Unwelcome Guest

A soft "chi" sound rang out as the silver needle pierced deep into the wooden door, its long tip protruding from the other side.

Gao Xian was both surprised and delighted; the White Plum Needles were much heavier than ordinary sewing needles due to their special material, and their power increased significantly when propelled by mana.

However, the claim that they could penetrate heavy armor within ten paces was clearly Huang Ying's sales pitch and could not be taken seriously.

Back home, Gao Xian felt as though he had been played; he had likely overpaid for this set of White Plum Needles.

Fortunately, they were still usable, so it wasn't a total waste of money.

Huang Ying had also had someone sew two custom sleeves into his robe, which were essentially layered pockets.

He had originally had sleeves, but these custom ones were more refined, with a more logical layered layout.

With these two sleeve pockets, he could categorize his magic talismans, spirit stones, pills, and magic tools, making them convenient to access.

Gao Xian was very satisfied with this modification; his Lightning Dragon Hand was both fast and nimble, allowing him to retrieve the items hidden in his sleeves with maximum speed.

With so many things in his sleeves, he had to be even more careful when using the White Plum Needles.

In particular, the needle holes of the Silver Bracer were pressed right against his wrist, and one wrong move could easily injure himself.

The hollow Silver Bracer contained hidden runes, and by stimulating these runes with mana, the White Plum Needles hidden in the empty slots could be launched.

According to Huang Ying, the White Plum Needles were extremely light and required very little mana to activate, making them perfect for a cultivator at his second level of Qi Refining.

However, to manipulate the needles after they were fired, he needed to nourish them with mana every day until a stable connection was established between him and the needles, allowing him to control them at will.

Huang Ying knew he was completely ignorant about controlling magic tools and had kindly explained many basics to him.

Following the method Huang Ying taught, Gao Xian held a White Plum Needle in his hand, focused his mind, and visualized the stimulation of his mana.

Sister Lan emerged from deep within Gao Xian's brow, and a ray of spiritual light descended from her; in a daze, Gao Xian felt an invisible connection form between him and the White Plum Needle.

Gao Xian tried to manipulate the White Plum Needle, transmitting his consciousness to Sister Lan deep in his brow, who then stimulated the mana to control the needle.

At the same time, he silently recited the incantation to activate the White Plum Needle.

With his intent, voice, and body in resonance, the three-inch-long silver needle slowly floated into the air.

Gao Xian could control the White Plum Needle, but he always felt it was a bit unstable, making it difficult to apply force or maintain control.

He was reminded of his first time learning to ride a bicycle; it wasn't hard to sit on the bike, but mastering the balance was difficult, and the bike would wobble, making it hard to control the direction and speed.

This flying needle was just like that hard-to-control bicycle, only much more difficult.

Fortunately, Sister Lan was there to oversee the situation, helping to gather his divine intent, condense the magic seals, and control the mana. With her handling the most difficult technical details, controlling the White Plum Needle became much simpler.

After only a few attempts, Gao Xian had mastered the basic tricks of controlling the White Plum Needle.

Once he placed the White Plum Needle into the bracer's slot to fire it, the speed of the mana-propelled needle was incredibly fast, making it a hundred times harder to control.

It was like someone who couldn't even ride a bicycle trying to ride a motorcycle at two hundred miles per hour.

The fired White Plum Needle instantly went out of control, piercing the wooden door at high speed, completely missing Gao Xian's intended target.

Fortunately, the mana consumed each time he fired the White Plum Needle was very low, which allowed Gao Xian to practice repeatedly.

Having grown accustomed to the stable order of his previous life, Gao Xian could not get used to this dangerous world of cultivation, and his heart was constantly filled with anxiety.

In modern society, one could at least be fed and clothed while lying flat, and there was no threat to one's life.

In this world, one wrong move could lead to being killed by someone else.

To protect himself, the most reliable path was to increase his own strength.

If there were no way, so be it, but he possessed a rare treasure like the Wind and Moon Mirror, which provided a clear path to increasing his power; he had to grind, to become the king of grinding in the world of cultivation!

With this realization, Gao Xian spent all his time practicing spells and the White Plum Needles.

Relying on the Great Idol Spirit Method and the Lightning Dragon Hand, Gao Xian's cultivation progressed rapidly, improving by leaps and bounds.

Within a few days, the White Plum Needles reached the proficiency level.

Gao Xian could now fire four White Plum Needles at once and could control them to change direction and accelerate mid-flight.

Within ten paces, the accuracy of the White Plum Needles was quite good. Beyond ten paces, the needles would drift and lose control.

Once he reached the proficiency level, the speed at which his skills improved slowed down significantly.

With the Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb spells, plus the White Plum Needles magic tool, Gao Xian finally felt a bit more confident.

Cultivation was not just about killing and fighting; it was mostly about the mundane necessities of life.

Gao Xian wanted to cultivate all day, but he still had to refine pills.

Only by refining pills could he earn spirit stones, and only with spirit stones could he purchase spirit rice, magic tools, pills, and all other essential resources.

He had enough medicinal herbs left to refine one more batch of Foundation Strengthening Pill, and he had to start as soon as possible to get them done.

With all the herbs prepared, Gao Xian lit the fire and started the furnace.

Gao Xian was now exceptionally skilled and proficient at refining low-level pills like the Foundation Strengthening Pill.

During the gaps in the tedious and boring pill refining work, he could pet his cat, read books, or meditate.

However, he couldn't cook. Fortunately, there was the White Dew Pill; one pill could sustain him for a whole day, providing more spiritual energy than spirit rice or the meat of demonic beasts.

It was simple, convenient, and fast to take—truly a divine medicine essential for home and travel.

Gao Xian had prepared some monster meat strips for the kitten in advance, enough for it to eat.

After three days of brewing, the fresh and steaming Foundation Strengthening Pill was finally ready.

It was just a large puddle of green goo, looking somewhat like thick mung bean porridge.

Gao Xian rolled the pills by hand and coated them in cinnabar to seal in their medicinal properties. Thanks to the Lightning Dragon Hand, he performed these simple tasks as quickly as an automated assembly line.

With the work finally finished, he could now proceed with his plan.

Gao Xian couldn't help but hum a little tune. Just as he was feeling happy, he heard a faint, unusual sound.

Gao Xian's heart tightened. It was the middle of the night and raining; who would come knocking at this hour?

He hurriedly wiped his hands and drew a Golden Body Talisman from his sleeve pocket, keeping it ready.

At the same time, Gao Xian blew out the oil lamp nearby.

The room plunged into darkness, with only the remaining embers in the alchemy furnace casting a dull red glow.

Gao Xian retreated from the area illuminated by the charcoal fire. He pressed himself carefully against the wall, raising his left hand with the White Plum Needles pointed toward the doorway.

He had absolutely no experience dealing with such sudden danger. His heart was pounding wildly with nervousness, his breathing was rapid, and his hand gripping the Golden Body Talisman felt slick with sweat.

After waiting for a while, the sound of the night rain pattering outside made the surroundings seem unusually quiet; other than that, he couldn't hear a thing.

This stillness only made the atmosphere more oppressive. Gao Xian couldn't help but shout, "Who's out there?!"

Because he was so tense, Gao Xian's voice sounded somewhat shrill, though he was completely unaware of it.

Old Wang, hiding outside the door, heard it clearly. A look of disdainful mockery appeared on his aged face. The brat usually put on a decent act, and he had even blown out the lamp and hidden himself with quick reflexes just a moment ago, but it turned out he was so scared he was about to wet himself!

He had been so cautious for nothing; it hadn't been necessary at all.

Old Wang felt he had gauged Gao Xian's worth, and he gained confidence.

He stepped forward and banged on the door twice. "Open up, Little Gao, it's me!"

Amidst the sound of the pouring rain, Old Wang's aged voice carried an extra hint of gloom.

Gao Xian, inside the alchemy room, felt a jolt in his heart. It really was Old Wang!

He hurriedly said, "I'm in the middle of alchemy; it's not convenient right now. Come back tomorrow..."

"That won't do. I have urgent business."

Old Wang, growing impatient, pushed against the door until it rattled, but it wouldn't budge.

Gao Xian was timid; he had long since locked the solid wood door firmly with a heavy bolt.

Old Wang was also experienced. Not wanting to waste his strength on the door, he threw his body against the window, smashing the lattice to pieces and charging into the alchemy room.

"What are you doing?"

Gao Xian let out a startled cry and shrank into the corner, hurriedly activating the Golden Body Talisman.

A flash of golden spiritual light flickered in his sleeve, plating Gao Xian's body in a faint, dim yellow luster.

Activating such a magical talisman required the corresponding incantation. Gao Xian had Sister Lan to help him with the incantations, allowing him to trigger the Golden Body Talisman silently and instantly.

Gao Xian felt as if he had put on a layer of translucent, tight-fitting armor; there was a strong sense of being wrapped up.

His muscles tensed naturally, and his body felt filled with power. Although he didn't know the exact effects of the Golden Body Talisman, it gave Gao Xian two parts more sense of security and a bit more confidence.

In the dim room lit only by the charcoal fire, Old Wang didn't notice the anomaly on Gao Xian.

He gripped his sword and sneered at Gao Xian: "Look at your cowardly state, what are you afraid of? I don't eat people..."

The alchemy room was thick with the scent of medicine. Old Wang caught a glimpse of a dense mass of pills spread out on the table.

Although he couldn't see the pills clearly in the dim light, the familiar smell of the Foundation Strengthening Pill could not deceive him.

Old Wang's eyes lit up instantly. So many Foundation Strengthening Pills—they were worth at least several dozen spirit stones...