Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

At the foot of Luopo Mountain lies Fenglei Fortress.

Inside the Bian family's main hall, a soul talisman placed beside Bian Zemin had long lost its vitality and luster, its spiritual light extinguished, and it was utterly dull.

"The soul talisman has been extinguished, so the Zhi family must have been murdered." Bian Zemin's tone was tinged with a somber mood. "The Zhi family had few enemies, and the incident happened so suddenly, it was most likely the work of that petty thief seeking revenge."

His wives and concubines at home were ignorant of the pleasures of love, but Zhi Furong was quite skilled in them. Now that his longtime bedmate had passed away, he felt anger, regret, and worry.

"Now that the Zhi family is dead, they probably already know that it was the Bian family that surrounded and killed him." Bian Zeyan said in a muffled voice, "Is the Lü family of Taixi Lake just going to let this person go unpunished?"

When the Lü family was mentioned, everyone present fell silent.

Bian Dongxu sat at the lower end of the table, recalling the scene when he went to Taixi Lake that day. He met with several members of the Lü family and explained the advantages and disadvantages, but they only casually said "I know" in response.

Afterwards, they gave him the reward and sent two Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators to accompany him back to Wind and Thunder Valley. The implication was that he should find a way to capture the person, as long as he captured him alive.

There will be a reward if the task is accomplished.

"It seems the Lü family has something important to do, and they're also being attacked by external enemies. I suspect it might be related to Foundation Establishment, which is why they're too busy to deal with that little thief," Bian Dongxu said.

The old patriarch of the Lü family is very old, but his four sons are in their prime and have the potential to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Bian Dongxu sensed that something was off about the atmosphere at the Lü family, but before he could investigate further, he was taken away from the Lü clan's territory. He could only guess at the situation.

"The mad dogs of Fallen Mountain are extremely vengeful. The Lü family's attitude is ambiguous, but our Bian family cannot afford to be ambiguous," said Clan Chief Bian Zening.

"If people at the foot of the mountain can't find him, people on the mountain will always find him." With Zhi Furong murdered, Bian Dongxu was no longer willing to be on the defensive and prepared to take the initiative: "If we can't find him, then we'll look for his elders and relatives. I don't believe he won't hesitate to act against us."

Ms. Lü's attitude was ambiguous.

So he solved the problem in his own way.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Southern foot of Luopo Mountain.

In the morning light, Wang Mian stood on a hilltop, gazing at Songlintan, which was quite far away. He knew that even if there were no ambushes at Songlintan, there were still spies there, so he could only observe from afar.

Unable to return home, this was the first time he had been forced into such a sorry state.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

Like a stray dog.

After observing for a few moments, Wang Mian turned and left, with Bai Jiuniang gracefully following beside him. She could sense a chilling aura emanating from Wang Mian.

He was unhappy.

It was unhappy too.

Unable to return to Songlintan in a short time, and not intending to trouble Hua Gu, Wang Mian headed towards Huoyadong instead.

Without any grand display of flying through the air, riding on Bai Jiuniang through the deep mountains and dense forests, the destination was in sight after a journey of more than half an hour.

Shaped like a wide-open mouth revealing two rows of teeth, with a gap, resembling a missing front tooth, it is named the Gap Tooth Cave.

Wang Mian came here not to seek refuge with his senior, nor was the owner of this cave a senior, but rather an enemy. The Hollow Tooth Cave is the cave of Zhou Shang, the Yama of the Broadsword.

Bai Jiuniang twitched her nose and gently shook her head at Wang Mian. She could not smell the scent of a living person, nor could she sense the aura of a cultivator.

"As expected, he's not here." Wang Mian revealed an expression that said he had anticipated this.

Like most of the cultivators from Luopo Mountain, Zhou Shang was a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. He was extremely vengeful, greedy for life and afraid of death. At this moment, Wang Mian guessed that he was in the bamboo forest.

When he arrived, he thought that if the person was there, he would kill him to avenge him; if the person was not there, he would occupy the cave to rest.

They found the mechanism and lowered the stone gate.

Why are most dilapidated mountain caves made of stone with no restrictions? It's because they're poor. First, they can't afford to use spirit stones to set up restrictions, and second, the caves are empty, so those who can steal them only have a little bit of spiritual energy.

If there are spiritual springs, spiritual fruits, and spiritual medicines, not only would one set up several restrictions and formations before daring to go out.

Stepping into the spacious, flat-round cave, Wang Mian immediately felt that this was a good place to practice swordsmanship. The dry stone cave, several acres in size, was enough for him to move around in.

Small holes were drilled in the cave ceiling to let in sunlight, making the cave bright.

Further inside, there are several carved stone caves used as resting and living quarters, but they have a strong body odor that is unbearable.

Bai Jiuniang, who loved cleanliness, couldn't resist.

She exhaled a gust of demonic wind that stirred up dust, which gathered into a ball and she threw out of the cave. The clothes around her that reeked of body odor were burned to ashes, and then she washed them several times with clean water before she was satisfied.

Sitting down at the rough stone table, Wang Mian took out a storage bag. It was Zhi Qingfu's storage bag; he had been busy traveling all night and only now had time to check it.

Unclaimed storage bags are very easy to refine without much effort.

After refining, one can clearly sense a space about ten feet in length and width, from which one can take out whatever is inside and collect whatever is outside.

The items used by a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator are indeed far superior to those used by an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator. This storage bag alone is more than twice the size of the storage bag he currently uses.

It was more than three times larger than the storage bags used by the Bian brothers.

Upon entering, one is greeted by rows of large wooden cabinets, filled with various jewelry and clothing. Many of the garments are as thin as cicada wings, consisting of only a few threads, exuding a sense of charm.

Wang Mian offered no comment, tossing the wardrobe out. Bai Jiuniang sniffed it once, then, with extreme disgust, spat out a mouthful of demonic fire and burned it to ashes.

The wooden cabinet that took up the most space was thrown away, leaving the storage bag empty. There were several bags of white spirit rice and three exquisite small wooden boxes, one containing spirit stones, the second containing spirit talismans, and the third containing two bottles of spirit medicine.

After taking out the wooden box, Wang Mianzi carefully counted the hundred or so spirit stones, checked the dozen or so spirit talismans one by one, and finally checked the two bottles of Qi-boosting pills. The seals on the newly purchased pills were still intact.

The Qi-Boosting Pill is used to enhance magical power in the mid-stage of Qi Refining. It is several times more effective than the Spirit-Boosting Pill and is a common pill in the market, making it the choice of most mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Along with the two bottles of pills, there were also two jade slips. Wang Mian picked them up and examined them. One was inscribed with "Seventy-two Methods to Strengthen Yin and Enhance Yang," and the other with "The Art of Obscuring Dust."

"The Law of Lewdness!" Wang Mian removed the jade slip from between his eyebrows and couldn't help but shake his head.

He put down the first jade slip, thinking that the second jade slip was also a wicked and lewd technique. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a technique for absorbing magical energy.

A pearl is covered in dust, its true nature obscured.

This technique of concealing one's aura can both absorb magical power, making it difficult to discern the depth of one's magical power and the level of one's cultivation, and it can also suppress one's aura and calm one's thoughts.

"It was not in vain that I went to the trouble of cremating him. Fellow Daoist Zhi is also a generous person, as he was quick to help me in my time of need and gave me what I required." Wang Mian then learned the spell.

With this magic, his journey through the world of cultivation will be much easier.

Taking out the banana leaf fan, a magical artifact, Wang Mian reached out and touched it. He felt that the fan surface was like warm jade, and the runes inside were interconnected, dazzling to the eye.

These were all the spoils Wang Mian had acquired during his trip to the eastern foothills.

"With one out and one in, not only did I not lose money, but I actually made quite a profit." Wang Mian calculated that this time, he spent hundreds of spirit stones to gather information, purchase disposable magic artifacts, and buy amulets, including one tortoise shell talisman and two swift wind talismans.

The proceeds from the sale of the two magical artifacts were all spent, leaving only about twenty spirit stones in hand. Now, with the proceeds added, there are about one hundred and thirty spirit stones in the storage bag, enough for cultivation for a period of time.

A mid-grade magic weapon is worth at least two hundred spirit stones, and he also has three storage bags, which are also worth a considerable amount of spirit stones.

After emptying his original storage bag and stuffing everything into the largest storage bag, Wang Mian realized that he had now amassed quite a fortune.

Seven Spirit-Boosting Pills, two Healing Pills, two Yellow Dragon Pills, two bottles of Qi-Boosting Pills (eight in total), over one hundred and thirty spirit stones, one mid-grade magic artifact, a banana leaf fan, sixteen or seventeen talismans, two empty storage bags, two jade slips, and about three hundred catties of spirit rice.

This is all of Wang Mian's current assets.

"Ninth Sister, use this bottle of Qi-Boosting Pills to improve your cultivation and break through as soon as possible." Wang Mian placed one of the bottles of Qi-Boosting Pills in front of Bai Ninth Sister.

Bai Jiuniang nodded in agreement.

Wang Mian also placed the Spirit Enhancement Pill in an easily accessible spot, intending to use it up soon. Having secured the cave dwelling and a place to rest, he planned to devote himself to cultivation for some time.

At the very least, one must first master the Four Seasons Sword Technique.

He is proficient in the Four Seasons Sword Technique and can obtain sword energy.

With eyes closed and mind focused, lines of text materialized in the mind:

[Lower-grade Qi Refining Method: Diligently practice 800 times until the practice is perfected, then one can enter the fourth level of Qi Refining]

Consuming one Dragon Grass before breaking through a cultivation realm can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 150%.

[Accumulation: 150]

[Introduction to the Four Seasons Sword Technique: Practice diligently two hundred times until mastering the sword technique, and you will acquire the sword energy of the four seasons.]

Now that he has reached the third level of Qi Refining, his mana is abundant enough to perform the Four Seasons Sword Technique more than ten times. His mana has just been depleted, and he recovers his mana three times a day. According to this calculation, he will be able to master the sword technique in just four or five days.

When it comes to cultivation, Wang Mian never procrastinates.

From within the gap-toothed cave, the sound of swords echoed, and streaks of sword light appeared, cutting through the stone wall. The sword marks on the stone wall increased one by one, from few to many, from sparse to dense.

Day after day, until one day, at a certain moment, when Wang Mian unleashed his final move, "Winter Wind Brings Frost," the Four Seasons Sword Technique, which he had diligently practiced a thousand times, was completed at that moment.

Countless insights surged forth at that moment, flooding my mind.

Naturally, Wang Mian raised his hand and swung his longsword, which naturally became imbued with a thin layer of sharpness that was no longer illusory but rather exceptionally dense.

Its sharpness seemed capable of cleaving the sky, cutting through rivers, and slicing through mountains.

The longsword struck the stone wall, but no mark was left.

A few breaths later, a rustling sound was heard as fine, powdery stone powder fell off, and a suddenly appearing mark spread from the outside in and from the bottom up, gradually becoming unfathomably deep, its power somewhat exaggerated.

Sword Qi of the Four Seasons.

become!