As spring passed and autumn came, two years had gone by.
In a secret chamber of the Martial Training Garden.
Shen Long stood in front of a sandbox filled with white ice cones.
A white light shone from his right hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a white ice cone about a foot long shot out, striking the middle of the sandbox.
"Ice Cone Technique, Great Perfection!"
Shen Long's face showed delight. After years of practice, he had finally mastered the Ice Cone Technique to Great Perfection, making it the fourth first-tier Art Technique he had brought to this level.
Shen Long was still at the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Over these two years, they had been going to the mountains at regular intervals to hunt Monster Beasts. Ye Yutang and Ye Yuqing would set up formations to wipe out the Monster Beasts—first-tier Monster Beasts were no match for them. The efficiency of their Monster Hunting Team had greatly increased, and they were earning more and more Spirit Stones, making a name for themselves in Qianzhu Valley.
With a flick of his sleeve, a crimson fireball flew out and struck the sandbox, destroying all the ice cones.
He opened the door to the secret chamber and saw Qin Qing and Qin Tianhe.
Qin Tianhe had reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement, while Qin Qing was still plodding along, with most of the Spirit Stones earned from hunting Monster Beasts spent on Qin Tianhe.
"Taoist Friend Qin, long time no see!"
Shen Long greeted with a smile.
"Taoist Friend Shen, I heard from Grandfather that you've mastered three Art Techniques to Great Perfection?"
Qin Tianhe said, full of envy.
He too spent two hours every day practicing Art Techniques, yet so far, he had only achieved Great Perfection in one.
Shen Long nodded. "Heaven rewards the diligent, I have high hopes for you."
"Tianhe is more accomplished than me, but he still falls short compared to Taoist Friend Shen. This lad has only brought one Art Technique to Great Perfection, unlike Taoist Friend Shen, who has already perfected three."
Qin Qing said with a tone of envy.
"With more practice, he can certainly do it."
Shen Long replied with a smile, intentionally revealing this information. His trump cards were now the Beast Soul Talisman, Ice Cone Technique, and Iron Tail Scorpion.
After some idle chat, Shen Long left, and Qin Qing and Qin Tianhe entered.
"It's so hot in here, was he practicing the Fire Serpent Technique just now?"
Qin Tianhe asked curiously.
"Maybe! Hurry up and practice your Art Technique, so you can master the Fireball Technique to Great Perfection early."
Qin Qing urged.
Qin Tianhe responded and began to recite incantations.
Shen Long returned to his dwelling, activated the Soundproofing Array, and entered the Spirit Control Tower.
A chorus of joyous hissing sounded as the Iron Tail Scorpion crawled out from the Spirit Control Pool and dashed towards Shen Long.
Shen Long had named the pool the Spirit Control Pool, where the Iron Tail Scorpion usually resided. It was still in the early stages of the first tier, having grown to about a yard in size.
Shen Long took out a red Storage Bag, shook it upside down, and a swath of red luminescence swept by, leaving a yard-long Iron Tail Scorpion on the ground whose head flew off.
According to Ye Yuqing, devouring the carcass of a higher-tier counterpart could aid in the advancement of a Spirit Beast or Spirit Insect.
This Iron Tail Scorpion was still in the early stages of the first tier and had been slain by Shen Long during their last mountain venture.
The Iron Tail Scorpion swung its mighty pincers, tearing at the carcass of its kin, relishing the meal.
Shen Long exited the Spirit Control Tower, took out a clay pot and Golden Bead Spirit Rice, and cooked a pot of Spirit Rice Meal.
After finishing his Spirit Rice Meal, he packed up the Spirit Control Tower and the Spirit Stones from the Soundproofing Array and went out.
Half a quarter of an hour later, Shen Long arrived at the entrance of Treasure Pavilion and strode inside.
"Taoist Friend Shen, long time no see,"
said a portly man in red robes as he hurried over, speaking warmly.
Lin Dong, at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, was Lin Yu's brother.
The Spiritual Medicine Shen Long got from hunting Monster Beasts was all sold to Treasure Pavilion, and over time, he had become acquainted with Lin Dong.
"It's been a while, Taoist Friend Lin, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Shen Long said, greeting with a smile.
"Taoist Friend Shen, please follow me."
Lin Dong made a welcoming gesture and led Shen Long up to a guest room on the second floor. He closed the door behind them and activated the soundproofing array.
"Taoist Friend Lin, I heard you have special elixirs that are used to feed spirit beasts. How much are they?"
Shen Long asked.
"You mean Spirit Feeding Pills? They are in high demand. The Chen Family, Han Family, and Li Family have all placed orders ahead of time,"
Lin Dong said with a troubled expression.
"I don't need many, just a few pills will do. Taoist Friend Lin, please make an exception this time. Each time I buy spiritual medicine, I always come to you. Looking after a regular customer isn't too much to ask, right?"
Shen Long said.
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Dong replied, "Alright, I'll sell you three pills at thirty spirit stones each, but you mustn't tell anyone else."
"Thirty spirit stones each? That's expensive, isn't it?"
Shen Long said with a frown.
"You get what you pay for, there's a reason for the price being high."
Lin Dong said.
"Fine! Three pills then, and I'll also take a bottle of Qi-Condensing Pills."
Shen Long said.
He had been taking Qi Nourishing Pills, but the effects were diminishing, probably due to developing a resistance. He needed to take better elixirs. A Qi-Condensing Pill cost five spirit stones each, and a bottle was only fifty spirit stones, which made the Spirit Feeding Pills six times more expensive in comparison.
"Alright, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."
Lin Dong got up and left.
It wasn't long before he returned, taking out a blue porcelain bottle and a blue wooden box to hand over to Shen Long.
After verifying there were no mistakes, Shen Long paid with the spirit stones and took his leave.
He arrived at the bustling Azure Stone Plaza and strolled around.
"Taoist Friend Shen, would you like to purchase a jar of spiritual wine?"
A sweet female voice called out.
Following the sound, Shen Long saw Huang Xiuyun, who had reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.
Shen Long had inquired with Huang Xiuyun before. The two spirit insect eggs hadn't hatched yet, and she had no intention of selling them. She was determined to incubate the eggs.
"Fairy Huang, I'll take a jar of Jade Apricot Brew!"
Shen Long said with a smile, producing twenty spirit stones.
He was now modestly well-off, with over six hundred spirit stones in his storage bag.
In a few days, it would be Sun Huowang's birthday, and he planned to buy a jar of fine spiritual wine to give to Sun Huowang as a present.
Huang Xiuyun accepted the spirit stones and handed a yellow wine jar to Shen Long.
"Why isn't Fairy Ye here?"
Shen Long casually asked.
"They finished selling talismans and went back to rest. Do you want to see them? I can help you contact them,"
Huang Xiuyun said enthusiastically.
Ye Yuqing was skilled in talisman arts and had a certain reputation in the marketplace. The first-grade talismans she made were relatively cheap and of decent quality. However, she only sold some talismans periodically, never overselling to avoid offending the talisman shops.
"No need, I was just asking casually."
Shen Long declined, as he recalled something and asked curiously, "Fairy Huang, those two insect eggs still haven't hatched? Could they be dead eggs?"
"Impossible, there's a faint sign of life in them. I believe they can be hatched."
Huang Xiuyun earnestly replied.
Shen Long smiled, chatted idly for a bit, and then left.
He made his way to Soldier Hall. Soldier Hall's business was doing well, and the shop assistant was busy introducing weapons to customers.
Going up to the second floor, he saw Sun Huowang talking to a tall and skinny man in a yellow shirt. Sun Huowang's face was full of anger, seemingly in the midst of an outburst.
Upon seeing Shen Long, Sun Huowang's expression softened as he said, "Shen Long, you're here."