Cultivation Is Money-Grabbing C22

Chapter 22: The Magic Beast Core—She Is No Longer a Pure and Untainted Sword…

First floor of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Word quickly spread that the arrogant and domineering ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ had taken on another bounty and had also encountered a newcomer. Everyone put down what they were doing and gathered in front of the central wall to spectate.

The person competing against ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ for the bounty was named ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’—a name just as tasteless as the former.

Some cultivators were eager with anticipation, while others scoffed, believing no one on the first floor could defeat ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old.’

And sure enough, as soon as the two entered, they started fighting not long after.

A red line connected ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ and ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab,’ and everyone prepared to watch the spectacle.

After all, even Qinglong, a formidable dual-spirit-root Talisman Cultivator, couldn’t withstand two moves from ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old.’ There was no way this rookie, who had only taken one bounty before, could last.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, not only did the two actually start fighting, but they also fought for a full half-hour with the red line still connected.

Everyone couldn’t help but wonder: Who exactly is this ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’? How could they hold out against ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ for so long?!

Then, something even more unexpected happened—the red line dimmed, yet neither of them exited through the Transmission Mirror.

“Could… could ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’ have died in there?” Someone hesitantly asked, struggling to say such a crude name aloud.

“Hard to say, but I doubt it.”

Just then, the bell next to the Transmission Mirror rang, and an announcement of ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ hunting a demonic beast echoed throughout the hall. Moments later, ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ walked out of the Transmission Mirror, looking completely unfazed.

Shortly after, ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’ also emerged. She was barely injured, even appearing completely unscathed. The corners of her lips curled slightly as if she were quite pleased.

For a moment, the crowd was utterly bewildered: “…”

What exactly happened in there?

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ walked up to ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’ and, without the slightest attempt to lower his voice, asked, “Are you going to eat? Take me with you.”

The crowd: “???”

These two… why did they seem so familiar with each other?!

Could ‘Cultivation Is Just Money Grab’ actually be a hidden expert?

Lian Mu was oblivious to the gazes around her, too preoccupied with thoughts of how to process the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion. Only when ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ mentioned eating did she realize she was hungry too.

The two of them entered the dining area together. ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ only took a plate of pink-colored pastries. Seeing Lian Mu pack up half a table’s worth of food, he was visibly stunned.

“You eat that much? Aren’t cultivators supposed to strive toward the fasting stage?”

Although that stage was still far off, most cultivators exercised at least some restraint.

Lian Mu had no such concerns. “That’s for the future. Right now, I just need to eat my fill.”

Hearing this, ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ grabbed a few more plates. “You’re right. I’ll eat more too.”

Lian Mu glanced at his plate and curiously asked, “Do you really like that color?”

Even his pastries were all pink.

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ remained expressionless. “No. It’s just that someone I used to dislike always used pink-colored things. To mock them, I started using them too. Now it’s a habit.”

Lian Mu: “…”

No wonder he makes so many enemies.

All the way here, she had noticed the sheer amount of hatred directed at him from others. Yet, he acted as if he didn’t see it at all, his composure rock-solid.

Lian Mu concluded that ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ was definitely not a normal person. At the very least, his sense of propriety was nonexistent.

“Your mouth really knows how to offend people,” Lian Mu blurted out.

Caught off guard, ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ fell silent for a moment.

Since he didn’t respond, Lian Mu thought he was angry and was about to leave when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Cultivation Is Just Money Grab, you saw right through me.”

His gaze was deep. “I really don’t care about propriety. You’re the first person to say it to my face.”

He continued, “Others don’t dare confront me because I’m stronger than them, and they fear me. But you’re different. I need someone like you—someone who speaks their mind—as a friend.”

“If you ever need help, just come to me.” ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ slung an arm around her shoulders and promised, “We can also take bounties together. With our teamwork, we’ll clear out the entire Star-Plucking Tower in no time.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Then, he remembered something. “Earlier, I saw you holding a book on artifact crafting. I thought you were an Artificer, but you’re actually a Sword Cultivator.”

“That book belongs to a friend,” Lian Mu explained. She hadn’t officially started learning artifact crafting and didn’t want to expose herself too soon. “He’s an Artificer. I just flipped through it while waiting for a bounty.”

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ didn’t press the matter. Instead, he remarked, “I think Artificers are too pretentious. Always putting on airs, neither good at fighting nor defending.”

Lian Mu replied, “Maybe it’s because an Artificer who doesn’t act pretentious won’t seem reliable.”

Just like Xu Xianxing—privately, he was a chatterbox who laughed all the time, but in front of strangers, he barely spoke, acting like his words were worth gold.

“Oh, right. I have a friend here who’d definitely want to meet you,” ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ said. “She’s not here today, but next time, I’ll introduce you. The three of us can take bounties together.”

Lian Mu nodded lightly in agreement. If his friend was also a powerhouse, she could just tag along and earn easy money.

Later that night, ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ left, saying he had something to do. Lian Mu returned to Gui Xian Sect.

Before leaving, she left the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion at the Star-Plucking Tower.

It was too big to carry back, so she asked one of the black-clothed attendants to rent her a room. Unexpectedly, they booked her an Artificer’s exclusive chamber—for 300 spirit stones.

The attendant said, “Few Artificers come here, but our Tower Master is one, so we built many special rooms long ago. If you have talent, you could even recommend yourself to him.”

Clearly, they still thought she was an Artificer.

Lian Mu tried to explain, “I’m really a Sword Cultivator…”

She didn’t want to spend spirit stones when she could have used an ordinary room for free.

The attendant simply made a hush gesture. “I understand. The best Artificers never reveal themselves. I’ll keep your secret.”

After tonight’s observations, he concluded that the person in front of him had a close relationship with the body cultivator Fangling Shiba, even sharing meals and laughing together.

Everyone knew Fangling Shiba’s temperament—an out-and-out battle-hungry cultivator who greatly respected opponents, even familiar ones.

If she were truly a sword cultivator, she and Fangling Shiba should have fought fiercely over the bounty. Instead, they had walked out peacefully without incident.

Fangling Shiba also had a friend who was a pill cultivator. That meant the person before him was undoubtedly an artifact refiner.

Lian Mu: “…”

Fine, if they think she’s an artifact refiner, so be it.

She had already dabbled in too many disciplines and was no longer a pure, untainted sword cultivator.

All the artifact refiners of Star Plucking Tower operated in that area, but even so, their numbers remained pitifully small. Lian Mu checked it out and found it acceptable. Her neighbors on either side were artifact refiners, and if she was lucky, she might even pick up some skills from them.

After settling the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion, Lian Mu’s return to Gui Xian Sect went smoothly. She scaled the wall to enter and didn’t encounter a single patrolling senior disciple.

Instead of heading directly back to Qingzhu Courtyard, she went to the Library Pavilion to look up information on the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion.

A magical beast’s body would start decaying three days after death. She needed to use the materials before they became unusable.

The Five-Tailed Red Scorpion was an earth-type beast, and only its exoskeleton could be used for sword forging. When ground into powder and mixed into the sword’s base material, it enhanced the blade’s pressure resistance. The higher the beast’s grade, the better the effect.

Lian Mu searched for books on sword-forging materials and found that sword bases were typically made from the spiritual armor of metal-type beasts, mixed with seven types of extracted metal from ores.

Her spiritual roots were metal, wood, and fire. Of these, fire was the most beneficial for sword cultivation. Among the seven metal types for forging, Flame Gold was the most suitable.

Flame Gold had different grades. The level she currently needed wasn’t high—just matching the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion’s grade would suffice, making it relatively affordable. By taking on more bounty missions, she could save up quickly.

However, obtaining spiritual armor from metal beasts was much harder.

Setting aside the difficulty of hunting a metal beast, bounty requests targeting them usually sought their spiritual armor and bones. Finding a bounty that didn’t require the armor would be rare, making it difficult for her to pick up leftovers.

Lian Mu considered buying a set of spiritual armor, but anything involving magical beast materials was inevitably expensive. She simply didn’t have enough time to earn the required amount.

As she pondered, a sudden flash of insight struck her—she thought of a solution.

However, now wasn’t the right time. She would have to wait until her next visit to Star Plucking Tower to test it out.

Lian Mu sat cross-legged on the floor of the library, leaning against a wall of books. She pulled out paper and a brush from her Spatial Pouch, jotting down the questions that had arisen while reading.

Less than an hour later, she felt her spiritual energy nearly depleted. She retrieved a qi-replenishing pill and swallowed it whole, chewing expressionlessly.

Her porcelain pill bottle was now empty—she needed to refine a new batch. Lately, she felt that her spiritual energy consumption had been increasing.

Lian Mu stood up, intending to head to Yinxian Peak to refine pills first.

As she got up, her shoulder accidentally bumped into the bookshelf behind her, knocking down a dust-covered book. A cloud of dust rose into the air.

—”Feng Clan Secret Techniques Supplement.”

The title caught Lian Mu’s attention immediately. She picked up the book, which had fallen open to the section on “Qi Replenishment.”

The passage read:

“A magical beast’s inner core, though originating from fierce and malevolent magical beasts, is formed by condensing the essence of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy due to their consumption of spiritual plants and beasts. It is pure and untainted, capable of replenishing lost spiritual energy.”

“…”

Lian Mu’s gaze locked onto a key phrase.

Qi replenishment… magical beast inner cores?