It Wasn't That He Couldn't Afford the 6,000-Spirit-Stone Flying Boat-The Ten-Spirit-Stone One Was Simply Better Value

In Li Xiuchang's eyes, flying around the sect in a flashy flying boat was no different from sporting bleached hair and riding a dirt bike.

It didn't fit his low-key, steady persona.

Besides, he genuinely wanted to save some Spirit Stones. The Smoked Spirit Meat business had earned him nearly two thousand Spirit Stones in total, but that couldn't withstand his insane spending on cultivation. Now, he had only a little over four hundred Spirit Stones left.

Spirit Stones had to be spent where they mattered. He still planned to save these for cultivation later.

Li Xiuchang followed Senior Brother Wang Long to a shop in the marketplace that specialized in flying boats. It was called "Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens."

Li Xiuchang's requirements for a flying boat were simple: practicality.

His previous ride on Senior Brother Song Yu's flying boat had left him with some trauma, so he had no particular demands regarding speed. As long as it was decent, that would do. If it could shield him from wind and rain, even better.

Hearing Li Xiuchang's request, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He pointed to a gorgeous flying boat displayed in the center of the shop and said:

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this one? A Top-grade Magic Tool Flying Boat, packed with power. It even has a Wind-Avoidance Formation, a Lightning-Avoidance Formation, and many other formations engraved on it. It doesn't just shield you from wind and rain—it can also avoid lightning, block out noise, clean itself automatically, prevent prying eyes, and its shockproof performance is top-notch... It meets all your needs!"

So flying-boat technology had already developed to this extent?

Li Xiuchang had once considered building a flying boat that could shield people from wind and rain in the future. It turned out one already existed.

"Shopkeeper, how many Spirit Stones does this flying boat cost?" Li Xiuchang asked.

"Sixty..."

"That's not too bad."

"Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

"Sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones?!" Li Xiuchang's hand trembled.

Sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones—that was six thousand low-grade Spirit Stones!

You're awfully generous, aren't you? You even throw in a flying boat with the robbery.

Senior Brother Wang Long coughed. "Shopkeeper, we don't need so many fancy functions. The most ordinary flying boat will do. It would be best if it could shield us from wind and rain."

"An ordinary one that can also shield you from wind and rain?" The shopkeeper looked troubled. "Engraving formations onto a flying boat is no easier than doing so on level ground. The requirements for the boat's materials are extremely high. They have to be light enough while also capable of carrying formations, and a Formation Master has to carefully carve the formation patterns. The cost simply can't be ordinary..."

Li Xiuchang didn't want to waste any more time. He said, "Then give me the most ordinary standard flying boat. I'll take one."

The shopkeeper's eyes rolled, and he said, "I do have a one-of-a-kind item. I wonder if it might catch your eye."

"How many Spirit Stones?" Having learned his lesson, Li Xiuchang asked the price first.

"Fifteen—no, if you genuinely want it, I'll give you a flat price of ten Spirit Stones!"

"Low-grade Spirit Stones?"

"Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"Then let me take a look."

An ordinary standard flying boat at the low-grade magic-tool level cost more than ten Spirit Stones. Yet the "one-of-a-kind item" in the shopkeeper's mouth cost only ten Spirit Stones, making it even cheaper than an ordinary flying boat.

"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. I'll go fetch it." The shopkeeper took out a box of Storage Bags and began searching through them one by one.

He kept searching until he reached the very bottom of the box. Only then did the shopkeeper pick up a Storage Bag and hurry over to Li Xiuchang's side.

"Fellow Daoist, take a look and see if you like this flying boat." The shopkeeper shook the Storage Bag in his hand, and a flying boat appeared before them.

Li Xiuchang's eyes lit up. This flying boat felt somewhat different from the others he had seen.

Its length and width were about the same, but its height and depth... gave people a strong sense of security.

In an ordinary flying boat, a person standing inside might have the sides barely reach above their ankles.

In this flying boat, a person standing inside could only expose their upper body.

This was practically a blessing for people afraid of heights!

The shopkeeper jumped into the flying boat and began explaining how to use it to Li Xiuchang.

"Fellow Daoist, when you fly, all you have to do is sit cross-legged. Then the wind outside can't reach you. If you're the only one in the flying boat, you can even lie down."

Li Xiuchang asked, "Then how does it keep out the rain?"

"Look here!" The shopkeeper pointed toward the rear of the flying boat. Only then did Li Xiuchang notice that a bundle of canvas had been rolled up there.

Metal supports held up the inside of the canvas. The shopkeeper pulled the canvas upward, and it immediately unfolded into a semicircular waterproof canopy that covered the entire flying boat.

Seen from outside, the whole flying boat now looked like an abalone.

Good heavens—a soft-top convertible...

The shopkeeper hadn't lied. This flying boat really could shield them from wind and rain, but it did so with physical wind-blocking and physical rain-blocking... There wasn't the slightest hint of cultivation involved!

But Li Xiuchang didn't rush to refuse. In all fairness, this flying boat did meet all his needs, and it had even taken his fear of heights into account.

"Can I take it for a test flight?"

The moment Li Xiuchang said this, the shopkeeper and Wang Long both froze, apparently never expecting that Li Xiuchang would actually take a liking to it.

"Of course!"

The shopkeeper jumped out of the flying boat to make room for Li Xiuchang.

This was also one of the flying boat's shortcomings. In an ordinary flying boat, one could step aboard with a slight lift of the foot. This one was so tall that getting in and out required jumping.

Li Xiuchang leaped into the flying boat and invited Wang Long, "Senior Brother Wang, want to go for a spin together?"

Wang Long glanced at the flying boat and very much wanted to refuse. However, this was Li Xiuchang's first time piloting a flying boat, so for safety's sake, he reluctantly boarded it.

The flying boat wobbled as it rose into the sky. The shopkeeper watched from below, but he wasn't worried that the two of them would steal the flying boat and run off.

After all, they were disciples of the Immortal Dust Sect. They could be trusted. More importantly, the flying boat wasn't worth much money anyway.

Piloting the flying boat wasn't difficult. After Li Xiuchang familiarized himself with it, the flying boat steadied and began flying through the air slowly but surely.

When he turned around, he saw that Senior Brother Wang Long had already crouched down.

The wind wasn't even that strong.

Was there really a need to crouch?

"Try the speed," Wang Long reminded him.

"Okay!" Li Xiuchang immediately accelerated with all his might.

The wind howled against his face.

Li Xiuchang immediately crouched down. The tall sides of the boat blocked out the gale, making him much more comfortable.

From outside, the flying boat now looked as if it were "driving itself."

"It's actually quite comfortable in here," Wang Long had to admit.

"Exactly. There's a transparent glass panel on all four sides of the boat. Even while sitting inside, you can see in every direction, so you don't have to worry about crashing into anything." Li Xiuchang was highly satisfied.

He stood up and pulled the canvas canopy into place as well. In an instant, it completely blocked out the noise of the wind outside. The interior of the flying boat was steady and quiet, spacious, and extremely comfortable.

It felt like four people could sit inside without a problem. They could even hold a small meeting in there or something. It had a bit of the feel of a business-class vehicle.

Wang Long had originally been somewhat disdainful, thinking this flying boat was embarrassing. But now that he was sitting inside, he found himself thinking, This is actually great. It was far more comfortable than his own flying boat.

"Junior Brother, try going at full speed."

"This is already the limit."

"At this speed, you can't even exceed the speed limit in our sect."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Wang Long thought about it and realized that was true. Sometimes, he would accidentally speed and get caught, forcing him to pay a fine. With this flying boat, he didn't have to worry about speeding at all.

As long as he wasn't making a long journey beyond the sect, this flying boat was perfectly adequate for everyday transportation.

"This is the one!" Li Xiuchang decided.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford a flying boat worth six thousand Spirit Stones. It was that the flying boat worth ten Spirit Stones offered much better value.