Lu Yan rose to his feet and stowed the flying sword magic tool at his waist in his Storage Bag.
The Storage Bag he wore at his waist now was not the Golden Silk Storage Bag he had obtained from Steward Chu. Instead, it was an unremarkable gray Storage Bag.
This was the lowest-grade Storage Bag in the market. The formation inside could only be maintained for twenty years, and its storage space was not even one-fifth the size of the Golden Silk Storage Bag's. Even so, it still sold for a full thirty Spirit Stones.
After learning about the Red Lotus Demonic Sect from He Dongsheng, Lu Yan realized how dangerous the Red Lotus Demonic Sect was. Even the rather high-grade Golden Silk Storage Bag might expose him.
But as a cultivator, Lu Yan could not keep the Storage Bag pressed against his body at all times. That would seem too deliberate and instead arouse suspicion from others.
Thus, Lu Yan could only grit his teeth and pay a hefty price for an ordinary Storage Bag as camouflage, storing some things that could safely see the light of day inside it.
His truly important treasures were all stored in the Golden Silk Storage Bag worn close to his body.
His right hand brushed over the Storage Bag, and only a scattered dozen-odd Spirit Stones fell into Lu Yan's hand. He slightly furrowed his brows and sighed.
"Looks like Spirit Stones still aren't enough to spend!"
Earlier, he had sold most of the spirit talismans on him for ninety Spirit Stones. But in the past half month, renting a Cave Residence, buying a Storage Bag, and consuming Bigu Pills had used up quite a few Spirit Stones.
The greatest expense, however, had been practicing spells. Practicing spells required repeated attempts that consumed magic power, while circulating his cultivation technique and breathing in spiritual energy consumed a great deal of time. Lu Yan would remain in the Xianxia Version for only three months, and he did not have that much time to waste.
Thus, Lu Yan could only grit his teeth and use Spirit Stones to restore his magic power. After consuming quite a few Spirit Stones, he finally completed his spell practice.
Afterward, breaking through to the Mid-Stage Qi Refinement and purchasing resources in advance for the next version would each require a large number of Spirit Stones.
"I have to find a way to earn some Spirit Stones."
With that thought, Lu Yan rose, opened the restriction, and walked out of the Cave Residence.
The instant he stepped out of the Cave Residence, Lu Yan sensed a gaze falling upon him.
Following the direction of that gaze from the corner of his eye, he saw a cultivator in yellow standing at the entrance of a Cave Residence. He seemed to have just come out as well.
Lu Yan said nothing and flew down beyond the Cave Residence district.
As Lu Yan left the Cave Residence district and entered the streets on the outskirts of the market, he sensed even more gazes covertly peering toward him.
His soul, strengthened by absorbing Moonlight Spiritual Energy for three months, had made Lu Yan's Spirit Sense so powerful that it even surpassed Peak Qi Refining.
If only those who had reached Foundation Establishment could condense a Divine Soul and give birth to divine sense, Lu Yan might already have qualified to nurture divine sense by now.
Lu Yan gave a cold laugh inwardly. He knew very well that these peering gazes belonged to cultivators who regarded him as a fat sheep.
Azure Valley Market was not very large. The fact that a Qi Refining cultivator at the early stage like Lu Yan had sold dozens of spirit talismans and rented a mid-grade Cave Residence was no secret.
Such lavish spending had caused cultivators who made their living through robbery to set their sights on him early on. Over a hundred Spirit Stones were enough to make those cultivators take the risk.
There were stories of Qi Refining cultivators robbing some Noble Families' young master who had gone out traveling, then using the resources in his Storage Bag to rise to the heavens in a single bound and become a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.
There were also low-level cultivators who ambushed sect disciples and seized a precious Foundation Establishment Pill, then fled far away with it.
Such incidents were commonplace in the cultivation world.
As long as the benefits were great enough and the deed was hidden well enough, these cultivators would not care about your identity or background.
Even Steward Chu, a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, had robbed a sect disciple before. The Storage Bag from the Red Lotus Demonic Sect was proof of that.
Maintaining an expression of calm, Lu Yan walked toward the outskirts of Azure Valley Market.
After leaving the market, Lu Yan used a flying spell and flew toward Mount Wu. Seeing this, the cultivators all revealed looks of delight.
The most important part of a robbery was figuring out how to lure the target out of the market. Lu Yan's voluntary departure naturally filled the many cultivators with joy, and they hurriedly displayed their various methods to follow him through the air.
Mount Wu stretched for three thousand li and was desolate and uninhabited. After killing someone there, they would not even need to bury the corpse; a few hours was all it would take for wild beasts to gnaw it clean.
"This kid really knows how to pick a good place to bury himself."
"I heard he bought a copy of the First Order Spell Compendium as soon as he entered Azure Valley Market. He's probably a greenhorn who stumbled upon a cultivator's legacy somewhere in Mount Wu."
"Every year, there are a few greenhorns like that. They're wealthy, and killing them brings no trouble afterward. You could say they're the best kind of fat sheep. I didn't expect us to run into one."
"After this haul, perhaps I'll be able to buy a Rank Breaking Pill and break through to Late Stage Qi Refining."
"As usual, the Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators get twenty percent, and the rest is divided equally among everyone else."
The group consisted of seven cultivators in all—two at Late Stage Qi Refining and five at Mid-Stage Qi Refinement. They had already divided up the spoils before even making a move.
"Wait a moment. That kid has stopped."
A Mid-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator with a hooked nose spoke as he gazed at the falcon circling in the distant sky.
Another broad, fat cultivator asked in puzzlement, "Could he have discovered us?"
A cultivator dressed like a white-robed scholar sneered.
"So what if he discovered us? He's merely an early Qi Refining cultivator who has just begun practicing first-order spells. Could he really dare to attack us?"
"Stop wasting time. Deal with him quickly, then go to Bamboo Forest Market and lie low for a few days. Come back once we're sure there are no repercussions!"
The shouted reprimand cut off the cultivators' discussion. The speaker was none other than a Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
If Lu Yan had been there, he would have noticed that this Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivator was precisely the yellow-clothed cultivator he had seen earlier in the Cave Residence district.
The group soon saw Lu Yan atop a small mountain. Lu Yan stood on the summit, gazing at them from afar as if he had been deliberately waiting.
"An ambush?"
The cultivators furrowed their brows tightly and instantly grew wary, all looking toward the Qi Refining cultivator controlling the falcon.
That cultivator, however, shook his head, indicating that he had seen no other cultivators.
A Mid-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator let out a cold laugh. A magic tool flying wheel fell into his palm, and he flew toward Lu Yan. The distance of several hundred meters vanished in an instant.
"Putting on airs!"
Cold light flashed from the magic tool flying wheel. It was just about to cleave Lu Yan's head when dozens of ghostly shadows rose from the surrounding woods.
"What are these damned things?"
The flying-wheel cultivator had only enough time to issue a terrified question before one Ghost Claw after another tore through his magic power defenses and easily pierced his soul.
The next moment, his frost-covered corpse crashed to the ground.
"Vengeful Souls! A Demonic Path Cultivator is lying in ambush!"
A terrified voice rang out in the sky. In the next instant, the remaining six cultivators turned and fled without hesitation.
But just then, rolling black mist spread from the woods, swallowing all the cultivators within.
"The Hundred Soul Banner! That's the Top Grade Magic Tool of the demonic path, the Hundred Soul Banner!"
"Could a Foundation Establishment Demonic Path Cultivator have come here?"
"A dignified Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator actually resorting to such despicable methods!"
Roars rang out from within the Ghost Mist. Yet what greeted them was only one icy Ghost Claw after another. In the face of more than eight hundred Vengeful Souls, even a Foundation Establishment Zombie King would have to retreat, much less these Qi Refining cultivators.
After merely three breaths, the black mist dispersed, leaving behind only seven icy corpses. Their souls had all been devoured by the Vengeful Souls.
Lu Yan put away the seven Storage Bags offered up by the Vengeful Souls. With a flick of his finger, a golden Profound Yellow Merit Fire landed upon the corpses. The flames spread, and the bodies turned to ash in an instant.
With their souls devoured by the Vengeful Souls, the Divine Power Fire of merit did not touch karma. Even if a Golden Core True Person used the secrets of heaven to divine the matter, they could forget about finding the slightest trace.
After finishing all this, Lu Yan tossed the Storage Bags in his hand.
"These resources should be enough for me to break through to Mid-Stage Qi Refinement, right?"
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