Chapter 47: Tracking

Upon returning to his wooden hut at C District No. 17, Li Zhen considered whether he should immediately activate his spatial ability to return to the Xian Nation world.

He glanced around the modest dwelling, wondering if using such power here might be detected by others in the market. The entire area, including the surrounding spirit fields, was encompassed within the market’s vast protective array.

If I go back now and come back later, I’ll probably run out of spirit stones! A sudden realization struck him.

In his eagerness to return home, he hadn’t thought through the logistics. Given the circumstances in the Xian Nation, obtaining nine more spirit stones for another journey would prove challenging.

I need to sell some magical artifacts first, but maybe under different identities! An idea began to form.

It was a risky move, as the market appeared bustling with cultivators, most likely from nearby regions. His presence alone drew considerable attention, suggesting that changing identities might only have limited effect. However, securing enough spirit stones for travel made it worth taking this chance.

To change identities, he couldn’t possibly do so inside the wooden hut.

He opened the door and stepped out into the night. Few cultivators remained outside now; he was much less noticeable than before.

Li Zhen headed towards the market exit. The market had no restrictions on cultivator movement.

As he left the residential area and walked down a road flanked by spirit fields, Li Zhen’s brow furrowed slightly.

He sensed the presence of a spiritual object trailing him. Any such aura he could detect must be within ten meters’ range.

Though darkness limited visibility, a cultivator’s eyesight should have been minimally affected by mere shadows.

Yet despite several attempts to glance at his peripheral vision for any tailing figure, he found nothing amiss.

If not for his infallible perception of spiritual objects, he might have doubted there was anything to concern himself with.

Feigning ignorance, he reasoned that as long as he wore his martial fighter armor, the owner of this mid-grade tier one spiritual object posed little threat from behind.

This situation also presented an opportunity to test the armor’s effectiveness—perhaps he’d finally discover how much more formidable he truly was when equipped with it.

Upon reaching the market entrance, he noticed a cultivator guard seated atop a rock. Sensing the spiritual energy emanating around it, Li Zhen deduced from his experience that some form of defensive formation likely concealed itself beneath its surface.

As Li Zhen exited the market, he felt quite uncomfortable with the sudden drop in spiritual energy concentration.

Inside the market, especially near the log cabin area, the spiritual energy had been continuously maintained at high-grade first-tier quality without interruption. Now that he was outside, the thin air made him feel uneasy.

He cast ‘Lightness Spell’, making his body lighter and allowing him to cover several meters with each step as he headed away into the distance.

“Comrade Daoist, wait!” someone called out behind him just as he was speeding off.

Li Zhen ignored it; the rules outside were completely different from those within the market.

The market, regulated by multiple factions and guarded by combat cultivators on standby, maintained peace among its participants.

But beyond the market’s boundaries, things changed drastically—no faction would intervene in conflicts between cultivators.

Cultivators’ paths required vast resources, so competition for limited supplies was commonplace.

Li Zhen continued running swiftly. Seeing him flee, the pursuing cultivator waved their hand, summoning a leaf-shaped flying magical device beneath their feet, and began chasing closely along the ground.

This flying magical device moved far faster than Li Zhen could with ‘Lightness Spell’. While Lightness Spell reduced his weight to increase speed through normal movement, the flying magical device allowed true flight.

Li Zhen kept an eye on the cultivator flying close to the ground behind him while trying his best to put distance between himself and the market.

The pursuing cultivator had similar thoughts; as long as they were too near the market, he held back his speed so not to draw attention.

Chasing and fleeing, the pair soon entered a grassy area.

“Who are you? Why are you chasing me?” Li Zhen asked sternly, stopping in place.

The pursuing cultivator also halted, maintaining a distance of about twenty meters.

This cultivator was quite experienced, with their entire head covered by a black mask that concealed their identity. Even their robes were black and devoid of any markings.

Of course, Li Zhen’s cultivation level was too weak; otherwise, he would have noticed that both the mask and robe had properties to isolate spiritual energy.

If it weren’t for the magical artifact equipped outside the robe, Li Zhen might not have accurately discerned its presence through his perception of spirit objects.

With a flash, the cultivator lunged forward, reaching out towards Li Zhen with their left hand.

Prepared, Li Zhen summoned fighter armor from the Dragon Heart Space just as the cultivator charged at him, quickly donning the protective gear.

With the martial fighter armor on, his body felt as if it had merged with the suit, making him feel larger than before.

At the same time, within the abdomen of the armor where his dantian should be, there was a vast reserve of spiritual energy stored inside. Through controlling the martial fighter armor, he could access this spiritual power at will.

Additionally, all aspects of his abilities had been significantly enhanced; now he could clearly see the cultivator flying through the air, their movements appearing slow to him.

Indeed, once Li Zhen donned the martial fighter armor, he became nearly equivalent to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

In the eyes of such a late-stage cultivator, an attack from someone in the mid-Qi Refining stage would seem easily breakable with just a casual effort.

The cultivator in mid-flight noticed the appearance of armor on Li Zhen and sensed its first-class high-grade aura fluctuations. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

However, at that moment, he lost the ability to retract his attack and could only proceed full-force, hoping to grievously wound Li Zhen with this strike.

A short sword appeared in Li Zhen’s hand—it was actually a first-class high-grade flying sword, but he wielded it like a dagger.

This time, he struck with all his might, holding nothing back.

Xiao Cheng’s rudimentary sword technique, combined with the cultivator’s position suspended in mid-air—leaving him no room to dodge.

The first-class high-grade flying sword pierced through the cultivator’s chest, straight into his heart—a strike that was instantly fatal.

The light in the cultivator’s eyes faded, replaced by expressions of unwillingness and regret.

He had other means at his disposal, but before he could employ them, he found himself cut down.

After confirming the cultivator’s death, Li Zhen checked the martial fighter armor’s spiritual energy levels. It now stood at 65%.

Due to his own weak strength, he’d relied entirely on the armor’s spiritual energy for this attack, resulting in such a significant drain.

It must be understood that even a single blow from the late stages of Qi Refinement would require far more spiritual energy than he currently possessed.

In truth, martial fighter armor is never issued to those in the early stages of Qi Refinement; if it were, battles would conclude far too swiftly.

Li Zhen shook his head and retracted the martial fighter armor into Dragon Heart Space.

He wasn’t deterred by the armor’s energy consumption. Achieving victory against superior odds never comes without a cost. If using the armor elevated an early-stage Qi Refiner’s capabilities to match those of the late stages, what difference did some extra energy expenditure make?

Approaching the corpse, he first pulled aside the hood. As it fell back, he beheld a familiar, aged visage.

“How could it be him!” Li Zhen exclaimed, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

The cultivator before him was none other than the old proprietor of the Treasure Pavilion. Renowned for its impeccable reputation, the pavilion was also a venture of the prestigious Lin Clan. As such, the old proprietor held considerable standing among the market’s cultivators.

Li Zhen couldn’t fathom why such a venerable elder would pursue him with lethal intent.

However, there was no time to ponder this mystery now. He set about searching the old proprietor’s body.

Soon, he uncovered the spirit artifacts: a black hood, a long black robe, a piece of jade, and a storage pouch.

The black robe bore a gaping hole where the blade had pierced through. While not imbued with magical properties itself, the fabric’s unique composition served as an effective barrier against spiritual energy. With some repair work, it remained usable. The black hood shared similar protective qualities.

The jade artifact was identified as a mid-grade first-rank magical item. The storage pouch, unlike the one Li Zhen acquired in the Xian Nation, lacked any metallic trim or engraved markings around its opening.

Attempting to establish a psychic connection with the pouch, Li Zhen found it completely unguarded. His consciousness slipped effortlessly into its interior.

In contrast, the Xian Nation’s storage pouches were safeguarded by residual imprints of their owners’ spirits, persisting even after death.

This newly obtained pouch, however, offered no such protection. It could be opened and its contents accessed freely by anyone who possessed it.

Li Zhen wasted no more time at the scene. Leaving the old proprietor’s body untouched, he swiftly stored all the newly acquired spirit artifacts within his Dragon Heart Space.