Mortal: I'm in Tianxing City, intelligence updates daily.

Upon hearing this, Qi Boyuan showed no displeasure; instead, a look of relief appeared in his eyes. He then explained the reason.

It turns out that Qi Boyuan's ancestors were also cultivators, but after their path to immortality was severed, they returned to the mortal world.

While sightseeing, I discovered a Blood Spirit Fruit tree. However, the tree had just started bearing fruit and was far from ripe. I could only leave clues so that future generations could come and pick it later.

By the time of Qi Boyuan's generation, the Blood Spirit Fruit had ripened.

He had recently gone to investigate the cave where the fruit tree grew, but the spiritual fruit had attracted two demonic beasts, one large and one small, to guard it.

Qi Boyuan fought with all his might to kill the small one, but was seriously injured in the process.

So when his injuries began to heal, he returned to Tianxing City, which he had left long ago, hoping to find his old friend Li Jinong to go together to kill demons and obtain treasures.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and his old friend had already disappeared, so he changed the person he invited to Li Shizhou instead.

"Shi Zhou, Uncle Qi can swear to his Dao Heart that once he picks a spiritual fruit, he will definitely share one with you."

After Qi Boyuan finished speaking, he took out a jet-black talisman from his storage bag.

"Shi Zhou, the cultivation world is full of deceit and treachery, so you should be careful. If you are willing to go together, Uncle Qi can use this talisman to let you distinguish the real from the fake."

Li Shizhou picked up the talisman and glanced at it a few times, becoming even more convinced of Qi Boyuan's words.

This talisman is called the "True Word Talisman," which can probe a cultivator's sea of ​​consciousness. It is absolutely impossible for a Qi Refining cultivator to lie under this talisman.

However, it is ineffective against Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

This talisman is extremely difficult to make and very expensive, but it is only effective for Qi Refining cultivators, making it a rather useless item.

Qi Boyuan even prepared incantations, showing that he came with sincerity.

Although Li Shizhou appeared calm, he was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Although he had amassed a considerable fortune through daily opportunities and intelligence, he had never encountered anything like the Blood Spirit Fruit that could improve one's aptitude.

He was mediocre to begin with, although he was still much better than Han Laomo's pseudo-spiritual root, but he was still unsure how far he could go.

Therefore, if the Blood Spirit Fruit is true, it is worth taking some risks for it.

Moreover, Qi Boyuan's cultivation level is twelfth, so even if they turn against each other, the outcome is still uncertain.

After a moment's thought, Li Shizhou said, "Then I'll have to offend you, Uncle Qi. Please let me use this talisman to verify its authenticity."

"It's not that I've offended anyone; this item was originally intended for use when we invited the farmer to perform the sacrificial ceremony."

After speaking, Qi Boyuan picked up the talisman and infused it with magical power.

The mantra instantly transformed into a dark cloud hovering above his head, with faint rumbling sounds emanating from within.

Li Shizhou inquired carefully about the Blood Spirit Fruit, and the Mantra Talisman indeed showed no abnormalities.

So he agreed to go out and retrieve the treasure, and the two agreed to set off three days later.

After chatting for a while, Qi Boyuan took his leave.

Since we're going out, we naturally need to prepare in advance.

Tianxing City is relatively safe, but the area outside the city is far from peaceful.

Needless to say, encountering demonic beasts and other such creatures is also a common occurrence, as is encountering cultivators who have committed calamities or evil cultivation.

To protect oneself or kill enemies, magical artifacts and talismans are indispensable.

The original owner only had a few talismans and a single silver sword, a mid-grade magical artifact given to him by his parents. It could be used for attack or enlarged to serve as a flying artifact.

During these three years, Li Shizhou also acquired three magical artifacts for himself.

One of the bronze shields was a top-tier magic weapon with considerable defensive capabilities, and it cost 350 spirit stones.

There was also an indigo gourd, a top-tier magic artifact that could spew sword light; it cost three hundred spirit stones.

The last item was a pair of brown ankle boots, a high-level magical artifact. When infused with magical power, they could make a person as light as a swallow, greatly increasing their movement speed, and they could walk without making a sound. They cost one hundred spirit stones and he usually wore them.

Li Shizhou got up, pushed open the door, and rushed to the market. When he came out, he had two more top-tier magic artifacts and a fragment of a top-tier magic artifact.

One of the silver armors can be worn as inner armor under the robes during normal times, but during battles, it can cover the entire body with a single thought.

There is also a flying car that can carry two people and fly at high speed in mid-air.

As for the remnant of that top-tier magic weapon, it was a golden hammer the size of an adult's head.

It weighs about five or six hundred pounds, and the formation inside is damaged, so it can only be held in the hand and swung around.

I bought about fifty talismans of various kinds.

One of the mid-level low-grade talismans cost a full one hundred spirit stones and could withstand a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

In addition, I bought a total of seven or eight bottles of pills to restore mana, heal wounds, and detoxify.

After completing his shopping, Li Shizhou only had about a hundred spirit stones left.

He walked along the street back to the courtyard, toying with a blue crystal in his hand.

He obtained this by chance today using information he had stumbled upon, and it cost him four spirit stones.

The stall owner thought it was a piece of cold crystal, but it was actually sea abyss marrow, and the two were ten times more expensive.

It was only a short time after nightfall, and there were still many pedestrians on the street. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a slender figure came into Li Shizhou's view.

He recognized the figure from behind as Zhuo Ruting.

She was holding the arm of an old woman in black, and the two were whispering to each other as they walked.

Although the sound wasn't loud, Li Shizhou's six senses were sharpened after cultivating the Pure Yang Technique, so he heard it clearly.

"Ting'er, don't think your grandmother is nagging. You must not slack off in your cultivation. Don't be like that Li Shizhou next door, who wanders around all day long. He'll never amount to anything."

"Grandmother, you're so petty. He only glanced at his granddaughter a few times when we first moved here, and he hasn't done anything inappropriate since. Yet you've been nagging him for three years. Besides, his cultivation level is now higher than mine. Perhaps he went out to seek opportunities, not just to wander around."

"In short, stay away from him. He might be plotting against you behind your back. My Ting'er has looks and talent that no Qi Refining rogue cultivator can match."

"Yes, yes, Grandmother."

......

Back in his rented room, Li Shizhou began practicing supernatural techniques.

Three years ago, he obtained the Pure Yang Manual, which came with some secret techniques, including three that could be cultivated during the Qi Refining stage.

Of these three secret techniques, aside from the "Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Technique" which cannot be cultivated without a Daoist partner, he is not far from mastering the remaining two.

One of them is called "Spirit Erosion Technique," which can corrode magical artifacts and spiritual energy shields.

Another technique, called "Spirit Sighting," is quite effective against concealment-type magical artifacts and spells.

Although he was of mediocre talent, he had a certain gift for cultivating supernatural powers and secret techniques.

Without him, only familiar with Seoul.

Because of his physique, he possesses abundant magical power in his dantian, which allows him to continuously cultivate and unleash supernatural powers and secret techniques.

In addition, he mainly relies on pills to improve his cultivation, and he can spend more time on them than ordinary cultivators.

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Qi Boyuan arrived as promised, and the two were sitting on chairs by the window of a wooden boat.

This ship is five zhang wide and twenty zhang long, and can carry people for long distances in high-altitude flight.

It belongs to the "Tiandu Merchant Alliance," one of the four major merchant alliances in the Chaotic Star Sea. It can be used to travel between various islands of different sizes in the Inner Star Sea, and can be done by spending spirit stones.

This ship comes with its own defensive formation and is guarded by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

For Qi Refining cultivators, it's both faster and safer than traveling on their own.

"Let's set off."

With a command from the cultivators of the Heavenly Capital Merchant Alliance, the wooden boat rose from the ground and in the blink of an eye, it was already high in the sky, piercing through the clouds and mist, and flying towards the southwest of Heavenly Star City.

As Li Shizhou was admiring the scenery outside the window, he felt a smooth, cool sensation on his left hand, which was resting on the wooden chair.

Turning his head, he saw a small, green snake, about the thickness of a child's arm, flicking its red tongue at him.

In his previous life, he was most afraid of snakes. Even though he was reborn with cultivation, he was still startled and subconsciously swung his arm wildly, throwing the small blue snake more than ten feet away.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, my spirit beast pouch is damaged, and the spirit snake has escaped."

A girl in black sitting not far away quickly stood up and apologized upon seeing this.

"Be careful next time," Li Shizhou said irritably.

At the same time, I silently reminded myself that this was not an absolutely safe place, and I should not let my guard down. I must not repeat what happened today.

Sitting opposite him, Qi Boyuan glanced at the small blue snake, then at Li Shizhou, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.