Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Patience (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1 Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Patience (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1 Half a month later.
Dragon Gate Attic.
Fang Xi emerged with a hint of dejection.
He had come to try purchasing a breakthrough pill.
By now, his Eternal Spring Skills’ cultivation had already reached the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Refining, yet he remained unable to break through.
Even the Wood Origin Pill, which had once been effective, no longer stimulated a breakthrough in his bottleneck.
Naturally, Fang Xi thought of purchasing other types of breakthrough pills.
In the Dragon Gate Attic, the person attending to him was still Zhong Wangu.
This cultivator from the Zhong Family did not recognize Fang Xi, but after listening to Fang Xi’s description, also felt quite helpless.
After all, pills that assist cultivators to break through bottlenecks were always extremely scarce.
Especially when even the Wood Origin Pill was ineffective.
At this time, Zhong Wangu offered two methods, first was to rely on the cultivator’s own strength, seeking breakthroughs through meditation and cultivation, or gaining enlightenment during combat.
The second method was to purchase the ‘Purple Wood Pill’!
This pill could aid mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators in breaking through to the later stages of Qi Refining, with a reportedly high success rate.
Using it for a breakthrough at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, though, was too much of a good thing.
Moreover, after taking one, if you were to take it again in the future, its effects would be significantly reduced.
In private, Fang Xi was financially sound, but on the surface, he pretended to be naive and brave as he inquired about the price.
However, Zhong Wangu told him that such breakthrough pills were extremely precious and even rare within the Zhong Family.
Dragon Gate Attic also didn’t have them in stock.
Nonetheless, at the annual auction in the Baochuan Market, one or two might appear, but the price…
“Would reach at least two to three hundred Spirit Stones…”
“Even if I had the Spirit Stones, with my status, I couldn’t just spend them like that… let alone actually acquire them…”
Fang Xi was helpless. He could only leave the Dragon Gate Attic with gloom.
Having Spirit Stones sometimes still meant you couldn’t buy what you wanted; such situations were the worst.
“Forget it… I’ll go see what Old One Eye is up to.”
With a sigh in his heart, he made his way to the tea house.
“Mr. Fang, Old Xiumu has been waiting for you a long time!”
Old One Eye greeted Fang Xi with a cheerful smile as he stood up: “The usual?”
“Yes!”
Fang Xi booked a private room and watched as Old One Eye sent out a Voice Transmission Talisman.
They sat for about half an hour before the room’s door was opened, and a man in his fifties wearing a green robe and a black wooden crown, exuding a feeling of authority, walked in: “Master Guieye greets both Sirs!”
“Come, let me introduce you—this is Mr. Fang Xi, whose skills in Spirit Planting are quite remarkable…”
Prime Taoist Xiumu, beaming, stood up: “This is Master Guieye, the leader of the Guieye Divine Sect!”
‘Guieye Divine Sect?’
Watching Master Guieye, who was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, Fang Xi felt somewhat speechless, but nonetheless rose politely: “The reputation of Master Guieye is indeed far-reaching!”
“Ha-ha, you flatter me, Mr. Fang!”
Master Guieye sat down with an easygoing air, didn’t mind whether it was ordinary tea or Spiritual Tea, and drank it all in one gulp: “Recently, the price of Spirit Rice in the Baochuan Market has fallen… this has truly put me in a tight spot. I’ve nearly run out of saliva over a few Spirit Stones…”
He then turned to Fang Xi: “Sir, being in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, you’re quite strong… If you join my Guieye Divine Sect, it would be like adding wings to a tiger… I assure you as Old Xiumu, as soon as Sir joins, a high position of Spirit Plant Department head will be offered to you!”
“I wonder, Master Guieye, how many staff does your sect’s Spirit Plant Department have?”
Fang Xi still wasn’t green around the edges and asked a pointed question.
“Ha-ha…” Master Guieye gave an evasive laugh: “Although the Spirit Plant Department is newly established, it holds much potential… you, Sir, would have the final word on all personnel appointments, a very promising prospect indeed!”
‘I can’t help but feel, this is just an empty title?’
‘Master Guieye seems generous, but he’s full of hot air… doesn’t seem all that reliable.’
Holding onto a glimmer of hope, Fang Xi asked another question: “How are the cultivators treated within Guieye Divine Sect? How many Spirit Stones are distributed yearly, and are there mandatory tasks?”
Upon this inquiry, the expression on Master Guieye’s face changed slightly: “That… our sect is freshly established, everything is still in the initial stages, not yet carefully divided, but given Sir’s talents it’s inevitable to stand out… Whatsmore, the sect is willing to grant Sir ten acres of Spiritual Field, and that’s ten acres!”
Fang Xi’s smile became slightly stiff, yet he still maintained the last vestiges of courtesy: “Master Guieye’s generosity overwhelms me… but this matter is of great importance, I need to consider it carefully.”
“That’s fine…” Master Guieye stood up: “But Sir must think it over carefully… in Thousand Island Lake, my offer is already very generous.”
As Fang Xi watched him leave, he turned to Old One Eye.
Knowing what Fang Xi would ask, Old One Eye nodded: “Although Master Guieye is a bit greedy for fame and wealth, his offer is indeed not bad, and it would sway many hearts out there…”
“The many people you’re referring to… wouldn’t happen to be the Spirit Farmers outside Baochuan Market, would they?”
Fang Xi gave Old One Eye a sidelong glance.
“Indeed…”
Old One Eye answered without any sign of embarrassment: “To join any other Qi Refining force and get a favorable offer, you mostly need to first prove your loyalty, like conspiring to eliminate an enemy or venturing into dangerous places…”
“So, are you saying… a test of allegiance?”
Fang Xi nodded in understanding.
It seemed that even though the Thousand Island Lake Cultivation Realm was stable, it was not without its share of intrigue and feuds.
“But I’m only twenty; there’s no need to rush… I can spend a few years slowly evaluating and waiting for the best opportunity.”
With this thought, Fang Xi felt a sense of lightness and, after entrusting Old One Eye to keep an eye out for him regarding this matter, he left the tea house.
…
Da Liang World.
Yun Lian Mountain.
“Awooo!”
A wolf howl echoed through the mountain wilds, reverberating back and forth in the valley.
Many wild animals were so frightened that they scampered away in utmost panic, some even losing control of their bowels.
This was ‘Old One Eye’, one of the eight Monster Kings of Ding State, occupying Yun Lian Mountain with a cunning nature.
Whenever he encountered a large army laying siege, he would immediately hide deep within the forest and remain out of sight.
And once the siege was over, he would brazenly descend the mountain to feast on humans in the villages, particularly fond of children.
His howling could intimidate hundreds of beasts, and even lions and tigers, upon encountering him, could only tremble and lie on the ground, allowing themselves to be eaten.
But this time, Old One Eye’s howling was filled with a sense of panic!
“No matter how slippery and cunning you are, you’ll still have to drink my foot-washing water…”
Fang Xi laughed heartily as he covered his fist with a layer of Gang Qi and struck fiercely at the wolf’s waist.
A clear bone-cracking sound came from within Old One Eye, who was sent flying.
It was a white giant wolf over three meters tall, its fur shimmering with a silvery sheen. Now, the pain and resentment were evident in its single remaining eye.
Although it was skilled in hiding, it had no way to escape when faced with a flying enemy, especially one with the power to kill it alone!
“Go!”
Without the slightest relaxation, Fang Xi channeled his magic power into the Gold Dragon Sword, which let out a roar, turning into a beam of golden light that sliced past the wolf’s head.
Crack!
The massive wolf’s head fell to the ground, its green eyes still chilling to behold.
“Another monster beast is slain!”
Fang Xi immediately went forward to collect various materials.
“This wolf demon’s fur is warm in winter, cool in summer, impervious to water and fire, and extremely soft and smooth, truly top-notch…”
As Fang Xi stroked the wolf’s bristles, he deliberately kept a tuft of the most lustrous fur.
This tuft of bristles, each shining bright, had the perfect softness and firmness, making it an excellent material for crafting talisman brushes, and was highly valued!
“Although this wolf demon is a top-tier rank one, it’s worth far less than a Snake Dragon. It’s a good opportunity to disguise it and sell it, to help out with the household expenses…”
A hint of joy appeared on Fang Xi’s face.
Although he still possessed a ‘Blood Pact Document’, he had never considered forming a pact with Old One Eye.
The beast was fierce and venomous, having devoured countless humans.
Moreover… with its cunning nature, even with a pact to suppress it, there was a high risk of it backfiring on its master!
‘The Southern Wilderness is not Great Liang; what if I make a mistake… And suppose this wolf demon advances to rank two right away, what then?’
If it surpassed him by a whole realm, the Blood Pact would become far less reliable.
Therefore, Fang Xi was more inclined to use the Blood Pact on Taisui.
Even though this meatball was only a lower-tier rank one, it was a plant demon with hardly any self-awareness, so passive that it wouldn’t resist even if someone cut flesh from it.
What’s more… there are advantages to being of a lower tier.
Even if it were taken to the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm and made a breakthrough, it would only be a middle-tier rank one… still within the range of control.
“Hmm, Taisui is actually quite useful… at least I haven’t seen any monster beasts that grow flesh faster than it does!”
“The Monster Tree needs to absorb blood nourishment, and Taisui is quite a match for it…”
Fang Xi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
At that moment, figures flickered through the jungle, with Zhou Tong, Linghu Shan, and Yan Jue hurriedly arriving.
Looking at the wolf corpse on the ground, their expressions turned numb.
It seemed that no monster was invincible against Grandmaster Fang Xi’s moves.
The key point was that they had received a signal and hurried over, not taking much time on their journey.
And in such a short span, he had killed a Monster King?
Such strength was probably counted among the top in the Grandmaster Conference!
“Zhou Tong, Yan Jue… what brings you two here?”
Seeing these two, Fang Xi was somewhat surprised.
After all, he was just hunting monsters with Linghu Shan and the Wind Thunder Camp in Ding State. Linghu Shan’s presence was understandable.
But the arrival of these two was indeed a bit unusual.
Yan Jue looked a bit gloomy and was not very talkative, while Zhou Tong chuckled bitterly and explained, “There’s a mission from the Conference!”
“Oh?” Fang Xi’s eyes lit up, “How many contributions?”
“This mission is quite challenging, and the two of us may not be up to it, so we’ve come to ask Grandmaster Fang to lend a hand.”
Zhou Tong, who had not suffered a loss to Fang Xi and thus had his pride intact, responded with ease, “The rewards you get this time… can definitely be exchanged for a set of Secret Skills at the Conference!”
“Oh? That sounds great!”
Thinking of the Return to Origin Secret Skills Zhou Tong had practiced before, Fang Xi’s eyes shone brightly, “What mission is it?”
“There’s a Grandmaster in the Conference who’s gone nuts, and we’ve lost all contact. The Conference has asked us to go check it out!”
Zhou Tong began to share the details.
“Oh? Who might that be?”
Fang Xi was intrigued; the Grandmaster Conference itself was a bunch of madmen, so who could it be that even madmen called mad? Surely it was someone from that bloodthirsty and insane faction of the ‘Demon Seed in Body’ school in the Cultivation World?