Chapter 30: The Price of the Next Step

Lin Yuan’s sword cut through the morning air.

The blade stopped beside the wooden post.

He drew it back and moved again.

A thrust flowed into a turn.

The turn became a horizontal cut.

His feet shifted with the blade, carrying him directly into the next movement.

Better.

Lin Yuan reset his stance.

Again.

The next sequence was faster, but his final step landed too far forward. His balance shifted.

He stopped and repeated it.

The same mistake appeared on the third attempt.

By the fifth, it was smaller.

On the eighth, the final cut ended with the blade steady in his hand.

Lin Yuan lowered his sword.

Sweat had gathered beneath his collar.

He hadn’t learned a new sword technique. The thrusts, cuts, and footwork were the same fundamentals he had practiced for years.

They simply connected better now.

He raised the sword once more.

Thrust.

Turn.

Cut.

This time there was no hesitation between them.

Lin Yuan sheathed the blade.

Enough for the morning.

Behind him, Wandering Cloud Tavern had already begun waking.

Xiao Lan opened one of the first-floor windows. Su Mei carried a bucket toward the kitchen. Across the road, Qiao Ren pulled open the doors of his shop.

Lin Yuan went upstairs.

He sat cross-legged in his room and began circulating his cultivation technique.

Spiritual Qi slowly gathered around him.

Blackstone was still far from a true cultivation ground, but the difference from when he had first arrived was impossible to miss.

The territory’s spiritual environment was now Faint, while the tavern’s Minor Qi Gathering effect drew a little more Qi toward the building.

Lin Yuan guided it into his body.

One circulation.

Then another.

His spiritual Qi moved steadily through familiar pathways.

After reaching Qi Refining Nine, he hadn’t rushed forward. He had spent time stabilizing his cultivation and becoming accustomed to the greater amount of spiritual Qi within his body.

Now the ninth layer no longer felt new.

He could feel himself moving deeper into it.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Lin Yuan continued cultivating until the sunlight had shifted across the floor.

When he finally opened his eyes, the spiritual Qi within his body was slightly stronger than before.

Progress.

But the familiar circulation also reminded him of something he couldn’t ignore forever.

His inherited cultivation technique ended here.

It had carried him through all nine layers of Qi Refining. It was stable and reliable, but once he reached the peak of the ninth layer, there was no next stage.

Lin Yuan wasn’t close enough to worry about breaking through yet.

That didn’t mean he should wait until the last moment to prepare.

He stood.

Chen Wei was still downstairs.

The merchant had taken over a table beside the window.

Several sheets of paper were spread in front of him, covered with notes from his recent trades.

Lin Yuan approached carrying a pot of tea.

Chen Wei looked up.

"I didn’t order tea."

"Then don’t drink it."

Lin Yuan placed the pot on the table and sat opposite him.

Chen Wei immediately poured himself a cup.

Then he looked at Lin Yuan.

"What do you want?"

"Information."

Chen Wei sighed.

"The tea was a trap."

"You’ve bought cultivation techniques before?"

The merchant paused.

"For myself?"

"For anyone."

"A few. Mostly Qi Refining techniques. A couple combat techniques."

Chen Wei took a drink.

"I once bought a body-tempering method."

"Good?"

"Terrible."

"Why?"

"It required a medicinal bath every three days."

"That doesn’t sound terrible."

"The ingredients cost more than my food."

"Ah."

"I lasted a month."

Lin Yuan poured himself tea.

"I’m looking for a cultivation technique that reaches Foundation Establishment."

Chen Wei’s cup stopped halfway to his mouth.

His eyes moved over Lin Yuan more carefully.

"You’re at Qi Refining Nine?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"A while ago."

"You were at the eighth layer the last time I paid attention."

"You should pay more attention."

"I’m beginning to think I should."

Chen Wei put down his cup.

"Planning to break through soon?"

"No."

"Good."

"Why good?"

"Because if you said yes, I’d ask why you’re sitting here drinking my tea instead of preparing."

Lin Yuan looked at the teapot.

"Your tea?"

"It’s on my table."

Lin Yuan let that go.

"I’m preparing now."

Chen Wei considered that and nodded.

"Fair."

He pushed his papers aside.

"Thousand Treasures Pavilion is still where I’d start."

"I remember."

"Then what do you want to know?"

"What should I buy?"

That made Chen Wei pause.

After a moment, he leaned back.

"That’s a better question."

Lin Yuan waited.

"First, don’t walk into the pavilion and ask for their strongest Foundation Establishment technique."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good. They’ll probably show you something you can’t afford."

"Also expected."

"And don’t buy the cheapest technique just because it reaches Foundation Establishment."

"Why?"

"A cultivation technique isn’t only about the realm written at the end."

Chen Wei tapped a finger against the table.

"Some circulate spiritual Qi faster. Some focus on stability. Some produce stronger Qi. Others have specific attributes or special requirements."

"What should I look for?"

"For you?"

"Yes."

Chen Wei looked around the tavern.

"Something boring."

Lin Yuan stared at him.

"Explain."

"You’re a wandering cultivator. You don’t have a sect supplying you with pills and materials."

"True."

"So don’t buy a technique that expects you to have them."

Chen Wei took another drink.

"Some techniques require specific pills during cultivation. Others need special environments, rare materials, or particular conditions."

"Then avoid those."

"If you can’t reliably obtain what they need, yes."

"What about common techniques?"

"Common doesn’t mean useless."

Chen Wei shook his head.

"Some are common because they’ve been used for generations. People know their strengths, their weaknesses, and what they require."

That sounded much more suitable.

Lin Yuan had no interest in purchasing an impressive technique only to discover that every stage required some rare resource from the other side of the region.

"What about completeness?"

"Important."

"Complete through Foundation Establishment?"

"If you can afford it."

Lin Yuan frowned slightly.

"They sell incomplete ones?"

"They sell what people can pay for."

Chen Wei shrugged.

"A cultivator with fifty stones today might prefer a technique that reaches Early Foundation Establishment over waiting ten years for one that covers the entire realm."

Lin Yuan understood the logic.

It wasn’t ideal.

But neither was being poor.

"If I’m spending serious money, I’d rather buy the complete realm."

"I would too."

"Early, Middle, Late, Peak."

"Exactly."

"And Core Formation?"

Chen Wei laughed.

"Reach Foundation Establishment first."

"I plan to."

"A technique that continues into Core Formation will usually cost much more. Unless you find something unusually suitable, you don’t need to solve your entire cultivation path today."

Lin Yuan nodded.

One realm at a time.

That was enough.

"What about combat?"

"Compatibility matters."

Lin Yuan touched the sword at his side.

Chen Wei noticed.

"If you plan to keep using a sword, choose something broad enough that it doesn’t interfere with that."

"My swordsmanship is basic."

"That makes your life easier."

"That sounded insulting."

"It wasn’t."

Lin Yuan wasn’t convinced.

Chen Wei set down his cup.

"For your situation, I’d look for something stable, complete through Foundation Establishment, without rare cultivation requirements, and flexible enough that you aren’t trapped into one path."

That was a much clearer target than simply looking for a powerful technique.

Lin Yuan had one question left.

"How much?"

Chen Wei smiled.

"There it is."

"How much?"

"Depends."

"Everyone says that."

"Because everyone enjoys being correct."

"Give me something useful."

Chen Wei thought for a moment.

"For something decent and complete through Foundation Establishment, a few hundred low-grade spirit stones wouldn’t surprise me."

Lin Yuan went quiet.

Chen Wei watched him.

"That’s usually the reaction."

"You can’t narrow it down?"

"Not without knowing the technique."

"Better ones?"

"More."

"Much more?"

"Potentially."

Chen Wei shrugged.

"Famous inheritances, unusual attributes, special advantages—the price can climb quickly."

"I don’t need famous."

"Good."

"I need something useful."

"Even better."

Lin Yuan looked through the window.

A traveler had entered Qiao’s General Goods.

Near the stable, another cultivator was checking the straps on an Ironhoof Beast.

A few hundred spirit stones.

He had expected a Foundation Establishment technique to be expensive.

Hearing the number made it more real.

"Can I inspect the technique before buying?"

"You’ll usually get a description of its characteristics and requirements. A reputable place should tell you what you’re purchasing."

"But they won’t let me read the whole thing."

Chen Wei stared at him.

"Do you let customers eat dinner before deciding whether to pay?"

"No."

"There’s your answer."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Can I trust Thousand Treasures Pavilion?"

"More than a stranger selling jade slips in an alley."

"That’s not a high standard."

"It’s still useful advice."

Chen Wei gathered his papers.

"When you’re ready, go there with a budget. Tell them what you need. Ask to see several options and compare them."

"Don’t buy the first one."

"Exactly."

Lin Yuan stood.

Chen Wei pointed at the teapot.

"Leave that."

"You didn’t order it."

"I changed my mind."

Lin Yuan left the tea.

That afternoon, Lin Yuan returned to his room.

He opened his storage bag.

Spirit stones sat inside alongside talismans, supplies, and the few other things he carried.

For the first time since reaching Qi Refining Nine, Foundation Establishment had acquired a price.

Lin Yuan closed the bag.

He wasn’t going to stop investing in Blackstone and save everything he earned.

There was no reason to.

He still had time before reaching the peak of Qi Refining Nine.

And Blackstone itself was no longer what it had been when he first opened the tavern.

Lin Yuan went downstairs.

The busiest part of lunch had passed, but several tables were occupied.

A cultivator stood at the counter paying Su Mei for another night.

Two travelers left the tavern and crossed toward Qiao’s General Goods.

Near the window, a group ordered another jug of Spirit-Touched Water.

Xiao Lan emerged from the kitchen carrying a stack of empty bowls.

She stopped in front of him.

"You’re blocking the way."

Lin Yuan stepped aside.

Xiao Lan passed without another word.

He remained near the counter.

When he had first opened Wandering Cloud Tavern, spending twenty low-grade spirit stones on the building had felt expensive.

Later, one hundred stones for Blackstone’s spiritual environment had felt enormous.

Now he was considering a cultivation technique worth several times that.

Several hundred low-grade spirit stones was still a lot.

But for the first time, it didn’t sound impossible.