Chapter 18: Cave Mansion Level 1

Previously, Ji Yuan had always been troubled by the lack of Spirit Stones, so he couldn’t upgrade his structures.Even when he painstakingly obtained some Spirit Stones, he had to save them up to purchase Magical Artifacts.

But now, he hit an unexpected fortune on the road. Not only did he acquire Magical Artifacts, he got three at once, and even obtained the "Artifact Manipulation Technique."

So with the remaining Spirit Stones, he decided, in for a penny, in for a pound, to upgrade the first.

As for the , it could indeed be upgraded now.

However, after upgrading, Ji Yuan had no place to plant anything. The tiny patch of land in his backyard was already occupied by the , , and .

Furthermore, the requires the most space.

Not only that, once you plant it, it needs to be meticulously tended, unlike raising chickens or pigs which can be done roughly.

So he had to put it aside for the time being.

Ji Yuan looked at the panel.

The upgrade requirements weren’t hard, just 5 Spirit Stones, plus three barrels of Glutinous Rice Paste, and indeed, the broken tiles needed some repair.

The last repairs were done when Ji Qingyun was still around.

As for the Glutinous Rice, he had to go to Zengtou City to buy it. Ji Yuan wasn’t in a hurry and planned to go tomorrow, and also to inquire about Liu Laizi.

As for now...

Ji Yuan first took out the three Jade Scrolls and comprehended the "Artifact Manipulation Technique," "Fireball Technique," and "Cloud Rain Technique."

Among them, he focused mainly on the Artifact Manipulation Technique.

Fortunately, this type of basic spell had a domino effect; it wasn’t too difficult. Ji Yuan spent half a day and barely managed to get the basics.

Then he took out the two Magical Artifacts he acquired from the Storage Bag.

The Black Gold Saber and the Embroidery Needle.

The original owner was dead, and Ji Yuan had already offered his blood to recognize them as his.

So he moved with his thoughts and first activated the Embroidery Needle, which immediately emitted a blood-red hue under the Spiritual Qi’s guidance.

"Go!"

Art follows the heart.

The Embroidery Needle instantly transformed into a streak of red light, disappearing into the wall without a trace.

Even though he was the one controlling it, Ji Yuan was still shocked by its power.

If this Magical Artifact belonged to Liu Laizi... he might already be a corpse by now.

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

Even if it could barely block it, it would quickly be broken through.

Once the Golden Body Talisman was broken, he would be like a lamb to the slaughter.

"Phew—"

Thankfully, this Magical Artifact is mine now... Ji Yuan moved with his thoughts and retrieved the Embroidery Needle from the wall.

Previously, Qiu Qianhai mentioned that this needle should be part of a set, and the entire set would be a mid-grade Magical Artifact.

Unfortunately, he only had one piece.

Even so, Ji Yuan still gave this Silver Needle a resounding name.

Lifetaker.

When the needle is unleashed, it takes life, thus it is the Lifetaker Needle!

It’s somewhat of a trump card for him now. Ji Yuan returned it to the Storage Bag and then looked at the Black Gold Dagger on the table.

Ji Yuan’s judgment from the previous battle was... good and not so good.

The good point is it could be used for close combat as well as manipulated from a distance. This update ıs available on ????????????????????·????????????????·????????????

But that’s what’s not so good about it.

It seems to do this and that, but in reality, it can’t do either well.

But no matter what, it’s still a Magical Artifact. Ji Yuan manipulated it with Spiritual Qi, watching it fly chaotically around the room, feeling a sense of awe.

’Damn, after so long, I finally have a bit of a Cultivator’s vibe.’

After playing for a while, Ji Yuan felt it was a bit difficult to control; he almost lost his grip several times.

Mostly due to his unfamiliarity with the Artifact Manipulation Technique, Ji Yuan wasn’t in a rush. After experiencing the joy of manipulating Magical Artifacts, he finished today’s few Spirit Eggs and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he went to Zengtou City early to buy some Glutinous Rice to upgrade the Cave Mansion.

But as soon as he arrived at Zengtou City, he heard Fishermen discussing Liu Laizi’s death, unsurprisingly blaming it on Qiu Qianhai.

"Ji Yuan?"

A woman’s gentle voice called out from behind him.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Ji Yuan turned around to see a Female Cultivator in a plain patterned cross-collared shirt, tall and attractive.

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

Seeing the woman who called him, Ji Yuan was pleasantly surprised.

The Female Cultivator’s name was Lu Wan, the daughter of a friend of Ji Qingyun, and she and Ji Yuan... were childhood friends too one might say.

But later on, Lu Wan’s father advanced to Level 5 in Qi Cultivation, and with Lu Wan’s exceptional talent in Talisman Painting, she was taken as a disciple by the renowned Talisman Master, Wu Wenbin, of Zengtou City.

As she and her family rose through the ranks, they moved to the core area of Zengtou City.

Over time, the relationship with Ji Yuan’s family faded.

Plus, since Ji Yuan crossed over, he had mostly kept to himself, so this was the first time he saw this old friend.

"Came out to buy some talisman ink, what about you?"

Looking at his childhood playmate, Lu Wan’s eyes flickered with an unnatural light.

Most Fishermen in Zengtou City, regardless of age, were tanned with red skin or smelled of fish.

But now, Ji Yuan?

He hadn’t been in the water for a month, and with his improvement in cultivation and body tempering, his aura was different from before, and he was even more handsome.

"I’m here to buy something too."

Ji Yuan replied with a smile.

Lu Wan looked around, then walked to the roadside, prompting Ji Yuan to follow until they reached a secluded spot.

"You seemed to know Qiu Qianhai before? He hasn’t contacted you recently, has he?" Lu Wan asked softly.

"No... I just ran into him at the Cloud Rain Marsh last time and chatted a bit."

Nobody saw Qiu Qianhai when he came to find Ji Yuan yesterday.

"That’s good."

Lu Wan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "Just stay away from him in the future; he’s gotten himself into a lot of trouble now—the Qin Family is out to get him."

He should be on his way to another Market by now... Ji Yuan nodded, "Okay, I know."

They chatted casually for a bit more, mostly Lu Wan talking, Ji Yuan listening.

Before leaving, Lu Wan considered giving a few Talismans to Ji Yuan, but he politely refused.

Cultivation is about self-reliance; it’s best not to owe favors if you can help it.

After bidding farewell to Lu Wan, Ji Yuan went to the rice shop and bought over ten pounds of Glutinous Rice. He didn’t know how much would be enough, but buying more saved him from a return trip.

Finally, he thought about it; since he wasn’t upgrading the , he could use the remaining Spirit Stones to buy a Spirit Dolphin.

From the last battle, Ji Yuan had experienced the benefits of Body Tempering, and with this opportunity to enhance his strength, he wouldn’t miss it.

This time, though, he didn’t go to Luo Tong’s shop but specifically chose another place, spending 2.5 Spirit Stones to purchase a piglet Spirit Dolphin.

By late morning, after he returned home, settled the pig, boiled the rice paste, and repaired the roof.

Seeing the "completed" status behind , he moved with his thoughts and chose to upgrade.

Different from the previous upgrades, which had no perceptible feeling, this time when the upgraded, Ji Yuan could genuinely feel the change.

Initially, the whole room felt renewed; dust and cobwebs disappeared.

Then the fine cracks on the walls began to slowly mend.

Even the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed a tad denser.

Before Ji Yuan could fully observe, the panel flashed, revealing the upgrade requirements for the Level 2 Cave Mansion.

(April is here, asking for freshly minted month’s end votes to care for the new book’s young seedling! If not available, recommendation votes would do as well!)