Chapter 54: Pinger

A clear, melodious female voice echoed beside He Song's ear. Upon hearing this, He Song immediately turned his head toward the source of the sound.

Instantly, a familiar figure appeared before him.

A glimmer of recognition flashed in his eyes, and He Song promptly clasped his hands in greeting.

"So it's Miss Pinger. Indeed, it has been three years since we last met. Congratulations on your significant progress in cultivation. Foundation Establishment is within reach."

The person before him was none other than Pinger, who had greeted him during his first, second, and now third visit to the Spirit Technique Pavilion.

At this moment, He Song's cultivation had advanced from the first level of Qi Refining during his initial visit to the fourth level of Qi Refining now.

As for Pinger's cultivation, it had also progressed. During his first visit, He Song hadn't yet learned the Spirit Eye Technique, so he hadn't been able to discern her level.

During his second visit, although he had learned the technique, he hadn't used it on her.

It was only during this third visit, when Pinger congratulated him on his progress, that He Song finally used the Spirit Eye Technique to assess her cultivation.

To his surprise, he discovered that she had also reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"What brings you here today, Fellow Daoist?" Pinger asked with a smile, leading He Song to a nearby desk and gesturing for him to sit down.

Her eyes, however, remained fixed on him, a faint trace of surprise hidden within them.

Three years had passed.

She had originally thought that He Song, whom she had once been interested in befriending, had perished in the great calamity three years ago.

She had even lamented his presumed death.

After all, back then, He Song had only been a minor cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining. Surviving such a catastrophe would have been no easy feat.

Even she had only survived thanks to the help of a powerful benefactor.

Otherwise, she too might have perished in that calamity.

That disaster had been terrifying, targeting cultivators above the second level of Qi Refining who lacked the means to protect themselves and lived on the outskirts of the immortal district.

To survive, one either had to leave beforehand or have the assistance of a powerful benefactor.

How had He Song managed to survive?

"Please, Fellow Daoist Pinger, bring out some Qi Refining-level spells. I need to make a selection," He Song said, ignoring the faint surprise in Pinger's eyes as he quickly stated his request.

He had come to the Spirit Technique Pavilion this time precisely to learn new spells.

The Spirit Gathering Array had already been set up.

The Five Elements Array and the Maze Array were not something he could fully comprehend in a short time.

Naturally, if he wanted to improve his strength, the only options left were to purchase spirit talismans or learn new spells.

Purchasing spirit talismans was still beyond his current financial means.

Therefore, He Song had no choice but to come to the Spirit Technique Pavilion to learn some Qi Refining-level spells to enhance his strength.

"Very well, Fellow Daoist He. Please wait a moment," Pinger said, her curiosity still evident in her eyes as she dutifully stood up and left.

After Pinger left, another young woman, quite pretty, approached and poured He Song a cup of hot tea.

Seeing this, He Song suddenly realized that Pinger's attire was different from what she had worn during his previous visits.

After inquiring with the young woman, He Song learned that Pinger, after breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, had become one of the stewards of the Spirit Technique Pavilion.

She no longer needed to personally receive visiting cultivators as she had before.

Instead, she only needed to manage the staff below her, ensuring that they handled the reception.

Of course, if she felt like it, she could still personally receive guests.

Just as she had done with He Song.

After the young woman left, He Song sat in slight bewilderment, suddenly realizing that perhaps, as a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he was now seen as a "senior" figure in the eyes of these early-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Or perhaps it was because of his familiarity with Pinger that the young woman had treated him with such respect.

Taking a sip of tea, He Song's mind wandered back to his first visit to the Spirit Technique Pavilion and his initial meeting with Pinger.

Back then, he had only been at the first level of Qi Refining. At that time, almost every cultivator in the Spirit Technique Pavilion exuded a powerful spiritual pressure.

Everyone had seemed like a senior to him.

Now, however, a quick glance around revealed that the majority of the cultivators present were only at the early stages of Qi Refining. There were very few mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

His own mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation now placed him among the higher echelons within the Spirit Technique Pavilion.

"How time flies. The scenery before me has changed so much," He Song sighed inwardly, shaking his head and dismissing these thoughts.

Soon, the familiar figure returned.

Placing a tray in front of He Song, Pinger's eyes quickly noticed the teapot on the table. Her gaze swept over the other young women in the Spirit Technique Pavilion, and a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes, though she paid it no mind.

"Fellow Daoist He, let me introduce these spells to you," Pinger said, picking up a jade slip from the tray. Her voice was calm and steady as she began her explanation.

"This is the Fireball Technique, one of the basic spells. It condenses a fireball to attack enemies and has considerable power. It costs ten spirit stones."

"This is the Light Body Technique, another basic spell. It increases movement speed and is essential for long journeys or escaping danger. It also costs ten spirit stones."

"This is the Object Control Technique, a mid-grade spell. It allows you to release spiritual energy from your body to manipulate objects around you. It has many uses and costs fifty spirit stones."

"This is the Mountain-Skipping Light Body Technique, a mid-grade spell. It is faster than the Light Body Technique and is also essential for long journeys or escaping danger. It costs fifty spirit stones."

"This is the Tracking Technique, a high-grade spell. After casting, it places a tracking mark on the enemy, which is extremely difficult to detect. It costs one hundred spirit stones."

"This is the Earth Escape Technique, a high-grade spell. After casting, it allows you to burrow underground and travel at high speed.

However, beware, as it is easily countered by the Earth Shaking Technique. It costs one hundred spirit stones."

"This is the Earth Shaking Technique, a high-grade spell. After casting, it can shake the heavens and the earth, dealing devastating damage to enemies underground. It costs one hundred spirit stones."

"This is the Mountain-Suppressing Sword Art, a high-grade offensive spell. It uses the Object Control Technique to manipulate a flying sword, delivering immense power. It costs two hundred spirit stones."

"And this is..."

As Pinger introduced each jade slip one by one, He Song's eyes sparkled with interest.

He wanted all of them!

However, after sensing the meager thirty-five spirit stones left in his storage bag, He Song's enthusiasm quickly waned.

These thirty-five spirit stones were all that remained from what he had scavenged from Chen Zhou's storage bag.

The dozen or so spirit stones he had originally possessed, along with the fifty-plus spirit stones he had taken from Chen Zhou's bag, had all been spent on carving array patterns.

Carving array patterns had a high chance of damaging spirit stones, and the rest of his funds had been exhausted in this endeavor.

Now, He Song was left with only thirty-five spirit stones.

(End of Chapter)