Initiation

By the time Shen Shi had passed a little, the Wind-Speed Magic Robe was also sold for thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Wu Tao packed up his stall and went to pay taxes.

Fifty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The tax was over five. After paying the tax, Wu Tao calculated that he still had forty-nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones and fifty-one Fragmented Spirit Stones.

"Now, I'll go to the Anju Immortal Residence Agency to look for a house."

Actually, the idea of changing houses wasn't entirely due to Daoist Duocai. In Wu Tao's heart, he had already made plans.

The location of New Virtue Alley was too close to the outer perimeter, and its safety was inferior to areas closer to the inner perimeter.

For example, with the Evil Spirit incident last time, if he had been in an inner perimeter location, surrounded by stronger Loose Cultivators, he would have felt more secure.

And the patrol squads in the inner perimeter were also stronger. As for other conspiracy theories, that was another matter.

Furthermore, he had nothing before, and his life was hanging by a thread. He had to compromise with life and live in a worse house.

Now that he had learned artifact refining and had ample funds, he could afford better. Moreover, he needed to practice Melee Spells, which would inevitably cause some commotion.

Houses without a Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array had too poor privacy.

He worried about exposing his secret as a Body Cultivator.

Wu Tao's development plan was to only reveal his identity as an Artifact Refiner to others. His identity as a Body Cultivator was to be kept deeply hidden.

In this unpredictable Cultivation world, having a Trump Card was having security.

In conclusion, Daoist Duocai was at most just a trigger.

Arriving at the Anju Immortal Residence Agency, Manager Zhou was still at the counter, clacking away at his abacus. Wu Tao walked to the counter and quickly greeted him, "Greetings, Manager Zhou."

Manager Zhou looked up and saw Wu Tao. He was surprised for a moment, then said, "It's you. What, looking to change to a better house?"

Wu Tao was taken aback. How did Manager Zhou know about his plan to change houses? Could it be that he practiced divination?

Seeing his daze, Manager Zhou chuckled, "Hey, why are you standing there stunned? I saw you selling magic robes at the Market last time. Fellow Daoist Li, you're an Artifact Refiner, aren't you?"

Wu Tao nodded and said humbly, "I only know how to refine some simple Magic Tools."

Manager Zhou's smile widened when he admitted it. "Fellow Daoist Li, as an Artifact Refiner, you shouldn't be living in a place like New Virtue Alley, losing your status for no reason."

Status... What status could he have... Wu Tao grumbled inwardly and asked, "Manager Zhou, I'm here to change my residence. I want one with a Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array. Do you have any recommendations?"

Manager Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "I actually do. Let's go, I'll take you to see the house. If you're satisfied, you can sign the contract and move in immediately."

At Youchu, Wu Tao had already gone back and forth to New Virtue Alley, moving all his belongings to his new home.

The new house was located on Sincere Tea Street, closer to the middle section. The rent was seven Low-Grade Spirit Stones per month. The Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone per month, and the Lighting and Fire-Starting Formation also cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone per month. In addition, there were fees for night soil, security management, street cleaning, and so on, which also cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

So, he had to pay ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month just for this place.

"Fortunately, I can still afford it. More importantly, it's much more comfortable here." Wu Tao lay on the soft, large bed, a look of enjoyment on his face. Before, he slept on a hard wooden plank bed in New Virtue Alley, but this new home had a soft, springy large bed.

"If cultivators live worse than mortals, then what's the point of cultivating?"

After resting on the bed for a while, he began to tour his new home.

There was a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and, most unexpectedly, a cultivation room.

It was precisely because of this cultivation room that Wu Tao decided to rent it without a second thought.

With this cultivation room, it would be much more convenient for him to practice the Dragon Spear Technique in the future.

Calling it a cultivation room was a bit of a stretch; it was just a room and didn't have the necessary conditions for a proper cultivation room, lacking essential formations.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so cheap.

After the tour, he took out his Spirit Stone Bag and organized his assets again. He had rented this place with a deposit of three months' rent and one month's advance payment. Including the six Low-Grade Spirit Stones he had received back as rent refund, he had twenty-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones left.

"How can I not celebrate moving into a new place?"

Wu Tao immediately went out and headed to the market. He spent twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones on twelve Starfire Stones and four jin of Demon Silkworm Silk. Then, he spent one Low-Grade Spirit Stone on five jin of low-grade Monster Meat.

That evening, he ate two jin of Spirit Rice and two jin of Monster Meat to celebrate heartily.

It had to be said that living in an expensive area, without the noise of neighbors or the annoyance of a gambler neighbor, Wu Tao felt his life was becoming more and more relaxed and comfortable.

With comfortable living conditions and an improved mindset, practicing spells and refining Magic Robes also became much smoother.

Putting down the book One Thousand Basic Knowledge of Artifact Refining, Wu Tao thought, "It will only take a few days to memorize all the content in this book."

To obtain the Artifact Refiner Certificate issued by the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall, there was another requirement: one must master at least five types of restrictions, and one of them must be a First-Order Level 3 Restriction.

This meant that the certificate issued would only be for a First-Rank Junior Artifact Refiner.

Based on this requirement, Wu Tao had no choice but to practice the First-Order Level One Dust-Repelling Restriction and the First-Order Level 1 Rain-Repelling Restriction.

For someone who could engrave a First-Order Level 3 Restriction, a First-Rank First-Level Restriction was incredibly simple. It only took him a little over ten days to completely master these two First-Rank First-Level Restrictions.

As for the "Fire Sweep" move of the Dragon Spear Technique, its improvement was also very rapid.

Unknowingly, another month had passed.

In the cultivation room.

Wu Tao held the Three-Pointed Great Spear, the spiritual energy in his Dantian seemed to be boiling. The spiritual energy began to circulate through specific meridians. He gently stepped forward with his right foot, slightly bent his body, and his entire strength was suddenly mobilized at this moment.

"Fire Sweep!"

With a soft shout, his qi and strength merged, all directed at the Three-Pointed Great Spear in his hand.

Immediately, The spear shot out like a dragon, transforming into a lingering afterimage. The red tassel blazed like fire as it shot out. With a loud crack, a spear mark immediately appeared on the floor of the cultivation room.

Fire Sweep!

Fire Sweep!

Fire Sweep!

Wu Tao's qi and strength flowed ceaselessly. The Three-Pointed Great Spear in his hand suddenly came alive, unleashing one move after another, rapidly and repeatedly. Sparks flashed across the floor of the cultivation room.

Suddenly, a wondrous realization bloomed in his heart, growing instantly into a towering tree.

"You have triggered the Body Cultivator Profession Lucky Skill. Current bonus: 50%."

"Fire Sweep!"

Ignoring the mechanical prompt in his ears, Wu Tao instantly assimilated the wondrous realization in his heart. As his qi and strength merged, it felt as if he had undergone Nirvana Rebirth.

A spear whistled out, tearing through the air with a sizzling sound. A wisp of flame inexplicably appeared above the spear tip. The flames roared as the spear tip heavily struck the ground.

Bang!

The flames exploded, and a deep pit the size of a basketball was immediately blasted into the ground.

Wu Tao retracted his spear, looking at the fire pit with a joyful expression. "Fire Sweep, I've finally achieved entry-level!"

[Secondary Profession · Body Cultivator]: Dragon Spear · Fire Sweep Entry-Level (2%)

After achieving entry-level for Fire Sweep in the Dragon Spear Technique, he could now practice the Wind and Thunder Move. More importantly, he could begin medicinal baths to temper his body.

The thought of medicinal baths immediately made more spirit stones flow away, and Wu Tao's newfound joy vanished instantly.

"In the past month, I've become more proficient at refining Tier 1 Level 3 Small Spirit Shield Robes. I can refine eight Small Spirit Shield Robes each month, plus eight Wind-Speed Magic Robes. That's about four Mid-Grade Spirit Stones earned per month."

"Deducting the ten yuan rent for the month, the refining cost of eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, four Low-Grade Spirit Stones for cultivation, and then the ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones for Spirit Rice and Monster Meat food expenses per month..."

"Only a little over two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones remain..."

"There are still many things I should be spending spirit stones on but haven't truly invested in, like buying pills for cultivation..."

"Plus, now I need medicinal baths for body tempering. With over two hundred spirit stones, it seems like life will still be tight..."

"Cultivation is not easy!"