Cangye City

“Hmph! Boy, I don't care who you are, but Zhao Xinying from my family is already engaged to the Wang family. I hope you won't disturb her, otherwise... the consequences will be very serious.”
“You will have to face the wrath of both the Zhao and Wang families.”
The master of the Zhao family regarded him with no hint of politeness.
Yet, when he glanced at Fan Qiuming, the young man seemed neither warm nor angry.
“I mean no such thing. I simply wish to express my gratitude for Miss Zhao's kindness.”
“However, I have matters to attend to now, so I'll take my leave. As for my token of thanks...”
With a flourish, he summoned a large wooden chest from his storage ring—so big it could fit a person inside.
“A modest gift as a sign of respect. I hope you won't disdain it, Master Zhao. Farewell!”
This gesture surprised Master Zhao. He hadn't expected Fan Qiuming to possess a storage ring—a tool reserved for cultivators, though merchants sometimes used them, it was considered wasteful.
Despite his inner astonishment, he kept a straight face, thinking Fan Qiuming likely couldn’t offer anything truly valuable.
After placing the chest down, Fan Qiuming strode toward the mansion's gate.
“Mr. Fan...”
Zhao Xinying was about to speak.
“Hm?”
But her father’s stern voice silenced her.
Everyone watched Fan Qiuming depart, making no effort to stop him, nor daring to.
Only after he was gone did Master Zhao instruct a servant to open the chest.
At the sight of its contents, the man collapsed weakly to the ground.
“You fool! What could possibly frighten you so?”
Master Zhao scolded his useless servant.
“This... this... these are... spirit stones?”
“A chest full of spirit stones... Master, the whole box is filled!”
He stammered. Using spirit stones as currency was not unheard of in this world, but for small families unconnected to cultivation, such a sum was a fortune—enough to ensure comfort for generations.
“What? Spirit stones?”
Master Zhao was clearly taken aback. When he opened the chest himself, he saw the spirit stones lying quietly inside, perhaps a thousand in total.
“It seems Mr. Fan is far from ordinary, Father. You’ve misjudged him this time.”
Zhao Xinying, who was not greedy for wealth, merely gave a slight laugh at her father’s expression after her initial surprise.
“Oh dear!”
Now Master Zhao was full of regret. If only their family could befriend a cultivator, the benefits would far exceed what a chest of spirit stones could bring.
Cultivation in this world had its thresholds, and talent was foremost—those without it could never catch up, no matter how hard they tried.
When Fan Qiuming left the Zhao residence and stepped outside, it felt as if he had returned to his old world: vendors shouting at their stalls, teahouses and taverns lining the streets.
This was but a small city, though cultivators were not lacking; most were at the Qi-training stage, with a rare few at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Yet storage rings remained rare, not possessed by everyone.
Fan Qiuming observed that transactions here were made with gold, silver, and copper coins at a rate of 1:100:10,000—a single gold coin equaled a hundred silver coins, and each silver coin equaled a hundred copper coins.
Whether spirit stones could be used for purchases was uncertain, as merchants had no use for them.
Fan Qiuming wandered for some time, finding the city small—less than half the size of Peng City.

As he walked the streets, people seemed to consciously avoid him, as if he were somehow different.
He couldn’t say how long he wandered, but he had nearly circled the whole city. Though he had little appetite, one still needed to eat—he hadn’t reached the stage where he could survive without food.
He randomly chose a restaurant and sat down.
“Emm... waiter?”
He called out tentatively, unsure if the staff here were addressed the same way as in his old world.
“Right away! What would you like, sir?”
Hearing his call, the young waiter hurried over with a small notebook.
“Just bring me three of your signature dishes.”
Fan Qiuming had no idea what to order, rubbing his forehead as he spoke.
“Of course! Please wait a moment, sir!”
The waiter headed to the kitchen to relay the order.
After wandering so much, Fan Qiuming had found nothing useful. He had hoped to ask about Bai Qianyu and Bai Shiquan, but either no one recognized their names, or people fled the moment he asked—he did not know why.
Most of those who avoided him were ordinary folk, lacking spiritual energy.
“It seems ordinary people in this world fear cultivators... heh.”
Fan Qiuming shook his head with a cold laugh.
“Quite like ancient times! Marriages to benefit the family, ordinary people enduring oppression from those with power.
Compared to this, I prefer modern systems, though even they hide unseen filth.”
“Please enjoy your meal, sir!”
When the dishes arrived, Fan Qiuming picked up his chopsticks, placing a piece of meat in his mouth.
“Tasteless... I do miss modern food, though I barely had a few days of it!”
He mocked himself.
But food was still necessary.
After finishing, he placed a spirit stone on the table and walked out.
He had barely taken a few steps when the waiter called after him.
“Sir, please wait... um, our establishment doesn’t accept spirit stones. Could you pay another way?”
This was just a small place; spirit stones were useless, and real money was more practical.
“Ah...”
Fan Qiuming frowned. He had no money—he’d hoped to pay with a spirit stone, but it was refused.
“But I... only have spirit stones...”
The waiter was troubled, giving him an awkward smile.
“Surely you jest, sir! If you can pay with spirit stones, surely you have those few copper coins?”
“But I only have spirit stones...”
Now the waiter was truly at a loss. On one hand, he couldn’t offend this cultivator; on the other, he needed the money or he’d be fired.
“I’ll pay for him! How much is it?”
A woman’s voice spoke from behind Fan Qiuming.
“Forty-five copper coins,”
the waiter replied.

A slender hand reached past Fan Qiuming, handing forty-five copper coins to the waiter.
He turned to see Zhao Xinying smiling beside him.
“Who would have thought that Mr. Fan, who left a chest of spirit stones at my home, cannot pay for his meal now?”
Her words held no mockery, just gentle teasing.
Fan Qiuming laughed, “Thank you again, Miss Zhao. But why are you here?”
“As long as I’m still in Cangyi City, why shouldn’t I come?”
“What caused you to leave the Zhao household in such haste, sir? If others found out, they might think my family failed to treat you properly.”
Zhao Xinying’s manner was ever composed, her speech befitting a lady of noble upbringing—there was not the slightest hint of panic.
“It’s merely a personal matter. No need for concern, Miss Zhao. I must take my leave now.”
“I owe you a favor this time. If we meet again, I’ll be sure to repay it. Until fate brings us together once more.”
Saying this, Fan Qiuming did not linger, but left the restaurant and vanished into the bustling crowd.
Zhao Xinying clenched her fists, then sighed, returning to the Zhao residence.
This minor episode caused no great commotion.
Since there was no news within the city, Fan Qiuming decided to search outside, and thus left Cangyi City.
Ordinarily, major cities were connected by teleportation arrays, but Cangyi was a small, remote place with none.
There was no prohibition against flying outside the city. Within, sword-flight was unseen, but outside, Fan Qiuming occasionally glimpsed cultivators soaring overhead.
His own cultivation was not yet sufficient for sword-flight; he was forced to rely on his feet.
Unfamiliar with the terrain, Fan Qiuming soon found himself lost.
He had no idea where he was; even his divine sense could not locate the city’s boundary.
“Too careless. I should have gotten a map first.”
“Damn...”
Fan Qiuming had no idea of his current direction. He could only climb higher, hoping to spot a town from the mountaintop.
But he overlooked one thing: this was a cultivation world, not an ordinary one—there were monsters here.
He’d barely entered the mountains when he was chased by a Foundation Establishment beast.
“My mentality is collapsing! I forgot there could be monsters in this world.”
If it were Qi-training, he might hold his own, but Foundation Establishment...
Better to flee and count himself lucky if he escaped intact.
Fan Qiuming darted through the trees, the beast pursuing below. Occasionally, it would leap up to pounce on him, but he always dodged.
He gripped his sword tightly, ensuring his safety.
“It’s only a Foundation Establishment Blackfang Demon Wolf. In the past, I could have killed it with a glance.”
Fan Qiuming was unwilling, but the wolf was closing in; the gap between them narrowed steadily.
The Blackfang Demon Wolf seized its chance when Fan Qiuming leaped to another tree, gathering strength and springing upward—its black claws slashing at his waist.
Fan Qiuming twisted midair, blocking with his sword, but was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing through several thick trees along the way.
A cloud of dust rose where he landed...