Two Years

Spring gave way to autumn, and two years passed.

Martial Practice Garden, a certain secret chamber.

Shen Long stood before a sandpit bristling with White Ice Spikes.

A white light lit up in his right hand. With a flick of his wrist, a white ice spike about a foot long shot forth and struck the sandpit.

"Ice Spike Technique, Great Perfection!"

Joy appeared on Shen Long's face. After several years of practice, he had finally cultivated the Ice Spike Technique to Great Perfection. This meant he had brought four First Rank spells to Great Perfection.

Shen Long was still at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Over the past two years, they had entered the mountains from time to time to hunt Monster Beasts. Ye Yutang and Ye Yuqing set up Formations to kill the beasts, and First Rank Monster Beasts were no match for them at all. Their hunting efficiency had risen dramatically, and they earned more and more Spirit Stones. Their Monster Hunting Team had made a name for itself in Thousand Bamboo Valley.

With a shake of his sleeve, a Crimson Fireball flew out and crashed into the sandpit, destroying every ice spike.

He opened the secret chamber's door and happened to see Qin Qing and Qin Tianhe.

Qin Tianhe had already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, while Qin Qing was still marking time. More than half the Spirit Stones they earned from hunting Monster Beasts had been spent on Qin Tianhe.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, long time no see!"

Shen Long greeted them with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, I heard from Grandfather that you've cultivated three spells to Great Perfection?"

Qin Tianhe's face was filled with envy.

He also spent two hours each day practicing spells, yet he had only cultivated one spell to Great Perfection so far.

Shen Long nodded. "Heaven rewards diligence. I have faith in you."

"Tianhe has more promise than I do, but compared with Fellow Daoist Shen, he still falls far short. This boy has only cultivated one spell to Great Perfection, unlike Fellow Daoist Shen, who has already cultivated three spells to Great Perfection."

Qin Qing spoke in an envious tone.

"If he practices more, he can definitely do it too."

Shen Long said with a smile. He had deliberately leaked this information. His current trump cards were the Beast Soul Talisman, the Ice Spike Technique, and the Iron Tail Scorpion.

After chatting for a few moments, Shen Long left, while Qin Qing and Qin Tianhe entered.

"It's so hot in here. Was he practicing the Fire Snake Technique just now?"

Qin Tianhe asked curiously.

"Perhaps! Hurry up and practice your spells. Cultivate the Fireball Technique to Great Perfection as soon as possible."

Qin Qing urged.

Qin Tianhe answered and began chanting under his breath.

Shen Long returned to his residence, activated the Soundproofing Array, and entered the Spirit Control Tower.

A burst of delighted hissing rang out as the Iron Tail Scorpion crawled from the Spirit Control Pool and rushed toward Shen Long.

Shen Long had named the pool the Spirit Control Pool. The Iron Tail Scorpion usually stayed there. It was still at the first rank early stage, but it had already grown to more than ten feet long.

Shen Long took out a Red Storage Bag and gave it a downward shake. A sweep of Red Rosy Clouds flashed past, and another Iron Tail Scorpion, more than ten feet long and missing its head, appeared on the ground.

According to Ye Yuqing, devouring the corpses of higher-ranked members of its own kind could be somewhat helpful for the advancement of Spirit Beasts and Spirit Insects.

This Iron Tail Scorpion had been at the first rank early stage. Shen Long had killed it during their last trip into the mountains.

The Iron Tail Scorpion waved its massive pincers, tore apart the other scorpion's corpse, and feasted with great relish.

Shen Long exited the Spirit Control Tower, took out a clay pot and Golden Pearl Spirit Rice, and cooked a pot of Spirit Rice.

After finishing the Spirit Rice, he put away the Spirit Control Tower and the Spirit Stones on the Soundproofing Array, then went outside.

Half an hour later, Shen Long appeared outside Treasure Pavilion and strode inside.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, long time no see."

A potbellied man in red robes hurried over and greeted him warmly.

Lin Dong, Qi Refining Eighth Layer, was Lin Yu's older brother.

Shen Long sold all the spirit herbs he obtained from hunting Monster Beasts to Treasure Pavilion. Over time, he and Lin Dong had become acquainted.

"It's been a long time, Fellow Daoist Lin. I have something to discuss with you."

Shen Long greeted him with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, please come with me."

Lin Dong made an inviting gesture and led Shen Long to a guest room upstairs. He closed the door and activated the Soundproofing Array.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I heard that you have pills specifically for feeding Spirit Beasts. How much do they cost?"

Shen Long asked.

"Are you referring to Spirit Feeding Pills, Fellow Daoist Shen? Those are hot commodities. The Chen Clan, Han Clan, and Li Family booked theirs long ago."

Lin Dong looked troubled.

"I don't need many, just a few. Fellow Daoist Lin, make an exception for me. Every time I sell spirit herbs, I come to you. It isn't too much to ask you to look after an old customer, is it?"

Shen Long said.

Lin Dong considered it, then said, "All right. I'll sell you three. Thirty Spirit Stones each, but don't tell anyone else."

"Thirty Spirit Stones each? That expensive?"

Shen Long frowned.

"You get what you pay for. There's a reason it costs so much."

Lin Dong said.

"Fine. Three it is. And give me a bottle of Qi Accumulation Pills as well."

Shen Long said.

The Qi Nourishing Pills had become far less effective for him, probably because he had developed drug resistance. He needed better pills. One Qi Accumulation Pill cost five Spirit Stones, and a bottle was only fifty Spirit Stones. By comparison, Spirit Feeding Pills cost six times as much as Qi Accumulation Pills.

"All right, wait here a moment. I'll be right back."

Lin Dong rose and left.

Before long, he returned, took out a Cyan Porcelain Bottle and a cyan wooden box, and handed them to Shen Long.

After checking that everything was in order, Shen Long paid the Spirit Stones in full and turned to leave.

He came to the Bluestone Square where the stalls were set up, strolling around and looking at the wares.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, would you like to buy a jug of Spirit Wine?"

A sweet female voice rang out.

Shen Long looked toward the source of the voice and saw Huang Xiuyun. She had already reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Shen Long had asked Huang Xiuyun about it before. Those two Insect Eggs had yet to hatch, and she had no plans to sell them. She was determined to hatch them.

"Fairy Huang, I'll take a jug of Jade Apricot Brew!"

Shen Long said with a smile, taking out twenty Spirit Stones.

He had accumulated a modest fortune now, with over six hundred Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag.

Sun Huowang's birthday would be in a few days. Shen Long planned to buy a better jug of Spirit Wine as a gift for him.

Huang Xiuyun accepted the Spirit Stones and handed Shen Long a yellow wine jug.

"Why don't I see Fairy Ye?"

Shen Long asked casually.

"They sold out of Talismans and went back to rest. Do you want to see them? I can help you contact them."

Huang Xiuyun said warmly.

Ye Yuqing was skilled in the art of Talismans and had gained some renown in the Marketplace. The First Rank Talismans she made were relatively cheap and of decent quality. However, she only sold some Talismans every so often and never too many at once. Clearly, she did not wish to offend the Talisman shops.

"No need. I was just asking."

Shen Long declined. Remembering something, he asked curiously, "Fairy Huang, those two Insect Eggs still haven't hatched? Could they be dead eggs?"

"They can't be dead eggs. They have fluctuations of vitality, just very weak ones. I believe they can hatch."

Huang Xiuyun said earnestly.

Shen Long smiled. After chatting for a few moments, he left.

He arrived at Craftsman Hall. Business there was fairly good, and the shop assistant was introducing weapons to customers.

He went to the second floor and saw Sun Huowang speaking with a tall, thin Yellow-Shirted Man. Sun Huowang's face was filled with anger, as though he were losing his temper.

When he saw Shen Long, Sun Huowang's expression eased. "Shen Long, you're here."