Witch, please have some self-respect!

These days, the Demon Slaying Ceremony is still in progress.

Demand for runes has surged, but market prices have not risen much.

The overall situation is trending towards stability.

The price increase for each runestone was only between five and ten gold coins, and Shen Yun exchanged five runestones for fifteen source stones.

Once the fifteen coins were made, Shen Yun did not intend to sell them all, but instead kept a few for self-defense.

In recent days, demons have been frequently spotted within the holy city.

Every time, it results in a disturbance.

The most serious incident occurred in the city center, where a powerful demon revealed its true form, endangering thousands of people and causing heavy casualties.

Although the Holy City is said to be a safe zone, this is not a game, and nowhere is absolutely safe.

The Holy City is vast, but Lingnongfang is relatively peaceful.

Lying on rocking chairs in the courtyard at night, Shen Yun and Wan'er admired the three bright moons in the starry sky.

Sipping the calming tea he had bought, he circulated his breathing techniques within his body, refining the Blood Essence Pill.

Comfortable~

"Legend has it that on the bright moon dwells the divine dynasty of our human race, where humans reign supreme, the people live in peace and prosperity, and savage beasts and monsters are all food for them."

Shen Yun recalled a legend he had seen on a casual forum recently.

Su Wan'er also said longingly, "I heard it when I was a child: one moon is inhabited by the Moon Goddess, another moon is inhabited by the True Dragon, and the largest and most distant moon is inhabited by the human immortal kingdom."

The two chatted about various rumors and strange tales they had heard and seen, while Shen Yun's mind wandered endlessly.

Legends of past lives are just fabricated stories; in this life, these legends may very well be reality.

I wonder what the human realm is like, and how beautiful the Moon Goddess is.

The idea of ​​leaving the secret realm and going to a bigger world quietly took root in my heart.

"Old Shen and his family seem quite content."

Someone passing by in the alley saw this scene and said with a hint of envy.

The person traveling with him scoffed and said, "An old man with no hope of cultivation waiting to die, and an ordinary woman."

"If you indulge in pleasure now, you'll be nothing but withered bones in a grave in a decade or two. What's there to envy?"

With his body now at the second level of cultivation, Shen Yun had sharp hearing and keen eyesight, and managed to catch a few words in the night breeze.

At first glance, they were Wei's little brats.

Shen Yun chuckled and shook his head, just like their father.

This is roughly how his neighbors see him, which is consistent with his current low-key development.

An hour later, after the Blood Essence Pill in his body had been digested, Shen Yun took another one.

The joy within is not something that can be explained to outsiders.

...

The next day, he inspected the spirit fields early in the morning.

Shen Yun, Old Liu, Lin Qiaoniang, and a group of others went together to attend Master Xie's birthday banquet.

Although Song Da was not a land keeper, he rented a low-grade spiritual field to cultivate.

He was supposed to go, but his recent injury hadn't healed, so it wasn't appropriate for him to go and offer birthday wishes.

The birthday banquet was held at Master Xie's cave. Master Xie celebrated with everyone and invited all the people of the spiritual fields in the east of the city, including the field keeper.

They said they didn't want a gift, but they couldn't be so inconsiderate.

The journey was only a dozen miles long, but nearly a hundred people were hurrying along, creating a noisy scene.

"I heard that you, Qiaoniang, are no longer planning to guard the mid-grade spirit field?"

During the journey, Mr. Liu hesitated several times before finally speaking.

"Tongtong is almost fifteen, and I need to prepare a cultivation technique for her. I plan to take advantage of this Demon Slaying Festival to venture into the Wilderness and seek some opportunities."

Lin Qiaoniang remained calm, seemingly having made up her mind.

In the months following the Demon Slaughtering Ceremony, after repeated purges, the wilderness became relatively safe.

Many people have been exploring the alleyway these days.

Old Liu advised, "The spiritual field is the foundation of your livelihood. If you give it up, it will be difficult to get it back."

"The Liu family's good fortune is almost over. We should sell it off while it's still useful."

Qiao Niang had clearly given it a lot of thought.

Listening to their conversation, Shen Yun understood Qiao Niang's situation.

Her deceased husband's surname was Liu. The Liu family ancestors were once disciples of the inner sect of the Holy Sect, which gave them a stable job guarding more than 30 acres of medium-sized spiritual fields.

Now, nearly a century has passed, but the blessings bestowed upon our ancestors will not be without end.

Moreover, while the job of the field keeper was stable, it also restricted the Liu family.

No one has been chosen to join the Holy Sect since then, and in this generation, only an orphan girl remains, who can't even afford cultivation techniques.

A hundred years is long enough. If she's sensible, she can take advantage of the opportunity to transfer the quota and make one last profit.

If they don't know their place, they might be stripped of their status as field keepers in a few years.

"Don't try to persuade me anymore, Mr. Liu. My mind is made up."

Lin Qiaoniang turned to Shen Yun beside her and started talking to him about the "Qi and Blood Condensation Technique".

Many people in the alley knew that Shen Yun had also studied talisman making. Qiao Niang unexpectedly discovered that he had a deep understanding of the "Qi and Blood Condensation Technique". The two had been exchanging ideas a lot these days.

"Ideally, the Qi and blood should condense within the body before being released, resulting in a more concentrated effect..."

Shen Yun looked at Old Liu with a helpless expression and could only exchange experiences with Lin Qiaoniang.

"Brother Shen, with your talent, it's a pity you started learning about runes too late, otherwise you would have become an entry-level rune master long ago."

"The techniques Shen Yun taught me are very useful," Lin Qiaoniang complimented.

"It's just that I've been around for a long time, learned about talisman masters, and honed my control over qi and blood."

Shen Yun stroked his white beard and smiled, looking quite pleased.

He had been hiding his progress as a talisman master, but he wasn't lacking in the Qi and Blood Condensation Technique; if asked, he could say he had learned it before.

Even if he becomes a talisman master later, he can say that he had some experience with it when he was young, and only barely entered the ranks after coming to the Holy City.

This is also unremarkable.

Aside from Miss Feng Luoyi, who else could know his background?

"Brother Shen, you can try to learn about array formations. Among the three paths of a talisman master—stone, artifact, and array—array formations require the highest level of control over qi and blood, so you will have an advantage in learning array formations."

Lin Qiaoniang tried the method Shen Yun had suggested, and it was indeed effective. This time, she genuinely praised it.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew. I'll be content if I can learn to carve talismans. The way of array formations is too difficult."

Shen Yun shook his head.

Lin Qiaoniang's recent closeness to him suggests she's preparing for an adventure.

When Tongtong is home alone, she may need Shen Yun and his wife to take care of her.

"Brother Shen, you have this trick up your sleeve?"

Old Liu was surprised to see that Qiao Niang's praise seemed genuine.

We chatted casually along the way.

Finally, the group arrived at a solemn, towering, light brown palace and quieted down.

The style of the cultivation world in the Holy City is that the facades in front of the cave dwellings are all palaces, with various styles, all magnificent and grand.

Those receiving guests in front of the hall were all Master Xie's many disciples and grand-disciples, each wearing an exquisite badge on their chest.

The runes on the badge are intertwined seedlings; one seedling represents a first-tier spirit plant master, and two seedlings represent a second-tier spirit plant master.

Alchemists are like cauldrons, while talisman masters are like ink sticks.

Normally, these advanced minors do not wear them; they only wear the symbolic badges on occasions when they need to display their status.

Shen Yun happened to know one of them, Bao Yifeng, who led him into Lingnongfang.

Bao Yifeng seemed to be highly regarded, as he was in charge of registering the gifts received.

Shen Yun noticed that the badge on his chest featured two seedlings, indicating he was a second-tier spirit plant master.

The farmers lined up one by one to respectfully present their congratulatory gifts.

May Master Xie enjoy eternal happiness and longevity...

Shen Yun presented the congratulatory gift and offered his blessings casually.

Upon hearing Shen Yun's birthday wishes, Bao Yifeng's eyes lit up. He glanced at him a few more times and nodded.

He remembered Shen Yun, who had a certain affinity with the true disciple and possessed the true disciple's communication stone.

Shen Yun quickly cupped his hands in greeting, surprised that Bao Yifeng still remembered him.

Bao Yifeng was able to become a steward not only because he was an inner disciple, but also because he was the sixth disciple of Master Xie and had real talent and learning.

Following the flow of people past the solemn halls and through the array, one finally arrives inside the cave.

Even though Shen Yun, a cultivator who focuses on body cultivation, cannot absorb the essence of heaven and earth from the outside world, he can still feel the richness of it.

It's almost at the level of a medium-grade spirit field, and this is only the beginning.

The cave dwelling covers an area of ​​more than ten acres, with medicinal herb fields, gardens, streams, artificial hills, and meditation rooms scattered throughout.

The interior is not luxurious, but it is a picturesque scene every three steps and a painting every five steps.

Many maids in white robes walked among them, a pleasing sight to behold.

"This is what a retired old man should be like!"

It perfectly matched Shen Yun's imagination of a cultivation cave, making it an excellent place to retire and enjoy his old age.

"The stream's source is actually a spiritual spring, capable of accelerating the growth of spiritual plants! And that artificial hill is actually made of earth vein stones, regulating the earth's energy..."

As a spiritual plant master, Elder Liu saw more secrets within the cave, and the envy in his eyes was even harder to conceal.

Which spiritual practitioner wouldn't want to live in a cave dwelling?