“Master, what delicious food do you have in your bag? It smells so good.”
Lu Zhiyi greeted Su Xuan as he returned, sniffing his bundle with a look of intoxication.
Su Xuan hesitated for a moment before pulling a Spiritual Stone out of the bag.
“You’re saying this Spiritual Stone smells good?”
Lu Zhiyi nodded, her large eyes filled with longing as she stared at the stone.
‘Do you have pica or something?’
Su Xuan thought about it for a moment and tentatively handed one over.
“Thank you, Master! Master is the best!”
She took it with a look of surprise and cradled it in her hands.
Previously, they had only ever seen spiritual sand. A single, whole Spiritual Stone was enough to sustain their lives for a long time. She never dared to imagine she could actually hold one.
Lu Zhiyi held the Spiritual Stone to her nose and sniffed. An alluring fragrance rushed into her nostrils.
Subconsciously, she put it in her mouth and took a bite, only for it to crunch painfully against her teeth, causing her to grimace.
“That isn’t food. You’ll only have a use for those once you start cultivating.”
Su Xuan watched her embarrassed display and couldn’t help but pat her head, speaking in a gentle voice.
After speaking, he looked at his two disciples and a question suddenly occurred to him.
Neither of them had started cultivating yet, so should he initiate them?
How would they treat him once they had their own power?
Recalling Lin Zhiwei’s previous intentions, he felt a bit uncertain, fearing a backstab.
“Mas—Master, could you give me one too?”
Lin Zhiwei looked at the bulging bag of Spiritual Stones on his back, her large eyes filled with shock and longing as she spoke bashfully.
“You don’t even eat these, so why would I give you one?”
Su Xuan was already feeling conflicted, and her request only annoyed him further, leading him to snap at her.
“I am going into seclusion. Do not disturb me until I come out.”
With that, he went straight into his room. He had serious business to attend to.
There was a meal prepared for him in the room, but this time, both the presentation and the flavor were significantly better.
It had clearly been prepared with great care.
‘Has Lu Zhiyi improved this quickly?’
He didn’t dwell on it. After finishing his meal in a few bites, he sat on the bed and took out a manual.
It was the Evergreen Art he practiced.
Currently, he only had half of the manual, which ended at Level 5 Qi Refinement.
He carefully studied the text again, starting from the first level. The technique wasn’t particularly difficult; everything seemed to flow naturally.
However, it had high requirements for the concentration of spiritual energy in the surroundings. If one’s aptitude and the energy density were both lacking, progress would be extremely slow.
This was exactly why the original owner of the body had been stuck at Level 2 Qi Refinement for so long.
After reading the techniques for transitioning from Level 2 to Level 3, he took a deep breath and pulled the Spiritual Stones out of the bundle.
‘Little Dantian, you want spiritual energy, don’t you? I’ll fill you right up with these stones!’
Su Xuan felt his lower abdomen and spoke “viciously” to himself. He picked up a Spiritual Stone, preparing to crush it.
“Ah! You filthy rat! I’ll kill you!”
“Die! Don’t you run!”
…
A woman’s scream came from next door, followed by the loud clatter of pots and pans, causing his movements to stiffen.
‘What is she screaming about in broad daylight? Scared of a rat?’
Su Xuan curled his lip. He needed to move to the Inner Market as soon as possible. This environment was truly not suitable for cultivation.
After carefully locking the door, he weighed a Spiritual Stone in his hand and suddenly crushed it.
With a soft *bang*, a dense cloud of spiritual energy diffused through the air.
It was more than several times thicker than the usual energy in the room.
He immediately began absorbing it with all his might.
“Enter through the nose, pass the throat, descend to the heart, and fill the Dantian…”
Silenting reciting the incantation, wisps of tangible spiritual energy slowly merged into his Dantian. The speed was more than ten times faster than his previous painstaking efforts.
‘Sure enough, being a hardcore grinder is no match for paying to win.’
Su Xuan sighed inwardly and increased his efforts. Then… the absorption suddenly hit a snag as the single Spiritual Stone was drained dry.
Being interrupted right as things were getting good left him feeling inexplicably irritable.
It felt like his past life back in the dormitory, when his roommate would walk in just as he was about to “take off.”
So, he took out another one and crushed it!
*Pop… pop… pop!*
Over the next two hours, a series of muffled pops echoed in the room.
The previously bulging bag of Spiritual Stones was now nearly half empty. In just a short while, he had gone through more than ten stones.
Unfortunately, his aptitude was too poor, and his upper limit for spiritual energy absorption was quite low. Even paying to win had its limits.
Su Xuan absorbed the last bit of energy. Feeling his body reach its capacity, he stopped with a hint of regret.
‘If only my aptitude could improve.’
Fortunately, the spiritual energy in his Dantian was already seventy or eighty percent full. With a little more effort tomorrow, he should be able to succeed!
**[Countdown: 42 hours]**
Su Xuan glanced at the countdown. There was still plenty of time, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He just didn’t know what kind of crisis he would encounter.
*Thud!*
“Loose cultivator Su Xuan, come out and meet me!”
Before he could think further, a heavy thud sounded at the main gate, followed by an arrogant voice.
He quickly hid his Spiritual Stones and went outside.
His two disciples were huddled together, staring warily at the middle-aged man at the door.
When they saw him come out, the sisters ducked behind him, one on each side.
He sized up the newcomer.
The man had two thin eyebrows knitted together, beady eyes that darted around, and a sparse goatee.
It was the Marketplace Steward, Wu Renyou.
“Steward Wu, what brings you here?”
Su Xuan cupped his hands in a questioning gesture and asked.
Wu Renyou feigned a sigh, his goatee tilting upward. He raised his right hand and unrolled a scroll.
It was covered in a dense list of names.
“Brother Su, I’m here to inform you that in two days, the Marketplace will organize a group of loose cultivators to explore the Qinghe Ruins. Remember to report on time.”
He stroked his beard with a look of feigned pity.
Su Xuan frowned.
He had heard about it when he first arrived at the Marketplace. The town had been built right next to the ruins of an Ancient Battlefield.
The interior of the Ancient Battlefield was incredibly dangerous, but it also held countless legacies and treasures. The Marketplace occasionally arranged for cultivators below Level 3 Qi Refinement to serve as cannon fodder for exploration.
The original owner had indeed signed a contract when he first arrived. It seemed the time had come again.
It looked like the crisis would involve the exploration of the Ancient Battlefield.
Su Xuan understood the situation and felt somewhat lucky. Fortunately, he had the system’s prompt. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how he died.
Seeing that Su Xuan wasn’t as panicked as expected, Wu Renyou’s hand paused as it stroked his goatee.
‘Isn’t he at Level 2 Qi Refinement? Why isn’t he afraid? Doesn’t he know that going in there is a near-certain death sentence?’
“Brother Su… *cough*… I actually have a way to make an exception. If you agree, I’ll cross your name off the list.”
Wu Renyou felt that things weren’t going according to his investigation. He decided to push forward despite his confusion.
“Oh?”
The original owner had no prior relationship with this man, so why would he offer a back door?
Su Xuan was curious and nodded, signaling for him to continue.
“As long as you… hand over these two little disciples of yours, you won’t have to go this time.”
Wu Renyou spoke, feeling a sudden wave of awkwardness.
Shouldn’t Su Xuan be the one begging him right now? Why did it feel like the man didn’t care at all?
“No need. I’ll follow the regulations. Please see yourself out, Steward Wu.”
Su Xuan gave a light chuckle and politely asked him to leave.
“You… I advise you to think it over. If you change your mind in the next two days, you can come find me.”
“Just one! If you can’t do both, even one is fine!”
Wu Renyou shot a glance at Su Xuan, still wanting to push further. Seeing no reaction, he left the house with a sense of grievance.
‘He’s at Level 2 Qi Refinement, I’m sure of it. So what gives him the right to act like that?’
He was bewildered, clutching his goatee until it looked even thinner.
Su Xuan watched his retreating figure, his mind filled with confusion.
‘Why is everything related to my disciples?’
First Lady Jin, then the kidnappers, and now even Steward Wu.
‘Are they succubi or something? Why does everyone want them?’
He looked at the two young girls behind him, feeling completely lost.
“Master… if you go, will you never come back?”
“Will we also…”
Just as he was wondering, Lin Zhiwei’s voice reached him.
She subconsciously grabbed Su Xuan’s arm, holding on tightly.
On her usually cautious and strong face, a look of confusion and unease appeared for the first time.