Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Invitation (Please Follow)
Using the purchase of Spirit Rice and martial arts secret books as a front, Fang Xing and Ding Hongxiu got along quite well.
"Turns out Miss Hongxiu is also a Cultivator, my apologies for the oversight..."
Hearing the other's identity as a Cultivator, Fang Xing feigned a serious gesture and bowed.
"It's nothing, I only have talent for the bare minimum, barely reaching the Qi Cultivation Second Layer... Grandfather doesn't even let me go out to make a living in Qinglin Square..."
Ding Hongxiu waved her hand: "He's afraid that some Martial Arts expert will cut me down without a second thought..."
"Oh? Do you know what happens when an Innate expert and a Qi Refining cultivator fight, who wins and who loses?" Fang Xing became interested.
"I'm not too clear on the details, but I've heard from Grandfather that if it's an early Qi Refining cultivator who doesn't use a Defense Talisman or a Magic Artifact in time, they are in grave danger once an Innate expert gets close..."
"Of course," Ding Hongxiu continued, "It gets much better once you reach the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. Once you've created some distance and are ready, a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator can easily slaughter an Innate Martial Artist... Those at the late stage of Qi Cultivation are simply not something any peak Innate Martial Artist can handle."
"I see..."
Fang Xing nodded; this was an assessment from a Cultivator and should make sense.
'So a Rough Jade Realm Martial Artist can pose a threat to early or middle stage Qi Refining cultivators? What about a Rough Jade Realm Martial Artist who has learned an A-grade Martial Art?'
'And what about a Martial Artist in the Courage Realm?'
He felt that once he advanced to the Third or Fourth Realm of Martial Arts, he would probably get some sense of security.
"I wonder what major forces are in this square..."
Thinking it over, Fang Xing felt it would be better to understand this point.
"In the square, 'Qingxuan Sect' naturally holds the highest honor, as the Sect that opened Qinglin Square. There is always an Elder in the Foundation Establishment Stage present, and over sixty percent of the shops in the square have close ties with it..."
"In addition, the Zheng Family has an ancestor who entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, ranking second..."
"The Black Tiger Gang is a group formed by several Qi Cultivation Perfect Loose Cultivators. Their leader, the revered 'Black Tiger,' is elusive and is said to be secretly preparing for Foundation Establishment, making it the third biggest power in the square!"
An elderly voice rose, interrupting the conversation between Fang Xing and Ding Hongxiu.
Fang Xing looked over and saw an old man with a white beard, dressed in an ill-fitting Daoist robe that had seen multiple repairs, yet still shimmered with a hint of spirit.
Getting a bit closer, one could feel a sense of coolness.
This was the 'immune to extremes of cold and heat' effect of the Magic Robe.
'This Magic Robe, it must have been used for who knows how many years... it's probably around the First Rank Low Grade...'
Fang Xing observed the Daoist woman and saw an elderly man with dark skin, a lean build, and a large yellow gourd hanging from his waist, slightly emitting the scent of alcohol, but what stood out the most was his red, bulbous nose.
'Planting Spirit Rice and Brewing... quite fitting.'
A thought struck Fang Xing as he sensed the formidable Qi of the elder, knowing this person was not an early stage Qi Refinement cultivator but in the middle stage!
"Grandfather... you're back?"
Ding Hongxiu was overjoyed to see the Daoist robe-clad elder yet looked disgustedly at the wine gourd at his waist: "You went to drink again?"
"My dear Hongxiu, you don't understand, your grandfather's cultivation of the 'Drunk Immortal Technique' requires drinking. It's said, 'Drink thrice a stone a day, and in a hundred days become an immortal!'"
The Daoist elder belched, then cupped his hands towards Fang Xing: "My young friend, I am Ding Bushan. I overheard your conversation with Hongxiu and couldn't help but interject, please don't take offence."
"Not at all, the elder is knowledgeable, and I truly benefit from what I've heard."
Fang Xing smiled and returned the gesture, then said to Ding Hongxiu, "Pack up thirty pounds of Lotus Fragrance Spirit Rice for me... give me a discount..."
"Eh, sure thing, it was supposed to be three Spirit Stones, how about giving you a discount of three granules of Spirit Sand instead?"
Hearing business come her way, Ding Hongxiu's eyes lit up, feeling that the long idle chat was finally paying off.
Fang Xing took out a Low Grade Spirit Stone from today's stall earnings, adding seventeen granules of Spirit Sand, counted them out to Ding Hongxiu, shouldered his basket, waved over his shoulder and walked out of the square.
Amid the sounds of the wind, one could faintly hear the conversation between grandfather and granddaughter.
"Grandfather, you're being too meddlesome..."
"My good granddaughter, do you know what kind of person this is? Someone who doesn't even rent a shack in the square is either a desperado or a pauper, does he look like a pauper to you? Avoid such people in the future..."
...
The voices faded until they were gone.
Fang Xing heard them but simply smiled and walked on, "An old fox indeed, but he's just concerned about his granddaughter..."
It was a common human sentiment, one he wouldn't hold a grudge over.
Returning to the temporary camp, everything began to get back on track.
"In this world, what's most useful to me right now is the environment suitable for Cultivation, as well as various Elixirs and Spirit Rice..."
"Or those Low Rank Talismans and Blood Refining Magical Artifacts..."
Inside the cave, Fang Xing practiced the Great Dragon Stance while his mind wandered.
"In truth, these Talismans and Magical Artifacts aren't really of much use to me... after all, once I have money, just buy a Laser Gun, far more useful than any Blood Refining Magical Artifact... It's still a good idea to prepare some Low Rank Talismans as an unexpected trump card."
"In this world, that's about the most help I can get..."
"Cultivate well, once I reach the Perfect Sinew and Bone Realm, I'll immediately go buy an 'Innate Pill'!"
Fang Xing had already inquired about the Innate Pill; it was available for sale at the Green Pill Workshop, albeit at a steep price of fifty Low Grade Spirit Stones!
In terms of value, that was comparable to a Low Grade Magic Artifact.
It was said that the price was so high because the cultivation of the Innate Pill required the use of Spiritual Medicines needed for Qi Refining Stage Elixirs.
Moreover, not many Cultivators were willing to purchase Innate Pills to reward their subordinates, resulting in a small market.
But for Fang Xing.
"Fifty Low Grade Spirit Stones aren't difficult... as long as I have the support of drones and slowly gather and sell Spiritual Medicines, I'll be able to obtain them."
...
Time flew, and it was July before he knew it.
Chuying Star.
Happy Home District.
Feeling the somewhat hot temperature outside the house, along with the cries of cicadas and birds, Fang Xing couldn't help but feel sentimental.
"It seems 'my' birthday is also approaching, isn't it?"
The bio-engineered person Fang Xing's birthday naturally took the time he came out of the cultivation pod as the standard, which was July 17th.
Therefore, although he really wanted to keep cultivating in the Otherworld until school started, he still had to come back now to deal with some matters, to prevent being thought of as missing and unnecessarily causing complications.
Fang Xing glanced at his attribute panel:
[Name: Fang Xing]
[Age: 16]
[Profession: Martial Artist]
[Second Realm: Sinews and Bones (Refining Muscle: 16/100)]
[Military Boxing Twelve Styles: 44/100 (Skilled)]
[Great Dragon Stance: 6/200 (Master)]
[Gate of All Heavens (Charging)]
...
"Since taking the Spirit Rice, the progress in refining muscle has basically been around one point per day. Although it's much slower than elixirs, there's a very stable feeling with no sense of energy and blood being weak and floating. It's step by step, very solid..."
"Going on like this, I should be able to get the muscle refining progress over half before school starts... That's already quite bold and fast. Improving too quickly without a teacher's guidance isn't good either..."
Thinking of having a mentor's guidance, Fang Xing sighed.
Losing Xia Long's guidance during the holidays was indeed a bit troublesome.
Not to mention, he didn't know who to turn to for advanced martial arts after breaking through to Second Realm.
"Maybe give Teacher Xia Long a call? Or... hire a private tutor? But I don't have money..."
"Some videos online can be referenced, but to fully trust them is to not know how you might die..."
"Martial Arts mentorship requires face-to-face oral and hands-on teaching to be most reliable..."
After all, everyone's physical condition is different, and teaching should be tailored to the individual.
Not to mention, things as profound as Martial Arts Will can in no way be conveyed via the internet.
He opened his phone, replied to some messages, and his eyes moved, pausing on Liu Wei's number, falling silent.
In the past few years, Fang Xing's birthday had never been without this trouble-making friend.
And now...
"Alas... the past cannot be pursued."
Fang Xing sighed and then saw another message, his eyes suddenly fixed.
After pondering for a moment, he made a callback.
Swoosh!
A 3D projection appeared, showing Gu Yun still looking like a little girl but with a much colder demeanor, looking around and saying, "So this is where you live..."
"Miss Gu..."
Fang Xing nodded in greeting, then quickly realized his choice of words was a bit inappropriate, probably influenced by the language style of the Otherworld.
"Miss Gu, such an ancient address, you can call me Mrs. Gu..."
Gu Yun stated frankly, "I need a sparring partner. Star Coins are negotiable. Are you coming?"
"Coming!"
...
Brilliant Jiang Residence.
Training grounds.
Gu Yun stood with a cold face, in her practice clothes, still holding that wooden saber in her hand.
No!
In Fang Xing's view, after her father Gu Renwang died in battle, this little girl's temperament had changed a lot.
Now looking at her temperament, she was like a chunk of ice!
"This time, I want you to give it your all, get your Protective Clothing on."
Gu Yun stood with her saber pointing sideways, coldly saying, "If you get injured, I will compensate your medical expenses."
"I didn't bring the Nano Suit..."
Fang Xing smiled, "But I'm confident..."
The Nano Suit and the electric baton had both been left in the Otherworld, and he did not plan to bring them back.
What he intended to bring back were only some things from the Otherworld.
Now he was planning how to go to the black market to make some money.
'The Spirit Rice and Talismans from the Otherworld don't fit in with the specialties of Chuying Star. Even in the black market, they're hard to sell... But there's also Gold and Silver!'
In the interstellar era, gold was no longer considered a precious metal, and the price had fallen a lot, but it was still relatively valuable.
And in Qinglin Square, gold was an artifact refining material that required thousands upon thousands of kilograms to extract just a few ounces of 'Gold Essence.'
The raw gold material itself wasn't very expensive; a Spirit Stone could buy quite a bit.
After finding the same metals existed in both worlds, Fang Xing immediately started thinking about arbitrage.
'Sell them just once, as long as the money is enough...'
'At least, I need to buy a real self-defense weapon...'
'With my current strength being so weak, if I encounter a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator who is well-prepared, or a great master at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage, it would be very dangerous.'
'And I'm progressing rapidly, I need an excuse, and I need to make money, even launder money... so I can use it openly to buy nutrient fluid to invest in myself...'
...
"Sparring with me, you dare to be distracted?"
Suddenly, a clear rebuke came, interrupting Fang Xing's train of thought.
Swoosh!
The saber's radiance was dazzling, coming straight down on his head!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone