In the dimly lit living room,
Li Yi sat motionless on the ground, his eyes lightly closed, breathing evenly, fully immersed in his cultivation.
The incomplete Sword Coin brought him an unimaginable advantage; the pure energy was continuously drawn into his body by his will and then absorbed.
After receiving this energy, the cells in his body began to evolve autonomously.
The evolved cells would divide faster, live longer, and be stronger than before. These subtle changes would eventually reflect on the complete individual, thus the cultivator's physical capabilities would be enhanced, their bones more resilient, and naturally, their lifespan would also increase.
This was a comprehensive transformation.
Thus, cultivation is a process of self-evolution.
However, after about two to three hours of meditation, a strong sensation of hunger forced Li Yi to open his eyes and interrupt his cultivation.
"I'm so hungry," he licked his lips.
His stomach growled audibly as a strong thirst and hunger pervaded his body. The food he had eaten earlier had long been digested, and he now needed to eat immediately.
Li Yi was not panicked; he knew this was normal. As his body evolved, it also consumed more energy, the most obvious change being an increased appetite. Therefore, he had to stand up and cook for himself to satisfy his hunger first.
The milk, hanging noodles, and instant noodles in the refrigerator were quickly depleted, but he was still hungry. Eventually, even the white sugar meant for seasoning was dissolved in warm water and all gulped down.
Only when everything edible at home was gone did Li Yi's hunger finally subside.
"No wonder people say that the medical pods are not prepared for the Silent Ones but for cultivators; now I understand. After entering the medical pod, cultivators can obtain a comfortable and stable environment for cultivation. The medical pod can automatically adjust air temperature, humidity, isolate noise, and even massage your body to promote blood circulation, preventing illness from prolonged sitting. Of course, the most important aspect is that it automatically supplements the cultivator with the nutrients needed,"
Li Yi gave a glance at the two medical pods in the room and thought to himself.
"A second-hand medical pod is worth at least a million, but a brand-new one starts at thirty million. The cheapest nutrient solution costs over a thousand yuan per unit, which can sustain a Silent One for ten days. However, the top-grade nutrient solution costs a hundred thousand per unit, essentially liquid gold, probably intended for cultivators,"
"Otherwise, cultivators would have to wake up every few hours to eat due to hunger, which would greatly affect the efficiency of their cultivation."
"Thus, if ordinary people wish to cultivate, they must at least equip themselves with a medical pod and a sufficient amount of nutrient solution. If they have some extra money, they would also hire a guide to help channel cosmic energy into the cultivator's body, greatly reducing the time needed for cultivation,"
"All this considered, there are many expenses involved in cultivation. It seems that most people are reluctant to cultivate not because they fear it's harmful, but because they lack the funds. With money, these issues can all be resolved,"
Having finished the sugar water in his hand, Li Yi smacked his lips and thought to himself in surprise.
"So, the priority now is to find a job that can make a lot of money fast. Otherwise, even if I possess this broken Mysterious Object, my path of cultivation will not go smoothly. Furthermore, I need to provide for my cultivation as well as for my parents, allowing them to rest healthily in the medical pods. I can't keep feeding them the cheapest nutrient solution indefinitely,"
"With money, I will also trade for the newest and top-tier medical pod and buy nutrient solutions that cost a hundred thousand per unit,"
With different pursuits, Li Yi's desires and ambitions grew significantly. He was no longer satisfied with the meager wages from his previous odd jobs.
"Continue to cultivate; tomorrow I'll ask Lin Yue how those involved in cultivation earn their money,"
Li Yi entered meditation again and resumed his cultivation status.
The night quickly passed.
At dawn,
Li Yi left home early, feeling extremely hungry as everything at home was eaten, so he headed straight for the breakfast shop downstairs.
"Boss, give me twenty buns,"
His voice was loud and clear, full of vitality. Despite the hunger, his spirit was exceptionally good, and his body felt very light and full of strength, not at all like the tiredness he used to feel from laboring.
This was only the first day of his cultivation.
While eating, Li Yi considered how to make money today. He still had over a thousand yuan left, and his home was virtually out of supplies. If he didn't bring back two nutrient solutions by tonight, his parents would suffer hunger as well.
As he thought, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing.
Li Yi picked it up and saw it was from the unscrupulous middleman who usually offered him jobs: Curly Brother.
"Is this Li Yi?"
Upon answering, the voice on the other end wasn't Curly Brother's but sounded very deep and familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
He remembered.
It was Crow, whom he wasn't very familiar with.
Li Yi's heart chilled, and his expression became serious instantly; he didn't expect the other party to have dealt with the investigative bureau's trouble so quickly. It seemed this group wasn't just any ordinary cultivators but had some significant backing.
"It's me, Crow," he chose not to evade but to communicate directly.
"You sure ran fast yesterday; in a blink of an eye, no trace of you was left. Where are you now?" Crow asked.
Li Yi said, "Just speak plainly, there's no need to beat around the bush. You're not interested in a poor guy like me. You're interested in what I brought back from the Ruined District, aren't you?"
"You're quite sensible. Hand it over; that's not something you should be messing with—don't make trouble for yourself," Crow's tone was deep, carrying a hint of threat.
"Am I looking for trouble or are you? We agreed that once the item was found you'd pay, yet I haven't received any money. You think I wanted to run yesterday? First, you don't pay up, and second, you want to silence me—it was you who broke the trust first, tsk, what a mess."
"I'm giving you ten minutes now—transfer the money to me immediately, or I'll take this stuff to the investigation bureau and report it as stolen goods."
Li Yi immediately straightened up, blasting Crow over the phone.
From ten meters away you can eye-witness me, so over the phone screen you definitely can't do anything to me.
And the more righteous and emboldened Li Yi became, the more it proved he wasn't guilty, taking someone else's stuff.
Crow's face twitched in anger, almost crushing his phone, then he explained, "Liu Yan's death was an accident. Although it was our doing, she had been possessed by a ghost and was beyond saving. We had to kill her reluctantly."
"Whether she was possessed is for you to say. Now if you find me, I'll most likely be 'possessed,' too. You've already lost your credibility. If you want your items back, pay up first, or else I'll report your business with the Mysterious Object and the stolen goods, and no one will have it easy," Li Yi said.
Silence fell on the other end of the phone for a while before Crow finally responded, "Fine, I can transfer the money first, but you need to take a photo of the items and send it over to confirm they are still in your possession."
"Money first, then you see the goods," Li Yi said.
Crow's voice turned icy, "Kid, you really think your life's worth less than money? You think I can't do anything to you? I managed to get through to you today, and I can find your house tomorrow. Not many have two medical pods in the old district of Tianchang City, so you've already exposed yourself. I advise you to behave."
Li Yi's heart chilled, and he immediately fell silent.
If things went south, he could run, but his parents, who were laid up in medical pods, could not—this was his vulnerability.
"Try taking a photo of the item first, I'll transfer you a sum depending on the item's worth," Crow said, still issuing threats but cautious not to push Li Yi too hard.
If the kid were to actually go to the investigation bureau with the items, they'd suffer even bigger losses.
They were Cultivators, not worth being dragged down by a few rotten lives.
Fortunately, it was the safe zone. If it were in the Ruined District, Crow would truly consider killing to silence the issue to avoid trouble.
Li Yi had no choice but to swallow his pride and compromise under such threats, "Okay, I'll take a photo of the items I've got and send it to you."
After speaking, he opened his backpack, took out a heap of worn clothes, took photos, and sent them over.
Crow immediately showed the picture to Ning Wu beside him.
"These are the funeral items Li Yi collected from the second basement level; see if they're worth anything?"
Ning Wu looked at the pictures: "These clothes are indeed not from our world, and the material is quite special, but the chance that they're Mysterious Objects is slim because Mysterious Objects are hard to destroy. The clothes are rotten and torn, so they're virtually worthless. It seems we need to focus on Wang Hu and Wei Li."
"Is there a chance he lied and hid something?" Crow asked somberly.
Ning Wu closed her eyes, recalling yesterday's scene, then said, "The likelihood of hiding something isn't high. The number of clothes in the picture does match the number Li Yi had yesterday. But to avoid complications, let's give him some money to recover the items."
"Alright, I understand."
Crow nodded, then continued the conversation with Li Yi, "What you have is junk, not worth much, but considering the special circumstances, I am willing to pay ten thousand to recover them."
"Only ten thousand? Wasn't it supposed to be two million?" Li Yi was about to start cursing.
Crow sneered, "Just a few pieces of rag, and you think you're holding a Mysterious Object and demanding two million? Just ten thousand, take it or leave it. Otherwise, you won't even get that."
Li Yi clenched his teeth and spat out a word, "Fine."
Even a mosquito is still meat.
Indeed, these guys were ruthlessly greedy, and if it hadn't been for the fifty thousand deposit beforehand, he'd be at a great loss now.
"I bet you're too scared to show up now, kid. Drop the items in the storage lockers at the mall, and I'll have someone pick them up," Crow said.
"Okay."
Li Yi hung up the phone, relaxing instantly after a moment of gritting his teeth.
He had probably managed the bluff.
Though he didn't know how long he could keep it up, at least for the short term, Crow and his gang wouldn't be after him.
Of course, Li Yi knew it wasn't because he was particularly skilled, but because their focus was drawn to Wang Hu and Wei Li, as they were more likely to possess Mysterious Objects.
But he was also aware that as long as he continued his Cultivation, the next time they encountered each other, the fact he possessed Mysterious Objects would likely be exposed.
Because the gap in Cultivation between having and not having Mysterious Objects is vast, and it's far from something you can explain by simply claiming 'you are a genius.'
So before that time came, he needed to acquire a certain level of self-preserving ability, at least to activate Spirit Medium like that woman had.
Thinking this, Li Yi took a deep breath, a profound sense of crisis enveloping him.
After dealing with Crow, he immediately headed to Uncle Biao's Meditation Room.
His understanding of Cultivation was far from sufficient; he still needed advice from Lin Yue.