Mortal: I really didn't want to be reborn as Zi Ling!

"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."

Zi Ling snapped out of her thoughts, waved her hand, and glanced at the furnishings in the cave. "The person next door will probably be coming to visit later. Tidy up a bit and don't make a mess of the cave."

Upon hearing this, Wen Siyue immediately suppressed her earlier embarrassment and anger, responded seriously, and turned to fetch a rag and broom.

But after taking only two steps, she turned back, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Miss, who exactly is your neighbor next door?"

"An old acquaintance."

Zi Ling replied casually.

Seeing that the young lady was unwilling to talk more, Wen Siyue wisely refrained from pressing for details and rolled up her sleeves to begin cleaning.

Zi Ling walked alone through the corridor and slowly strolled through the cave.

To be honest, her cave dwelling is far superior to Han Li's next door.

The floor was paved with high-quality jade bricks, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the warm light of the glass chandelier overhead.

The corner of the wall was planted with exotic flowers and rare herbs, surrounded by a spiritual aura, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance.

Although the ornaments in the hall are not magical artifacts, each piece is the work of a master craftsman—a landscape screen carved from sandalwood, an incense burner carved from mutton-fat jade, and several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall with ink stains, the signature of which is actually that of a Nascent Soul cultivator who entered the Dao through calligraphy and painting a thousand years ago.

What pleased Zi Ling the most was the concentration of spiritual energy in this place.

She created a separate branch of spiritual energy below the cave through a special channel, directly drawing it from the main spiritual vein above the fiftieth level.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is no less than that of the core area above the fiftieth floor, and is even more concentrated than that of some cave dwellings above the sixtieth floor.

This is the real reason why her cultivation has progressed so rapidly over the years.

Otherwise, with her three spiritual roots and a dantian capacity three times that of an ordinary person, if she relied solely on her special physique and the accumulation of elixirs, the Miaoyin Sect would definitely suffer a huge loss if she wanted to cultivate to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage in seven years, which would even affect its normal development.

Miaoyin Sect has indeed made money over the years, but its expenses are equally considerable.

Just like some heavy industries in the past, they may have a market value of hundreds of millions, but they may not be able to come up with tens of millions of working capital!

Fortunately, things will take a turn for the better after Han Li arrives in Tianxing City.

Zi Ling sat down in the stone pavilion, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the stone table, her mind constantly simulating the scene of meeting Han Li next.

She was determined to obtain the "Azure Origin Sword Manual".

Zi Ling didn't intend to cultivate indefinitely, but her progress from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation was quite commendable.

Combined with the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo in her hand, she can forge a set of Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords. At that time, with the unity of good and evil, her combat power will far exceed that of others of the same level, and she will not be easily restrained.

But how you bring it up requires some finesse.

Han Li is a cautious and suspicious person. If you directly ask for the cultivation technique, it will definitely make him wary.

Ideally, he should not only provide the technique, but also feel indebted to him.

As for the essence blood of demonic beasts, although it has a wide range of uses, the Miaoyin Sect has acquired a considerable amount of it over the years.

The problem is that the essence blood of high-level demonic beasts is rarely available on the market, and those of level five and six and above are almost all monopolized by major forces.

Han Li has been active on the front lines of monster hunting for many years, and the high-level essence blood he possesses is definitely much more than what the Miaoyin Sect can acquire through commercial channels.

Most importantly, it won't attract attention.

Both parties benefit from the transaction, and a normal transaction is sufficient.

Zi Ling tapped her fingers on the stone table one last time, having already made a rough plan in her mind.

What she didn't expect was that after her visit yesterday, Han Li didn't return the visit as eagerly as she had anticipated.

All day long, the neighborhood was quiet, and not a single communication talisman was seen.

-

The next morning.

Zi Ling sat cross-legged in the secret room, her eyes slightly closed, her internal magical power slowly flowing along the cultivation path of the "Purple Luo Thousand Illusion Technique".

A pale purple aura flickered around her, casting layers of light and shadow on the walls of the secret chamber.

In her dantian, which was three times larger than that of an ordinary person, spiritual energy rose and fell like the tide, and with each breath, it drew the spiritual energy in the cave to converge on her.

Only one last step remains.

She has been at the peak of the initial stage of foundation building for almost half a year.

The bottleneck leading to the mid-term was so close, yet it always seemed to fall just short of the final step.

The downside of having three times the dantian is this: others can break through the barrier by filling one pool of water, but she has to fill three pools.

Moreover, the levels are more difficult for ordinary people to overcome.

Just as she was about to finish her practice, a series of light footsteps came from outside the secret room.

Wen Siyue stopped outside the door and lowered her voice, saying, "Miss, Senior Han from next door has arrived. He's having tea in the hall."

Zi Ling's heart stirred, but she remained expressionless.

"Understood. Please take good care of them. I'll be there after I finish my last cycle."

He spoke casually, but in his mind, he was already quickly calculating his next words.

After a while, Zi Ling finished her practice and stood up.

She didn't rush to the living room, but went back to the inner room to change her clothes first.

Yesterday's outfit was too casual; today we're discussing serious business, so our attire needs to reflect that.

A face that was too exquisite was reflected in the bronze mirror.

Zi Ling looked in the mirror, tied her long black hair into a bun, and secured it with two sandalwood hairpins.

Then she changed into a plain white straight-hemmed robe, with silver thread embroidered with flowing cloud patterns on the collar and sleeve edges, and a pale silver palace sash tied around her waist.

The person in the mirror has eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn water.

Her pure white clothes made her skin appear even more delicate and snow-white, and her whole being exuded an ethereal and otherworldly aura, devoid of any worldly concerns.

Zi Ling nodded slightly to herself in the mirror, then pushed open the door and went out.

-

In the living room, Han Li was sitting upright in the guest seat, holding a cup of spiritual tea in his hands.

The tea is excellent, produced in a spiritual tea garden in the outer star sea of ​​Miaoyin Sect. It is harvested only once every thirty years and has the miraculous effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit.

But he seemed a little distracted at the moment, his gaze drifting from time to time toward the screen at the entrance to the living room.

He thought a lot last night.

The Blood Jade Spider was a spirit insect he had fed with his own blood essence. Although it was not of high rank, it was connected to his mind.

Over the years, he left them on Xiaohuan Island, hoping they would grow for a while longer. Unexpectedly, Ziling brought them to Tianxing City by chance and raised them for him for seven years.

This favor is significant.

What unsettled him even more was that he couldn't fathom Zi Ling's true intentions.

Dust-reducing pills, tipping off others, clearing out the hidden sentries on the Yin Island, and keeping the spirit pets and medicines safe—any one of these things could be considered a heavy favor.

But what are they after?

Han Li didn't consider himself someone worth currying favor with.

There are plenty of people in Tianxing City with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

As for his skills in alchemy, weapon crafting, and formations, he did indeed have some unique abilities, but Zi Ling had never witnessed them and had no way of knowing them.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard footsteps coming from the corridor.

Han Li raised his head.

Zi Ling walked around the screen and entered the living room.

Han Li's hand holding the teacup stiffened slightly.

-

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