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The news had already spread throughout Tianyuan Market: Zheng Cong, a master at the Great Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment, was nearly beaten to death by a junior at the Foundation Establishment stage with just one move. The news was explosive.
Even more astonishing was the rumor that the junior had used a lotus flower to take down Zheng Cong, and this lotus was a technique of the Elemental Infant stage powerhouse!
All the cultivators in the market were shocked.
Mi Xiaojing had no idea that Zheng Cong was frantically searching for him, and Yong Ji didn't mention that after killing the followers, he guessed they were sent by Zheng Cong.
However, Yong Ji was now confident about advancing to the Great Perfection realm of Foundation Establishment. Once he advanced, he wouldn't care about the opposition. The key was Mi Xiaojing's Spirit Pills. With the help of the pills, he was fully confident about advancing. He had been stuck at the late stage of Foundation Establishment for too long and just needed an opportunity.
Mi Xiaojing's new manor was located not far upstream from Shuanghe Town, by a small lake. The manor sat by the lake and covered a large area.
Previously, the manor was owned by a cultivator from the Luo family, with a cultivation level at the Foundation Establishment stage. Due to an urgent need for Spirit Stones, he sold it to Lu Yu.
Land here was cheap; as long as you built a house, the land was yours. The man was satisfied with the Spirit Stones he got in exchange. The houses were built by mortal craftsmen, which didn't cost much.
For cultivators, what mattered were cultivation resources. Manors and the like were never a concern, unless there was a spiritual spring within the manor—that would be a different story.
The manor was divided into front and back sections, with two three-story buildings and one two-story building, all wooden structures. There were also several wooden bungalows. The entire manor was quite simple, surrounded by a hedge wall, and there was a small dock by the lake with a few boats tied up.
Mi Xiaojing had a wooden plank house built by the lake, but it was a bit odd—four wooden walls with no roof, and the floor was paved with blue stone slabs. There was also a small wooden platform.
This was his cultivation spot, as he needed to absorb starlight. Although the roof wasn't an issue, Mi Xiaojing chose to remove it so he could bathe directly under the stars.
This was purely Mi Xiaojing's psychological effect; he always believed that to absorb starlight, one should be exposed to it for better results. In reality, as long as one was on the planet, the location of cultivation didn't matter, unless Mi Xiaojing went into the starry sky, which was impossible for him.
During his cultivation, Mi Xiaojing noticed specks of silver light appearing in his Dan Tian, likely the condensed Starry Sky elements, indicating he was beginning to grasp the basics and had officially embarked on the path of cultivating the Starry Sky Qianyuan Art. There was no turning back.
This meant that once Mi Xiaojing reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, his path of cultivation could no longer change. From then on, his strength would diverge from those cultivating other methods. Previously, he had only borrowed the power of the Starry Sky and couldn't truly unleash its might.
He activated the Qingmu Formation, enveloping the roofless wooden house. Mi Xiaojing was always cautious; he used the formation for protection because he planned to truly enter seclusion, and the duration was uncertain.
In this state, the Qingmu Formation was hidden and not activated, minimizing the consumption of Spirit Stones. Often, the necessary Spirit Stones couldn't be saved.
As for Yong Ji and Yang Shan, both had gone to Tianyuan Market to collect materials. They had the list in hand, and the materials recorded on it were daunting, even with their substantial savings of Spirit Stones.
The materials weren't easy to find. To collect them all would definitely require a lot of time and Spirit Stones, and they didn't know if they had enough.
Knowing that Zheng Cong was going mad, both were very careful when they went, trying not to alert anyone. This time, Yong Ji didn't go to Yunjian Market but chose another large shop specializing in buying and selling alchemy materials.
Yang Shan chose a different shop, and after entering Tianyuan Market, they split up to search for their needed materials.
Fortunately, Yong Ji didn't go to Yunjian Market, which had a domineering visitor today, someone who went straight to Old Duo's room without even knocking.
Old Duo was cultivating on his rush cushion when he saw the person enter and couldn't help but sigh, "Every time it's like this, you can't bully people like that!"
"Haha, Little Bao… Little Bao, I'm bullying you, what about it?"
"Thousand Poisons, don't go too far!"
Thousand Poisons kicked a rush cushion close to Old Duo, then said carelessly, "What if I go too far? I'm a loner, but you have a family… Besides, you can't beat me, haha!"
Thousand Poisons sat down and demanded, "Get me something to eat… I want Spirit Fruits, Spirit Tea, Spirit Wine, damn it, I'm starving."
Old Duo helplessly clapped his hands, and soon the manager of Yunjian Market came in.
"Bring a plate of Spirit Fruits and a pot of Spirit Wine, no need for the rest. Be quick."
"Yes, Ancestor." The man hurried off, not daring to lift his head from the moment he entered to his departure.
Old Duo asked, "I heard you attacked Heart Sect?"
Thousand Poisons' expression changed slightly. He had barely escaped the pursuit of Brahman Sa and his wife after great difficulty, hiding for a while before daring to come to Tianyuan Market.
Thousand Poisons wanted to find some materials to refine his weapons again. The loss was significant this time; he gained no benefits and almost lost his life, which left him feeling frustrated.
Just then, he heard a piece of news that piqued his interest, supposedly happening in Yunjian Market, so he came straight here.
"Yes, I attacked, and I destroyed them…"
Old Duo felt uneasy and said, "If that's the case, why didn't you stay at Heart Sect? Why come here?"
Thousand Poisons sneered, "I heard… my disciple was wronged here?" He was truly devious, bluffing with his words.
Old Duo's heart sank. Despite Yunjian Market's size and strong backing, he still didn't want an enemy like Thousand Poisons, who was too fearsome.
He forced a smile and said, "I asked him if he was your disciple, but he didn't answer… so I had to handle it officially…"
Thousand Poisons played with his Prayer Beads, moving them one by one, and said indifferently, "Tell me the process…"
Old Duo, unaware of the deceit, recounted the story in detail, and also called Wei Zhen to add what he didn't know.
Thousand Poisons pondered for a moment and said, "You're bullying my disciple!"