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  Su Shier might not have seen much of the world, but he wasn’t foolish. No matter how eloquently Zhu Hanwei tried to sell his wares, Su Shier simply smiled and remained silent.

  After Zhu Hanwei finished his pitch, Su Shier finally spoke up. “I don’t know how powerful these martial arts manuals are, but they’re meant for martial artists. For cultivators, they probably don’t hold much value, right?”

  Zhu Hanwei’s mouth twitched, and he forced an awkward smile. “Well, they’re not completely useless. At least in the early stages, they can help improve one’s strength.”

  Deep down, he knew that martial arts manuals like these were practically worthless in the eyes of cultivators. If they weren’t, he would have sold them long ago. His eborate sales pitch was just an attempt to drive up the price.

  “How many Foundation Establishment Pills do you want for these three books?” Su Shier asked, cutting straight to the point.

  “Eight… no, six pills!” Zhu Hanwei started to say, but when he saw Su Shier’s expression darken, he quickly revised his offer.

  “Three pills. If you agree, we can trade now,” Su Shier said, staring at him for a moment before putting the books down and looking away.

  Foundation Establishment Pills were easy for Su Shier to produce, but he had no intention of revealing this secret. It was something he would take to his grave.

  “What? Only three pills? That’s too little! At least five pills!” Zhu Hanwei excimed, his face twisting into a pained expression as if he’d been severely shortchanged.

  But as soon as he saw Su Shier turn to leave, he quickly shouted, “Four pills! Senior Brother, how about four pills?”

  “Deal,” Su Shier agreed without further hesitation.

  He didn’t care how Zhu Hanwei had obtained these books. For him, as long as they could broaden his knowledge and enhance his strength, a few Foundation Establishment Pills were a small price to pay.

  Soon, Su Shier exchanged four high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills for the three books and another two pills for 240 taels of silver. After parting ways with Zhu Hanwei, he hurried back to the废弃丹房 (Abandoned Pill Room).

  Zhu Hanwei watched Su Shier’s retreating figure, his eyes narrowing into a satisfied smile.

  “Who would’ve thought that a few random books I picked up could be so valuable? With these high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills, my chances of awakening my spiritual root have improved significantly.”

  Grinning, he quickly packed up his things and ran back to his own quarters.

  Abandoned Pill Room

  As soon as Su Shier returned, he began practicing the techniques described in the two martial arts manuals.

  These techniques weren’t particurly profound, but the insights into force application and combat skills greatly expanded his understanding.

  Compared to his previous self, who relied solely on brute strength, this was a significant improvement.

  To aid his practice, he even set up several wooden dummies in the courtyard.

  In just seven days, he had mastered both techniques.

  In the courtyard, Su Shier’s feet moved with phantom-like agility, his body darting around with an elusive grace.

  From time to time, he would strike out with his fists or palms, hitting the wooden dummies.

  “Bang! Bang! Bang!”

  Each strike was powerful and decisive, shattering the dummies with ease.

  As he prepared to strike another dummy, a sudden idea struck him.

  He channeled his spiritual energy, and a fist-sized fireball appeared in his palm.

  The fireball radiated intense heat, and before he could unch it, he pressed it directly into the dummy.

  “Whoosh!”

  In an instant, fmes erupted, consuming the dummy entirely.

  Feeling that he had used less than a tenth of his spiritual energy, Su Shier’s face lit up with joy.

  “It actually works! With this, even without traps, I can easily deal with low-level demonic beasts!”

  “If fire control can be combined with these techniques, what about wind control?”

  His eyes sparkled with excitement as he dashed toward the farthest dummy, his feet moving with phantom-like steps.

  “Wind Summoning!”

  As he leaped, a gust of wind surged behind him.

  He glided through the air, nding just beyond the farthest dummy.

  “The wind’s a bit too strong, but the idea works!”

  Su Shier grinned from ear to ear, feeling as though he had discovered a new world. He continued practicing with renewed enthusiasm.

  A Few Days Later

  The day of his appointment with the pill room’s attendant arrived.

  That afternoon, two figures appeared on the mountainside near the废弃丹房 (Abandoned Pill Room).

  One of them was a burly man with a rough face—the attendant from the pill room.

  The other was a young man, around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a handsome and dignified appearance. He carried a sword on his back, giving him a slightly dashing air.

  “I don’t know how you’ve been cultivating all these years, but you actually lost to a disciple who’s only been here for half a year,” the sword-carrying youth said with a sneer.

  The attendant trailed behind him, meek as a chick.

  “It’s not my fault! I never expected that kid to be a Qi Refiner, and he attacked without warning! I even told him that bottle of high-quality spirit pills was reserved for you, but he still took it!” The attendant whined, trying to shift the bme.

  “Hmph! I’ll see for myself where a newcomer gets the guts to steal from me!” The sword-carrying youth snorted, gring at the attendant.

  “But since you lost the items, don’t you think you owe me an expnation?”

  The attendant shrank back, forcing a smile as he pulled out two yellow talismans from his robe.

  “Senior Brother, don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility. These two Level 1 Escape Light Talismans were hard to come by.”

  The sword-carrying youth snatched the talismans and grinned, his gaze turning toward the mountainside as he quickened his pace.

  Soon, they arrived outside the废弃丹房 (Abandoned Pill Room).

  “Senior Brother, I’ll knock on the door!”

  Seeing the locked door, the attendant’s eyes lit up, and he moved forward to knock.

  “Knock? Hmph, no need!”

  The sword-carrying youth sneered, a cold glint in his eyes as a fist-sized fireball formed in his hand.

  “Whoosh!”

  The fireball shot through the air, exploding against the door and reducing it to ashes.

  Inside the courtyard, Su Shier had already grown alert upon hearing footsteps outside.

  But before he could react, the door was obliterated in a burst of fmes.

  Two figures stepped inside.

  “It’s you? So… you’ve decided to go back on your word?” Su Shier raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting from the attendant to the sword-carrying youth.

  “Such dense spiritual energy… Qi Refinement, second level?!”

  Su Shier’s heart skipped a beat as he assessed the newcomer.

  Cultivators’ cultivation levels were usually discernible unless they deliberately concealed their aura. Of course, if the gap in cultivation was too rge, lower-level cultivators couldn’t perceive the higher levels. Conversely, higher-level cultivators could easily see through lower-level ones unless the tter had special concealment techniques.

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