Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

After settling the Migu rats, Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged.

He began circulating his cultivation technique to recover the spiritual energy consumed by casting the fireball spell.

The three all-out fireball spells directly consumed nearly a third of Li Xiuyuan's spiritual power.

He activated the [Minor Forging and Refining Fire Technique], and wisps of spiritual energy flowed into his meridians, like streams merging into a small river.

One cycle after another.

The spiritual energy within his dantian rose continuously like a reservoir, yet he could never reach its limit.

During the practice, the newly added earth spiritual energy is negligible, but the original accumulated earth spiritual energy is repeatedly tempered and refined with each cycle of circulation, becoming increasingly pure and condensed.

……

These past two days, Li Xiuyuan has been in a period of spiritual energy recovery, so he has neither refined pills nor gone out.

Aside from circulating his spiritual energy three times a day to replenish his spiritual power, he spends the rest of his days practicing the Yi Jin Jing and cultivating intimacy with the Migu Rat.

[Yi Jin Jing +1]

[Yi Jin Jing +1]

[Yi Jin Jing +1]

[Beast Taming Skill +1]

[Beast Taming Skill +1]

[Beast Taming Skill +1]

The proficiency in both techniques increased rapidly.

[Yi Jin Jing: Old Tree's Roots (Minor Success), 130/300]

【Beast Taming Technique (Beginner): 11/50】

The speed of improvement was much faster than he had expected, but he just couldn't get the runes to appear.

It's as if he used up all his good luck during that time after picking up a stray mouse.

However, progress in cultivation is not as remarkable.

The spiritual energy in his dantian was nearly saturated. After two days of cultivation, the total amount of spiritual energy he had refined had hardly changed.

The only feeling he had was that the quality of his spiritual energy had improved slightly—as he repeatedly circulated his cultivation technique to refine his spiritual energy, the spiritual energy in his dantian became purer and had fewer impurities.

Li Xiuyuan opened his eyes and got up, intending to go to Lingbao Pavilion to sell the Bigu Pill.

He had accumulated quite a few fasting pills last time, and he knew the saying "possessing a treasure is a crime."

Li Xiuyuan would sell the Bigu Pills every four to five days, or at least two to three days, in exchange for spirit stones.

That's right, he plans to use spirit stones for cultivation, after experiencing the high-speed absorption of spiritual energy from the spirit stones.

He couldn't bear the arduous days of meditating and slowly cultivating his qi.

……

We arrived at the familiar Lingbao Pavilion.

"Tsk tsk, Fellow Daoist Li, your alchemy skills are truly exceptional!"

Seeing the thirty-five medium-grade and five high-grade fasting pills with stable medicinal effects and fragrant aroma, Pang Dehai's chubby face was practically beaming with joy.

While picking out the medicinal herbs needed for the Bigu Pill for Li Xiuyuan, he jokingly said.

"Fellow Daoist Li, as the saying goes, the various arts of cultivating immortality are like this. Before you learn them, they are stiff and dry. No matter how hard you try, you can't find the entrance. But once you break through that invisible membrane, you will find that the small opening is suddenly open and vast."

"By the way, we recently received a batch of Spirit Pills. Would you like a couple? You never know, they might just boost your cultivation level!"

Seeing Pang Dehai's drooling expression, Li Xiuyuan's heart stirred.

He then shook his head in refusal.

"I'll wait until I've saved up enough for this year's corvée tax; I still have a lot of debt to pay off."

This was the excuse Li Xiuyuan came up with after a night of deep thought to refuse Pang Dehai's sales pitch.

"That's true. These days, demonic beasts are causing chaos outside, prices have skyrocketed, and many wandering cultivators from other places have come, all hoping to join the sect next spring to start their own cultivation journey!"

"To be honest, the Upper Sect is really generous, taking out so many Foundation Establishment Pills all at once. It seems they're planning something big!"

Pang Dehai, as usual, tried to sell his wares. Seeing that Li Xiuyuan wasn't very interested, he smiled and changed the subject, talking about recent news from the market.

Li Xiuyuan naturally noticed that there were many unfamiliar faces in the market.

Shanyang Market belongs to the Blazing Fire Sect. This time, the sect will pre-assign it to open up new land, which will definitely attract a large number of independent cultivators from outside.

Twenty years ago, Li Xiuyuan encountered this wave of land reclamation and was sold to the market to fill the labor force.

"So be careful lately. Those rogue cultivators from out of town are the most unruly and undisciplined. No matter how great the opportunity, you still need to be alive to enjoy it!"

Pang Dehai casually mentioned the out-of-town rogue cultivators, shaking his head in disapproval of their way of doing things.

"Fellow Daoist Pang, could you please give me a storage bag?"

Li Xiuyuan pushed out the spirit stone he had just received and hadn't even had a chance to warm it up.

Pang Dehai laughed heartily upon seeing the five spirit stones.

A storage bag costs five spirit stones and is the lowest grade of storage bag.

It can hold an item about the size of eight or nine hundred catties of monster meat.

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Li, here is your storage bag."

With Pang Dehai's good-natured smile, Li Xiuyuan left the shop carrying a well-made storage bag and 150 portions of materials for fasting pills.

As I watched the bustling crowds on the street, a gentle breeze stirred my temples.

Li Xiuyuan seemed to recall something: "It's true that spending money is like water flowing away, while saving money is like climbing to heaven."

Looking at the cultivators hurrying along the street, Li Xiuyuan felt a sense of vigilance.

Countless rogue cultivators flocked to the market, seeking opportunities, but what they brought was turmoil and chaos.

"It seems the peaceful days won't last much longer!"

Li Xiuyuan increasingly felt the inadequacy of his own cultivation, and his desire for strength grew stronger.

"From today onward, I will abstain from alcohol and devote myself entirely to cultivating my Qi, refining my body, and perfecting my elixirs!"

……

In the dead of night, Li Xiuyuan, who had been cultivating all night, did not feel tired. On the contrary, he was full of energy as he played with the exquisitely crafted storage bag.

He aimed and shot each bottle of fasting pills into the bottle, repeating the process over and over again, and the smile on Li Xiuyuan's face never faded.

"I used to envy others, but now I have a storage bag too. I won't have to carry heavy bags when I go shopping anymore."

Previously, it was neither possible nor necessary.

He wished he could break a spirit crystal in half to save as much as possible.

But times have changed.

Looking at the fasting pills on the table, Li Xiuyuan felt exceptionally pleased.

"Making a living with your skills is much freer and more enjoyable than doing manual labor and having to be subservient to others."

"With my current cultivation level, the risk of selling top-grade fasting pills is still too great. I need to improve my cultivation level first; after all, I'm practically a low-grade alchemist."

He wasn't one of those low-level rogue cultivators who risked their lives hunting monsters in the mountains for a few spirit crystals.

Isn't the purpose of life to make steady progress, step by step, every day?

That night, Li Xiuyuan, clutching the storage bag, had a sweet dream…

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps Li Xiuyuan had truly run out of luck.

During this period of time, while practicing the Yi Jin Jing and the Beast Taming Technique, I only gained two 'Qi and Blood Enhancement' runes.

Fortunately, his cultivation level broke through to the third level of Qi Refining, doubling his magical power.

Unlike before, there will no longer be moments of weakness and exhaustion when refining pills.

The quality of the Qi-Nourishing Powder he submitted this month has reached a new high, receiving top-notch reviews.

They received two more spirit stones as a reward from the Mission Hall.

Recently, the prices of various goods in the market have soared, with increases reaching as high as 50%.

Li Xiuyuan made a small profit by selling fasting pills, relying on inside information.

The number of spirit stones in the storage bag has exceeded fifty for the first time!

He bought a low-grade gold shield talisman and a low-grade green bamboo sword from Pang Dehai, spending a total of twenty spirit stones.

"My neighbor hoards grain, so I hoard guns; it wouldn't be right not to get some self-defense gear!"