Spiritual Feast! A Clear Future!

The three walked along the river and soon arrived at a two-story building overlooking the water.

Green tiles and wooden eaves, lanterns hanging high, the river reflecting the lights, shimmering in the sunlight.

Shen Yi pushed open the door and entered, appearing quite familiar with the shopkeeper.

"Uncle Li, please have a private room. Bring out the best spirit fruits, spirit dishes, and demon beast meat, along with three jars of Qingling wine."

The shopkeeper, who was called Uncle Li, looked up and sized up Shen Yi, his face showing surprise.

"Wow, it's been three months since you treated us to a meal. Did you strike it rich today?"

Shen Yi put his arm around Lu Yun's shoulder, puffing out his chest: "My dear brother is here! First-class rating in the Immortal Hall!"

Uncle Li's gaze fell on Lu Yun, and his casualness immediately subsided, replaced by a touch of seriousness.

Those who have been in the Immortal Workshop for a long time understand the weight of the words "Grade A".

He has the potential to enter the Immortal Academy and become a true Immortal Master.

"Alright, today I'll bring out all my best-kept secret recipes."

Shen Yi led Lu Yun upstairs and into a private room overlooking the river.

The sound of flowing water could be heard outside the window, and the lights reflected on the river surface, shattering into a golden-red hue.

The three of them sat down, and Shen Yi poured tea for everyone.

"Brother, you keep mentioning the Earth Fire Chamber. Is the Earth Fire Chamber very important in the Immortal Hall?"

Lu Yun took the teacup and asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Have you grasped the essence of the 'Tai Xu Hundred Refinements Manual'?"

"I've submitted it."

"With your Qi Refining Stage 3 true Qi, how long can you last?"

Lu Yun silently calculated in his mind and gave a conservative estimate: "Not yet at the beginner level, at most two hours."

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.

He could sustain himself for two hours at the third level of Qi Refining; his foundation in true Qi was much stronger than he had expected.

Two hours are not enough.

Besides, you haven't even entered the realm yet. That flame struggles to even forge refined gold to the second refinement stage, let alone the hundredth refinement.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "The more spiritual materials you forge, the more spiritual resources you can earn."

One hundred catties of low-grade spirit ore, after a hundred refinings, yields only one spirit stone; after a thousand refinings, it yields five spirit stones.

"If the Earth Fire Chamber didn't conserve your internal energy, how many kilograms could you forge in a day?"

Lu Yun was silent for a moment. He had been wondering when he would be able to properly forge spiritual materials with his pitiful amount of true energy.

The key was actually the subterranean fire.

As they spoke, the spiritual dishes were served in a continuous stream.

The monster meat was roasted until fragrant and crispy, the spiritual vegetables were lush and green, and the portion was astonishingly large; the plate holding the meat alone was the size of a washbasin.

The last three jars of Qingling wine were brought out, and as soon as the mud seal on the jars was removed, a fragrant aroma mixed with the scent of wine wafted out.

Lu Yun glanced at the food and immediately knew that this meal would cost at least three spirit stones.

"Brother, this is too much of a waste."

Shen Yi waved his hand dismissively: "What's the point of spending money?"

Lu Yun opened his mouth, but ultimately did not refuse.

After his true spirit awakened, this was the first time he had met Shen Yi.

But in the time it takes to drink a few cups of tea and eat a few bites of food, the image of the tough, unruly older brother who used to fight with him in his memory overlapped with the image of the burly man in front of him.

He simply awakened his past life memories; he didn't become a different person.

That bond built up since childhood cannot be faked.

Shen Yi had already picked up his chopsticks and was putting meat into Lu Yun's bowl while talking non-stop about the survival skills of the Immortal Hall.

In the Immortal Hall, the most important thing is not talent, but earning spiritual resources.

The Immortal Hall ultimately prioritizes the "Hall" aspect, and its primary task is to fulfill the quota of spiritual materials assigned from above, not to teach and nurture people.

Look to the spirit stone for everything.

The gray-robed disciples cleansed the spiritual materials, while the fire-patterned disciples refined the ore ingots.

"Refining a hundred catties of spiritual materials yields only one spirit crystal, but if it is forged ten times, it yields two spirit crystals, and a hundred forgings yield one spirit stone."

Beyond that, there are thousands of forgings, tens of thousands of forgings—if you can truly reach that level, you become a weapon refiner.

Shen Yi spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes shining.

"Besides the minor path, there is also the path of combat cultivation, which involves taking on high-paying missions to earn spiritual resources."

He patted his chest, making a loud thud, and declared with boundless pride: "My goal is to fight cultivators."

Erhu took a swig of wine, his tongue already slurring, but he still managed to mumble, "Me...me too!"

Lu Yun gradually understood.

The disciples of the Hundred Refinements Immortal Academy are generally divided into two paths—auxiliary cultivation and combat cultivation.

Shen Yi followed the path of combat cultivation and did not learn the "Tai Xu Hundred Refinements Technique" at all. Instead, he cultivated a hammer technique that was combined with the Body Tempering Technique.

Although the upper limit of spiritual materials forged by that hammering technique is low, making it hopeless for weapon refiners, its advantage lies in its fast production speed and the ability to temper one's physique along the way.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Of course, the foundation of the Immortal Hall is still the cultivation of auxiliary cultivators.

Even warriors must first learn how to temper ores and wield a hammer.

"Once I've saved enough spirit stones, I'll switch to a combat technique and then climb the ranks through the combat cultivation path."

"You know my temperament. Making me squat in the underground fire chamber every day is worse than killing me." Shen Yi had a clear understanding of himself.

He put down his chopsticks and his expression became serious.

"You've achieved a top grade, and you have a talent for a minor skill. If you stay on track, you might become a true weapon refiner. But no matter which path you choose—"

He stared at Lu Yun, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"You must learn the battle tactics. Remember this: only by mastering the battle tactics can you hope to establish a foundation and change your fate."

Looking at Shen Yi's face, which was slightly flushed from the smell of alcohol, Lu Yun suddenly asked.

"Brother, doesn't the Shen family have battle tactics? Why don't you learn them?"

Shen Yi scratched his head, grinned, and his smile carried a hint of roguishness.

"I've offended too many scions of powerful families. Those old fogies in my clan would love to remove me from the family tree. Why would they let me study combat techniques and cause them trouble?"

He picked up his wine bowl, took a swig, and casually added, "I'm affiliated with the Seeking Truth Society and the Loose Cultivator Alliance now, which is pretty good."

Lu Yun remained silent. The two brothers were truly brothers in misfortune.

"Let's not talk about these upsetting things."

Shen Yi waved his hand, as if to sweep all those troubles out of the window, "Now that you've entered the Immortal Hall, your goal is still the Immortal Academy."

"Either raise your rating to level five, or become a support cultivator/weapon master. Which would you like to choose?"

"I'll become a weapon refiner," Lu Yun said without hesitation.

Of the four arts of cultivating immortality, only formations and weapon crafting are worth learning.

Compared to formations, refining weapons is a much easier way to earn spirit stones, a fact he had already figured out long ago.

As for the five-level evaluation.

That requires background checks, and there are too many variables. It's better to take a more tangible and reliable approach.

"This path leads to accumulating spirit stones and comprehending weapon crafting techniques."

Once you've forged enough spiritual materials to reach the thousand-fold level, you can begin preparations. Don't rush to upgrade your battle techniques to the Immortal Academy; the Academy will reward you with one.

Although Shen Yi did not pursue a minor in this field, he knew it inside and out.

Lu Yun nodded.

With Shen Yi's words, his direction became much clearer.

This man looked like a brute, but with just a few words, he clearly pointed out the path he would take in the future.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation turned to home.

Lu Yun began his story from the year Shen Yi left Zixin City.

Nothing major happened, life was uneventful.

When the story of the Foundation Establishment True Person bringing Deng Wenying to annul the engagement came to his door, Shen Yi's brows furrowed into a deep frown. He didn't say anything, but simply poured Lu Yunman another bowl of wine.

"Drink more."

He silently memorized that name.

Upon hearing that Lu Yun had left thirty spirit stones for his family, Shen Yi's brows relaxed, and he picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

He also heard that Shen He had mastered the "True Method of Purification and Turbidity" on the fourth day, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Staying in the Immortal Hall is not a problem.

Once I learn the combat tactics, I'll be able to lead my younger siblings in battle again.

"Brother, how many spirit stones do you need to change your battle tactics? I only have about twenty left," Lu Yun asked.

Shen Yi waved his hand: "Keep it for yourself. I've already studied that battle technique I've set my sights on twice. It's not about spirit stones. Let it settle down a bit more before you try to comprehend it again."

Lu Yun then stopped insisting.

For Chengfa Pavilion's price, his few spirit stones were indeed a drop in the ocean.

He can take shortcuts, but Shen Yi cannot.

I need to earn spirit stones as soon as possible.