Chapter 16: The Move at Last!
“Haha, fellow Daoist, you’re as straightforward as ever,” Wang Yang said with a hearty laugh.
He hadn’t even asked for a reason before tossing out spirit stones. This was exactly the kind of transaction Wang Yang enjoyed most. He patted his own storage pouch and let out a sigh.
“The elders of the sect may live untouched by mortal concerns, but we’re not so lucky,” he said, a note of lament in his voice, before changing the subject. “But rest assured, you’re getting your money’s worth with these spirit stones.”
Shen Lian wasn’t concerned about spending spirit stones—what mattered was whether it was worth it. “What’s so special about this courtyard?”
“Courtyard Number Ding-Twenty-Three is built right at the convergence node of the Gathering Spirit Array and the tail end of the Yunmeng Mountain spirit vein. At intervals, the node experiences small surges of spiritual energy. Living there long-term is greatly beneficial for cultivation. If luck is on your side and you catch a larger surge, you might even break through a minor realm directly.”
Shen Lian listened but didn’t take it too seriously. If spiritual tides were so easily encountered, fifty spirit stones wouldn’t be nearly enough. It wasn’t that such surges didn’t exist, but the chances of encountering them were infinitesimally small.
“You still have the wooden token I gave you last time, right?”
Shen Lian produced the wooden token from before. Wang Yang took it, pressed a deep fingerprint onto it, half covering the previous mark. No surge of spiritual energy could be sensed—it looked like nothing more than a plain, worn wooden tag.
“With this token, you can go directly to Courtyard Ding-Twenty-Three,” Wang Yang returned the token to Shen Lian. “When someone comes to collect it, just hand it over.”
…
The streets in the middle of the marketplace were much broader than the earlier alleyways. Small courtyards nestled among lush trees, and the cultivators passing by appeared far more refined than those near his previous lodgings.
Following the street, Shen Lian found the courtyard marked Ding-Twenty-Three.
“What’s your business here?” Before he could draw near, a cultivator dressed in the law enforcement robes of the Bisu Sect appeared from nearby.
“I’m here to rent,” Shen Lian replied, pointing to the courtyard.
“Show me,” the enforcer said coolly, holding out his hand.
Shen Lian took the wooden token from his storage pouch and handed it over. The enforcer examined the markings, then tucked the token away.
“Someone has already rented the lower floor of Courtyard Ding-Twenty-Three. The identity token is in the room upstairs; you’ll see it when you enter. Don’t forget to pay the rent.” With those words, the enforcer left as abruptly as he’d come.
Shen Lian pushed open the gate. At once, a wave of spiritual energy rippled through the courtyard. A small herb garden had already taken shape, with a dozen or so spiritual herbs swaying gently in the breeze.
He spared the garden only a glance before heading toward the left side of the courtyard.
The residence was two stories tall, with an independent staircase. The upper and lower floors were entirely separate.
Before heading upstairs, Shen Lian glanced at the first floor and saw the door tightly shut. There was a faint spiritual radiance and the subtle aroma of medicinal herbs. A formation shielded the doorway—his neighbor below was likely an alchemist.
He climbed the stairs and opened the door to a spacious room. Instantly, Shen Lian’s mood brightened. The suite contained five rooms, each furnished with beds, tables, and chairs. There was even a dedicated cultivation chamber.
On the central table in the receiving room lay a wooden plaque inscribed with runes—the property token for this residence.
He took a deep breath and walked a circuit through the rooms, thoroughly satisfied.
“The spiritual energy here is noticeably richer.”
He wasn’t particular about where he lived, but finally having a room for crafting talismans was a relief—no more hunching over his bed every night to draw runes.
He headed to the cultivation chamber, settled onto the provided meditation cushion, and began circulating his Qianyuan Technique. Threads of spiritual energy gathered around him.
After a few tries, Shen Lian made his assessment: refining ambient spiritual energy was much more efficient here than at his last place, though still not as effective as absorbing spirit stones directly.
Most importantly, it felt much safer. “Once I buy a formation to secure the room, I’ll be even more at ease,” he mused, considering how to make his new home more secure.
As for his old place, he’d all but forgotten it—no one, not even a dog, would want to live somewhere so unsafe. Of course, it was still worth keeping as a backup.
Half an hour later, Shen Lian hurried out to purchase daily necessities: spirit rice, Huangya Pills, a defensive formation, and more.
Streaks of light flashed about the residence as he returned; formation flags settled in the corners of each room.
The Five-Point Labyrinth Formation would shield him from prying eyes while also providing a Five Elements attack spell. This top-tier first-rank formation could block the divine sense of a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, and had cost Shen Lian three hundred lower-grade spirit stones.
With this turtle-shell barrier for his home, he felt much more secure.
“Spirit stones really don’t last long,” he mused, sitting cross-legged in the cultivation room, scratching his head.
He’d paid Wang the steward fifty spirit stones as commission. It was clear Wang was just a middleman—the real profit likely went to a Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the scenes.
The formation had cost three hundred; top-tier first-rank magical tools were about a hundred or so each. Two bottles of Huangya Pills cost another hundred. Now, his storage pouch held just over a hundred spirit stones.
One day of windfall, and before the stones had even warmed his pocket, most were gone.
“I have to make more talismans,” he murmured, gazing at the pile of materials before him.
This time, he’d sold Purging Miasma Talismans to Weng Xia for eight spirit stones each, but Shen Lian knew he couldn’t push his luck and expect the same price next time. Business relied on mutual respect.
“Even if I sell them for six spirit stones apiece, I’d still make double the profit—it’s worth continuing.”
A plan quickly took shape in his mind. The Wu character vein’s development wouldn’t end anytime soon. He needed to ride this momentum and accumulate as many spirit stones as possible.
Short-term goal: make as many Purging Miasma Talismans as he could while the mining boom lasted. Long-term goal: raise his cultivation realm.
With a new home and a defensive formation, Shen Lian felt utterly at ease.
As evening fell, he glanced downstairs and saw no signs of activity—his neighbor was apparently not in.
Returning to his room, Shen Lian activated the formation. The miniature Five Elements Labyrinth Formation only required ten spirit stones a month to operate in its normal state. If under attack, it would need a hundred spirit stones to unleash its full power.
Normally, there was no need to run it at full capacity. Even ticking along at minimal power, it gave Shen Lian a profound sense of security.
This was what a cultivator’s life should be. Before, he’d only been surviving.
Tonight, he decided, he would sleep well.
…
[Calm Heart, Perception Points +2]
…
[Calm Heart, Perception Points +3]
…
[No Distractions, Enlightenment Points +1]
[No Distractions, Enlightenment Points +1]
…
[Calm Heart, Perception Points +2]
…
Dawn.
Shen Lian opened his eyes as he woke. With a mere thought, his status appeared before his mind:
[Shen Lian: Qi Refining, Fourth Layer]
[Five Elements Spiritual Roots: Metal 17, Wood 29, Water 18, Fire 35, Earth 18]
[Talisman Master: First Rank, Lower Grade (187/1000)]
[Perception Points: 39]
[Enlightenment Points: 4]
His attention fell upon the Enlightenment Points—he now had four.
Without hesitation, he allocated them to his Fire Spiritual Root.
That familiar sensation welled up within him again.
Ah—