Next—
Since it was still fairly early, only around nine-thirty in the evening, Zhao Xuan made a trip to the Ability Users' Guild.
In one go, he exchanged all of the ten million that Fu Jieyan—the fatty—had transferred to him, along with the six million he earned from selling two Tier-4 Land King Crystals, for cultivation resources.
Most of it he spent on low-grade energy fluid.
The rest was converted into Spirit-Nourishing Fruits and Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
As for elixirs that tempered the body or enhanced physical constitution, Zhao Xuan didn't bother wasting money on those.
After all—
He already had a whole pile of Spirit Cacti he hadn't eaten yet!
Meanwhile—
In Hang City.
Outside a luxurious villa—
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Fu Yanjie?" asked a Menmen Express courier to a cheerful, chubby man.
"Correction—my name's Fu Jieyan, not Fu Yanjie!" the fatty said stiffly.
"Oh, oh, my apologies, Mr. Fu Jieyan! Here's your package. Please sign for it!"
The courier quickly handed over a special glass container holding the half Spirit Cactus wrapped with care.
"Alright."
The fatty promptly signed his name, then ran into the villa with the container in his arms, face glowing with excitement.
Inside his room—
He hastily opened the container, took out the half cactus, and—
Immediately tore off a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
A few seconds later—
Fu Jieyan's eyes lit up.
"It really works!"
He quickly took out his Bureau 794 Medal, grinning ear to ear at the cactus on his table, and sent Zhao Xuan a voice message.
That was another function of the Bureau 794 Medal.
…
Back at home, Zhao Xuan had just opened the entrance to the ruins, preparing to go into seclusion for several days—
He planned to stay there until college entrance exam results were released.
Of course, if the desert statues inside the ruins were cleared out before that, he'd come out early.
Just as he was about to enter—
His Bureau 794 Medal vibrated several times.
With a flicker of mental energy, Zhao Xuan saw it was a message from Fu Jieyan:
"Brother! I've received your Spirit Cactus—it really does help with Armament Haki awakening and growth!"
Zhao Xuan replied casually:
"As long as you like it, Brother Fu."
A moment later, Fu Jieyan sent another message:
"But Zhao, seriously—you really did a number on this herb! It's mangled beyond belief. Anyone who didn't know better would think a pig chewed on it!"
Hearing that, Zhao Xuan's expression turned strange.
You guessed right, he muttered inwardly. That half cactus really was gnawed by a pig.
After a few more lines of small talk with the fatty, Zhao Xuan stopped replying and dove straight into the desert ruins—beginning his days of closed-door cultivation.
Once inside, he left most of his supplies in the base, carried a small amount of energy fluid with him, and rushed toward the depths of the desert.
Soon, he returned to where he had stopped last time.
After running a little farther, he quickly discovered a new Tier-4 Desert Statue.
"Hunting time! Three million experience points, here I come!"
Like a man spotting a swimsuit goddess, Zhao Xuan let out a wild howl and charged at the statue.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
ROAR——!
BOOM! Rumble!
The statue's furious roars, the trembling earth, and the deafening impacts shook the sky.
After more than ten minutes of fierce battle—
With one last unwilling roar from the Tier-4 Desert Statue, the fight ended.
Zhao Xuan took a brief rest, gulped down a pouch of energy fluid, chewed two bites of Spirit Cactus, and ate a couple of Spirit-Nourishing Fruits before continuing deeper into the desert.
Time slipped by quietly.
One after another, Tier-4 Desert Statues fell to Zhao Xuan's relentless assaults.
Unless he was utterly exhausted or had run out of supplies, Zhao Xuan never returned to the base.
When his stamina ran low, he'd gnaw a few bites of Spirit Cactus and drink a pouch of concentrated energy fluid.
When his mind grew weary, he'd eat a few Spirit-Nourishing Fruits to recover his spirit.
Seven days passed.
In those seven days—
Zhao Xuan had barely slept thirty hours in total.
All the rest of his time—
Was spent fighting.
Fighting, and fighting again.
And for all that effort—
The rewards, naturally, were astonishing.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0