Chapter 31: Scavenging Deals

Cheng Buzheng followed stealthily underground. During this time, the cultivator surnamed Li collected raw spirit stone ores several more times.

Eventually, the man walked up to a stone cave, handed his basket to a guard for inspection, and conversed with another cultivator regarding the fees.

Afterward, he took the basket back in hand and entered the stone cave.

Not long after, he emerged again, greeted the two guarding cultivators outside the cave, and turned to leave.

Cheng Buzheng did not follow the guide any further; he knew that this place was likely the storage point for the raw spirit stone ores.

Without hesitation, he dove directly toward the stone cave.

Three zhang beneath the ground, a streak of yellow spiritual light entered the area three zhang below the cave in the blink of an eye.

Arriving at the underground corner of the cave, Cheng Buzheng extended a sliver of divine sense. Seeing that no one was inside, he did not appear directly within the cave, as there were still two guarding cultivators outside.

He dove once more beneath the accumulation point of the raw spirit stone ores. Suddenly, a hand emerged from the rocky ground, grabbed a piece of raw spirit stone ore, and placed it into a basket.

This miraculous scene repeated continuously within the cave, while the two cultivators standing outside remained completely unaware.

It was only after Cheng Buzheng had filled nearly half a basket that he stopped his movements.

He then descended to three zhang beneath the rock layer before ceasing his descent. The deeper he dove, the greater the consumption of magic power; this depth was already sufficiently safe.

Afterward, he traveled directly to the junction between the fourth and fifth paths before coming to a halt.

Cheng Buzheng did not stay in place but instead dove a full ten zhang underground. Seeing that there were no small side paths nearby, he flipped his right hand. The Amethyst Drill appeared in his palm, and with a casual toss, it instantly expanded to the size of a millstone.

Before long, a secret chamber about two zhang in diameter appeared before his eyes. The surrounding rocks were tightly compressed by the Amethyst Drill, eliminating any danger of a sudden collapse.

Cheng Buzheng tossed the raw spirit stone ores from his basket into a corner, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes slightly, silently recovering his magic power.

The surrounding spiritual energy quickly gathered, forming a thin layer of spiritual mist.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes, sensing that his magic power had returned to its peak.

Cheng Buzheng extended his right hand. From the pile of raw spirit stone ores in the corner, an irregular piece of ore flew into his palm.

"I never expected that I would reach a stage where I could afford to use spirit stones for cultivation. Now... a few extra spiritual energy points won't matter. I'll upgrade the 'Red Fire Art' first; my future cultivation efficiency will see a significant improvement."

Cheng Buzheng did not delay. His divine sense enveloped the pile of raw spirit stone ores, and his will connected to the small jade disc deep within his sea of consciousness. The patterns on the surface of the small disc glowed faintly.

In an instant, the panel floating above the small disc changed...

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng Cultivation: Qi Refinement Level 2 Cultivation Technique: Tier 1 Mid-grade (Common) Red Fire Art (Entry-level) Spells: Tier 1 Low-grade (Premium) Amethyst Drill (Consummate), Tier 1 Low-grade (Premium) Earth Escape Technique (Consummate) Spiritual Energy Points: 34

Seeing his spiritual energy points change from zero to thirty-four, Cheng Buzheng, who had never been this wealthy, finally experienced the feeling of striking it rich overnight.

If not for the fact that these raw spirit stone ores required further processing and compression, this small pile of stones would have yielded far more than thirty-four spiritual energy points.

Without hesitation, all memories regarding the *Red Fire Art* surged within him. He immediately extracted the complete memory of the technique, condensing it into the form of a seed.

He then placed it directly into the central hollow of the small disc. The three-colored miniature figure formed from his soul floated above the disc and extended an index finger, gently pressing upon the *Red Fire Art* on the panel.

Immediately, the spiritual energy points on the panel decreased by two points, while the patterns on the body of the small disc glowed faintly. Waves of white light entwined around the seed within the hollow.

The seed was enveloped by white light. As the small disc performed its deduction, the white light gradually faded, eventually forming a crimson bead.

This crimson bead was no different from previous ones, emitting a fiery red glow. Vaguely, one could see countless crimson characters swimming inside the bead.

Cheng Buzheng took a glance and, without hesitation, swallowed it directly.

Instantly, a fiery red light radiated from his soul, as if a fire god had descended to the world to refine it.

Within a world of pure white, his consciousness practiced the *Red Fire Art* incessantly, day and night, without distinction. He progressed from entry-level to familiarity.

As time passed, the concept of time vanished. He operated the *Red Fire Art* day after day until his comprehension of the technique was comparable to that of its creator.

In the outside world, Cheng Buzheng's physical body followed his mind, continuously operating the *Red Fire Art*. It progressed from normal cultivation to a state where the speed of his technique's circulation was twice as fast as before.

He opened his eyes and found that after the deduction, much of the content of the *Red Fire Art* had been trimmed, though some parts had been added; overall, it had become more refined.

However, the effect truly surprised him. With the improved quality, the *Red Fire Art's* ability to absorb spiritual energy had increased threefold, and its operational efficiency was twice what it had been.

From this, one could see why cultivators with good aptitude, superior techniques, and abundant medicinal pills progressed so quickly. With such various bonuses, it would be difficult *not* to be fast. Ultimately, cultivation was a battle of resources.

Cheng Buzheng did not attempt to upgrade the *Red Fire Art* further; it was sufficient for now. Besides, he had a wild idea, but the timing was not yet ripe and he lacked the necessary conditions.

Instead, he decided to upgrade his two spells to the peak of Tier 1 Low-grade.

He did not consider Tier 1 Mid-grade spells—not because he lacked spiritual energy points, but because he lacked sufficient magic power to support normal combat.

A Mid-grade spell would exhaust his magic power after only one or two uses, leaving him vulnerable. Thus, upgrading a spell to Mid-grade would actually become a burden.

Furthermore, if a Tier 1 Low-grade spell was upgraded to its peak, its power could even rival a Tier 1 Mid-grade spell, though he was not entirely sure to what extent.

Thinking this, Cheng Buzheng did not hesitate further.

Memories of the *Earth Escape Technique* surged. He immediately extracted all memories of the technique, condensed them into a seed, and placed it directly into the central hollow of the small disc.

His three-colored soul miniature extended a finger and tapped lightly.

Instantly, the spiritual energy points decreased by four.

Simultaneously, the patterns on the surface of the small disc glowed faintly. Countless white rays enveloped the seed, and as the disc performed its deduction, the patterns on its surface flashed continuously.

Before long, the white light dimmed, eventually forming a yellow bead.

Cheng Buzheng did not take it out to consume it; instead, he glanced at the panel floating above the small disc.

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng Realm: Qi Refinement Level 2 Cultivation Technique: Tier 1 Mid-grade (Premium) Red Fire Art (Consummate) Spells: Tier 1 Low-grade (Premium) Amethyst Drill (Consummate), Tier 1 Low-grade (Exquisite) Earth Escape Technique (Consummate) Spiritual Energy Points: 30

He saw that after the deduction, the quality of the *Earth Escape Technique* had improved once more. Although he was unsure of the exact effects, the results of a subsequent deduction would certainly be even better.

The three-colored soul miniature tapped lightly on the *Earth Escape Technique* once again.

(End of Chapter)