Leaving the main hall, Li Shen crossed the quiet courtyard and followed a stone corridor toward the rear compound of the Spirit Warden Office.
At the end of the corridor stood the Resource Pavilion.
This building stored the cultivation resources that Spirit Wardens could exchange using merit credits.
Outside the entrance stood a tall stone tablet covered in engraved writing.
The characters listed the items currently available for exchange.
Li Shen stopped briefly to read.
---
Exchange List
Origin Circulation Method — Basic Cultivation Manual
Exchange Price: 500 Merit Credits
Wind-Step Technique — Basic Martial Skill
Exchange Price: 500 Merit Credits
Iron Staff Technique — Basic Martial Skill
Exchange Price: 500 Merit Credits
—
Skybreaker Bow — Low-Grade Spirit Artifact
Exchange Price: 1,200 Merit Credits
Mountain Splitter Hammer — Low-Grade Spirit Artifact
Exchange Price: 1,000 Merit Credits
—
Spirit Gathering Pill (1)
Refines spiritual energy and strengthens the soul.
Useful for advancing from the First Stage to the Second Stage.
Exchange Price: 100 Merit Credits
Tranquil Mind Pills (1 bottle)
Calms the mind and stabilizes spiritual energy during cultivation.
Recommended for First Stage cultivators.
Exchange Price: 300 Merit Credits
---
Within the Spirit Warden Office, almost every task could earn merit credits.
Completing spirit-hunting missions.
Investigating supernatural incidents.
Gathering intelligence.
Even assisting with logistics or performing small errands.
Of course, hunting spirits remained the fastest way to earn them.
Merit credits could then be exchanged for valuable cultivation resources.
Blackwater City was only a small regional city, so the Resource Pavilion didn't contain legendary treasures or powerful secret manuals.
The items here were mostly basic tools and supplies necessary for early cultivation.
Anyone seeking higher-grade techniques or powerful artifacts had to travel to larger cities.
For example, one of Li Shen's colleagues once traveled to the provincial capital and spent two thousand merit credits on a mid-grade spirit blade.
The weapon could slice through iron as easily as cutting tofu.
Ever since acquiring it, the man carried it everywhere—constantly showing it off.
According to rumors, the Imperial Spirit Warden Headquarters possessed an enormous treasury.
If someone accumulated enough merit credits, they could exchange for incredibly rare treasures.
High-level cultivation manuals.
Legendary weapons.
Ancient relics left behind by powerful cultivators.
Even protective talismans drawn by the empire's greatest masters.
Li Shen looked at the list and sighed quietly.
"I'm still far too poor…"
---
The Resource Pavilion was guarded by an old caretaker working the night shift.
The old man had a hunched back and sleepy eyes.
The moment he saw Li Shen enter, he frowned.
"You again?"
Li Shen smiled casually.
"Well, someone has to protect the city from wandering spirits."
He handed over a slip of paper.
Tranquil Mind Pills
The old man glanced at it briefly before opening a drawer and tossing a white porcelain bottle toward him.
Li Shen caught it easily.
"It's late," the old caretaker muttered. "Stop wandering around and go home."
But Li Shen didn't move.
He uncorked the bottle and sniffed the faint medicinal fragrance inside.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Then he carefully poured the pills into his palm and counted them one by one before placing them back into the bottle.
The old man slammed the drawer shut.
"Why are you still standing here? Go already!"
Only then did Li Shen nod and leave the pavilion.
The moment the door closed behind him, the old caretaker's expression changed completely.
With a grin, he pulled a small hidden book from his sleeve.
It was a cheap romance novel from a nearby market.
Chuckling to himself, he returned to reading.
---
After collecting the pills, Li Shen returned to the main hall.
He picked up the food items Master Yan had given him earlier—dried fungus, eggs, and medicinal herbs—then left the Spirit Warden compound.
His home was only a short distance away.
Just two streets from the office.
The walk took less than five minutes.
The residence was a small courtyard house inherited from the original owner's parents.
It wasn't large.
But it was more than enough for someone living alone.
Years ago, a devastating spirit outbreak had swept through the region.
The previous owner of this body had watched helplessly as his parents were killed by a monstrous serpent spirit.
The memory still lingered faintly in his mind.
Since then, a quiet hatred toward supernatural creatures had taken root.
When the boy turned sixteen, he joined the Spirit Warden Office.
He had sworn to himself:
One day, he would drive the monsters out of the human world.
---
Li Shen unlocked the door and stepped inside.
He crossed the small courtyard and entered the main room.
With a soft wave of his hand—
The candles in the room lit themselves.
Warm orange light filled the space.
"Young Master, you're back."
A small servant boy wearing simple gray clothes appeared near the doorway and bowed respectfully.
Li Shen nodded.
"Bring me some tea. I'm going to cultivate."
"Yes, Young Master."
A few moments later, a steaming cup of tea appeared beside him.
By the time Li Shen finished changing clothes and sat cross-legged on a bamboo mat, the servant boy had already vanished.
Behind him hung a painted scroll.
On the painting was the same smiling servant boy.
The Dao of talismans was mysterious and endlessly adaptable.
Not only could it repel ghosts…
With sufficient skill, it could even give temporary life to figures drawn on paper.
Of course, Li Shen's cultivation was still too low.
The talisman servant he created could currently do little more than simple chores like pouring tea.
Still, it saved him some effort.
Li Shen took a sip of tea.
Then he opened the porcelain bottle and swallowed a pale green pill.
Immediately, a refreshing sensation spread through his body.
His thoughts became clear and focused.
All distracting emotions faded away.
Closing his eyes, Li Shen began reciting the verses of his cultivation technique.
Unlike the fantasy stories from his previous life, this world didn't contain pure spiritual energy.
Instead, the atmosphere was filled with a strange and dangerous force known as shadow energy.
Shadow energy was the natural power of ghosts and spirits.
To humans, it was poisonous.
Only through cultivation techniques could people safely refine it.
The process was dangerous.
Cultivators had to draw the energy into their bodies and purify it repeatedly until it transformed into stable spiritual power.
If the process failed…
The energy would devour the cultivator's mind.
Many people lost control and turned into monsters themselves.
That was why cultivators often joked:
Cultivation was simply walking a narrow road beside death.
Li Shen quietly guided the energy through his meridians.
Gradually, shadow energy gathered around him like a slow-moving whirlpool.
His skin became pale as the energy flowed into his body.
Faint whispers echoed in his ears.
Seductive.
Tempting.
Inviting him to surrender to darkness.
But the pill stabilized his mind.
His consciousness remained clear.
An hour passed.
The pill's effect faded.
By then, the shadow energy had been refined into pure spiritual power flowing through his meridians.
Li Shen opened the bottle and swallowed another pill.
Then another.
When the third pill's effect ended—
Morning sunlight had already begun shining through the window.
Li Shen slowly opened his eyes.
Golden rays illuminated his pale but calm expression.
He checked the flow of energy within his body.
Late First Stage of Spirit Awakening.
With a few more days of cultivation, he might attempt to break through to the Second Stage.
For most cultivators, this speed would be astonishing.
But Li Shen only sighed.
A bottle contained nine pills.
He had used three in a single night.
That meant one hundred merit credits had disappeared overnight.
In other words—
He would need to kill at least ten more spirits just to recover the cost.
Li Shen stood and stretched.
"It seems I need to find more work today."
Preferably stronger spirits.
Otherwise his experiments wouldn't even be worth the expense.
With that thought, he changed into his green robe and prepared to leave.
Another day of spirit hunting awaited him.
---