Mary carefully counted out ten of the medium-grade Spirit Stones and handed them over. "Here is your share, Ethan. You earned every single one of them."

Ethan took the stones with a look of quiet gratitude. He turned his back slightly, making it look as though he were safely tucking the wealth deep into the inner pockets of his tattered tunic. In reality, with a silent flick of his intent, the crystals slid directly into his hidden spatial storage, completely vanishing from the world.

He turned back around, rubbing the back of his neck with a weary, forced smile. "Thank you, Sister Mary. I think I’ll head back into town, find a cheap inn, get a good ale, and finally get some sleep. Would you mind if we met up again sometime? I’m completely new to this territory, and your knowledge of the hunting trails is incredibly valuable. We can keep splitting the bounty exactly like we did today, if you’re willing."

The moment the words left his mouth, Mary’s face lit up as if the heavens themselves had opened.

While Ethan was calculating how to use her family to erase any lingering suspicion from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Mary was internally panicking over how to keep this miraculous hunting partnership alive. Deep down, she knew that she and her children were simply too weak to survive the deeper mountain ridges on their own. Finding a rogue cultivator who possessed immense physical strength but was entirely ignorant of the local geography was like a gift from the gods. No local hunter with Ethan’s raw physical power would ever dream of offering an equal split to a struggling widow and her kids; they would have demanded the lion’s share or abandoned them entirely.

Mary figured that Ethan simply didn’t know his own worth yet. She assumed that even if they didn’t hunt titanic monsters like the Silver-Horned Boar every day, his strength would make it incredibly easy to trap high-altitude foxes or clear out the aggressive monkey tribes on the periphery of the valley. Those tasks paid less per unit, but they could harvest them in massive quantities, guaranteeing a steady, highly lucrative income.

Trying her absolute best to hide her desperation, Mary forced a wide, eager smile that failed completely to look natural. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

Ethan maintained his gentle, innocent smile, feigning absolute ignorance of her internal calculations. "Should we meet up by the mission board tomorrow morning, then?"

"Wait! Why waste coin on a crowded, dirty inn?" Mary interrupted quickly, her voice a bit too loud as she stepped closer. "What if... what if you just stayed with us instead? That way, we don’t have to waste time searching for each other in the morning plaza. Our home isn’t large, and we don’t have any ale on hand, but I can easily brew you some hot tea and set up a proper cot for you."

She looked incredibly tense, her hands gripping the strap of her pouch tightly as she waited for his response, terrified that he might refuse and realize he could make far more money on his own.

Inside his mind, Ethan chuckled. Everything had fallen into place perfectly, fitting together like a masterfully constructed puzzle. He bowed his head slightly, letting a look of humble relief wash over his features. "If it really isn’t too much trouble, Sister Mary... it would be an absolute honor to accept."

The small group left the vicinity of the exchange outpost, walking down a slightly cleaner thoroughfare lined with small wooden stalls and low-tier eateries. The heavy scent of charcoal smoke and sizzling meat filled the crisp night air.

"Skewers! Get your hot meat skewers!" a loud, boisterous street vendor shouted from behind a grease-stained cart. "Freshly caught wild boar skewers! Just one small-grade Spirit Stone per stick!"

Ethan kept his high-level sensory perception tightly locked down to maintain his facade, but his passive situational awareness remained flawlessly sharp. The moment the vendor’s shout cut through the ambient noise, he caught a sudden, subtle shift in the two teenagers walking behind Mary. Roy and his sister Louisa instantly tensed, their hands subtly pressing against their midsections as their stomachs let out silent, involuntary twinges of hunger.

Ethan didn’t miss the reaction. He paused near the edge of the street, looking back at them with a curious expression. "Hey, would you two like a skewer? I was actually thinking about grabbing one for myself anyway."

Both teenagers instantly shook their heads, their faces turning completely pale as they stepped back, waving their hands in a desperate, frantic panic.

Ethan blinked, genuinely failing to understand such a drastic, terrified reaction over a single piece of cheap street food. He looked over at Mary, seeking an explanation.

Mary offered a strained, apologetic smile, gently placing a hand on Louisa’s shoulder. "Don’t waste your hard-earned wealth on prepared street stalls, little brother Ethan. One stone for a single stick is an absolute robbery for people like us. We can buy raw, bulk cuts at the market for a fraction of that price and cook a massive stew at home."

Ethan let out a quiet nod, a flash of understanding crossing his mind. To a wealthy core cultivator or a member of the royal elite, a single low-grade stone was less than dirt. But to a struggling frontier family, every single fragment of crystal represented hours of grueling, life-threatening labor.

"I see," Ethan said, matching her practical tone with a warm smile. "Let’s do that then. Come on, I’ll walk with you to the butcher’s stall and help carry the groceries for dinner."

"Oh, absolutely not! How could we possibly bother you with such insignificant, mundane tasks?" Mary insisted quickly, her mature face flushing with embarrassment. She turned toward her son, reaching into the leather pouch at her waist. "Roy, take this. Go to the lower market sector and fetch the raw cuts."

She pressed a single, gleaming medium-grade Spirit Stone into the boy’s hand. Roy nodded sharply, his posture instantly turning disciplined as he gripped his iron spear tightly and melted into the crowded side alley.

With the boy handling the errands, Ethan fell into step beside Mary and Louisa, allowing himself to be quietly guided through the winding, moonlit paths of the residential sector toward their humble home.

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??