If a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator wanted to unleash the might of a Golden Core, there was only one way: a Golden Core Realm talisman. But such talismans were exceedingly rare even in the Capital City, and exceptionally difficult to craft.
And anyone who possessed Golden Core Realm talismans and could use them without a shred of heartache could only be a young master from a great Lineage. No one else could possibly manage it.
That really hit the mark. Having money really is great.
Scholar silently remarked to himself. Though he had once enjoyed a prominent reputation and considerable strength, he had never used a Golden Core talisman before. Ordinary Golden Core talismans certainly could not compare to his full-powered strike at his peak, but this feeling of using Spirit Stones to smash people to death... really was satisfying.
"Mm."
Chen Qiu had already prepared his explanation, but seeing that neither Scholar nor Fat Dragon nor any of the others asked further questions, he gladly spared himself the trouble. He walked up to the "Heavenly Treasure Vault" and took the items from it one by one.
The "Enlightenment Stone" that this so-called demonic cultivator had mentioned earlier cost one thousand Spirit Stones here.
Though he did not know its market price, it definitely came at a discount. A treasure like this, which could only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, would surely command an exorbitant price.
One thousand Spirit Stones to save a year of time was already a great bargain to him.
He then put away the remaining three treasures as well.
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"Random Teleportation Talisman *1." "Randomly teleport to any location within a hundred-mile radius." "10 Spirit Stones."
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"Upper-Grade Foundation Establishment Spirit-Replenishing Pill *100." "Rapidly replenishes the spiritual energy within the body." "100 Spirit Stones."
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"Demon-Attracting Incense *10." "Made from demon oil. Once lit, all demonic beasts within ten miles will violently rush toward the incense, indiscriminately attacking everyone near it." "100 Spirit Stones."
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The remaining three items were not expensive, nor were they exclusive products of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Of the six slots, only the "Enlightenment Stone" was exclusive to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. In terms from his previous life—
This crate had yielded only one red item; everything else was white.
Fortunately, they had been practically free, so he had not lost out. Besides, many of them were exactly what he urgently needed right now.
He had spent a total of 1,270 Spirit Stones, leaving 16,586.
Before leaving, Chen Qiu still tried searching the corpse. The flying sword had been completely ruined, shattering at the slightest touch. The storage ring had also broken perfectly, leaving him not even the tiniest inheritance. How nice.
The man had died cleanly and thoroughly.
"Why does it feel like there have been a lot more Foundation Establishment cultivators lately? A demonic Foundation Establishment cultivator can just pop up anywhere?"
Fat Dragon muttered as he stood before a cave.
"That's perfectly normal."
Scholar said softly, "The annual auction at Heaven-Question Market is coming up, and the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Windward City is about to open. Naturally, a great many cultivators have gathered here, making it a place where fish and dragons mingle. Windward City was originally a mortal city, so Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed uncommon here."
"There are quite a few Foundation Establishment Lineages in Windward City. Once a Foundation Establishment cultivator gathers his relatives together, that counts as a small Lineage. Some closer relatives get the title of elder."
"Ordinarily, they can still throw their weight around before mortals."
"But how many coins can mortals have in their pockets? These Foundation Establishment Lineages that mainly profit off mortals are basically just minor lackeys. The Huang Family is already considered fairly decent in Windward City, since it has two Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it is still nothing worth mentioning outside."
"The Lineages in Windward City do not count as true Lineages. True Lineages are terrifying beyond measure."
He did not continue.
After all, he had once been hunted by a Lineage until Heaven left no road above and Earth no gate below.
If they gave you face, you were Great Xia's foremost sword cultivator, a rising genius.
If they did not give you face, you were merely a lone Rogue Cultivator with no family and no support.
Unfortunately... his sword had not been fast enough.
For the entire following day, Scholar led Chen Qiu and the others around the outskirts of Windward City, searching inch by inch for places inhabited by low-level demonic beasts. Scholar alone swallowed eighty-nine Qi-Replenishing Pills.
He had nearly swallowed all the Qi-Replenishing Pills dry.
"I can't do it anymore. I can't swallow any more."
Scholar sat cross-legged on the ground, panting heavily. Looking at the pill Chen Qiu offered him, he waved it away and said in a trembling voice, "My body's tolerance for this pill is nearly maxed out. My spiritual energy can't recover anymore. This pill has very limited effect on me now. I really don't have enough spiritual energy left. How about we come back tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Chen Qiu frowned and pondered without speaking. Tomorrow was the day the secret realm opened. There was no time.
Scholar was mainly responsible for scouting out where spirit beasts could be found, then leading them there. They would light the Demon-Attracting Incense to lure in all the demonic beasts within several miles, after which Chen Qiu would kill them and sacrifice them to his Dao Foundation.
From sunrise until nearly sunset today, he had been occupied with precisely that.
But Scholar's Dao Foundation capacity was too small. After controlling his flying sword for only a short while, he would run out of spiritual energy and have no choice but to keep taking Qi-Replenishing Pills. Of the hundred Qi-Replenishing Pills they had just bought from the "Heavenly Dao Treasury," only eleven remained. And now, even the Qi-Replenishing Pills had stopped working.
"It's fine. There's another way."
Chen Qiu shook his head, then pulled a Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Spirit-Absorbing Talisman from his robes and stuck it onto Scholar. He then took out two more Spirit Stones and stuffed them into Scholar's arms. "Come on. Your spiritual energy absorption is faster now, right?"
"It is."
Scholar looked helplessly at the talisman on his body. He really wanted to say that he had not been this exhausted in a very long time. Using divine sense to control a flying sword was no easy task.
Before finding his patron, he had thought he was about to die.
After finding his patron, he felt he might as well have died.
Why was this so exhausting?
Finally—
After sunset, Chen Qiu and the others returned to Heaven-Question Market. Scholar and the other man went to their usual place, while Chen Qiu took Fat Dragon into Heaven-Question Market.
His eyes were filled with exhaustion as well. Today had worn him out badly.
Today, they had killed a full 9,890 demonic beasts, nearly slaughtering every scattered group of Qi Refining Realm demonic beasts they could find around Windward City.
Good news: Windward City would enjoy an exceptionally safe period. The villagers would no longer need to worry about demonic beasts invading their spirit fields.
Bad news: For a long time to come, Qi Refining Realm cultivators in Windward City would be unable to encounter Qi Refining Realm demonic beasts while exploring the wilds, and their cultivation progress would slow considerably.
And the width of his Dao Foundation had reached a full ten thousand li!
It had originally been one hundred and ten li wide. As half a compulsive perfectionist, he had deliberately rounded it off.
A normal Foundation Establishment cultivator's Dao Foundation was a cube, one hundred li wide and one hundred li high, looking quite harmonious. His Dao Foundation, meanwhile, had become an extremely flattened rectangular block ten thousand li wide and one hundred li high.
It was a little strange.
But it could also hold far more spiritual energy. An ordinary Foundation Establishment First Layer cultivator could use a spell like the Lightning-Channeling Art at most four or five times before exhausting the spiritual energy in his body. But if his Dao Foundation could be filled to capacity, it would be enough for him to unleash it four or five hundred times!
Do not feed him that bullshit about sword cultivators being peerless with one sword, or body cultivators suppressing the heavens with two fists.
The moment he met someone, he would drop four or five hundred Lightning-Channeling Arts on them. He wanted to see which body cultivator could withstand such a Raging Storm of attacks. Spell cultivators had differences between them too, all right?
Once he learned some body-protecting spells—
His opening move would have only two techniques.
The first technique: thousands of defensive spells rose from thin air.
The second technique: thousands of offensive spells smashed straight into your face.
His Dao Foundation was wide enough anyway, and it held enough spiritual energy. He would crush them to death even if he had to bombard them with spells.
Before you continue