Xu Zifan stroked his chin, actually considering the possibility of joining another sect. However, there are factional disputes within sects; no sect is truly united. Moreover, he, this "Tang Monk's flesh," is an outsider. Even if someone were willing to accept him, he dared not believe it.
Xu Zifan felt a pang of regret, but he wasn't too bothered. After all, given his situation, joining a sect meant following the rules, fulfilling responsibilities, and completing tasks. He didn't have much time to learn whatever he wanted, and he might not be able to get protection if something happened. It was better to be free on his own.
During the meal, Xu Zifan heard some more rumors, all about how he left the Xuantian Sect because of heartbreak. Some said he was foolish; what's wrong with suffering a little grievance in such a good sect? Others said he was right; being betrayed on his engagement and bullied like that, wouldn't he just be a coward? He'd even be able to suppress his inner demons! But there was no more specific information; perhaps because it was still early, what circulated was only superficial information.
Xu Zifan finished the food and wine and returned to his lodgings. He felt a faint spiritual energy emanating from his body, making him feel comfortable all over. Cultivators don't need to eat or drink after fasting because mortal food contains impurities, which are detrimental to cultivation. However, many foods in the cultivation world contain spiritual energy, which can nourish the body and taste good, so he can still maintain his eating habits, although they are more expensive. This meal cost him seventy low-grade spirit stones. He needs to find a way to earn money. It seems that no matter what world you're in, you can't live without making money.
Xu Zifan settled down in the city, spending almost all his time refining pills in his room, only going to the restaurant to listen to news during lunch and dinner. Rumors about the Daoist Couple Ceremony gradually increased, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish truth from falsehood; everyone took what they heard as fact. For example, there were rumors that he had damaged his foundation and become a discarded pawn; that he was abandoned because his talent was inferior to Huo Chongjun's; that he lost to two men vying for one woman and was utterly defeated; that his personality changed drastically, disappointing Xiang Wentian; that Xiang Yushuang had fallen for someone else; that the Xuantian Sect sacrificed him to retain the genius Huo Chongjun, and so on.
Although much of it is nonsense and wild speculation, the general similarities are: Huo Chongjun is a cultivation genius, Xiang Yushuang betrayed their engagement, the sect leader Xiang Wentian favored Huo Chongjun, and Xu Zifan left in anger after being humiliated. It's pretty much what Xu Zifan expected, and that's enough. It doesn't matter if he's called weak; one day he'll become a strong person standing before everyone, as long as the blame for this incident isn't pinned on him. Those people's actions should have their reputations tarnished; it's fair.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Xu Zifan's injuries healed, and he regained the peak strength of the late Golden Core stage. He also mastered all the moves and spells the original owner had learned, and refined the Xuan Iron Fan into his natal magic weapon, doubling its power. Most importantly, his alchemy skills had begun to show results; he could now refine mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills!
For an amateur to learn alchemy to this extent is already quite talented. He sells all the pills he makes for spirit stones, but it doesn't even cover the cost of buying herbs. He doesn't have many spirit stones left in his space. He still hasn't heard the news that his pure yang body has been leaked, so he decides to leave the city and go to the wilderness for practical combat training to improve his strength and maybe even get some good stuff to make money.
Because he needed to leave the city, Xu Zifan removed the disguises from his clothes and shoes; it was better to fight lightly. After checking out of the hotel, he took a disguise pill in an inconspicuous alley, instantly transforming his appearance into a handsome and harmless one, making him inconspicuous. He flew on his sword to a forest teeming with monsters and herbs, taking the name from his previous world—Xu Yizhi—and began his life of training in the mountains and wilderness.
Shao Hua stood guard alongside him. His divine sense could cover a radius of ten miles, but it would encounter obstacles in some places. Shao Hua, however, was unaffected by this and could also scan for energy fluctuations in all things in the world. This was equivalent to adding a protective shield to Xu Zifan, allowing him to alert him to any unusual activity around him. Xu Zifan spotted a level-two demonic beast, drew his longsword from his back, and slashed at it from afar. A single sword aura cleaved the demonic beast in two.
Xu Zifan ran over and frowned. "[The furs won't fetch any money; we can't kill them like this.]"
He stretched out his palm and sucked out the demon core, then quickly skinned the demon beast with his dagger, putting the hide, flesh, and demon core into his spatial storage. Soon after, he saw two more level-two demon beasts. He crouched in the grass for a moment, then raised his hand and released two bolts of lightning that struck the two beasts in the head. The two beasts died instantly, their bodies intact except for a small hole in their head.
Xu Zifan walked over, picked up the demonic beast, examined it, and tossed it into his spatial storage with satisfaction. A level-two demonic beast was equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage in humans; taking it down was a piece of cake for him. In half a day, he hunted ten level-two demonic beasts and two level-three ones. These were basically part of the daily tasks for sect disciples, not worth much money; he just hunted them whenever he saw them, and also gathered a considerable amount of herbs.
As evening approached, Xu Zifan spotted a level six demonic beast, equivalent to a human in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Once it gained sentience, it wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Accompanying the level six demonic beast were two level five demonic beasts, considered to be in the early stages of the Golden Core realm.
Shao Hua reminded them: "[Fighting three demonic beasts at the same time is risky and could easily lead to injury, and it's getting dark; this is their territory.]"
Xu Zifan laughed: [That's right, but I can enter the spatial dimension. Come to think of it, I've never entered a spatial dimension in a mission world before. With a spatial dimension, I won't die.]
He came here for practical training and to earn money; what's the point of coming if he runs away from stronger opponents? These three demonic beasts are perfect opponents. Xu Zifan crept forward and unleashed a Thunderstorm Technique, sending three fist-sized bolts of lightning hurtling towards the three demonic beasts. Sensing the danger, the level six demonic beasts turned and roared, and the three beasts nimbly dodged. The three demonic beasts growled angrily at Xu Zifan, their eyes filled with killing intent, and suddenly pounced on him from three directions.
Xu Zifan raised his hand,
The Xuan Iron Fan immediately appeared in his palm, and he used all the moves and spells he had mastered in the past six months to attack and defend. At first, because it was his first time fighting personally, he was somewhat overwhelmed, and his clumsiness allowed the three demonic beasts to see his weakness, making their attacks even more swift. Fortunately, Xu Zifan had never slacked off in his cultivation, and his mind was calm enough that he quickly regained his composure and began to counterattack.
Xu Zifan fought them for half an hour; it was already dark, and both sides were injured and bleeding. The three demonic beasts became agitated and began to lure him to other places. Xu Zifan guessed there must be traps there, but the three attacked him simultaneously, almost surrounding him from three directions. He had no choice but to fight and retreat, slowly approaching the place they were leading him to. Xu Zifan seized the opportunity, and with a whoosh, his Xuan Iron Fan slashed through the throat of a level five demonic beast, spraying blood all over his face. The level six demonic beast pounced angrily, and Xu Zifan suddenly felt his feet sink into the ground, instinctively entering a spatial dimension.
He collapsed onto the spatial floor, panting heavily, when suddenly he saw that he had pulled the level six demonic beast inside. His eyes widened instantly, and before the beast could react, he swiftly swung his fan, plunging the black iron fan into its skull! The level six demonic beast was dead. Looking at its corpse, Xu Zifan murmured, "[Since this space can hold living creatures, I could actually capture them alive whenever I touched them; they'd be worth more.]"
Xu Zifan's eyes grew brighter as he spoke. He looked around the space but couldn't find what he needed, so he simply went out and killed the furious, roaring level-five demonic beast, storing it in the space along with the first dead beast. He was exhausted and it was so late, so he decided to spend the night in the space where he could cultivate in peace.
Xu Zifan first used a cleansing spell to clean himself and the corpse, piling them aside. Then he ate a few spirit-replenishing pills to replenish his spiritual energy and began meditating. There was no spiritual energy in the space, but circulating the spiritual energy within his body could consolidate his cultivation and replenish his energy, making it the best way to rest.
The next day at dawn, Xu Zifan returned the way he came, gathering all the herbs he could find. He then sold the hides and meat of the demon beasts in the nearest town, keeping the demon cores for his own alchemy. Next, he bought cages of various sizes to trap the demon beasts, spending a considerable amount of spirit stones. This time, the money was well spent. He immediately returned to the forest and captured a level 5 demon beast, three level 4 demon beasts, and more than a dozen demon beasts below level 3.
Alive beasts fetch a good price, and many young masters and ladies from wealthy families like to keep pets, so low-level, beautiful demonic beasts are perfect. Some can even form contracts with demonic beasts to become battle partners; level four or five, those that have just gained sentience, are quite good. The price has increased fivefold! Xu Zifan received a sum of spirit stones and breathed a sigh of relief; at least he wouldn't be a pauper in this world anymore.
After that, he specifically targeted beautiful, low-level demonic beasts to capture. He would touch their bodies and, with a thought, place them in cages within his spatial dimension. These cages were specifically designed to limit their spiritual power, preventing them from causing trouble within the space. When he encountered stronger demonic beasts, Xu Zifan would fight them, rapidly improving his combat experience. This experience perfectly merged with his memories, making him no less powerful than the original owner of this body at his peak!
While resting in his spatial dimension at night, he would refine pills. The forest was rich in herbs, so he no longer needed to spend large amounts of spirit stones on them. He was currently practicing pills for Foundation Establishment cultivators, which didn't require any rare or precious herbs; what he had in the forest was sufficient.
He made a black hood with a large hat, which he wore in the forest to cover his entire body. He also covered his face with a cloth, leaving only his eyes visible. He always avoided people and didn't want to encounter them, so he didn't need to take any disguise pills; wearing the hood was enough as a precaution.
One day, he came to a cliff to dig for medicinal herbs. Suddenly, Shaohua said, "[There's a cave about 50 meters to your right. Inside is a small tree and a level seven demon beast. On the small tree is a snow-white, plump fruit; it should be ripe soon.]"
Xu Zifan looked up and to his right, but there was nothing there except an ordinary mountain wall. He immediately realized that the level seven demonic beast had set up a barrier at the cave entrance, creating an illusion and blocking his divine sense. He put away the herbs beside him, took out his Xuan Iron Fan, and carefully went inside.
The level seven demonic beast suddenly looked at him, instantly blocking the small tree and assuming an attack stance. Xu Zifan looked at the spiritual fruit; the fragrance of the fruit could be smelled as soon as he entered the cave. If it were fully ripe, the restrictions would likely be unable to conceal it, attracting people and beasts within a hundred miles!