He had to go to Dan Cloud Peak to refine pills, tend to the three acres of Purple Corn Spirit Fields, and also run to the Disciple Marketplace.
Fang Yun calculated the time and realized he had to optimize his commute.
The Celestial Cloud Sect was huge, and he got around by running everywhere.
Magic for traveling or escaping was, at the very least, Middle Grade among Low Tier Magic.
Without any talent for spells, an early-stage Qi Refining Cultivator would find it extremely difficult to learn Middle-Grade Low Tier Magic. Needless to say, this applied to Fang Yun, whose talent was pure white across the board.
A Cultivator could infuse their legs with Spiritual Power to alleviate fatigue while also slightly increasing their speed.
But rushing back and forth like this still left Fang Yun's legs sore.
Fortunately, a Cultivator's recovery ability was far beyond that of a mortal. After dragging his exhausted body to bed for a good night's sleep, he would mostly be fine.
'I have some time now. I'll test the effects of this Lower-Grade Qi Nourishing Pill.'
After taking a Lower-Grade Qi Nourishing Pill, Fang Yun quickly entered a state of cultivation.
A Lower-Grade Qi Nourishing Pill offered limited medicinal power and was the slowest to refine and absorb. Fang Yun wouldn't have used one for cultivation if he hadn't borrowed Spirit Stones from Senior Sister Song, and if it weren't still so long until morning.
If he hadn't borrowed the Spirit Stones, he would have had to sell all six Lower-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills without using any.
The Spirit Stones from the sale would then be used to buy more materials for refining Qi Nourishing Pills.
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky before Fang Yun finished refining and absorbing the Lower-Grade Qi Nourishing Pill.
'Just as I thought. The efficiency is terrible.'
Although this one night of cultivation was equivalent to several days of his previous wholehearted efforts, Fang Yun was far from satisfied.
With his Spirit Root Talent and the daily tasks ahead of him, only Upper-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills could meet his needs.
After finishing his cultivation, Fang Yun left his residence and went to the Spirit Fields to tend to his three acres of Purple Corn.
After he finished tending to the three acres of Purple Corn, Fang Yun looked at Tian Ruifeng, who was observing the Mutated Purple Corn stalk, and asked:
"Senior Brother Tian, could you lend me one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones?"
'A little more debt won't hurt,' Fang Yun thought. 'Besides, I'm confident I can repay it, and doubling the Spirit Stones I have on hand would be a good thing.'
"One hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones…" Tian Ruifeng looked up at Fang Yun.
After what had happened yesterday, Tian Ruifeng knew exactly what Fang Yun needed the Spirit Stones for without even having to think.
Even if Fang Yun had discovered he had decent Alchemy Talent, the initial stages would still require a significant investment of resources.
Being able to refine pills for early-stage Qi Refining Cultivators didn't mean he could do the same for late-stage ones. The further one progressed on the path of Alchemy, the higher the demand for talent became.
"Junior Brother Fang, you need one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones? I can give them to you directly."
"Oh? Senior Brother Tian, what's the catch?" Fang Yun asked directly.
'There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.'
"You must promise, Junior Brother, that you will use the Spirit Stones I give you solely for the path of Spirit Plants."
Fang Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Senior Brother, you really are persistent about me."
"I've been growing Purple Corn for nearly seventy years…"
"Never mind. Senior Brother Tian, farewell."
Fang Yun shook his head, bid his farewell, and left.
Although he could have lied to get the Spirit Stones and use them for other things, Fang Yun wouldn't do that.
He was a man who took his promises very seriously. If he made a promise, he would definitely keep it, which was why he rarely made them.
It was like when he used to write game guides; if he said he would release an update at a certain time, he always would, even if it meant staying up for two days and three nights once.
Fang Yun's decisive departure made Tian Ruifeng sigh.
If only Fang Yun had agreed, he would have given him not just one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, but even two hundred.
After Fang Yun left, he went back to observing the Mutated Purple Corn stalk.
Once this Mutated Purple Corn stalk fully matured, he would become a true Spirit Plant Master. Right now, he could only be considered half of one.
He arrived at the Disciple Marketplace.
This time, besides gathering materials for refining Qi Nourishing Pills, he also needed to see if there were any suitable Lower-Grade Shoe Spiritual Artifacts for him.
If not, he would have to make a trip to the Artifact Casting Peak.
Like Dan Cloud Peak, the Artifact Casting Peak was also one of the five great peaks of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Fang Yun saw the senior brother who had sold him Qi Nourishing Grass the day before yesterday was also manning a stall, so he went straight over.
"Senior Brother, I've brought you some business."
"Ah, so it's you, Junior Brother." The stall-owning senior brother opened his eyes, saw Fang Yun, and spoke with a smile.
Fang Yun didn't waste any time and said directly, "Senior Brother, this time I want ten stalks of inferior-quality Qi Nourishing Grass. If the price is right, I'll come to you first whenever I need Qi Nourishing Grass in the future."
"Senior Brother, name your price."
"Ten stalks of Qi Nourishing Grass… Last time, for three stalks, I gave you a discount of two pounds of Clear Water Rice. For an order this size, the discount would normally be seven pounds of Clear Water Rice at most." At this point, the stall-owning senior brother gritted his teeth. "But since you've put it that way, Junior Brother, I'll knock one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone off the price."
"Many thanks, Senior Brother."
Fang Yun took out thirteen Lower-Grade Spirit Stones and thanked him again, having saved an extra three pounds of Clear Water Rice.
Fang Yun inspected the ten stalks of inferior-quality Qi Nourishing Grass, and seeing no issues, he put them into his Storage Pouch. Next were the supplementary Spiritual Materials, and finally, a Lower-Grade Shoe Spiritual Artifact.
While buying Spirit Medicines, he could also keep an eye out for a suitable Lower-Grade Shoe Spiritual Artifact.
When the stall-owning senior brother looked up after collecting the Spirit Stones, he could only see Fang Yun's retreating back.
"He doesn't stop for a second."
Usually, he would chat for a bit with the junior brothers and sisters who bought his Qi Nourishing Grass.
But Fang Yun hadn't given him the slightest chance to talk. Still, it made for a comfortable business transaction.
When Fang Yun left the Disciple Marketplace, he had materials for ten attempts at refining Qi Nourishing Pills, having spent a total of twenty-five Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
He hadn't found a suitable Lower-Grade Shoe Spiritual Artifact, so his only option was to check the Artifact Casting Peak.
The Artifact Casting Peak was even farther away than Dan Cloud Peak.
By the time he reached the Artifact Casting Peak, the sky was already growing dark.
Fang Yun knew that the Artifact Pavilion on Artifact Casting Peak was the place that sold Magical Artifacts.
But since it was his first time on Artifact Casting Peak, he didn't know the way to the Artifact Pavilion.
"Excuse me, Senior Brother. I am Fang Yun. Could you please tell me how to get to the Artifact Pavilion?" Spotting a senior brother, Fang Yun went up to ask for directions.
"The Artifact Pavilion? Follow this path all the way up, and you'll see an intersection. At the intersection, keep going left, and you'll see the Artifact Pavilion."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
This time, no one offered to guide him. Not everyone had a personality like Senior Sister Song.
When he had introduced himself, this senior brother hadn't even bothered to give his own name in return.
Although Fang Yun didn't mind, it would certainly have been more pleasant if the other person had observed the proper etiquette.
Following the senior brother's directions, Fang Yun quickened his pace.
Upon entering the Artifact Pavilion, he went directly to a Steward to save as much time as possible.
"Steward, Disciple Fang Yun requires a Lower-Grade Shoe Spiritual Artifact that can increase running speed. I was wondering if the Artifact Pavilion has any suitable artifacts."
Most Shoe Spiritual Artifacts were related to speed, but it wasn't unheard of for some to have offensive or defensive capabilities.
He wanted pure speed, with no need for other types of abilities.