In the market.
Fang Xi strolled around the market and, despite his interest in a few items, his financial constraints left him no choice but to walk away.
Especially a damaged brewing recipe that caught his eye and incited his envy.
"Forget it... I can try to brew it myself... I'll just use Spirit Bamboo Rice as the base ingredient, if nothing else, I'll just brew less each time..."
"Using Spirit Rice for brewing, even if there are no other effects, it should still be satisfying and replenishing of spiritual energy..."
As Fang Xi pondered, he found himself unconsciously standing in front of a talisman booth.
This was Master Zong Symbol's usual booth, purely out of bodily instinct, to see if he could find a bargain.
However, today Master Zong Symbol was not there, replaced instead by his Taoist companion 'Lu Zhi'.
And right beside the booth stood another person.
"Eh? Isn't that Mr. Chen?"
Fang Xi saw Chen Ping and approached him with a smile to say hello.
"Mr. Fang..."
Chen Ping's smile was somewhat forced; after exchanging a couple of polite words, he quickly left.
"What did Mr. Chen come to buy? Or was it talisman paper, Spirit Sand?"
Fang Xi watched Chen Ping's departing figure and inquired thoughtfully to Lu Zhi.
"Tsk, the man's nothing but a wastrel."
Lu Zhi was full-bodied and had quite a fiery temper despite her ample cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining, as she cursed, "That Chen lad, with his thieving rat face, was shameless when trying to learn talisman drawing from my husband. Always had a wandering eye..."
"Oh..."
Fang Xi looked thoughtfully at Lu Zhi, unable to deny that she was indeed a great beauty.
Although she was slightly older, she carried a mature charm.
'I had no idea Chen Ping had such a taste.'
"If you're going to buy a talisman, spit it out quickly, don't waste my time!" Lu Zhi, hands on her hips, would have scolded if not for the fact that Fang Xi was a regular customer.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving right now."
Fang Xi smiled apologetically and returned to the Spirit Farmer Slum.
In contrast, Chen Ping was nervously pacing in his own courtyard. Upon seeing Fang Xi return, he quickly approached, asking urgently, "Mr. Fang... Did Lu say anything?"
"Nothing, nothing at all..."
Fang Xi shook his head.
Watching Chen Ping breathe a sigh of relief, Fang Xi suddenly asked thoughtfully, "Has Mr. Chen ever gone out for some fun?"
"That... Of course not."
Chen Ping's face turned beet red, appearing very much like an innocent young man, which made Fang Xi unable to hold back his laughter.
As an old-timer, he couldn't help but give a bit of advice, "As far as I know, Mr. Hong from room three of the Yi section and Fairy Red Bee from Room Seventeen of the C Section are both known for their warm hospitality..."
"That... I'm not into that sort of thing." Chen Ping immediately shook his hands in denial, though his eyes started darting around.
"Haha... Don't hurry, just listen first," Fang Xi said, knowing that such innocent young men are hardest hit by mature women's charms. "Though these two friends are a bit older, they are very understanding..."
"Really?" Chen Ping's eyes lit up at the mention of slightly older company, and he looked at Fang Xi as though they were kindred spirits.
Seeing this, Fang Xi felt a surge of amusement.
Life's firm friendships, after all, applied equally well even within the social relations of the Cultivation World.
...
Having deepened his friendship with Chen Ping, Fang Xi returned to his own room and went down to the basement, where he stared at more than a dozen pounds of Taisui Meat.
Han Fatty was a generous man, and had given him a little extra Taisui Meat. Now, more than ten pounds of meat in two large chunks sat before him, the sight was quite impressive.
"Taisui Meat, according to Mu Piaomiao, should be eaten cooked. Whether roasted or boiled..."
Fang Xi cut off a strip of the meat, made a fire, and slowly started to roast it.
As flames licked the meat, the pallid Taisui Meat began to turn slightly golden, emitting a unique fragrance that was extremely appetizing.
"It smells so good, who would have thought Great Liang had such an ingredient?"
Fang Xi's eyes sparkled.
Glancing at the Restoring Spring Talisman and Clear Spirit Pill in his hand, he took a confident bite of the roasted meat strip.
"Mmm..."
The cooked Taisui Meat immediately exploded with sweet juices when it hit his taste buds, tantalizing with a rich and indescribable umami that spread through his mouth and almost brought tears to his eyes.
Puffing out hot breaths, Fang Xi unconsciously devoured the Taisui Meat in a few bites.
The next moment, Fang Xi's expression changed as he clutched his belly.
He could feel the exquisitely delicious Taisui Meat, after entering his stomach, transform into a series of hot coals!
The scorching heat burst forth violently, repeatedly scouring the walls of his stomach.
The burning sensation spread uncontrollably, washing over his organs and extending to the limbs and bones...
Hot!
Despite it being only early spring, Fang Xi's forehead began to seep with large beads of sweat.
His clothes were already soaked through, overflowing with copious amounts of perspiration.
Even among the sweat, there appeared to be streaks of scarlet red!
"Even those so-called 'body refining great medicines' of the mortal martial artists? They're just at this level, huh?"
Fang Xi's heart churned like a blazing furnace.
"Plus, the roasted Taisui meat has an enticing aroma; if one can't control their appetite, they might eat too much... And if you eat too much, you will die!"
"No wonder Han Fatty, who sold the meat, was worried I'd eat myself to death... If it was an ordinary Qi and Blood Martial Artist at the Three Transformations stage, they really might not be able to control themselves, getting tempted to eat a few more bites and then bursting to death..."
Not only was Fang Xi a Martial Artist, but he was also an Immortal Cultivator.
He stood up, forcefully controlled his muscles with his Spirit Sense, and took up a stance to practice the White Cloud Palm.
Clap clap!
His palms turned pitch black, and with each strike, he generated a powerful palm wind within the closed chamber.
After less than half an hour, Fang Xi ceased his practice and rested.
Upon introspecting his own body, he was somewhat surprised: "My Qi and blood have increased so much? Monster Demon meat truly is a supreme medicine for body refining!"
After his surprise, he frowned slightly: "The medicinal effect is still a bit too fierce, no wonder only the Principals of Martial Arts Schools dare to eat it often, and Qi and Blood Martial Artists at the Three Transformations stage only eat a little bit when breaking through..."
Through the Cultivation World's Spirit Sense, Fang Xi even discovered that the violent Qi and blood had caused minor injuries throughout his body.
If left unattended, there wouldn't be much feeling on a daily basis, nor would it affect subsequent martial arts training.
But once it accumulated to a certain extent, it would indeed explode fiercely, and that was what's known as the point of no return.
"Fortunately, I can introspect my own body... Treat the specific condition first, then heal the injuries."
This is the superiority of an Immortal Cultivator.
Not just the current injuries from Qi and blood, but even the hidden injuries and toxins accumulated from practicing poisonous palms before were all found by Fang Xi and then treated and detoxified.
As a result, his physical condition far surpassed that of his peers at the same level, and his state was incredibly good.
Now, after introspecting his body and discovering only minor injuries, Fang Xi immediately put away the Clear Spirit Pill and Restoring Spring Talisman.
After all, they cost Spirit Crystals to buy.
And for such ordinary injuries, silently cultivating the Eternal Spring Skills to heal, a matter of a few days' effort, would be just about just enough to fully recover.
The 'Eternal Spring Skills' are a Wood Attribute Basic Skill, and although the progress and power are indeed average, at least the healing and health-preserving effects of the Wood Attribute Skills are there.
With that thought, Fang Xi no longer hesitated and immediately sat down cross-legged, silently circulating his skills.
The 'Eternal Spring Skills' were quite balanced and gentle, with a healing effect.
After one cycle of circulation, he opened his mouth and spat out a small mouthful of black blood.
"Cough cough..."
After briefly rinsing his mouth with some water, Fang Xi wiped his mouth and introspected again, nodding inwardly: "Two more times, and the healing should be about right..."
"With such progress, I can completely afford to eat Taisui meat every three days."
"With this aid, the accumulation of Qi and blood will be rapid, and I might be able to challenge the realm of a Principal of Martial Arts School next month!"
If it were Mu Piaomiao, she would definitely not dare to eat so recklessly, otherwise, before making a breakthrough, she would have damaged herself grievously from strain and die from hemorrhage.
"Several months to complete a body refining, not bad at all."
Fang Xi was quite satisfied with this pace.
He hadn't been practicing martial arts for long, just about half a winter, and then with another month of effort, he could break into the realm of a Martial Arts School Master.
In the Da Liang World, the strength of a Martial Arts School Master, such as Mu Canglong, was observed by Fang Xi, comparable to a Cultivator after one body refining, similar to the early stages of Qi Refining.
"This speed is actually astonishing... If it were Qi Refining, being able to break through a realm in several months would be considered a rare genius, even in the early stages of Qi Refining."
"And a Cultivator who has undergone one body refining can pose a threat to a Qi Refining third layer Cultivator in close combat."
"Not to mention, after the rank of Martial Arts School Master, there are even higher realms."
At this point, Fang Xi finally understood the benefits of the Qi and Blood Martial Arts.
It's fast!
After all, it's the martial arts used by mortals in their struggle to excel, naturally progressing much faster than the cultivation skills of Immortal Cultivators!
"If I can break through to a level above a Martial Arts School Master, I might be comparable to a middle-stage body cultivator in Qi Refining—that would be a huge gain!"
"What's more important is its speed of success!"
"If my body is comparable to the mid-Qi Refining stage, perhaps I could act a bit more freely in Green Bamboo Mountain Market and start selling some Monster Beast meat?"
Fang Xi's eyes shone slightly.
The price of Monster Beast meat was even higher than Spirit Rice!
What's more, buying Monster Beast meat in Great Liang doesn't require Spirit Stones, just some gold and silver, which means pure profit!
As long as he can sustain it, even the resources he needs for Foundation Establishment might easily be accumulated!