Xu Mu walked toward the school gate; as he walked, Ling Xiuqi approached from the side.
"How's your consideration of the matter I mentioned last time?"
Xu Mu asked back, "What matter?"
"You and Xiao Cheng sell all your Spirit Stones to me. Since we're primary school classmates, I can give you an extra thousand," Ling Xiuqi said with a generous look.
Xu Mu's brows furrowed slightly as he replied flatly, "We used them up long ago."
Without waiting for a reply, Xu Mu continued walking toward the school gate. Hearing this, Ling Xiuqi looked displeased and started grumbling.
"I really don't get it! What are two Low-grade Spiritual Root trashes doing with Spirit Stones! It's such a waste!!"
He wished this were the Cave Abode World; that way, with his Qi Refining Fourth Layer strength, he could show Xu Mu the meaning of a gap!! He wouldn't even have to pay; he could just snatch them away.
Xu Mu was quite speechless at this. It felt as if Ling Xiuqi was a giant baby who lacked a sense of security since childhood and whose ego had inflated uncontrollably after rising with a Medium-grade Spiritual Root. This kind of person would eventually face a harsh reality check.
After returning home, Xu Mu had lunch and went to his Cave Abode. He would cultivate first, then study Formations. The Formation Legacy he borrowed this time contained the three basic Formations he needed.
Once all three Formations were in place, the safety level of Xu Mu's Cave Abode would be maxed out. Not only would it be safe, but if any Early Stage Qi Refining Yao Beasts passed by and stumbled into the Formation, Xu Mu could easily kill them.
This was why, among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, Xu Mu chose to study the path of Formations first. Safety is the top priority when cultivating in the Cave Abode World. It wasn't that Xu Mu was overly cautious; Cultivators with ability and wealth generally did the same.
Just as Xu Mu was about to start, he suddenly saw a Yao Beast rampaging around thirty meters outside the Cave Abode.
[System Message: Yao Beast: Gale Dog] [System Message: Cultivation: Early Stage Qi Refining]
The corners of Xu Mu's mouth curled up, and he smiled involuntarily. "It seems this little guy is lost. In that case, I'll help it out."
The Gale Dog was nearly two meters long and over a meter tall. It had gray fur all over, strong limbs, a hideous face, and sharp teeth. Because of the mist, it couldn't see anything and was running around in a panic.
Bang!!
The Gale Dog, unable to see the path, slammed headfirst into the defensive Formation outside the Cave Abode. The impact was significant; the barrier rippled, and the Gale Dog was left dazed. It stood frozen, unable to recover for a moment. This was practically meat delivered to Xu Mu's doorstep; there was no reason not to take it.
Boom!!
Xu Mu hurried forward, forming hand seals, and a fireball burning with pale blue flames suddenly appeared. With a wave of his hand, the fireball flew toward the dazed Gale Dog.
Bang!!
The fireball hit the Gale Dog right in the face and exploded, sparks scattering like falling petals. The fireball, enhanced with Departing Fire, was incredibly powerful, blowing away the Gale Dog's face and revealing its bleached-white skull. Even so, it wasn't completely dead yet. Xu Mu sent a Wind Blade at its mangled face, killing it once and for all.
"Alright, the problem of being lost is solved."
A bronze box appeared beside the Gale Dog's body. Xu Mu went out to retrieve the corpse and the box, then opened it.
[System Message: Player received: 10 Qi Gathering Pills, 3 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]
Xu Mu thought it was a pity; there was no Star Stone this time. Among the items found in ordinary boxes, the most valuable was the Star Stone, but they didn't appear every time. Getting one last time was luck, so not having one now was normal.
The System notification sounded:
[System Message: Detected Host received rewards: 10 Qi Gathering Pills, 3 Low-grade Spirit Stones. Critical hit available.]
[System Message: Congratulations to the Host for receiving a 30x Critical Hit multiplier.]
[System Message: Reward increased to 300 Qi Gathering Pills and 90 Low-grade Spirit Stones. Rewards have been stored in the System Space and can be withdrawn at any time.]
Although there was no Star Stone, there were plenty of Qi Gathering Pills, so Xu Mu wouldn't need to buy them from the Trading Platform. One Qi Gathering Pill is worth 1 Spirit Stone, so 300 pills are 300 Spirit Stones—a huge sum for an Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.
300 Qi Gathering Pills would last Xu Mu a long time; he likely wouldn't even finish them because once he reached the Qi Refining Mid-stage or Late Stage, there would be better medicinal pills for cultivation. As for Spirit Stones, Xu Mu originally had 116 left; with the 90 added, his savings were back up to 200. The reward was somewhat satisfactory.
Xu Mu turned to look at the Gale Dog's corpse; except for its head, there was almost no damage elsewhere.
This Yao Beast has quite a bit of meat; I can keep it. That way, I'll have a side dish whenever I eat Spirit Rice.
Since items from the outside couldn't be brought in, Xu Mu could only take the Gale Dog's corpse out. Then he went out to buy some tools and came back to process the corpse. Although Xu Mu had enough strength, he wasn't familiar with the anatomy, lacked experience in skinning and deboning, and was using only ordinary tools.
It took Xu Mu several hours to barely finish processing the corpse. The Gale Dog's pelt had a nice texture; it could be placed in the Cave Abode to use as a mat. The teeth and claws were tough and sharp; together, they should sell for 0.5 Spirit Stones. Xu Mu couldn't be bothered to sell them for such a small amount, so he just kept them along with its internal organs.
In the end, there were over 60 catties of meat left. At 1 catty a day, it would last Xu Mu for quite a while. However, Xu Mu had to cook and wash dishes himself every day, which was a bit of a hassle.
When I have some spare money, I'll buy a nice house and hire a chef and a nanny so I don't have to waste time on trivial matters. At the same time, the quality of life will improve significantly. If I'm happy and comfortable every day, my cultivation will surely yield twice the result with half the effort.
Most people strive to cultivate in order to possess greater power, longer lifespans, more authority, and more wealth. Then they can live a carefree life, enjoying all the beautiful things in the world. Xu Mu was no exception.