Chapter 6: The Celestial Trade Guild

Inside the wooden cabin, Wang Chen sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, a vortex of spiritual energy gradually forming around him. A large influx of spiritual energy surged into his meridians, circulating through his body, continuously refined, and ultimately absorbed into his dantian.

The Qi Refining stage is fundamentally a process of accumulating spiritual energy—the more spiritual energy contained within the body, the stronger one’s cultivation and power naturally become.

However, for most people, refining spiritual energy from the world around them is like scooping water with a ladle into a barrel—no matter how much you scoop, it’s only a drop in the ocean.

Taking elixirs to cultivate also comes with risks; one must consider elixir poisoning. If toxins accumulate excessively, they can block the meridians and damage the foundation.

Thus, one’s innate aptitude becomes crucial.

The stronger the aptitude, the fewer the leaks in the ladle, and the faster the accumulation of spiritual energy.

Although Wang Chen’s aptitude was poor, he did not absorb spiritual energy from the world but instead poured it directly into the barrel. His body was filled with a vast amount of spiritual energy, so he had no worry about energy leaking out.

As long as he could refine it, the spiritual energy would remain within him.

Though nearly 99% of the spiritual energy from the top-grade Qi Gathering Pills was wasted, even refining just 0.01% at his current level was an immense gain.

When the sun rose the next day, Wang Chen slowly opened his eyes on the wooden bed.

A spiritual aura pressure once again emanated from his body.

[Host: Wang Chen]

[Realm: Qi Refining Stage Level 5 (76%)]

[Technique: Spirit Brook Method (Proficiency 53%)]

[Spells: Lightness Technique (Proficiency 3%), Fireball Spell (Beginner 69%)]

[Immortal Arts: First-tier Talismans (Proficiency 1%)]

“Level 5 Qi Refining! Level 6 is not far off. At this speed, it won’t be long before I break through to full mastery of Qi Refining!” Wang Chen muttered to himself, a broad smile spreading across his lips.

He stirred the spiritual energy throughout his body, cleansing himself of dirt and dust, then busied himself preparing breakfast.

As his cultivation advanced, his bodily consumption grew larger.

Though he had eaten just last night, he was hungry again at dawn.

The spiritual rice was as fragrant and sweet as ever. Although there were no side dishes, Wang Chen ate heartily.

After finishing, he began drawing talismans on the wooden table.

He still crafted water shield talismans, the only publicly accepted way he had to earn spirit stones, so he could not afford to give it up.

With his improvement in talisman crafting, drawing talisman paper was now second nature.

His success rate hovered between 30% and 40%, and the quality of his talisman paper was far better than before.

More talisman paper meant more income, which in turn fueled his enthusiasm for making talismans.

By midday, Wang Chen chose not to set up a stall since he still had raw materials and food supplies; there was no urgent need to buy more.

Instead, he ventured out of his home and returned to the dense forest he had visited the day before to practice the Fireball Spell.

Compared to the Lightness Technique, practicing Fireball Spell was far more conspicuous.

Throughout the entire afternoon, the forest echoed with continuous explosions!

The surrounding trees were scorched black, and the ground was pocked with half-meter-wide craters.

Moreover, the distance between the craters visibly expanded.

This was a clear sign that Wang Chen’s Fireball Spell was growing more powerful.

Days passed busily, and in the blink of three days, Wang Chen maintained a steady routine: meditating and cultivating each night, consuming one top-tier Qi Gathering Pill daily. In just three days, he successfully advanced to Level 7 of the Qi Refining Stage. His cultivation technique also broke through to mastery, greatly accelerating his ability to refine spiritual energy.

During the mornings, he continued producing water shield talismans. The hundreds of yellow papers and cinnabar he had previously purchased were entirely used up, resulting in a total of thirty-five water shield talismans.

Afternoons were reserved for spell practice.

After three days of rigorous training, his Fireball Spell officially rose from beginner to proficient.

The spell’s power increased, and the casting speed quickened.

Previously, it took about five breaths to cast a fireball at the beginner stage; now, it required only three breaths.

The power also doubled, with crater sizes expanding from half a meter to a full meter.

This constant, tangible sense of progress utterly captivated Wang Chen.

If it weren’t for his family running out of food again, he would have happily continued training without pause.

But humans are like iron, and food is like steel—before breaking the need to eat, the stronger one’s cultivation, the greater the food consumption.

Though he had stocked enough food for a week, it was gone in just four days.

Wang Chen had to adjust his plans and head back to the inner city.

Having been there once before, he smoothly paid the fee to enter the inner city again, then found the management staff in the trading district and rented a stall.

Once he displayed the water shield talismans, customers began to stop in front of his stall.

Although his talisman quality had improved, Wang Chen still priced each talisman at two and a half spirit stones.

That was the upper limit for water shield talismans; any more expensive, and customers would simply buy from a shop instead of bothering with him.

Of course, the improved quality had its benefits.

He sold talismans faster, clearing all thirty in just half an hour.

He kept five talismans for himself.

He never forgot the dangers of this world—the current peace was but an illusion—so naturally, he needed to keep some talismans for protection.

This also exposed the limits of his abilities.

Currently, he only knew two spells: Lightness Technique and Fireball Spell—one for attack, one for escape—and he still needed a protective spell.

Therefore, after selling his talismans, he bought more cinnabar and yellow paper for talisman crafting, as well as spiritual rice, spending a total of twenty-five spirit stones.

He was left with fifty-two spirit stones and some spiritual sand.

“I wonder if this will be enough to buy a spell,” he murmured to himself as he stepped into a luxurious building—the Heaven and Earth Trade Guild.

The Heaven and Earth Trade Guild was a vast mercantile organization spread throughout the Azure Cloud Domain.

Rumor had it that a Nascent Soul ancestor presided behind the scenes.

Whether true or not, Wang Chen did not know, but the Trade Guild’s reputation within the city was solid.

Anyone seeking valuable goods generally came here to browse.

As soon as Wang Chen entered, a female cultivator approached him.

She wore a yellow-orange cheongsam with a high slit, white silk stockings wrapped around her legs, and delicate, elegant makeup adorned her face. A teardrop mole marked her left eye, exuding a commanding, mature aura.

“Welcome to the Heaven and Earth Trade Guild. If you need anything, please tell me. I am the guild attendant, Xiao Ya.”

Xiao Ya wore a polite smile that invited no criticism. Her gaze quickly assessed Wang Chen, judging his purchasing power, before a flicker of disappointment flashed deep within her eyes.