Su Xiaoyu’s grip on the windowsill tightened involuntarily.
Although that Daoist Priest’s cultivation level was extremely low—merely at the Qi Refining 2nd Layer—the information conveyed by the appearance of a Cultivator in the real world was staggering.
Did cultivation truly exist here?
But then another question struck Su Xiaoyu.
“The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in reality is so incredibly thin. Even if Cultivators exist here, just how far can they possibly go? Could this Daoist Priest at the Qi Refining 2nd Layer actually be the world’s number one expert?”
At this thought, the corner of Su Xiaoyu’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
Or was it possible that other locations existed with a dense concentration of spiritual energy?
Regardless, this Daoist Priest had captured Su Xiaoyu’s full attention. She steered her wheelchair to the door, opened it, got into the elevator, and went downstairs.
Before long, Su Xiaoyu squeezed into the crowd.
“Xiaoyu, you came too?”
A familiar voice sounded beside her.
Turning her head, Su Xiaoyu saw Wen Wanru trotting over, coming to help push her wheelchair.
Su Xiaoyu said quietly, “I heard a Daoist Priest was here to change our luck, so I decided to take a look.”
Wen Wanru smiled slightly. “This stuff is just superstition. You don’t need to take it too seriously; just see it as psychological comfort. Anyway, let me push you to the front for a closer view.”
Perhaps because Wen Wanru had some standing in the Residential Complex, or because Su Xiaoyu was a disabled person, people ahead parted to make a path, allowing Su Xiaoyu to reach the very front.
The Daoist Priest brandished his ritual sword, swinging it back and forth before the altar with a commanding presence.
But in Su Xiaoyu’s eyes, everything he did was pure posturing, save for the occasional burst of the Wind Chant Art to make the papers on the altar rustle impressively, thus fooling everyone.
This guy… doesn’t he seem like a swindler?
After a moment’s thought, Su Xiaoyu silently cast a spell.
Among the spells she had mastered that morning was one called Heavenly Vision. It allowed her to select a target and leave a mark; the marked individual would be monitored by the caster within a certain time and range.
Now, Su Xiaoyu cast Heavenly Vision, silently leaving a mark on the Daoist Priest.
Coming from her at the 7th Layer of Qi Refining, her action went completely undetected by a mere 2nd Layer Qi Refining cultivator. The gap was simply too vast.
At the same time, listening to the discussions around her, Su Xiaoyu learned that this Daoist Priest was named Li Ru, an abbot of a temple called the Cloud Clarity Temple, which wasn’t too far from the Residential Complex.
In this modern era, tales of immortals and gods were generally dismissed as superstition. Buddhist temples and Daoist abbeys everywhere were clearly unpopular, yet the Cloud Clarity Temple defied the trend, maintaining a decent following. Su Xiaoyu suspected this was likely due to his use of the Wind Chant Art.
Even if Li Ru had no other real skills, the ability to conjure wind seemed formidable to ordinary people. Coupled with his theatrical act, it wasn’t surprising that he could deceive others into believing he possessed far greater powers.
After watching for a while, Su Xiaoyu figured Li Ru would likely continue his charlatan act for some time, and she lost interest.
She said to Wen Wanru, “Sister Wen, I’m thinking of heading back.”
“Not going to watch anymore?”
“I think I’ve seen enough for now.”
“Then I’ll head back with you.”
Wen Wanru pushed the wheelchair and led Su Xiaoyu away.
After returning, Su Xiaoyu and Wen Wanru went their separate ways to their own apartments.
Su Xiaoyu spent the rest of the afternoon practicing spells, only pausing briefly to order takeout. She managed to master two more spells.
During this time, Li Ru finished his ritual. However, he didn’t immediately return to his temple. Instead, at the invitation of some residents, he visited several homes, presenting himself as a master of feng shui. He rearranged furniture in many households, suggesting that such changes would improve the flow of energy.
For such simple efforts, Li Ru earned quite a sum of money.
As night gradually fell, Li Ru finally prepared to leave.
The moment Su Xiaoyu sensed Li Ru was about to depart, she immediately went to the Diorama Box.
“Right now, my Faith Value has only recovered to just over ten thousand, but when Faith Value needs to be spent, it must be spent.”
She checked her Faith Value.
The great Nascent Soul battle that morning at the Golden Dragon Market had become a hot topic among its denizens. Naturally, their discussions couldn’t help but mention Su Xiaoyu, and her Faith Value had increased considerably throughout the day.
But she was about to use all that Faith Value directly.
She was going to exchange for a Magical Artifact!
Magical Artifacts could be used by both Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators. The former would find it more difficult and struggle to unleash the artifact’s full potential, while the latter could wield it with full efficiency.
At the Golden Core stage, one used Dharma Treasures, and at the Nascent Soul stage, Spirit Treasures.
Dharma Treasures and Spirit Treasures were still far off for Su Xiaoyu, but a Magical Artifact was already within her reach.
She looked at the Treasure Peak within the Diorama Box. Earlier, she had organized a large number of spoils of war there. One area was specifically for Magical Artifacts, Dharma Treasures, and Spirit Treasures, the most valuable of which was the Spirit Treasure-grade Cloud Sound Sword.
Su Xiaoyu didn’t linger on the Cloud Sound Sword, shifting her gaze instead to a small bell.
This bell was called the Soul-Shaking Bell. Its color was black, adorned with intricate patterns, giving it a rather refined appearance.
The Soul-Shaking Bell originated from a Cultivator of the Bliss Sect. When rung, it emitted a peculiar sound wave that affected the consciousness of others. If used on someone whose cultivation was far inferior, it could even render them dazed, making them answer whatever was asked and easily controlled.
This was the reason Su Xiaoyu planned to exchange for it: she intended to use the Soul-Shaking Bell to extract information about cultivation in the real world from Li Ru.
Picking up the Soul-Shaking Bell, Su Xiaoyu spent ten thousand Faith Value and brought it out.
Once in reality, the Soul-Shaking Bell’s size changed, shrinking to about the size of a young girl’s palm. It looked small and exquisitely crafted.
Su Xiaoyu examined it in her hand, then placed it back into the Diorama Box.
The moment it returned to the Diorama Box, the Soul-Shaking Bell shrank drastically again, returning to its original miniature size. Being taken out and brought back didn’t cause it to undergo any special additional changes.
It was apparent that only objects native to reality would change when placed into the Diorama Box.
Su Xiaoyu brought it back out once more.
She then closed her eyes and activated Heavenly Vision. In her perception, Li Ru’s figure was heading toward the exit of the Residential Complex. She knew it was time to follow him.
Bringing the Soul-Shaking Bell with her, Su Xiaoyu cast the Water Concealment Art on herself and then left her bedroom by wheelchair.
In no time at all, the invisible Su Xiaoyu, undetectable by anyone, reached the area outside the Residential Complex.
