Trading system, I exchanged vegetables for golden pills.

Xiao Qi remained silent for a long time. This was the first time that someone other than her family had given her living expenses.

"Master..." Xiao Qi choked up a little.

"It's just a little money. You're a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, you can't just eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables, can you? You occasionally come along for a meal, and you call me Master, so I have an obligation to take care of my disciple. Don't be so pretentious!" Ye Chen said calmly.

Xiao Qi took a deep breath, as if calming himself, and finally whispered, "Yes, Master!"

After saying that, Xiao Qi turned and left, her eyes resolute, her lips pursed, revealing a happy smile.

From the moment Ye Chen changed her and saved her, she developed an inexplicable fondness for him.

After repeated interactions, Ye Chen realized that taking her on as his apprentice wasn't just empty talk; he genuinely taught her things.

They truly treated her as one of their own.

This gave her a formal sense of belonging and support in Xiamen.

She had long considered this place her second home.

Now, Ye Chen is actually giving her living expenses.

This was the first time, besides her parents, that anyone had asked her if she was doing well...

Although 3000 yuan isn't much, in this vast city, she felt the warmth of home.

Actually, Ye Chen could have given more, but in the end he only gave 3000.

Most people's expenses are around this amount, so giving her too much is not good and may put pressure on her.

Ye Chen gave Xiao Qi living expenses for no other reason than the word "master".

Since he is the master, he should at least care about his disciple's living conditions.

Although Xiao Qi's clothes were clean and neat, it was clear that they were a bit old after washing.

They seem to eat rather casually, and appear somewhat malnourished.

Although Ye Chen didn't say anything, he saw everything.

His disciple, Ye Chen, couldn't possibly live too poorly.

There are only two disciples in total. It's not that they lack the ability; if they do, then they should take care of them.

"I'm leaving, Da Huang. See you next week!" Xiao Qi greeted Da Huang with a smile as he walked to the door, clearly in a good mood.

Big Yellow glanced at the guy who had absorbed all the spiritual energy, but in the end, it didn't really hold a grudge against Xiao Qi and nodded its head.

Seeing that Da Huang seemed to understand human speech, Xiao Qi couldn't help but lean over and pat its head: "Da Huang is so smart!"

Big Yellow rolled its eyes at her and telepathically transmitted, "Don't touch my head except for Master. I'm an adult now!"

Xiao Qi was slightly taken aback, looking at Da Huang with disbelief.

"How come I've never seen such a smart dog? Let me tell you, I've never seen one either!" Big Yellow transmitted its voice with a touch of pride.

"You, you've actually become intelligent?" Xiao Qi exclaimed in astonishment.

"Otherwise, what else? Haven't you heard the saying, 'When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'?" Big Yellow proudly raised its head.

"Wow, Big Yellow, you've reached the Qi Refining stage!" Xiao Qi exclaimed in amazement.

Da Huang said casually, "I've reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Neither Brother Dong nor Brother Long are a match for me!"

Xiao Qi was shocked again. What?

Big Yellow has already reached level seven in Qi Refining...

The slight sense of superiority she felt after breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining vanished instantly.

At this moment, she felt the same way Dongzi and Along had felt earlier—dejected.

It turns out that Dahuang was the hidden master all along.

After exchanging a few words with Da Huang, Xiao Qi left.

Ye Chen continued cultivating until evening before stopping and waiting for a bus at the intersection outside.

The rooster that Mom sent arrived on a shared bus; Ye Chen needs to go pick it up.

That's the good thing about the shuttle bus; it's very convenient for sending things. I've sent things home several times recently using the shuttle bus.

Ye Chen has now fenced off a corner of the backyard vegetable garden to raise chickens.

Chicken droppings can also serve as fertilizer for the vegetables.

No more, no less, Ye Chen has already raised six roosters, all of which were sent from his family.

My second uncle sent four, and my mother sent two.

These things can't be eaten in large quantities, as they can cause internal heat, so Ye Chen decided to raise them for now.

Ye Chen greeted the bus driver familiarly, handed him a pack of cigarettes, and then took out a moving snakeskin bag from under the bus.

When Ye Chen got home, he opened the package and saw that it contained two spotted roosters.

Just as Ye Chen was about to throw them into the chicken coop in the backyard, he suddenly paused, picked up a spotted rooster and examined it closely.

This rooster has six claws, which makes it look rather imposing.

Roosters are inherently mysterious, and older roosters usually have five claws and their feet become longer, making them look majestic.

However, six-clawed chickens are indeed very rare. Ye Chen has eaten so many chickens, but he has never seen one before.

"Sure, since you have so many claws, I'll keep you as a pet!"

Ye Chen muttered to himself and threw both chickens into the coop.

Eight roosters crammed into a small chicken coop looked rather crowded.

But there's nothing we can do about it; this little chicken coop is only temporary, since these chickens are meant to be used for nourishment.

You can't really use the backyard to raise chickens, can you? The smell would be unbearable for him.

The other six roosters, seeing the two new companions arrive, seemed to want to set some rules for them.

After a chaotic fight, the six-clawed rooster seemed to have won, but also seemed to have been isolated, with the other chickens keeping a body length away from it.

If the chicken coop weren't so small, the other chickens would probably be far away.

Ye Chen, sensing this scene with his mind, couldn't help but nod in approval; having an extra claw definitely made it more ferocious...

Definitely the king of chickens.

For the next two days, Ye Chen was completely absorbed in cultivation.

Having mastered the little tricks to speed up cultivation, I always feel like I'm missing out if I don't cultivate a little longer.

He absorbed the spirit stones one by one, and finally, on this evening, he successfully broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining!

This is the ninth level of Qi Refining, formed by the accumulation of resources!

[Ding—, the system has detected that the host has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, triggering a hidden reward: one Foundation Establishment Pill. Would you like to claim it immediately?]

The system's fitting voice sounded like heavenly music.

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed and called him godfather.

They even have something like Foundation Establishment Pills.

He had been wondering how he should establish his foundation. Establishing a foundation requires certain items, and the probability of success is quite low.

This is also why Master No. 999 has never achieved Foundation Establishment.

However, if one has a Foundation Establishment Pill, the probability of establishing one's foundation will be greatly increased. If not 100% successful, it will be almost 80% or 90%.

Now that he has the Foundation Establishment Pill, Ye Chen only needs to choose a suitable item for his Foundation Establishment.

Ye Chen had considered using the Seven Star Sword as a Foundation Establishment item, but he needed to think about it further. If he could find something similar to the Bagua Mirror, that would be the best outcome.

The Seven Star Sword is an alternative option; it should only be considered if there is absolutely no other suitable alternative.

Of course, he has just broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining and still needs to hone his skills for a while before reaching the ninth level of Great Perfection.

So he still has enough time to look around.