https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-22-Breakthrough-to-the-Second-Realm/12581277/
Chapter 23: Revenge
Chapter 23: Revenge
Qinglinfang City.
A young man of average looks and slightly plump build strode into the city.
This person was none other than Fang Xing!
Ever since he broke through to the 'Sinew and Bone Realm', Fang Xing discovered that he could even make subtle adjustments to his physique, easily altering his weight. He surmised that as he progressed further in this realm, he would even be able to change his height and bone structure at will.
With that, he altered his appearance and once again entered the cultivator's city.
"Golden Spirit Fruits! Delicious Golden Spirit Fruits, only one spirit sand each!"
"Selling talismans and amulets! We have everything, and they're 30% cheaper than in stores!"
"And over here, we have magical artifacts!"
As always, the city was bustling with activity.
Fang Xing even spotted a crowd gathered around a stall, eyeing the stern-looking stall owner with apprehension.
Or rather, they were eyeing the artifact in front of him—a flying sword—with eager anticipation.
"So this is... a magical artifact?"
Fang Xing glanced at the item and saw a short, pitch-black sword no longer than a palm's length, with some signs of damage on its surface.
"A lower-grade dual-use artifact, the 'Black Feather Sword'... only twenty spirit stones!"
The stall owner, with his arms crossed, showed a hint of impatience: "Scram if you can't afford it, you bunch of paupers!"
Perhaps due to his profound cultivation, those around him quickly made way, not daring to provoke him.
"Ah, what a pity. It would've been great if it were a 'Blood-Refined Artifact'," someone among the crowd, a Precelestial Warrior, sighed.
Compared to talismans, magical artifacts had much higher requirements for their users!
Even Precelestial Warriors were unable to wield lower-grade artifacts.
Unless... they were 'Blood-Refined Artifacts', specially refined to be activated by a warrior's true qi or even their essence blood.
"Blood-Refined Artifacts may not be very powerful, they're only equivalent to regular lower-grade artifacts, but they're a hassle to make and the materials are rare... They usually cost at least a hundred lower-grade spirit stones, so you might as well forget about it," a cultivator standing nearby scoffed.
After enjoying the lively atmosphere for a while, Fang Xing left on his own.
After all, he couldn't afford it anyway...
Qingdanfang.
The maid from last time was absent, but she had been replaced by a young woman in her twenties.
She wore a well-tailored peach-red Daoist robe, exuding a bright and cheerful aura. Upon seeing Fang Xing, she smiled before he even spoke: "Welcome, esteemed customer. How may I assist you today?"
"Selling herbs!"
Fang Xing was concise. He took out a white fruit.
The fruit was about the size of a baby's fist, with snake-like patterns on its surface and a faint putrid smell.
"Is this... the Serpent Orchid Fruit? This spiritual herb is quite rare. I can offer two spirit stones for it," the robed woman said, her eyes lighting up.
"How many do you have?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with interest.
"Only two. Got them both risking my life..."
Fang Xing took out another Serpent Orchid Fruit and sighed.
In truth, he had a whole box of them! They were harvested from the habitat of the giant python in the river, where several of his faux birds had been devoured!
Just from its behavior, the giant python seemed stronger than the wild boar yao beast, and it was clearly more dangerous. The herbs near its lair were probably even more precious and expensive.
He had come to test the market, and indeed, his hunch was correct!
After receiving four lower-grade spirit stones, Fang Xing first bought a bottle of 'Qi and Blood Dan' from Qingdanfang. As he left, he spotted the sign for Xiaofutang and walked in again: "Give me a Spirit-Measuring Talisman!"
"Maybe... there's something wrong with the talismans from Xiaofutang."
"One instance doesn't prove anything. I need to test it a few more times to be sure!"
After leaving Xiaofutang, Fang Xing wandered around, intending to buy another 'Spirit-Measuring Talisman' from a stall.
If all three results were the same, then he would have to accept his fate.
"Sir, would you like some spirit rice?"
As Fang Xing searched for a talisman stall, a timid yet eager voice suddenly spoke up beside him.
He turned to see a stall selling spirit rice.
A girl in red stood there, her eyes flickering with apprehension and hope as she looked at him.
"Is this lower-grade spirit rice?" Fang Xing asked as he picked up a handful of the rice, his tone indifferent.
The rice grains were much larger than ordinary rice, exuding a fragrant lotus leaf aroma that was utterly mouthwatering.
"Yes! It's only one spirit sand per jin!" the girl replied eagerly, her face lighting up with a pleasing smile. "Cultivators eat this all the time! They say that if mortals eat a lot of it, they're more likely to have children with spiritual roots."
"Oh? So if I eat a lot, can I develop spiritual roots myself?" Fang Xing asked, intrigued.
"Impossible! There's no record of anyone in the cultivation world developing spiritual roots after birth!" The girl shook her head repeatedly, as if stating common knowledge.
Fang Xing's expression fell slightly. "Then I won't buy it. It's useless to me since I'm not a cultivator."
"Who said it's useless? Powerful warriors eat spirit rice too... It's beneficial for your qi and blood, and it's all-natural, with no dan toxicity!" the girl quickly added.
"Dan toxicity?" Fang Xing paused.
"Yes, regularly consuming dan carries the risk of dan toxicity. If it accumulates, it can damage your body and even stunt your potential, trapping you at a bottleneck in your cultivation, unable to progress further..." The girl continued, "That's why cultivators usually eat spirit rice daily and only resort to dan at critical moments during their cultivation."
"My grandfather told me that," she added.
Fang Xing became interested. The girl seemed rather naive, and he felt like chatting with her some more.
He learned that while dan did carry the risk of toxicity, it wasn't a big deal for cultivators.
After all, many solitary cultivators had already perished before reaching the various realm bottlenecks.
Furthermore, as one's cultivation art progressed and they broke through to higher realms, there would be a process of muscle and marrow cleansing, expelling some of the toxins from the body.
Moreover, the human body had self-purifying functions, and as long as the dan toxicity didn't exceed a certain limit, it wasn't a significant concern.
"Thank you for your help, young miss. I'll take... ten jin of spirit rice. By the way, what's your name?" Fang Xing felt a bit guilty for taking up her time, so he took out some spirit stones.
"I'm Ding Hongxiu. Our Fragrant Lotus Spirit Rice is the best among lower-grade spirit rice!" Ding Hongxiu said proudly, her small chest puffed out.
"Hehe, I'll remember that."
Fang Xing, with a bag of rice on his back, waved dismissively and blended back into the crowd.
Moments later.
"Hmm?"
Fang Xing, who had compared prices at three different shops and finally bought a 'Spirit-Measuring Talisman' at a cheaper price, spotted a herb stall and his eyes narrowed.
The owner of the stall was none other than the tobacco pipe old man who had previously tailed him!
However, the old man didn't seem to recognize Fang Xing's disguised appearance.
'Perfect, now that I've broken through in strength, it's time to settle the score and get my revenge!'
Fang Xing thought for a moment, turned into an alley, and wiped his hand across his face.
As his flesh contorted, his features shifted back to the chubby-faced disguise he had used before!
'I don't need to go up to that old man, I just need him to catch a glimpse of me...'
Fang Xing quickly devised a plan: 'In this world, mortals are limited to the Innate Realm, and this old man isn't a cultivator, so he's probably at most Innate... He might have some tricks up his sleeve, so I should be prepared.'
...
Several hours later.
Fang Xing strode out of Qinglinfang City and ventured into the wild and untamed wilderness.
Behind him, the tobacco pipe old man narrowed his eyes and followed closely.
'Hmm? So he did follow me?'
Fang Xing maintained a steady pace, keeping a safe distance as he traveled for over ten miles.
He tapped on his wristband, and a simulated bird-shaped drone appeared in the sky above, providing him with a clear view of his surroundings.
'And... there doesn't seem to be anyone else around, so he probably doesn't have any backup.'
'From his movements and speed, it seems he was telling the truth about being just a warrior... no deception there...'
'In that case...'
Fang Xing pressed a button on his chest, and a layer of silvery-white nanite-woven protective clothing instantly enveloped him, with an electric baton in his right hand.
"Hmm? Where is he? Did I let the fat sheep escape again?"
The tobacco pipe old man ventured into a dense forest, unable to spot Fang Xing, and a hint of annoyance flashed across his face.
As one of the lowest members of Qinglinfang City, he had limited options when it came to choosing whom to rob and kill.
It was rare to find a suitable target like Fang Xing, and to have him slip away twice was quite frustrating.
Just then, he perked up his ears and looked up.
On a tree branch, a little bird, resembling a yellow sparrow, perched, its eyes fixed on the old man without blinking.
"Am I getting old? Even an ordinary little bird makes me feel dangerous."
The old man sighed.
In his youth, he had been undefeated in the martial world, a figure akin to a martial arts supreme.
If it hadn't been for his foolish pursuit of immortality by following a so-called immortal master, he wouldn't have ended up in this godforsaken place, and his immortal master wouldn't have died, leaving him to struggle for survival...
Whoosh!
As the old man's mind wandered, the little yellow bird flapped its wings and flew down.
In its claws, it held a talisman with eye-catching vermilion cinnabar ink, exuding a dangerous aura.
"That's not right, is that... a Fireball Talisman?!"
Fireball Talisman!
One of the few talismans that even mortals could use by simply tearing it open.
However, without the guidance and aiming of a cultivator's spiritual power, it was easy to harm oneself, hence its low price in the market—only one lower-grade spirit stone!
The next moment!
Boom!
A ball of fire erupted, engulfing both the little bird and the old man.
From a distance, Fang Xing watched this scene unfold with a slight smirk on his face, "Understanding non-contact combat, huh..."
With just a drone and a weapon, he had instantly become a terrifying reaper of life!
Of course, the Blue Star Federation had strict regulations on weapons.
But this other world was different.
Here, spirit stones could buy almost anything, and they weren't shy about offering powerful weapons!
Fang Xing sold the Serpent Orchid Fruits and earned four lower-grade spirit stones. He spent one on Qi and Blood Dan, one on a Spirit-Measuring Talisman, one on Fragrant Lotus Spirit Rice, and the last one on a 'Fireball Talisman'!
He already had two Spirit-Measuring Talismans, but he haggled with the vendor and only spent seven spirit sands on the new one. His previous savings were enough to cover these expenses.
"A drone with a fireball talisman is like a flying bomb, and there's no worry about harming myself... Hmm?"
Fang Xing scanned the area again and his eyes narrowed.
On the screen, after the flames dissipated, the old man appeared, looking disheveled.
His beard and hair were slightly charred, and a faint layer of golden light enveloped him.
This golden light was extremely faint, and after another second, it completely disappeared...
"A lower-grade first-rank defensive talisman—Golden Light Talisman? Its defensive power is inferior to the 'Golden Bell Talisman'. Is this your trump card?"
Fang Xing controlled more drones to appear, with little birds carrying talismans and flying towards the old man.
Upon seeing this, the old man's soul nearly departed his body, and he turned around and ran for his life!
"Looks like the defensive talisman he has is just that one..."
Fang Xing made a judgment and flashed into the dense forest.
The drones that appeared later were real, but the talismans they carried were fake, merely yellow paper and red ink disguises. Unfortunately, the old man didn't dare to take a closer look.
It was impressive that he could fake so many things.
"Damn, I'm screwed this time!"
The old man quickly retreated, his face contorting with rage.
Then, he saw a figure in silver-white appear in front of him, brandishing a black stick.
"Hey!"
He raised his tobacco pipe and blocked the stick's attack.
Sizzle!
The next moment, a burst of silver-white electric light shot out from the tip of the stick, aiming straight for his face!
"Ah, let's die together!"
The old man's face showed a calm acceptance of death, and he pressed a mechanism on his tobacco pipe, causing a poison needle to shoot out like a venomous snake. It was incredibly sinister!
This was a hidden weapon he had obtained by chance in the mortal martial world, known as the 'Absolute Heaven Needle', ranked first on the hidden weapon charts!
Ding!
A black poison needle was blocked by the nanite-woven clothing and fell to the ground, causing the surrounding grass and trees to wither rapidly.
The old man's charred corpse was flung backward and fell to the ground...
(End of Chapter)
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