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When he was found, it was already the second year.

The first to see him were the law enforcement team, who came to his door to collect spirit stones and only then realized that Gu Chen had died silently in his cave dwelling.

Such incidents were common in the marketplace; cave dwellings were private territory, and none but close friends would intrude rashly.

Zhou Yi was in the midst of performing the Spirit Rain Technique when Brother Zhang from the law enforcement team came looking for him.

“Zhu junior brother, Gu Chen left you a letter before he died.”

Brother Zhang was an acquaintance, having shared a few drinks together at the Phoenix Cry Pavilion, and he was quite forthright in character.

The law enforcement team was a violent agency under the control of the marketplace, composed of over a hundred Qi Refinement mid and late stage cultivators. It was led by official disciples of the Dan Ding Sect, but the actual management was in the hands of several recognized disciples.

Joining the law enforcement team came with a monthly spirit stone stipend, which was comparable to what Zhou Yi could earn from a year’s worth of cultivating spirit fields. However, being in charge of maintaining stability in the marketplace meant inevitably clashing with evil cultivators and heretics, and it was common to hear of colleagues dying or disappearing.

“Brother Zhang, you’ve worked hard.”

Zhou Yi did not avoid the matter and opened the envelope directly.

Gu Chen’s letter didn’t contain any secrets; firstly, it detailed the calamity that had befallen his family, which was somewhat different from what Zhou Yi had thought.

It was not an evil cultivator that plotted against Gu Chen’s family, but his close and trusted friend.

The friend also had a descendant with a Spirit Root, originally planning to apprentice under Gu Chen to inherit his cave dwelling in the future. But a few years prior, a descendant with a Spirit Root appeared in Gu Chen’s own family as well.

Jealous and resentful, the friend transformed into an evil cultivator, exterminated Gu Chen’s family, and kidnapped Gu Chen’s grandson to extort spirit stones.

Who would have thought that the ordinarily honest and straightforward farmer could counter-kill the evil cultivator during a fight, yet he himself was also critically injured and at death’s door.

“Farmers are not devoid of courage!”

Zhou Yi continued reading. Before returning to his little Dan Mountain, Gu Chen had also eradicated the family of his friend.

At the end of the letter, Gu Chen confessed his identity, revealing that his original surname was Liu and he hailed from Lingzhou in Great Yong. He hoped that “Zhu” Daoist friend would look after any Lingzhou cultivators with the surname Liu he might encounter in the future.

The evil cultivator had killed Gu Chen’s immediate family, but many of Liu family’s extended members were still alive. Gu Chen had passed his cultivation technique on to his clan members.

As compensation, Gu Chen’s inheritance of three hundred spirit stones was gifted to Zhou Yi.

At the end of the letter, Gu Chen repeatedly warned that in the Cultivation World, no one could be trusted, should not be trusted, dared not be trusted, even friends of decades had to be kept at arm’s length!

“Hmm, I never trusted anyone to begin with!”

Zhou Yi sighed inwardly and handed the letter to Brother Zhang, “Brother, does this will in the letter count?”

Brother Zhang said, “For common people, it would not count, but given our relationship, of course it’s proper.”

Zhou Yi bowed and said, “Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhang. Let’s go to the Phoenix Cry Pavilion for a drink in a few days. I heard there’s a new arrival who is proficient in the Overturning Phoenix Technique, which is rumored to be beneficial for breaking through cultivation bottlenecks…”

“I’ll go with you.”

Brother Zhang readily agreed, secretly surprised by Zhou Yi’s generosity.

Cultivators generally held tight to their spirit stones, and for female cultivators with unique cultivation techniques like the one mentioned, the expense would be at least twenty to thirty spirit stones.

Zhou Yi said, “There’s one more thing. Before his death, Gu Daoist entrusted me to bury his corpse in this spirit field as a return to dust.”

For solitary cultivators like Gu Chen, it was common to be buried in central area medicine fields, where certain special spiritual medicines would consume bones imbued with spiritual energy to accelerate their growth.

Brother Zhang immediately agreed, “It’s a trivial matter.”

Over the years, the connections Zhou Yi had cultivated may not be helpful in significant matters, but they ensured that he would not be hindered or sabotaged in small affairs.

Without Brother Zhang’s guarantee, how much, if any, of Gu Chen’s relics would remain, or whether Zhou Yi would instead be framed with a motive for murder, was all possible.

That very day.

Gu Chen’s corpse was buried in the spirit field without a special tombstone. The now-empty cave dwelling reverted to the marketplace, waiting for its next owner.

Zhou Yi no longer had his neighbor, and there was no one left to chat with in the fields and at the land’s edge.

He just focused on cultivating, tending to the medicine and spirit fields, and occasionally inviting fellow practitioners to the Phoenix Cry Pavilion for a drink.

In the sixth year, after harvesting a few more dou of spirit rice, Zhou Yi finally experienced the flavor of dual cultivation for the first time.

Graceful and intricate, too marvelous for words, beyond the compare of ordinary mortal women!

“I’ve been aiming to break through the bottleneck in my cultivation level!”

The seventh year.

Zhou Yi, while strolling through the trading district, unexpectedly encountered an old acquaintance from the mundane world.

The founding emperor of Great Yong, Li Hong, along with Empress Chen Jinyu, was seen walking out of the Dan Ding Pavilion, discussing in low voices the proper way to consume elixirs and the most effective combinations to use.

They were haggling over every penny, completely devoid of their imperial dignity.

Zhou Yi stood at a distance with his hands in his sleeves, watching until their figures were out of sight, then turned and walked towards the Phoenix Cry Pavilion.

“To see old friends today, safe and well, is indeed a cause for celebration!”

Time flies, and in a blink, Zhou Yi had been practicing in the small Dan Mountain for fourteen years.

Having crossed into this world exactly sixty years, Zhou Yi felt it was a cause for celebration, so he went to the Phoenix Cry Pavilion for Dual Cultivation.

Another six years passed.

Zhou Yi finally broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement. The breakthrough came naturally and quietly, just as a new female Daoist had arrived at the Phoenix Cry Pavilion.

“A cause for celebration indeed!”

Engaging in lively philosophical discussion while practicing, it was exceedingly delightful.

…

That day.

Zhou Yi, as usual, was leisurely wandering the trading district and noticed a significant price surge in protective talismans, such as the Vajra Talisman and Purifying Heart Talisman, by thirty to forty percent.

“Something must have happened!”

“First ascertain the facts and then decide whether I need to flee into the Eastern Sea.”

Over the years, Zhou Yi had mastered three spells: Water Escape Technique for fleeing, Golden Light Spell for protection, and Cloud Smoke Spell for obscuring vision and aura.

While he may not excel in magical duels, in terms of survival skills, hardly any of his peers could compare!

Phoenix Cry Pavilion.

Zhou Yi found a seat near a window and ordered some spiritual delicacies, all the while listening attentively to other patrons’ discussions.

After a short while, he had a general understanding of what had happened.

The previous day, a thief using a peculiar stupefying incense had rendered numerous cultivators unconscious and robbed them of all their spirit stones and spiritual objects.

One of the unfortunate victims happened to be paying off his dwelling debt and, left with no choice, had to go mine on Qi Yun Peak.

Mining is not like farming, which is tedious but safe; mining can actually be fatal.

Spirit Mines are associated materials found close to Spirit Veins. Deep within the mining veins, near the heart of the Spirit Vein, minerals such as gold, jade, iron, and stone, nurtured by rich spiritual energy over a long time, turn into spirits and monsters.

These spirits and monsters are born at the Qi Refinement Realm with a natural talent for Spells of Burrowing. If a cultivator encounters them in the mines, a moment of carelessness can lead to instant death on the spot.

It is said that when the Ziling ore vein on small Dan Mountain was first discovered, a Golden Core Stage spirit and monster occupied it. It took several true masters from the Dan Ding Sect to kill it. Its original form was a mass of Ziling copper, renowned for its astonishing defensive power and taking advantage of its home ground, which ultimately fell to the collective might of these true masters.

The true masters cleared out the Foundation Establishment level spirits and monsters, but the numerous and scattered Qi Refinement level ones were left for successive resident true masters to slowly eliminate.

Centuries have since passed, and the number of spirits and monsters in the mines has dwindled, yet a certain degree of life-threatening risk remains.

However, there are benefits to mining too. Because the mines are extremely close to Spirit Veins, they are filled with supremely pure spiritual energy, enabling cultivators to practice in their spare time while mining.

Late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators in the Dan Mountain Marketplace, in need of a large number of spirit stones to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills, are not afraid of encountering spirits and monsters, so they mine on Qi Yun Peak all year round.

“The thief must already have fled the marketplace with a huge amount of spirit stones, making it difficult for the law enforcement team to trace them!”

Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief internally. As long as it wasn’t a large-scale war, it was fine; the thief who stole spirit stones didn’t harm any lives, thus the marketplace was still safe.

Moreover, Zhou Yi had been waiting for such a day, when an element of insecurity would emerge in the marketplace’s dwellings.

“After waiting quietly for more than a decade, the opportunity to make my fortune has finally arrived. Now, I must carefully contemplate my next move…”