Chapter 13: Abnormal Movement of the Sea-Suppressing Pearl

Inside the Qianbao Pavilion.

Li Qing wore a thoughtful expression.

He was indeed quite fond of this Hanshui Sword.

The sword’s appearance was not flashy, and the piece of Tier 2 green gold stone embedded in it made it incredibly sturdy.

Even if Li Qing were to exhaust his mana during a battle, he could still rely on his strength as a body cultivator to wield the Hanshui Sword and fight head-on.

After some consideration, Li Qing made up his mind.

"I'll take this Hanshui Sword."

As soon as Li Qing finished speaking, the glamorous female cultivator in front of him immediately flashed a charming smile, looking at him with great enthusiasm.

She had originally thought this person was a penniless rogue cultivator; she hadn't expected him to be someone with deep pockets.

Li Qing counted out six hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to the woman, quickly completing the transaction.

Seeing that his goal was achieved, he intended to leave.

Staying here any longer would be useless.

Excluding the spirit stones used for purchasing medicinal pills, plus the cost of the Hanshui Sword, he only had about two hundred low-grade spirit stones left in his storage bag.

With the spirit fish fry that he still had to purchase, he was suddenly back to being penniless.

The growth and reproduction of spirit fish required a special environment.

Although the spirit fish within the Zhenhai Pearl could be raised to maturity, they could not reproduce.

Just as Li Qing was leaving.

A figure wearing the inner sect disciple robes of the Qianshui Yuling Sect walked in from outside.

The young man walked with an air of ease and detachment, exuding an aura of pride.

Li Qing did not recognize this person, but he was certainly a favored son of heaven from the inner sect.

The cyan robe the man wore was embroidered with golden patterns depicting the momentum of giant waves; this was the hallmark of inner sect dharma robes.

The man did not cover his face, and his expression was indifferent as he walked, completely ignoring the people on the first floor and heading straight for the second floor.

Through the faint aura leaking out, Li Qing sensed that this seemingly young man was actually a powerhouse at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Just as the man entered, a middle-aged man quickly walked out from the second floor.

The middle-aged man was dressed in luxurious robes and was also, shockingly, a Foundation Establishment powerhouse.

It seemed that the second floor of the Qianbao Pavilion only entertained Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The true treasures were likely on the second floor as well.

Seeing this, Li Qing quietly exited the Qianbao Pavilion, though a sense of burning ambition rose in his heart.

A single tier difference was a world of difference.

The Qi Refining stage was merely a small step taken on the path of immortality.

The Foundation Establishment stage was where one truly began to step onto the path of longevity.

Their status was vastly different; in remote areas, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was qualified to become a hegemon.

Within the Qianshui Yuling Sect, the true pillars were also Foundation Establishment cultivators. In their eyes, those at the Qi Refining stage were merely mortals qualified to cultivate; apart from true geniuses, other Qi Refining disciples didn't even have the qualifications to step onto the inner island.

After leaving the Qianbao Pavilion.

A look of helplessness suddenly appeared on Li Qing's face.

The spirit stones in his hand had been consumed too quickly; so far, he hadn't even purchased a single defensive magic tool, yet his spirit stones were already running low.

Li Qing shook his head and walked quickly toward the distance.

"Qingling Cliff."

This place was located on one side of the marketplace; compared to the bustling market, it appeared very secluded.

A horizontal mountain peak several dozen zhang high, this was also a property of the Muling Sect, primarily providing a place for cultivators to go into seclusion and meditate.

The fresh and beautiful horizontal mountain peak before him was a place that possessed a Tier 2 spirit vein.

Of course, the fees here were also quite expensive: one low-grade spirit stone per day.

Li Qing came here mainly to refine his newly purchased magic tool, the Hanshui Sword.

When refining a magic tool, it was highly taboo to be disturbed; one needed to devote their entire mind and focus during the process.

Once interrupted by external forces, in serious cases, it could even lead to a backlash of mana within the body.

The business at Qingling Cliff mainly came from those in seclusion, though there were also Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Muling Sect stationed here to maintain order.

Two days later.

In a small courtyard at Qingling Cliff.

Li Qing sat quietly in the courtyard. As his fingers moved, a black, ghostly light shuttled back and forth around him.

"Appear!"

Li Qing pointed a finger.

The black ghostly light in mid-air suddenly stalled, and then a sword glow flashed.

*Clang!*

A black-tinged sword glow flashed by.

A crack appeared on the ground, and the cold, gloomy energy continuously eroded the earth around the fissure.

The green vegetation on the ground began to freeze into ice crystals.

Seeing that his strike had such an effect, Li Qing couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

It lived up to being a boutique among mid-grade magic tools; its power was truly extraordinary.

Now, relying on the Hanshui Sword, his strength as a magic cultivator alone was enough to gain a foothold in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

One must know that not only did most rogue cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining use low-grade magic tools, but even among the outer sect disciples of the sect, only a small portion possessed mid-grade magic tools.

Most people's stipends were basically consumed by their cultivation.

Seeing that his magic tool was refined, Li Qing prepared to leave quickly.

Staying any longer would cost another spirit stone.

There was still a more important matter at hand, which was to hurry and purchase the spirit fish fry.

Li Qing changed into a gray robe again and left the place wearing a black bamboo hat.

A gray figure slowly blended into the bustling crowd of the marketplace.

Half a day later, Li Qing left a shop selling spirit fish, feeling satisfied.

This time, he purchased one hundred Xuan-Water spirit fish, and with the remainder, he bought twenty Blood spirit fish.

He still had the Blood-Replenishing Pills he had purchased earlier, so he bought relatively fewer Blood spirit fish.

Having finished purchasing the spirit fish fry, Li Qing's trip to Jumu Island could be considered over.

For the remaining time, he had to focus on cultivation.

Just as Li Qing was preparing to set off to return to Qianyu Island, he suddenly looked at a simple-looking exotic treasure shop nearby.

Li Qing hesitated for a moment, then walked in.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Qing left the shop with a pained expression.

His storage bag now contained a low-grade magic tool: the Spirit-Binding Net.

This Spirit-Binding Net was essentially a must-have magic tool for monster hunters specifically for catching spirit fish.

The Spirit-Binding Net was refined from the silk of spirit silkworms, and its greatest feature was its high level of concealment.

For spirit fish, which were naturally alert, the spiritual fluctuations of ordinary magic tools were relatively large and easily startled them.

The Spirit-Binding Net was just the thing to counter them.

To hide his own secrets, he had spent a fortune.

As he left, Li Qing subconsciously touched the storage bag at his waist.

The Spirit-Binding Net had cost a full one hundred low-grade spirit stones; now, only about one hundred spirit stones remained inside.

Li Qing walked quickly toward the pier outside.

He passed by some stalls set up by rogue cultivators.

Some cultivators were like peddlers, haggling with each other over a few or even a single spirit stone.

Li Qing watched this scene with a calm heart; if he didn't possess the Zhenhai Pearl, he would have been one of them.

Just as Li Qing was about to reach the pier, a sudden disturbance broke out.

(End of chapter)