Daoist, Times Have Changed

Never thought this poor Daoist would see a day like this.

Wang Jixuan truly had not expected it.

A mere Qi Refining Realm had made him work without sleep or rest for nineteen days and nights before he barely managed to enter it!

If meditation could not replace sleep, it might have taken him a month!

When Wang Jixuan had first begun cultivating in his previous life, he had produced a wisp of inner breath during his first meditation. Within half a month, he had formed a complete grand circulation; in less than a month, his qi had become abundant. In under a hundred days total, he had entered the Spirit Gathering Realm and begun condensing the Three Souls and Seven Spirits to form his divine self.

Of course, there were many factors at play. The most important was that the spiritual energy in this world was relatively thin, nowhere near as rich as in his previous world. Moreover, this body was already over twenty years old, and most of its meridians had long since become blocked...

Fortunately, he had still made it in.

Wang Jixuan clenched his fist. A wisp of qi coiled beneath his skin.

The punch he could throw now carried roughly the same force as when he had previously used the Strength Incantation, yet it would not injure him.

Qi dwelling amid the skin, flesh, and blood marked the beginning of Qi Refining.

After carefully calculating, Wang Jixuan concluded that, at his current cultivation speed, it would take at least four or five months to reach the Qi Abundance Realm.

Yet the threat of the Black Fire Gang loomed close at hand.

He had lived in this safehouse for quite some time and had gone out three times to search for food. There was no guarantee that word had not leaked.

Until this matter was settled, he would know no peace.

This poor Daoist has entered the Qi Refining Realm. It is time to settle accounts with them.

Out of habit, Wang Jixuan gave his sleeves a shake, only to realize that he was sitting cross-legged by the bed in nothing but his underwear. He could not help but laugh.

He sprang to his feet. A wisp of qi circulated through his body along the difficult route he had opened up, making his steps light and his senses sharper.

Turning on the faucet, Wang Jixuan quickly washed away the grime expelled from his pores.

Water was the Fortress's only free resource.

Amid the sound of running water, Wang Jixuan's thoughts raced.

He had decided to strike first, so he had to make thorough preparations.

Captain Zhou had sent him news several times. The most recent had come four days ago, when Wang Jixuan had gone out to buy emergency food and found a note bearing Captain Zhou's mark. It said that the Black Fire Gang was putting increasing pressure on Captain Zhou, and that he might be forced to drive Wang Jixuan out of the safehouse at any time.

Fellow Daoist Zhou is a decent official. Once this poor Daoist's cultivation rises enough to refine pills, I should give him several longevity pills in thanks.

The greatest threat within the Black Fire Gang is that mechanical Hidden Weapon called a firearm.

To capture bandits, first capture their king. It would be best to deal with the Black Fire Gang's leader first. That man is the root of the problem.

From what Wang Jixuan knew, the entire Lower City was extremely chaotic, and the Black Fire Gang likely had many members. Taking an enemy general's head from among ten thousand troops would not be easy for him in his current state.

Wang Jixuan was considering things he would never have considered during his Hard Cultivation in his previous life.

Cultivator Combat depended on tools and techniques.

The spells of low-level cultivators could be broadly divided into three categories: incantations, talismans, and Artifact Control.

[Incantations] used fixed chants to mobilize the Power of Soul and Primordial Spirit Power, driving spiritual energy to form spells. They were the most basic method.

He had already used them several times, such as the Calm Mind Incantation, Fire Control Incantation, and Divine Movement Spell.

[Talismans] referred to drawing runic patterns and secret inscriptions onto special talisman paper, condensing part of one's magical power within the talisman. Their advantage was that one could directly throw out a talisman during combat to cast a spell. Moreover, talismans came in countless varieties, and high-level cultivators of sects often prepared protective talismans for low-level cultivators.

Wang Jixuan planned to obtain some talismans for protection next. Although he was not especially skilled in this field, he had several comprehensive talisman manuals in his mind.

The problem was suitable talisman paper and Spiritual Fluid.

[Artifact Control]—that was the art of wielding magic tools.

Magic tools had restrictions inscribed inside and out. The most basic ones could be infused with magical power, absorb spiritual energy, and be deployed to kill enemies and secure victory.

The simplest magic tools included Peach Wood Swords and protective charms. Slightly more advanced ones included Cosmos Rings and Sword Pellets used for the Sword Control Technique. High-Tier Magic Tools were also called magic treasures, and their varieties were too numerous to count.

Artifact refining was something Wang Jixuan was relatively good at, but right now, he only had various metal objects he was unfamiliar with, making it difficult to put his skills to use.

Even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice.

And this Daoist had no usable magic tools.

Wang Jixuan's favorite Sword Control Technique could only be cultivated after reaching the fourth realm of Foundation Establishment. Forging a Sword Pellet also required certain precious materials.

There was no sign of any of that, so there was no need to consider it for now.

For now, I can find a way to obtain some talismans for protection. But where am I supposed to find talisman paper and Spiritual Fluid?

Wang Jixuan stared blankly at the mirror.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—

His stomach rumbled.

Wang Jixuan gave a bitter laugh. He had not yet completed Foundation Establishment and could not go without grains, meat, eggs, and other food.

He turned and glanced at the food cabinet.

It was completely empty.

Because he had not gone to work for twenty straight days, all three types of quotas issued this month had been halved. The numbers on his Quota Card were also nearing a critical point.

Eating was the foremost concern for Fortress residents.

Among the shortages of all kinds of supplies, food scarcity had always been an unavoidable problem.

If not for the technology of artificially synthesized starch, which allowed the Fortress to exchange electricity for food, along with the Fortress Intelligent Control Center's round-the-clock allocation of all resources, Fortress 76 could not have supported so many people.

Wang Jixuan put on a mask and baseball cap, wrapped himself in the gray jacket he had exchanged for with General Quota on his previous trip out, and headed toward the emergency food vending machine whose location he had scouted last time.

Food vending machines were usually placed in circular gardens where Capillary Passages intersected. There would be simple strips of greenery there, and places with better conditions might even have a few pieces of exercise equipment.

When Wang Jixuan went out, he deliberately chose normal working hours, the quietest time in the Middle City residential district.

He was also considering a problem—without working, he would receive no Food Quota, and he would starve to death before he could master Grain Avoidance.

Once I deal with the Black Fire Gang, this poor Daoist will have to take up some manual labor as well.

Consider it adapting to local customs. This poor Daoist is not someone who cannot distinguish the five grains or lift a finger.

Though if my fellow disciples found out, they would surely laugh at me.

Wang Jixuan chuckled to himself.

Since his cultivation had been progressing rather smoothly, he felt several degrees happier at the moment.

After walking for several minutes, he entered the circular public area and spotted his target: the food vending machine.

It was square and boxy, with only a narrow display window and a simple card-scanning area on its front. The entire unit was built from high-strength alloy.

As he drew nearer, he could see two faded promotional slogans pasted onto its body.

[Do not sing the praises of power. That is merely flattery.]

[Sing the praises of workers. They deserve to be praised.]

Wang Jixuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

He liked those two slogans.

He took out his Quota Card and held it near the scanning area. His personal information and a food list appeared on the interactive screen. Wang Jixuan still chose the emergency food with the lowest food quota cost. At the suggestion of the Diet Assistant in the corner of the screen, he spent 3 Food Quota on a bottle of Nutrient Solution.

The machine began to hum. Wang Jixuan had learned from Mu Liang's memories that this was the conveyor belt inside the machine at work...

Hm?

Wang Jixuan's partially recovered Spiritual Sense suddenly detected a faint trace of danger.

He turned his head slightly. At the entrance to the Capillary Passage behind and to his left, two figures hurried out, stopped at the junction, and looked this way.

They wore green tracksuits, their muscles bulging all over.

Those clothes...

They were exactly the same as the two men Doctor Wei Na had released that day.

The Black Fire Gang!

Wang Jixuan remained standing still, relaxing his body as much as possible while waiting for the food he had bought to drop into the lower collection slot.

The two muscular men in tracksuits not far away frowned as they examined Wang Jixuan's figure. They could not yet determine whether he was their target, but they had already reached into their clothes.

Thump, thump-thump-thump.

Several bags of food dropped into the collection slot beneath the machine.

As though nothing were wrong, Wang Jixuan bent down, squatted, and slowly pulled the bags out.

"Mu Liang?"

The burly man on the left called out with a frown.

Wang Jixuan showed no reaction whatsoever. His breathing remained steady, and his movements natural.

The burly man on the right narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze fell upon the vending machine's display screen. As he watched Wang Jixuan's personal interface, which would disappear in two seconds, he suddenly pulled a pistol from his clothes!

Killing Intent!

Wang Jixuan made his decision almost instantly. He flung the two large bags of emergency food in his hands at the faces of the two tracksuit-clad men.

Bang!

A gunshot erupted!

Amid the flash from the muzzle, a bullet shot out!

Wang Jixuan's warning instincts blared. The Power of Soul within him was automatically stirred, and he could almost see the bullet that was about to graze past his scalp. With all his strength, he controlled every muscle and bone in his body and flipped backward.

A sharp pain immediately came from his forehead!

His scalp had been grazed, and his baseball cap was blasted away!

Wang Jixuan completed the backflip, braced himself on one hand, and sprang to the right like a coiled spring.

The two large bags of emergency food had some weight to begin with, and Wang Jixuan, who had entered the Qi Refining Realm, had thrown them with force. One struck a man's arm directly, making it difficult for him to hold his gun.

But after firing the first shot, the other man's adrenaline spiked. He now aimed at one corner of the food vending machine and frantically pulled the trigger.

Gunfire exploded!

Wang Jixuan narrowly dodged behind the food vending machine. The pleasant sound of bullets striking alloy made both sides tense up.

Limitless Heavenly Venerable!

This thing was this powerful?

Wang Jixuan held his breath and quickly searched around, but found no suitable cover.

The two men's shouts already rang out nearby.

"Don't waste bullets!"

"I'll jump over!"

One of the burly men held his gun in both hands and charged forward. He did not rush straight at the vending machine; he only needed to find an angle to fire at Wang Jixuan.

He was already preparing to leap forward!

Wang Jixuan clearly sensed his intent, while the other man had already locked down the space above his head. The moment he showed himself, the other man would shoot him.

In that split second!

The charging brute leaped forward with force, his finger already about to pull the trigger.

Golden light burst from Wang Jixuan's eyes!

The chant he had silently recited in advance had reached its end!

Let me roam freely, and the Dao shall flow naturally!

He suddenly lowered himself and lunged forward, a faint golden light blooming around his body. Today's Divine Movement Spell was several times stronger than when he had used it last!

But this time, he had not used the Divine Movement Spell to flee!

Wang Jixuan dove forward at incredible speed and rolled once. Before he had fully risen, he flung out a folding knife hidden in his sleeve, its blade wrapped in a faint layer of qi.

That was the qi Wang Jixuan had painstakingly condensed!

The burly man who had leaped forward hurriedly swung his gun around. His movement to raise his arm happened almost at the same time as Wang Jixuan's knife throw!

Bang!