Spirit Replenishment Pills (Second Update)

Sanbao grabbed a random servant to show him the way. The Lei Mansion was simply too large, and he couldn't find the main gate at first. 💛🐜

"Yes, yes, Elder!" The servant gazed at him with admiration, his face also full of astonishment. This elder is so young, he thought.

After winding through countless twists and turns, they finally reached the gate.

The Lei Mansion's main gate stood on Central Avenue in Willow Forest City. As soon as Sanbao stepped onto the street, he spotted several familiar figures not far away. Though he couldn't remember their names, they were undoubtedly from the Hunting Hall.

He walked over and greeted them. The group soon disappeared into the crowd.

"Brother Sanbao, are you all right? Our chief has been trying to find a way to help you these past few days, but unfortunately, we couldn't get through the gates of the Lei Mansion..." When they reached a corner of an alley, they hurriedly explained.

"I'll remember your kindness, all of you. I'm fine now. Take a look at this—I'm an elder of the Lei Mansion now. Since I've run into you here, I won't come over. Go back and tell Brother Lin that I'm doing well here and he doesn't need to worry. I'll visit the hall and see the brothers when I have time." Sanbao waved the golden token at his waist.

The men stared at him in confusion. Sanbao had clearly been taken away by the Lei Mansion as a prisoner. How had he suddenly become one of their honored guests?

Sanbao offered no explanation. He only said that he'd been lucky enough to earn the Lei Family's favor, and the men were finally able to make some sense of it.

After sending them off, Sanbao wandered the streets alone.

Compared with Deer Mountain, Willow Forest City had far more Spirit Cultivators on its streets. As a result, alongside all the usual shops selling food, clothing, and other necessities, there were also plenty of businesses catering specifically to Spirit Cultivators.

Sanbao even spotted a shop called "Spirit Weapon Store" and thought, Well, look at that. Which faction is behind this place? They must be powerful to have a shop selling Spirit Weapons.

As a Treasure Refiner, Sanbao knew full well how difficult it was to produce even a single Spirit Weapon. Aside from all the materials required, the refining process itself was both time-consuming and exhausting. An ordinary Treasure Refiner could spend a year or more making one, and that wasn't even counting the chance of failure.

Without hesitation, Sanbao stepped inside. A slender woman swayed over to greet him, and when she saw his fine clothes, her smile widened.

"Good sir, our shop has the most complete selection of weapons and armor in the city. We have every kind of blade and spear, as well as soft and hard leather armor. Please, have a look."

"Isn't this a Spirit Weapon Store? Where are the Spirit Weapons?" Sanbao glanced around. The shop was filled with all sorts of weapons, but not one was a Spirit Weapon.

"You're joking, sir. How could genuine Spirit Weapons be put out on the counter for sale? Of course, if you can afford the price, our shop can still produce a few," the woman said mysteriously.

"Oh? What would an ordinary lower-grade Spirit Weapon, say, a longsword, be worth?" Sanbao asked, taking the opportunity.

"Well, I can't decide that. I'd have to ask our shopkeeper. But we don't accept ordinary money—we only take Spirit Pills. We've sold a few before, for around a dozen Spirit Replenishment Pills," the woman whispered, leaning closer to Sanbao.

Spirit Replenishment Pills were one of the indispensable pills for high-level Spirit Cultivators. Their function was simple: they rapidly restored spent spiritual energy.

Because their effect was clear and everyone needed them, they had become a common form of currency in the Spirit Cultivator world.

A dozen Spirit Replenishment Pills might not sound like much, but for an ordinary Spirit Cultivator, they were still out of reach.

Take Sanbao, for example. After he became an elder of the Lei Mansion, the Lei Family promised him an annual salary of only three to five Spirit Replenishment Pills.

Only then did Sanbao learn the going rate. At the salary he received from the Lei Mansion, it would take him years to afford a Spirit Weapon.

With his pockets empty and no real intention of buying one in the first place, Sanbao soon found an excuse to leave, much to the woman's dismay.

"What kind of person does that? He made me waste all that time talking. If he can't afford a Spirit Weapon, he could at least buy an ordinary weapon..."

Sanbao spent most of the day wandering up and down the busiest stretch of Central Avenue in Willow Forest City. Only when the sun was setting did he finally stroll back to the Lei Mansion.

Less than a hundred meters from the gate, two Golden Horned Beasts galloped past behind him. Sanbao quickly turned his face away and lowered his head, not wanting to cross paths with their riders.

As they say, enemies are bound to meet. To his surprise, he ran into the Lei siblings again.

"Whoa..."

Lei Yun had sharp eyes and spotted Sanbao at once. She leaped down from her Unicorn and stared at him in astonishment.

"Who was bold enough to let you out? And why are you wearing our Lei Mansion elder's— Guards! Seize him!" At Second Miss Lei's call, the guards in front of the mansion, who had been idling about, hurriedly surrounded Sanbao.

Sanbao stood calmly, a smug smile on his face. He raised the golden elder token in his hand and called out at an unhurried pace,

"Are you tired of living? You dare arrest an elder of this mansion?"

The guards immediately realized who he was. Wasn't this the newly arrived Elder Luo? They'd just been told to treat him well.

"You? An elder?"

Lei Yun laughed in fury. Without the slightest hesitation, she lashed out at Sanbao with her beast whip, then shouted to the others, "What are you standing around for? Get him! Third Brother, hurry and help. This brat is slippery!"

The guards naturally didn't dare make a move. They only tried to talk her down from the sidelines, while one of them hurried back to report to the inner mansion.

But the Lei siblings didn't listen to a word. They both charged at him.

Sanbao gave a cold laugh. He'd been afraid of the Lei Family's power and hadn't dared offend them before. But now he was part of the Lei Mansion. Since that was the case, it was time to repay them for the days they'd kept him locked up.

The Nine-Turn Golden Body stirred to life. His hands became ten streaks of golden light as he swept them toward Lei Yun and her younger brother.

Hiss! Pfft!

With two dull thuds, the Third Young Master Lei, whose strength amounted to no more than a five-star Spirit Scholar, had his fine clothes torn to shreds. Sanbao then struck him down with the force of a thunderbolt, slamming him onto the ground. His dog-eating-dirt sprawl made even the Lei Mansion guards struggle to stifle their laughter.

"Your turn."

Sanbao radiated killing intent as he waved his hands and slowly closed in on Lei Yun, sneering.

Lei Yun retreated in a hurry, clutching her chest with both hands. She was an innocent young maiden. If that bastard tore her clothes in front of everyone and slammed her onto the ground too, she'd never be able to show her face again.

More importantly, Sanbao had kicked her in the butt last time, leaving a shadow in her heart. Seeing him look ready to get violent, she immediately grew nervous.

"Y-you... What do you want?" Lei Yun was only around twenty, a girl in the bloom of youth. Once she saw how fierce Sanbao was, fear began to take hold of her.

"You—you useless fools! Why aren't you protecting me?" Lei Yun turned and vented her anger on the guards.

The guards didn't dare neglect her. They hurried over and stood in front of her, shielding her from Sanbao.

Only then did Sanbao lower his hands. He laughed, clapped them together, and strode away, leaving Lei Yun's face a patchwork of red, white, and green.

"I'm going to—I'm going to kill you!" Lei Yun shouted, looking utterly dejected, but she didn't move a muscle. She was genuinely afraid Sanbao might lose his temper and tear her clothes off.

Only when a middle-aged man appeared did Lei Yun seem to find someone she could rely on.

"Second Uncle, you have to avenge me! That damned brat..."

"Father, that brat beat me up!" Lei San, still on the ground, seized the chance to complain too.

"All right, Yun'er. He's a rare Artifact Refiner, and now he's also our Guest Elder. The family thinks highly of him. You know the Lei Family needs capable people right now. I say let it go..."

"But... but..."

Leaving the two outside the gate to argue among themselves, Sanbao felt refreshed after delivering a sharp blow to Lei Yun's arrogance. He'd finally repaid her for locking him in the Dark Room these past few days.

Without the family's protection, Lei Yun was nothing but a paper tiger.

The family was every clan member's guardian.

All at once, Sanbao thought of the Luo Clan on Deer Mountain, of Shisan, and of the Tianlan Empire he'd never visited.

Even more deeply, he thought of his parents, who were far away in another world.

He wondered how they were doing.

Inside the Training Room.

Spiritual energy churned, and layer upon layer of golden light flashed through the air. Ah...

With a loud roar, Sanbao finally stopped moving. Sweat had long since soaked through his clothes, and he looked somewhat exhausted. He'd practiced the Nine-Fold Claw for two whole hours.

After pouring all his homesickness into his cultivation, Sanbao finally felt a little calmer. He walked out of the room, intending to wash up, when a loud shout rang out from outside.

"Luo, get out here! I, your young lady, am challenging you to settle things once and for all today!"

After Sanbao left, Lei Yun had grown more and more aggrieved. She'd been frightened by a one-star Spirit General, and he hadn't even had a Spirit Weapon on him. Worst of all, he'd given Second Miss Lei a thorough beating right at the gates of the Lei Mansion. This was intolerable!

Yet the Lei Family was protecting Sanbao to the hilt, with no intention of standing up for her. With no other choice, Lei Yun rushed alone to the Elder Pavilion and demanded the right to challenge Sanbao.

"What? Aren't you afraid I'll really tear your clothes?" Sanbao wiped the sweat from his body with a towel and casually tied his long black hair behind his head. Bare-chested, he walked out with an untroubled smile.

A cold shower after training felt wonderful.

Sixteen-year-old Sanbao already had a tall, sturdy build. With the powerful body-refining effects of the Nine-Turn Golden Body, every line of muscle stood out on his body. Anyone could tell he was bursting with strength.

A distinctly masculine presence swept toward the young woman across from him.

"You—you..."