"A meal costs 25 Spirit Stones. Assuming three meals a day, that's 75 Spirit Stones a day, 2,250 Spirit Stones a month. Even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage wouldn't dare to eat like this!" Xu Ni said.

"Ni, you're amazing at math."

"...Is that the point? I'm saying you're greedy!"

"Alright, if only I had a Spirit Stone mine." Immortal lowered her standards.

"Hahahaha!" Jiang Xiaoyue laughed heartily.

Xu Ni found it both amusing and frustrating, blowing at her own bangs.

The three chatted for quite a while. Normally, they stayed in the underwater cave, with each of them either busy with alchemy or cultivation. This was a rare outing, and they all wanted to relax for a change.

Xu Ni even composed a poem while gazing out at Moon Lake, earning rounds of applause, which made her proudly cup her fists and bow repeatedly, saying 'pardon the show.'

Seeing that it was about time, the three left the tavern.

Just as they reached the ground floor, they saw the tavern door, where the shopkeeper had stopped two people.

In the crowd, Leng Ningting, who had previously bought the Golden Net and taken Xu Ni's bellyband, was there with a servant, stopped by the shop assistant.

"Young Master Leng," the assistant smiled obsequiously.

"What, I can't go in?" Leng Ningting's face turned cold.

"Young Master Leng, please don't make it hard for me. I have no choice," the assistant said.

Suddenly, Leng Ningting became furious: "My father just died!"

The assistant, looking awkward, said, "Young Master Leng, excuse my bluntness, dead is dead—it's the same."

"You!" Leng Ningting's eyes filled with blood.

The three didn't leave; instead, they waited until the assistant sent Leng Ningting away before coming out.

"What's going on?" Xu Ni slipped a Spirit Crystal to the assistant.

"Thank you, customer!" The assistant cupped his fists in thanks.

Then he quietly explained, "The Leng Family's ancestor died recently. Now the Leng Family is being eyed by various big families, and no one dares to accept their Spirit Stones. Those Spirit Stones may still be in the hands of the Leng Family, but they're effectively other Foundation Establishment families' properties."

The three left the store, unable to suppress their long sighs.

Immortal thought of Leng Ningting's high-spirited demeanor a month ago and felt a little frightened inside.

For the Leng Family, wasn't their ancestor like what the godly lord was to her?

If the day comes when the godly lord leaves, would she and her three sisters' workshop end up in such a situation too?

Her whole body tensed up, as if the formation on her Magic Robe had failed and tightened.

The three went to the medicinal herb shop.

They bought 50 sets of Qi Gathering Pill materials. Ten sets for nine Spirit Stones, totaling 45 Spirit Stones; bought 20 sets of Qi Nourishing Pill materials, ten sets for eleven Spirit Stones, totaling 22 Spirit Stones.

They also went to the Elixir Medicine Store and bought six bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills (60, no discount), six bottles of Spirit Revitalizing Pills (60, discounted at 55), six bottles of Life Origin Pills (60, discounted at 55), totaling 170 Spirit Stones.

Jiang Xiaoyue separately bought two bottles of Spirit Revitalizing Pills, Xu Ni bought three bottles of Demon Cores, and Immortal bought six bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills.

At the Spiritual Medicine Hall, they bought thirty top-grade Concentration Incense sticks, totaling thirty Spirit Stones.

Immortal additionally bought ten Concentration Incense sticks separately.

They also went to the Spirit Food Store, buying Spirit Rice, Spirit Vegetables, Spiritual Tea, Spirit Fruits, and Demon Beast Meat, totaling 60 Spirit Stones, with each person's monthly quota being 20 Spirit Stones.

Immortal also bought several scrolls, totaling 10 Spirit Stones.

Xu Ni also sneakily bought a few books.

"Once I'm done reading, I'll lend them to you," Xu Ni generously offered.

"Get lost!" Jiang Xiaoyue said with mock annoyance.

Immortal felt a bit embarrassed but also a little excited.

Finally, they went to the Magic Artifact Store.

"What kind of magic artifacts are you three looking for?" The shopkeeper came over.

"For fishing," Xu Ni took charge of the business negotiations.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I just acquired one not long ago." The shopkeeper took out the Golden Net, "It's from Water Gold Workshop. No need to mention the materials; the formation inside is more than sufficient to draw fish."

Xu Ni realized, "Isn't this Leng Ningting's..."

Halfway through her sentence, she stopped.

The shopkeeper glanced at her, smiling, "That's right, this was sold to me by Young Master Leng. But rest assured, when I acquired it, the Leng ancestor was still alive. That's why Leng Ningting priced it at 120 Spirit Stones, and I had no choice but to accept."

Leng Ningting had forcefully bought the Golden Net for 100 Spirit Stones, relying on his identity as a Foundation Establishment scion, and then forcefully sold it for 120 Spirit Stones.

Now ending up in such a situation, you could say it's the cycle of Heavenly Dao.

"120 Spirit Stones? We can't afford it," Xu Ni shook her head.

"No need, no need, this Golden Net isn't worth 120 Spirit Stones. You three can have it for just 100!" The shopkeeper said heartily.

Xu Ni chuckled, "Shopkeeper, you're worried it'll remain unsold, or worse, be seized by other Foundation Establishment families, aren't you?"

The shopkeeper was not embarrassed, cupping his fists, "Ah, I see you know your stuff. Alright, if you three also buy another magic artifact, the Golden Net will just cost you 95 Spirit Stones, how about that?"

"80."

"That depends on what kind of magic artifact you three decide to buy," said the shopkeeper.

Xu Ni turned to look at Immortal, "Xian'er, didn't you say you wanted to buy a magic artifact?"

Immortal nodded.

"Xian'er, what a beautiful name!" Beneath the handsome features, the shopkeeper smiled a bit more sincerely, "Fellow Daoist Xian'er, have you decided what magic artifact to purchase?"

"Something effective against malevolent spirits, do you have any?" Immortal asked.

"Malevolent spirits..." The shopkeeper pondered, suddenly clasped her hands, "There is one!"

She—a lady shopkeeper—pinched a spell, and with a piercing whistle, a streak of light flew in from inside the magic artifact shop.

The shopkeeper caught the streak of light with star-catching precision and opened her hand—it was a peach pit.

"A peach pit from a three-hundred-year-old moonlight peach, water-soaked, thunder-struck, effective against malevolent spirits, deadly for cultivators, a potent weapon." She shoved the peach pit into Immortal's hand, "Give it a try."

Immortal infused mana, activating one formation after another.

The peach pit trembled, buzzing as it ascended into the air.

"The cultivation technique isn't bad, the clear light is very true. Using this magic artifact, your speed and power should be at least twice as strong as an ordinary loose cultivator." The shopkeeper remarked in surprise.

She continued instructing, "Just control it with your thoughts."

As soon as she had finished speaking, the peach pit transformed into a streak of light, rapidly darting around inside the magic artifact shop.

Like a fish swimming, akin to a stream of light, it emitted a gentle humming sound.

The earlier seized magical sword was not nimble at all in turning, almost only capable of going straight, completely incomparable to this peach pit.

Using such a swift magic artifact for the first time, Immortal carelessly let the peach pit brush against the wall.

As though fingers grazed a dust-covered tabletop, the thick wall got a thin long slit carved by the peach pit's edge.

"Be careful, if this magic artifact hits someone, ordinary protective spirit light, spells, magic artifacts probably can't block it!" The shopkeeper warned urgently.

Whizz!

The streak of light dashed to Immortal's side, stopping abruptly as if without inertia.

Immortal reached out and plucked it from the air, reluctant to put it down.

"How much is it?" she asked.

"The bigger the magic artifact, the simpler it is to imbed formations, the lower the price; the smaller the magic artifact, the harder it is to imbed formations, the price..."

Xu Ni stepped forward, countering like a riddle: "The larger the magic artifact, the more materials, the higher the price; the smaller the magic artifact, the fewer materials, the lower the price."

"...Alright, alright, 100 Spirit Stones, take it."

Xu Ni pulled Immortal into her embrace again, gently caressing her fair, jade-like face, "Look at this pretty face, 80 pieces."

"95! Even if the most beautiful female cultivator from Jiyue Sect came, I'd only knock off 1 Spirit Stone! Can't go any lower!"

"I'll include one repair for free!"

"Alright, alright, do the three of you need anything else? I've got hairpins, bracelets, earrings, shawls, boots, every kind of magic artifact available!"

The shop was indeed brimming with spirit light, enticing to the eyes.

Jiang Xiaoyue didn't buy anything.

Xu Ni was tempted and convinced herself with 'planning to travel alone next,' 'the earlier magical sword's power was too low,' to spend 75 Spirit Stones, purchasing a pair of magic boots.

Gale Magic Boots—

Effect 1: Can activate Gale Technique (First Rank, Level Six Magic) once every hour;

Effect 2: Worn long enough, feet become fair, soft, and pleasant.

Using workshop funds to buy back the Golden Net, spent 80 Spirit Stones.

Immortal paid out of pocket to purchase the peach pit, spending 95 Spirit Stones.

Workshop Spirit Stones: 692 Spirit Stones and 4 Spirit Crystals

Immortal's Spirit Stones: 525 Spirit Stones

On the way back.

"Xian'er, your Spirit Stones are almost exceeding the workshop's; you're practically richer than the workshop!" Xu Ni laughed.

"'Moon Water Sky' also requires a lot of resources, the workshop provided three bottles which aren't enough, so I bought six bottles myself and even that might not suffice. Once I reach late-stage Qi Refinement, using Qi Condensing Pills, the price gets higher." Speaking of this, Immortal started to worry.

"Haha!" The two laughed out loud.

"Ah?" Immortal tilted her head up.

The lake surface had a breeze sweeping across, it was her newly mastered 'Clear Wind Reflecting Water.'

"What's wrong?" Jiang Xiaoyue noticed her expression and asked urgently.

"Enemies!" Immortal quickly formed a spell.

Water King Lotus suddenly stopped, quickly reversed direction, heading back to Lake Sound Square.

Boom!

A huge wave rolled up, standing like a water wall in front of Water King Lotus, obstructing the path.

Dozens of figures leapt onto the wave's crest, each wielding a magic artifact, intimidating indeed.

"Where are the three of you planning to go?" Behind them, a figure slowly steps forth through the air.

Stepping in the air, Foundation Establishment Stage!

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