Practicing Spells

It had been over half a year since their last monster hunting expedition, and Xu Lei had not contacted them to hunt any more monsters.

Without work and having mastered no other skills, they naturally had no income.

Shen Long was better off; he was a lone wolf with no one else to feed, but after half a year without income, Qin Qing was starting to get anxious.

Qin Qing possessed four spiritual roots and had only reached the sixth level of Qi Refining by the age of seventy; his path to immortality was hopeless. Qin Tianhe had three spiritual roots, and Qin Qing hoped to earn more spirit stones to purchase cultivation resources for him, allowing him to go further on the path of immortality.

"I'm not sure. Fellow Daoist Xu hasn't contacted me; he's likely still in secluded cultivation!"

Shen Long replied truthfully.

Qin Qing sighed softly. Since Xu Lei hadn't contacted them, he was most likely still in seclusion.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you've broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining. Congratulations!"

Qin Tianhe offered his congratulations, his face full of envy.

Only then did Qin Qing notice that Shen Long's aura was much stronger, and he quickly offered his own congratulations to Shen Long.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, we have matters to attend to, so we shall take our leave."

After saying this, Qin Qing took Qin Tianhe and left.

A moment later, the stone door engraved with the character "Earth" opened, and a burly man in red robes walked out. The man had a terrifying scar on his face.

Seeing Shen Long, the man in red smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you've broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining. Congratulations!"

"So it is Fellow Daoist Sun. Has Fellow Daoist Xu not come out of seclusion yet?"

Shen Long asked.

The burly man in red was named Sun Yang. He was the vice-captain of the hunting team Shen Long belonged to and was on very good terms with Xu Lei.

"Not yet. He is in seclusion to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. If there is any operation, we will notify you."

Sun Yang said.

Shen Long nodded, and after a few words of small talk, Sun Yang left.

Shen Long walked into the stone room and used the Thousand Bamboo Token to close the door.

Inside the room was a sand pit a hundred feet wide. The pit showed signs of being scorched by fire, and the stone walls were reddened; it seemed Sun Yang had just been practicing fire-attribute spells.

Shen Long began to chant, a green light lit up on his right hand, and he waved it toward the sand pit. A green light shot out and sank into the sand, and a green vine as thick as an adult's arm erupted from the pit.

He had already cultivated the Entanglement Technique to the Great Completion stage, only one step away from perfection.

Shen Long raised his right hand, and a red fireball the size of a water vat flew out, slamming into the green vine.

With a thunderous roar, the red fireball burst, turning into rolling flames that engulfed the green vine.

The Fireball Technique was at perfection, allowing for instant casting.

As the flames dissipated, the green vine vanished.

Shen Long began to chant again, a green light lit up on his right hand, and he waved it toward the sand pit. A green light flew out and sank into the sand.

A thick green vine emerged from the sand pit, its surface covered in sharp thorns.

Two hours later, Shen Long's face was pale, and the sand pit was covered in green vines.

He flicked his sleeve, and a massive red fireball flew out, slamming into the green vines and burning them to ashes.

After clearing away the traces of his spell practice, he began to chant.

Not long after, a ball of white light emerged from his right palm. He waved his right hand, and a white light flew out, transforming into a white ice spike two feet long that plunged into the sand pit.

Ice Spike Technique!

He had used the Fireball Technique to burn the green vines, and then used the Ice Spike Technique to attack the sand pit.

In this way, even if another cultivator entered this stone room to practice spells, they would never suspect that Shen Long had been practicing the Entanglement Technique.

One must always be on guard against others!

Shen Long rested for half a quarter of an hour before opening the door and walking out.

Leaving the Martial Practice Garden, he headed down the mountain.

Before long, Shen Long appeared on a wide, clean street, bustling with people, most of whom were Qi Refining cultivators.

On both sides of the street were buildings of various sizes, from green stone houses a few feet high to green pavilions over a dozen feet tall, with many cultivators entering and exiting.

As he passed a fork in the road, a young girl in a white dress in the prime of her youth and a tall young man in golden robes walked toward him.

The girl in the white dress had delicate features, willow-leaf eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes like rippling water, wearing no makeup. The young man in golden robes had handsome features and held a golden folding fan, looking every bit the dashing young master.

Both had spirit beast bags tied to their waists and were at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Shen Long naturally recognized them. The girl in the white dress was Li Ruxue, a core member of the Li Clan, and the young man in golden robes was Han Yixin, the only son of the Han Clan head.

"Ruxue, Fellow Daoist Chen is hosting a gathering. I heard many fellow daoists are attending. Since we have nothing else to do, let's go over together!"

Han Yixin said enthusiastically.

"You go ahead first! I will head over once I finish the matters at hand."

Li Ruxue said, her voice sweet.

"Alright, you must come. The descendants of Green Gourd Master will also be attending."

Han Yixin urged.

Green Gourd Master was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and an alchemist who enjoyed great renown in Thousand Bamboo Valley.

"Rest assured, I will definitely go."

Li Ruxue agreed, and the two parted ways.

Shen Long brushed past them and walked toward the distance.

The three were of similar age, yet their cultivation levels were higher than Shen Long's, and they even raised spirit beasts. They attended gatherings of fellow cultivators to expand their social circles, while Shen Long was still thinking about how to earn more spirit stones.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Shen Long appeared in a vast bluestone plaza. There were many small stalls here, and the stall owners were all Qi Refining cultivators. The items on the stalls were diverse, ranging from ores and monster materials to spirit herbs and spirit wood; the variety was extensive.

Shen Long walked and watched, and whenever he saw something strange or peculiar, he would step forward to ask the stall owner about its origin and use to broaden his knowledge.

After a while, he stopped in front of a small stall. The stall owner was a girl with picturesque features, dressed in a yellow moon-patterned dress. Her hair was styled in a cloud bun with a slanted hairpin, and three thousand strands of dark hair cascaded behind her head. She wore no makeup, and a spirit beast bag was tied at her waist.

A dozen wine jugs were displayed on the stall, and the aroma of wine was pungent.

"Fairy Huang, is the Green Peach Brew still the same price?"

Shen Long asked.

The girl in the yellow dress was Huang Xiuyun. She was a vintner who lived with her grandmother, Chen Li. They knew how to brew several types of first-tier spirit wine and made a living by selling it.

Unlike Qin Qing and his grandfather, Chen Li and Huang Xiuyun lived quite comfortably. Huang Xiuyun even raised a spirit beast, which showed that mastering a craft was very beneficial.

"That's right, does Fellow Daoist Shen want to buy a jug?"

Huang Xiuyun asked with a smile, revealing two cute dimples on her cheeks.

Green Peach Brew was a first-tier spirit wine with the effect of refining mana. One jug of Green Peach Brew cost fifteen spirit stones; this was the price Huang Xiuyun sold it for, while the spirit wine shops sold similar first-tier spirit wine at a higher price.

Shen Long nodded, took out fifteen spirit stones, and handed them to Huang Xiuyun.

Huang Xiuyun picked up a green wine jug and handed it to Shen Long.

Shen Long lifted the lid, and a faint fragrance of wine wafted out. Inside the jug was some green liquid.

He nodded, put the lid back on, tucked the jug into his storage bag, and stood up to leave.

He circled the plaza once, but failed to find any hidden treasures, so he left the plaza.