I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Enveloped in the spiritual light of the Divine Speed ​​Talisman, Zheng Yifei's figure transformed into a blur, sweeping across the wet cobblestone street.

Behind them, from the underground entrance of the Golden Toad Casino came the scarred man's hysterical roar: "Chase him! Chase him for me! I want to see him alive or dead!"

Four or five bursts of spiritual energy shot out from underground; they were the remaining thugs from the gambling den.

But Zheng Yifei was too fast.

With the blessing of a superior-grade Divine Speed ​​Talisman, his body, at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, burst forth with a speed far exceeding his level, traversing three streets and alleys in just a few breaths.

The rain intensified, with large raindrops pounding the ground and creating a misty white spray.

Zheng Yifei did not walk in a straight line.

He meandered through the alleys of the southern district, deliberately passing by several crowded night market stalls, blending into the crowd, and then emerging from the other side.

The Thousand Illusion Mask was plastered on his face, and the middle-aged man's face with a mustache looked flawless in the rain.

The pursuers' spiritual senses completely lost their target amidst the complex atmosphere of the crowd.

Fifteen minutes later, Zheng Yifei confirmed that there were no more followers behind him before circling around and returning to the East District from the north.

He stopped in a dark corner of the back alley of Zhao's Restaurant, removed the illusion mask, and revealed his true appearance.

He changed into the blue robe that he had hidden in a secret compartment beforehand, and stuffed the gray cloth robe and folding fan into the crack in the wall.

Push open the door and enter the courtyard.

Zhang Biao was sitting on the porch with a hunting knife in his arms when he saw Zheng Yifei's soaking wet appearance and suddenly stood up.

"Something happened?"

"It's nothing, I just made some money."

Zheng Yifei placed the heavy cloth bag and the jade box containing the Qi Condensation Pill on the table.

When Zhang Biao saw the pill radiating rich spiritual energy, his pupils contracted sharply: "This is... a Qi Condensation Pill?! A second-tier pill? Where did you get this?"

"Winned."

Zhang Biao opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

He's used to it.

Golden Toad Casino.

The scarred man smashed three gambling tables, and blood dripped from his fists onto the ground.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

His men knelt on the ground, and not one of them dared to raise their heads.

The middle-aged man with the mustache seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace from the streets and alleys of the southern district.

"Investigate! Investigate for me!"

The scarred man kicked one of the thugs to the ground. "Draw this face, plaster it all over the entire South District! A reward of five hundred low-grade spirit stones! Anyone who provides information about this person will be rewarded! Anyone who brings him to me will be richly rewarded!"

That night, the Golden Toad Casino's bounty posters were plastered all over the streets and alleys of the South District.

A portrait of a thin, middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and a mustache was seen by hundreds of eyes.

However, no one recognized this face.

Because this face doesn't exist at all.

Zhao's Restaurant, backyard.

Zheng Yifei counted the 2,600 spirit stones he brought back from the Golden Toad Gambling House, along with his previous savings.

A total of 3,100 low-grade spirit stones.

In addition, there was the Qi Condensation Pill, which was worth two thousand spirit stones.

This asset is enough to support intensive training for the next one to two months.

He handed over 1,500 spirit stones to Zhao Ling'er.

"Same as always, buy as many high-grade Spirit Gathering Pills as you can, and if you can't buy them, exchange them for mid-grade ones, doubling the quantity."

Also, buy thirty Qi-Nourishing Pills and twenty Healing Pills; Brother Zhang's cultivation cannot be interrupted.

Zhao Ling'er took the spirit stone, nodded, and turned to leave.

After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and said, "Brother Zheng, my master said that the Pill Pavilion recently received a new batch of high-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. The quality is even better than the last batch, but the price has increased to sixty-five yuan per pill."

"purchase."

Zheng Yifei did not hesitate.

Zhao Ling'er responded and ran out the back door.

Zheng Yifei turned and walked into Zhang Biao's room.

Zhang Biao was sitting cross-legged on the bed practicing his internal energy. The wound on his back had completely scabbed over and fallen off, revealing new pink skin.

"Brother Zhang, your injury is almost healed."

Zheng Yifei pulled up a chair and sat down.

Zhang Biao finished his practice, opened his eyes, and stretched his shoulders, his bones cracking as he said, "I'm fine now, ready to work anytime."

"No rush to get to work."

Zheng Yifei took out a cloth bag from his pocket, which contained five hundred low-grade spirit stones and twenty high-grade spirit gathering pills, and placed it in front of Zhang Biao.

"I will begin my seclusion today, with the goal of reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Zhang Biao stared at the spirit stones and pills in front of him, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

If this resource were placed within the independent cultivation circle, it would be enough for ten Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivators to fight to the death for.

Zheng Yifei smashed into him without even blinking.

"Brother, you're so good to me, I don't even know what to say."

Zhang Biao's voice sounded a little muffled.

"Don't get sentimental."

Zheng Yifei stood up. "You have dual metal and wood spiritual roots, so your talent is stronger than mine. With the resources in place, breaking through is only a matter of time. You should first stabilize at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Once I enter the Qingyun Sect, I'll find a way to get Foundation Establishment Pills, and we'll establish our foundations together."

Zhang Biao took a deep breath, his eyes burning with an unprecedented intensity.

Foundation building.

Two words he never dared to even think about before, now actually have a glimmer of hope.

"Alright. Go into seclusion. Leave the affairs outside to me and Zhao Wenyuan. No one is allowed to disturb you."

Zhang Biao clenched his fist.

"in turn."

Zheng Yifei patted him on the shoulder, "You go into seclusion, and I'll keep an eye on things outside. Your spiritual root is better than mine, so with the same resources, your breakthrough speed will be faster than mine. I'll feed you until you reach the ninth level of Qi Refining first, and then I'll try to break through to the seventh level."

Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, then understood what Zheng Yifei meant.

A bodyguard at the ninth level of Qi Refining would be far more intimidating, and Zheng Yifei was always calculating the optimal solution.

"become."

Zhang Biao stopped talking nonsense, grabbed the spirit stones and pills, and sat cross-legged to meditate.

In the days that followed, Zhao's Eatery entered a peculiar rhythm.

In the front hall, Zhao Wenyuan ran the restaurant with great success.

Three new dishes were added to the menu, and an additional kitchen helper was hired. The daily revenue increased from fifteen spirit stones to over twenty, and the net profit stabilized at seven or eight.

In the left wing of the backyard, Zhang Biao was in seclusion, cultivating his spiritual practice.

The fluctuations of spiritual energy never ceased day or night, occasionally accompanied by muffled thunder-like sounds, as he was attacking the bottlenecks in his meridians.

In the right wing of the backyard, Zheng Yifei controlled the output of the Spirit Gathering Array, slowly accumulating his own spiritual power while constantly monitoring Zhang Biao's cultivation progress, occasionally adjusting the ratio and timing of the pills.

Zhao Ling'er shuttled back and forth between the Pill Pavilion and the restaurant, like a diligent ant, constantly bringing back pills.

Ten days.

Zhang Biao broke through to the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Twenty days.

He touched the barrier of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The talent of having both metal and wood spiritual roots demonstrated terrifying efficiency when faced with abundant resources.

Zhang Biao was stuck at the seventh level of Qi Refining for four years, not because he lacked talent, but simply because he was poor.

Now, with plenty of spirit stones and pills, the barrier that had trapped him for four years was riddled with holes within a month.

Late at night on the twenty-eighth day.

A loud shout came from the left wing of the backyard.

"break!"

A surge of violent spiritual energy erupted from the room like a burst dam, causing the bluestone slabs in the courtyard to tremble slightly from the shockwave.

Zhao Ling'er was arranging medicinal herbs under the corridor when the gust of wind blew her back two steps, scattering the spiritual herbs from the wooden box all over the ground.

The door was wide open.

Zhang Biao came out.

He seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, his aura becoming thick and heavy, his spiritual energy fluctuations like the waters of a deep pool, calm on the surface but turbulent beneath.

Qi Refining Level 9.

Zhang Biao stood in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the sky and letting out a long howl.

He lived for thirty-two years, rising from a hunter in a mountain village to a rogue cultivator at the very bottom of Sujiafang City.

He broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining, a realm he thought he could never reach in his lifetime.

One month.

Just one month.

"brother!"

Zhang Biao turned to Zheng Yifei, who was walking out of the room, his eyes filled with tears, and his voice trembling.

"I've fucking reached the ninth level of Qi Refining!"

Zheng Yifei leaned against the door frame, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Qi Refining Level 9.

In Sujiafang City, this is already top-tier combat power, second only to the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Su family.

The leaders of the four major gangs were all only at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"The next level after the ninth level of Qi Refining is Foundation Establishment."

Zhang Biao suppressed his excitement, his rough face filled with undisguised anticipation: "Brother, you said you would take me with you to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and I believe you."

"What's the rush?"

Zheng Yifei walked to the Spirit Spring Well, drew a bucket of water, and poured it over his head: "Foundation Building Pills are not something you can buy in the market. You either have to get them from within the Qingyun Sect or bid on them at a large auction. No matter which path you take, you have to raise my cultivation level first."

Zhang Biao wiped away the tears on his face, his expression instantly becoming solemn.

"Yes, you need to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining first."

He strode up to Zheng Yifei and knelt on one knee.

"From now on, you will go into seclusion, and I will guard the gate for you. No one in Su Family Market will be allowed to approach this courtyard."

Zheng Yifei looked at Zhang Biao kneeling on the ground and reached out his hand.

"Get up, we don't do that."

Zhang Biao grasped his hand, stood up, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth.

That night.

Zheng Yifei sat in the side room and finished counting all the remaining pills and spirit stones.

He began his seclusion to attempt to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.