Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 388: Chapter 201: Another Old Friend Passes Away

”Cultivation is inherently like this, a slight mistake, and you’re in endless calamity.”

”How did he die?”

Ji Yuan turned his head to look at Dong Qian and asked curiously.

After all, they were once acquaintances.

”I heard it from Junior Sister Du. She said Yao Jingfeng went to steal someone else’s Spirit Stones, was caught on the spot, and was being sent to the Law Enforcement Hall. But even before reaching there, he took his own life.”

After listening to Dong Qian, Ji Yuan fell silent.

Back when they were at Cloud Rain Marsh, the four who started cultivation in the same year each shared their fateful encounters.

Yao Jingfeng’s fortunate encounter was a magic that allowed him to steal. At the time, he relied on this magic to make a small fortune and gradually accumulated power.

But now... even after joining the Water Dragon Sect, he’s still stealing.

Does he really lack those Spirit Stones?

Chulong Island of the Water Dragon Sect doesn’t charge rent. If you can earn 10 Mid-grade Spirit Stones a month, live luxuriously; if it’s only 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones, live frugally.

If worse comes to worst, just be like Xu Fugui before, running around with the sect’s Hundred Treasures Tower.

It’s hard work, but the rewards are decent.

Is there really a need to steal?

After pondering, Ji Yuan surmised that the fundamental reason for Yao Jingfeng’s behavior was his inability to let go of the obsession in his heart after seeing both Ji Yuan and Du Wanyi successfully establish their Foundation.

Or perhaps he owed others a lot of Spirit Stones for some other reason?

Both are possible...

”By the way, where did Senior Sister Du go for her guarding duty?” Ji Yuan changed the subject, stopping the discussion about Yao Jingfeng.

”Her? She went to Yulan City in the west.”

Dong Qian was aware of this, ”She mentioned wanting to say goodbye to you, but you weren’t home. That place is quite far from the sect; going back and forth takes a long time. She’ll probably have to wait until her guarding duty ends to return.”

”Yulan City? That is indeed quite far.”

Yulan City is in the west of the Water Dragon Sect, almost near the Medicine King Valley.

It’s considered a ”border city” of the Water Dragon Sect, like Beishan City.

Although the Maple City where Dong Qian is located is somewhat better, it’s still quite far from the sect, but this is often the norm.

Someone like Ji Yuan, with a Golden Core master supporting him, having his first guarding post at a place rich in Spirit Stones, with less work and near home, is rare.

”Yes, but that’s still a big city, guarded by ten Foundation Establishment cultivators together. Nothing should happen.”

Listening to Dong Qian’s talk about nothing should happen, Ji Yuan instinctively felt a bit uneasy.

Taking things for granted can be dangerous.

After a while, after seeing Dong Qian off to Hu Yue Island, Ji Yuan, this time, didn’t even bother pretending. He didn’t return to Wuyou Island but headed straight west until he was a hundred miles away from Hu Yue Island, and then turned south towards Mist Island.

Compared to his last two trips, this trip wasn’t long at all.

It didn’t even last two months, and most of that time was spent on the road.

So after returning to Mist Island, Ji Yuan put away what needed to be put in the Spirit Beast Bag and received this over-a-month’s worth of output from Tu Yue, with the main item being Tri-colored Spirit Eggs.

After taking them, he cracked one open on the spot, poured it into his mouth to slowly refine the Spiritual Qi inside his Dantian.

But compared with before, when Ji Yuan eats these Tri-colored Spirit Eggs now, the effect is not as evident, mainly because the Spiritual Qi in the Dantian has been refined time and again.

It’s almost compressed to the extreme.

After consuming the Spirit Egg, Ji Yuan returned to the Cave Mansion, as he had a major task to handle this time back.

That task was fixing a point for the Spirit Vein.

Settling the building is not easy; previously, it could be activated at Liancheng Mountain because there was an actual Spirit Vein there.

So where could there be a genuine Spirit Vein on this Mist Island?

That naturally can’t be possible, so Ji Yuan planned to try creating an ”artificial spirit vein” to trick the panel.

After all, it’s difficult to activate the building for the first time, but once it’s activated, the conditions to enable the building effects ”empowerment” aren’t so stringent later.

There are many buildings inside the Cave Mansion, each with its effects; to activate the spirit vein, a new hole must be dug.

Ji Yuan resumed his old profession, using a Flying Sword to dig. This time, however, he found a helper... the Frost Serpent, which only knows how to eat.

The stone blocks excavated by the Flying Sword were all carried by it to Cloud Rain Marsh.

Though Ji Yuan could use the Storage Bag for one-time transportation, why not use the free labor of the Frost Serpent? Besides, it’s consumed so many resources; if it’s not used in battle, it should at least be somewhat useful.

One day later.

Ji Yuan looked at the nearly hundred-foot-long inclined ”spirit vein” in front of him and revealed a half-satisfied smile.

The reason for only being half-satisfied was because the work was only halfway done; the remaining half involved embedding Spirit Stones into this ”spirit vein.”

From Low-grade Spirit Stones on the surface to embedding a few high-grade Spirit Stones deeper inside, Ji Yuan still planned this.

The spirit vein has been excavated, and planting Spirit Stones can proceed quickly.

The Flying Sword was used to dig small pits, and the Spirit Stones were pressed into them.

For this, Ji Yuan deliberately called Tu Yue back, as she could handle the digging.

A balanced pairing makes light work.

In just a short half a day, Ji Yuan filled the entire mine tunnel with Spirit Stones.

After he finished, raising his head, he saw a line of bright characters above him.

[Spirit Vein: Level 2 (Upgradable)]

...

Water Dragon Sect.

Ancestral Hall.

A crowd of Golden Core Elders gathered here, and after Master Xuan Shui explained the matter, these Golden Core Elders were filled with rage, vowing to find the person behind this and dismember them!

After all, while other issues may not touch them, the erosion of the spirit vein... that was like moving dirt on the heads of these high-ranking officials!

Even the Great Elder and the Third Elder, who usually fought the most, had no opposition on this matter.

They unanimously stated that whatever the war between good and evil was about, they must first resolve the issue of the spirit vein!