Chapter 18: Cave Dwelling Lv1
Previously, Ji Yuan had always struggled because he had no spirit stones, so he had been unable to upgrade any buildings.
Even when he had finally managed to gather a few spirit stones, he had to save them up to purchase magical tools.
But now, things were different.
He had unexpectedly struck it rich along the way.
Not only did he get magical tools, but he had gotten three of them at once, along with the 《Artifact Manipulation Technique》.
As for the remaining spirit stones, he decided to go all in and upgrade the 【Cave Dwelling】 first.
As for the 【Spiritual Field】, although it could be upgraded, even if it was upgraded, Ji Yuan had no place to plant anything.
The tiny patch of land in the backyard was already fully occupied by the 【Fish Pond】, 【Chicken Coop】, and 【Pigsty】.
Moreover, the 【Spiritual Field】 took up the largest area of them all.
Not only that, once something was planted, it would require careful tending afterward, unlike raising chickens or pigs, which could be raised more roughly.
So, he could only put that aside for now.
Ji Yuan turned his attention to the panel.
【Cave Dwelling Lv0】
【Lv1: Effects: Wall Self-Healing, Basic Dust-Repelling Barrier, +20% Spiritual Energy Density at Night】
【Upgrade Requirements: 5 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 3 Buckets of Glutinous Rice Paste, Repair Broken Tiles (Not Fulfilled)】
The upgrade requirements were not difficult.
Just 5 spirit stones and 3 buckets of glutinous rice paste.
As for the broken tiles, they did indeed need some repair.
The last time they had been repaired was when Ji Qingyun was still around.
He still needed to go to Zengtou Market to buy the glutinous rice, but Ji Yuan was in no hurry and planned to go tomorrow. He could also use the opportunity to gather information about Liu the Leper.
As for now…
Ji Yuan first took out the three jade slips and began to study 《Artifact Manipulation Technique》, 《Fireball Technique》, and 《Cloud and Rain Technique》.
Among them, his focus was on the Artifact Manipulation Technique.
Fortunately, these were all basic techniques, and once you grasped the general idea, the rest was straightforward. Ji Yuan only spent half a day before he barely managed to get started.
Then, he took out the two magical tools he had claimed from the storage pouch.
The Black Gold Blade and that embroidery needle.
Since the original owner was already dead and Ji Yuan had already recognized them with his blood, they now belonged to him.
With a thought, he first activated the embroidery needle.
As spiritual energy guided it, a trace of blood-red light immediately appeared on the needle.
“Go!”
The artifact moved with his will.
The embroidery needle instantly turned into a streak of red light and disappeared into the wall in the blink of an eye.
Even though it was under his control, Ji Yuan was still somewhat shocked after sensing its power.
If this artifact had belonged to Liu the Leper… he would probably be a corpse by now.
Ji Yuan carefully examined it and felt that even his Golden Body Talisman might not be able to block this embroidery needle.
Even if it could block it, it would likely be broken through in no time.
Once the Golden Body Talisman was broken, he would be nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
“Phew—”
Fortunately, this artifact was his now… Ji Yuan willed the embroidery needle back from the wall.
Qiu Qianhai had mentioned before that this needle should be part of a set, and when combined, they would form a mid-grade magical tool.
Unfortunately, he only had one.
Even so, Ji Yuan gave this silver needle a resounding name.
Life-Taker.
The needle that takes life, thus named the Life-Taker Needle!
It could somewhat be considered one of his trump cards.
Ji Yuan stored it back in his storage pouch before looking at the Black Gold Dagger on the table.
Based on his earlier combat experience, Ji Yuan had concluded… it was both good and not so good.
The good part was that it could be used for close combat as well as manipulated from a distance.
But the bad part was precisely that.
It seemed versatile but was actually not particularly effective in either role.
Still, it was a magical tool after all. Ji Yuan manipulated it with his spiritual energy, watching it fly chaotically around the room, feeling quite emotional.
‘Damn, after all this time, I finally feel a little like a cultivator.’
After playing with it for a while, Ji Yuan felt it was getting a bit hard to control, nearly losing his grip several times.
This was likely because he was still not proficient with the Artifact Manipulation Technique.
Ji Yuan was in no rush; after enjoying the thrill of controlling a magical tool, he ate a few more Spiritual Eggs and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, he headed to Zengtou Market early to buy glutinous rice for upgrading the Cave Dwelling.
But not long after he arrived, he overheard fishermen discussing Liu the Leper’s death.
As expected, they were all saying that Qiu Qianhai had killed him.
“Ji Yuan?”
A soft female voice called from behind him.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Ji Yuan turned around and saw a female cultivator dressed in a plain patterned crossed-collar robe.
She had a tall, slender figure and a beautiful appearance.
“Sister Lu, what brings you here too?!”
Ji Yuan was pleasantly surprised to see the female cultivator who had called him.
Her name was Lu Wan, the daughter of Ji Qingyun’s old friend. She and Ji Yuan… could be considered childhood friends.
Later, Lu Wan’s father advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, and Lu Wan herself showed exceptional talent in talisman drawing.
She was taken as a disciple by the famous talisman master, Wu Wenbin, in Zengtou Market.
With her family’s rising status, Lu Wan’s family moved to the core area of Zengtou Market.
Over time, their relationship with Ji Yuan’s family gradually faded.
Moreover, after Ji Yuan had transmigrated, he had lived reclusively, so today was actually the first time he had seen this old friend.
“I came out to buy some talisman ink. What about you?”
Lu Wan glanced at her childhood companion, her gaze flickering and a little uneasy.
Most fishermen in Zengtou Market, regardless of age, had tanned, reddish skin from the sun or reeked of fish.
But Ji Yuan now?
He hadn’t gone fishing for a month, and with his cultivation progress and body tempering, his presence was entirely different from before.
Even his appearance had become more refined and striking.
“I came to buy some things as well.”
Ji Yuan replied with a smile.
Lu Wan glanced around, then walked toward the roadside.
Ji Yuan had no choice but to follow her until they reached a secluded spot.
Only then did Lu Wan lower her voice and ask, “You seemed to know Qiu Qianhai before? Has he contacted you recently?”
“No… I just ran into him at Yunyu Marshlands the other day and had a brief chat.”
No one had seen Qiu Qianhai visit Ji Yuan yesterday.
“That’s good.”
Lu Wan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. “You’d better stay away from him. He’s in big trouble now. The Qin family has publicly declared they will have him killed.”
He was probably already on his way to another market by now… Ji Yuan nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
The two of them then chatted for a while longer, mostly with Lu Wan talking and Ji Yuan listening.
Before leaving, Lu Wan had wanted to give Ji Yuan a few talismans, but he politely declined.
Cultivation was a solitary path. It was best not to owe favors if one could avoid it.
After parting ways with Lu Wan, Ji Yuan went to a rice shop and bought over ten pounds of glutinous rice.
He didn’t know exactly how much would be enough, but buying more was better than having to make another trip.
After giving it some thought, since he wasn’t upgrading the 【Spiritual Field】, he could use the remaining spirit stones to buy another Spiritual Pig to raise.
After experiencing the benefits of body tempering in his last battle, Ji Yuan wasn’t about to miss any chance to strengthen himself.
This time, however, he didn’t go to Luo Tong’s shop. Instead, he deliberately chose another place and spent 2.5 spirit stones to buy a young Spiritual Pig.
By the time he returned home, he had settled the pig, cooked the rice paste, and repaired the rooftop tiles.
When he saw the “Fulfilled” mark behind 【Cave Dwelling】, he activated the upgrade without hesitation.
Unlike previous upgrades, which had no noticeable effect, this time Ji Yuan clearly felt the changes.
First, the entire house looked brand new, with all the dust and cobwebs gone.
Then, even the tiny cracks in the walls began to slowly heal.
The surrounding spiritual energy also seemed to grow slightly denser.
Before he could fully process these changes, a light flashed on the panel, and the upgrade conditions for the next level of the Cave Dwelling appeared.
——