establishment Pills, the chance of success was merely one in a hundred by forcing it. Failure meant the meridians were completely severed, and the dantian shattered, with each additional layer increasing the odds of success.

“Thirteenth layer of Qi Refinement, a four percent success rate…”

Zhou Yi shook his head, dismissing not just the mere four percent, even with a ninety-nine percent success rate, he would not gamble.

He would rather spend hundreds of years to compensate for the final one in a hundred.

Hundred Treasures Technique, a spell for refining and controlling magic artifacts, upon mastery, allowed multiple artifacts to be controlled simultaneously. As the cultivator’s spirit grew, so did the number of artifacts they could control.

“Day and night, I recited Master Qingwei’s Cultivation of the Spirit Theory; it has been over a hundred years. I wonder how much stronger my spirit is compared to my peers.”

Zhou Yi learned from Jade Law Pavilion that it was very rare for a loose Qi Refinement stage cultivator to control more than three magic artifacts at the same time with the Hundred Treasures Technique.

Starting with the Turtle Shell Shield, he consecutively refined each magic artifact, finally refining the soul-fixing mirror.

“Control!”

Zhou Yi slapped his storage bag, and five treasures burst out in a blaze of glory.

The fastest was the Gathering Heart Nail, silently piercing through the wall.

The Five Elements Sword followed closely behind, unable to match the speed and stealth of the Gathering Heart Nail, releasing over a zhang of Sword Qi.

The Turtle Shell Shield expanded to the size of a millstone, floating in front of Zhou Yi.

The Mystic Iron Inner Armor, worn close to the body, shone with a protective golden light.

The Water Elemental Pearl hung overhead, casting down a deep blue water curtain.

“Fast!”

Zhou Yi exhaled, releasing the Mountain and River Cauldron which swelled to over one man tall in the wind. Over the years, due to the incorporation of vast amounts of Mystic Iron and Purple Copper, its surface took on a purple and black hue, conveying a deep and steady presence.

The Soul-Settling Mirror flew out from the Mountain and River Cauldron, casting a dazzling beam of light.

“With seven magic artifacts, even without counting the Mountain and River Cauldron, I can simultaneously control six. Cultivation of the Spirit Theory is stronger than I expected, of course, a hundred years of cultivation is even more important!”

Zhou Yi’s face showed delight as he waved his hand, the Soul-Setting Mirror fell back into the Mountain and River Cauldron, both settling in the Dantian to be nourished.

The Five Elements Sword and other artifacts flew back into his storage bag, the Mystic Iron Inner Armor was worn on his body, and the Gathering Heart Nail burrowed into his sleeve.

For a cultivator, having a magic artifact is like a common person being equipped with firearms, acting quickly and striking powerfully. Spells were hard to compare with, as their casting had a lead time and their power fell short, with the only benefit being their affordability!

“However, I cannot give up on spells. With endless time at my disposal, perhaps it is possible to cultivate spells to instant use.”

“To spread dozens or hundreds of spells with a wave of my hand, that scene must be quite a sight!”

Zhou Yi took out the Five Thunder Technique and started to comprehend it from the beginning.

The Lightning Method is extremely masculine and rigid, dealing massive damage to evil demons and heretics, and is the preferred method of confrontation for orthodox cultivators.

…

Several months later.

The commotion of the spirit stone theft had long since dissipated.

Perhaps hiding away to cultivate, or having left for other marketplaces, Cultivation World is vast and boundless, and Xiaodan Mountain is just an inconspicuous spot.

That day.

Zhou Yi had strolled around the trading district twice and was getting ready to return to his spell practice.

A familiar voice called from behind him, “Zhu, fellow daoist, please stay your steps!”

“…”

Zhou Yi pretended not to hear, his feet slick as he executed Qinggong, his figure flickering and disappearing without a trace.

It was said that there are three phrases in this world that one should never agree to, with “fellow daoist, please stay your steps” ranking at the very top. The consequences are grave, instilling fear upon hearing them.

Just when he thought he had returned to his abode, calls came from outside again.

“Zhu, fellow daoist, it is I, Old Hu!”

Zhou Yi looked through the Mystifying Array and recognized the visitor’s appearance; it was Daoist Hu, whom he hadn’t seen in more than a decade.

Daoist Hu was dressed in a clean and neat, brand new dark blue Daoist robe with a purple-red gourd embroidered on the chest, his only unchanged feature being his two large front teeth.

“Old Hu, long time no see. What brings you to me?”

Daoist Hu said, “Hu has arranged a banquet at Phoenix Cry Pavilion. How about we eat and chat?”

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Since Ye Yuer had spoken some crazed words about becoming daoist companions, which frightened him enough to never visit again, hearing of it now made him quite miss the delicious spiritual delicacies of the pavilion.

As long as I avoid anything to do with Dual Cultivation, all will be well!

…

Phoenix Cry Pavilion.

Daoist Hu ordered a full table of dishes and took out a bottle of Red Rainbow Spirit Wine from his storage bag.

Zhou Yi’s nose twitched slightly, and he smiled and said, “No less than a fifty-year vintage, giving such a gift must come with a request. Old Hu, state your business first!”

Spiritual Wine is different from ordinary fine wines; older vintages only taste better without much difference in mana enhancement compared to new wines. In fact, few vintages exceed a hundred years.

“It’s a long story, and I’ve been fortunate…”

Daoist Hu unexpectedly discovered a spiritual land more than a decade ago. Spanning five to six acres, the concentration of Spiritual Energy was comparable to that on the outskirts of the marketplace.

So, he sold batches of Spiritual Wine and purchased a large amount of Spirit Rice and seeds for Spiritual Medicine, moving some of his clan’s people into the spiritual land to live, establishing a cultivator clan.

Zhou Yi congratulated with clasped hands, “Congratulations, congratulations, from now on I must address you as Clan Leader Hu!”

“The clan only has two or three cultivators; I’m hardly a clan leader.”

Although Daoist Hu said this, his face betrayed his pride. “These years of cultivating Spirit Rice and Spiritual Medicine have earned quite a few Spirit Stones. I’ve started thinking about extending the clan’s legacy.”

“First and foremost, we need a protective Formation to prevent attacks from malevolent cultivators in the future. That’s why I thought of asking you to lay down a Formation, and there will be ample reward!”

Zhou Yi understood Daoist Hu’s intention and firmly declined, “If my fellow daoist asks me to leave Xiaodan Mountain, such a thing is absolutely impossible.”

Who knows the truth in Daoist Hu’s words? They only had some business dealings, and if it was a trick to lure him out, where seven or eight burly men wielding flying swords could jump out and ambush him, wouldn’t that be walking into a trap?

Even if Daoist Hu wasn’t lying, and Zhou Yi went to set up the formation, knowing the location of the spiritual land, would he be able to come back alive?

Zhou Yi had long made up his mind that unless a major crisis arose, he would not leave Xiaodan Mountain for hundreds or even thousands of years.