Forbidden Success

The following days.

Wu Tao practiced the Sanyang Technique in the morning and engraving restrictions in the afternoon.

Of course, when he returned from taking out the night soil in the early morning, he would also see his female neighbor smiling as she sent off her customers.

Then, he would be pulled over by the female neighbor to chat.

Although Wu Tao disliked it, out of basic courtesy (mainly fearing that the female neighbor would get angry and have her lover beat him up), he had no choice but to stop and listen to the female neighbor's polite words, such as "I'm embarrassed."

At this time, Wu Tao would often curse inwardly, "What a slut. You say you're embarrassed during the day, but you scream louder and louder at night."

Truly one of a kind.

Oh right, after these few days of brief chats, they had exchanged names.

It was Zhang Li who took the initiative to introduce herself first. Wu Tao, compelled by politeness, also revealed his name.

Zhang Li originally worked at the Spring Beauty Pavilion on Packhorse Street. Because she offended a customer, she was kicked out by the Spring Beauty Pavilion. To make a living, she had no choice but to start her business at her residence.

Speaking of this, Zhang Li often lamented that her glory days were gone. The customers at the Spring Beauty Pavilion were generous, while the customers here were stingy. Some were even shameless, using spells to control her just to prolong the time so she would look at them more.

"Fellow Daoist Li, wait a moment!" Zhang Li called out as Wu Tao turned to go back inside.

For caution's sake, Wu Tao used a fake name, Li Mo, even though he was not on the Azure Spirit Sect's territory, and even if there was the slightest possibility of attracting Manager Wang's attention.

Wu Tao turned around and looked at Zhang Li with confusion. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, is there anything else?"

He really didn't want to hear Zhang Li talk about her glorious past anymore. She described it vividly and in detail, making Wu Tao's mind wander and endure torment. Whenever this happened, he would make an excuse to go back to his room.

Zhang Li turned back into her room and came out quickly, holding a long oil-paper package. She handed it over and said, "Here, this is for you."

Wu Tao looked at Zhang Li, thinking that they had developed feelings through their chats. This was not good. He quickly shook his head and refused, "Fellow Daoist, I do not accept gifts without merit."

Zhang Li smiled brightly and said, "This is Calm Spirit Incense. It's not worth much, consider it a gift to apologize for disturbing you these days. Light it at night, it will help you sleep. Please bear with me in the future."

"This..." Calm Spirit Incense was not expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. One Fragmented Spirit Stone could buy a stick. Wu Tao still didn't want to accept it, mainly because he didn't want to get entangled with Zhang Li.

Even if he wanted to in the future, he would pay for it. Business was business, and emotions would never be involved.

Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Li took a step forward, directly took Wu Tao's hand, placed the oil-paper package in his palm, and then smiled as she tickled his palm.

Wu Tao felt a gust of fragrant wind, his palm itched, and he had no choice but to take the Calm Spirit Incense. He quickly retreated a few steps and said, "Alright, thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Zhang. I accept it!"

Zhang Li covered her mouth, her Soul-Captivating Eyes seemed to be overflowing with water. Her gaze flickered as she looked at Wu Tao and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Li, why is your face red?"

Damn it, was he being teased?... Wu Tao could feel his face getting hot, but how could he admit it? He quickly said, "I have something to do, I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned and went back into his room, closing the door.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Zhang Li, however, found it amusing. Seizing the advantage, she knocked and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, won't you invite me in for a seat?"

"Stop knocking, I need to catch up on sleep."

Her words hit the mark. Zhang Li smiled and said, "It just so happens I need to catch up on sleep too. How about we do it together, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"Men and women should not touch. I ask that Fellow Daoist Zhang respect herself, do not ruin yourself, and leave quickly." Wu Tao was already regretting being forced to accept Zhang Li's Calm Spirit Incense.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you're not still a virgin, are you? No way? No way?"

Lady Bai's mockery rang out from outside the door. Wu Tao's face turned red with anger upon hearing this. He wished he could rush out right now and show her his prowess, but he calmed down in an instant, remaining silent. He wasn't going to fall for her trick.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Li, I'm going to sleep."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the sound of it closing. Wu Tao sat in his chair, his emotions gradually calming. He said resentfully, "She's truly one of a kind."

He opened the oil-paper package and looked at the ten Calm Spirit Incense sticks lying quietly inside. He didn't want to talk much about Zhang Li, finding her complicated.

"I won't think about it anymore. After I get rid of the evil qi in my body, I'll work hard to earn Spirit Stones and move to a better place."

Wu Tao cast aside his distractions and began cultivating the Sanyang Technique.

In the blink of an eye, he had been living in New Virtue Alley for ten days. With the Calm Spirit Incense and his self-made cotton earplugs, he could finally sleep a little better at night.

On the fifth day, while practicing engraving, he triggered the Lucky Bonus three more times, and the First-Order Level 1 Cooling Restriction was finally engraved successfully.

At this point, he had nine Formation Practice Boards left, so he wasn't in a hurry to refine a Magic Robe. This was because a Magic Robe whose main function was a First-Order Level 1 Cooling Restriction had no selling point. As a Loose Cultivator, he knew that people would rather be a bit hot than buy such a thing.

He then prepared to practice engraving the Wind-Speed Restriction.

The Wind-Speed Restriction was a First-Rank Level 2 restriction, and its difficulty was much greater than the First-Order Level 1 Cooling Restriction.

It was also relatively less easy to comprehend.

The progress of practicing engraving was also significantly slower than that of the Cooling Restriction.

Wu Tao estimated that these nine practice boards would not last until he could engrave the Wind-Speed Restriction. Fortunately, he still had one Spirit Stone on him, which he could use to buy another twenty Formation Practice Boards.

There was another problem: as time passed, the Yin Evil Qi in his body spread further, requiring more Spiritual Power and mental effort to resist. He could only practice engraving restrictions once a day, making it difficult to sustain.

Also, due to the Evil Possession, he practiced the Sanyang Technique every day, but instead of making any progress, he was actually regressing.

After meditating for two Shichen, Wu Tao stopped his cultivation to cook and fill his stomach.

After his lunch break, he began practicing engraving the Wind-Speed Restriction.

The First-Order Level Two Wind-Speed Restriction was more complex than the First-Order Level One Cooling Restriction, consuming more Spiritual Power and mental energy. While engraving, he had to be even more careful, and his speed was slow.

After a quarter of an hour, with an unstable surge of Spiritual Power, he interrupted the Spiritual Power supply. The Restriction Rune broke, and the spirit board immediately emitted white smoke, signaling its demise.

"The Wind-Speed Restriction is three-tenths engraved. I hope to trigger the Lucky Bonus a few more times. Three Formation Practice Boards are left. I need to take a break and go buy more at the market."

Wu Tao put down the scrapped spirit board, pressing hard on his swollen forehead. He got up and paced in his small hut, stretching his limbs.

After a short rest, Wu Tao stood up and headed to the market.

He arrived at the West Outer City. It was his first time in the market. Calling it a market was like comparing it to a rural fair in his previous life; it was nowhere near as bustling as the shopping malls in a big city.

He walked down the street, passing by shops one after another.

"Yuanyou Talisman Pavilion." Wu Tao looked up at the Vermilion Gold-Plated Plaque, pondered for a moment, and walked in.

Inside, cultivators were already selecting talismans. Wu Tao looked through them one by one, finally stopping in front of an Evil-Breaking Talisman. He saw the clear price tag: twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

A one-time-use talisman for twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones was very expensive for Wu Tao. If he continued mining, he would have to work for nine months without eating or drinking to save up that much.

'No wonder everyone in this Cultivation World wants to tread the path of the Four Arts of Cultivation.'

Wu Tao cast a lingering glance and left the Yuanyou Talisman Pavilion before the shop assistant could approach him.

At dusk, Wu Tao returned to his hut carrying twenty Formation Practice Boards. From then on, he had not a single spirit stone left.

Less than ten Fragmented Spirit Stones remained.

He was dirt poor!

After Wu Tao bought the Formation Practice Boards from the market, he resumed his usual routine. The days passed by without him noticing.

In the blink of an eye, another fourteen days passed.

Wu Tao sat cross-legged on his bed, took a deep breath, then cast aside all distractions in his heart, adjusted his state, and began to circulate his spiritual energy, meticulously applying it to the spirit board.

At this point, Wu Tao's Spiritual Energy Control was extremely precise. His spiritual energy moved with his thoughts, gradually forming lines on the spirit board. The lines intertwined, and mystical runes slowly appeared.

As he was nearing the end, Wu Tao suddenly thought to himself, "This is bad."

His spiritual energy had become a little unstable.

It was going to fail.

Just then, a mechanical voice sounded in his ear.

[You have triggered the Artifact Refiner's Lucky Skill. Lucky Bonus: 50%]

The unstable spiritual energy immediately stabilized. Wu Tao quickly tightened his focus, concentrating on the spirit board.

"Hoo!"

With the final stroke, Wu Tao exhaled a long breath, a look of joy appearing on his face. He looked at the spirit board in his hand. A complete Wind-Speed Restriction had been finished, with a faint trace of spiritual energy lingering around it.

"Fortunately, the Lucky Bonus was triggered at this time, otherwise it would have failed."

"Twenty-four days, and I finally succeeded in engraving a First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Restriction."

"Next, I need to make thorough preparations and truly enter actual combat to refine the Magic Robe."

With this thought, Wu Tao opened his Personal Profile, which he hadn't accessed in a long time.

[Name: Wu Tao]

[Lifespan: 25/25 (Remaining 2 months and 6 days)]

[Realm: Second Level of Qi Refining]

[Cultivation Technique: Three Yang Technique: Qi Refining Chapter (Second Layer): 55%]

[Spells: Fireball Technique: Beginner (60%), Cleaning Spell: Beginner (16%)]

[Divine Ability: None]

[Primary Profession: Artifact Refiner]: Restriction Mastery: First-Order Level 1 Cooling Restriction, First-Order Level 2 Wind-Speed Restriction.

[Secondary Profession: Body Cultivator]: Blank.