Does the Heavenly Dao Sect Have Inflation Too?

Who said cultivating immortality meant you did not have to mind human relationships?

Whether it was the book of seniors' experience Xiang Sui had given him, or the Wood Spirit Flower Spirit Seed Liang Kuan had gifted him, both had clearly been chosen with care.

Though the gifts were not especially precious, they were of great help to Zhu Yu. They earned goodwill without making anyone look like a fool throwing money away.

Naturally, Zhu Yu was happy to befriend the two of them.

After spending more than half a month together, he had gradually figured out their temperaments. Xiang Sui was carefree and uninhibited, unconcerned with trifles, while Liang Kuan was cheerful, seemingly simple-minded yet attentive beneath the surface. Both were good people worth befriending.

Of course, they also hoped to rely on him to earn Spirit Stones by holding classes, but was that not exactly what he wanted? With their interests bound together, the relationship among the three would only grow deeper.

Zhu Yu toyed with the Wood Spirit Flower Spirit Seed for a moment, tucked it into his cloth bag, then stirred his thoughts and summoned the True Sight Eye to analyze its information.

The next instant.

A vast amount of information about the technique "Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating" surged forth from the depths of his mind.

A short while later.

After digesting the memories, Zhu Yu rubbed his swollen brow. Once he had recovered for several breaths, he closed his eyes and concentrated. A diagram emerged in his mind, narrow at the top and broad at the bottom, shaped like a flask, formed from six lines of varying thickness and length, each stained a different color.

It was the Dharma Vein Diagram for the Secondary Stomach of "Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating."

At the same time, every material required to construct the Second Stomach Sac surfaced one by one.

Naturally, the materials could not be the stomach sac of a great demon Iron-Eating Beast. If one truly cultivated using its stomach sac, this technique would not merely be First-Order Lower Grade.

The material was the stomach sac of a First-Order Middle Grade demon beast called the Mang Toad.

According to the technique's records.

A Mang Toad's stomach sac was born with the effect of shrinking objects. It could swallow an elephant whole; the Second Stomach Sac cultivated from it might appear small and exquisite, yet it could hold the contents of an entire space. Moreover, as it was nurtured by Spiritual Power, the space within would continue expanding.

Its effect resembled the storage bags from the novels of Zhu Yu's previous life.

Besides the main material, there were many supplementary materials: one zhang of natal spider silk from a First-Order Upper Grade Flame Spider, one liang of powdered shell from a Lower Grade Water Spirit Clam, one cup of Lower Grade Spirit Spring water... and so on...

"Mang Toad stomach sac, Flame Spider silk..."

Coming back to himself, Zhu Yu retrieved the book Treasures of the World and flipped through it while counting the spiritual materials needed to construct the technique.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Zhu Yu confirmed that the Sect sold every spiritual item needed to cultivate the Second Stomach Sac, but the prices far exceeded his expectations.

Take the Mang Toad stomach sac, for instance.

Not only could it be used to cultivate techniques, it could also be refined by an Artifact Refiner into a Beast Bag capable of holding a spaceful of items. Though it lacked the ability to grow, it was easy to carry and worth five hundred Spirit Stones.

As the main ingredient, a single Mang Toad stomach sac cost two hundred Spirit Stones.

As for Flame Spider silk, its uses were widespread. It was sold by the chi, at ten Spirit Stones per chi.

Adding the miscellaneous supplementary spiritual materials, cultivating this Second Stomach Sac would cost nearly four hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

"Hiss..."

Although Zhu Yu had accumulated nearly six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones through teaching the Basic Visualization Method, he still could not help sucking in a cold breath when he learned the cost.

And this was only the Second Stomach Sac, which possessed no offensive power. What about the Primary Stomach? The Spirit Stones required would likely be another horrifying figure.

"Does the Heavenly Dao Sect have inflation too? These Spirit Stones are far too easy to spend..."

Zhu Yu was speechless inside.

This did not even include the value of the technique itself. If that were counted as well, the cost of cultivating a single technique would likely be even greater.

Now he thoroughly understood the gulf between Qi Refining and not having entered Qi Refining.

He had originally thought Spirit Stones were quite durable, that the more he spent, the more he seemed to have. But now, he only wanted Xiang Sui to start the Grand Lecture sooner. Otherwise, once the half-year deadline passed and he entered the Insect Nest or Demon Cave alone and unaccompanied, just thinking about it told him how thrilling it would be.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Yu decided to first visit the Affairs Hall and register his information, see what treatment entry disciples received, then decide whether to cultivate the Second Stomach Sac.

A storage space that could grow was certainly useful, but it was of little use to him for the time being.

After pondering for a while, Zhu Yu suppressed his stray thoughts and recalled some records left by the Xiang Family's seniors regarding concealing one's aura.

Concealing one's own aura was not difficult.

One only needed to use Divine Sense to envelop the ring within the Divine Sea, and it would naturally cut off the leakage of one's aura.

Yet doing so brought no benefits and quite a few drawbacks.

The ring in the Divine Sea rotated without pause. First, it drew spiritual energy into the body, replenishing spiritual energy and nourishing the physique. Second, it radiated the aura of Spiritual Power, gradually transforming the body into a dwelling suited for the divine soul and Spirit Root.

At the same time, the radiation of Spiritual Power would slowly improve the dwelling's environment, making it easier to attract and gather spiritual energy suitable and compatible with oneself, as well as nurture Spirit Stones and spiritual objects.

Not concealing one's aura brought countless benefits.

Concealing it was not only harmful and useless, it also consumed a great deal of Divine Sense.

"No wonder they all act like that..."

Zhu Yu now somewhat understood why those cultivators who lingered in the newly promoted disciples' residential area so brazenly released their auras.

There might have been an element of showing off, but they had most likely simply grown accustomed to it.

Zhu Yu tested using Divine Sense to conceal his aura, then dispersed it again. He would not do something harmful and useless. His gaze fell upon Little Black, curled up in the corner and already as large as a washbasin.

After thinking it over, he decided that before it had drawn in spiritual energy, he should continue raising it outside. Otherwise, it might be eroded to death by his aura within a few days.

After letting Little Black out, Zhu Yu returned to the bed and closed his eyes in concentration. While controlling the ring to draw in spiritual energy, he continuously expended Spiritual Power on himself, accelerating the transformation of his physique.

Time flowed away like water.

The next day.

Zhu Yu opened his eyes and sensed that his physique had grown much stronger. With a stir of his thoughts, he summoned his information panel.

[Attributes: Physique 1.8, Spirit 36.2]

The difference between Qi Refining and not having entered Qi Refining was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Over a single night, his physique had increased by a full 0.6. Naturally, the two First-Order Lower Grade Blood-Qi Pills he had taken had also played a part.

Previously, because he possessed only a mortal body, he had been unable to digest the medicinal power contained within them. Now that he had advanced into Qi Refining, the accumulated medicinal power of the Blood-Qi Pills in his body had finally begun to truly take effect under the radiation of his Spiritual Power aura.

"Not bad."

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction, rose from the bed, casually stretched his limbs, pushed open the door, and walked out.

At this time.

Six full moons on the dome of the sky cast down a cold radiance. The path was silent and deserted, while clumps of grass and plants emitting specks of phosphorescent light swayed in the wind. From afar, they resembled a flowing river of light.

Zhu Yu instructed Little Black to remain at home, brushed at the nonexistent dust on his clothes, then slowly stepped onto the path and headed toward the Sutra Lecture Hall.

Not long after he left.

The door of a stone house nearby opened, and a delicately featured young woman with heavy dark circles beneath her eyes hurried excitedly from her room toward the neighboring house.

She lightly knocked on the door. When no one answered for a long while, her expression dimmed somewhat, but she quickly recovered, rallied her spirits, and silently said:

"Once I reach Qi Refining, I'll return the Spirit Stones for the lessons to you, Senior Brother Zhu...!"

As if she had thought of something happy, a smile appeared on Tong Xuan's face. Humming a little tune, she turned and returned to her stone house.