"Spirit Stones Are Meant to Be Spent"

"Two spirit stones for a month of risking your life."

"Life and death are your own responsibility. No regrets."

Fat Dragon stepped forward and explained in a low voice, "There are many people here who sell their lives like this. Usually, they've run into some difficulty, desperately need money, and have no other way out, so they can only come here to sell their lives."

"But it's hard to tell the real from the fake. Quite a few take the spirit stones and run, or drag their feet and slack off."

Two spirit stones were no small sum.

For an ordinary mortal family of three, their total annual income was only around sixty taels of silver—not even one spirit stone. Two spirit stones were enough for a mortal family to struggle for three years.

But in the cultivation world, two spirit stones were not so out of reach. This man was at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm, and he was worth about that much.

Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the man before him and walked straight ahead along the main road.

Whenever they entered a new area or came across something unfamiliar, Fat Dragon could always explain it clearly like a guide. Chen Qiu had also discovered that while Fat Dragon might be a little cowardly, his ability to gather intelligence was absolutely not to be underestimated.

In less than five months since arriving in this world, Fat Dragon had already gotten a fairly thorough grasp of it.

Before long, they sold off their treasures and all the storage bags they had no use for in Area Seven, the "Trading District." Prices were transparent here. Cultivation techniques and mental cultivation arts produced by Heavenly Dao Secret Realms never lacked buyers, and there would be no tricks with the pricing.

Chen Qiu kept one spirit treasure for himself and gave one to Fat Dragon.

He kept two Yellow Grade, Lower Class cultivation techniques and one Yellow Grade, Middle Class mental cultivation art for himself, while leaving Fat Dragon two Yellow Grade, Lower Class cultivation techniques. The rest, along with various odds and ends looted from Huang Shikai—

As well as the spirit stones inside Huang Shikai's storage bag—

Brought their total gains this time to fifty spirit stones.

Following their previous seventy-thirty agreement, Chen Qiu kept thirty-five spirit stones for himself and stuffed the remaining fifteen into a storage bag before handing it to Fat Dragon. Just as the two were about to leave the shop—

"Please wait, you two."

The shopkeeper responsible for purchasing goods blocked their path with a broad smile. "A friendly reminder: something rather significant happened in Windward City today. Apparently, a Slaughter-Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appeared last night."

"One hundred people entered, but only two came out alive."

"One person's identity is unknown. The other was said to be nothing more than a drifter who made his living cutting firewood in the mountains. When the secret realm closed, quite a crowd had gathered outside, yet those two somehow escaped the chaos."

"Even the young master of Windward City's Huang Family died inside."

"I hear the Huang Family is quite enraged. They gathered their clansmen overnight and are waiting in Heaven-Question Market for the other party to walk into their net. After all, if one wants to sell the gains from a secret realm within a hundred-mile radius, one must surely pass through Heaven-Question Market."

"The moment you entered this shop, someone had already set their eyes on you. Fighting is forbidden within the market, but once you leave through its gates, it's a mass graveyard out there."

"You two should be careful."

"..."

Chen Qiu calmly looked at the smiling shopkeeper before him. After a brief pause, he took several taels of loose silver from his sleeve and placed them on the table. "Thank you, Shopkeeper."

"If fate allows, we'll meet again."

He did not linger further. He simply stepped out of the shop, completely ignoring the several grim-faced, ill-intentioned burly men standing nearby, and continued forward along the main road.

He could understand why the Huang Family would seek revenge.

If his own son had died, he would certainly seek revenge too.

But Huang Shikai had wanted to kill him, and he could not simply sit there and await death. Still, it was a troublesome matter. He would have to find a way to send the whole family down to reunite.

"Hey!"

Fat Dragon, absentmindedly watching Chen Qiu stride quickly ahead, could not help hurrying after him and blocking his path, his expression anxious. "Brother Chen Qiu, why do you look like you don't care at all?"

"The Huang Family is hunting us down!"

"What are you so shocked about?"

Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Dragon and replied casually, "When heaven sends rain and a mother remarries, when a son dies and his family comes for revenge—isn't that only natural? Why do you look so surprised?"

"What I mean is, the moment we leave Heaven-Question Market, we'll be surrounded and attacked by Huang Family clansmen! They're prepared this time. It probably won't be so easy to escape again with the Earth-Escaping Technique and the Illusion Technique!!!"

"Mm."

Chen Qiu nodded lightly, finally stopping outside a shop in Area Eight, the "Demonic Beast District." "I know what I'm doing. I'll rent a room at the inn opposite this shop in a moment. Go gather information about the Huang Family's strength and the cultivation levels of the people they've sent this time."

"As long as we don't leave the market, we're safe for now. We'll meet again in one hour."

Although Fat Dragon was still uneasy, he felt that Chen Qiu's words made some sense. He nodded frantically, then hurried away.

Watching Fat Dragon's retreating figure—

Chen Qiu said nothing more. He simply walked into the shop before him. "Shopkeeper, how much are adult demonic beasts at the Qi Refining Realm?"

One incense stick later.

Chen Qiu was already in a guest room at the inn opposite the shop. The shopkeeper was all smiles as he delivered one heavily wounded demonic beast after another, each locked inside a cage, into the room.

The innkeeper stood nearby as well, cheerfully helping out.

Everyone looked exceedingly friendly.

In principle, the innkeeper would never allow a guest to slaughter a large number of living creatures in a guest room. This was an inn, not a slaughterhouse. But this guest had offered five times the price.

After everyone had left.

Chen Qiu looked at the dozens of heavily wounded demonic beasts before him, locked in cages and sprawled on the ground. They panted heavily, bared their fangs, and kept snarling at him. Slowly, he drew the long saber from his chest. This was the spirit treasure he had obtained from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

Yellow Grade, Lower Class.

Its name was Heaven-Slayer.

The name was rather domineering. Once his cultivation broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and spiritual energy could flow outside his body, he could pour spiritual energy into this spirit treasure to unleash its full power. At the Qi Refining Realm, however, he could only use it as an ordinary weapon that cut through iron like mud.

Even so, it was certainly far more useful than his firewood-chopping blade.

He had spent thirty-two spirit stones, nearly emptying all his possessions, to purchase this batch of adult demonic beasts.

Twenty-seven Red-Eyed Wolves at the Fourth and Fifth Levels of the Qi Refining Realm.

Four Broken-Tail Monkeys at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Three Armored Crocodiles at the Seventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm.

One Porcupine Boar at the Eighth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Thirty-two spirit stones—even most Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators did not possess such wealth. It was no small amount. Otherwise, why would the shopkeeper selling demonic beasts, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, greet a little Qi Refining Realm cultivator like him with such a beaming smile?

He had even included the beasts being beaten to the brink of death for free.

Spirit stones were meant to be spent. If he used them all on cultivating mental cultivation arts, his cultivation would certainly improve more, but it would also take far longer. Compared to spirit stones, what he lacked more was time.