Mythical Cultivation

As expected, no amount of spirit stones would be enough. Three years ago, Wu Ming already had over 3,000 spirit stones. While this might seem like a lot, it wasn't a small amount at all. If Wu Tianlong hadn't given him a few hundred spirit stones, he might still be like the other new outer disciples, working day and night for a few dozen spirit stones. This only goes to show how much Wu Tianlong truly loves his grandson, Wu Ming.

You have to know that a cultivator who has practiced for decades in the Qi Refining stage only has a few hundred or a thousand spirit stones on him at most. Hearing this, some people may wonder, a cultivator who has practiced for decades must be at least in the late Qi Refining stage. It is not easy for him to earn spirit stones. How could he only have a few hundred or a thousand spirit stones on him? He can easily save two or three hundred spirit stones a year, which means two or three thousand in ten years, and five or six thousand in twenty years.

This brings us to the question of income during the Qi training period. A cultivator in the early stages of Qi training, due to their low zhenyuan (true essence), cannot use methods like alchemy, weapon refinement, or talismans. Even if they hunt monsters, they will only become their lunch. At best, they can work as a planter, cultivating spiritual plants, or venture out into the wild to try their luck and gather spiritual herbs. There are virtually no other ways to quickly earn spirit stones.

That is, while large sects like the Qingyun Sect could provide free elixirs, smaller factions and independent cultivators had to fight hard to obtain even a few spirit stones for their cultivation. Therefore, cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining generally had no income, and many even went into debt.

The situation is much better for cultivators in the middle stage of Qi training. They can learn various cultivation skills and then earn spirit stones, but it is not that simple. For ordinary talisman masters and planters, it is easy to get started and they spend fewer spirit stones, but their income is not high either. At most, after deducting the expenses of their own cultivation, they can save dozens or hundreds of spirit stones every year, and then casually purchase one or two magic tools. It is normal to end up with empty pockets.

As for alchemists and weapon refiners, that depends on whether you have strong capital. Otherwise, most people won't even bother to learn. Of course, once you master it, you can earn spirit stones very quickly, and you may even never have to worry about spirit stones for the rest of your life. As for array masters, unless you have extremely high talent, you don't need to bother with them.

It's true that cultivators in the late stages of Qi Refining can easily earn spirit stones, easily earning over a thousand spirit stones a year. However, after deducting the resources used for cultivation, they can still save around four or five hundred spirit stones a year. However, the various magical instruments and consumables used by cultivators in the late stages of Qi Refining also cost spirit stones, so if you add all of these in, the amount of spirit stones they have is quite limited.

Generally, a mid-grade magical instrument costs around 500 spirit stones. Otherwise, as a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, you wouldn't still be using low-grade magical instruments. And when you're out and about without a treasure, who can guarantee you won't run into any unexpected situations? You have to know that the world of cultivation isn't a society ruled by law; it's all about strength, and it's incredibly cruel.

No cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage would be like a miser, storing spirit stones in a storage bag instead of buying treasures. Are you planning to use the spirit stones to aid the enemy if you encounter them in the wild?

That late Qi Refining cultivator wasn't exactly lavishly endowed with treasures, just like Wu Ming. Without a few thousand spirit stones, they wouldn't dare venture forth freely, or else their bodies would be left to roam the wilderness without a trace. Therefore, a late Qi Refining cultivator who was still alive and well at the end, and still possessed a thousand spirit stones, was a fortunate individual; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they possessed great luck.

As a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, Wu Ming still has nearly 500 spirit stones in his hand, which is not a small number. This is the remaining spirit stones even though Wu Ming has a lot of treasures. These remaining spirit stones can be used to drive the spirit boat and deal with emergencies.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, if you're in a good financial position next time and want a spirit beast, please come to the Treasure Pavilion and see me. I can give you a discount." Seeing Wu Ming spending thousands of spirit stones at once, Elder Yin considered him a big customer. He knew his commission was a big deal. So, he reminded Wu Ming not to forget him next time he wanted to buy something.

"Okay, Fellow Daoist Yin, I will definitely look for you next time I have business. Fellow Daoist, please go back now." Seeing that Old Yin insisted on sending him out, Wu Ming also spoke.

While Wu Ming was still at the Treasure Pavilion, Xiao Moyang and Tang Zhaojun arrived at the Qingyun Market. After inquiring, they learned that Wu Ming had entered the Treasure Pavilion. They then divided the work: Xiao Moyang monitored Wu Ming's movements within the market, while Tang Zhaojun ambushed him outside, making sure he didn't escape. The two waited for Wu Ming to fall into their trap. But whether this would pan out as they hoped was unclear.

Wu Ming, who had just left the Treasure Pavilion, was also preparing to leave the market town to try out the feeling of piloting a spirit boat. However, a figure not far away made Wu Ming's heart tighten. It was Xiao Moyang, who had been guarding Wu Ming in the market town.

How could he be here? Was it a coincidence? No, it couldn't be a coincidence. A series of thoughts flashed through Wu Ming's mind, but in the end, Wu Ming didn't think it was a coincidence. But he didn't reveal any flaws and continued walking forward as usual. However, he didn't leave the market immediately, but just walked and looked at the stalls on the roadside.

He wondered why Xiao Moyang had followed him, not disguising his appearance. He knew him, or perhaps they thought it wouldn't matter if he saw them, as he wouldn't be able to escape. So they must have some way to deal with him, which made Wu Ming even more alert.

In fact, for cultivators in the Qi training stage, especially those in the later stages, disguise is very common. Even changing the height of the body is not difficult. Wu Ming can do it. I guess Xiao Moyang has his own reasons for not doing it.

This was exactly what Xiao Moyang did on purpose. Ever since he failed in the mission to deal with Wu Ming and his four companions three years ago, Liu Lei had suspected him of not putting in enough effort and no longer considered him his confidant. He was gradually marginalized and his benefits became less. Moreover, every time there was a difficult task, he was asked to take charge. Wasn't it obvious that he didn't treat him as a human being? If it were just these, he could tolerate it. After all, others have backers, but he doesn't.

However, based on the fragmentary information he'd gathered from Liu Lei, combined with the information he'd gathered over the past three years, he was completely certain that Liu Lei wasn't targeting Wu Ming and his three companions because they'd offended him, but rather because of a conflict between the people behind them and Liu Lei's cousin. Since Wu Ming and his companions also had backers, forcing him to offend them was essentially forcing himself to death.

Then don't blame yourself for betrayal, so Xiao Moyang deliberately revealed his true appearance to remind Wu Ming that someone was following him and told him to be careful. However, he didn't expect that although his action made Wu Ming more vigilant, Wu Ming also mistakenly thought that it was a sign that they were sure to catch him. However, this did not matter, as long as the purpose of making Wu Ming alert was achieved.

Wu Ming, having figured it out, stopped looking at the stall. Whether Xiao Moyang was spying on him or not, he would know once he left the market. So he headed out of the market. He was no longer a soft persimmon that could be squeezed by anyone. He didn't take Xiao Moyang seriously. Even if Liu Lei came in person, he wouldn't be afraid. He had to fight to know who would win or lose. He saw Xiao Moyang following him from the corner of his eye, and he knew that his guess was right. This person was following him.