Divine Transcendence

Chapter 254:

Chapter 254:

"Indeed, let’s settle on this one, number 85 on Ma Ti Alley in the eastern part of the city," Yuan Ming handed back the jade slip and said.

This house was somewhat secluded, with a yearly rent of one hundred and fifty spirit stones.

"The fellow Daoist has a good eye. This house not only faces the street but also has a good size and layout. It can be used for both business and as a residence for cultivation. Truly, the best of both worlds," the white-robed cultivator remarked.

"Here is the first year’s rent. I am Hu Tu, a rogue cultivator from the Yue country," Yuan Ming thought it more economical to rent a house than to spend a spirit stone every day on expenses and lodging, so he took out a small bag of spirit stones and placed them on the table.

The white-robed cultivator counted the stones efficiently, not bothering to inquire further about "Hu Tu’s" background. He handed over a key and a residence token with Hu Tu’s name on it that proved his residence in Xiaohu City, and said, "You are free to alter the interior of the dwelling as you wish, but do not tamper with the walls. The bricks and stones of the houses in our city are specially made to prevent prying and will require compensation at market price if damaged."

Indeed, quality comes at a price.

"Thank you for your time," Yuan Ming responded, taking the key and standing to leave.

He first strolled around the market, spending fifty spirit stones on two simple protective arrays for his dwelling, before heading east.

Upon reaching Ma Ti Alley, he found it more secluded than he had imagined, with few passersby.

***

Yuan Ming quickly located house number 85.

The house was street-facing, with a garden in the back and two inner rooms. The layout and environment were indeed quite nice.

However, the house had been unoccupied for a long time and was covered in a layer of dust.

After cleaning up, Yuan Ming sat down in one of the inner rooms, but then thought better of it and headed back to the rental place.

He quickly returned to the rental location.

Using the name Ha Gong, Yuan Ming rented the house across the street, number 86. This time, he used an illusion to swiftly complete the rental process and left with the token.

Having offended Changchun Temple, he spared no expense in preparing an additional residence for emergencies, spending another hundred spirit stones on a short-range teleportation array, into which he placed three spirit stones.

After setting up the teleportation arrays in both houses, Yuan Ming returned to house number 86.

The layout was the same as number 85, and he chose an inner room as his cultivation space, setting up a complete protective array there.

As for the other array, he set it up around the entire backyard, creating a dual layer of defense.

By the time he finished, it was already dark.

Yuan Ming looked at his day’s work with satisfaction. Although still somewhat simple, he finally had a decent place to live and began planning his cultivation.

For him, the most important thing was to improve his cultivation. Although the Nine Elements Formula was impressive, cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage was still slow. Elixirs and spiritual incense could naturally double the effect.

Although he had already purchased a batch of Four Spirits Elixirs, such Foundation Establishment stage elixirs were indeed expensive. With his current supply of spirit stones, he would soon run out if he didn’t find a way to earn more.

He rented these two street-facing shops with this in mind.

Yuan Ming pondered his current skills and, after much consideration, decided to make and sell spiritual incense.

He had seen in the market the day before that there were no shops selling spiritual incense.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside house number 86, Yuan Ming chanted a spell and formed a hand seal.

An invisible shield appeared around him, covering a radius of four to fifteen meters, and all sounds from outside disappeared, completely isolated.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face. This was the "Soundproofing Spell," one of the more complex spells in the book, which ordinary cultivators would likely need a long time to master.

With his Foundation Establishment stage cultivation and strong spiritual consciousness, Yuan Ming learned it in just two days.

He tested the other effects of the soundproofing shield and was very satisfied, then waved his hand to dispel the spell.

Yuan Ming picked up the book of spells next to him and put it away.

He had learned all the spells in the book, filling the gap in his previous lack of spells.

Unfortunately, the book recorded only common spells, which were fine for everyday use but ineffective against strong enemies.

However, Yuan Ming was not worried. He had seen many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from Changchun Temple and other sects of Great Jin during the succession ceremony. By attaching to these people and influencing them, he should be able to stealthily learn some spells.

He took out the Heaven-Stealing Cauldron and inserted a black stick of incense into it.

This stick was made with the ash from Xuanhua Temple’s incense, mixed with the previously obtained Fire Pine Wood. He was curious about the effect and decided to try it out.

After lighting the black incense, Yuan Ming focused and locked onto the old crone with a cane from Bailuo Villa.

The crone’s cultivation was not very high, and she was quite old and weak, making her easier to control. He decided to start learning from her.

The black incense quickly ignited, and as Yuan Ming’s vision darkened, he found himself attached to the old crone with a cane.

***

It seemed to be a spacious cave with no one around, and the old crone was meditating. She exhaled wisps of purple qi from her mouth and nose, which rapidly circled her body before slowly merging into her fingernails.

Her fingertips gradually turned purple, looking extraordinarily enchanting.

Yuan Ming was surprised and was about to sense the old woman’s consciousness when he suddenly thought of something.

"After attaching, shouldn’t I only be able to observe the surroundings through the host’s eyes? Why can I see everything around me even though the old woman is meditating with her eyes closed?"

He seemed to have had similar experiences before, but he hadn’t paid attention at the time.

"Could it be due to my improved cultivation or the continuous improvement of the black incense?" Yuan Ming speculated.

He quickly stopped his pointless pondering and focused on sensing the old crone’s cultivation.

She seemed to be practicing a poison spell, with each wisp of purple qi containing intense poison. By merging it into her nails, she layered the poison, ready to release it to harm enemies when necessary.

This method was not only convenient for poisoning but also strengthened the toxicity. The poison in the old woman’s nails had clearly reached an astonishing level, and she was very cautious.

Yuan Ming found the technique quite interesting. After carefully sensing it, he quickly learned a good deal of it.