Chapter 89: Qi Refinement Fifth Layer (Please give your monthly votes)
Chapter 89: Qi Refinement Fifth Layer (Please give your monthly votes)
Fang Xi toyed with a scroll of notes, a mix of pleasant surprise and unexpected delight on his face.
What he found in Kou's second brother's storage pouch was, astonishingly, the "Wine God's Compendium"! !
This scroll, a wine recipe he had missed at the auction, had unexpectedly been bought by Kou's second brother.
‘Could this person have been trying to establish a faction? ’
‘Or was he simply fond of drinking, and the contents of a cup? ’
Fang Xi couldn't figure it out, so he set the "Wine God's Compendium" aside for now and began inventorying the other items.
Several mid-grade artifacts, a stack of talismans, clothing. . . and finally, a pile of spirit stones, roughly five or six hundred of them.
It had to be said, a late-stage Qi Refinement rogue cultivator was indeed well-off.
“Besides these, there's also a Golden Flood Dragon Saber artifact. Like the Golden Flood Dragon Shears, it's best not to expose it to light. ”
After Fang Xi finished inventorying, he carefully sorted and stored each storage pouch.
These were all crucial items for transporting supplies to Da Liang in the future.
Once everything was done, he tore open a defensive talisman and stepped out of his room.
Outside, the moonlight was splendid. It cast a glow upon the lake's surface, where water and sky merged, making it impossible to discern illusion from reality.
Taking advantage of the night's tranquility, Fang Xi strolled leisurely, admiring the scenery of Mirror Moon Lake.
From the secluded houses nearby, occasional muffled sobs could be heard.
Fang Xi paid them no mind, simply walking to the lakeside and quietly enjoying the moonlight. “What a truly. . . long day it has been! ”
He gazed at the moon, and a sigh of emotion escaped him.
At that very moment, Fang Xi's expression shifted.
Perhaps it was the change in his state of mind that stirred the spiritual energy within him. He felt the fourth layer of his ‘Evergreen Art’ stirring, as if poised to break through its limits and enter a completely new realm.
“Is this. . . an opportunity for a breakthrough? ”
Fang Xi knew that if he didn't seize the chance immediately, he might once again lose this precious opportunity for a breakthrough.
With this thought, he immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation art.
In any case, there were no enemies left here. Moreover. . . he was a body cultivator; even a surprise attack wouldn't be able to kill him in a single blow.
Mirror Moon Lake truly lived up to its reputation as a first-order spirit vein. The spiritual energy here was even more abundant than in his cave-dwelling at the Treasure Ship Market.
Fang Xi silently absorbed the spiritual energy, transforming it into spiritual power.
Time passed, though he knew not how long. Feeling the spiritual power of his Evergreen Art carving out another new circuit of meridians within his body, strengthening his spiritual power further, Fang Xi opened his eyes with satisfaction.
Outside, the dawn light was faint, as a red sun rose in the east, painting the sky with morning clouds.
Unknowingly, it was already dawn!
He stood up, casually brushing away the dew from his collar, and exhaled a long breath. “Finally. . . Qi Refinement fifth layer! ”
Fang Xi had been stuck at the Qi Refinement fourth layer for a long time. Fortunately, he had diligently cultivated through meditation every day without fail.
This time, seizing the opportunity, he finally broke through the bottleneck!
“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Fang. Your cultivation has advanced again. ”
A pleasant voice, like the tinkling of silver bells, suddenly came from nearby.
“Island Master! ”
Fang Xi was slightly startled to see Ruan Xing Ling. “You? ”
“Seeing Fellow Daoist enter a state of enlightenment yesterday, Xing Ling specially stood guard nearby,” Ruan Xing Ling said, walking gracefully closer. Then, she asked thoughtfully, “The cultivation method Fellow Daoist practices seems rather ordinary. . . ”
“To be honest, what I cultivate is the ‘Evergreen Art’. . . ”
Fang Xi scratched his head, replying with a hint of embarrassment.
In truth, it wasn't that he hadn't considered changing his cultivation method.
However, better cultivation methods were extremely rare in market towns.
Furthermore, after witnessing how Ruan Xing Ling had tricked Lu Jing Qing, Fang Xi's desire had waned.
Rather than switching to an unfamiliar one, he might as well continue cultivating the ‘Evergreen Art’, the method he was most familiar with!
What's more, common goods had their benefits! Namely, their widespread use!
Even if there were pitfalls within, countless rogue cultivators had gone before him and smoothed them out, making the possibility of hidden traps extremely small!
“The Evergreen Art is not bad; its strength lies in its balance and peacefulness. . . If I recall correctly, the Lu family's cultivation method pavilion still holds a copy of the ‘Azure Wood Art’, which I can gift to Fellow Daoist. ”
Ruan Xing Ling said with a smiling expression.
“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist! ” Fang Xi immediately expressed his gratitude, though inwardly he still leaned towards merely referencing it.
“Furthermore, the spirit land at Emerald Cliff has also been tidied up. . . ” Ruan Xing Ling said meaningfully. “Among Peach Blossom Island's spirit lands, Mirror Moon Lake is the best, followed by East Twin Peak, then West Twin Peak. . . Emerald Cliff is the worst. Does Fellow Daoist truly choose that spot? ”
She felt that with Fang Xi's strength, even if he were to forcibly occupy East Twin Peak, Old Daoist Rotten Wood and the Wei Yi Xin couple wouldn't dare say much.
“Emerald Cliff is already very good. To be honest, I used to be a spirit farmer, always dreaming of becoming a landlord one day. ”
A look of contentment appeared on Fang Xi's face.
Though Twin Peaks was good, it was too close to Mirror Moon Lake, with people constantly coming and going, which would be rather inconvenient.
“So be it! ”
Ruan Xing Ling seemed a bit speechless, tossing him a wooden token.
The token carried a faint peach fragrance and was made from peach wood heart. Carved on its back were Fang Xi's name and the contract for renting Emerald Cliff for a hundred years.
In fact, this token appeared to have been refined, making it a low-grade artifact.“Just inject a wisp of spiritual power into it; from today onwards, this will be your credential. ”
Ruan Xing Ling explained the token's use: “With this token, you will have permission to enter and exit my Mirror Moon Lake's ‘Water Moon Grand Array’. ”
“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist! ”
Fang Xi accepted the token, thanked her again, and felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
Finally, finally. . .
It was time to start planting the tree!
...
Emerald Cliff was located on the east side of Peach Blossom Island, a dozen li away from Mirror Moon Lake and Twin Peaks.
When Fang Xi arrived at Emerald Cliff, he saw that it bordered the Myriad Islands Lake, with boundless lake waters stretching to the east. From time to time, waves crashed against the towering cliffs.
The entire cliff face appeared tinged with green, looking like a giant jadeite from afar, hence its name.
Although Emerald Cliff had a trace of a spirit vein, it was unranked, and the spiritual energy indeed seemed rather sparse.
Fang Xi ascended the cliff and saw over a dozen mu of cultivated spirit fields. At the edge of the spirit fields were several wooden huts, likely built by the Lu family's hired spirit farmers.
As for those spirit farmers?
If they hadn't been killed yesterday, they had probably either surrendered or fled. In any case, it was Ruan Xing Ling's concern, not his.
“This year I'm twenty-one, and it's still spring. If there's enough time, I can plant the seeds of the Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice. ”
Fang Xi walked around Emerald Cliff, confirming that there were thirteen mu of spirit fields, and they were quite well-tended. He nodded inwardly. “It's clear the previous spirit farmers put their heart into it. What a pity. . . what a great pity. . . ”
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to plant the demonic tree right now.
Fang Xi was a very patient person. After confirming the land's ownership, he planned to wait at least two more years to see how things settled.
Then, he would set up a formation to conceal the interior, and gradually cultivate an image of being reclusive and disliking social interaction, thereby reducing his contact with the island's cultivators.
Finally, he would need to find an opportunity to put on a show, ideally pretending to be severely wounded, then becoming disheartened and choosing to retire here.
Over time, no one should come to disturb him while he plants his tree.
As for these next few years?
He'd best plant some spirit rice first, and then cultivate in peace.
*Creak! *
Fang Xi pushed open the wooden door and entered the hut.
These few wooden huts were built quite crudely. Inside, furniture and benches lay toppled, and fragments of pots, bowls, and basins were scattered everywhere. One could easily imagine the scene of the spirit farmers' chaotic retreat.
‘What became of this family's owner? Could they have been conscripted for battle and then died by my sword? All for the lease of these few mu of fields? ’
Fang Xi was somewhat speechless.
However, recalling how he himself had once willingly served as a tenant farmer on Green Bamboo Mountain for a mere six fen of spirit field lease, he suddenly felt a suffocating sensation. . .
‘If not for awakening my cheat, I might have been conscripted by the Situ family to fight to the death over those six fen of land. . . ’
‘Given the brutality of the war back then, my original body, with its meager early-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, would have almost certainly perished! ’
‘Good thing I ran fast! ’
With a hint of relief, Fang Xi meticulously examined the structure of the wooden huts, then shook his head. “No, they must be torn down and rebuilt! ”
If all went according to plan, he would be staying here for a long time, and these huts were far too dilapidated.
According to Fang Xi's own vision, he should at least have a small courtyard house, shouldn't he?
And during construction, he could incorporate many convenient features of his own invention.
“Doing it alone is too troublesome. There's a town on this island; I can call upon the mortal masons and tile-layers there. ”
Fang Xi immediately decided to make do with these wooden huts for now, then go summon mortals to rebuild a small courtyard here.
Thinking of this, he couldn't sit still. He took out his Black Feather Boat and hurried towards the only mortal town on Peach Blossom Island.
The mortal town on Peach Blossom Island was named ‘Peach Blossom Town’. It wasn't large, with bluestone slabs paving its paths. Houses were spaced far apart, most having courtyards planted with peach blossoms.
As Fang Xi flew past on his artifact, the pedestrians on the road knelt one after another, calling out "Immortal Master" and the like.
“Where is the local town mayor? ”
He stopped directly in the center of the town and called out.
Not long after, a plump-faced middle-aged man dressed in a silk robe stepped out from the crowd. “Greetings, Immortal Master! My humble self is ‘Zhou Quanyou’, the local town mayor. . . It seems there's still some time until the ‘Spiritual Root Measuring Ceremony’. May I ask what instructions the Immortal Master has? ”
Descendants of cultivators didn't necessarily possess spiritual roots in every generation. Therefore, both the Lu family and the Ruan family would come to the mortal town every few years to test the spiritual roots of children, which was considered a rare path to immortality for the townspeople.
Of course, the spiritual-root-endowed children taken by the Lu family in previous times had met tragic ends. . .
Fang Xi was aware of this, so he waved his hand. “I am not a spiritual root testing Immortal Master. I am from Emerald Cliff and need a residence built there. Allocate some people to come over, bring their own dry rations, and work daily; you won't be short on benefits. ”
After speaking, he slapped his storage pouch and pulled out several gold bars, tossing them over.
In such a public setting, he wasn't afraid of the other party embezzling the money. He simply controlled his Black Feather Boat and departed.
Even long after Fang Xi had left, Zhou Quanyou remained deeply bowed, his face full of fawning deference. . .
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