The next day.
Inside the shack cellar.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged, looking at a small ink jade bottle in his hand.
This was a bottle of 'Wood Essence Pill', suitable for cultivators practicing wood attribute techniques in the early and middle stages of Qi refinement to enhance their cultivation, with a slight effect of breaking through bottlenecks.
"Di Qi is still trustworthy, but selling a piece of demon beast meat with bones only fetched twenty spirit stones, a bit of a loss... This person must have made a lot of profit from it..."
This was within Fang Xi's expectations. Saving trouble and quickly completing transactions was what he wanted.
After all, he didn't have much time here.
In Daliang, Fang Xi left the caravan directly under the pretext of wanting to act alone.
Anyway, the caravan was moving slowly. With his speed, he could catch up in a few hours.
If he couldn't catch up... then so be it!
After all, he had done his best, there was nothing more to say.
"Unfortunately, I can't go to Baiqiao Tower, and I can't sell the Taosui meat anymore... Next time I catch a demon beast, I'll disguise myself as a wandering cultivator and sell it at the market..."
"Compared to Di Qi, the Dan Ding Pavilion is the real deal! Selling a pill for thirty spirit stones... I even had to add more..."
Thinking of the various pills in the Dan Ding Pavilion and their high prices, Fang Xi couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.
Was it easy for him to work as a transporter between the two realms? Yet all the profits were taken by these monopolizers!
"Sigh... Let it go, cultivation is everything."
Fang Xi calmed his emotions and poured out a 'Wood Essence Pill' from the ink jade bottle.
The pill was all green but had a slightly spicy scent.
After some thought, he swallowed it directly, closed his eyes, and began to refine it.
Not long after, Fang Xi's expression changed, feeling a vast and gentle aura bursting open in his dantian and sea of qi, stimulating the activation of the third level of the Changchun Technique.
He involuntarily started practicing the third level of the technique over and over again.
When Fang Xi came back to his senses, he had practiced the technique for three full hours without realizing it.
And when he inspected internally, a smile immediately appeared on his face. "I've actually reached the peak of the third level of Qi refinement! It's not easy..."
He had crossed over with the cultivation of the third level of Qi refinement, and after more than a year, he hadn't reached the peak yet!
Now, he had finally cultivated this level of technique to its peak, ready to break through the bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi refinement!
"The power of the pill is not bad!"
Fang Xi joyfully stroked the ink jade bottle. There were still two 'Wood Essence Pills' inside, which should be enough for him to break through the bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi refinement.
"Indeed, sitting in meditation and cultivating is too naive. Taking pills is the way to go!"
"Moreover, these spirit pills contain spiritual energy within them. Swallowing pills is mainly about refining the spiritual energy and medicinal properties within the pills, so even in Daliang, I can still make progress..."
For a moment, Fang Xi wanted to immediately return to Daliang to capture demon beasts on a large scale and exchange them for pills to cultivate.
But soon, he dismissed this reckless idea!
Advancing too quickly in cultivation could lead to an unstable foundation!
Moreover, pills suitable for enhancing mana and breaking through bottlenecks in the middle and later stages of Qi refinement were even more expensive!
Not to mention, consuming a large amount of pills would lead to pill toxicity, which would definitely affect the breakthrough to higher realms in the future.
"Selling a large amount of demon beast meat not only suppresses the market, but it's not worth the trouble and easily exposes myself..."
"I need to stay steady. I'm only seventeen years old, turning eighteen soon... no rush, no rush..."
Fang Xi looked at the Wood Essence Pill in his hand, lost in thought.
One day later.
Fang Xi walked out of the shack, a hint of frustration on his face.
He had thought that taking another Wood Essence Pill would help him break through the bottleneck.
But to his surprise, one pill was not enough. It was only after taking the last Wood Essence Pill that he barely broke through the bottleneck of the fourth level of Qi refinement, becoming a mid-stage cultivator of the fourth level of Qi refinement.
"Talent!"
Fang Xi faintly felt that having a low-grade spiritual root would become a bigger obstacle on his path to longevity.
In the Qi refinement stage, various pills to enhance mana, though not common, could still be bought with spirit stones.
But for the Foundation Establishment stage, pills to enhance mana were only seen at the auction held once every ten years at the Qingzhu Mountain Market.
Not to mention, once reaching the Core Formation stage, whether it was pill recipes or centuries-old spiritual herbs, they would become extremely rare and scarce.
Relying solely on the power of pills to advance, even without pill toxicity, was simply unrealistic!
"Spirit roots... I wonder if there's a way to improve them?"
Fang Xi pondered.
According to the theory of spiritual roots in the cultivation world, every cultivator with spiritual roots must have all five elements, with one or several elements being more prominent, determining the cultivator's aptitude.
Fang Xi had a low-grade wood spiritual root, representing that among his five elemental spiritual roots, the wood spiritual root was the strongest, but it only reached the level of a low-grade spiritual root.
Above the low-grade spiritual root were middle-grade, high-grade spiritual roots, and even the legendary Earth and Heaven spiritual roots—rumored to be highly sought after by super sects as potential Core Formation seeds! Future powerhouses in preparation!
"But... I haven't heard of any method to enhance spiritual roots? Perhaps it's because my previous cultivation was too low, and my knowledge was insufficient?"
"If spiritual roots could be enhanced after birth, why would sects bother recruiting outstanding disciples with excellent spiritual roots? So even if there is a method, the cost must be significant..."
"Sigh... one word, difficult!"
Fang Xi worried about his path.
He walked into the courtyard, and a small seed suddenly appeared in his hand.
This was a weed seed—Ironweed seed—that he had casually collected while working as a spiritual farmer here.
This weed didn't have much benefit, it was just extremely tough, comparable to steel.
Fang Xi took out the seed not for its properties but for practicing spells!
After advancing to the mid-stage of Qi refinement, he could finally break free from the embarrassment of only being able to weed and cast rain spells in the early stage of Qi refinement, and start practicing a first-tier middle-grade spell!
The spell he was about to practice was called 'Entanglement Spell', a minor spell recorded in the 'Changchun Technique'.
Its main purpose was to use mana to generate seeds, forming vines to entangle and restrain enemies!
A common spell for a common technique... with just this much power.
Recalling the incantation, Fang Xi cast the spell while throwing out the seed.
Snap!
The seed fell to the ground and didn't move for a while...
"The spell failed..."
Fang Xi sighed.
He was never a genius in the cultivation world.
Fortunately, spellcasting could be mastered through repeated practice.
Fang Xi didn't require immediate combat, so he could take his time with the incantation, and the spell gestures as well, to lower the difficulty.
Half a day later.
With a series of complex and twisted syllables, Fang Xi formed hand seals and threw out the Ironweed seed.
"Changchun commands, let all things grow!"
In the next moment, Fang Xi felt the mana in his body rush out like a dam bursting open!
The Ironweed seed on the ground exploded rapidly, sprouting black leaves about a yard long, with sharp serrations on the edges, entwining a wooden stake.
Crack! Crack!
The Ironweed coiled like a giant python, continuously tightening, and the wooden stake shattered in an instant, with countless wood chips flying.
"This power... is just average."
"At critical moments, I still have to rely on my fists!"
Seeing this scene, Fang Xi wasn't too disappointed.
"Haha... a good wood-based spell!"
At this moment, a voice of admiration suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
Fang Xi looked over and saw his neighbor, Chen Ping, and couldn't help but smile. "Not at all... can't compare to the agility and destructive power of your fire-based spells, fellow Daoist."
Perhaps only this person could exchange mutual compliments with him in business.
Chen Ping's cultivation was even worse than his, with only one fireball spell as his specialty, after years of practice, he had mastered the art of playing with fireballs.
"However, this Entanglement Spell is a first-tier middle-grade spell, could it be that Fellow Daoist Fang..."
Chen Ping suddenly looked at Fang Xi in surprise.
"Haha... by chance, I finally broke through to the mid-stage of Qi refinement!"
Fang Xi had no intention of hiding his progress in cultivation.
What he truly wanted to conceal was his progress in body refinement.
"I see, congratulations to Fellow Daoist."
Chen Ping solemnly bowed, with a hint of envy in his eyes.
His aptitude was also quite average, and cultivation and breakthroughs were exceptionally difficult for him.
At this moment, Chen Ping continued, "Since I met Fellow Daoist, let me tell you... I'm moving."
"Oh? Why?"
Fang Xi was taken aback.
Was Chen Ping no longer going to be a spiritual farmer?
"To be honest, after receiving the inheritance of a symbol master, my symbol-making skills have improved, and now I am a first-tier middle-grade symbol master..."
Chen Ping proudly replied.
This time, Fang Xi envied Chen Ping.
A first-tier middle-grade symbol master was worth much more than a mid-stage Qi refinement cultivator.
"It's unfair... The symbol master position is barely at this level, and Chen Ping had a hard time drawing even a first-tier low-grade spiritual symbol before. How did he suddenly have an epiphany?"
Fang Xi was puzzled.
Rubbing his head, Chen Ping showed a simple smile. "Also... Fellow Daoist Lu saw my diligence, was moved by my talent in symbols, and is willing to stay and guide me for a few days. I won't be leaving for a short time..."
"... " Fang Xi was even more speechless, holding back the twitching of his mouth, he congratulated, "Congratulations to Fellow Daoist for your sincerity, may it open doors of gold and stone!"
In the cultivation world, whether it was one marriage or two marriages, even female cultivators could have three thousand years of youth, and everyone praised each other.
Because in terms of 'strength', female cultivators could also advance in cultivation without falling behind male cultivators.
Equality in strength was the true source of equality!
And Lu Zhi had high cultivation, good looks, and a large inheritance...
At this moment, Fang Xi felt a bit sour.
After lamenting, Fang Xi suddenly remembered the interactions between Yunmeng Fairy and others with Chen Ping: 'Maybe... this Chen fellow really has a unique charm?'
However, no matter how he looked, he couldn't see it. Moreover, if there were any secrets, how could the previous Chen Ping have been so poor?
"Haha... when I and Fellow Daoist Lu become Dao companions, Fellow Daoist Fang must not forget to share a cup of spiritual wine!"
Chen Ping laughed heartily, full of spirit.
(End of this chapter)