After practicing the Qi Observation Skill a few times, the Spiritual Power in Lü Zhong's body quickly bottomed out.
Cultivators at the Qi Refining Second Layer didn't have much Spiritual Power, which was why those in Early-stage Qi Refining often used Talismans for combat.
This was always the happiest moment of his day.
'I bought new Spirit Rice this afternoon, and a neighbor gave me a piece of cured pork. Perfect for making a pot of fragrant cured pork and rice.'
He washed the rice and put it in the pot, then finely sliced the piece of cured pork and added some fragrant shallots.
Lü Zhong covered the pot, sat cross-legged on his bed, and began to meditate, refining Spiritual Qi.
One Minor Circulation passed after another. He absorbed the surrounding nature's spiritual energy into his body and refined it. The Spiritual Power in his Dantian gradually increased. While the recovery rate wasn't fast, the change was still noticeable.
After completing six Minor Circulations, Lü Zhong stopped circulating his Cultivation Body.
A cultivator could only practice a limited number of times each day. He wanted to eat his Spirit Rice before cultivating again to maximize his daily efficiency.
Soon, the cured pork and rice in the pot was cooked.
The aroma of the cured pork, mingled with the fresh scent of the Spirit Rice, was enough to make one's mouth water.
He picked up a small bite with his chopsticks and tasted it, an expression of pure bliss instantly spreading across his face.
'I can't believe it. It's only twice the price, but the Golden Threaded Spirit Rice tastes so much better! It's almost as good as Spiritual Food from a real Spirit Chef. I wonder how its Spiritual Qi content compares, though?'
If it was only a matter of taste, Lü Zhong would, at most, only buy Golden Threaded Spirit Rice occasionally to treat himself.
For his daily cultivation aid, he would stick to the Cyan Rice Spirit Rice he had been eating before.
As bad as Cyan Rice Spirit Rice tasted, it was cheap enough. Even eating Spirit Rice for all three meals, a month's supply cost a mere Three Spirit Stones. He could easily afford this expense with his income from Talisman Making.
'Hmm, the Golden Threaded Spirit Rice has a superior texture, but its Spiritual Qi content is about the same as the Cyan Rice Spirit Rice.'
Lü Zhong quickly reached his conclusion and couldn't help but sigh.
'Looks like I'll be sticking with Cyan Rice Spirit Rice for the foreseeable future,' he thought.
After finishing his meal, it was time to refine the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Rice.
After more than a dozen consecutive Minor Circulations, all the Spiritual Qi from the rice had been refined into Spiritual Power.
He continued practicing the Qi Observation Skill, and to his surprise, he managed to cast it successfully again.
His vision once again became a stark black and white.
Comparing the raw Golden Threaded Spirit Rice to the Cyan Rice Spirit Rice confirmed his earlier judgment: despite the vast difference in texture, the total amount of Spiritual Qi in both types was nearly identical.
Just as Lü Zhong was about to dispel the Magic Skill, he caught something out of the corner of his eye.
Shifting his gaze, he saw a patch of purple-black light.
'What is that?' Lü Zhong wondered.
He began to recall the description of the Qi Observation Skill.
Suddenly, a term flashed through his mind. His face paled, and he was so shocked he almost cried out.
'Demonic Qi! That's right, this is definitely Demonic Qi!'
Demonic Qi was the type of Spiritual Qi found in the bodies of Demon Cultivators who practiced Demon Techniques.
Theoretically, its full name was Demonic Spiritual Qi.
Its counterparts were the Immortal Spiritual Qi in cultivators and the Demon Spiritual Qi in Demon Beasts.
Different types of Spiritual Qi had different effects and nourished the body in different ways.
Take Demon Spiritual Qi, for example. Under the nourishment of Demon Qi, a Demon Beast's body would become incredibly robust and typically grow to immense sizes. The life-extending effects were also excellent; combined with powerful regenerative abilities, a Demon Beast could easily live for several hundred years. However, its effect on improving Spiritual Wisdom was mediocre at best.
This was why most Demon Beasts were not particularly intelligent.
Demonic Qi, on the other hand, amplified a person's negative emotions.
Paranoia, irritability, impulsiveness...
'How could Demonic Qi be in Qingliu Ruins? Have Demon Cultivators invaded?'
Lü Zhong's expression was a mixture of shock and uncertainty.
It was no wonder he reacted this way; rumors about Demon Cultivators had been running rampant in the Workshop Market lately.
One day it was news of how many Qingyang Sect disciples had been killed, their souls sucked into a Soul-Refining Banner. The next, it was a village being completely slaughtered, where it was said that not even the rats in their holes were spared.
With Demon Cultivators committing such horrifying acts, how could one not be filled with dread?
After a moment's thought, Lü Zhong pulled out the Fireball Talisman.
This Tier One Middle Grade Fireball Talisman packed a decent punch. Holding it in his hand, he instantly felt a bit safer.
With a terrified expression, Lü Zhong cowered inside his room, clutching the Fireball Talisman and straining to hear the slightest sound from outside.
Oppression, fear, helplessness!
One negative emotion after another welled up inside him.
"AHHH!"
A piercing, bloodcurdling scream tore through the night sky.
Instantly, Qingliu Ruins erupted in chaos, as if a pot had boiled over.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!" The Alarm Bell Sound rang out.
The alarm bell hadn't rung in years. Its toll meant only one thing: a powerful enemy had invaded, and the entire Workshop Market was in grave danger.
Flashes of multicolored light flickered in the darkness, accompanied by a series of thunderous explosions.
Dust rained down from the eaves, and the ground began to tremble unceasingly—all from the commotion in the distance.
Lü Zhong clutched the Fireball Talisman tighter, abandoning any thought of going outside to investigate.
'It can't be helped. I'm too weak.'
At a mere Qi Refining Second Layer, he was probably no different from an ant in the eyes of a Demon Cultivator.
Time ticked by, second by second. The commotion outside grew louder, at one point even drawing closer to Lü Zhong's home.
Fortunately, the sounds of battle eventually moved away.
Silently, the stench of blood began to permeate the air.
The metallic scent stimulated his nerves, making his breathing turn heavy.
After what felt like an eternity, the commotion outside finally began to die down.
Still, Lü Zhong didn't dare to go out, deciding to wait until dawn.
It wasn't until dawn the next day, when sunlight once again bathed Qingliu Ruins, that he cautiously opened his door. He didn't dare open it wide, peering out at his surroundings through a narrow crack.
Perhaps because his neighbors were all Loose Cultivators with few valuables, the chaos of the previous night hadn't spread to this area.
From what Lü Zhong could see, there were no signs of destruction.
'To be safe, I'd better wait for the Law Enforcement Team to show up before I go out.'
The events of last night had been too intense for him; several times, he had been certain he was about to die.
He waited like that until noon, when the figures of the Qingliu Ruins Law Enforcement Team finally appeared.
Although they patrolled with their heads hung low, looking like defeated roosters, their presence was still enough to maintain some semblance of order.
Only then did Lü Zhong dare to step out of his residence.
There were many other 'brave' souls like him; seeing that Qingliu Ruins was safe, they began to emerge one by one from their hiding places.
Back in the residential area, it didn't seem so bad; it was as if the Demon Cultivators hadn't targeted it.
But once he reached the main street, he discovered a scene of utter devastation.
The shops lining the street showed varying degrees of damage. Amidst some piles of brick and rubble, one could even see gruesome corpses, their hands curled like chicken claws after being drained of all their Essence Blood.
In some places, blood had splattered in a radial pattern.
Flesh, blood, and bone fragments were smeared over a wide area.
Needless to say, someone else had died here.
'Horrible. Absolutely horrible!'
Lü Zhong alone counted around thirty bodies.
And those were just the intact ones. Some victims had been so utterly destroyed that not even a fingernail-sized bone fragment remained.
As expected, for some time to come, every household in Qingliu Ruins would be hanging White Silk for the dead.