"I never thought the day would come for me as a Daoist,"
Wang Jixuan truly hadn't anticipated this.
A mere Qi Refining Realm had made him work tirelessly for nineteen days and nights before he could barely step into it!
If it weren't for the fact that meditation could replace sleep, it might have taken him a month!
In his previous life when Wang Jixuan first started his cultivation journey, his first meditation session had sparked a trace of inner energy, and in half a month, he had achieved the Grand Circulation, and in less than a month, he was overflowing with Qi. In less than a hundred days, he had entered the Gathering Spirit Realm, beginning to condense the Three Souls and Seven Spirits to form his divine self.
Although there were many factors here, the main one was that the spiritual energy in the current world was rather scarce, far less than in his previous life, and this body was already over twenty years old, with most of its meridians blocked...
Fortunately, he had still made it through.
Wang Jixuan clenched his fists, feeling a trace of Qi circulating and coiling under his skin.
With a punch he threw now, it was already as powerful as when he had used the Vajra Warrior Mantra previously, and it wouldn't harm himself.
Qi residing between the flesh and blood was the beginning of Qi cultivation.
Wang Jixuan meticulously calculated that to reach a state of Qi abundance, according to his current rate of cultivation, it would take at least four to five months.
Yet the threat of the Black Fire Gang was imminent.
He had been living in this safe house for quite some time and had ventured out three times to find food. It was hard to guarantee that no information had been leaked.
As long as this matter was unresolved, he would have no peace.
"Now that I have entered the Qi Refining Realm, it's time to settle the score with them,"
Wang Jixuan habitually shook his sleeves and then realized he was only wearing his underwear and sitting on the edge of the bed, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.
He jumped up, a trace of Qi circulating within him along a painstakingly created Circulation route, making his steps very light and his perceptions much sharper.
Turning on the faucet, Wang Jixuan quickly washed off the dirt excreted from his pores.
Water was the only free resource in the fortress;
Accompanied by the sound of water, Wang Jixuan's thoughts were rapidly turning.
He had decided to take the initiative and thus he must be fully prepared.
Captain Zhou had sent several messages, the last of which was four days ago, when Wang Jixuan went out to buy emergency food, he received a note with Captain Zhou's mark on it, saying that the pressure from the Black Fire Gang on Captain Zhou was increasing, and Captain Zhou might expel Wang Jixuan from the safe house at any moment.
"Mr. Zhou is a decent government officer, and later, once my cultivation is sufficient for alchemy, I shall give him several life-extending elixirs as a token of appreciation,"
"The greatest threat within the Black Fire Gang is that type of Mechanical Hidden Weapon called firearms,"
"To capture the bandits, capture the leader first; it is best to deal with the gang leader of the Black Fire Gang first, as he is the root of the trouble."
According to what Wang Jixuan knew, the whole Lower City was very chaotic, and the Black Fire Gang probably had a large number of people. For him currently, trying to take the enemy leader's head amidst an army of thousands was not an easy task.
Wang Jixuan was pondering some issues he simply wouldn't have considered in his past life's arduous cultivation.
When cultivators duel, it's about the artifacts and the spells.
Low-level cultivator's spells can be simply divided into three categories: Spell, talisman, and Artifact Control.
[Spell]uses fixed incantations to mobilize soul power and Primordial Spirit Power, drive Spiritual Energy, and condense spells, considered the most basic among magic methods.
He had already used it several times before, such as the Calming Incantation, Fire Control Spell, and Divine Movement Spell.
[Talisman] refers to drawing talisman patterns and secrets on special talisman paper, condensing part of the mana in the talisman paper. Its advantage in spells is that it can be directly thrown out during a duel to cast spells, and the ways of talisman are varied, often high-level cultivators prepare some protective talismans for low-level cultivators.
Wang Jixuan planned next to acquire some talismans for protection; although he wasn't very proficient in this method, he also had several complete talismans in his mind.
The problem was the suitable talisman paper and Spiritual Liquid.
[Artifact Control]— is about controlling Magical Artifacts.
Magical Artifacts are engraved with prohibitions inside and out. The most basic artifacts can imbibe mana and absorb Spiritual Energy, wielding the artifact to defeat enemies.
The simplest artifacts include Peach Wood Swords and Amulets; slightly advanced artifacts have the Qiankun Ring and Sword Control Technique's sword pills, while high-level artifacts are called Magic Treasures, with countless categories.
Artifact Refining was something Wang Jixuan was relatively adept at, but currently, he only had various metals he was not very familiar with, making it difficult to make use of them.
Without rice, even the cleverest housewife can't cook;
Neither had the Daoist any usable Magical Artifact.
Wang Jixuan's favorite Sword Control Technique would not start until the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm, and forging sword pills also required some treasure materials.
These were all out of the question for now.
"I can now try to get some talismans for protection, but where can I find the talisman paper and Spiritual Liquid?"
Wang Jixuan gazed slightly absently at his reflection in the mirror.
Grr grr grr—
His stomach gave a rumbling growl.
Wang Jixuan smiled wryly; he hadn't completed Foundation Establishment and could not yet do without grains and proteins.
He turned his head and glanced at the food cabinet;
It was completely empty.
Because he had missed work for twenty consecutive days, the three types of quotas allotted this month were halved simultaneously, and the numbers on his quota card were also critically low.
...
Eating was a matter of vital importance for the residents of the fortress.
Among the shortages of various supplies, the scarcity of food had always been an insurmountable problem.
If it weren't for synthetic starch technology, which allowed the fort to exchange electricity for food, which was then controlled round the clock by the fortress's intelligent control center, No. 76 Fortress wouldn't be able to sustain so many people.
Wang Jixuan put on a mask and a duckbill cap, wrapped himself in a grey jacket he had exchanged last time he went out using his general quota, and hurried towards the emergency food vending machine, which he had located last time.
Food vending machines are usually set up in circular gardens at the intersection of [Capillary Paths], which sometimes have some simple green belts, and in nicer areas, a few pieces of exercise equipment.
When going out, Wang Jixuan specifically chose a regular working hour, which was the quietest moment for the Middle City residential area.
He was also considering a problem—if he didn't work, there would be no food quota, and he would starve even before he mastered fasting.
"Once the matter with the Black Fire Gang is settled, I'll have to undertake some physical labor,"
"Consider it adapting to local customs. I'm not someone who doesn't distinguish grains or shirks physical labor,"
"Even if my fellow disciples knew about this, they would certainly laugh."
Wang Jixuan chuckled to himself.
His cultivation was generally going smoothly, and he felt a bit more joyous at the moment.
After walking for a few minutes, he stepped into the circular public area, and the target food vending machine came into view.
It was box-shaped, with only a narrow display window and a simple card-swiping area on the front, all made of high-strength alloy.
Closer up, he could see two rows of somewhat faded promotional slogans stickered on its cabinet.
"Don't sing praises to power, that's just flattery."
"Praise the laborers, for they deserve to be celebrated."
Wang Jixuan slightly raised his eyebrows.
He liked these two slogans.
He took out his Quota Card from his pocket and held it close to the card-swiping area; the interactive screen displayed his personal information and a list of food items. Wang Jixuan still chose the lowest food quota of emergency food, and following the suggestion of the 'Meal Helper' in the screen's corner, spent 3 food quotas to buy a bottle of multivitamins.
The machine buzzed, indicating to Wang Jixuan, who knew from Mu Liang's memory, that the conveyor belt inside was operating...
Uh?
Wang Jixuan's partially recovered Spiritual Sense suddenly detected a hint of danger.
He slightly turned his head, and saw two figures rapidly emerging from the "Capillary Path" on his left rear, stopping at the intersection and looking his way.
They were wearing green tracksuits, bulging with muscles.
Those clothes...
Exactly the same as the two guys Dr. Wei Na let go that day.
Black Fire Gang!
Wang Jixuan stood still, his body as relaxed as possible, waiting for the food he had purchased to drop to the outlet below.
The two muscular men in tracksuits nearby, furrowing their brows, sized up Wang Jixuan's figure, temporarily uncertain if he was their target, but they had already reached into their bosoms.
Thud, thud, thud.
Several bags of food landed inside the lower pickup port of the machine.
Wang Jixuan, as if nothing was amiss, bent over, squatted, and leisurely pulled out the bags.
"Mu Liang?"
The muscular man on the left called out, frowning.
Wang Jixuan showed no reaction, his breathing steady and movements natural.
The muscular man on the right squinted his eyes, his gaze landing on the vending machine's display screen, which was about to disappear in two seconds. He suddenly pulled out a handgun from his bosom!
Murderous intent!
Wang Jixuan almost instantly made his decision, flinging the two big bags of emergency food at the faces of the two tracksuit-clad men.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out!
Along with the flash from the gun muzzle, a bullet was fired!
Wang Jixuan's danger sense was triggered, and the power of his soul was involuntarily stimulated. He almost saw the bullet that was about to graze his scalp, and with all his might, he controlled his muscles and bones to somersault backwards.
Immediate sharp pain passed through his forehead!
His scalp was grazed, and his cap was knocked off!
Wang Jixuan completed a backflip and propped himself up with one hand, dodging to the right like a spring.
The two big bags of emergency food had a certain weight and, thrown by Wang Jixuan, who had entered the Qi Refining Realm, hit one man's arm directly, making it hard for him to hold the gun.
But the other man, adrenaline skyrocketing after the first shot, now crazily pulled the trigger toward a corner of the vending machine.
The gun roared!
Wang Jixuan, narrowly evading behind the vending machine, listened to the pleasant sounds of bullets striking the alloy, tensing up nerves in both parties.
Infinite Heavenly Venerate!
This thing's power is so great?
Wang Jixuan held his breath, his eyes rapidly scouring but unable to find suitable cover.
Shouts from the two men sounded nearby:
"Don't waste bullets!"
"I'm jumping over!"
One muscular man, holding the gun with both hands, quickly rushed forward. He didn't charge directly toward the vending machine; he just needed to find the right angle to shoot at Wang Jixuan.
He was ready to make a large jump forward!
Wang Jixuan clearly sensed the man's intention, while the other man had locked down the space above his head, ready to shoot as soon as he showed his head.
In the blink of an eye!
The rushing muscular man made a vigorous leap forward, his finger already on the trigger.
Wang Jixuan's eyes sparkled with golden light!
The spell he had been silently reciting was nearly finished!
"May I roam freely, my Dao naturally!"
He suddenly crouched and lunged forward, his body flashing with a faint golden light. His use of the Divine Movement Spell today was many times more powerful than the last!
But his use of the Divine Movement Spell this time was not for escape!
Wang Jixuan, moving at an extremely fast pace, rolled forward and, without fully standing up, flung a folding knife hidden in his sleeve, the blade wrapped in a thin layer of Qi.
That was the Qi Wang Jixuan had condensed with great effort!
The leaping muscular man hurriedly turned the gun barrel, raising his arm at the same time Wang Jixuan threw the knife!
Bang!