The two men were powerful in different ways, one through influence and the other through strength. Even if they truly had a blood feud, it was still unclear who would bring the other down.
Steward Fang left, and Xu Yi resumed his seclusion.
For now, improving his strength and studying beginner Fire Element Talisman Patterns were his top priorities.
Fortunately, he could do both at once.
Another dozen or so days passed. Xu Yi opened his cave abode again, his body swaying as if he might collapse.
That was after he had slept soundly for three whole days. Even so, his soul remained utterly exhausted.
He finally realized that sleep was not always an effective way to restore his soul.
Repeatedly grinding away at his soul over long periods was much like overtraining his body. At last, he had pushed it into exhaustion.
Fortunately, the damage was not severe. He had read the notes and reflections of many cultivators, and had come across accounts of this very condition.
The notes said that all he needed was proper rest and to let his mind roam free; given time, he would recover on his own.
So he was not worried. On the contrary, the hard work of those dozen-odd days had brought him an immeasurable reward.
He had mastered all thirty basic first-tier Talisman Patterns. At the same time, the faint red line between the brows of his little soul figure had finally grown more distinct.
Of course, the price had been enormous: nearly four thousand Spirit Stones had turned to dust.
That was only because his growing understanding of the patterns had helped him craft the later ones. Otherwise, he would have spent even more Spirit Stones.
Four thousand Spirit Stones might not seem like much, but the deductions and experiments