"Our town's most famous specialty, the spearfish! Come and try it, how does it taste?"
Seeing the dishes arrive, Ye Feng excitedly introduced them to Kou Ying.
"I first came here to eat when I was a child, brought by my parents. It cost one spirit stone per piece. Back then, I had a wish: to be able to eat as much as I wanted."
Ye Feng ordered two fish, each weighing about half a pound, which were incredibly crispy and fragrant after being fried.
The original owner had forgotten what it tasted like, and Ye Feng had no idea either.
With one bite, the outer rubber made a crisp, crackling sound.
"Hmm... this taste... it's alright, I guess."
Originally, I was going to bring Kou Ying to try it, but after he tried it himself, he felt it was just so-so.
Kou Ying's eyes lit up after she ate it.
"tasty!!"
"As long as you like it."
Ye Feng had eaten a lavish meal costing 100 spirit stones at the sect's hotel, and now, tasting this spearfish again, he couldn't find the feeling the original owner had desired.
But it's still a spirit stone, which is better than fasting pills or dry rations...
Ye Feng was completely unaware that there was anything wrong with what he said, nor did he notice the blush spreading across Kou Ying's face.
"The Zhang and Ouyang families are hiring servants again, and they're offering such high wages..."
"Yes, my housekeeper told me that things are getting a bit chaotic at home right now."
This restaurant is owned by the town mayor; those who can dine here are undoubtedly wealthy and influential.
When Ye Feng heard them mention the Ouyang family, he couldn't help but prick up his ears.
The two were mostly complaining, when one of them suddenly lowered his voice.
"I heard that once someone enters one of their two households, they disappear without a trace, neither alive nor dead. Those who went looking for them were beaten and thrown out, accused of violating family rules and being killed..."
The other person was startled, then a look of schadenfreude appeared on their face.
"I knew it! I told the servants when I got back that these ungrateful wretches thought money was so easy to earn, that they were risking their lives for money..."
After listening to their conversation, Ye Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In this world, ordinary people without spiritual roots are truly less than weeds.
Although the original owner only had a mixed spiritual root of four elements, even without two parents at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, this starting point was still far superior to 99% of people.
Becoming a Qi Refining cultivator involves a continuous progression through different levels, from the early to the later stages.
In the early stages, one can only be a wealthy man or a retainer in a large household.
In the middle period, one could become a minor family head in this town, with many wives and concubines and countless servants.
The original owner's family had two mid-stage cultivators, so he basically never suffered any hardship growing up.
However, all the resources the couple gathered were spent on him, resulting in the family not having much influence and ranking only in the middle among the various families.
Later on, one could become a town mayor or similar position.
All local industries have to pay him taxes, and he has a firm grip on industries like harpoon fishing.
Even if it's handed over to the imperial court, there will still be a considerable amount left for him.
If you're lucky enough to accumulate enough resources, you can upgrade your cultivation level. If you happen to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you'll be on the path to becoming a city lord, or even a guest elder of the Qingyun Sect, gaining access to even more resources.
Ye Feng and his companion were about to visit the local town mayor, a late-stage cultivator named Niu Gong.
Although there was a Qi Refining stage cultivator like him in the local area, he couldn't possibly spend all his time guarding a demonic tiger in the mountains and wilderness.
As the ultimate taxpayers, the Qingyun Sect naturally has an obligation to protect its members.
Moreover, reporting to the sect would not only make things easier for him, but also allow the sect to train its disciples, killing two birds with one stone.
After they finished eating, the two headed towards the town mayor's residence.
Ye Feng handed over his inner disciple's waist token and was then invited inside like an honored guest.
A moment later, the town mayor rushed in.
"This humble servant of Niu Gong greets the two envoys!"
Mayor Niu Gong was a small, elderly man at the eighth level of Qi Refining, nearly eighty years old.
Although he still possesses cultivation and is relatively healthy, he has passed the prime age for advancement and has no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.
Even reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining probably requires a bit of luck.
The two men formed sword-like fingers and returned the salute simultaneously.
In fact, when Ye Feng was young, he had visited the town mayor's mansion with Ye Wenyuan and his wife.
However, the couple were only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and didn't have any family influence, so naturally they didn't attract Niu Gong's attention, let alone notice Ye Feng.
After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Feng got straight to the point.
"We are pressed for time. There is still a tiger demon lurking in the mountains. It would be best to deal with it as soon as possible. Please, mayor, help arrange guides and search parties to assist us!"
Niu Gong originally wanted to befriend this inner disciple, but he also knew that the sect was all about missions, so he immediately arranged for a hunter and two officers to accompany Ye Feng and his companion into the mountains.
The five of them went straight to a farmer's house that had just been attacked by tigers.
Following the trail, they entered the mountains.
"It's strange, really. This tiger demon disappeared for a while not long ago, and now it's reappeared..."
The hunter's name was Zhang Er. He hunted in these mountains year-round, and it was lucky he hadn't encountered the tiger demon.
"Maybe they ate a lot earlier and are digesting it?"
Officer Li Si continued.
He was already unlucky enough to have been given such a difficult task, and he didn't want to go into the mountains to investigate the case. He preferred to let Zhang Er find the tiger demon as soon as possible so that the two immortals could kill it and complete the investigation.
Zhang Er thought about it and realized it made a lot of sense, so he said no more.
There was another person named Wei Nan, who didn't say much throughout the entire process.
The five of them spent most of the day wandering in the mountains, and that night they lit a campfire in the mountains.
Kou Ying was well-prepared, with a simple tent, blankets, insect repellent powder, and everything else she needed.
The officials and hunters were all carrying a bag.
Only Ye Feng was unprepared.
However, he didn't need any of that. Having reached the late stage of Qi Refining, simply unleashing his aura was enough to scare away ordinary wild beasts and poisonous insects.
After two days of adjustment, he has fully adapted to the changes in his body, and now... it's time to improve his cultivation.
"Host: Ye Feng, Transaction Points (), Total Number of Full-Amount Transactions (3)"
Realm: Qi Refining Level 7 (Next Level 640), Body Refining Level 2 (Next Level 200).
Spiritual Roots: Metal 91, Wood 91, Water 91, Fire 91, (Next 400)
Cultivation Technique: Azure Cloud Qi Refining Technique (Levels 1-10)
Spells: Fireball (Mastery, next level 1600), Waterball (Mastery, next level 1600)
Water Shield (Mastery, next level 2400)
Fire Control (Mastery, next level 2400)
Xiao Geng Golden Sword Technique (Mastery, next level 2400)
Decomposition Technique (Mastery, next level 3200)
Hidden Spirit Technique: Great Success (Next level: 32,000)
Status: 100/100
"Qi Refining Level 8, level up!"
"Trading Point -640"
The system upgrade was so silent that even Kou Ying, who was standing nearby, couldn't detect it.
continue!
"Trading Points -1280", Qi Refining Level 9
"Trading Point -2560"
"Tenth level of Qi Refining"
Perfect!
All ten Huangting acupoints were fully activated, plus the two Yinling acupoints which were already brimming with magical power.
Ye Feng felt he could break through to the Foundation Establishment stage at any moment.
The barrier between realms is like a thin layer of mist; it can be broken with the slightest touch.
There are 6890 trading points left, but the system can't upgrade them directly, prompting that each level requires manual completion.
Although Ye Feng had never witnessed anyone break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he knew from the experience that it would cause quite a stir. Even a minor breakthrough by an ordinary person would create a small spiritual energy storm in a given area.
Not to mention a breakthrough to a higher realm through foundation building...
Although he hadn't broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, some changes occurred in his mind. With a slight focus, the movements within a few dozen meters around him appeared in his mind like 3D scanned images.
What is this? Divine consciousness?
How could divine consciousness arise when there is no foundation building?
Ye Feng had a feeling that the birth of this divine consciousness was related to a fully mastered spell.
However, now is not the time to experiment.
Within the range of divine sense scanning, a tiger three meters long was already stealthily approaching...
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