Li Xiuchang, Who Doesn't Pick Up What Isn't His

Li Xiuchang saw the mid-grade Spirit Stone but acted as if he hadn't, walking right past it.

When he was in dire need of Spirit Stones, suddenly finding one on the road – wasn't that too coincidental?

Could it be a trap?

Furthermore, the origin of this Spirit Stone simply wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Cultivators all used storage bags, but he'd never heard of a storage bag developing a hole and dropping Spirit Stones.

Even finding a storage bag full of Spirit Stones would be more plausible than finding a single mid-grade Spirit Stone.

Li Xiuchang had read too many cultivation novels filled with schemes and plots, and he immediately thought of various possibilities.

He wasn't unmoved, but he repeatedly told himself: Be discreet, be steady!

People who couldn't control their greed often didn't survive the first episode in those dark cultivation novels!

Li Xiuchang didn't notice that someone was watching him from a corner.

Zhang Wanzhi watched Li Xiuchang walk by without glancing sideways, his steps not pausing for even a moment. He chuckled softly, "He certainly has a cautious nature, a bit like Chen Turtle. But if that's the case, how am I supposed to get the Spirit Stone into his hands?"

Zhang Wanzhi felt Li Xiuchang was cultivating too slowly, so he planned to give him some Spirit Stones to help him get started faster.

But who would have thought Li Xiuchang would be so cautious, treating the Spirit Stone like a trap and not even touching it.

While Zhang Wanzhi was pondering, Li Xiuchang had already returned to Eastern Geng District Number 18.

His mind was not at peace; he was still thinking about that mid-grade Spirit Stone.

"If it's a trap set for me, and they see I haven't taken the bait, they should recall the bait. I'll go check later to see if the Spirit Stone is still there."

Li Xiuchang had a plan.

The mid-grade Spirit Stone appeared not far from the entrance of the Eastern Geng District. Not many people lived in the Eastern Geng District, and traffic was sparse. Moreover, everyone else flew around in the sky, so only Li Xiuchang would walk past.

Therefore, the probability of the Spirit Stone being discovered in a short period was low.

If it were truly gone, it would most likely be a conspiracy targeting him.

However, Li Xiuchang felt the possibility of it targeting him was slim. After all, he was just an ordinary disciple who had just joined the sect. He hadn't offended anyone in the sect, so who would go to such lengths to deal with him?

It couldn't be that scarred senior brother he had hurt earlier, could it?

Impossible, absolutely impossible... Li Xiuchang shook his head. A first-tier Talisman Master couldn't afford a mid-grade Spirit Stone.

"Even if it's a trap, it should be aimed at the other four senior brothers in the Eastern Geng District."

An hour later, Li Xiuchang pretended to be nonchalant and passed by the small road near the entrance of the Eastern Geng District again.

The mid-grade Spirit Stone still lay there quietly.

"It seems unlikely to be a trap targeting me," Li Xiuchang thought to himself, but he still felt something was off about the Spirit Stone and didn't pick it up.

After making a circuit, he returned to his residence.

Zhang Wanzhi observed the entire process and said with some smugness, "I thought you really weren't tempted. Let's see how long you can hold out."

As a result, the next day, Li Xiuchang passed by again but still didn't pick up the Spirit Stone.

The third day, the fourth day, it was still the same.

Li Xiuchang only passed by once a day, but he just wouldn't pick up that mid-grade Spirit Stone.

On the fifth day, it snowed in the Immortal Dust Sect.

The Immortal Dust Sect was located in the northern part of the Immortal Shade Realm, so snow was not uncommon. More than a foot of snow covered the mid-grade Spirit Stone on the ground.

But Li Xiuchang passed by again, undeterred by the wind and snow. Naturally and casually, he kicked away the snow covering the Spirit Stone, yet he continued to walk straight past, as if he hadn't noticed the Spirit Stone at all.

Seeing this, Zhang Wanzhi, who was observing in secret, couldn't hold back any longer.

He had originally wanted to see how long Li Xiuchang could endure before picking up the Spirit Stone, but now he couldn't wait any longer and lost his patience.

"For a mere Spirit Stone, you've delayed me for five days!"

"You kid, you're really too cautious!"

"You and Chen Turtle would definitely get along. You're practically turtles from the same shell!"

He grumbled, venting his emotions, then took a deep breath and decided not to wait any longer. He would go himself.

Li Xiuchang walked through the snow, his feet sinking with each step. Suddenly, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Junior Brother Li!"

As soon as Li Xiuchang heard the voice, he knew it was Zhang Wanzhi. At the same time, his heart sank, and his emotions became complicated.

Being so close, Li Xiuchang knew Zhang Wanzhi would definitely discover the mid-grade Spirit Stone.

He had guarded this Spirit Stone for several days, intending to wait a few more days and then pocket it if there were no further anomalies. But now that Zhang Wanzhi had seen it, it disrupted his plan.

He was reluctant to part with the mid-grade Spirit Stone, and at the same time, he worried that Zhang Wanzhi might fall into a trap or encounter danger if he picked it up.

As expected, Zhang Wanzhi exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"

Zhang Wanzhi was incredibly fast, or perhaps he had lost patience and couldn't be bothered to act anymore. Before Li Xiuchang could warn him, Zhang Wanzhi had already picked up the mid-grade Spirit Stone.

"I found a mid-grade Spirit Stone! Junior Brother Li, did you drop this?"

Zhang Wanzhi's acting was a bit over-the-top at this moment, but Li Xiuchang's mind was racing with countless thoughts, and he didn't notice it.

He shook his head, indicating it wasn't his, and feigned a bit of annoyance, as if regretting not having seen it himself.

This wasn't entirely an act, though. Seeing Zhang Wanzhi pick up the Spirit Stone without any repercussions, Li Xiuchang couldn't deny feeling a twinge of regret.

However, he still generously congratulated Zhang Wanzhi.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Wanzhi laughed heartily, "What's found is shared. Half for you, half for me."

With that, he took out fifty low-grade Spirit Stones from his storage pouch and handed them to Li Xiuchang.

Li Xiuchang was taken aback for a moment, but ultimately, he didn't refuse. Firstly, he genuinely needed Spirit Stones. Secondly, these were Spirit Stones given by Zhang Wanzhi. Even if the mid-grade Spirit Stone held some hidden danger, it was no longer his concern.

Senior Brother Zhang is indeed generous... Li Xiuchang could completely accept this outcome.

Although he received half the reward, he didn't have to bear any risk.

Finally managing to get Li Xiuchang to accept the fifty Spirit Stones, Zhang Wanzhi felt a bit drained. After a few pleasantries, he took his leave.

"It took me five days to settle this. I should be heading out now. I hope this kid makes some progress by the time I return."

Zhang Wanzhi shook his head and was about to fly away on his sword when he suddenly remembered something. He rushed into Eastern Geng District, number eight.

A moment later, he emerged carrying Old Gui's physical body.

"Take his body with me too. When his Nascent Soul returns, he'll fall right into my hands."

A triumphant smile spread across Zhang Wanzhi's face. Stepping onto his Flying Sword and carrying the old man, he vanished like a streak of light.

Meanwhile, Li Xiuchang, with over fifty Spirit Stones in his possession, was in high spirits. He hummed a tune all the way back to his residence.

Although he had inspected the mid-grade Spirit Stone every day for the past five days, he hadn't neglected his basic Spirit Chef training.

He had now gained a preliminary grasp of how to process some ingredients from spirit creatures.

As he had expected, practicing Spirit Chef techniques did indeed increase his Length stat, and at a much faster rate than practicing martial arts!