"One thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
Luo Chen stared at the pile before him, warmth blooming in his chest. That was what those so-called kind souls had brought him—not just bruises and flying swords, but a fortune hefty enough to buy six bottles of Dust Transformation pills.
And when he added that to yesterday's gains, along with his prior savings, his total spirit stones had finally crossed the two-thousand mark.
"I guess I can call this a small fortune now," he murmured.
With over two thousand spirit stones in fixed savings, top-grade enchanted offensive artifacts like the Soul-Breaking Nail, long spear, and Ice Snow Flying Sword, plus the defensive robe he'd just stripped off someone, not to mention the versatile Four Symbols Cauldron, Luo Chen felt well-equipped.
And that's not even counting the mid-grade enchanted artifacts like the jade blade, white planks, or bells.
All things considered, Luo Chen's personal arsenal and resources ranked him squarely among the elite of late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators.
But as he thought about how he'd actually acquired these treasures, his smile wavered.
Except for the Four Symbols Cauldron, which he'd mooched off Mi Shuhua, everything else was...
Cultivation realms based on popping pills, enchanted artifacts courtesy of others' charity—am I just not trying hard enough?
Muttering inwardly, Luo Chen found himself at a loss with so many artifacts. There were plenty of treasures, but more enchanted artifacts didn't necessarily mean better.
Most lower-tier cultivators specialized in only a handful of artifacts, and for good reason. Spirit power was limited, and they lacked spirit consciousness to wield too many artifacts at once, only diluted their effectiveness.
Even during his battle in the snowy grove, his arsenal had looked impressive—but in reality, he'd relied on spells for most of the fight. The only artifacts he'd actually used were the mid-grade jade blade and the top-grade Four Symbols Cauldron.
Even so, after a fierce battle, his spirit power had been depleted by more than half.
Thus, selecting the most suitable enchanted artifacts from his collection and combining them to create a new combat style was a task Luo Chen needed to focus on right now.
Luo Chen muttered to himself. "The courtyard is too small. It's not suitable for testing.
"This needs to be done in a more open space."
Luo Chen immediately dismissed the idea of using the Trial Hall at Fallen Phoenix Mountain. The fees there were outrageously high. It seemed he would have to use the forest behind Crescent Moon Valley to practice with his enchanted artifacts.
What's that smell?
Just then, a bitter medicinal scent drifted in through the doorframe.
Luo Chen's nose twitched. He stepped outside and saw a thin wisp of steam rising from a large cauldron in the courtyard. Someone was brewing medicine.
"It's Sister Xia. Aren't you going to work at this time?"
Feng Xia looked up but didn't respond immediately.
Luo Chen yawned and wandered over, crouching beside her. His eyes flicked to the simmering brew.
"This is healing medicine, right? Is someone hurt?"
"It's Xiao Duan," Feng Xia replied hoarsely.
Feng Xia's voice was hoarse. Even though her throat had long since healed, the years she'd spent testing medicines at the Hall of Hundred Herbs had left permanent damage. Her voice would probably never return to what it once was.
In a flat tone, she added, "It's been five or six days."
Luo Chen exclaimed in surprise. "Injured for that long? What happened?"
"On the Debate Platform, blades and swords show no mercy. Now that it's winter, some rogue cultivators are desperate and will do anything to win."
Feng Xia glanced at the east wing room and sighed. "Xiao Duan fought fiercely with a rogue cultivator from Snow Lotus Market to maintain his place in last month's top three of the Qi-Refining Realm. One died, and one was injured."
Duan Feng is that strong now?
He remembered Qin Liangchen once telling him that Duan Feng was just slightly weaker than his peak state. And now, Duan Feng had somehow clawed his way into the top three of Dahe Market's Qi-Refining cultivators?
The strength of rogue cultivators in Dahe Market was no longer what it used to be. These rogue cultivators had always been formidable due to their frequent battles with demonic beasts, but the additional honing on the Debate Platform had made them even tougher. Even Wang Yuan, who hadn't participated in battles for a long time, had dropped out of the top fifty rankings.
Yet, Duan Feng had unknowingly risen to the top three.
Luo Chen sighed and asked in confusion, "Isn't it said that normal battles have Foundation Establishment cultivators as judges to prevent fatalities?
"There are only so many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Sword Pavilion, right?"
Under Feng Xia's explanation, Luo Chen finally learned that the current battles on the Debate Platform were somewhat different from before.
With the arrival of winter, more and more cultivators participated. After careful selection, the matches were fully scheduled every day. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion only had a few Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there to begin with. With so many matches happening daily, it was impossible for them to oversee them all.
So, most of the judging was left to the low-tier Jade Cauldron cultivators from the enforcement team. To be blunt, these low-tier Jade Cauldron cultivators were all in the Qi-Refining Realm.
At critical moments, they might not even be able to stop two fighters who had gone all out.
Over the past month, there had already been numerous cases of cultivators accidentally killing each other during battles.
In fact, the Sword Pavilion might even be encouraging such occurrences. The more intense the battles, the more spectators and gamblers they attracted.
Duan Feng's match was supposed to be a highlight battle, but the previous fight between the first and second-ranked contestants was added at the last minute. As a result, the Foundation Establishment cultivators overseeing it were replaced by others.
The outcome was one death and one severe injury.
The rogue cultivator from Snow Lotus Market died, and Duan Feng was gravely injured. He was even carried back by Sword Pavilion cultivators, which showed just how badly he was hurt.
"His internal organs were displaced, multiple bones were fractured, and he had thirteen wounds of varying sizes on his body. Those were manageable, but the most severe issue was the frost energy invading his body, preventing Xiao Duan from using spirit power to heal.
"Additionally, his meridians were severely damaged. If they aren't healed soon, it might affect his future for Foundation Establishment."
Feng Xia looked at the east wing with pity. Her hoarse voice seemed unconcerned if the person inside overheard.
She shook her head and said, "I noticed it a couple of days ago. Since I've had some free time recently, I've been helping him brew medicine. But my methods can only help heal some of his injuries. The frost energy? He'll have to deal with that on his own. As for the damaged meridians..."