Chapter 4: The Road Ahead

Fang Qingyuan pressed the first jade slip between his eyebrows. He extended a wisp of his Divine Sense, and a brief message immediately surfaced in his mind.

A few moments later, Fang Qingyuan put the jade slip down and picked up the second one, his expression unreadable.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan’s calm expression, Magistrate Huang Fengxing’s smile widened. In his eyes, any Cultivator with a Wood Spirit Root would find these three jade slips irresistible.

But Fang Qingyuan proved his calculations wrong. After examining all three jade slips in succession, he spoke with a look of regret.

"The Cultivation Techniques in these jade slips are excellent, but alas, my pockets are empty. I’m afraid my ambition outweighs my means."

Huang Fengxing was stunned. He double-checked, saying:

"Fellow Daoist, won’t you reconsider? Take another look. I believe you’ll find it quite difficult to come across these three jade slips anywhere else."

Fang Qingyuan studied the flustered Huang Fengxing and became even more certain in his heart. ’I definitely can’t buy these three jade slips.’

’Usually, the more eager a merchant is for you to buy something, the bigger his profit margin. This Huang Fengxing recognized me as a disciple from Beast Taming Mountain and saw me receive over a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones just now. He must think I’m loaded and is trying to make a huge score off me.’

’Seeing that I’m not taking the bait, Huang Fengxing is even getting anxious.’

So Fang Qingyuan made his excuses once more, simply stating that he was short on Spirit Stones and politely declining Magistrate Huang Fengxing’s sales pitch.

When Fang Qingyuan walked out of the Vast Collection Pavilion, Magistrate Huang Fengxing was still standing at the entrance, gazing after him.

Riding Yinbao back to his small courtyard, Fang Qingyuan recalled the look in Magistrate Huang Fengxing’s eyes and almost laughed.

The three jade slips respectively contained an Outer Sect Horizontal Refining Technique, a Wood Element Dao Skill, and a clue on how to improve one’s Wood Spirit Root aptitude.

First, let’s talk about the Horizontal Refining Technique. This Cultivation Technique allowed one to absorb the Spiritual Qi from Spirit Plants to strengthen one’s body.

When cultivated to the Great Success Realm, one’s body could effectively reduce the damage from First-rank Lower Grade Magical Artifacts. During combat, one could temporarily turn their body to wood, becoming immune to pain and certain toxins.

’This Cultivation Technique is certainly good, but I’m not the least bit tempted. For one, when I fight, I have the Tier Two Lower Grade Turtle Shell Spirit Shield for protection. Then there are the Vajra Talisman, Golden Bell Talisman, and Wind Shield Talisman I can use.’

’I also have my own Spiritual Power Shield. If all of those defenses are breached, what good would a mastered Horizontal Refining Technique do?’

’A painstakingly mastered Horizontal Refining Technique is less effective than a single Talisman that can be activated instantly. And the Spirit Stones I’d spend mastering it would be enough to buy a dozen Body-Protecting Talismans.’

’The mainstream path of cultivation revolves around Daoist Techniques, Divine Techniques, Magical Artifacts, and Spirit Beasts. Horizontal Refining Techniques are just supplementary. If they were really that powerful, they would have become a major school of practice long ago.’

Then there was the Wood Element Daoist Skill in the second jade slip. Its full name was the *Wood Spirit Prayer Soil Method of Crossing People*. It was a Daoist Technique that involved setting up an altar to pray to the soil, using Wood Spirit Qi to heal the sick and save lives.

This Daoist Technique was truly remarkable. By diligently studying its principles and mastering its life-saving rituals, one could become a respected Physician. It wouldn’t be difficult to establish a legacy that could last for generations relying on this skill.

’However, the jade slip is priced at one hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones—that’s over ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. I can afford it, but I don’t need it.’

’My own cultivation path is promising, so why would I buy this Daoist Technique? This sort of skill is typically favored by Cultivators who intend to establish their own Cultivation Clan.’ Fang Qingyuan was still young; he had no intention of finding a place to retire just yet.

As for the third jade slip, the one Magistrate Huang Fengxing had placed his highest hopes on, it contained a clue for improving one’s Spirit Root aptitude.

This jade slip would have been incredibly tempting to any other Cultivator, but for Fang Qingyuan, it was a case of casting pearls before swine.

According to Huang Fengxing, the clue offered a one-in-three chance of success, which would improve a Cultivator’s Spirit Root aptitude by three to five points.

Fang Qingyuan didn’t doubt Huang Fengxing’s words on this matter. After all, with the reputation of the Vast Collection Pavilion at stake, the magistrate wouldn’t dare make empty promises.

’But why would I ever risk my life chasing after a mere clue?’

He wouldn’t have done it before, and he was even less inclined to do so now. He didn’t need to compete with others for opportunities when he could improve his Spirit Root aptitude steadily on his own.

It had been half a year since his Wood Spirit Root aptitude had risen from twenty-four to twenty-five. Fang Qingyuan estimated that it would go up another point in less than half a month.

’This is a tangible improvement I can count on. With the Immortal Mansion Space, who gives a damn about some ambiguous, worthless clue?’

’The first two jade slips were probably just the setup. The third one was what Huang Fengxing really wanted to sell. A shame he ran into me.’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan let out a chuckle. He entered his Quiet Chamber and settled down to meditate. ’Can’t slack off on the daily practice.’

「Half a month later.」

Fang Qingyuan held the Magical Artifact used for testing Spirit Roots, his face beaming with joy.

Today, his Wood Spirit Root had finally reached twenty-six. Among his fellow disciples, this aptitude was now considered average.

His previous score of twenty-three had only just cleared the minimum standard for entering Tianshan Villa. Now, he was finally catching up to the average.

However, after reaching twenty-six, Fang Qingyuan estimated it would take about a year to raise it by another point.

The cost in Spirit Stones for this would be somewhere around a dozen Middle-grade Spirit Stones.

An annual expense of over ten Middle-grade Spirit Stones was no small sum. A typical Cultivator Clan might only earn that much in an entire year.

Coincidentally, the annual income from the Qingfeng Tea Garden was also around ten Middle-grade Spirit Stones. Since one would offset the other, Fang Qingyuan felt little pressure.

’The benefits from the infant abduction case are only just beginning to manifest,’ he thought. ’For decades to come, I’ll be thankful for the decision I made back then.’

’If I had just refused Huo Xiaolan when she came forward with the information, what kind of life would I be living now?’

Shaking his head, he pushed those stray thoughts to the back of his mind and began to contemplate his cultivation progress.

’Right now, I’m at the Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation. It’ll take me more than three years to reach the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation. And that’s with my improved Spirit Root aptitude. If I were still at twenty-three points, it would probably take me about four years of hard work to advance.’

’From the Sixth-Layer to the Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation will take six years, and there’s a bottleneck in between. I have no idea how long I’ll be stuck there.’

’If it’s only a few years, that’s fine; I’ll only be around forty. But if I can’t break through, it’ll cause serious delays.’

’The seventh to eighth layer will take eight years, and the eighth to ninth will take ten. That’s almost another twenty years.’

’Without the Immortal Mansion, if I just cultivate normally, I’d probably be sixty years old by the time I’m ready for Foundation Establishment.’

’For a mortal, sixty is the age of a grandparent, with one foot already in the grave.’

’Even though Cultivators live longer, that’s still the beginning of old age. If I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment by seventy, I’d have to start planning for my final years.’

’My aptitude is still too poor.’ According to the rumors Fang Qingyuan had heard, a cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root could reach Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty. By seventy or eighty, they would already be contemplating their path to forming a Golden Core.

’Hmph, it’s only a Celestial Spirit Root. With a miraculous place like the Immortal Mansion, I’ll have one of my own sooner or later. I’ll even be able to explore the unknown realms beyond that.’

’After all, considering the stature of the Immortal Mansion Space, what’s a mere Celestial Spirit Root in comparison?’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan felt a swell of pride. But then he glanced at his storage pouch, and his expression soured.

In the past six months, he had spent nearly thirty Middle-grade Spirit Stones on Spirit Plants and other spiritual materials. The fifty Middle-grade Spirit Stones he was awarded by Lechuan were almost gone, and it hadn’t even been a year.

Thankfully, selling off the Liu Brothers’ inheritance had recouped over thirty Middle-grade Spirit Stones. Combined with the proceeds from the Qingfeng Silver Hao Tea he sold previously, he now had over sixty Middle-grade Spirit Stones left.