CHAPTER 21: DOG-TYCOON

Despite being a generation's True Lord, Lord Withered Tree's heart still surged. He stared at Qi Yuan, wanting to say something, but the man simply left.

Lord Withered Tree sat down, seemingly lost in thought. Wisp of worldly fragrance rose up as he brushed his hand over the purple sandalwood chair.

***

Outside the Divine Radiance Sect...

Qi Yuan was once again strolling around with his knife.

"A level 1 spirit item... Yellow Blossom Fruit." He was a bit tempted. After all, the price of spirit items were exorbitant. "But to get the reward, I'd have to defeat other sects' disciples in the Foundation Establishment Event... How troublesome."

Just thinking about competing bore him. At least grinding in a game always led to growth in strength.

His eyes widened when he went into a shop and asked about the price of a level 1 spirit item.

"What?! Ten thousand spirit stones?! Even then, there's none for a sale? Huh, some wealthy clan once offered fifty thousand spirit stones and still couldn't get one? Wait, not even a level 2 spirit item is available for sale?"

He found himself getting a bit tempted again. As the chief disciple, he only received ten spirit stones each month. Of course, that was no longer the case after he'd offended his master.

Deprived of spirit stones, he was forced to scrape by each day. Not long ago, his hut leaked in the rain, but he couldn't bring himself to hire anyone to fix it. He climbed up and patched it himself.

What kind of cultivation life is this?

Moreover, once he reached Foundation Establishment, he would need an astronomical number of spirit stones. That realm indeed consumed the most. Hence why disciples at that realm often went out on missions just to earn spirit stones.

Qi Yuan let his mind wander, but it was only idle fantasy. Should I compete? No, far too troublesome. If some villain were to win it instead, all the better. I could play the hero and snatch it from them.

High-grade spirit items would certainly be guarded by powerful figures. How could he possibly snatch them with his skinny arms and legs?

Like some street loafer, Qi Yuan wandered around all day. He felt like he was missing some background lighting and a teenage girl saying to her dad, 'Dad, you just don't understand him.'

Upon returning to Seven-Colored Peak, he caught a strong, rich fragrance. His nose was sharp. "Spirit Carp, Drunken Mushrooms, Rare Northern Melon..."

The smell instantly whetted his appetite. Qi Yuan recalled that in the half year since he'd arrived in this world, he'd only eaten a dish cooked from spirit ingredients once. Moreover, it didn't even cost one spirit stone.

"Junior Sister, this whole pot of yours is all spirit ingredients... They aren't cheap, right?"

With gratitude, Jiang Lingsu clapped her hands, saying casually, "Mhm. It's fine, just a few dozen spirit stones. There's still some time before I reach Foundation Establishment, so I have to eat well and nourish my body."

Of course, Jiang Lingsu also had other considerations. She showed off a bit of her financial ability to see if she could attract the attention of that aloof immortal atop the Seven-Colored Peak. After all, when the calamity arrived in the future, the one most likely to stand against it would be that immortal.

Qi Yuan was dumbfounded. "Where did you get so many spirit stones?"

The spirit ingredients were beyond his means. He couldn't even afford a single one of those mushrooms.

Jiang Lingsu smiled sweetly. "I was born lucky."

Qi Yuan gnashed his teeth, sounding like he just ate a bunch of sour grapes. "Dog-tycoon. The seasoning you added is too little. It probably won't taste good."

"Senior Brother, since you made chicken soup for me last time, I'll treat you to spirit soup."

Qi Yuan's expression shifted as if a switch had been flipped. "Wow, it smells amazing! Well, with such good ingredients, of course it is!"

Jiang Lingsu was speechless. As expected of the Obsession path, they have a screw loose.

She ladled a full bowl for Qi Yuan, and another for herself. Qi Yuan took one bite and his mouth was filled with fragrance. He salivated intensely.

Qi Yuan reviewed the dish. "Truly a delicacy of the mortal world."

It was far tastier than the Hextech takeout he used to buy in his previous life. He felt his mana grow a little stronger from that single bite. This felt no less than killing a level 70 monster in his gaming jade.

Suddenly, grinding games didn't feel so worthwhile anymore—at least not when compared to eating spirit dishes. This was delicious, outshining every takeout box or precooked dish!

Just then, Jiang Lingsu frowned. "It's a shame that the grade of the spirit ingredients is too low. The dish ends up lacking in flavor."

Qi Yuan instantly felt that the food in his bowl wasn't so tasty anymore. Regardless, he still ate heartily, without restraint.

***

As night fell, Qi Yuan once again entered the game.

Time to grind the game.

As usual, he crawled out of his pit. "Fed and full... time to grind!"

Wielding his giant sword, he stealthily prowled through the forest. The garment monsters acted no different from usual, as if he never dealt any damage last night.

Soon, Qi Yuan arrived at the place where the garment monsters hung themselves.

"Xiaoxiang Sword Rain! Brutal Wrist Punch!"

Qi Yuan began the slaughter again, cutting down the monsters one after another. The garment monsters hanging on the trees woke up. They had no faces, eyes, ears, let alone mouths. Yet, Qi Yuan could feel their fury.

If they could speak, he was sure he'd hear a string of elegant curses in their mother tongue. "You*** F***"

However, because they were unable to, they could only attack him in rage. Unfortunately, they were just EXP fodder for Qi Yuan.

He charged in and out of that area seven times, like Zhao Yun and Wen Yang. [1]

After several hours, when the garment monsters regrouped again, Qi Yuan simply dusted his sleeves and departed without a trace.

Afterward, he dug a hole and buried himself in it.

He reflected. "They regrouped even faster this time. Looks like they're growing, but the same goes for me. I leveled up again. Though from here on, progress will only get slower."

Then, Qi Yuan opened the chat interface. Jin Li's string of messages greeted him as usual. The topics varied from reports of regional flooding that worried her, and how the horse she was leading suddenly went mad and nearly injured her.

After replying to her messages one by one, he shared his daily happenings in the game with Jin Li. Before long, he'd sent his own string of messages.

It's late, I should log off.

Qi Yuan felt he'd spent enough time in the game for the day. To his surprise, Jin Li replied. He tried to look up at the moon, but he couldn't see it from the pit he dug.

Qi Yuan: It is so late. Why are you awake?

Tired as she was, Jin Li felt a quiet peace in her heart.

Jin Li: I had too many things to deal with today. I also went to see Aunt Qin. Thanks to the Emperor-grade medicine from the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone, her injury has recovered a lot.

She slowly shared the day's events. She didn't like spreading pessimism, so she expressed things as neutrally as possible.

Qi Yuan: Your tasks are really difficult.

He felt that if he were in Jin Li's place, he probably wouldn't handle things as well as she did. Court politics was all about human relations and worldly sophistication, whereas he only knew how to fight and kill.

1. From the three kingdoms, Zhao Yun and Wen Yang were two generals that were always praised for their battle prowess. ☜