Chapter 39: Second Layer
Blood Essence—so it appeared in such a manner.
Ji Yuan's first reaction was that this truly was a cultivation world… With a casual wave of his hand, he collected the Blood Essence.
Half a tael of Blood Essence, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball, still felt slightly warm when held in the hand.
This item, even if not refined into a pill, would likely have excellent healing effects if simply swallowed.
If sold, this half tael of Blood Essence would be worth 10 Spirit Stones.
Ji Yuan indeed intended to sell it, but not immediately.
He planned to accumulate more before selling, to avoid frequent trips and drawing attention.
After examining it for a while, he took out a jade box and stored it away.
He looked at the panel; the spiritual effects and upgrade requirements for the Level 3 [Pigsty] had already been revealed.
【Pigsty: LV3】
【Spiritual Effect: Produces 1 tael of Runyu Fat per month; upon slaughtering a Spiritual Pig, its heart will definitely yield a "Quenching Aperture Pearl"】
【Upgrade Requirements: 50 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, 5 jin of Earth Core Lava, Refining a Blood Qi Pill (Not yet achieved)】
Runyu Fat??
Ji Yuan had never seen it before but had heard someone mention it at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. This item was a precious material used to repair cracks in magical tools and even artifacts!
When a magical artifact was damaged during combat, one could either nurture it with spiritual power or seek a weapon refiner to reforge and repair it.
Self-nurturing was too slow, and seeking a weapon refiner was troublesome. Either way, it would consume many Spirit Stones.
Often, the cost of repairs could equal that of purchasing a new magical artifact.
However, Runyu Fat could perfectly solve both problems. Its only drawback was its low yield—only one tael per month, ten months for a jin.
The second spiritual effect was the "Quenching Aperture Pearl," something Ji Yuan had never heard of.
But judging from the effects of Level 1 and Level 2 [Pigsty], and the name, it likely related to body refinement?
Even if not, it should be beneficial for nurturing apertures.
Overall, the Level 3 [Pigsty] had excellent effects, but the upgrade requirements were somewhat challenging. Setting aside the needed Spirit Stones and Earth Core Lava, the final requirement of refining a Blood Qi Pill… It seemed that besides being a talisman master, he would also need to take up alchemy as a side profession.
Well, it could serve as preparation for refining Foundation Establishment Pills in the future.
Ji Yuan, filled with anticipation, stood up and stretched lazily, then turned to glance at the Red-Crested Chicken, which had mostly recovered.
Hmm… He would come back in a few days to collect some chicken Crest blood.
Ji Yuan had already experienced the wonders of this item and naturally wouldn't let it go to waste.
Afterward, he went to wash up and changed into clean clothes.
That night, he uncharacteristically refrained from cultivating.
Instead, he gave up the 20% spiritual energy bonus and simply lay on his small bed.
While drifting into sleep, Ji Yuan reviewed the life-and-death battle he had just experienced.
In summary, it all came down to one thing: in combat, it's all about resources and techniques!
The White Water Flying Sword that could withstand the Yin Ghost Flag, the Water Drop Finger that could strangle ghosts, the chicken Crest blood that could break formations, the Water Escape Talisman for fleeing, the Demon Suppression Talisman to suppress the Ghost Island Master.
And finally, the deadly Life-Taking Needle.
With so many techniques, even missing one could have resulted in Ji Yuan becoming a drowned ghost in the Yunyu Marshlands.
If there was a shortcoming, it was the lack of offensive techniques. A single "Water Drop Finger" was no longer sufficient for mid-stage Qi Refining battles.
Therefore, after selling his gains at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion tomorrow, he would need to purchase the second layer of "Water Drop Finger" and see if there were any other suitable techniques.
With these thoughts, Ji Yuan gradually fell asleep.
…
Meanwhile.
Outside the Black Mist Island in Huaiyin Alley, two magical boats were anchored on the water's surface.
A man and a woman stood on the boats.
If Ji Yuan were here, he would recognize the woman standing on the boat as the peach-eyed female cultivator he had seen last time at Shop A-18.
"The black mist… has dispersed."
The female cultivator looked at the renowned Black Mist Island ahead, slightly surprised.
"Yes, that old ghost is dead."
Yao Jingfeng, dressed in a black robe, crossed his arms over his chest, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "That kid from Zengtou Market, isn't he only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining?"
Du Wanyi turned to look at him. "Are you saying he killed the old ghost?"
"Yes."
Yao Jingfeng nodded, without explaining how he knew.
But since he said so, Du Wanyi believed him.
"Who would have thought that the Ghost Island Master, who had formations, would die at the hands of an unknown youngster."
"Rest assured, someone with such means won't remain unknown for long. We'll probably learn his name soon."
Yao Jingfeng sighed, "Not to mention the entire world, even in our small Yunyu Marshlands, geniuses are as numerous as carp crossing the river."
Du Wanyi agreed, "With such strength at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it's almost certain he'll reach the late stage in the future. Should we invite him to join us in advance?"
"No rush. Let's wait until he reaches the late stage. Besides, he's from Zengtou Market. If we intervene rashly, we might incur Blind Qin's displeasure."
"Then let's wait a bit longer…"
After speaking, Du Wanyi turned to Yao Jingfeng. "You should be able to join the Water Dragon Sect next year, right? Has Senior Brother Huang arranged everything for you?"
Speaking of this, Yao Jingfeng rarely showed a trace of a smile. "Don't worry. We're all from Yunyu Marshlands. We'll definitely look out for each other."
"That's best."
Du Wanyi nodded gently.
…
The next morning, Ji Yuan, who had risen early, collected today's Spiritual Egg and the Blood Essence worth 10 Spirit Stones, then sailed to Zengtou Market.
He first went to the Fish Market and sold the Cold-Blooded Perch he had caught along the way, earning a modest 18 Spirit Stones.
Then he headed to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Given the items he planned to sell today, only the Hundred Treasures Pavilion could handle them.
He first arrived at the magical tools section. Under the gaze of the Water Dragon Sect cultivator on duty, he took out the magical boat obtained from Wei Caishan.
"20 Spirit Stones," the duty cultivator glanced casually.
Ji Yuan then took out the White Boat from which he had erased the imprint.
This time, the duty cultivator became more serious.
After a brief examination, he offered an appraisal, "27 Spirit Stones."
Both were lower-grade magical boats, but Ji Yuan's White Boat was worth 7 more Spirit Stones.
"Deal."
Just as the duty cultivator was about to pay the Spirit Stones, Ji Yuan took out the Ghost Island Master's damaged robe and his protective skull token.
"Hmm?"
These two items clearly indicated they were spoils of combat.
Therefore, the duty cultivator took a more serious look at Ji Yuan, especially noting his youthful appearance, before saying with interest, "You're quite ruthless."
"With some effort, you might have a chance to become our junior brother."
"Thank you for the compliment, senior," Ji Yuan replied with neither arrogance nor humility, cupping his hands.
"Total of 76 Spirit Stones. Will you sell?"
After inspecting each item, the duty cultivator gave Ji Yuan the final price.
"Sell!"
Ji Yuan had no objections to the price.
After selling these items, he initially thought of selling unnecessary pills and talismans as well. But on second thought, since he wasn't short on money, it was better to keep them for now.
They might come in handy.
Finally, he arrived at the techniques section, where the duty cultivator was still the same white-haired old cultivator from last time.
However, he clearly didn't recognize Ji Yuan. He glanced up and then lowered his head again. "What do you want?"
Ji Yuan stepped forward with a slight smile. "May I ask, senior, do you have the second layer of 'Water Drop Finger'?"
"'Water Drop Finger,' second layer?!"
Both terms were familiar, but together they were somewhat rare.
The white-haired cultivator pondered.
He had been on duty at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for over a decade but had never heard anyone request the second layer of "Water Drop Finger."
Only then did he sit up straight and seriously examined Ji Yuan.
After a while, he recalled and then clapped his hands with a laugh:
"So it's you, kid."