Shao Jiefeng looked slightly taken aback for a moment before replying, "Alright."

He then opened the Light Screen on his Identity Card, fiddled with it for a moment, and said, "A full portion of Wandering Soul Mist is worth three hundred Contribution points. Your half-portion can be exchanged for one hundred and sixty."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Mm, let’s make the exchange." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Hearing this, Shao Jiefeng said, "For this, I’ll need to take it back and run some tests first."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Alright. By the way, Senior Brother Shao, do you know anything about the lingering aura characteristic of Wandering Soul Mist?"

Shao Jiefeng paused for a moment. "Ah, right. Now that you mention it, Junior Brother, I almost forgot to remind you.

This stuff has some unique properties. Each portion of Wandering Soul Mist has its own distinct signature.

Once you touch it, the trace is difficult to get rid of, even after several years, and it’s extremely hard to detect. I’ve heard that some High-Tier Artifact Cultivators use this to create special tracking items.

Since you’re asking, Junior Brother, I take it you’ve come into contact with Wandering Soul Mist?

Don’t worry, I’ll set aside some Life Water for you. It’s very effective at washing away the lingering aura of the Wandering Soul Mist."

Zhang Deming breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "In that case, my thanks, Senior Brother Shao."

Shao Jiefeng smiled back. "You’re welcome."

Shao Jiefeng then worked on his device for a moment. The two chatted for a bit, and the item arrived quickly, which probably meant Little Hui Peak had it in stock.

"This Life Water is the main ingredient for refining the One-Star Healing Elixir, the Life Pill. It’s not particularly valuable.

Junior Brother, you just need to pour this small vial into your bath and soak in it for a quarter of an hour," Shao Jiefeng said, holding up the small bottle of Life Water for Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming took the vial and said, "Thanks."

Shao Jiefeng smiled slightly. "Don’t be such a stranger, Junior Brother."

The two chatted for a little while longer. Shao Jiefeng, figuring enough time had passed, finally got up and left with the Wandering Soul Mist.

As soon as Shao Jiefeng left, Zhang Deming went straight inside, poured out the Life Water, and took a thorough bath.

Still worried, Zhang Deming soaked for a full half-hour before getting out.

Qu Hua might be dead, but who knew what was up with that old monster backing him.

In any case, an old phantom at the Three Talents Stage was a true ancient monster who had likely lived for a thousand years. He didn’t want to get involved with someone like that in the slightest.

After carefully taking care of the matter, Zhang Deming checked all his belongings one more time before finally feeling at ease.

He wandered around Qingyou Pool for a bit, made an appearance, and stayed for a day or two before heading back to Celestial Spirit City. There was no Spirit Vein here, which made it a terrible place for a lazy bum like him to idle and cultivate.

...

Upon arriving in Celestial Spirit City, Zhang Deming first changed his appearance and then entered the Magic Pavilion.

It was his second time here, so Zhang Deming was very familiar with the place. Led by a clerk, he quickly began his shopping spree.

Feather Fall Skill, Tier Three;

Spiritual Shield, Tier Three;

Heart Eye Numerology, Array Dao Entry Level;

Rune Heart Calculation, Tier Two Array Dao;

Talisman Heart, Tier Three Array Dao;

Zhang Deming swiftly purchased a total of five techniques. The Tier Three ones all started at a hundred Spirit Stones each.

As the salesgirl led Zhang Deming to the counter to pay, her gaze was so fervent it was as if she were looking at a pile of Spirit Stones.

Since Zhang Deming had chosen only the most basic techniques, they were all standard-priced, even the high-tier ones.

So, the three Tier Three techniques, plus the remaining two, cost Zhang Deming a total of three hundred and seventy Spirit Stones.

It wasn’t cheap, but after half a year of accumulation and subtracting some expenses, Zhang Deming had over four thousand Spirit Stones to his name. He could still afford a purchase of over three hundred.

Taking his purchases with him, he returned to his Cave Mansion.

Due to Zhang Deming’s instructions, the one hundred and fifty Spirit Nurturing Beads from this month were clearly starting to show more "scenes."

Zhang Deming still didn’t interact with them, tossing them all into the Spirit Nurturing Space.

Including the previous ones, his Energy harvest for the month was excellent. His Merit had increased by over one point, and his Qi Fortune had risen by more than ten.

Merit: 2.9, Qi Fortune: 34.2.

’Aside from what I need for a reserve, I have a surplus of Merit. I can unlock another skill slot.’

He looked at the numerous Rune Techniques in his Dantian. ’First, I’ll rule out the Agility Technique and Spiritual Shield.’

’These two are Basic Techniques that have higher-tier versions from the same source. I can just edit and fuse them to upgrade them, which is why I bought those two Tier Three techniques.’

’Granted, a technique upgraded directly through a skill slot would probably be much stronger—the Spirit Nurturing Technique and Growth Technique are prime examples.’

’But with my current lack of Merit, those two techniques are clearly not the optimal choice.’

’The Rumors Skill?’

’I’ll consider that one second. Right now, the most helpful technique, the one I want to slot the most, is...’

’...the one that mutated. The one I gained zero comprehension of, yet can somehow inexplicably use: Shadow: Enhancement Technique.’

’I can say without a doubt that this is the technique I most want to slot right now. Even though it’s only Tier One, it’s a jack-of-all-trades that seems compatible with any other technique.’

’I’m even thinking that, if possible, I’ll choose it for my "Two Lives" Rune.’

Having made up his mind, Zhang Deming didn’t hesitate any longer and decided to act.

"Consume Merit to unlock a skill slot?"

Zhang Deming immediately selected "Yes." Inside his Dantian, the Cultivation Technique Script trembled slightly, and another ring materialized.

At the core of the vortex, the three Skill rings now formed a triangular structure. In the middle of this triangle was the Cultivation Technique’s own ring.

Two of the rings had a Rune embedded in them, while the newly formed third one was still empty.

Zhang Deming grasped the Rune for the Shadow: Enhancement Technique within his Dantian and embedded it into the empty slot.

"Aside from the main Cultivation Technique slot, all other slotted skills cannot be changed once set. Confirm slotting."

Zhang Deming confirmed without the slightest hesitation.

The Rune Ball for Shadow: Enhancement Technique slotted directly into place. A moment later, the Cultivation Technique Script began to change.