Even as a true monarch of his generation, True Monarch Kumu felt waves of turmoil surging within his heart.
He looked toward Qi Yuan, wanting to say something.
Yet Qi Yuan simply turned and walked away.
True Monarch Kumu sat down, resting his hand upon the purple-scented wooden chair as wisps of mortal realm incense drifted up. No one knew what he was pondering.
Meanwhile, outside the Divine Light Sect, Qi Yuan was once again out walking his knife.
"A first-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item... the Yellow Flower Fruit." Truth be told, Qi Yuan was somewhat tempted.
Spiritual items for Foundation Establishment were notoriously expensive.
"Still, the Foundation Establishment Grand Gathering requires defeating disciples from other sects to claim the reward... Too much hassle."
The moment he thought of participating in a competition, Qi Yuan found it dreadfully tedious. It wasn't nearly as good as grinding his game, where his strength genuinely increased.
However, when he visited a shop and inquired about the price of a first-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item, his eyes lit up.
"What? Worth ten thousand spirit stones? And even with money, there's no supply?"
"A prominent clan once offered fifty thousand spirit stones and still couldn't buy one?"
Qi Yuan felt his heart stir.
As the head disciple of Seven Colors Peak, the allowance he received each month was a mere ten spirit stones.
What was worse, after offending his master, even that meager supply of spirit stones had been cut off.
He had been pinching pennies every single day.
A while ago, when the roof of his thatched cottage leaked in the rain, he hadn't even been willing to spend spirit stones to hire a handyman, choosing instead to climb up onto the roof and patch it himself.
What kind of cultivation was this?
Moreover, once Qi Yuan reached Foundation Establishment, the sheer volume of spirit stones he would need would be astronomical.
Tempering one's dharmic power in the Foundation Establishment stage burned through spirit stones faster than anything else.
That was why the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Divine Light Sect frequently ventured out on missions to earn spirit stones.
"Should I go compete?"
"Forget it, too much trouble."
"If only some villain won it, then I could seize the moral high ground and rob them blind."
Qi Yuan let his imagination run wild, though it remained strictly fantasy.
A Foundation Establishment spiritual item of that caliber would surely be guarded by formidable powerhouses. With his current puny arms and legs, how could he possibly snatch it away?
After idling about all day like a street punk, Qi Yuan felt that the only things he lacked were a modded scooter and a teenage girl shouting at her father, "Dad, you don't understand him at all!"
When he returned to Seven Colors Peak, Qi Yuan caught a whiff of a rich, enticing aroma.
"Spirit carp, drunken aroma mushrooms, northern treasure melon..."
Qi Yuan possessed a keen nose.
The fragrance immediately whetted his appetite.
"Junior Sister, this pot of yours... is made entirely of spiritual ingredients. It couldn't have been cheap, could it?" Qi Yuan recalled that in the six months since arriving in this world, he had eaten a delicacy made from spiritual ingredients only once, and that meal hadn't even cost a single spirit stone.
"Mm, it's fine, just a few dozen spirit stones," Jiang Lingsu replied lightheartedly, clapping her hands together. "I'll be establishing my foundation before long, so I need to eat well and nourish my body."
Of course, Jiang Lingsu had other motives as well.
She wanted to display a bit of wealth to see if she could draw the attention of that aloof fairy atop Seven Colors Peak.
After all, when the dark turmoil arrived in the future, the only one capable of standing against it would likely be that very fairy on Seven Colors Peak.
Hearing her casual response, Qi Yuan stared dumbfounded. "Where did you get so many spirit stones?"
Jiang Lingsu broke into a radiant smile. "I was born lucky."
"Filthy rich capitalist," Qi Yuan grumbled through clenched teeth, tasting sour grapes. "You didn't put enough seasoning in this spiritual meal. The flavor is probably lacking."
He couldn't afford any of these spiritual ingredients—not even a single mushroom from the pot.
"Senior Brother, you cooked chicken soup for me last time, so this time I'm treating you to spiritual ingredient soup," Jiang Lingsu said.
Qi Yuan's demeanor instantly flipped. "Smells delicious! Quality ingredients naturally produce great flavor!"
He even seized the opportunity to sing the praises of the spiritual meal Jiang Lingsu had prepared.
Jiang Lingsu: "..."
As expected of the Obsession lineage, every single one of them was a bit unhinged.
She ladled a heaping bowl of spiritual food for Qi Yuan.
Then she dished out a bowl for herself.
Qi Yuan took a bite. Fragrance blossomed across his lips and teeth, making his mouth water.
"A true earthly delicacy," Qi Yuan praised. This was infinitely more delicious than the additive-laden takeout from his previous life.
Furthermore, with just that single mouthful, he could feel a wisp of dharmic power expanding within him.
It was comparable to the cultivation feedback his true body received from slaying a level seventy greater demon in the game jade slip.
Suddenly, grinding the game didn't seem quite as appealing anymore; eating spiritual food was vastly superior.
Besides, it tasted so divine—miles ahead of chemical concoctions and pre-packaged meals.
Just then, Jiang Lingsu furrowed her brows. "What a pity. The grade of these spiritual ingredients is too low, so the flavor of the finished dish falls a bit short."
All at once, the food in Qi Yuan's bowl lost its luster again.
Luster lost or not, he certainly showed no restraint as he wolfed it down.
...
"Time to grind."
Seeing that night had fallen, Qi Yuan entered the game once more.
As usual, Qi Yuan climbed out of his pit.
"Well-fed and satisfied... time to grind the game!"
Wielding his great sword, he crept through the forest.
Tonight, the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground looked no different from usual.
It seemed the damage inflicted on the garment demons the previous night hadn't taught them any lessons.
Soon, Qi Yuan arrived at the clearing where the garment demons hung from the trees.
Xiaoxiang Sword Rain!
Sett's Mighty Fist!
Qi Yuan resumed his hunt.
He slaughtered the garment demons one by one.
Meanwhile, other garment demons began awakening in the treetops.
They had no faces, no eyes, no ears, and not even mouths.
Yet Qi Yuan could clearly sense their fury.
He was certain that if they had mouths, he would be subjected to a colorful barrage of vulgarities.
"You *** mother***!"
Of course, unable to speak or curse at Qi Yuan, the garment monsters could only charge at him to vent their rage.
Unfortunately for them, they merely served as exp bundles for Qi Yuan.
He weaved in and out seven times, rivaling the heroics of Zhao Yun and Wen Yang.
Several hours later, upon seeing the garment monsters assembling once again, Qi Yuan brushed off his clothes and departed without a trace over a thousand li.
Afterward, Qi Yuan dug a pit and buried himself.
He began taking stock.
"The garment monsters are gathering faster now."
"Looks like they're growing too."
"Then again, I'm growing as well. Gained another level. Though leveling up will only get slower from here on out."
Having wrapped up his assessment, Qi Yuan opened the chat interface.
Just like before, he began replying to the string of messages Jin Li had sent.
Jin Li's messages were quite fragmented. For instance, she mentioned feeling anxious over a memorial reporting floods in a certain region; another time, she shared that a horse she was leading had suddenly bolted, nearly injuring her.
Qi Yuan replied leisurely, and then went on to share his daily gaming experiences with Jin Li.
In no time at all, he had fired off a long sequence of messages.
"It's getting late. Time to log off."
Qi Yuan felt he had stayed in the game long enough.
Just then, to his surprise, Jin Li sent a new message.
"Not asleep at this hour?" Qi Yuan had wanted to look up at the moon, but unfortunately, no moon could be seen from inside an earthen pit.
"A lot happened today," Jin Li replied. Amid her exhaustion, she felt a rare sense of peace wash over her heart.
"I went to see Aunt Qin during the day. After taking the imperial medicine harvested from the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, her injuries have improved significantly."
Jin Li slowly recounted the day's events.
Disliking the idea of spreading negative energy, she did her best to express everything in a calm and steady tone.
"Your quest is pretty tough." Qi Yuan felt that had he been placed in Jin Li's position, he wouldn't necessarily have handled things as well as she did.
After all, imperial courts were all about worldly tact and political intrigue, whereas his only talent was killing.
Chapter 21