Bringing the Beautiful Senior Sister Back to His Residence?
When Lu Yang put the thick stack of talismans into his Storage Bag, the old menial finally came to his senses.
He bent at the waist, the wrinkles on his face blooming into a chrysanthemum as he smiled, his enthusiasm nearly spilling over. "Senior Brother, is there anything else you need?"
Lu Yang shook his head and smiled. "No, that's all. If I need anything else, I'll come back."
He had just spent over a thousand low-grade spirit stones in one go. Counting every last stone, he had a little over two hundred left.
He planned to save those spirit stones for food.
However vast the world might be, nothing was greater than a good meal.
Just thinking about the taste of Spirit Cuisine made his mouth water.
Besides, Spirit Cuisine's medicinal effects were gentle and long-lasting. They didn't conflict with those of pills, so he could attack on both fronts.
With Spirit Cuisine and Qi Nourishing Pills every day, wouldn't his cultivation shoot up?
The old menial wasn't disappointed to hear it. His commission on this one sale was already worth a long stretch of hard work.
He bowed repeatedly, beaming. "Of course! If you come again, Senior Brother, please ask for me. My name is Li San!"
Lu Yang nodded slightly and turned to leave the talisman shop under several numb, complicated gazes.
Only after he was gone did the stagnant air in the shop begin to move again.
The two outer sect disciples were the first to break the silence, speaking in low voices.
"What's that junior brother's background?"
"I've never seen him before. He must be a new disciple. Spending over a thousand spirit stones on first-tier talismans in one go? With spending like that, I'd never believe he didn't have a major Golden Core clan backing him."
The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect was a top power in Qin Province, with a Nascent Soul patriarch holding down the fort. Though it couldn't compare to the immortal sects and holy lands, it was still mighty enough to look down on its corner of the world.
Golden Core clans were powerful, but there was never a shortage of them sending their direct descendants to the sect for further training.
In the two disciples' eyes, the way Lu Yang spent money made him unmistakably one of those favored sons of heaven with a distinguished background.
They exchanged a glance, the same thought popping into their heads: they had to ask around when they got back.
Someone like him was bound to become a prominent figure in the sect. Building a relationship with him while he was still in the assessment period could only do them good, not harm!
In the corner, the two menial disciples, a man and a woman who had declined to serve Lu Yang earlier, watched Li San grinning from ear to ear. Their guts were turning green with regret.
The commission at the talisman shop was one percent.
If they had handled that sale, they would have made more than ten low-grade spirit stones!
That was as much as two months of hard-earned commissions!
Yet just because they had seen him wearing an entry disciple's robes, neither of them had even lifted a buttock.
They wanted nothing more than to slap themselves twice on the spot.
Lu Yang stepped out of the talisman shop and stood in the street, thinking for a moment before deciding not to browse any further.
He had bought everything he needed. The most important thing now was to go back and cultivate.
Time was short and the task was heavy. Breaking through to Mid-stage Qi Refining was his top priority.
He retraced his steps, and when he passed the spot where Lin Ying had set up her stall earlier, he found it empty.
Had she packed up?
She had probably sold out of pills and gone back to cultivate.
Something suddenly occurred to Lu Yang.
He had plenty of talismans now, so his combat strength wasn't a problem, but he was still missing one thing: detoxification pills.
For cultivators, an open spear was easy to dodge, but an arrow from the shadows was hard to guard against. If someone poisoned him, talismans alone wouldn't do him much good.
With that in mind, he pulled out his sect token as he walked.
An entry disciple's token was plain white, with the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's sword emblem engraved on the front. A faint glow of Spiritual Qi flowed through its lines.
Lu Yang injected a thread of spiritual power and sent a voice transmission. "Senior Sister Lin, do you have any detoxification pills?"
Not long after he sent the message, Lin Ying's reply came back with a gentle vibration. "I do, Junior Brother Lu. I have Clear Heart Pills, Detoxification Pills, and Hundred Herbs Pills... The Hundred Herbs Pills are the most effective. They can neutralize any poison below Peak Qi Refinement. Which kind would you like?"
Lu Yang replied without hesitation. "Hundred Herbs Pills. How much?"
"The market price is eighty low-grade spirit stones each, but if you want them, Junior Brother Lu, I'll charge you seventy-five."
"Then I'll take two."
Lu Yang rarely went out, so two Hundred Herbs Pills would be more than enough.
"No problem. I'm already back at the sect. Which entry disciple residence are you at, Junior Brother? I'll come find you to make the exchange."
"It'll take me over an hour to get back. I'm at entry disciple residence number four."
The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect had five entry disciple residences in total, each on a different peak.
Every year, when the sect opened its gates to recruit disciples, the newcomers would be assigned to the different residence areas in turn.
"All right, I'll head over in a little while and wait for you."
Lu Yang put away his sect token and turned his attention back to the panel.
After spending those 1,020 spirit stones earlier, Tycoon's Confidence could indeed be upgraded again.
Without another word, he willed it.
Upgrade.
[Tycoon's Confidence (Level 3): Obtain 4 low-grade spirit stones per hour (Money is the confidence one needs to become a tycoon. Spend 2,000 low-grade spirit stones to upgrade.)]
Lu Yang took a deep breath, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
It had doubled again!
Four low-grade spirit stones every hour made forty-eight over the twelve hours in a day.
And in a month? A full 1,440!
In a year, that was more than 17,000 low-grade spirit stones!
With that amount, never mind a high-grade Law Artifact—even if he tried his luck at an auction, it wasn't impossible that he could acquire a lower-quality supreme-grade Law Artifact.
Of course, the requirement for the next upgrade had also risen to 2,000 low-grade spirit stones.
At his current rate of income, he would have to save for more than a month.
But Lu Yang wasn't in any hurry.
As things stood, he couldn't even spend all of a fixed income of over a thousand spirit stones a month.
He could eat one Qi Nourishing Pill and throw another away.
Dusk.
Evening clouds churned and burned at the edge of the sea of clouds. Their brilliant gold and crimson intertwined with the golden haze permeating the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's mountain gates, gilding the mountain range with a magnificent glow.
At entry disciple residence number four, disciples were beginning to open their doors and head toward the dining hall in twos and threes.
Just then, someone stopped in their tracks, stunned.
A young woman in outer sect disciple robes stood beside the stone steps by the mountain path.
She had a slender figure and a gentle, tranquil bearing. A breeze stirred her sleeves and dark hair, making her look like a little white flower swaying quietly.
Several entry disciples couldn't resist taking a few extra looks, their gazes filled with both admiration and puzzlement.
"Who's that senior sister? How come I've never seen her before?"
"I don't know... What's she doing over here at our entry disciple residence?"
"Could she be looking for someone? Is there really someone that capable among our batch of disciples, someone who can make connections with an outer sect senior sister?"
"Maybe she's a relative of some clan scion?"
As they whispered among themselves, they suddenly saw the young woman, who had been standing quietly, brighten. A faint smile blossomed on her lips, and she seemed to come alive all at once.
She took a few steps toward the far end of the mountain path.
Everyone followed her gaze and saw a young man climbing the steps along the winding mountain path, the last rays of the setting sun casting a long shadow behind him.
"Junior Brother Lu, you're back," Lin Ying said softly, her tone gentle.
Once they got a clear look at the young man, several nearby disciples widened their eyes at the same time.
"Hiss... it's him?!" someone exclaimed under their breath.
"I remember him! He's the one who ate Spirit Cuisine in the dining hall last night! That smell... I still can't forget it. It almost made me cry with craving."
"That beautiful senior sister is looking for him?!"
The entry disciples looked at one another, their eyes full of disbelief and envy.
Lu Yang quickly climbed the last few steps and gave Lin Ying an apologetic smile. "Senior Sister Lin, you got here so quickly? Sorry for the wait."
Lin Ying shook her head gently. Her tone was light, but held a trace of genuine pleasure. "I haven't been waiting long."
Lu Yang glanced at the various looks being cast their way and smiled as though nothing were amiss. "Senior Sister Lin, come to my residence with me. It's not convenient to talk here."
Lin Ying didn't think much of it and nodded slightly.
The two walked side by side farther along the mountain path and soon disappeared down a lane between the courtyards.
Not far away, another door creaked open.
Wang Lin strode out, his face bright with excitement and irrepressible pride.
The Qi Nourishing Pill's effect was incredible!
His cultivation speed today had been who knew how many times faster than before.
He could clearly feel the spiritual power in his meridians increasing. The feeling of drawing closer to Mid-stage Qi Refining bit by bit refreshed his body and mind.
At this rate, he would definitely break through before the assessment ended!
The more Wang Lin thought about it, the more pleased he became, his grin stretching so wide he couldn't rein it in.
Hmph!
So what if that fellow Lu Yang had met a benefactor?
His talent wasn't all that outstanding. Whether he could break through before the assessment was still hard to say.
In the end, the path of immortal cultivation depended on solid cultivation. Luck alone wouldn't take anyone far!
Standing outside his door, he cast an arrogant glance toward Lu Yang's residence.
The next second, the smug smile on his face froze as though it had been turned to ice.
He saw Lu Yang standing at his door, and beside him was a woman.
A woman in outer sect disciple robes, with an exquisitely beautiful face!
Wang Lin's pupils abruptly contracted. He stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning.
An outer sect senior sister??
And... she was so beautiful?
That bastard had actually brought such a beautiful senior sister back to his residence?!
What was their relationship?!
He was just Lu Yang—what gave him the right?!
Wang Lin felt as though someone had driven a fist hard into his chest. The composure he had only just painstakingly glued back together shattered all over the floor again.