The Purple Cloud Furnace

[Rune Mastery (First-tier): Mastery of most first-tier runes.]

[Solidification Condition: Master the production of five types of talismans. (5/5)]

Half a month later, Zhou Er successfully mastered the method for making the Immobilization Technique, completing the final piece of the Rune Mastery Attribute solidification puzzle.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Fourth Layer (53.9%)]

[Equipment Slot (3/3): Talisman Making Insights, Spirit Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Spirit Gathering (White), Taotie (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: Rune Mastery (First-tier), Self-Healing (White), High-speed Reaction, Wondrous Brush (White), Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Strength Increase (White), Five Animal Health Fist (Perfected), Longevity.]

Talisman Making Insights could be removed from the Equipment Slot and replaced with another item.

The most suitable choice was naturally a Purple Spirit Pill, but its Condensing Essence effect was only useful during cultivation. At other times, it had little effect.

To make the most of his Equipment Slot, Zhou Er needed to have enough items on hand to equip.

"It's time to visit Wanbao Pavilion."

Zhou Er thought that he had seventy Low-grade Spirit Stones now, so he could go and have a look around.

He used the Godly Travel Technique all the way there, jogging up to Wanbao Pavilion. Looking at the magnificent, seven-story building, he got a firsthand sense of how lavish the pavilion was.

Wanbao Pavilion dealt in all sorts of goods. It had everything.

The first floor had low-tier talismans and pills.

[Tiger Bone Pill: A body-tempering pill. Taking it increases strength and strengthens the bones.]

[Equipped Attributes: Bone Strengthening.]

[Bone Strengthening: Bone density increases by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Consume the marrow of four beasts: ox, sheep, pig, and tiger.]

[Equip?]

Zhou Er spotted a pill called Tiger Bone Pill. Its effects were excellent, directly increasing bone density by thirty percent.

Bones provided the body with an important line of defense. Stronger bones meant better defense.

Those Body Refining Cultivators trained hard day after day, all to make their sinews and bones a little stronger.

With Bone Strengthening, Zhou Er would be equivalent to a Body Refining Cultivator who had achieved minor success.

It was something countless Body Cultivators could only dream of.

Zhou Er might not pick fights with anyone, but every bit of strength gave him more confidence. Especially in this perilous Cultivation World, strength was the foundation of survival.

An Attribute that increased his strength was naturally something he wanted as many of as possible.

"Fellow Daoist, this Tiger Bone Pill is commonly used by Body Cultivators. It has first-rate body-tempering effects. After training your body, one pill will quickly replenish your vital energy and strengthen your blood, sinews, and bones."

A man wearing a Wanbao Pavilion uniform came over and introduced the pill to Zhou Er.

The man didn't call him senior brother for a simple reason: he wasn't a disciple of Xiayun Sect, so he naturally didn't need to address Zhou Er as one.

Most of the other shops run by Xiayun Sect were operated by the sect itself, and their employees were mostly Xiayun Sect servant disciples, so they all called him senior brother.

"How much does this Tiger Bone Pill cost?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Just one Low-grade Spirit Stone."

The man held up one finger as he spoke.

"Then I'll take one."

Zhou Er nodded.

"Very good! Give it a try, fellow Daoist. If you like the effects, you can come back for more. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

The man put a pill in a small gourd for Zhou Er, then asked:

"What else would you like to see, junior brother?"

"Could you show me some magic artifacts? And Storage Bags, too."

Zhou Er said.

"Of course. The magic artifacts are all on the third floor. Follow me, fellow Daoist."

The man gestured toward the stairs and led Zhou Er over.

The third floor was filled with a dazzling array of magic artifacts, all protected by special formations. They couldn't be taken out at a whim; Zhou Er had to tell the man what he wanted, and the man would retrieve it from the display formation.

"What sort of attribute are you looking for in a magic artifact, fellow Daoist?"

The man asked.

"Any attribute will do. But could you show me the Storage Bags first?"

Zhou Er said.

"Of course. Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist."

The man nodded with a smile, then went to whisper to a colleague. The colleague went and brought over the Storage Bags.

There were two models: one had half a cubic meter of storage space, and the other had one cubic meter.

[Storage Bag: Contains half a cubic meter of storage space.]

[Equipped Attributes: Void Breaking (White).]

[Void Breaking (White): Shatters space, allowing instant transfer to any location within ten meters. Can only be used once per day.]

[Solidification Condition: Kill one hundred first-tier Demonic Beasts.]

[Equip?]

Looking at the Attribute's effects, Zhou Er froze on the spot.

The Attribute granted by equipping this Storage Bag was absurdly powerful. It was actually a blink.

Zhou Er had played games in his previous life, so he knew just how important a blink was.

Whether fleeing, avoiding a fatal blow, or launching a surprise attack to catch an enemy off guard, it was incredibly useful.

Even with a limit of once a day, Void Breaking was astonishing enough to become one of Zhou Er's trump cards.

"How much does this Storage Bag cost?"

Zhou Er asked.

"This half-cubic-meter Storage Bag is worth one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. The one-cubic-meter one costs three hundred."

Both Storage Bags granted the same Attribute when equipped. Zhou Er only needed the half-cubic-meter one, but he had only seventy Spirit Stones, so his pockets were truly empty.

"Fellow Daoist, I'll look at some other things first."

Zhou Er waved his hand.

"Of course."

The man put the Storage Bags away and continued showing Zhou Er around.

Whatever Zhou Er wanted to look at, the man could bring it out for him.

Many magic artifacts had decent Attributes, but Zhou Er couldn't afford them yet, so he had to set them aside for now.

As he was about to leave, Zhou Er suddenly remembered something: an Alchemy Furnace.

Lin Shiyu had long wanted an Alchemy Furnace, but she hadn't had the opportunity to get one.

Zhou Er was only looking, anyway, so he asked:

"Do you have a Purple Cloud Furnace? I'd like to see it."

At this, the man was already growing impatient. Zhou Er had only looked and hadn't bought anything, and the man had long since stopped wanting to waste time on him.

But professionalism kept a smile on his face as he replied:

"Certainly! Come with me, fellow Daoist."

When they reached the Purple Cloud Furnace, Zhou Er stepped closer and saw its Attributes.

[Purple Cloud Furnace: An Alchemy Furnace engraved with purple cloud patterns.]

[Equipped Attributes: Refinement (White)]

[Refinement (White): Digestive ability increases by fifty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Taste a hundred herbs and refine a hundred kinds of medicinal ingredients.]

[Equip?]

Seeing the Purple Cloud Furnace's Attribute, Zhou Er's eyes immediately lit up.

The Refinement Attribute complemented the Taotie Attribute perfectly.

Taotie could turn food into cultivation, while Refinement boosted Zhou Er's ability to digest, increasing Taotie's effects by fifty percent.

All along, Zhou Er had relied mainly on the Taotie Attribute to raise his cultivation.

Now that Taotie's effects would increase by fifty percent, his cultivation speed would rise by the same amount.

By comparison, all the other Attributes seemed far less important.

"How much is the Purple Cloud Furnace, fellow Daoist?"

Zhou Er asked in a hurry.

"Five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

The price was just as Zhou Er had expected: still prohibitively expensive.

With no other choice, Zhou Er left Wanbao Pavilion dejectedly.

"If I'd gotten the Refinement Attribute sooner, my cultivation speed would've been faster!"

Zhou Er knew he couldn't wait. He had to find a way to get his hands on the Purple Cloud Furnace.

Time waited for no one.

The first person Zhou Er thought of was Lin Shiyu. Although her income was meager, she had saved up every Spirit Stone she earned. Zhou Er knew her well and had a rough idea that she had about eighty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Together, they would have around one hundred and fifty.

But that still wasn't nearly enough. He was short by three hundred and fifty.

Fortunately, Zhou Er also knew several Talisman Master friends.

They were all Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and they definitely had more Spirit Stones than he did. He could borrow from them one by one and find a way to scrape together the money.

Of course, Zhou Er wanted to get the Spirit Stones from Lin Shiyu first.

So he went and waited for Lin Shiyu to finish work, like some heartless scoundrel.

"Shiyu!"

When he saw Lin Shiyu, Zhou Er greeted her warmly.

Their relationship was now as close as siblings, and Zhou Er had even shortened the way he addressed her to just two characters.

Lin Shiyu had recently broken through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. She looked surprised to see Zhou Er waiting for her.

Zhou Er had been incredibly busy these past few months, and she hadn't seen him in a long time.

Of course, she had also been inspired by Zhou Er's diligence and had cultivated hard without slacking off. Otherwise, she wouldn't have broken through so quickly.

"Senior Brother! Did you come to wait for me because you need something?"

Lin Shiyu asked.

"I'm embarrassed to say it, but I need to borrow some more Spirit Stones from you."

Zhou Er said helplessly.

Still, he wasn't taking advantage of Lin Shiyu completely. Once he solidified the Attribute, he wouldn't need to keep the Purple Cloud Furnace. If he didn't want to make pills, he could lend it to Lin Shiyu for her use.

"How many do you want to borrow this time, senior brother?"

Lin Shiyu had long grown used to Zhou Er coming to her when he wanted to borrow Spirit Stones.

"The more, the better."

Zhou Er said.

Lin Shiyu returned to her room to get the Spirit Stones for Zhou Er. She took out half, hesitated briefly, then brought out the other half as well.

Just as Zhou Er had guessed, there were exactly eighty-one.

Though it pained her, Lin Shiyu handed Zhou Er the two small bags of Spirit Stones and said:

"Senior Brother, these are all my savings from the past few years. I'm giving them all to you."

"Thank you, junior sister. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Zhou Er hurriedly thanked her, then bid Lin Shiyu farewell and left.

Lin Shiyu had wanted to talk with Zhou Er a little longer, but seeing how busy he was, she didn't dare disturb him. She only said goodbye dejectedly.

After getting the Spirit Stones from Lin Shiyu, Zhou Er immediately went to see his other Talisman Master friends.

Apart from Zhu Shunyang and Fu Qiu, he borrowed ten or twenty Spirit Stones from each of them, but he was still short by two hundred and fifty.

As for Xia Songting, Senior Xia, Zhou Er didn't want to bother him.

That left only Zhu Shunyang and Fu Qiu, from whom he could borrow a little more.

This was part of his plan. He was closest to Zhu Shunyang and Fu Qiu.

One had guided him into talisman-making, while the other was practically his business partner.

Zhou Er went to Fu Qiu first and said:

"Senior Brother Fu! I have a favor to ask!"

Fu Qiu had never seen Zhou Er this anxious before, so he immediately grew serious and said:

"Junior Brother Zhou, go ahead."

"I wanted to ask Senior Brother Fu to lend me some Spirit Stones."

Zhou Er said.

Hearing this, Fu Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought it was something serious.

"Of course, of course. How many do you want to borrow, junior brother?"

Fu Qiu asked.

"Two hundred and fifty."

Zhou Er gave him a large figure outright.

If he could gather enough Spirit Stones from Fu Qiu, he wouldn't have to trouble Zhu Shunyang as well.

"Two hundred and fifty? That's no small sum! What do you need them for, junior brother?"

Fu Qiu furrowed his brow.

A hundred Spirit Stones or more wasn't something he could casually produce, either.

Zhou Er knew he couldn't be coy if he wanted to borrow Spirit Stones, so he said:

"I'm planning to buy a Purple Cloud Furnace. I'm still short two hundred and fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"A Purple Cloud Furnace? Junior Brother, don't tell me you've decided that making talismans doesn't pay, and now you want to try alchemy!"

Fu Qiu frowned at the thought.

If that were the case, his House would lose a Talisman Master who could supply them with talismans.

Zhou Er's talismans were already reliably good in quality, and they had brought his House quite a bit of profit.

"No, no. Rest assured, Senior Brother. I'm not the sort to change my mind on a whim. It's just that a sworn younger sister of mine works under Elder He Lin as a Fire Control Attendant, and her dream is to become an alchemist. But her income is meager; she saves only seventy or eighty Low-grade Spirit Stones a year. At that rate, it'll take her at least six or seven years to save enough for a Purple Cloud Furnace. I can't bear to watch her waste the years and let the best of her youth slip away, so I want to give her a helping hand."

Zhou Er had thought up the story long ago. He told it with rising and falling passion, his voice full of feeling.

If anyone else had said this, Fu Qiu would surely have mocked him and given him a lecture or two.

After all, who hadn't struggled for years, even decades, before finally making it?

There weren't that many prodigies who soared to success overnight and made their mark while young. Most people endured, little by little, through sheer perseverance.

Someone like Zhou Er was already stronger than ninety-nine percent of people.

But the man standing before him was Zhou Er. Fu Qiu immediately put himself in Zhou Er's shoes, felt for him, and dabbed at a tear as he said:

"Such deep affection between siblings! Junior Brother Zhou, you really are a wonderful big brother!"

Though he said that, Fu Qiu thought to himself that Zhou Er was certainly willing to spend big to chase a girl.

His annual income was only a few hundred Spirit Stones, yet he dared to buy a five-hundred-Spirit-Stone Purple Cloud Furnace just to win a beauty's smile.

"Would you be willing to lend them to me, Senior Brother Fu?"

Zhou Er asked nervously.

"Don't worry, Junior Brother. I'll certainly give your sister a helping hand."

Fu Qiu thumped his chest and promised:

"But two hundred and fifty is still a lot. I'll need a couple of days to gather them. Please wait a little."

"Of course, of course."

Knowing he could borrow the Spirit Stones, Zhou Er relaxed and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Two days later, Fu Qiu had prepared the Spirit Stones and came to find Zhou Er.

"Junior Brother, here are two hundred and fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Fu!"

Zhou Er thanked him again and again.

After handing over the Spirit Stones, Fu Qiu brought out a promissory note and said:

"Junior Brother, two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones is no small sum. I had to borrow from others in the House to get them, so please sign a promissory note. That way, I'll have an explanation when I go back. There's no interest, so you can sign without worry."

"Of course, of course."

Zhou Er understood perfectly. A large loan had to come with a promissory note.

After Zhou Er signed it, Fu Qiu brought up repayment:

"Junior Brother Zhou, I have a plan for repaying the Spirit Stones. I'll withhold half of your income each time to pay down the debt, and leave you the other half."

Hearing this, Zhou Er felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. But it seemed reasonable enough, so he nodded and said:

"Let's do as you say, Senior Brother!"

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