Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Following Wen Siyue's directions, Wen Qiang and Liu Su spotted Ma Liang and were immediately overjoyed.

Wen Qiang rushed forward, "Senior! It's so good to see you again!"

Liu Su quickly followed suit, "Yes, senior. When we first came to Tianxing City, we heard a few years later that Kuixing Island had suffered a great calamity. You were our family's savior!"

After saying this, Wen Qiang and Liu Su knelt down on the ground, about to perform a grand ceremony.

Wen Siyue also knelt down.

Ma Liang lifted the air, saying, "No need for that, get up."

The three were lifted up by spiritual power, without having to kneel down at all.

Ma Liang withdrew his hand. "It's good that you're all alright. In that case, my efforts back then weren't in vain."

Liu Su hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way, "Senior, please come inside!"

Wen Qiang echoed his agreement and gestured "please" to Ma Liang.

Ma Liang nodded and followed the two into the main hall.

As soon as he sat down, Wen Siyue quickly poured him a cup of hot tea and handed it to him with both hands.

Ma Liang took the teacup. "I heard from Si Yue that you and your husband have both joined the Miaoyin Sect?"

"That's what you're talking about, senior."

Wen Qiang sighed softly, a look of emotion on his face. "When we first arrived in Tianxing City, we were completely clueless. My cultivation level was low back then, and I had no ability to go out to sea to hunt demons and make a living like others. I could only barely make a living by doing small-scale business."

"But I was unlucky. Not only did I not make any money, I lost a lot of money and was about to be driven to desperation."

"It just so happened that the Miaoyin Sect was recruiting. I remembered that I had done some business accounting and registration work in the Six Linked Hall before, so I had some experience. I decided to give it a try and signed up."

"I never imagined that this job would last for so many years. Now that Siyue has also joined the Miaoyin Sect, our family's livelihood and future are tied to the Miaoyin Sect."

Ma Liang had already scanned the three of them with his divine sense and found that Wen Qiang and his wife had both entered the Foundation Establishment stage, especially Wen Siyue, who had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"All three of you have now reached the Foundation Establishment stage, especially Siyue, who has actually reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, which is beyond my expectations."

"Your current level of cultivation is certainly due to the opportunity that the Miaoyin Sect gave you to make a living, but in the end, it is your own hard work that has made you who you are today. This hard work is the most valuable thing."

"Senior, I have to thank you for all of this!"

Wen Qiang laughed loudly, and then took a storage bag from his waist and handed it to Ma Liang with both hands.

"Senior, this is the ten thousand spirit stones you lent us back then. I set this money aside a long time ago and have been carrying it with me, hoping to meet you one day so I can pay you back."

"Today is perfect, please accept this!"

Ma Liang did not refuse, and an invisible force swept the storage bag over to him.

He probed with his divine sense and scanned the area. "Hmm? How come there are so many spirit stones here?"

Wen Qiang quickly waved his hand, "Senior, how can you borrow money and only repay the principal? Consider the extra amount as interest."

"Besides, you saved our lives, so you must accept this."

Ma Liang didn't say anything more, and put the storage bag into his pocket. "Then so be it."

Wen Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and pressed his advantage, saying, "Senior, do you still have important matters to attend to? We've been separated for so long, we absolutely must celebrate. Please stay and try our family's simple home-cooked meal, what do you say?"

Ma Liang glanced at the deepening twilight outside the window, knowing it was too late to find a cave dwelling now, so he nodded in agreement: "Alright. By the way, prepare plenty of good wine, but no need for spiritual dishes, as I don't eat any food these days."

"As you wish, senior!" Wen Qiang agreed. Wen Siyue, who was standing to the side, could not contain herself any longer. "Senior, please rest first. I'll go buy some wine right away!" With that, she ran out with light steps.

Before long, the banquet was ready.

During the meal, Ma Liang did not touch a single dish, only drinking spirit wine from beginning to end.

Wen Qiang and his wife saw this and, although they had some doubts, they wisely refrained from asking any further questions. Instead, they chatted with Ma Liang about the old days, and the atmosphere at the table was quite harmonious.

The next day at dawn, Ma Liang bid farewell to Wen Qiang's family.

Wenqiang repeatedly urged him to stay, saying that his home was spacious enough for him to live comfortably and that he didn't need to bother finding another place to stay.

Ma Liang politely declined, citing important matters at hand.

Wen Siyue was very thoughtful and specially led him to the office in Tianxing City that was in charge of renting cave dwellings, and helped him choose an extremely luxurious cave dwelling.

The scale and furnishings of this cave dwelling are far more luxurious than the one Han Li rented, and the cost is naturally considerable.

With everything handed over properly, Wen Siyue, having been away for a long time, bid farewell to Ma Liang and returned to Miaoyin Sect.

Ma Liang stood alone in the center of the cave, gazing at the vast yet empty space, and couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy: "I wonder how long I can stay here this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared on the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

Jingzhe could no longer contain herself. A ray of spiritual light burst out of the bag, transforming into a huge figure that ran wildly around the cave.

In an instant, a series of clanging sounds of billiard balls echoed in the cave. Cups, bowls, and plates were swept away by the thick python's tail, and tableware and ornaments were smashed all over the ground with a clatter.

"Jingzhe, stop fooling around. If you keep causing trouble like this, this cave we rented at a high price will probably be torn to rubble by you."

The enormous python turned and twisted its tail, then obediently coiled into a ball and lay down in front of Ma Liangmian, its huge head lowered.

Ma Liang patted Jingzhe's enormous snake head. "Alright, stay here quietly and don't cause any trouble. I'm going to cultivate, so don't disturb me."

Jingzhe flicked its tongue, and the enormous python head nodded, as if in agreement.

Ma Liang activated the outer layer of restrictions on the cave dwelling and turned to walk into the study in the side room.

A glance at the empty bookshelves revealed not a single classic text. "It's certainly quite minimalist."

He moved to the practice platform in the back room of the study, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate the Profound Water Refining Spirit Technique.

Pale blue water elemental energy began to gather, enveloping the entire training platform in a misty water curtain.

Time passed quickly as he practiced breathing exercises. In just half a day, Ma Liang finished his practice and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He felt a sudden clarity in his mind, his spiritual awareness improved, and his cultivation level was also raised.

Ma Liang twirled a wisp of pale blue spiritual energy, feeling the perfect harmony between his true spiritual essence and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"With my current aptitude as a Water Spirit, I'm probably even superior to ordinary Heavenly Spiritual Roots. At this rate of cultivation, I shouldn't encounter any more bottlenecks before reaching the Nascent Soul stage."

"However, advancing to the Nascent Soul stage is easier said than done. Without sufficient water-attribute spiritual materials to assist one, even with the best aptitude, it is difficult to cross that insurmountable barrier."

"It seems we need to find some rare and precious materials with water properties."

Treasure hunting and spirit seeking are inherently dangerous; without sufficient strength, even the best spiritual materials will remain elusive.

Then he remembered the only three demonic beasts in his spirit beast pouch, "It seems that my demonic beast formation still needs further improvement."

He took the scroll out of his storage bag, but he no longer carried it around; it was too conspicuous.

Ma Liang summoned his magic brush and sketched the outline of a monster on the scroll.

When the painting depletes one's spiritual energy, one should stop painting and use the Mysterious Water Refining Spirit Technique to restore one's spiritual energy.

This process was repeated; when tired, one would stop painting, and when full of energy, one would paint again. The cave was completely silent, save for the fluctuations of spiritual energy and the faint sound of the brush tip gliding across the scroll.

In the blink of an eye, fifteen days passed quietly amidst the alternating cycles of cultivation and scroll painting.