Breakthrough

This extra Spirit Fish was a bream with a long fish spine growing from the tip of its mouth.

Judging by its appearance alone, it somewhat resembled the Sword Yellowfish worth around ten Spirit Stones, but this bream was jet-black, its body densely covered in spots.

A Spirit Fish evolved from a Half-Spirit Fish Black-Spotted Bream... a Spine Bream!

Like the Sword Yellowfish, the Spine Bream was valuable because of that sharp spine.

However, the Spine Bream's spine seemed to have other uses as well, so it fetched an even higher price. Ji Yuan's Spine Bream, if kept intact, could sell for at least sixteen or seventeen Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan glanced at the sky. It was still fairly early.

Strike while the iron was hot; delay invited change.

With a lift of his hand, a water arrow appeared. He casually pushed it forward, and the Spine Bream in the Fish Pond immediately flipped belly-up.

Neither of his neighbors was home, which made things more convenient for Ji Yuan.

Not long afterward, he had sold the Spine Bream at the Fish Pen. As expected, it fetched seventeen Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Adding the three he had saved before, he now had a full twenty Spirit Stones on him!

If even this was not enough to break through to the Middle Qi Refining Stage, then Ji Yuan could only say... next time for sure.

On his way home, even though he took the water route, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

Qiu Qianhai was one of the original owner's few friends, so Ji Yuan had no choice but to stop and exchange a few words with him.

He learned that Qiu Qianhai had just returned from Maple Leaf Island, and there were still bloodstains on him.

"I can only say... they slaughtered each other like mad."

Even recalling it now left Qiu Qianhai with lingering fear.

"That was no longer a fight over opportunities. It was outright chaos. No matter who it was, they killed anyone they saw. If you didn't kill them, they would kill you."

"I only managed to escape by relying on the speed of my Spirit Vessel."

Ji Yuan could not help thinking of his two neighbors. He wondered how they had fared.

"Then go back and rest properly. We can talk again when we have time."

Ji Yuan clasped his hands toward him.

"Alright, farewell."

With that, one piloted a Spirit Vessel while the other poled a small boat, and they went their separate ways.

Ji Yuan could also tell that Qiu Qianhai had most likely gained something over at Maple Leaf Island. That was why he was so eager to hurry back.

As for this friend of his... both parents dead, he had started with the sky collapsing over his head. Yet by relying on his reckless, life-or-death ferocity, he had forcibly gained a foothold in Zengtou City.

Otherwise, he would not have reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining at such a young age.

He even owned a Spirit Vessel.

Ji Yuan had a rather deep impression of him.

After returning home, he found that neither Lin Youwei's family nor Huang Laotou had returned. Ji Yuan could not be bothered to care, and went straight to the backyard to check the [Fish Pond].

Unfortunately, there were no evolved Half-Spirit Fish.

Only then did he return to his room. He first laid the twenty Spirit Stones before him, then calmed his mind and silently circulated the Azure Sea Tide Art. Once his thoughts had completely settled, he took out two Spirit Eggs, cracked them against each other, and poured the spirit liquid inside into his mouth.

After repeating this process and refining six Spirit Eggs, the night had already grown deep.

The surroundings were quiet. Only now and then could he hear the lake water of Cloud-Rain Marsh lapping against the shore. Ji Yuan looked at the twenty Spirit Stones before him without hesitation, picked up two in each hand, and circulated his cultivation art once more, absorbing the incomparably pure spiritual energy within.

Two, four, eight... Spirit Stones turned into powder in Ji Yuan's hands one after another and slipped through his fingers, but he was in no hurry.

He had plenty of time. As for Spirit Stones... as long as he did not die, he would only have more and more of them. Breaking through was merely a matter of sooner or later.

Yet amid this calm state of mind, after he had absorbed the spiritual energy from twelve Spirit Stones—

In a daze, he felt as though he had broken through some kind of shackle.

The thin membrane that had been obstructing him was pierced through. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him surged in on its own, seeped into his meridians, and finally sank into his dantian.

Middle Qi Refining Stage!

I, Ji Yuan, fucking made it!

After a brief burst of excitement, he picked up another two Spirit Stones and absorbed their pure spiritual energy to stabilize his cultivation.

It was not until the following morning, when the radiance of the blazing sun squeezed through the window, that Ji Yuan was startled awake.

Having completely secured his footing in the Middle Qi Refining Stage, he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

When he stepped out into the backyard, he felt that the skies were clear, the earth bright, and the future promising... Well, first things first. After reaching into the Chicken Coop and feeling out six Spirit Eggs, he checked the Fish Pond again.

Very good. Still none had broken through.

Only then did he finally have the leisure to examine everything around him.

After advancing to the Middle Qi Refining Stage, although there was no leap in his life essence, his perception of his surroundings had indeed become several times clearer.

As for the spiritual energy in his dantian, that went without saying.

At the Second Layer of Qi Refining, casting a single Water Arrow Technique would drain all the spiritual energy in his dantian. At the third layer, he could cast the Water Arrow Technique five times in succession.

Now, if he only used the Water Arrow Technique—

Ji Yuan estimated that firing twenty shots in a row would not be a problem... If only his body could be like that.

Body Tempering! He had to temper his body!

This breakthrough to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining had used fourteen Spirit Stones in total, leaving him with six. That was just enough to upgrade one building.

After giving it some thought, Ji Yuan made his decision.

He would not upgrade the [Cave Abode] first. He would upgrade the [Pigsty] first.

With Spirit Eggs, the Cave Abode's twenty-percent increase in spiritual energy at night was as tasteless as chicken ribs to him.

Bland to eat, yet a pity to throw away.

It would not greatly improve his current strength.

But the Pigsty was different. Once he raised Spirit Pigs, eating their meat... would strengthen his sinews and bones and enhance his physique.

Maybe then he could even find a pretty female cultivator and dual cultivate with her.

Cradling all sorts of beautiful fantasies, it took Ji Yuan quite a while to calm down. These six Spirit Stones were enough to upgrade the Pigsty.

But what about buying young Spirit Pigs afterward?

Ji Yuan had looked into it. A young Spirit Pig cost roughly two to three Spirit Stones, while an adult Spirit Pig cost eight to ten Spirit Stones.

His Pigsty could add one hundred catties of muscle in seven days. Logically speaking, this was also a good path to wealth and prosperity.

But he did not quite dare to use it. There was no helping it—unlike the Spirit Fish business, which he could blame on Cloud-Rain Marsh, selling Spirit Pigs was simply too conspicuous.

Spirit Pigs that others needed half a year to raise, he could raise in half a month. Anyone would think something was wrong with him.

Of course, that also had to do with Zengtou City being too small.

If this market town were bigger, he could at least sell them elsewhere.

The Spirit Eggs in Ji Yuan's possession were worth a stone or two each... Continuing to wait like this was not a solution. He might as well sell a few Spirit Eggs first and buy the Spirit Pigs.

But before buying them, he had to build the Pigsty first.

Ji Yuan looked left and right, ultimately deciding to place the Pigsty beside the Chicken Coop.

Moreover, compared to the Chicken Coop, the Pigsty occupied far more space.

After Ji Yuan spent an entire day building it, it took up nearly half the backyard, on top of the Fish Pond that had already been there.

The three buildings had crammed Ji Yuan's backyard full to the brim.

"This house is still too small. Once my cultivation rises, I'll definitely move into a big residence!"

Ji Yuan secretly thought to himself, then glanced at the building panel in his mind.

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone ×5, iron ingots ×50 catties, coarse salt ×10 catties (Not Met)]

The Pigsty's upgrade requirements also needed fifty catties of iron and ten catties of salt. Fortunately, such things unrelated to cultivation were cheap in Zengtou City.

For all of that, one or two Spirit Fragments would settle it.

Looking at the [Pigsty: lv0] floating above the Pigsty, Ji Yuan decided to finish upgrading it before buying Spirit Pigs.

Not long afterward, after buying iron ingots and coarse salt in Zengtou City, he had just arrived at his doorstep when he saw a battered Spirit Vessel drifting back from the direction of Cloud-Rain Marsh, moving slowly.

Once Ji Yuan got a clear look, he realized that Spirit Vessel was the Lin Family's original ebony boat.

Sitting aboard it were none other than Lin Hu and Wu Qin, husband and wife.

Both of them were deathly pale. Lin Hu in particular looked awful, his eyes even somewhat vacant.

It was only when the Spirit Vessel reached shore that he snapped out of it and noticed Ji Yuan standing on the bank.

With a single glance, his face crumpled as he shouted:

"Brother Ji, my father and mother... they're both dead."