Trading system, I exchanged vegetables for golden pills.

Ye Chen only needs to continue cultivating to reach the eighth level of Qi Refining.

He could directly take the Spirit Enhancement Pill and break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop.

If the spiritual energy is sufficient, given Ye Chen's current cultivation speed, it should take about four to five days.

As for whether such a rapid breakthrough will cause so-called instability in the foundation?

Ye Chen had also considered this point.

But thinking about it carefully, he is now cultivating by truly absorbing the energy of spirit stones and breaking through step by step.

Moreover, he hasn't neglected his physical training and mental strength, so he should be quite stable, right?

In addition, he possesses mental strength at the Foundation Establishment level.

At most, it's just that they don't have a clear understanding of their current abilities.

Although he is currently at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he may not be able to fully unleash his actual combat power.

The main problem is that muscle memory and spiritual power control are still at the level of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

This isn't a big problem, and it's theoretically easy to solve; it just takes some time to work things out.

Once he fully adapts to the spiritual power level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, he should be able to better unleash the combat power expected of someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Since I've already cultivated to the seventh level of Qi Refining, I might as well cultivate directly to the eighth level of Qi Refining and then take a Spirit Enhancement Pill to see what happens.

We'll work on refining our strength after we reach the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Ye Chen now wants to reach the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible. Not only will the tradable items in the trading system be updated after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, but there might also be some hidden rewards.

Isn't it better to take advantage of the system sooner rather than spend half a day struggling with the integration process?

Just as Ye Chen was about to continue cultivating, his phone rang.

The caller ID shows a virtual number.

Normally, Ye Chen wouldn't answer these virtual numbers, because they're usually just promotional material from guys.

But I had just made a breakthrough today and was in a good mood, so I just pressed the answer button.

Ye Chen turned on his phone's speakerphone and waited for the other party to speak first, to hear whether it was a girl or a guy, before deciding whether to hang up.

Surprisingly, the other side didn't make a sound either.

The two remained silent for four or five seconds.

Ye Chen glanced at his phone, and just as he was about to hang up, a voice finally came from the other end.

A young woman's voice came through the phone: "Hello, are you VIP member number 998?"

Her voice trembled slightly, sounding somewhat unnatural.

Ye Chen's heart stirred, his brows furrowed slightly, and several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

VIP number 998, this is his auction number.

Is this person an employee of the auction house?

The transaction has been completed for so long, what does she want from me?

Under normal circumstances, auctioneers do not contact customers casually.

And how did the other party know my phone number?

When he registered, although he filled in his phone number, he had a backup plan and filled in Ah Long's phone number instead.

If someone calls Ah Long asking for his phone number, Ah Long will definitely tell them beforehand.

The deposit was paid from his own account; after all, it was 10 yuan, and no one else was paying it for him...

Surely we can't just let our personal information leak like this?!

Besides that, he couldn't understand why his information had been leaked.

Indeed, under the influence of big data, there is no such thing as privacy.

Since the other party called, there is a high probability that he is auctioneer number 998, but it is not yet certain.

It's also possible that he bought tickets for someone else.

Ye Chen's thoughts raced, and he asked疑惑地问道, "Are you a girl at the foot massage parlor? What do you need?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before someone spoke: "VIP number 998, we're calling to inform you that your deposit will be refunded to you today. Please check your account."

"What deposit? You mean a security deposit? You don't need to return that money. I'm going to spend money tonight!" Ye Chen said casually.

Ye Chen certainly couldn't admit outwardly that he was VIP number 998, but at the same time, he was already on guard.

If the other party really wants a direct refund, there's absolutely no need to make this call.

The other party was clearly trying to confirm whether they were the auctioneer for lot number 998.

Moreover, her speech was disjointed; it seemed as if she would say one sentence, then pause to think about what to say next, which was unprofessional and gave people a feeling of unnaturalness.

Or perhaps someone was beside her, reminding her what to say.

Could it be... that someone is going to come looking for him?

Ye Chen frowned in thought, and for a moment he even thought of the master behind No. 999.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea himself.

How could Master No. 999 possibly be looking for him? Even if he knew his disciple was gone, he wouldn't be able to find him.

Ye Chen believed he had done a pretty clean job.

Unless the other party has some means beyond Ye Chen's comprehension.

"Are you VIP number 998? We need to verify your identity so we can arrange for the refund of your deposit!" The girl on the other end of the phone paused for a few seconds before continuing to ask.

"I said, whose little sister are you? Can't you understand me? Are you enjoying yourself or having a good time?" Ye Chen said, feigning anger.

An elderly man's voice came from the other end of the phone: "I'll only ask you one time, did you kill number 999?"

The sound was like that of an old bellows, which was somewhat unpleasant to listen to, but also had a hidden, powerful quality.

Ye Chen recognized the voice; it was the voice of Master No. 999, whom he had heard on that phone call.

However, this time the other party seemed to be suppressing a strong anger.

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat. How did this old man find him? This doesn't make sense...

He racked his brains but couldn't figure out where he had slipped up.

Judging from the other party's tone, it's highly likely that number 999 has been caught in his trap.

Ye Chen definitely cannot admit to this.

Ye Chen cursed angrily, "Damn it, who are you? What number 999? You're just spouting nonsense. If you keep this up, I'm calling the police! Are scammers this brazen now?!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then the old man's voice continued, "Hmph, playing dumb won't work. I'll find you and interrogate you face to face. Be prepared and wait for me. This call is just to give you a heads-up, to instill some fear in you first; that's what makes the game interesting!"

The other party hung up the phone after he finished speaking.

Ye Chen frowned even more deeply.

Are you crazy? Calling him to threaten him, playing these psychological tactics?

One thing is certain: he has indeed been targeted by that old guy.

It's no secret that there was fierce competition between lot numbers 998 and 999 at the auction.

His apprentice died, and he never expected that the old man would target him in such a direct way.

Without providing any evidence, even though he said it wasn't number 998, the other party ignored all of that and just pinned a huge accusation on him.

The other party was clearly not playing by the rules, and Ye Chen didn't know what to say.

Indeed, what kind of routine would an old monster who is about to reach the Foundation Establishment stage follow?

If they were to meet, his identity as a cultivator would definitely be exposed the moment the other party made a move.

No amount of sophistry will change that now.