Eight-Level Eight Trigram Fist and Shadowless Illusionary Steps

Su Shi'er wasn't particularly knowledgeable, but he wasn't stupid either. No matter how much the other man talked up his wares, he just smiled and said nothing.

Once the man finished, he finally spoke: "I don't know how powerful these two manuals are, but they're meant for martial artists. For a cultivator, they shouldn't be worth much, right?"

Zhu Hanwei's mouth twitched, and he gave an awkward laugh. "It's not that they're completely useless. At least in the early stages, they can still boost your strength a bit."

He knew full well that in the eyes of cultivators, this kind of martial arts manual wasn't just worthless—it was looked down upon. Otherwise, he'd have sold them off long ago.

All this talk was just an attempt to drive up the price.

"How many Foundation Cultivation Pills do you want for these three books?" Su Shi'er didn't bother arguing and asked directly.

"Eight... no, six!" Zhu Hanwei started, then saw Su Shi'er's expression sour and quickly changed his tune.

"Three. If you want to trade, do it now." Su Shi'er stared at him for a moment, then set the three books down without another glance.

Foundation Cultivation Pills were something he could get as many as he wanted, but he had no intention of being generous. That kind of secret had to stay buried in his own belly.

"Huh? Only three? That's way too few. At least five!" Zhu Hanwei's mouth fell open, his face twisting as if he'd been grievously wronged.

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw Su Shi'er turn to leave and quickly shouted, "Four! Martial Brother, how about four at least!"

"Fine." This time, Su Shi'er didn't push back.

He didn't care at all how Zhu Hanwei had gotten these books. For him, as long as they broadened his knowledge and boosted his strength, a few measly Foundation Cultivation Pills were well worth it.

Soon, Su Shi'er traded four high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills for the three books, and another two pills for two hundred forty taels of silver. Then he parted ways with Zhu Hanwei and continued hurrying toward the Waste Pill Room.

Zhu Hanwei watched Su Shi'er's retreating figure, his eyes narrowing into a smile.

"Who'd have thought those random books I picked up would be worth so much. With these high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills, my chances of awakening my spiritual root just went up a notch."

Grinning, he quickly stashed his gains and ran off toward his own quarters.

Waste Pill Room.

As soon as Su Shi'er returned, he started practicing according to the contents of the two martial arts manuals.

These two techniques weren't particularly exquisite, but the methods of exerting force and the combat skills involved opened his eyes.

Compared to before, he'd just been relying on brute strength.

For that reason, he'd even set up a few wooden dummies in the yard.

In just seven days, he'd mastered both techniques.

In the yard, Su Shi'er moved with phantom steps, his body incredibly agile, drifting and elusive, impossible to pin down.

From time to time, he threw out punches and palm strikes, slamming them into the dummies.

"Bam, bam, bam..."

The strikes landed, but they shed their drifting grace, becoming wide and forceful, with a fierce, overwhelming power.

The dummies shattered on impact.

As another palm strike was about to land on a dummy, Su Shi'er had a sudden inspiration.

His hands moved, and true essence surged within him.

At the moment of the strike, a fist-sized fireball appeared in his palm.

The fireball radiated intense heat, and before it could be launched, he pressed it directly into the dummy.

"Whoosh~"

The next second, a burst of flame shot upward. The dummy was incinerated on the spot.

Feeling that less than a tenth of his true essence had been consumed, Su Shi'er's face lit up with joy.

"It actually works?! With this, even without traps, I can easily kill those Low-Tier Demonic Beasts!"

"If Fire Control Technique can combine with this martial art, what about Wind Calling Technique?"

His eyes flickered, and Su Shi'er immediately stepped into phantom steps, charging toward the farthest wooden dummy.

"Wind Call!"

As he lifted his leg, a gust of wind surged from behind him.

His body glided through the air, and when he landed, he'd already passed the farthest dummy.

"The wind's too strong, but the idea works!"

Su Shi'er beamed like he'd discovered a new continent and continued practicing with renewed enthusiasm.

Before he knew it, the time came for his appointment with that handyman disciple from the Pill Pavilion.

That afternoon, two figures appeared halfway up Cuihuan Mountain, where the Waste Pill Room was located.

One of them, with a face full of rough flesh, was the handyman disciple from the Pill Pavilion.

The other was a young man, no older than fifteen or sixteen, with an upright appearance. A long sword was strapped to his back, giving him a slightly dashing look.

"Truly, I don't know how you've been cultivating all these years—you can't even beat a disciple who's only been here half a year." The Sword-Bearing Youth pursed his lips and said with irritation.

The menial disciple followed beside the youth, as docile as a little chick.

"It really isn't my fault! I never expected that kid to be a Qi Refiner, and he struck without a word! I told him that bottle of High-Grade Spirit Pill was reserved for you, Martial Brother, but he still snatched it away!" The menial disciple put on a mournful face, stirring up trouble the moment he opened his mouth.

"Hmph! I'd like to see for myself where a newcomer gets the nerve to steal my things!" The Sword-Bearing Youth snorted coldly, glaring fiercely at the menial disciple.

"But the goods were lost on your watch—don't you owe me an explanation?!"

The menial disciple shrank his neck and gave an awkward smile. "Rest assured, Martial Brother, I'll take responsibility for this. These two Level One Escape Light Talismans were hard-won on my part."

With that, the menial disciple winced in pain as he pulled two three-inch-long, one-inch-wide earth-yellow talismans from his bosom.

Seeing this, the Sword-Bearing Youth snatched the talismans away, then grinned, his gaze fixed on the mountain as he quickened his pace.

Soon, the two arrived outside the Waste Pill Room.

"Martial Brother, I'll knock!"

Seeing the locked door, the menial disciple's eyes lit up, and he moved to knock.

"Knock? Hmph, no need!"

The Sword-Bearing Youth snorted coldly, a flash of cold light in his eyes as a fist-sized fireball appeared in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

The fireball shot through the air and exploded against the door.

Inside the courtyard, Su Shi'er was reading a book. He had already grown alert upon hearing footsteps outside.

But before he could react, the courtyard gate vanished in a burst of flames.

Then, two figures walked in.

"It's you? So... you're going back on your word?" Su Shi'er raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping past the menial disciple and landing on the Sword-Bearing Youth beside him.

Such dense spiritual power—Qi Refining Stage, second level?!

Seeing that person, Su Shi'er's heart jolted.

A cultivator's cultivation level could generally be discerned unless they deliberately concealed their aura. Of course, if the gap in realm was too great, a lower realm cultivator could not perceive a higher realm one. Conversely, a higher realm cultivator could see through a lower realm cultivator at a glance, unless the latter had a special technique to hide their aura.