In life, people strive for higher pces, just as water flows to lower grounds.

  In the world of cultivators, there can be a vast chasm between different levels of cultivation.

  Take, for instance, a great sect where disciples once shared brotherly bonds.

  But if one breaks through to Foundation Establishment while another lingers in the Qi Refining stage, their retionship will inevitably drift apart.

  In the first three yers of Qi Refining, spiritual power is sparse.

  It offers little combat capability.

  The spells learned are basic, like cleaning spells, water and fire control, also known as beginner spells, with very low power.

  However, when a cultivator reaches the mid-stage of Qi Refining, spiritual energy becomes more refined, spiritual awareness increases significantly, and control becomes stronger.

  At this point, they can learn normal spells.

  For example, spells like Fireball Technique and Ice Spike Technique.

  This is why the herb gathering team requires a minimum of the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.

  Lin Ke'er has broken through to the Fourth Layer, while Ye Chen is still at the Third Layer.

  Lin Ke'er will have a new life, a new circle.

  They will only drift further apart, making it difficult to even meet.

  In this situation, Ye Chen's previous behavior of being a "lick spirit" seems, to everyone, to have been in vain.

  Some of the staff even felt a sense of schadenfreude.

  "Serves you right for being a lick spirit."

  "For giving Lin Ke'er pills and external martial arts."

  "How's that working out for you now?"

  "Lin Ke'er, thanks to the pills and martial arts you gave her, has advanced rapidly in her cultivation."

  "She'll definitely look down on you even more now."

  "Utterly foolish."

  ...

  Ye Chen was unaware of what others thought.

  But even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

  To be honest, Ye Chen thought Lin Ke'er was indeed a woman with a clear goal.

  As soon as she broke through, she resigned, preparing to switch to a more dangerous but higher-paying job.

  Impressive.

  But this made Ye Chen, who originally pnned to give her pills, change his mind.

  It's not that he wouldn't give her anything.

  Instead, Ye Chen pnned to give her something even better.

  Since she was going into the mountains to gather herbs, no matter how determined she was, she would surely have worries and fears.

  At this moment, if he gifted her a powerful offensive spell, it would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

  If her emotions were greatly stirred, it would surely trigger a critical hit.

  And Ye Chen himself was about to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.

  It was just the right time to start learning offensive spells.

  Spells with tenfold feedback would surely be incredibly powerful.

  The Silver Moon Market wasn't safe; Ye Chen had heard just a couple of days ago that several cultivators had died there.

  Although the market patrol team cimed to have caught the culprit the next day and hung them at the market gate, who knew if it was the real culprit?

  So, it was also time to prepare some spells for himself.

  With this in mind, Ye Chen put down the hand that was about to take out the pills.

  He turned and walked out of the shop.

  Ye Chen left without a word, causing the smiles that the staff had been hiding in their hearts to spread across their faces.

  In their view, Ye Chen must have been too heartbroken to maintain his composure.

  Another maid found Ye Chen utterly ridiculous.

  But she also felt a bit tempted.

  With Lin Ke'er leaving, if Ye Chen was heartbroken, wouldn't she have a chance?

  If she could win Ye Chen over, wouldn't she also get a lot of pills?

  Thinking of this, the maid couldn't help but smile.

  Lin Ke'er watched Ye Chen's departing figure and shook her head helplessly.

  Ye Chen clearly liked her too much.

  So he couldn't accept the situation.

  But Lin Ke'er felt Ye Chen was still useful to her.

  So she pnned to meet Ye Chen before officially leaving to comfort him a bit.

  ...

  In the eyes of everyone, the heartbroken Ye Chen made his way to Qingyun Workshop.

  "Sir, what can I do for you?"

  Ye Chen had sold pills here twice before, but he had always disguised his appearance, deliberately hunching his shoulders to make himself look sleazy.

  This was the first time he came in his true form.

  It seemed the other party didn't recognize him.

  "I'm about to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining and pn to buy a suitable spell for self-defense."

  Ye Chen stated his request.

  Upon hearing this, the servant's eyes lit up.

  Qingyun Workshop had a wide range of businesses.

  Pills, runes and talismans, magic artifacts, and spells were all avaible.

  The servant quickly led Ye Chen to the second floor.

  "What kind of spell does the customer need?"

  "Spells are divided into many categories: offensive, defensive, speed, and control..."

  "This Great Fireball Technique is an offensive spell, priced at thirty low-grade spirit stones."

  "After learning it, a cultivator can form a fist-sized fireball with hand seals, which explodes upon impact, with great power..."

  "This is the Ice Spike Technique, which can form sharp ice spikes to attack enemies. The spikes are extremely sharp and fast, capable of easily piercing an enemy's skull, killing with one strike. Even if it doesn't hit a vital spot, the coldness of the spikes can slow down the opponent..."

  "This is..."

  Listening to the servant's introduction, Ye Chen was amazed.

  Spells were so expensive!

  Without money, a cultivator couldn't take a single step.

  Ye Chen pondered for a moment; he definitely needed an offensive spell.

  Attack is the best defense.

  Once he had strong offensive power, he could then consider defense.

  Otherwise, he'd just be a target for others.

  No matter how strong the defense, it would still be beaten down.

  "Offensive spells, but is there anything better?"

  Ye Chen thought aloud.

  Since he was going to give a gift, it had to be the best he could afford.

  This way, the return he received would be higher.

  Hearing this, the servant smiled.

  This young man seemed to be a big customer.

  But at that moment, an elder's voice rang out: "Young friend, if you want a powerful spell, I have one suitable for you."

  The servant turned back helplessly upon hearing the voice.

  Ye Chen also looked in the direction of the voice; it was the elder who had appraised his pills the first time he came.

  The elder seemed to be the manager of Qingyun Workshop.

  However, the elder's words suggested he wasn't pnning to sell Qingyun Workshop's goods to him.

  He was looking to do some private business.

  Ye Chen gnced at the servant, who lowered his head, indicating he didn't dare interfere and pretended not to hear.

  This made Ye Chen reflect on human greed.

  Eating from the inside and out; it seemed such things weren't strange in any world.

  But this had nothing to do with Ye Chen.

  Ye Chen didn't care who he bought from; in fact, he was looking for an opportunity to get acquainted with the elder.

  After all, the elder's daughter was a fifteenfold match for him.

  Getting to know the elder would give him a chance to meet his daughter.

  This was exactly what Ye Chen wanted.

  "May I ask what spell the senior has that would be suitable for me?"

  Seeing Ye Chen's interest, the elder smiled and led Ye Chen into a room on the second floor.

  He then took out several jade tablets, ying them out one by one.

  With a particurly amiable smile, he began expining to Ye Chen: "This first spell, I obtained back in Qingyun City."

  "It's called Mystic Finger Swordsmanship, capable of unleashing an attack simir to sword energy, extremely sharp, with strong penetration, and very fast..."

  "Once mastered, it can easily pierce through thousands of pounds of boulders. Most importantly, it carries a chilling aura. If it injures an enemy, the chilling aura will invade their body, causing negative effects and slightly hindering their spiritual energy flow..."

  "This spell is priced at one medium-grade spirit stone."

  "And this second spell is..."