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“I see,” Fang Xi nodded, secretly feeling pleased. That exploitative Situ Ying finally got his comeuppance!

Even his perception of the Situ Clan slightly improved.

However, he swiftly suppressed this newfound goodwill; as a tenant farmer, showing gratitude for minor favors from the landlord only revealed ingrained servitude within him!

Despite his inner thoughts, Fang Xi outwardly expressed deep emotion, almost effusive: “The Situ Clan truly discerns every detail. With Miss Qingqing here, it feels like clear skies have returned…”

‘This person… is excessively flattering.’

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Situ Qingqing initially intended to inquire more since Fang Xi was at Mid Qi Refining stage. However, she quickly changed course, saying, “If you need anything in the future, feel free to visit me at Cave Number Three, Earth District, in the market.”

With that, she promptly steered her iron leaf boat and flew away.

As he watched Situ Qingqing depart, Fang Xi slightly narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Heh…”

He didn’t fully believe Situ Qingqing’s explanation.

Through Di Qi, he had learned about how cultivator clans treat their kin. Even for a Foundation Establishment clan like the Situs, every member with spiritual roots is highly valued. Would they truly impose punishment over such minor infractions?

Indeed… to cultivators, slightly exceeding the quota by a few bushels of spirit crops is indeed trivial!

Thus, Situ Qingqing’s reassignment seemed quite unusual!

There might be some hidden agenda or perhaps she was secretly investigating something!

‘Could it possibly be related to me?’

Fang Xi arrived at the jade bamboo grove, manually pulling weeds while suddenly letting out another sigh.

This market… seems restless once again!

Or rather, barely a year has passed since settling down from the Zi You Mountain secret realm frenzy, yet new undercurrents appear to be stirring!

‘I hope I won’t get implicated…’

‘But as the Situ Clan’s hired spirit farmer, if the nest collapses, no egg remains safe.’

‘Should I just run now? After all, these local earnings don’t matter much to me anymore… But the connections through Qingzhu Mountain Market are still crucial…’

For a moment, Fang Xi found himself indecisive.

However, he quickly resolved to observe the situation first.

Due to Situ Qingqing’s sudden appearance, Fang Xi felt increasingly cautious and temporarily abandoned his plan to venture into the Great Liang World. He also shelved the idea of disguising himself as a rogue cultivator to sell mythical beast meat at the market. Instead, he focused diligently on cultivating the Everlasting Spring Art, Entangling Spell, and performing his duties as a spirit farmer.

In doing so, Fang Xi discovered something significant:

Without consuming medicinal pills and practicing within subpar spiritual energy conditions, his progress with the fourth layer of the Everlasting Spring Art was excruciatingly slow.

Despite meditating for three to four hours daily, his cultivation advanced like a snail’s crawl.

Based on his calculations, if this continued unabated, it might take over a decade to fully master the fourth layer of the Everlasting Spring Art—excluding the challenge of breaking through to the fifth layer bottleneck.

The hardships faced by rogue cultivators and those with inferior aptitudes were evident here.

“Accumulating magical energy is already this arduous… let alone breaking through bottlenecks! Having a low-grade spirit root truly is miserable…”

“From what I’ve gathered, the disadvantages of a low-grade spirit root extend across all aspects. Even when refining spiritual energy from medicinal pills, the absorption rate is significantly lower compared to mid- or high-grade spirit roots… how utterly disheartening!”

After another session of meditation, Fang Xi rose, his brow furrowed with helplessness.

Given his low aptitude and unfavorable spiritual environment, without the aid of medicinal pills, he might never reach the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement stage in this lifetime!

“The only good news is that after mastering Primordial Strength, I can now lock my blood qi… Even at age one hundred, the Blood Qi Barrier won’t be insurmountable for me!”

“However, without achieving full mastery of magical energy, I don’t stand a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment!”

Fang Xi’s expression remained cold.

In reality, even without Foundation Establishment spirit items or pills, a cultivator who reaches the great circle of Qi Refinement has an opportunity to attempt breakthrough on their own.

Unfortunately, the success rate is abysmally low, rumored to be less than ten percent, with failure leading instantly to death and the dissolution of one’s cultivation path.

Fang Xi had no inclination for such risky endeavors. Once he decides to attempt Foundation Establishment, acquiring at least one Foundation Establishment Pill would ensure his survival even if the attempt fails.

As long as he doesn’t die, everything can be restarted!

He stood up, tidied himself, and walked out through the main gate.

“Hey there, handsome neighbor! Would you like to explore the principles of Yin-Yang with me?” From the adjacent log cabin, once occupied by Chen Ping, emerged a seductive female cultivator, inviting him with a coy smile.

“Thank you, but please spare me from jests!” Fang Xi sternly declined, heading towards a specific location on Qingzhu Mountain.

He had arranged a gathering with Nine Profound Reverend and Di Qi.

On Qingzhu Mountain, near the spirit farm district, there was a picturesque spot with clear waters and lush scenery.

Fang Xi had deliberately hunted two wild chickens, roasting them to perfection with his special blend of spices. As they sizzled and dripped with oil, an enticing aroma filled the air.

Nine Profound Reverend and Di Qi sat nearby, eyeing the feast covetously.

Fang Xi glanced around, feeling somewhat disappointed. “Fellow Daoist Chen hasn’t come again…”

“Ah… you don’t know, but Fellow Daoist Chen has truly made it big!” Nine Profound Reverend’s tone carried a hint of envy. “Ever since acquiring Symbol Master Zong’s notes, his progress in talisman crafting has been astonishingly rapid, almost meteoric. I heard he’s already attempting high-grade first-tier paper talismans now…”

“That…” Fang Xi was momentarily stunned.

Could it be… that Chen Ping is indeed a rare, once-in-a-century talisman genius who just hadn’t yet realized his potential before?

“Not only that, even Fellow Daoist Lu Zhi’s attitude towards Chen has changed dramatically. Just the other day, I saw them strolling together intimately, quite affectionate…” Di Qi also began sounding envious.

Despite being from a family of cultivators, it was merely a Qi Refining clan, not much better off than rogue cultivators. If given the chance, Di Qi would eagerly kill Chen Ping and take his place without hesitation.

What did widowhood matter? Or having children?

With his delicate stomach, he was well-suited for relying on others’ success, and moreover, Lu Zhi was exceptionally beautiful…

“If Fellow Daoist Chen Ping becomes a tier-one high-grade talisman master, his status in the market will rival even those great circle of Qi Refinement experts.”

Fang Xi sighed wistfully, glancing around before suggesting, “Perhaps we should prepare generous gifts and pay him a visit soon.”

As rogue cultivators, having keen observational skills was crucial.

“Of course, naturally…” Jiuxuan nodded repeatedly, despite feeling envious. Cultivating good relations with Chen Ping could prove beneficial in the future.

“Heh…don’t get your hopes up.” At that moment, Di Qi chuckled coldly and shook his head. “Chen Ping has already moved to an immortal’s cave within the market. When I visited recently, I was stopped at the door by someone from Goddess Yunmeng’s entourage! Seems like now that he’s made it big, he’s forgotten about us mere acquaintances…”

‘Goddess Yunmeng again?’

Fang Xi instinctively felt that Chen Ping wasn’t such a person, but if both Goddess Yunmeng and Shen Haoran were involved, it seemed plausible. Their judgment was sharp; they had been investing in Chen Ping early on. With Chen Ping showing rapid ascension potential, it was natural for them to tighten their grip, possibly pushing out old connections and reshaping his network to suit their interests.

It was rumored that some domineering sects and clans would outright abduct exceptionally talented cultivators skilled in the four arts of cultivation, exploiting them relentlessly until death.

‘However, Chen Ping’s rapid progress in the Dao of talismans is quite unusual… Could Situ Qingqing have come specifically for him?’

A thought crossed Fang Xi’s mind as he earnestly asked both companions, “Have there been any notable rumors lately?”

The Nine Profound Reverend, with flushed cheeks, shared a series of intriguing tales. Di Qi, sipping his wine silently, occasionally chimed in with additional details.

From their conversation, Fang Xi gathered that everything seemed normal in the market, with no significant price hikes for magical artifacts or paper talismans. Moreover, there were no whispers of impending war.

‘Maybe I’m overthinking things just a bit?’

‘Perhaps the Situ Clan suddenly appointed a law enforcement elder known for detesting evil…’ Fang Xi reassured himself internally.

Just then, Di Qi spoke up again, “Speaking of major news… naturally, it’s about the Zi You Mountain secret realm. Red Leaf Valley and the Situ Clan jointly breached and completely plundered it. Now, the area has been unsealed but lies barren. Rogue cultivators scoured the place multiple times, finding nothing left…”

“The Zi You Mountain secret realm?” Fang Xi’s thoughts turned to Old Man Mai, and he fell silent.

After a moment, Nine Profound Reverend spoke enviously, “It seems that Violet Serenity Mountain was just a minor secret realm, not significant enough for such joint efforts… However, with all its spirit treasures extracted, it’s likely that within the next few years, both the Situ Clan and Red Leaf Valley may produce several new Foundation Establishment cultivators…”

His words held no hidden intent, but they struck a chord with Fang Xi, causing his heart to skip a beat.

An ancient saying goes, “Extreme prosperity leads to decline,” which seemed quite plausible here.

With the Situ Clan and Red Leaf Valley acquiring numerous treasures, it wouldn’t be surprising if others began coveting them.

Moreover, would neighboring powers be pleased if these two factions produced more Foundation Establishment cultivators? Even considering the cynical adage, “A mountain cannot accommodate two tigers,” once resources are depleted, could Red Leaf Valley and the Situ Clan truly maintain harmony?

‘Might the recent unusual occurrences stem from this very situation?’

Fang Xi continued gnawing on the chicken leg, feeling unexpectedly relaxed.

As someone at the lowest rung of the cultivation world, he realized none of the higher-level changes concerned him; all he needed to do was meet his grain quotas on time!

‘No way am I getting involved in any cultivator wars!’

‘When it comes to fleeing, nobody can match me!’

‘If chaos erupts here, I’ll just hide in Great Liang for a few years!’