Promise

"Husband, what's going on? I feel like you've changed. What happened?"

Baili Qiuyue had just opened her eyes when she spotted Lu Wanyuan nearby, looking thrilled.

"Heh heh, I've reached Qi Refining Level Three!"

Lu Wanyuan said proudly.

"Really? You've actually reached Qi Refining Level Three?"

Baili Qiuyue asked, not quite believing him. Back at Green Bamboo Peak, he had only been at Qi Refining Level 1. Now he was at Qi Refining Level Three. How long had it been? He had broken through two minor realms!

At that, Lu Wanyuan released the pressure of Qi Refining Level Three.

"Wow, it's true! Husband, you really are at Qi Refining Level Three! I can't believe you advanced two minor realms in a row after leaving Green Bamboo Peak. That's incredible. I wonder if you'd built up too much before, and leaving Green Bamboo Peak changed your mood, which led to these consecutive breakthroughs."

Baili Qiuyue said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, maybe. Wife, this is your Golden Sword Spirit Talisman. You always come home so late, and I'm worried the road might not be safe. Keep this as your trump card!"

He had just used a "First-grade High-grade Golden Sword Talisman" Entry with his divine sense to exchange for this Spiritual Talisman.

Then he handed the First-grade High-grade Golden Sword Talisman to Baili Qiuyue.

"Of course! Now that we've both advanced, it's definitely worth celebrating. Our lives will only get better from here, as long as we keep working hard together!"

Baili Qiuyue accepted it at once and added:

But the very next moment, her expression changed completely. At first, she had thought Lu Wanyuan had given her something ordinary. After all, she knew exactly how much money he had and what he could afford to buy her. He'd even had to grit his teeth to rent this house.

To ease his burden, she had taken the initiative and found work at Osmanthus Pavilion. Even then, she only earned about five Spirit Stones a month.

But the moment she touched it, she sensed the violent spiritual power contained within. She was startled.

She immediately gripped the Golden Sword Spirit Talisman and examined it closely.

It was a palm-sized Spiritual Talisman, wreathed in spiritual energy. Just from its appearance, she could tell it was a First-grade High-grade Spiritual Talisman—its power was equivalent to a strike from a Late Qi Refining cultivator.

She couldn't believe Lu Wanyuan had given her such a gift.

"Husband, where did you get this? It must've cost at least a hundred Spirit Stones. Where did you get that many?"

Baili Qiuyue asked, puzzled.

"Didn't I tell you I was looking after someone's Spirit Field? I worked for them free of charge for the first month, clearing the land, and they didn't charge me rent!"

"I happened to have a few tricks up my sleeve, so we managed to harvest something. I sold it and made a few Spirit Stones. I was worried you'd be coming home late and the road wouldn't be safe, so I bought this for you to use as a trump card. Do you like it?"

"Thank you, husband. I really love this gift. With this as my trump card, I won't be completely helpless against a Late Qi Refining cultivator!"

"But you can't rely on this as your only support. Whatever you do, don't try to go toe-to-toe with someone. This Spiritual Talisman is only there to give you some confidence!"

"The truth is, when you're facing a cultivator with a higher realm, you should avoid a fight whenever possible. If you can get away, that's best. Keep your life safe first. Once you're strong enough, you can always go back and settle the score. Nothing matters if you're dead!"

Lu Wanyuan looked at Baili Qiuyue's excited face and warned her.

"Mm, I understand. I know what to do!"

Baili Qiuyue nodded at once. Her husband was right.

"Good. Let me say it again: this is only a trump card. Don't pin all your hopes on it. What matters most is your own cultivation realm and strength. How are you doing now? You cultivated here all night, so you must've made some progress, right?"

"Progress? It was more than just progress! I ate that Spirit Fish last night, and I never expected it to be so potent. Spiritual energy surged through my whole body, and I had no choice but to spend the entire night refining it!"

"I didn't finish refining it until morning. Look, I've already broken through to Qi Refining Level Three, advancing by one minor realm! I never expected that. I wonder if I'll get to eat this kind of fish again. I feel like it was made for me. It works so well for me!"

At that, Lu Wanyuan looked awkward. "Mm, I'll do my best to get more Spirit Fish. If it really works for you, that is!"

But when he remembered that this fish cost twenty Spirit Stones per jin, his heart bled. With his current means, he certainly couldn't afford to eat Spirit Fish regularly.

Eating it this time had been downright extravagant. Still, it had been a happy accident that let him discover the value of Spirit Fish. And since those seventy Spirit Stones had raised his cultivation realm, they had certainly been worth it.

He couldn't afford to keep buying it now, but this gave him plenty of motivation. If he wanted to eat this kind of fish regularly, he'd have to work hard to earn Spirit Stones. Otherwise, he could only watch other people eat it.

And since this Spirit Fish had such an effect, would other Spirit Beasts or spirit birds have the same effect too?

But eating something like that would certainly take a huge pile of Spirit Stones.

Who would've thought that in this world, he still had to make money? The only difference was that here he earned Spirit Stones. It really was strikingly similar to his previous life!

Especially now, seeing how eagerly Baili Qiuyue still looked forward to eating Spirit Fish, he felt the pressure rise sharply!

"At least it seems to be working for now. I'm not sure whether it'll keep helping me later," Baili Qiuyue explained.

"That's good, then. We'll buy a few more and eat them! Improving our strength is a rare opportunity, so if we can get our hands on some, we definitely should!"

Lu Wanyuan declared without hesitation. Those were his true feelings, though he still needed to think carefully about how to earn the Spirit Stones.

First, he had to deal with the problem at hand.

"Husband, you're so good to me! I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong person or put my trust in the wrong man!"

"Of course! You can count on it!"

Lu Wanyuan declared confidently, patting his chest.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have four bottles of Qi Gathering Pills here. I'll give you two now. If you run out later, I'll give you more!"

With that, Lu Wanyuan took two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills from his Storage Bag and handed them to her.

"Okay. I just advanced to Qi Refining Level Three, so I need to consolidate my cultivation. I won't stand on ceremony!"

Baili Qiuyue accepted them and spoke happily.

"All right, I'm heading out. Be careful on your way to work!"

With that, Lu Wanyuan opened the door and stepped outside.

He looked around and saw that all the neighbors' doors were still shut.

Then he lowered his head and headed for Spring Wind Road No. 9527.

He entered the residence and went to the back courtyard. There, he saw that the Yellow Barley Malt Grass he had harvested the day before had indeed grown back, with fresh new shoots poking out!

Seeing this, he used one "Minor Accomplishment Spirit Rain Technique" Entry.

It nourished the spiritual soil throughout all five mu of the field.

Then he sowed seeds in the other four mu of spiritual soil as well.

Now, all five mu of his Spirit Field had been planted with Yellow Barley Malt Grass!

A few days later, he saw the seedlings sprouting from the muddy earth. The mu he had harvested had grown a little more vigorously than the rest.

But if he kept waiting like this, it would take at least three months for the crop to mature.

If that happened, he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to Baili Qiuyue. After all, he was the one who needed to bring Spirit Fish home for his wife. He couldn't break his word!

The problem was, this was the only thing he could harvest right now. He had no leads on anything else.

Fortunately, he still had two "Accelerate Growth" Entries!

So he planned to use an "Accelerate Growth" Entry to get through this difficult patch!