Mortals cultivate immortality, and their IQ is playing with their heartbeats

Being away for a month required submitting spirit stones equivalent to one's job position. Li Chengfeng had to pay twenty low-grade spirit stones; this was an iron rule.

In the two months he spent in the alchemy room, he successfully earned twenty low-grade spirit stones and also received forty Blood Replenishment Pills.

He had previously seized thirty spirit stones from Zhao Hai, spending three of them. Currently, he had a total of forty-seven spirit stones.

However, if this trip involved both smoothing relationships and deducting spirit stones, he feared he would be left penniless.

Nevertheless, as a last resort, he still had to go because the "枯荣参天功 (Kūróng Cāntiān Gōng)" cultivation method only extended to the fourth level of Qi training. The remaining methods were solely in Tian Ku's possession, and that old thing was always a major concern for him.

Bracing himself, he went to the Outer Sect Affairs Office. Upon seeing Hao Ran, he presented twenty spirit stones without a word.

This was practically all his income for the past two months.

Hao Ran, being astute, immediately understood his intention and asked, "Boy, do you want to request a job transfer? These spirit stones don't seem enough to move me."

Li Chengfeng quickly explained, "That's not the case. I have a worry that plagues me like a heart demon.

When I was captured, I left a young brother in the countryside. I don't know how he's living.

I want to visit them one last time and provide them with some financial assistance. Once I step onto the demonic path, I can no longer have any connection with them.

The deeper the connection, the more likely it is to bring disaster to them. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to completely sever my ties to the mortal world."

As he spoke, a trace of sorrow appeared on the tender face of the twelve-year-old Li Chengfeng, and two lines of clear tears flowed down.

Even the duty elder, Hao Ran, was moved.

Although he lived by killing and had a notorious reputation, who didn't come from a warm home?

Hao Ran recalled leaving his hometown when he was young and never being able to return. He couldn't help but feel empathy for Li Chengfeng, saying, "You little brat still has some conscience.

I'll accept these spirit stones. Think of a way to replenish them, and then you can leave the mountain."

"I'm preparing to request a month's leave."

Li Chengfeng handed over forty spirit stones and even sold a bottle of Blood Replenishment Pills, barely managing to scrape together enough!

After accounting for the price difference between a spirit stone and a Blood Replenishment Pill, he had seven spirit stones left.

Hao Ran immediately handed him a Sect Departure Talisman and instructed, "Return quickly. If you're even a day late, you'll need to prepare double the spirit stones as compensation.

If you fail to return within half a month and can't provide a reasonable explanation, then, according to sect rules, you will face severe punishment, without leniency, life or death being of no consequence."

Li Chengfeng replied in fear and trepidation, "Please rest assured, sir. I will do my best to return early.

I would never dare to gamble with my life and make such a joke. If I achieve anything in the future, I will definitely repay the sect and the duty elder many times over."

Hao Ran nodded slightly, signaling that he could leave, and then continued to busy himself with his own affairs.

He didn't worry too much about Li Chengfeng's life or death. After all, giving away spirit stones was just a small matter; why not do it?

Li Chengfeng rented a flying artifact—a Demonic Bird.

This Demonic Bird was similar to the one he had ridden before, but it was of lower quality and much slower.

However, he estimated that it would take three days to reach his destination, and the round trip would take about a week. A month's leave should be enough.

This Demonic Bird also consumed spirit stones, costing about two spirit stones for the round trip.

Even so, this was already good because this Demonic Bird was actually a captured flying creature, similar to a flying demonic beast.

This kind of Demonic Bird was expensive, and he couldn't afford to buy one; he could only rent it. Renting it for a month cost ten spirit stones.

He calculated that the consumption of resources in the cultivation world was indeed enormous.

However, the magical power within his body was also ten times that of ordinary disciples. Even so, he wasn't stingy with spirit stones.

Because he knew that maintaining the peak power within his body was the safest approach. If he encountered other demonic cultivators or righteous cultivators along the way, a fight would be inevitable, and he had to stay at his peak at all times.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and he finally returned to his hometown.

Standing on Mount Qilian again, he was filled with emotion. He never thought that in the blink of an eye, things would have changed, and he had already become a fifth-level Qi training demonic cultivator.

He first went to the bandit camp and circled around, discovering that the bandits had already made some moves and had long discovered the changes in the valley.

They had reorganized their management. They didn't dare to act rashly, after all, they were still waiting for Tian Ku to return. Judging from the bandits' layout, Tian Ku shouldn't have returned yet.

He carefully planned and quietly carved out a hidden cave near the bandits' camp as a hidden place for cultivation.

He prepared enough food for more than a month and began to tactically analyze the powerful enemy, Tian Ku.

Knowing that Tian Ku was powerful, he understood that this trip might face many dangers, but he didn't retreat because of this, but rather made full preparations.

If Tian Ku's strength was too great, he would choose to avoid his edge; but if Tian Ku was injured, he would decisively strike.

Tian Ku held the Fallen Copper Coin. As long as he was close enough, he could vaguely sense Tian Ku's movements.

He firmly believed that Tian Ku would return again because the one-year period was approaching, and this place was their nest, and those few spiritual herbs were crucial to Tian Ku!

As long as he was alive, he would definitely come back to retrieve them, as they had not yet been planted by Li Chengfeng, so he chose to wait patiently here.

Although the spiritual energy here was thin, which was not conducive to cultivation, and he had few Blood Replenishment Pills left, he was reluctant to use them!

Li Chengfeng didn't give up because of this. He endured his temper and immersed himself in the deduction of cultivation methods every day. Every cultivation method in his mind was constantly flashing, deducing, and merging.

This was also a way for him to improve his cultivation. He was curious about what powerful attack methods and spells Tian Ku possessed, which further strengthened his determination to understand the other party's details.

Half a month passed quietly, and even Li Chengfeng, with his firm mind, couldn't help but feel a trace of disappointment.

Could it be that this time he really made a wasted trip?

However, on this night, the sensation from the Fallen Copper Coin suddenly awakened him.

He quickly dressed properly and quietly left the cave. He scanned his surroundings with his divine sense, confirmed that there were no abnormalities, and with a shake of his body, transformed into a streak of bloody shadow and flew away, perfectly hidden in the moonlight.

In order to avoid unnecessary losses, he didn't go in person but first sent out a bloody shadow as a test.

Even if the bloody shadow was destroyed, he could re-condense it through his essence blood. He knew the dangers of the cultivation world and was unwilling to take risks easily. He still had ten chances to be reborn and had to cherish them, so he was extra cautious.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from ahead, and a sword light rushed towards him.

Through the bloody shadow's perception, he saw Tian Ku flying towards the valley below.

However, although his flying speed was fast, it seemed somewhat unstable, and he was obviously not lightly injured.

Li Chengfeng wasn't in a hurry to kill the other party but waited quietly, wanting to see what kind of painful expression Tian Ku would reveal after discovering the tragic situation in the valley.