"Of course, if you choose to join the patrol group, not only do you not have to pay eight Spirit Stones, but you can also receive Spirit Stones," another person added.
For Xu Ping, only if his brain malfunctioned would he join the patrol group.
Eight Spirit Stones naturally weren't much for him at this point.
Yet Xu Ping pretended reluctantly and pulled out eight Spirit Stones.
After receiving the Spirit Stones, the two didn't linger and went directly to the next house.
Watching the two gradually walk away, Xu Ping thought to himself, "It seems the situation is becoming more dangerous, lacking manpower, they're even using this method to recruit people into the patrol group."
"But this has nothing to do with me anymore; in just a few days, I'll be able to leave this place."
...
Not long after the two Longevity Sect members left, Old Man Lu came over to visit.
As soon as they met, he clung to Xu Ping's leg, wailing loudly, "Last time I spent Spirit Stones on an Exorcism Talisman, and now I have to pay protection fees again. How am I going to live in the coming days!"
"Stop, stop!"
"I'm in the same boat."
Xu Ping felt a headache from his shouting.
"But...you made so much before," Old Man Lu said tearfully.
Xu Ping couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Didn't you see that I'm already at mid-stage Qi Cultivation?"
Old Man Lu was left speechless and could only leave dejectedly.
...
Night deepened.
In the bedroom.
Xu Ping's fingertip trembled slightly, a golden energy beam shot out like lightning, almost piercing through the wall.
The next second, the pure golden Geng Metal energy traced a long arc in the bedroom, pierced through the window, and instantly penetrated the large tree outside.
"The Geng Metal Finger at the Perfection Level is truly extraordinary!" Xu Ping beamed with joy.
Originally, his Geng Metal Finger could only move straight.
Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the Perfection Level, it could now make turns.
This undoubtedly made his attack methods more versatile.
Using it to ambush people would definitely yield surprising effects.
First, deliberately shoot slightly off-target, then make a sharp turn, making it absolutely unguardable.
"It's just a pity that Perfection is already the highest level, I can't grind further," Xu Ping looked at his panel with some regret in his heart.
[Geng Metal Finger Perfection: ∞]
"Perhaps I should learn a new magic," Xu Ping pondered to himself.
His time was very limited nowadays, spending at least two or three hours on cultivating Five Elements Skill and Qi Nourishing Skill.
Then there was sword practice, which took at least three or four hours; the remaining time was very scarce.
After all, with his current cultivation, he still needed to sleep and eat.
Geng Metal Finger was practiced whenever he could find the time.
Now that Geng Metal Finger has reached Perfection, he could barely learn another magic.
He decided to get to work immediately.
Xu Ping went to his desk and took out a yellowed book from his storage bag.
This was obtained from the storage bags of Zhao Tao and his partner.
Some magic was recorded in it.
Previously, when he was at Qi Cultivation Level 3, there weren't many spells he could learn. Now, having broken through to Level 4, there were more options to choose from.
"Need to learn Fireball Technique, useful for destroying evidence, but no need for mastery, just adequate will do."
"Five Thunders Skill, unfortunately, is a First Rank Upper Grade spell, I can't train in it for now."
"Hemostasis Skill..."
...
Xu Ping perused it for a while, eventually deciding on a magic called Light Body Technique.
Light Body Technique is a magic that increases one's speed.
With his current Body Refining cultivation combined with the Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship, he's already powerful, and if paired with Light Body Technique, it would definitely enhance his strength to another level.
It was just perfect for him.
After memorizing the essentials of Light Body Technique, Xu Ping coordinated with his Spiritual Power and quickly formed hand seals.
He silently chanted: 'Light Body Technique.'
The next instant, he radiated a glow.
But the glow only flashed for a second before extinguishing abruptly.
"Spiritual Power didn't match up with the hand seals; next time, slow down," Xu Ping summed up his failure, and continued to try.
Cultivators rarely use magic to fight.
One reason is its difficulty in learning, another is the complexity of casting spells.
Normally, hand seals and Spiritual Power need to work in concert.
In some cases, even chants are needed in addition.
For a First Rank Lower Grade magic like Geng Metal Finger, it's easy to learn but incredibly hard to master, and in a cultivator's combat, it's far less direct and convenient than talismans and magical artifacts.
But for Xu Ping, none of these were issues; as long as he kept practicing, his proficiency would increase, eventually reaching a level where casting spells was like second nature, and the power of the magic would also grow.
Having an exploit is awesome!
...
...
After exploring for a day alone, Xu Ping finally began to grasp the knack of 'Light Body Technique.'
In the evening, as the sunset's glow filtered through the window and fell upon him, it seemed to add a touch of warmth to his practice.
Xu Ping's fingers quickly formed seals, accompanied by the surge of Mana.
The next instant.
"Ah!"
With an exclamation, Xu Ping's body shot out several meters like an arrow from a bow, hitting the wall with a 'bang.'
Fortunately, at the last moment, he adjusted his posture in time; otherwise, the wall might have had a big hole by now.
"Damn, really scared me to death!"
Xu Ping's heart raced as he stepped back a few paces, dusting off the dirt on him.
With his current physique, he wasn't hurt; it's just that the speed amplified by Light Body Technique was somewhat unexpected, making it hard for him to control for an instant.
Xu Ping saw the shadow of himself on the wall, his gaze joyful: "This 'Light Body Technique' speeds up even better than I imagined!"
Even though his mastery of Light Body Technique was still lacking and the level was not high, it already improved his speed by at least 10%.
If he continued to progress, his speed might be hard to catch with the naked eye.
By then, his strength could see a significant surge!
Xu Ping opened his proficiency panel, his eyes went to Light Body Technique [Light Body Technique Entry Level: 1/100]
"On the board, keep going!."
He silently motivated himself, focused his mind, and continued practicing.
In the small room, Xu Ping's body moved like an agile breeze, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, or retreating, or rolling.
The pace of practice constantly increased in his heart, and time passed inadvertently.
Until well past midnight, Xu Ping finally stopped, exhausted, with beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
He quickly took a shower, exhausted but filled with a sense of accomplishment, and eventually collapsed onto the bed, soon falling into a deep sleep.
...
...
"Awoo~"
Just as Xu Ping was sleeping groggily, a sudden harsh wolf howl reached his ears.
Xu Ping suddenly awoke.
"Awoo awoo..."
At this moment, a few more wolf howls came, sounding particularly piercing in the silent night.
He frowned; although beast roars were common, this situation seemed a bit unusual this time.
Thinking it over, he quietly left the bedroom and went to the small courtyard outside.
The night was as dark as ink, and the silvery moonlight draped over the ground. An undercurrent of chill threatened the tranquil atmosphere, causing a shiver.
"Awoo howl awoo howl!"
Just then, a few wolf howls came, tearing through the darkness, sounding quite near.
"Wolf demon?"
Xu Ping frowned deeply and it sounded like there might be more than one.
His senses heightened in alertness.