Chapter Fifty-Four: Ping'er

A clear, melodious female voice rang in He Song’s ear.

He Song turned his head instantly toward the direction of the sound.

A familiar figure appeared before him.

A gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and He Song immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

“So it’s Miss Ping’er. Indeed, it’s been three years since we last met. Congratulations, Miss Ping’er, on your advancement. You are well on your way to Foundation Establishment.”

Standing before him was Ping’er, the very person who had received him on his first, second, and now third visit to the Hall of Spiritual Techniques.

He Song’s cultivation had grown from the first level of Qi Refining on his first visit, to the fourth level now.

Ping’er’s own cultivation, which he hadn’t known on his first visit, nor paid attention to on his second, was now revealed on his third visit to also be at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

On his first visit, He Song hadn’t yet learned the Spiritual Eye Technique, so naturally he didn’t know Ping’er’s cultivation.

By his second visit, he had learned the technique, but hadn’t used it on Ping’er.

This time, it was only because Ping’er had congratulated him on his progress that he activated the Spiritual Eye Technique and glanced at her.

Only then did he discover Ping’er had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining as well.

“What brings you here, friend? Is there something you wish to select?” Ping’er led He Song to a desk and seated him, her eyes crinkled with a smile as she spoke.

Her gaze remained fixed on He Song, a hint of surprise barely visible.

Three years had passed.

She had thought that He Song, whom she once wished to befriend, had perished in the great calamity three years ago.

She’d even sighed over it.

After all, He Song had been only a minor cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining back then; surviving such a catastrophe was no easy feat.

Even she had only survived thanks to the help of a benefactor.

Otherwise, she too might have died in that disaster.

The calamity had been terrifying, targeting all cultivators above the second level of Qi Refining who lived on the outskirts of the Immortal Market and lacked any means of self-preservation.

To survive, one had to leave beforehand or have someone powerful to help.

How, then, did He Song survive?

“Miss Ping’er, if you would kindly bring out some Qi Refining spells for me to choose from,” He Song replied, ignoring the surprise in Ping’er’s eyes and stating his request.

This visit to the Hall of Spiritual Techniques was to learn new spells.

The Spirit Gathering Array was already arranged.

The Five Elements Array and the Maze Array would take much longer to comprehend.

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Naturally, to enhance his strength, only two options remained: buying spirit talismans or learning spells.

Buying talismans, given He Song’s current wealth, was rather difficult.

Thus, he had come to the Hall of Spiritual Techniques to study Qi Refining spells and bolster his power.

“Very well, please wait a moment, friend He.” Leaving these words, Ping’er rose and departed, her eyes still curious but dutiful.

After Ping’er left, another pretty young woman stepped forward to brew a pot of hot tea for He Song.

Seeing this, He Song realized that Ping’er’s attire had changed from his previous visits.

After asking the girl, he learned that after Ping’er broke through to mid-stage Qi Refining, she became one of the Hall’s stewards and no longer needed to greet visiting cultivators as before.

She merely needed to manage her subordinates and let them handle reception.

Of course, if she felt like it, she could still receive guests personally—just as she was doing for He Song.

After his inquiries, the girl respectfully turned and left.

He Song was momentarily dazed, but suddenly realized that as a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he was now considered a “senior” among the many early-stage cultivators.

Or perhaps it was because of his familiarity with Ping’er that the girl had treated him with such respect.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Scenes from his first visit to the Hall of Spiritual Techniques flashed through his mind—his encounter with Ping’er.

Back then, he was only at the first level of Qi Refining, and everywhere he looked, the cultivators in the Hall radiated strong spiritual pressure.

Every one of them seemed like a senior.

Now, a mere glance revealed most were early-stage Qi Refining cultivators; there were few at the mid-stage.

His own mid-stage cultivation was considered quite high in the Hall at that moment.

“Time flies, and the scenery before me has changed as well.”

He Song sighed inwardly, shook his head, and stopped thinking about it.

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Soon, the familiar figure returned.

Ping’er placed a tray in front of He Song, her gaze drifting quickly to the teapot on the table.

Her eyes swept over the other girls in the Hall, a look of understanding flashing across her face, yet she paid it no mind.

“Friend He, let me introduce these spells to you.”

She picked up a jade slip from the tray, her voice gentle.

“This is Fireball Spell, one of the basic spells. It forms a ball of fire to kill enemies, formidable in power. Price: ten spirit stones.”

“This is Lightfoot Spell, another basic spell. It increases your walking speed, essential for long journeys and escapes. Price: ten spirit stones.”

“This is Object Manipulation Spell, a mid-grade spell. It releases spiritual power to control nearby objects, extremely versatile. Price: fifty spirit stones.”

“This is Mountain Lightfoot Spell, a mid-grade spell. Faster than Lightfoot Spell, indispensable for travel and fleeing. Price: fifty spirit stones.”

“This is Tracking Spell, a high-grade spell. It places a tracking mark on the enemy, barely detectable. Price: one hundred spirit stones.”

“This is Earth Burrowing Spell, a high-grade spell. It allows you to move swiftly underground, but beware—it’s countered by Earth Shaking Spell. Price: one hundred spirit stones.”

“This is Earth Shaking Spell, a high-grade spell. It shakes the heavens and earth, dealing heavy damage to enemies underground. Price: one hundred spirit stones.”

“This is Mountain Sword Technique, a high-grade offensive spell. It uses Object Manipulation to control flying swords, extremely powerful. Price: two hundred spirit stones.”

“This is…”

As Ping’er introduced each jade slip, He Song’s eyes flickered.

He wanted them all!

But after sensing the contents of his storage pouch—only thirty-five spirit stones remained—He Song’s enthusiasm dimmed.

These thirty-five spirit stones had been scavenged from Chen Zhou’s storage pouch.

The dozen or so stones he originally had, and the fifty-odd taken from Chen Zhou, had all been spent on inscribing array patterns.

Inscribing arrays carried a high risk of damaging spirit stones.

The rest had all been used up for that purpose.

Now, He Song had only thirty-five spirit stones left.

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