For the entire night, Lin Fei kept to his tempering. At one point Lin Xinyue had come out and insisted that he take some rest, but he had refused. She had gone as far as to proclaim that if he was really that apprehensive to confront this Chen Wei guy, then she would blast him into earthly dust for him, though it would set her back a few years. He had calmly refused.
The truth was, Lin Fei didn't fear this Chen Wei. The amount of experience he had dwarfed many experienced cultivators, much less to say about an idiot who had yet to take a proper step into the cultivation world.
Instead the guy only served as a motivating factor.
It became clear to Lin Fei soon enough that his rate of advancement was slower than he had expected. Going by his estimate, it would take him a month to temper his body. Another to refine his bones. And the rest of the two realms would require three or more months.
If anyone knew that Lin Fei could complete the entire Mortal Foundation Realm in just over five months without the use of resources, then it was unknown what they would say, but no one could deny the extreme frustration and indignant rage they would harbor toward the Heavens.
"I need resources." He muttered to himself. "Time to use those contribution points."
As he left his room, Lin Fei glanced into the hallway, finding it utterly empty. Alongside his and Ye Chenxi's room, there were a total of nine other rooms.
"I would have to find another residence also."
Frankly, he couldn't bear to live among others. Previous Lin Fei might've been fine with this arrangement, but the same wasn't true for him.
As he left the building, he didn't spot Ye Chenxi anywhere; instead, a lanky man leaned against the gate frame, dozing off.
Lin Fei walked past the guy and out onto the street. Just then a voice called from behind.
"Hey, you're Lin Fei, right?" He turned to find the same man looking at him while trying to stifle a yawn.
"No." Lin Fei shook his head. "Lin Fei is within the building. I can understand the confusion, though; we do look similar after all."
"Is that so?" The man frowned, rubbing the back of his head.
Lin Fei paid his farewell and turned to leave, keeping a neutral expression on his face. After he was some distance away, he finally cracked a grin and scoffed.
Just because he didn't fear this Chen Wei didn't mean he was going to walk right into his trap. Besides from what he had heard, the guy was at the very peak of the Mortal Foundation Realm. How did he stall his own advancement? No one knew, but Lin Fei could admire the effort.
Admire when used on others, that is. He didn't like it when people messed with him.
Arriving at the Treasure Hall, Lin Fei went straight to the reception and asked for a charter.
Listed on it were names of the products they sold, alongside their prices. The one he was searching for, a Spirit Flower, which was a Mid-Tier 1 Herb, cost around 700 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Since the ratio between the low-grade spirit stones and contribution points was 1:1, he would need to pay more than half his contribution points for the purchase.
He then looked up a few other things, like some medicinal concoctions and body-strengthening elixirs. At last he also tallied up the cost for a beginner Inscription kit, which consisted of 10 blank talismans, a single oaken brush, and ground beast blood-ink, and the total came up around 1165, which would leave him with a total of 70 points.
Lin Fei decided to purchase everything at once.
After leaving the Treasure Hall, instead of going back to his quarters, he followed the path in his memory and came upon a creek running through a short hill. There was a cave-like opening beneath, and he crawled within.
"Alright, Mother, come out."
Just as said so, Lin Xinyue manifested in all her busty glory and reminded him once more why she spent most of her time in his soul. Just looking at her gave him a hard-on. This was the allure of an existence that had reached true immortality.
"You've prepared a fine meal for me; thank you." She flashed him a sultry smile before sweeping her illusory hand over the pale blue flower. The Spirit Flower burst into blue flames, which were then absorbed by her wispy form.
"That felt good." She remarked.
"If you're done, then please create some Rank 1 Talismans for me. Make sure to create at least two attack types."
After stating his requirements, Lin Fei stood to the side, observing her work. She held the brush using nothing but her soul force, and the strokes she made on the paper were nothing short of a work of art. He stood motionless, entranced by the display unfolding before him.
"And done!" With one last stroke, Lin Xinyue put the brush aside and levitated the ten complete Rank 1 talismans before him.
"Growth stimulation talisman?" She nodded at his inquiring look. "These should fetch around a few thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Of course, Lin Fei couldn't sell them just yet. Selling anything on the sect premises required a level of credibility that could only be achieved by revealing your identity. He didn't have loads of treasures and amulets to protect him like the previous time, so he didn't want to face a group of strong cultivators interrogating him.
With both of the tasks finished, Lin Fei asked, "Can you perform any concoctions?"
Lin Xinyue shook her head, her breasts jiggling with the motion. "Not yet. It would require more than just a mere Spirit Flower. And just for your information, the juice that flower provided me is over; I can't make any more of these talismans."
"Wait, they are disposables?"
"Well, they do help slightly, but the difference is hardly worth mentioning."
Lin Fei let out a sigh and collected the talismans before departing from the cave.