Foundation Establishment

Two days later, Ji Yuan only heard about the Foundation Immortal Abode appearing on Maple Leaf Island when he went out to deal with those four Half-Spirit Fish.

After hearing it... he felt nothing much.

He was nowhere near as delighted as the other fishermen.

An Immortal Abode?

Could it be upgraded?

If I upgraded my Cave Abode to level 100, maybe it would transform directly into a divine temple!

Command the Heavenly Cycle!

After indulging in fantasy for a while, he sold the four Half-Spirit Fish he had bought for four Spirit Stones and raised for half a month for six Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan then spent four Spirit Stones to buy another four Half-Spirit Fish.

He saved the remaining two Spirit Stones he had earned.

Thinking of the Immortal Abode, he also planned to upgrade his own [Cave Abode].

Then the nighttime spiritual energy concentration would increase by 20%, which would help his cultivation.

Or he could upgrade the [Pigsty] instead.

Spirit Pigs could gain a hundred jin of muscle in seven days. Their flesh also had Body Tempering effects and could assist with healing injuries.

The Spirit Pigs raised by others did not have so many abilities. At most, they tasted delicious and contained an extremely faint trace of spiritual energy.

What Ji Yuan valued was the Body Tempering effect.

From the original owner's memories, he had learned that Body Refining was considered a minor path in this cultivation world.

Even if one became some Martial Saint in the eyes of mortals, one would still be no match for a cultivator at the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

After all, no matter how formidable your martial arts were, the other party could use the Object Manipulation Technique to summon a flying sword and turn you into scraps from hundreds of meters away.

Thus, the vast majority of cultivators focused solely on cultivation and would not spare time to temper their physiques.

But Ji Yuan did not see it that way. A strong physique was strength too... To put it bluntly, once his body improved, even during dual cultivation he could exert a little more force and plow a few more fields.

Besides, why not improve his strength through eating and drinking?

When Ji Yuan returned to his little home by the shores of Cloud-Rain Marsh, carrying the four Half-Spirit Fish, he saw Huang Laotou and Lin Youwei squatting outside his door, seemingly discussing something in low voices.

What else could they be discussing at a time like this? Most likely the Foundation Immortal Abode that had swept through all of Zengtou City... Ji Yuan nodded. "All right. I'll put the fish away first, then come out."

Before long, Ji Yuan was squatting beside Lin Youwei.

"You went to Zengtou City. You heard about what happened on Maple Leaf Island, right?" Lin Youwei asked.

"I heard."

Huang Laotou grinned, exposing his missing teeth. "Well? You interested, kid? How about our three households join hands and take a trip to Maple Leaf Island?"

No, damn it. Even Late Qi Refining cultivators are fighting over this Foundation Immortal Abode, and you two Fourth Layer of Qi Refining cultivators want to go throw your lives away too? Ji Yuan smiled.

"I'm only at the Early Qi Refining stage. Better forget it."

"You can't put it like that." Lin Youwei hurriedly refuted him. "Who can say where opportunities lie? Besides, we're not going onto the island. We'll only try our luck around the outskirts."

Huang Laotou took out his old smoking pipe and stuffed some tobacco into it.

"Let's be frank. We're not going after the Immortal Abode. We're going to make a fortune off the dead."

"It's not just Zengtou City. People are coming from neighboring Taian Ward and Jingde Ward too. By then, who knows how many Qi Refining cultivators will be there, and there will be plenty of casualties. That's the fortune we're after."

"Without the strength of the Eighth or Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, who would truly dare set their sights on that Immortal Abode?"

Now that made sense... After hearing them out, Ji Yuan looked somewhat tempted, but after struggling for a while, he still shook his head.

"I'm timid, and I only just advanced to the Third Layer of Qi Refining. I don't know any spells, nor am I skilled at killing. Better forget it. I won't go hold you back."

Having said that, Ji Yuan stood up directly, cupped his hands toward the two of them, then turned and went back into his house.

He did not even give them a chance to persuade him otherwise.

What they said was indeed true. Such a chaotic battle was a fine chance to make a fortune off the dead, but who would be alive and who would be dead was still uncertain.

Ji Yuan could upgrade buildings himself. There was no need to gamble with his life.

Outside the door.

Lin Youwei and Huang Laotou exchanged a glance. "What do we do?"

"Let's bring the whole family! More people will make others wary of us."

Lin Youwei gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

"That works too. More people means more support."

Naturally, Ji Yuan, only a wall away, could not fail to notice that the Lin Family was mobilizing its entire household to head for Maple Leaf Island in search of opportunity.

Lin Youwei and Huang Laotou even knocked on Ji Yuan's door and asked him to help look after their homes.

Ji Yuan naturally did not refuse such a small favor.

So he leaned against his own doorframe and watched Huang Laotou summon his Mantis Boat, while Lin Youwei summoned his Blackwood Boat.

In the end, Lin Youwei carried Zhou Ling and Wu Qin, while Lin Hu boarded Huang Laotou's fishing boat.

The group of five vanished grandly into the vast Cloud-Rain Marsh.

Ji Yuan watched the mist drifting over the lake for a long while before silently closing the door and returning to the backyard. He took out a Spirit Egg and began that day's cultivation.

Ever since learning what had happened at Maple Leaf Island, Ji Yuan went out even less often.

He cultivated in the backyard all day. With neither neighbor around, he even practiced spells at home. After this period of day-and-night bitter cultivation—

It was not as though he had gained nothing.

For example, he had completely stabilized the Third Layer of Qi Refining and could attempt to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining at any time... the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

Ji Yuan had not tried yet because he knew he did not have enough Spirit Stones.

Relying on Spirit Eggs alone, the results would probably not be as good.

A breakthrough was something that required one to strike while the iron was hot, so he planned to sell another Spirit Fish and use the Spirit Stones he earned to attempt a breakthrough into the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

Then there were his spells. He had already completely mastered every spell the original owner knew.

Even the Water Arrow Technique could now be cast instantly.

He could basically hit wherever he pointed.

Five days later, none of the four Half-Spirit Fish Ji Yuan had bought for the second time completed their leap in rank, but they had grown to their size limit again. He had no choice but to carry them to the Fish Pen and sell them.

He received four Spirit Stones.

He used three Spirit Stones to continue buying Half-Spirit Fish and still made a small profit of one Spirit Stone.

On this trip out, even though Ji Yuan had not deliberately sought information, he still heard quite a few things about Maple Leaf Island.

For instance, many fishermen from Zengtou City, Taian Ward, and Jingde Ward had gone there. Before anyone had even set foot on the island, several battles had already broken out.

There were casualties on all sides.

Most of those who died were cultivators at the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

For another, a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator from Taian Ward had forced his way onto the island, relying on his high cultivation. He had been killed on the spot by an unknown strand of Sword Qi from the island.

That also made the other fishermen seeking opportunities calm down somewhat.

Furthermore, because of this great battle, offensive supplies in Zengtou City, such as Cultivation Pills and Talismans, had risen slightly in price.

But none of this had anything to do with Ji Yuan. He was now like a spectator, sitting back and watching Cloud-Rain Marsh.

Tides rose and fell.

Yet what he had not expected was that when he returned home carrying the Half-Spirit Fish and was just about to toss them into the [Fish Pond], he suddenly discovered that there was an arm-length black shadow inside the [Fish Pond].

A Half-Spirit Fish... had evolved!