Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel

Chu Zheng took a deep breath, feeling as if all the pores on his body had opened wide.

He had seen countless Great Realms, but at this moment, there was still a sense of transparency from the inside out, an instinctive response from his body, difficult to restrain.

Xue Qing's face was also full of excitement; she could vaguely feel the surging blood and Qi within her body, nourished by the rich spiritual energy, growing increasingly vigorous and abundant like the fiery blaze cooking oil.

In just this short half-year of traveling, she had rapidly advanced from just entering the Yuan Aura Realm to reaching Perfection in the Yuan Aura Realm, just a step away from embarking on the Martial Path's Third Realm, Embracing Pill.

By now, it had been merely a year since Xue Qing officially started her cultivation.

Such a cultivation speed was enough to astound and amaze the world.

In contrast, although Chu Zheng managed to avoid the troubles of Tribulation Qi, the cultivation for a Qi Cultivator inherently emphasized the refinement of foundation, stressing natural progression.

He progressed at divine speed as well, breaking through the Spirit Transformation Realm and successfully condensing Jade Bone, stepping into the Jade Bone Realm within half a year.

This speed, for a typical Qi Cultivator, would already be considered miraculous, yet, compared to Xue Qing's cultivation progress, it seemed somewhat ordinary.

Without the Repair Panel's existence, dual cultivation was evidently unrealistic for Chu Zheng; he had to make some choices.

He must devote all his energy to the Qi Refining Lineage to ensure the speed of his cultivation progress.

The city where the two currently resided was called Wanliu City, meaning all rivers flowing into the sea, built against the mountains, covering extensive ground.

The city walls towered over a hundred feet, made entirely of dark cyan boulders, with runes faintly visible on them, emitting very obvious array fluctuations.

The teleportation array was set outside the city, with armored cultivators stationed and guarding it, their cultivation energy already crossing into the Fourth Order, with a constant flow of people coming and going.

Chu Zheng and Xue Qing blended into the crowd, indistinguishable.

Wanliu City gathered the spiritual energy of the Earth Veins from hundreds of miles around; staying there for a day required the payment of one mid-grade Spirit Stone.

The cultivators who could remain in the city for extended periods mostly had some capability.

After paying twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones, Chu Zheng received two Jade Talismans, upon which there was spiritual light revealing the word 'ten'.

This was the duration the two could stay in the city.

The city's streets were broad, spanning dozens of feet, lined with shops on both sides, selling everything from the lowest-grade elixirs and Fu Lu to dazzling magic treasures and spiritual materials, and even rare mythical beasts and Taoist collections, having everything imaginable.

The streets were crowded with people, various cultivators moving back and forth, their auras strong or weak, most having stepped into the Second Order, with First Order cultivators being rarely seen.

The spiritual energy was so dense it seemed impossible to disperse, and the ultimate bustling scene left Xue Qing somewhat excited.

After some inquiries, she hurriedly dragged Chu Zheng straight to the city's largest restaurant, the Treasure Pavilion.

"Starving, after such a long journey, finally I can have a decent meal!"

Xue Qing rubbed her hands, eyes filled with longing for gourmet food.

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, the decor was utterly luxurious, the floor covered with warm jade, the tables, and chairs all crafted from millennia-old Spirit Wood, with a strange fragrance of mixed spiritual foods filling the air, simply a whiff uplifted spirits and wetted the mouth.

The servers bustling around were all young cultivators with pleasant appearances and pure auras, their attitude respectful, devoid of arrogance or excess humility.

Xue Qing eagerly took the jade menu handed by a server and began to browse with great interest. However, after just a few pages, her previously excited little face slowly turned bleak.

The prices on the menu gave her quite a shock.

"Steamed Jade Marrow Bamboo Shoots...three hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones?"

"Earth Fire Rhinoceros Tendon...six hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones?"

"Secret Dragon Carp Stew...three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones?!"

Her voice grew softer with each reading, and the last line almost came out with a tremble of disbelief squeezed through her teeth.

Her once bright eyes now bulged round, staring intently at the startling string of numbers on the menu, slightly dazed.

Xue Qing suddenly looked up at the server, her eyes filled with deep heartache and shock: "Why is it so expensive?!"

The server maintained a smile, his face unchanged, his tone warm:

"Distinguished guests may not know; the ingredients used in our pavilion are all meticulously cultivated by us or captured from the wild, innate spiritual objects containing pure Yuan Qi. The cooking methods are a secret passed down, blended with dozens of rare spiritual medicines. They not only taste excellent but also nourish the Dao Foundation and aid in cultivation. This price in Wanliu City is already absolutely fair to both young and old alike."

Xue Qing instinctively looked at Chu Zheng, a hint of hesitation on her face; the two of them together probably had only about three or four thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones left.

After this meal, they might instantly become penniless.

The prices of hundreds to thousands per dish were like buckets of cold water, instantly extinguishing her initial excitement upon arriving in Central Continent.

Spirit Stones here seemed to have lost their value as they were in the Border Desolate Land, though not reaching the point of being as cheap as roadside pebbles, they were no longer considered rare treasures either.

"Let's eat first, then I'll figure something out,"

Chu Zheng calmly spoke, starting to plan mentally.

Wanchuan City was unlike other places, it was already prosperous, and he had some calculations regarding ways to earn Spirit Stones.

Although he did not intend to dual cultivate the Immortal Path this life, some Immortal Scriptures still lingered in his mind; selecting a few of slightly lower quality should bring in some income.

Previously in the Border Desolate Land, even having Immortal Laws in hand, afforders were likely very few.

But before that, he needed to gather some information to ensure no mishaps.

Xue Qing gazed at the menu, her expression changing, finally, she gritted her teeth, pointed at the menu: "This, this, and this soup, plus ten buckets of rice! Quick!"