Whoosh!

A flash of sword light streaked through the air, rippling with faint spiritual power.

In the courtyard, Qin Lu, stripped to the waist and wearing only a pair of shorts, was immersed in his sword practice.

The [Upper Clarity Sword] danced in his hands, weaving a net of shadows. The blade hissed as it parted the wind, striking like a white serpent spitting its venom, yet moving with the fluidity of a roaming dragon threading through the clouds.

It possessed a truly ethereal aura.

Ever since witnessing a Foundation Establishment cultivator slaughter someone in the Slums seven days ago, Qin Lu had returned with a renewed fervor for training. He threw himself into rigorous practice, striving to sharpen his sword art and enhance his combat lethality.

His two minor spells, the [Ignition Technique] and [Finger Flick Technique], had already reached the Master level. However, the next tier required a staggering increase in proficiency points—a full three thousand. This forced Qin Lu to set them aside for the time being.

Instead, he focused on breaking through with his other skills.

After this period of intense training, both the [Gray Shadow Sword Art] and the [Soft Wind Technique] had risen to the “Proficient” level.

But what excited Qin Lu the most was his cultivation progress. His proficiency points had hit ninety-nine.

He was just one step away from a breakthrough.

After a while, Qin Lu ceased his movements. He sank onto a stone stool, his chest heaving as sweat streamed down his skin.

“Uncle Qin, are you tired?”

Xiao Ziyun rushed to Qin Lu’s side, clutching a small wooden sword. He blinked his big eyes curiously.

“Yes, Uncle is done practicing for now. You keep practicing by yourself.” Qin Lu rubbed Xiao Ziyun’s head, a warm smile curling the corners of his mouth.

“Then wipe your sweat~” Xiao Ziyun offered a towel with both hands.

“Alright.”

Qin Lu took the towel and wiped his face. Looking at the little one before him, his gaze was full of affection.

Although Xiao Ziyun was only three or four years old, he didn’t have the temper of the bratty children from Qin Lu’s past life. On the contrary, he was well-behaved and endearing.

More importantly, the boy had a gift for sword arts!

Usually, he would stay in the courtyard watching Qin Lu train. Over time, he had picked up a wooden sword and started mimicking the movements. To Qin Lu’s surprise, the toddler’s form was actually correct.

It was hard to imagine a child less than four years old wielding a sword so fluidly. It once made Qin Lu suspect the kid might be the reincarnation of some ancient Sword God.

……

Once his breathing steadied, Qin Lu returned to the house and sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion.

He crossed his feet, formed the hand seals, closed his eyes, and silently recited the incantation. He began to meditate.

It was time to attempt the breakthrough to the Qi Refining fourth layer.

As he activated his cultivation technique, the little white snake of spiritual energy within his body slowly awakened, circulating through his meridians.

The spiritual energy flowed smoothly along its path.

About half an hour passed like this when suddenly, the spiritual energy snake became restless. It began accelerating—the sign of an impending advancement.

Having experienced this once before, Qin Lu remained calm. He focused his spirit and continued guiding the energy.

Not long after, a surge of heat erupted from the soles of his feet, rushing straight up to the crown of his head.

Then, it slowly dissipated.

……

Qin Lu opened his eyes, pressed his palms downward, and exhaled a stream of turbid air. The session was over.

He glanced at his status panel. As expected, his cultivation had reached the Qi Refining fourth layer.

“So this is the fourth layer…”

Qin Lu raised a clenched fist, gripping the air tightly as he sensed the changes coursing through his body.

“Mid-stage Qi Refining really is different…”

A look of pleasant surprise washed over him. He could clearly feel that his spiritual energy reserves had increased by nearly fifty percent.

This meant that whether he practiced spells, drew talismans, or trained in sword arts, his efficiency would improve drastically.

In high spirits, Qin Lu walked out of the room and back into the courtyard.

Then, under Xiao Ziyun’s puzzled gaze, he began a series of strange actions: lifting the heavy stone table, performing standing high jumps, running shuttle sprints, long jumps, and throwing stones into the sky…

After a while, Qin Lu stopped his physical fitness tests and sat back on the stone stool. An involuntary smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.

After advancing, his physical fitness had improved tremendously; he felt completely renewed.

If his previous abilities were comparable to top-tier athletes from his past life, he had now reached a superhuman level. After all, someone who could perform a standing vertical jump of over three meters would definitely be hauled off for scientific study back on Earth.

Just as Qin Lu was inwardly celebrating his new strength, the fatty Cao Mo suddenly came visiting.

“What brings you here?” Qin Lu asked cheerfully, his mood still lifted by the breakthrough.

“I’m just bored to death at home by myself!” Cao Mo waved his hand helplessly.

“Is your mother’s injury healed?”

“It’s been healed for a while now. Today she went with my dad to East Head Ridge. They might not be back for a couple of days, so I came to find you.”

“I see…” Qin Lu patted him on the shoulder and stood up enthusiastically. “Well, you came at just the right time. I’ve drawn some talismans these past few days that I haven’t sold yet. Come set up a stall with me; you can help shout out the sales pitch.”

“Sounds good.”

Cao Mo agreed immediately. Then he pointed at Xiao Ziyun, who was blinking his big eyes nearby. “What about him?”

“Ziyun.” Qin Lu looked at the boy and smiled. “Uncle is going to set up a stall outside. Do you want to come along?”

Xiao Ziyun shook his head repeatedly, his voice childish and firm. “No. I want to play with my sword at home.”

“Alright then. Just don’t run off anywhere.”

After giving simple instructions, Qin Lu changed his clothes, gathered his stall tools and talismans, and headed toward the market with Cao Mo.

On the way.

“Hehe~” Cao Mo suddenly sidled closer with a lecherous grin. “Big Brother… tonight, should we go…”

Qin Lu glanced at him and said flatly, “Go where?”

“Go find women at one of those pleasure houses!” Cao Mo said as if it were obvious.

“Hah. What? Aren’t you afraid of those pleasure house female cultivators using their bone-eroding, marrow-sucking skills on you? Do you want to lose your family jewels?”

“Hah! Big Brother, you’re still trying to trick me! I’ve already asked around properly. Those places aren’t like that at all! They’re places for ultimate enjoyment…”

A look of longing appeared on Cao Mo’s chubby face.

Qin Lu clasped his hands behind his head lazily. “I’m not going to those kinds of places. I have my woman already. Go by yourself if you want.”

“I could go by myself… it’s just…”

Cao Mo leaned closer with an ingratiating look. He rubbed two fingers together repeatedly, hinting at his problem.

“Hah!”

Qin Lu waved him off with an indifferent expression. “Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘Rather owe gambling debts than borrow for bets; rather treat someone to food than pay for their pleasures!’ Borrowing money for whoring? That brings terrible luck!”

“Then I won’t borrow from you…” Cao Mo quickly waved both hands to explain before pausing and changing tack. “You treat me… okay?”

“Get lost!”

……

The two arrived at the market. Since it was around three or four in the afternoon, there were many empty spots available.

Qin Lu casually picked a location, laid down a black cloth, and arranged the talismans and other items. Finally, he took out a price sign and placed it conspicuously on the stall.

[Water Qi Shield]: Three Spirit Stones each. No bargaining!

Through setting up his stall over this period, Qin Lu had accumulated quite a few repeat customers and had also gotten acquainted with several Loose Cultivators.

Because the quality of his [Water Qi Shield] kept improving, he had directly raised the price to three Spirit Stones. High price, good quality—over time, his stall had gained a considerable reputation.

Over the last seven days, whenever he found time, he drew talismans, managing to create a total of twenty-five sheets.

After arranging everything properly, Qin Lu sat cross-legged on the ground, reached out, and gave a gentle slap to the back of Cao Mo’s head.

That seemed to flip a switch. Cao Mo immediately started shouting.

“Come take a look, everyone! Superb quality [Water Qi Shield]! Amazing defensive power! The only place in Wuji Market to get them! Don’t miss out if you’re passing by!”

Accompanied by Cao Mo’s hoarse shouts, time slowly passed.

They sold from around four in the afternoon until past ten at night.

Finally, out of twenty-five talisman sheets, only three remained unsold. The net income was over sixty Spirit Stones.

Seeing the late hour, Qin Lu got up and packed the stall items. He patted Cao Mo on the back, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

“You worked hard today. As a reward, I’ll take you for a stroll around.”

Hearing this, a gleam appeared in Cao Mo’s eyes.