Harvest of Tianxing City

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Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow as he watched Wu Chou vanish into the distance. His speed with the Wind Escape technique was astonishing—so fast that he was nearly out of Qi Yuan's spiritual sense range in an instant.

Qi Yuan quickly shouted, "Explode!"

Far ahead, Wu Chou was using all his strength to flee. He scanned with his spiritual sense and, noticing that Qi Yuan hadn't caught up, a smirk formed at the corner of his lips. No matter how clever Qi Yuan's methods were, his escape technique was superior.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as his spiritual sense screamed of danger.

Something was wrong.

A stunning blood-red lotus had silently taken root atop his head. Its tiny crimson roots spread down his face like blood vessels.

Wu Chou panicked, instantly activating his protective divine light. A deep red glow flared around him, shielding his vital spots.

The blood lotus bloomed in an instant. The light at its center contracted to a single pinprick before exploding outward.

Boom!

Wu Chou tumbled through the air, his robes shredding from the blast. His face was pale, but he didn't hesitate—he immediately cast Wind Escape again and vanished into the horizon.

Qi Yuan clicked his tongue in disappointment. The attack had only dealt damage equivalent to an early Jindan stage cultivator—nowhere near enough to cripple Wu Chou. He had hoped to catch him off guard, but Wu Chou had been decisive in retreating. Since his strength was still intact, the power of the blood lotus wasn't enough to seal the victory.

Still, after witnessing Wu Chou's incredible speed, Qi Yuan realized that his current escape methods—the Dragon Spirit Shuttle and his own techniques—were no longer sufficient. He needed to upgrade.

When he reached Tianxing City, he would visit the four major chambers of commerce and purchase a powerful escape technique. The common choices were Wood Escape and Earth Escape, both providing decent speed. Wind Escape was faster, but the ultimate escape technique was Thunder Escape.

However, Thunder Escape was rare and notoriously difficult to cultivate. Few had the talent to master it. But if he could, he would be among the fastest cultivators of his level, nearly impossible to catch.

Qi Yuan scanned his surroundings with his spiritual sense, ensuring that no enemies lingered. Then, he descended beside the fallen baby carp beast. With a sharp motion of his palm, he extracted a round, emerald-blue demon core from the creature's body. It glowed faintly, releasing strong water-attribute energy.

A level-six demon core.

Qi Yuan's eyes brightened. He placed the core inside a small jade box, sealing it with multiple restrictions to prevent its energy from dissipating. Then, he erased the spiritual imprint on the ancient treasure, Gan Tian Ge, before carefully dismantling the baby carp beast's remains and storing them in his bag.

He collected the corpses of Miao and Gu along with their storage bags and magic weapons. Then, with a flick of his fingers, a searing fireball consumed the bodies, reducing them to ashes.

Wu Chou's two maids had long since fled without a trace.

After confirming that nothing had been left behind, Qi Yuan took flight, heading back to Yan Ruyan and the others. As he traveled, he examined the storage bags of Miao and Gu.

Inside, he found:

- 23,000 low-grade spirit stones

- Over 300 mid-grade spirit stones

- Three level-five demon cores

- A yellow bowl-shaped magic weapon

- Two cultivation techniques: Tuli Jue and Jinguan Sword Jue, both quite powerful

- Several bottles of Jindan-stage pills, which were perfect for Qi Yuan after his recent breakthrough

However, after examining the pills, Qi Yuan was slightly disappointed. Their quality wasn't as high as he had hoped.

Among the remaining items, he found two powerful talismans—one shaped like a golden sword and the other depicting a blue dragon. But what caught his attention most was a small pill bottle sealed with restrictions.

Being so carefully guarded, it could only contain something valuable—perhaps Dust-Reducing Pills.

Qi Yuan removed the restriction and poured five thumb-sized, golden-yellow pills into his palm. They emitted a strange yet enticing medicinal fragrance.

The Dust-Reducing Pill.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

This pill was incredibly valuable—it increased the success rate of forming a golden core. For cultivators without innate spiritual roots, it was a treasure beyond measure.

Failing core formation was a disaster. All the years of cultivation, resources, and effort would be wasted. Others of the same generation would surpass them, and the next time they met, they would be looking up at former peers who had left them behind.

This pill wasn't useful to Qi Yuan himself, but Yan Ruyan and his other companions needed it. He would let her bring some back for Senior Sister Chen, Dong Xuaner, Han Yunzhi, and the others. If necessary, he could also sell them for a fortune.

And if he paired them with his Jade Pills—which could shorten the time required for core formation—cultivators would go mad trying to obtain them.

He smirked to himself.

Madam, do you want to form a core? Why don't we sit down and have a long talk tonight…

Madam, do you want your husband to form a core?

…

Qi Yuan soon arrived at a deserted island where Yan Ruyan and the others were waiting.

Yan Ruyan stepped forward, her face filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

Her spiritual sense, though not as sharp as his, had allowed her to sense the battle from afar. She had been able to feel the fluctuations of magic power during the fight.

Xin Ruyin, noticing Yan Ruyan's worry, immediately turned Qi Yuan's body to check for injuries.

Xiaomei, the most straightforward of them all, simply pulled out a healing pill and tried to feed it to him directly.

Qi Yuan chuckled, amused by their reactions. He held Yan Ruyan's soft hands, playfully tapped Xiaomei's nose, then wrapped an arm around Xin Ruyin's waist.

Speaking of Xin Ruyin, she had been forced to halt her cultivation for a few years. Ever since Qi Yuan returned, she had been exceptionally eager at night… to the point that he had almost sprained his waist. If he hadn't stopped her in time, she might have needed a few days to recover.

"I'm fine," Qi Yuan reassured them. "We obtained plenty of treasures. Let's discuss them on the way."

Hearing that, Yan Ruyan, Xin Ruyin, and Xiaomei finally relaxed.

They boarded the Jiaolong Spirit Shuttle, and Qi Yuan consulted a sea chart to determine their route. A colorful streak of light shot through the sky as they sped toward Tianxing City.

That day, the bustling and prosperous city welcomed their arrival.

Qi Yuan looked at the massive holy mountain before him—thousands of feet tall and lined with grand structures from its base to its peak.

At the docks, enormous merchant ships came and went nonstop. The streets were packed with cultivators, looking like tiny, dark specks from above.

Even Yan Ruyan and the others were awestruck. Their mouths hung open slightly, though their rigorous training with Qi Yuan kept them from looking completely dumbfounded.

Tianxing City was under the jurisdiction of the Star Palace. The Holy Mountain had eighty-one levels. The first fifty were open for public rental, while the last thirty were reserved for the Star Palace's elite. At the very top, the Two Saints of the Star Palace resided under heavy guard and powerful formations.

A teleportation array in the city allowed instant travel to the Outer Star Sea—for a price. This saved cultivators from exhausting their magic power flying across the vast ocean, where powerful monsters lurked.

The city was also a haven for all kinds of cultivators, whether righteous, demonic, or wanted criminals. As long as they paid for residence, the Star Palace didn't interfere—unless they caused trouble.

Because of this, countless factions and chambers of commerce had set up shop, making Tianxing City the most prosperous place in the Chaos Star Sea.

Qi Yuan landed at the city gates, ready to begin his next adventure.

(End Of Chapter)