Cave Abode lv1 [Please Read On]

Ji Yuan had previously been plagued by a lack of Spirit Stones, so he had been unable to upgrade his buildings.

Even when he had finally managed to get a few Spirit Stones, he had needed to save them up to buy magical artifacts.

Now, things were different. He had struck it rich halfway through the journey. Not only did he have magical artifacts, he had three of them at once, along with the Object Manipulation Technique.

As for the remaining Spirit Stones, he might as well go all the way and upgrade the [Cave Abode] first.

As for the [Spirit Field], it could be upgraded now.

But after upgrading it, Ji Yuan would have nowhere to plant anything. The only small patch of land in the backyard had already been filled by the [Fish Pond], [Chicken Coop], and [Pigsty].

And the [Spirit Field] took up the most space.

What was more, once something was planted there, it would need careful tending afterward. Unlike raising chickens and pigs, it could not be handled roughly.

So it could only be set aside for the time being.

Ji Yuan looked toward the panel.

[Cave Abode lv0]

[LV1: Spiritual Effects: wall self-repair, basic dust-repelling barrier, nighttime spiritual energy concentration +20%]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone ×5, glutinous rice slurry ×3 barrels, repair damaged roof tiles (not completed)]

The upgrade requirements were not difficult—five Spirit Stones and three barrels of glutinous rice slurry. As for the damaged roof tiles, they did indeed need some repairs.

The last time the roof had been repaired was when Ji Qingyun was still around.

He would have to go to Zengtou City to buy glutinous rice. Ji Yuan was in no hurry, so he planned to go tomorrow and ask around about Lousy Liu while he was there.

As for now...

Ji Yuan first took out the three jade slips and studied the Object Manipulation Technique, Fireball Technique, and Cloud-Rain Technique.

His main focus was still the Object Manipulation Technique.

Fortunately, basic spells like these shared the same underlying principles. They were not particularly difficult, and Ji Yuan had barely managed to get started after only half a day.

He then took the two magical artifacts he had obtained from the Storage Bag.

The Blackgold Blade and that Embroidery Needle.

Their former owners were dead, and Ji Yuan had already dripped blood on them to claim them as his own.

With a thought, he first activated the Embroidery Needle. As spiritual energy guided it, a wisp of blood-red light immediately surfaced on its body.

"Go!"

The spell followed his will.

The Embroidery Needle instantly turned into a streak of red light and vanished into the wall in the blink of an eye, disappearing without a trace.

Even though he was the one controlling it, Ji Yuan was still startled when he sensed its power.

If this magical artifact had belonged to Lousy Liu... then Ji Yuan would probably be a corpse by now.

Ji Yuan carefully sensed it for a moment and felt that even the Golden Body Talisman might not be able to block this Embroidery Needle.

Even if it barely could, it would likely be breached before long.

Once the Golden Body Talisman broke, he would be a lamb waiting for the butcher.

"Phew—"

Fortunately, this magical artifact was mine now... With a thought, Ji Yuan retrieved the Embroidery Needle from the wall.

Qiu Qianhai had said before that this needle was probably part of a set. Once assembled, the full set would be a mid-grade magical artifact.

Unfortunately, he only had one needle.

Even so, Ji Yuan gave the silver needle a resounding name.

Deathbringer.

When the needle flew, it claimed lives—thus, the Deathbringer Needle!

It counted as one of his trump cards, at least. Ji Yuan put it back into the Storage Bag, then looked at the Blackgold short blade lying on the table.

Ji Yuan's assessment of it, based on the earlier fight, was... good, yet not good.

Its good point was that it could be wielded in close combat or controlled from afar.

But that was also its bad point.

It seemed capable of everything, but in truth, it was good at nothing.

Still, no matter what, it was a magical artifact. As Ji Yuan used spiritual energy to control it and watched it dart wildly around the room, he could not help feeling a little emotional.

"Damn it, after all this time, I finally feel a little like an immortal cultivator."

After playing with it for a while, Ji Yuan found it somewhat strenuous to control. Several times, it nearly slipped out of his grasp.

It was most likely because he had not yet mastered the Object Manipulation Technique. Ji Yuan was not in a rush. After enjoying the pleasure of controlling a magical artifact, he ate today's Spirit Eggs as usual before drifting off to sleep in a daze.

Early the next morning, he headed to Zengtou City to buy some glutinous rice and upgrade the Cave Abode.

But shortly after arriving in Zengtou City, he heard fishers discussing Lousy Liu's death. As expected, they all said Qiu Qianhai had killed him.

"Ji Yuan?"

A woman called softly from behind him.

Hearing the familiar voice, Ji Yuan turned around and saw a female cultivator wearing a plain-patterned cross-collar robe. She was tall and slender, with delicate features.

"Sister Lu, why are you here too?!"

Ji Yuan was also somewhat delighted to see the female cultivator calling for him.

The female cultivator was named Lu Wan. She was the daughter of Ji Qingyun's old friend and, with Ji Yuan... could be considered childhood sweethearts.

But later, Lu Wan's father advanced to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement. In addition, Lu Wan possessed outstanding talent for drawing talismans, so Wu Wenbin, Zengtou City's renowned Talisman Master, accepted her as his disciple.

As the tide rose, so did the boats. Lu Wan's family moved into the core district of Zengtou City.

After that, their relationship with Ji Yuan's family gradually grew distant.

And since Ji Yuan had kept a low profile after coming here, this was the first time he had seen this old friend.

"I came to buy some Talisman Ink. What about you?"

Lu Wan looked at her childhood playmate, her gaze carrying a hint of flickering unease.

Most fishers in Zengtou City, regardless of age, had skin tanned dark and red by the sun, or else carried a strong fishy smell.

But what about Ji Yuan now?

He had not gone into the water for a month. Coupled with his increased cultivation and Body Tempering, his aura was already nothing like before. Even his appearance had become more striking and handsome.

"I came to buy a few things too," Ji Yuan replied with a smile.

Lu Wan looked around, then walked toward the roadside. Ji Yuan had no choice but to follow her until they reached a spot with no one nearby.

Only then did Lu Wan ask in a low voice, "You seemed to know Qiu Qianhai before? He hasn't contacted you recently, has he?"

"No... I only ran into him at Cloud-Rain Marsh last time and exchanged a few words."

When Qiu Qianhai had come looking for Ji Yuan yesterday, no one had seen him.

"That's good."

Lu Wan visibly let out a breath of relief. "Stay away from him from now on. He's offended quite a few people lately. The Qin Household has even declared that they will not rest until he is dead."

He should already be on the road to another market town by now... Ji Yuan nodded. "All right, I understand."

The two then chatted for a few more sentences. Lu Wan did most of the talking, while Ji Yuan listened.

Before leaving, Lu Wan had wanted to stuff a few Talismans into Ji Yuan's hands, but he politely declined.

In cultivation, one should keep oneself clean. It was best not to owe favors that did not need to be owed.

After bidding Lu Wan farewell, Ji Yuan went to a rice shop and bought more than ten pounds of glutinous rice. He did not know how much would be enough, but buying extra was always better than making repeated trips.

Then he thought about it again. Since he was not upgrading the [Spirit Field], he could use the remaining Spirit Stones to buy another Spirit Pig to raise.

Ji Yuan had already experienced the benefits of Body Refining during the last fight. Now that he had a chance to strengthen himself, he naturally would not let it slip away.

This time, however, he did not go to Luo Tong's shop. Instead, he deliberately chose another place and spent 2.5 Spirit Stones to buy a young Spirit Pig.

After a while, he returned home, settled the pig, cooked the rice slurry, and climbed onto the roof to repair it.

Looking at the words "completed" behind [Cave Abode],

He made his choice with a thought and selected upgrade.

Unlike the earlier upgrades, when he had not felt anything at all, this time, Ji Yuan truly sensed the changes brought by the Cave Abode's upgrade.

First, the entire house became fresh and new. Dust, cobwebs, and the like all vanished.

Then, the tiny cracks in the walls slowly began to heal.

Even the spiritual energy around him seemed to have grown slightly denser.

Before Ji Yuan could sense it further, light flashed across the panel, and the upgrade requirements for the level two Cave Abode appeared.

--

(It's April! Please give this newly released book a freshly minted guaranteed monthly ticket and help nurture this little seedling! If you don't have one, recommendation tickets work too!)