Chapter Five: The Disaster of Cultivation

His father, Zhou Qiankun, was a martial artist of the secular world, possessing innate martial prowess. It was said that he was famed across the land among ordinary folk. Yet here, in the world of cultivation—within the bustling marketplace of Phoenix Song Manor—cultivators abounded. An innate martial artist might scarcely contend with low-ranked cultivators, but before those above the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he was virtually powerless.

After coming to terms with this reality, Zhou Qiankun, in order to survive within the marketplace, could only trail behind a group of cultivators, undertaking rough tasks such as scouting routes, setting traps, and hauling the corpses of monstrous beasts. If lucky, he might earn five or six low-grade spirit stones each month. One could well imagine the dangers inherent in such work.

Even so, after deducting the costs of occasional injuries and recuperation, as well as the two low-grade spirit stones each month for rent on the market’s outskirts, little remained.

As for why Old Xu would mention him, the reason was simple. Old Xu’s grandson lacked a spiritual root and was unable to practice immortal arts, and so he thought of Zhou Changwang’s father, hoping he might impart martial skills. After all, whatever the case, it was still a craft worth having.

…

That evening, he brought home four armored beetles. As always, his father had not returned. Though he worried, there was little he could do. Fortunately, he knew his father had been working with that rogue cultivator team for four or five years. Their leader, Zhao Heng, was a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, cautious and capable, and there had been occasions where he was gone for ten days or half a month, so safety seemed assured.

Zhou Changwang then took out a small knife, peeled away the beetle shells, and extracted the flesh within. The flesh was plump, white and translucent, with a faint glimmer of spiritual radiance that stirred his appetite. After a simple boil, Zhou Changwang ate it with ordinary rice, and was delighted.

It tasted exquisite.

Most crucial was the spiritual energy contained within. The moment it entered his stomach, it was stirred and circulated in his body, unlike ordinary spiritual energy, which dissipated quickly. Instead, it left his belly warm and comfortable.

Four pieces of beetle meat filled him with satisfaction and vigor. Even his spirit felt significantly restored.

Without delay, Zhou Changwang hurried to his room to cultivate the Five Elements Formula, absorbing and refining the beetle’s spiritual energy. His previously depleted spiritual power quickly grew abundant as the technique circulated.

Five Elements Formula +1

After one round of cultivation, he sensed that the spiritual energy within the beetle meat had not been fully refined. So, without pause, he ran through the technique again.

Five Elements Formula +1

Cultivation Progress +1

Seeing the change in numbers on his panel, Zhou Changwang’s face lit up with joy. His cultivation had increased. Though it was only from (21/100) to (22/100) of the second layer of Qi Refining.

—

He could clearly feel his spiritual power had grown denser.

“If only I could have a bite of beetle meat at every meal, it would greatly benefit my cultivation. If I could add spirit rice as my staple food, my spiritual recovery would be even faster,” Zhou Changwang mused, though he sighed aloud.

Who would have thought, that having embarked upon the path of cultivation, he would still be so concerned with his daily meals?

“Cultivation, cultivation—methods, wealth, companions, and land. Of these, wealth is the most important. And here, wealth means spirit stones. I must earn spirit stones as quickly as possible to sustain my training.”

Zhou Changwang frowned slightly. Without spirit stones, his cultivation progressed far too slowly. Not just in terms of advancement, but even the rate at which his spiritual power recovered was a significant obstacle to his mastery of spells.

“Ah—!”

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Panicked and agonized, it was abruptly cut short.

“Bandit cultivators!” Zhou Changwang’s expression changed.

He knew this was the outskirts of Phoenix Song Manor’s marketplace, where chaos reigned and there were no guards to protect them. During daylight, bandit cultivators might hesitate to act, but at night, if targeted, one faced mortal peril.

He vividly remembered an occasion when his predecessor had returned late and was targeted by such a bandit. If not for the fact that he was merely a low-level spirit farmer with little to plunder, his fate would likely have been grim.

His heart raced. Only after a long silence outside did he finally relax.

“This world is even more dangerous than I imagined. Aside from cultivation, I must quickly acquire the means to defend myself.”

His thoughts turned first to the only offensive spell he knew: the Geng Metal Finger.

“Though the Geng Metal Finger is merely a spell for spirit plants, used for pest removal and with a range of only about ten feet, its power is not weak. At the basic level, it can slay armored beetles. If I reach proficiency, its power will greatly increase, and its range should extend as well. It should suffice as my self-defense for now.”

It was, in truth, a helpless measure. The only offensive spell he knew was this one. Other spells, of course, could be learned—in fact, with his Five Element spiritual roots, he could learn nearly any elemental spell, so long as his cultivation was high enough.

But—

It cost money!

A basic spell required at least five spirit stones. One with greater power would cost dozens or even hundreds.

—

Now, penniless, he had almost no choices.

Conveniently, his spiritual power was abundant at that moment, so he began to practice spells. As for the room being unsuitable for casting? He had no time for such concerns.

The Geng Metal Finger was a low-level spell, with a small area of effect and little disturbance, unlikely to attract attention.

He focused his mind, guiding spiritual power to trace a series of runes, then combined them into the spell’s rune structure.

Buzz—

A faint ripple of spiritual energy was produced.

Geng Metal Finger +1

But Zhou Changwang did not actually release the spell; instead, he tried to slowly disperse it. This was not easy. Once a spell was formed, its structure was quite stable, and dispersing it required exceptional control.

“Not good—”

Suddenly, Zhou Changwang’s expression changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward, then rapidly retreated to the doorway.

Bang!

The Geng Metal Finger’s spiritual light exploded, leaving a small crater in the floor.

“So it seems the idea was good, but execution is not so easy,” Zhou Changwang’s face paled.

He had hoped to disperse the spell after casting, perhaps saving some spiritual power and thus casting more spells to increase his proficiency…

But evidently, it would not work. At least, for now, he did not possess that ability.

Fortunately, the spell’s proficiency had increased, so it was still considered a successful attempt. The disturbance, however…

He waited a long while, confirming no one had been drawn by the commotion, then finally relaxed.

Afterwards, he continued to cast the spell. This time, he did not act rashly, but followed the proper steps, practicing as he should.