https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-36-The-Main-Branch-Cannot-Be-Severed-/12917704/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-38-Heavenly-Treasure-Earth-Vault-/12917706/
Chapter 37: Emphasizing High-End, Right?
Chapter 37: Emphasizing High-End, Right?
After all his hard work, the spirit stones he had earned had dwindled to a mere 17,856 in such a short time. It felt like these stones were not something to be spent frivolously.
Just as Chen Qiu was about to stand up, a mature woman in a qipao, exuding intellectual beauty, followed by two attendants, slowly entered the room. She bowed slightly and spoke in a gentle voice, like flowing water, "This servant is the manager of the Ask Heaven Pavilion in the Ask Heaven Market, primarily responsible for the auctions in the market. I have the pleasure of meeting Young Master Chen."
"Young Master Chen, as a distinguished guest of the Ask Heaven Market, has a private passage to exit the auction. Please follow me, and I'll escort you out shortly."
"Are these two maidservants to your liking, Young Master Chen? Do you wish to keep them?"
Perhaps sensing the confusion in Chen Qiu's eyes, the mature woman smiled and explained, "At our Ask Heaven Pavilion in the Ask Heaven Market, we have a rule that only maids who receive the customer's approval during their first service will be retained. These two maids are both serving for the first time today."
"If you are satisfied with them, they can stay at the Ask Heaven Pavilion as tea-serving maids in the future. If you are not satisfied, they will be dismissed from the Pavilion."
As the mature woman finished speaking, the two maids who had been serving in the room immediately knelt down, their eyes filled with pleading and panic, though they didn't utter a word.
For an ordinary woman, the monthly allowance provided by the Ask Heaven Pavilion was not considered meager. Being able to stay at the Pavilion as a maid was likely a decent occupation, certainly better than his initial job of woodcutting.
It was also a more relaxed job.
"Keep them. They're good."
Chen Qiu glanced at the maid kneeling before him, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. After a brief pause, he spoke softly. In this world, it was indeed challenging for ordinary people to survive. Perhaps because he had experienced woodcutting and endured hardships, he could empathize with the struggles of the less fortunate.
But he also felt a bit of resentment towards them.
Why did they have to cut wood? After just 29 days of woodcutting, he had realized that there was no future in it, and only by cutting down people could one truly prosper. Yet, some people could spend their entire lives cutting wood.
He knew that if it weren't for meeting Fat Dragon and being guided onto the path of cultivation, he might have already perished at the hands of those bullies seeking revenge.
The causes and effects in this world were complex and intertwined.
As Chen Qiu finished speaking, the girl kneeling before him had a glint of extreme excitement in her eyes, and she bowed her head in gratitude. If the situation were different, she might have jumped up right there.
For these girls,
Being able to stay at the Ask Heaven Pavilion as long-term maids instead of being dismissed meant they could receive a generous monthly allowance for many years to come. Although there would come a day when they would grow old and unable to continue, the accumulated spirit stones would still ensure a comfortable life for the rest of their lives.
"Let's go."
Led by the mature woman, Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon left the auction house through the back door without encountering a single person along the way.
Once they exited the auction house,
Night had fallen.
The streets were gradually emptying as many people from the Ask Heaven Market had already settled in the auxiliary city adjacent to the market. After all, the accommodation prices in the market were exorbitant, but Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon didn't mind spending a few spirit stones.
A room for the night only cost one spirit stone.
Two rooms would only cost two.
There were no restaurants open at this hour, and after returning to the inn and parting ways with Fat Dragon,
Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation for the night. First, he focused on changing his heart technique.
He was going to replace it with the Foundation Establishment Supreme Art, "Seven Lights Revealed."
One didn't need to waste too much effort; they just needed to circulate their Spirit Energy and wash away the 'Heavenly Mandate Foundation' to erase the name of the previous Art. After doing this a few times, they could then relearn the 'Seven Lights Revealed'.
One hour later...
Chen Qiu exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes. His Art had been successfully replaced with the 'Seven Lights Revealed'.
Last time, it took him an hour and three Spirit Stones to fill his Dao Foundation with only three-tenths of the Spirit Energy remaining.
Even with the use of Spirit Stones, if he were to absorb the wandering Spirit Energy from the heavens and earth, it would take at least twenty-four hours.
After learning the 'Seven Lights Revealed', a Supreme Art for the Foundation Establishment stage, he could clearly feel that the 'Heavenly Mandate Foundation' was spinning faster, and the speed of absorbing Spirit Energy had also increased. Just like before, when his Dao Foundation had only three-tenths of Spirit Energy remaining, he estimated that it would take only a cup of tea's time to fill it up, which was much faster than an hour.
For him, a good Art was essential.
Even if the pool is large, if the inlet is too small, it's useless no matter how big the pool is. It would take ten to fifteen days to fill it up, which is unbearable.
Chen Qiu closed his eyes again and began cultivating the 'Thunder Summoning Art', a Foundation Establishment spell.
Only by reaching the Foundation Establishment stage could one truly embark on the path of cultivation.
At this Cultivation Level, there were many ways to improve. Unlike the Qi Condensation stage, where one only needed to raise their Cultivation Level. The first thing a regular sect's Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would do after establishing their foundation is to cultivate Sword Riding Flight.
Through Sword Riding, one could smoothly establish communication between Spirit Energy and Spirit Treasures, gaining an additional means of transportation while also maximizing the power of other Spirit Treasures.
Apart from that, there were simple methods of releasing Spirit Energy to form a protective aura.
However, as a self-taught cultivator, Chen Qiu had no one to teach him these things, so he had to rely on his instincts.
Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
When Chen Qiu opened his eyes again, the sky had brightened, and he had finally learned the 'Thunder Summoning Art', a Foundation Establishment spell, and entered the Great Proficiency Realm. He also vaguely understood the power of this spell.
Whether it was a spell or an Art, there were five levels of cultivation: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Great Proficiency, Hall Entry, and Great Perfection.
At the Entry level, one could only unleash a portion of the spell's power. At this level, the 'Thunder Summoning Art' could generate a thin, thumb-sized bolt of lightning to strike enemies within three zhang. Beyond three zhang, the power would rapidly diminish.
At the Minor Accomplishment level, there was some progress. The power remained the same, but it could now attack enemies within ten zhang.
At the Great Proficiency level, one could almost perfectly unleash the spell's power. The lightning was as thick as a wrist and could attack enemies within thirty zhang.
At the Hall Entry and Great Perfection levels, the lightning unleashed by the 'Thunder Summoning Art' was as thick as a century-old tree and could attack enemies within a hundred zhang. This was the true pinnacle of the Technique's power!
However, to cultivate a spell to its peak, one needed to constantly cast it and comprehend its mysteries within. The Spirit Energy within the Foundation Establishment stage was not inexhaustible, and one needed to leave time for it to recover.
This was the reason why progress in the Foundation Establishment stage was so slow.
Apart from cultivating Arts, one also needed to improve their combat power through practicing spells, sword techniques, and more. Otherwise, no matter how high one's Cultivation Level was, without any means to defend against enemies, they would be helpless in a fight.
(End of Chapter)
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