Soul Refinement

Last night passed peacefully.

The night watchman's whistle echoed through the streets and alleys; even this urban village was no exception.

Constables carrying torches and staves rushed past in a great bustle.

Amid barking dogs and crowing roosters came another burst of commotion.

Fortunately, none of it disturbed Tu Shan Jun's sweet dreams of yesterday.

Early in the morning, he tucked a bundle under his arm and headed straight for the small alley behind Longrong Ward.

The morning mist was like Heaven's Machinery City yawning. Through its bleary haze, only a few scattered figures could be seen. Tu Shan Jun, having arrived especially early, looked rather conspicuous—but stranger still was that someone had already been waiting and watching.

The moment that person saw the familiar black daoist robe, he was overjoyed and hurried forward. "Dao Brother truly keeps his word."

He had thought the cultivator in the black daoist robe had vanished after coming once, but unexpectedly, Dao Brother had truly taken to heart what he had not finished saying yesterday. His wait here until sunrise had not been in vain.

"Have you scraped together enough Spirit Stones?"

The stall-setting cultivator's gaze was calm and his expression indifferent.

Yet the slight lift at the corner of his eyes still revealed a trace of surprise.

He had only produced eight Spirit Stones yesterday, yet now he had hurried back already.

For ordinary cultivators, it was not difficult to take out some savings, but he could tell yesterday that this man was not particularly well-off.

Although the Yin Soul Pill's effects were unmatched, what had been displayed openly were merely Qi Refining pills. They might possess considerable marvels, but to cultivators accustomed to poverty, they were still far from worth one Spirit Stone apiece.

The price of Qi Gathering Pills had been