Chapter 47: Destroying the Evidence
With these thoughts in mind, He Song quickly began planning how to allocate his spirit stones in the future.
First: Spells!
Spells are relatively inexpensive; an ordinary spell for the Qi Refinement stage costs only ten spirit stones.
Specialized Qi Refinement spells are slightly pricier, but likely not exorbitantly so. Learning all the spells he wanted probably wouldn't cost too many spirit stones.
This was the easiest way to improve his strength.
Moreover, many Qi Refinement spells have various unique applications, providing great utility in other areas as well. For instance, Spirit Eye Technique, Transmission Technique, and Aura Concealment Technique are excellent examples.
Of course, practicing spells takes a significant amount of time.
However, having transmigrated here, He Song's soul was far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, allowing him to master spells much faster than others.
If he didn't take advantage of such a significant strength, it would be a colossal waste.
Next: Talismans!
In the Qi Refinement stage, talismans are incredibly useful.
For example, a low-grade Thick Earth Talisman costs five spirit stones. Once activated, it can block several attacks from early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, and even withstand some of the power of mid-stage attacks.
A mid-grade Thick Earth Talisman costs twenty spirit stones. When activated, it can block several mid-stage Qi Refinement attacks and even reduce the damage of late-stage attacks.
Similarly, a low-grade Golden Sword Talisman for five spirit stones is highly lethal. Without defensive talismans or artifacts, an early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would suffer greatly if hit directly.
However, the duration of these talismans is generally short, lasting only about ten breaths.
Because of their limited duration and relatively high cost, most cultivators carry only a few talismans for emergencies. The more cautious ones might carry a dozen or so for self-defense.
But in the Qi Refinement stage, having a good supply of talismans on hand is always a wise decision.
This is why many cultivators dabble in Talisman Crafting.
Crafting talismans personally is more cost-effective once you're skilled. Additionally, any talismans you don't need can be sold for extra income.
Talisman Crafting can be quite lucrative.
After spells and talismans, the next priority is artifacts.
Low-grade artifacts, depending on their condition, design, and other factors, cost around 100 spirit stones when purchased from the Artifact Pavilion in the Immortal Market.
Mid-grade artifacts are more expensive, generally priced at around 500 spirit stones.
In the cultivation world, early- and mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, having both low cultivation and limited wealth, mostly use low-grade artifacts.
Possessing an offensive and defensive set of low-grade artifacts is already considered above average at these stages.
Currently, He Song had reached mid-stage Qi Refinement but didn't even own a single low-grade artifact. This was typical for most cultivators in the Immortal Market.
Only wandering cultivators, facing greater survival pressures, would grit their teeth and purchase protective artifacts as early as the beginning of the Qi Refinement stage.
For late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators with abundant spiritual energy, mid-grade artifacts are standard.
Three years ago, Wei Fan upgraded his artifacts to a mid-grade offensive and defensive set, which was considered the norm for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
As for high-grade and superior-grade artifacts:
These are generally considered only after reaching the Foundation Establishment realm.
They're prohibitively expensive and require an immense amount of spiritual energy, making them impractical for most late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
That said, some late-stage cultivators use high-grade artifacts, but they consume so much spiritual energy that they're typically reserved as trump cards, effective for only a few strikes.
Spells, talismans, and artifacts—these three foundational methods of self-defense all require a substantial amount of spirit stones.
After careful consideration, He Song decided to first focus on thoroughly understanding the Introduction to Formations Book. He planned to set up the simplest Spirit Gathering Formation to enhance his cultivation speed.
Only after mastering this would he spend spirit stones on learning spells and buying talismans.
Once he had a stable income of spirit stones, he could then invest in artifacts.
This plan would not delay his cultivation progress and would also improve his combat abilities—perfectly balanced!
Although his combat power would remain limited for now, the Immortal Market was a relatively safe place. With Foundation Establishment cultivator providing protection, the environment was secure unless some massive upheaval occurred.
Having made his decision, He Song poured himself a cup of tea and sat in his courtyard, waiting for Wei Fan to return.
Evening
Setting down his teacup, He Song started to feel a twinge of worry.
Wei Fan had been gone for a long time and had yet to return.
Could something have happened?
A troubling thought crossed his mind as he looked towards the darkened sky outside the courtyard. His brows knitted tightly.
It didn't make sense. Wei Fan was, after all, a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator with newly acquired artifacts and an ample supply of talismans.
Against a Qi Refinement fourth level cultivator like Chen Zhou, there was no way he could have suffered a mishap. The gap in strength was simply too vast.
Just as He Song began to lose patience and was about to release a transmission paper crane to investigate, two figures appeared at the courtyard gate.
The two men, arms slung around each other's shoulders, seemed to be in high spirits, as though they hadn't seen each other in ages.
At first glance, He Song thought they were a pair of drunkards.
But upon closer inspection, joy lit up his face.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as He Song quickly made his way to the gate.
Opening the door, he asked, "Brother Wei, and Brother Meng, this is…?"
He ushered the two men into the courtyard before posing his question.
Indeed, the two figures were none other than Wei Fan and Meng Guan.
Meng Guan, who had been missing for three years while stationed at the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine, now stood alive and well before He Song.
What's more, he had returned alongside Wei Fan.
This unexpected reunion left He Song full of questions.
Naturally, once he had welcomed them inside, he wasted no time in asking.
"Take a seat, take a seat. Let's sit down and talk." Wei Fan, smiling broadly, led them to the pavilion.
Once the three of them were seated, each with a cup of tea in hand, Wei Fan gestured to Meng Guan and began explaining to He Song.
"When I left the market, it was to deal with that Chen Zhou. After I had him driven out of the Immortal Market, the guy slipped away like a loach, vanishing in no time."
"Fortunately, he didn't escape for long. I've recently learned a tracking spell, and once I activated it, I followed his trail for half a day."
"I don't know how many miles I ventured out of the market, but as night fell, I finally caught up with him and killed him."
"Strangely enough, just as I was carrying out your instructions to destroy his body and scatter his ashes, someone happened to pass by."
"At first, I thought it'd be a buy-one-get-one-free situation. But then, that person called out to me: 'Brother Wei.'"
"And so, we came back together."
Wei Fan's gaze turned to Meng Guan as he spoke, his expression growing somewhat peculiar.
Even he hadn't expected this twist of fate.
Just as he finished eliminating Chen Zhou and was scattering his ashes per He Song's instructions, Meng Guan appeared out of nowhere.
Meng Guan, having just left the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine and on his way back to the Immortal Market to find Wei Fan, had stumbled across him in the act.
At the time, Meng Guan had even asked, confused, what Wei Fan was doing.
What could he have been doing? Destroying evidence, of course.
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