Chapter 37: Earning Some Spirit Stones

Lu Yan stood up and tucked the flying sword into the storage pouch at his waist.

At the moment, the pouch he wore was not the golden-silk storage pouch acquired from Shopkeeper Chu, but rather an inconspicuous gray one.

This was the lowest-grade storage pouch available in the market. The internal spatial formation only lasted for twenty years, and its storage capacity was less than a fifth of the golden-silk pouch. Even so, it still cost a hefty thirty spirit stones.

After learning about the Red Lotus Devil Sect from He Dongsheng, Lu Yan realized just how dangerous that sect was. Even the seemingly high-quality golden-silk pouch could potentially expose him.

However, as a cultivator, it wasn’t practical for Lu Yan to always carry the pouch on his person. That would be too suspicious and could draw unwanted attention.

So, he gritted his teeth and spent a significant sum to purchase a basic pouch for appearances—something he could use in public to store mundane items.

As for his truly important treasures, those remained hidden in the golden-silk pouch that stayed close to his body.

With a swipe of his hand across the pouch, only a scattered handful of spirit stones fell into Lu Yan’s palm. He frowned slightly and sighed.

“Looks like I’m running out of spirit stones again.”

He had exchanged most of his low- and mid-grade talismans for ninety spirit stones earlier, but in the past half-month, he had burned through quite a bit—renting a cave dwelling, buying the pouch, and consuming Fasting Pills.

But the biggest expense had been in spell practice. Practicing spells required repeated casting, which drained spiritual power, and recovering that power through breathing exercises consumed a lot of time—something Lu Yan didn’t have. After all, he only had three months in the Immortal Cultivation Version.

So, he had resorted to using spirit stones to quickly recover his spiritual power, burning through a large amount to complete his spell training.

What’s more, he still needed to prepare for breaking through to mid-stage Qi Refining and gather resources for the next version. All of that would require an even greater supply of spirit stones.

“Looks like I need to earn some more spirit stones.”

With that thought in mind, Lu Yan rose and deactivated the restriction formation as he walked out of his cave.

The moment he stepped outside, he immediately sensed a gaze falling on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a yellow-robed cultivator standing at the entrance of another cave—likely just stepping out as well.

Lu Yan said nothing and leapt away from the cave area.

As he exited the cave-dwelling zone and stepped into the outer market streets, Lu Yan began to sense even more hidden gazes observing him.

His soul, strengthened by three months of moonlight absorption, had granted him a spiritual perception that surpassed even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

If not for the requirement to reach Foundation Establishment in order to condense a divine soul and develop divine sense, Lu Yan might already qualify to awaken one.

A cold smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He knew exactly what those eyes meant—greedy cultivators viewing him as an easy mark.

The Qinggu Market wasn’t large. A low-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Lu Yan selling dozens of talismans and renting a mid-grade cave dwelling wasn’t exactly a secret.

Such extravagance had clearly drawn the attention of opportunistic cultivators. Over a hundred spirit stones was more than enough to tempt many into risking their lives.

There were countless stories in the cultivation world—low-level cultivators robbing traveling scions of noble families, securing a fortune overnight and stepping into Foundation Establishment.

Some unknown rogue cultivator might slay a disciple from a sect and walk away with a rare Foundation Establishment Pill, vanishing from the region soon after.

As long as the prize was rich enough and the deed discreet, no one cared about identity or background.

Even Shopkeeper Chu, a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, had once robbed a sect disciple. That Red Lotus storage pouch had been proof of it.

Expression calm, Lu Yan made his way toward the outskirts of Qinggu Market.

As soon as he left, he cast a flying spell and soared in the direction of Mount Wu. Several cultivators behind him lit up with glee.

Luring the target outside the market was always the hardest part of a robbery. Now that Lu Yan had left on his own, the hunters couldn’t be happier and immediately began tailing him.

Mount Wu stretched over three thousand li—remote, desolate, and empty. There was no need to even bury corpses there. Wild beasts would clean up the remains within hours.

“He really knows how to pick a good burial spot for himself.”

“I heard the kid bought a copy of Compendium of First-Rank Spells as soon as he arrived. He probably stumbled upon some inheritance in Mount Wu. What a clueless brat.”

“There’s one every year—some naive rookie with a rich background. Killing them is clean and worry-free. The perfect fat sheep. Can’t believe we got so lucky.”

“With this haul, I might even be able to afford a Breakthrough Pill and reach late-stage Qi Refining.”

“Same rules as always. The late-stage guys get 20%, the rest split evenly.”

The group of seven cultivators—two late-stage and five mid-stage—hadn’t even begun the fight, but were already dividing the spoils.

“Wait a second. He stopped.”

A hook-nosed mid-stage cultivator frowned, observing the circling hawk in the sky.

“Did he notice us?” a fat cultivator asked with confusion.

A white-robed scholar scoffed mockingly.

“So what if he did? He’s a fresh newbie who just learned first-rank spells. You think he’s going to fight back?”

“Enough chatter. Let’s finish him quickly. Head to Zhulin Market afterward and lay low for a few days. Make sure there’s no fallout before we return.”

The sharp order silenced the others. The speaker was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator—none other than the yellow-robed man Lu Yan had seen earlier at the cave dwellings.

They soon reached a small hill where Lu Yan stood calmly, gazing in their direction as if waiting.

“An ambush?”

The group grew wary and immediately looked toward the hawk-controlling cultivator for confirmation.

He shook his head. No other cultivators detected.

A mid-stage cultivator sneered, summoned a flying chakram, and dashed toward Lu Yan’s hill. In a blink, he crossed hundreds of meters.

“Putting on airs!”

As the chakram gleamed with killing intent, aiming to cleave Lu Yan in half, dozens of ghostly figures surged from the surrounding forest.

“What the hell are those?!”

The chakram cultivator barely had time to shout before spectral claws pierced through his spiritual shield and shredded his soul.

The next instant, his frosted corpse crashed to the ground.

“Wraiths! A devil cultivator ambush!”

Panic erupted in the skies, and the remaining six cultivators turned and fled without hesitation.

But in that very moment, thick black fog surged from the forest, engulfing all of them.

“The Hundred Soul Banner! That’s a top-tier devil artifact!”

“Could there be a Foundation Establishment devil cultivator here?!”

“A dignified Foundation Establishment expert resorting to such base tricks—shameless!”

Their roars echoed within the ghost fog, but what greeted them were icy ghost claws. Even a Corpse King would retreat before eight hundred wraiths, let alone these Qi Refining cultivators.

Three breaths later, the fog dispersed, leaving behind only seven icy corpses. Their souls had all been devoured.

Lu Yan collected the seven storage pouches handed to him by the wraiths, then flicked his finger. A golden flame of Profound Yellow Merit Fire dropped onto the bodies, incinerating them into ash within seconds.

With their souls devoured and their bodies burned by a karma-free divine flame, even a Golden Core expert would be unable to track anything through divination.

As he juggled the storage pouches in his hand, Lu Yan smiled.

“These resources… should be enough for me to break through to mid-stage Qi Refining.”

(End of Chapter)