Ling Huan stared at Yin Luoling.
She was dumbfounded, eyes fixed on that dazzling pile of spirit stones, her little face as pale as paper, her body trembling slightly.
In his heart, he felt a mix of pride—finally able to satisfy Yin Luoling—and a trace of admiration and guilt.
Ling Huan finally understood that he had always thought from his own perspective, never once considering things from Yin Luoling’s point of view.
Indeed, stuffing her with good things, letting her flaunt her face around Qingmu City and buy whatever she pleased—this, in his or any other’s eyes, was the best way to offer comfort.
Who wouldn’t enjoy spending money freely?
But he’d overlooked something.
Yin Luoling… bore a blood feud!
No matter how many flashy trinkets he bought her, could these soothe the pain of watching her parents die so cruelly before her eyes?
Could they extinguish the fire for revenge kindling in her heart?
No wonder she’d been listless all the way here.
For her, these worldly pleasures were not worth mentioning!
What weighed on her heart was only the obsession to avenge her slain parents!
Seeing so many spirit stones, she trembled all over with excitement—not for the fortune itself, but because with these spirit stones, she now had the means for vengeance!
Such resolve… Ling Huan admitted he could never have achieved this at the age of ten.
“Hey, little sis,” Ling Huan called out earnestly, putting his hand gently on Yin Luoling’s head and rubbing it softly.
“Don’t make such a fuss. Stick with your brother and you’ll see the world. Your horizons are still too narrow.”
Narrow horizons?
Yin Luoling was so angry she shivered with cold.
She was only surprised at how Ling Huan got this money, yet in this brute’s eyes it became her lack of worldly experience?
Who did he think she was?
A Quasi-Emperor!
Second only to the Great Emperor!
How could she possibly be inexperienced?
If she wished, never mind these fifty spirit stones—even if she wanted a luxurious palace built entirely of the finest spirit stones, it would be no trouble at all!
She wouldn’t even need to spend her own money—just a word, and countless people would willingly lay them at her feet!
The roads she’d traveled were far more than this guy had eaten salt in his lifetime!
And yet now, she was being underestimated by this fool whom she’d cut down at the eighth level of Qi Refining in her previous life?!
She had long grown used to slander and insult, but faced with Ling Huan’s mockery, Yin Luoling simply could not contain the fury boiling inside her, threatening to burst forth at any moment.
You’re the one with narrow horizons!
Yin Luoling wanted to curse Ling Huan out, but no matter how she strained, she couldn’t find the words.
She never used to argue—if she disliked someone, she’d just draw her sword and attack.
After a few slashes, the other would apologize out of fear.
But now, she couldn’t use force!
Yin Luoling bitterly regretted not having learned a few more curses!
She racked her brains, but all that came to mind was—idiot! Fool! Brute!—such harmless insults.
Her teeth itched with frustration.
Still, she could comfort herself.
Fifty spirit stones meant nothing to her, but for Ling Huan and even the entire Ling family, it was no small fortune.
Ling Huan was just puffing himself up to look impressive.
He must want to show off in front of her, to gain face before others and act all important.
There were plenty like him—even if they were penniless, even if their house was so empty rats became dinner, they’d still act rich before others.
These spirit stones must have been stolen from his adoptive parents!
Just wait—when they returned home or reached a deserted place, he’d surely try to take them back.
If you want to put on a show, then I’ll make you act it all the way!
“Really?”
Yin Luoling plastered a fake smile on her face.
“Then… then can you take me to buy a cultivation method right away? I—I want to start cultivating now, so I can avenge Father and Mother!”
Yin Luoling shouted loudly, her voice carrying so everyone around could hear.
Buying a cultivation method!
How extravagant was that!?
After all, why were there so few rogue cultivators in the mortal world?
The reason was simple—it cost too much.
The spiritual energy of the world was thin.
To cultivate, one had to find a place rich in spiritual energy, so training could yield twice the result for half the effort.
But those places, apart from luck, had long been claimed by Immortal Sects.
Without absorbing spirit stones, relying on treasure lands, or cultivation methods, to cultivate solely on one’s own was as hard as climbing to the heavens.
Even with talent, it would take over a decade just to scrape into the Qi Refining realm.
And as for cultivation methods—they were even more expensive!
Fifty spirit stones might only barely be enough to buy a single low-grade technique.
But even a low-grade Qi Refining method was more than enough!
But so expensive!
Unexpectedly, Ling Huan didn’t hesitate at all after hearing this.
He nodded decisively.
“No problem!”
Yin Luoling was stunned.
Ling Huan showed not the slightest embarrassment, looking as composed as if he really were the rich young master he claimed to be.
With a grand wave of his hand, he swept up the spirit stones with his storage ring.
Then he pulled Yin Luoling along and strode off.
They soon left the marketplace and arrived at the largest pavilion in Qingmu City—Liuyun Pavilion.
Liuyun Pavilion sat at the prosperous east end of Qingmu City, separated from the noisy festival by a stretch of road, possessing a transcendent air of its own.
Its tall gatehouse was carved from a single block of green jade, and moonstone lanterns hung from its eaves, casting a gentle, cool radiance.
Above the entrance, the three characters “Liuyun Pavilion” flowed with dragon-and-phoenix grace, faintly shimmering with spiritual light, as if clouds and mist swirled within.
Just standing at the door, one was enveloped by a fragrance—a blend of hundred-year spirit wood, rare pills, and a faint trace of ink from ancient tomes.
The floor gleamed like a mirror, and row upon row of shelves stood in perfect order, displaying a dazzling array: jade slips, scrolls, magical artifacts, elixirs, spiritual herbs… all categorized and meticulously arranged.
Several attendants in plain white robes embroidered with cloud patterns and a steward in a purple-gold robe stood silently by the counter, their bearing serene, eyes sharp, quietly scrutinizing the books in their hands, paying no heed to those who entered.
Despite the spacious shop, it was nearly empty.
Only one customer inside browsed for a while, shook his head, sighed, and quickly left.
It seemed even he had been scared off by the steep prices.
Ling Huan, still holding Yin Luoling’s hand, marched inside with his head held high, radiating the same “I’m number one under heaven” arrogance as he had at the festival.
He swept his gaze around, precisely locking onto the section marked “Cultivation Methods and Scriptures.”
“Come, Luoling, your brother will help you choose!”
Ling Huan’s voice rang out loudly in the quiet hall.
Yin Luoling’s cold sneer deepened inwardly: Go on, keep putting on a show!
Let’s see how you save face later!
But her expression remained timid, letting Ling Huan pull her toward the cultivation section.
Here, the jade slips and ancient scrolls were carefully placed in special spiritwood boxes or under crystal covers, with small placards beneath listing the method’s name, grade, attribute, and… its jaw-dropping price.
[Qi Guiding Technique], priced at 5 low-grade spirit stones.
[Green Wood Everlasting Art], priced at 12 low-grade spirit stones.
[Geng Metal Sword Qi], priced at 38 low-grade spirit stones.
…
The deeper they went, the more profound the names became, the higher the grades, and the steeper the prices.
Yin Luoling’s gaze swept over these methods without a ripple in her heart.
To her, these techniques were crude beyond words—any random technique she’d invented in her previous life far surpassed these.
She had only one goal—to embarrass Ling Huan.
She deliberately stopped in front of the cheapest basic Qi Refining methods, timidly pointing to a jade slip marked “50 low-grade spirit stones” called [Water Origin Technique], and said in a small, hesitant voice, “Bro… Brother… this… this one seems alright? Water… water attribute…” She went out of her way to look like she “didn’t dare pick the expensive ones.”
“Hey!”
Ling Huan quickly called out, his voice rising abruptly.
Yin Luoling sneered inwardly: As expected! Just pretending to be rich.
He’d surely come up with some grand excuse next.
“Don’t be hasty. You don’t even know your spiritual root yet!”
Ling Huan said lightly.
“Shopkeeper! Does your store have anything to test for spiritual roots?”
The steward didn’t even look up, nor did the other attendants.
They seemed to treat them as nothing but children playing, not knowing where they were.
Only a young woman a few years older than them came over with a gentle smile.
Seeing their tender age, she didn’t brush them off, but spoke softly, “Little ones, this is Liuyun Pavilion. Testing for spiritual roots costs five spirit stones per try. It can only show if you have a root, not what attribute it is.”
“Zhang Yun! Why bother with them? Just two little brats, kick them out already!” an attendant said impatiently, lowering his voice and gesturing to shoo them away.
“Don’t be like that! Isn’t the Liuyun Pavilion’s rule ‘all who enter are guests’?”
Zhang Yun quickly blocked him.
“You go take care of the storeroom inventory, didn’t you say it’s not done? Go on, I’ll handle things here.”
“Fine, but hurry up and get these two brats out. The steward hates kids.”
“Mm, mm.”
Zhang Yun watched her companion walk away, then turned back and crouched to meet the two children’s eyes.
“He’s just worried you’ll waste money, that’s why he spoke so bluntly—don’t take it to heart.”
She lowered her voice, with a touch of comfort, “You can wait until the sects recruit disciples, then go get tested. Sect testing is not only free, it can tell you what kind of spiritual root you have. That’s just in a year or two.”
But before she could say more, trouble arrived.
Another male attendant strode over with a cold face and barked, “Get lost! This isn’t a playground for you brats. That bit of mortal silver you have is useless in a place for immortals!”
He waved dismissively as if swatting flies.
“Go, go, go! If you want to play, go somewhere else! Acting grown-up at your age, what a joke!”
“Senior Brother Lin!” Zhang Yun stood up, frowning.
“Why speak to children like that? They’re only—”
“Enough! There’s a gulf between mortals and immortals. Is this some ordinary shop for riffraff to come and go at will?”
The arrogance of a cultivator was evident in every word of the man.
Yin Luoling, though happy to see Ling Huan embarrassed, couldn’t stand such pride and conceit.
Just a mere Qi Refining cultivator and already so arrogant—when he reached Foundation Establishment, would he not treat mortals as ants and lives as nothing?
But—
“Excuse me,” Ling Huan’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Money—I have plenty.”
“Heh, little brat, you think this is a mundane shop? You—” The male attendant’s words cut off abruptly.
Ling Huan casually waved his hand.
Crash—!
In an instant, dazzling spirit stones poured out of his storage ring like a river of stars breaking its banks!
Translucent low-grade spirit stones, sparkling with azure light, piled up in a bright, miniature mountain on the polished floor!
The sudden display of wealth seemed to freeze all of Liuyun Pavilion.
Fifty spirit stones would have been astonishing enough, but this—
“Fi—Five hundred spirit stones?!”
Zhang Yun gasped, her eyes round as saucers, her voice trembling with shock.
[Ding! Mission complete!]
[Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Comment: Host displayed immense wealth before all, belittling Yin Luoling’s horizons and making her feel unprecedented humiliation and powerlessness! The perfect villainous display!]
[Reward: 500 spirit stones!]
When Ling Huan had poured out spirit stones for Yin Luoling on the street, this reward had already appeared, but he hadn’t collected it.
Now the time was perfect!
He’d only meant to quietly show his sister his abilities, never to show off before everyone.
But alas, the world never goes as one wishes—someone was always forcing him to act out his role.
Ling Huan glanced at the dumbstruck male attendant, his face filled with open contempt and ridicule.
“I’ve heard of people cultivating immortality, but never of dogs doing the same.The entire cultivation world’s reputation has been dragged down by the likes of you—mere watchdogs at the gate.”