Entanglement Technique Perfection

"It's a member of the Chen family."

Someone recognized the identity of the youth in the golden robe.

Shen Long also recognized the youth in the golden robe; his name was Chen Yishan, the youngest son of the Chen family head, and he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Chen Yishan walked up to the stall, carefully picked up an insect egg, examined it closely, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed a Snow Crystal Spider egg, but its vitality is very weak. Where did you get it?"

"I obtained it from an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling! I don't know how long it has been stored there. The vitality is indeed weak, but there is still a chance it could hatch. The Snow Spider Fairy of the Spirit Control Sect has a third-rank Snow Crystal Spider. Over a hundred years ago, when evil cultivators were wreaking havoc in the Qin Kingdom, it was the Snow Spider Fairy who stepped in to slay them, and I heard that the Snow Crystal Spider played a significant role."

The old man in the green robe explained.

"I have heard my father mention this; it is indeed true. I will buy two eggs from you!"

Chen Yishan paid one hundred spirit stones and bought two of the eggs.

With Chen Yishan's endorsement, coupled with the deeds of the Snow Spider Fairy of the Spirit Control Sect, many Qi Refining cultivators bought the eggs, and Huang Xiuyun purchased two.

Shen Long did not buy any; he struggled enough to support himself, so how could he have spare spirit stones to raise spirit insects?

He simply treated it as an interesting piece of gossip to listen to.

Shen Long walked forward, looking around as he went.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Shen Long stopped in front of a small stall. The stall owner was a young girl of about sixteen in a green dress, with delicate features, willow-leaf eyebrows, a round face, and large eyes. She had a cultivation base at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The stall was laid out with many first-rank talismans, including offensive, defensive, and auxiliary types.

"How much for a Flight Talisman?"

Shen Long asked.

He intended to buy a Flight Talisman for self-defense. A Flight Talisman could be used multiple times until its power was exhausted, at which point it would become useless.

"Twenty-five spirit stones."

The girl in the green dress had a soft, sweet voice.

"Could you make it a bit cheaper? I don't have that many spirit stones on me."

Shen Long looked troubled. There were talisman shops in the market, and a Flight Talisman there cost twenty-seven spirit stones.

"Then how much do you have?"

The girl in the green dress asked.

"Twenty-three, is that okay? I can help you introduce customers."

Shen Long said.

"The baleful aura on you is quite heavy, fellow Daoist; it seems you make your living by hunting demonic beasts! Selling them for twenty-five spirit stones is already very cheap."

A clear, melodious female voice rang out.

A fragrant breeze drifted by as a slender girl in a red dress walked over.

The girl in the red dress wore a red ruqun, her hair styled in a Lingyun bun. There was a black birthmark the size of a palm on her left cheek, making her look incredibly ugly.

"Sister, why are you here?"

Seeing the girl in the red dress, the girl in the green dress quickly stood up.

"If I didn't come over, you would have sold the talismans cheaply again."

The girl in the red dress chided, her eyes filled with doting affection.

"I wouldn't have. I promised you I would sell them at the price you set."

The girl in the green dress finished speaking, then looked at Shen Long and asked, "Do you really not have twenty-five spirit stones?"

The girl in the red dress rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Forget it, I'll sell the talismans! You go back and craft more."

"Okay."

The girl in the green dress agreed honestly, turned, and left.

"Fellow Daoist, do you still want the Flight Talisman? Twenty-five spirit stones, no bargaining."

The girl in the red dress asked.

Shen Long agreed, paid the twenty-five spirit stones, and bought a Flight Talisman.

He strolled around the plaza for a while, didn't buy anything else, and returned to his residence.

Shen Long activated the sound-insulation formation, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and began to practice his cultivation.

······

In a secluded courtyard with green tiles, there was a two-story green pavilion and a green stone gazebo.

Chen Yishan sat in the stone gazebo, while the old man in the green robe stood to the side, looking respectful.

"Well done. You sold those eggs so quickly; otherwise, they would have all been a total loss for me."

Chen Yishan praised.

He had followed his elders to a large market to purchase cultivation resources and had been deceived into buying some Snow Crystal Spider eggs at a high price. When he had his elders appraise them, they said they weren't Snow Crystal Spider eggs at all and had no chance of hatching.

Chen Yishan refused to believe it and tried to hatch them for several years, but they never did, so he finally gave up.

He found someone to set up the scheme, reselling the insect eggs to make a small profit.

"It is all thanks to you, Young Master. How would this old man dare to claim credit for such a feat?"

The old man in the green robe wore a fawning expression.

"From now on, you will work for me! I won't treat you poorly."

Chen Yishan took out thirty spirit stones and handed them to the old man in the green robe.

"Young Master, what if someone actually manages to hatch the eggs? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

The old man in the green robe asked curiously.

"I couldn't hatch them in three years; if they can, it's their own ability. Alright, I won't stay any longer. If anything comes up, contact me via the Communication Disk."

Chen Yishan stood up and left.

The old man in the green robe personally saw Chen Yishan out. After closing the courtyard gate, he flipped his right hand, revealing a cyan wooden box containing a single white insect egg.

Over half a month passed. In a secret chamber within the Martial Practice Garden.

Shen Long stood before a sand pit. With a flick of his right hand, a streak of cyan light flew out and submerged into the sand, causing a green vine as thick as an adult's arm to burst from the soil.

"Finally, I've reached the Great Perfection!"

Joy appeared on Shen Long's face.

He practiced for another half an hour, then cast a Fireball Technique to destroy the traces before leaving.

He had just walked out of the Martial Practice Garden when he happened to run into Qin Qing.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, I knew you would be here. Fellow Daoist Xu is calling us over; we've found new teammates and are preparing to head out to hunt spirit beasts."

Qin Qing said.

Shen Long nodded and accompanied Qin Qing to Xu Lei's residence. Xu Lei, Sun Yang, and Liu Xin were all there, along with a burly, thick-necked man in a red shirt and a refined-looking young man in a white shirt. Both were at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"The Xu brothers? You've abandoned your original hunting team?"

Shen Long recognized the two men.

The red-shirted man was named Xu Wu, and the white-shirted youth was named Xu Wen. The two brothers belonged to another hunting team and also made a living by hunting spirit beasts.

"The hunting team they were in was ambushed by Chen Xiong, resulting in heavy casualties. Since they still want to hunt spirit beasts, they have no choice but to join us. Rest assured, I have investigated, and the situation they described is true; there are multiple witnesses."

Xu Lei said.

Chen Xiong was the leader of another hunting team and also possessed the cultivation of the seventh level of Qi Refining. He had a grudge against Xu Lei, and the enemy of an enemy is a friend.

"Since Fellow Daoist Xu has investigated it clearly, I have no objections."

Shen Long said.

Qin Qing and Liu Xin also had no objections and agreed to let the two join.

"Fellow Daoist Sun has already found a new target—the Ice Cloud Spider. There are two late-stage first-rank Ice Cloud Spiders, and there are also spirit herbs."

Xu Lei said excitedly. A spirit beast lair does not necessarily contain spirit herbs, but the older the spirit herb, the higher its value.

"No time to lose, let's set off immediately! The sooner we go, the sooner we return."

Qin Qing said.

Xu Lei nodded, and the group left the market.

After exiting the market, Xu Lei summoned the Azure Cloud Boat and stepped onto it first. Sun Yang and the other five quickly followed.

Xu Lei pinched a spell, and the Azure Cloud Boat soared into the air, flying toward the high sky.