Coming to the Door

The maid in white had a change of heart and became happy. She got a commission, and the more the customer bought, the more she earned.

She quickly browsed the shelves, picking and choosing, and finally brought back a large pile, consisting of books and jade slips.

Wang Hong examined them one by one, discarding those that weren't suitable. In the end, he selected thirty-two items, including jade slips and books.

The maid in white could hardly conceal her excitement, a smile revealing two dimples. "Twenty jade slips and twelve books, a total of thirty-two items, come to 12,600 Spirit Stones. I can waive the 600 Spirit Stones. You only need to pay 12,000 Spirit Stones."

Wang Hong asked, "I don't have enough Spirit Stones on me. Can I use spiritual medicine as payment?"

"Of course, that's possible." At the same time, the maid in white was a little worried, fearing Wang Hong wouldn't have enough Spirit Stones.

Wang Hong took out a jade box and handed it to the maid in white. "What do you think of this?"

The maid in white opened the jade box, took a glance, and quickly closed it again. "I can't confirm this. Please wait a moment."

With that, she hurried towards the back hall. Fifteen minutes later, the maid in white emerged from the back hall, followed by a man in scholarly robes.

Wang Hong's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't discern the man's cultivation level at all; he was at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The man in scholarly robes cupped his hands towards Wang Hong and said, "Young friend, may I have a look at the spiritual medicine you just mentioned?"

Wang Hong respectfully handed over the jade box. The man in scholarly robes opened the lid, sniffed it, and then broke off a small section of root to chew.

The man in scholarly robes said seriously, "This is indeed a Crimson Blood Ginseng that is three hundred years old. It's enough to help a cultivator in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment break through to the late stage. Its value is around 13,000 to 14,000 Spirit Stones. Let's say 14,000, how about that?"

Wang Hong immediately agreed. He later found out through various inquiries that Crimson Blood Ginseng could help cultivators break through cultivation bottlenecks and could be used from the Qi Refining stage all the way to the Nascent Soul stage, with only the required age of the spiritual medicine differing.

Although Crimson Blood Ginseng was not easy to cultivate, some major powers had managed to cultivate it. While rare, it wasn't excessively scarce, otherwise, it would be difficult to present.

The man in scholarly robes handed Wang Hong a storage bag. "2,000 Spirit Stones. Please count them."

Wang Hong took it and swept it with his Spiritual Sense. The number was correct. He then bid farewell and left.

Upon returning to his residence, Wang Hong didn't rush to study those cultivation techniques. These things couldn't be rushed and required long-term study in the future.

First, he placed all the jade slips and books into the library, where anyone could borrow them with contribution points. He was quite happy to see some people among his subordinates develop skills in alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman crafting.

Having come from the military, he firmly believed that individual strength was far inferior to the strength of a collective. Any peak powerhouse could not do without the support of a powerful organization.

If one fought alone and had to worry about everything, where would they find the time to cultivate?

No matter what, cultivation should not be affected; cultivation was the foundation. No matter how skilled a Qi Refining cultivator was in various techniques, it was inferior to a single palm strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Wang Hong first took a Qi Gathering Pill and sat in meditation to refine its medicinal power. This was currently the most efficient way for him to cultivate.

After refining the elixir, Wang Hong dived into the Mysterious Space to read.

It was only because he had twenty-five times the time in the Mysterious Space that he had the confidence to learn so many skills. It was a pity that he had tried many times, but he couldn't cultivate inside.

Cultivating and studying every day made Wang Hong live a very comfortable life.

Unfortunately, on the third day, someone came looking for him.

Lin Yun, the legitimate son of the Lin family, dressed in white, with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrow and slanted, looking at people condescendingly, exuding an air of superiority.

In a faint tone, he said, "You are Wang Hong. Although my brother was useless, he wasn't someone that just any cat or dog could kill."

Wang Hong looked bewildered and said, "Which brother of yours? Who killed him? Young Master Lin, the dead cannot be brought back to life. You must accept your grief."

"Hmph!" Lin Yun snorted, "It seems you refuse to admit it. Yin Lang, come out!"

From the entourage behind him, a middle-aged man in black robes emerged. He had a hooked nose and triangular eyes. This person was Yin Lang, and at this moment, his face was filled with a fawning smile.

Then, he recounted the entire process of Wang Hong and his group encountering enemies, killing them, and returning to the city that night in detail.

After Yin Lang finished speaking, Wang Hong burst into laughter.

"Your fabricated story is quite entertaining, but you and I have no enmity. Why are you framing me?

Also, since you're going to frame me, couldn't you have been more serious and made the story more believable?

With me, a mere nobody at Qi Refining Layer Four, leading a group of mortal soldiers, annihilating a large group of cultivators. Do you believe that yourself?"

This statement made Lin Yun also feel suspicious. These people simply didn't have that kind of strength.

Yin Lang bowed deeply to Lin Yun and said, "Every word I speak is the truth. If there is a single lie, I shall die a terrible death."

Wang Hong sneered from the side, "What's the use of such an oath? Your appearance alone suggests you're not a good person. I even suspect that the deceased was killed by you for treasure, and then you shifted the blame to escape the consequences.

Young Master Lin, this is all this person's one-sided account. Who knows what his true intentions are?"

Lin Yun still spoke in a calm tone, "Since you are involved in this matter, you shall accompany my unpromising brother to the afterlife. Of course, if it is later discovered that you are innocent, I will kill this person to accompany you."

Hearing this, Wang Hong also became angry. "Then what do you want? Draw a line."

Since fighting was not allowed in the city, Wang Hong was not afraid of him. There were several Golden Core cultivators in the city, and the Lin family wouldn't dare to openly violate the rules.

"Someone will challenge you at the Death Arena tomorrow," Lin Yun said, then turned and left.

"I'll see you there. Don't blame me if you die," Wang Hong shouted from behind.

Although private duels were not allowed in the city, there were always some irreconcilable conflicts, which led to the establishment of the Death Arena system.

One party could register at the Death Arena and issue a challenge, and the other party could choose to accept or refuse the challenge. They could not be forced to accept the challenge. Once a challenge was accepted, the fate of both parties was at stake.

The next day, Wang Hong received a challenge letter from the Death Arena. It was from a cultivator at Qi Refining Layer Six from the Lin family, challenging him.

"I refuse. Tell him I'm in the middle of refining elixirs and don't have time," Wang Hong thought coldly. It was fine to talk tough before, but he wasn't foolish enough to run to his death willingly. Knowing he was outmatched, he wouldn't offer his head to be chopped off.

On the third day, another challenge was delivered, still from that cultivator at Qi Refining Layer Six.

"I don't accept..."

The fourth day...

On the eleventh day, this time it was a cultivator at Qi Refining Layer Five.

"I don't accept..." He had no chance of winning against someone at Qi Refining Layer Five. The last time he managed to kill a Qi Refining Layer Five cultivator, it was by smashing them with Spirit Stones.

His aptitude was mediocre, he practiced ordinary Cultivation Techniques, and he hadn't mastered any powerful spells or secret arts. Trying to challenge someone of a higher level like others did would be more like suicide.

For several more days, Wang Hong showed no intention of accepting any challenges.

Wang Hong continued his daily routine of cultivation, pondering alchemy and talisman crafting.

On the twenty-fifth day, the Lin family finally sent out a cultivator named Lin Dong at Qi Refining Layer Four. This time, Wang Hong accepted without a second thought.

Not fighting before was a matter of rationality. If he didn't even have the courage to fight cultivators of the same level, then he might as well give up on cultivation.

Of course, courage was one thing, but he couldn't neglect preparations. This time, Wang Hong again brought a large number of talismans and Spirit Wine. Controlling Magic Artifacts still consumed too much spiritual energy, so it was good to be prepared.