I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense

Lin Mang was furious. He had not expected Li Xiaobai to be so bold as to publically sell Lin Feng's Lower Grade Spirit Sword, showing utter disregard for him.

Cultivators value face above all else, and although this Spirit Sword was no Divine Weapon, it still should not be sold off to outsiders.

"Return my brother's sword immediately, or I'll smash your stall to pieces!"

Upon seeing who had come, both Liu Jinshui and Li Xiaobai's eyes lit up. The person in question had arrived, and it seemed like today's business was going to be surefire.

"Elder Brother Lin, you're mistaken. This is a peerless Divine Sword, not your brother's. Moreover, just now, this fellow disciple has just bought it with a high offer. If Elder Brother Lin wishes to have it, you can enter a bid."

Li Xiaobai conducted his business with seasoned expertise, swiftly passing the buck to Liu Jinshui.

Lin Mang wanted to fight for it, but from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Elder Sun quietly watching the scene from a distance. Causing trouble was not allowed during the competition period, so he did not dare to go too far, choosing instead to spend money to avoid trouble.

"Fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, the going rate for a Lower Grade Spirit Sword. Don't be too greedy."

"No can do, Elder Brother. This fellow disciple here has just offered fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones."

Li Xiaobai spoke earnestly. These were Spirit Stones handed right to him—why not take advantage of the situation?

"Indeed, while this is only a Lower Grade Spirit Sword, if we talk about workmanship and quality, it is on par with a Middle Grade Spirit Sword. Maybe today, Elder Brother, you'll have to compete with me for it. Fifty-five Lower Grade Spirit Stones."

Liu Jinshui seemed very excited.

"I'll bid sixty."

Lin Mang ground his teeth audibly. In his heart, he vowed that if he encountered these two on the fighting stage next time, he would certainly cripple them.

"Deal!"

Li Xiaobai, seeing an opportunity to conclude the transaction, quickly took Lin Mang's money pouch and threw the Spirit Sword back to him.

"Heh, you better pray that you don't meet me on the fighting stage. Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell!"

Lin Mang left a threatening message, kicked over the stalls of several nearby disciples to vent his anger, and left.

Li Xiaobai did not take such threats to heart.

He had heard them before. Lin Mang's attacks could only add ten defensive points to the System, clearly not enough to be a threat to him.

Gathering Spirit Stones was currently the most important thing.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out a bunch of elixirs and talismans, and arranged them neatly on the stall.

"Hehe, fellow disciples, there's a discount promotion going on..."

One hour later, at the entrance of Misty Peak.

Li Xiaobai and Liu Jinshui were huddled together sneakily, splitting the spoils of their auction.

"Elder Brother, here is your share. Thank you for your help today."

Li Xiaobai took out a pouch of money and handed it to Liu Jinshui.

"No problem, it's all part of being a good brother. But you, you're not being very straightforward are you? You sold so many elixirs and talismans, yet you're giving me so little. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

Liu Jinshui spoke with a cheerful smile.

"Elder Brother, we agreed on a sixty-forty split of what you helped me sell. The Spirit Sword and the elixirs were sold by you, but the talismans and elixirs that followed were sold by me alone, and have nothing to do with you. You can't be shameless about this, Elder Brother."

Li Xiaobai said dryly.

"Besides, it's almost time for your match, Elder Brother. You should head out."

Liu Jinshui looked at the money bag in his hand, his face full of regret; his little junior brother had tricked him.

Li Xiaobai scurried back to his cave dwelling as fast as smoke; his sixth senior brother was extremely cunning and should not be given any chance to entangle him further.

In the cave dwelling, Li Xiaobai blocked the door to prevent his sixth senior brother from causing trouble. Today he could truly say that he struck it rich.

After excluding the part that he gave to Liu Jinshui, the total amounted to more than a thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones; in just two hours, he had gone from a poor Xiaobai to a wealthy tycoon. It felt very good.

At the same time, a system notification sounded.

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Earner of Heaps and Bundles, Reward: Tangneng First-class.]

[Tangneng First-class: Divine Level Spa Therapy, small attribute point increase after soaking. (Note: Only pools personally constructed by the host can have this effect)]

This was a good thing; soaking in a bath could actually increase attribute points—indeed, products from the System were always top quality.

Checking the items for sale in the System Mall, mounts were out of the question for the time being since they were too expensive and not a necessity right now.

Among the items in the System Mall, there was a piece of Golden Silk Soft Armor priced at five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

This was a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact for defense, shaped like a small vest that one wore inside. It was very light and thin and didn't interfere with movements, quite suitable for himself.

After some consideration, Li Xiaobai chose this set of golden soft armor, along with a dozen or so bottles of discarded elixirs.

The discarded elixirs were failures containing toxins, which could increase defensive power when consumed—these gradeless poisons were perfect for System cultivation.

After getting dressed, Li Xiaobai wanted to test the effect of Tangneng First-class. If soaking in a bath could make him stronger, then there was no need to get beaten up anymore; he could just soak every day and become stronger.

On Misty Peak, there was an arena that had been abandoned for a long time. It was originally intended for Misty Peak disciples to spar and compete, but it seemed that his fellow senior brothers and sisters were not interested in sparring; they preferred to stay in their cave dwellings to cultivate, so over time, the arena became a mere decoration.

This open space would be perfect for a bathhouse, and the System Mall had all the materials needed for building a pool.

One Spirit Stone could buy a huge amount of construction materials; with his current financial resources, building a bathhouse would not be a problem.

The structure of the bathhouse was simple; just using stones to encircle the perimeter of the arena and then filling it with water would do, though heating the water for a hot bath could be a bit troublesome since it required hot water to be poured in.

Li Xiaobai worked quickly, using bricks he exchanged to build around the arena to a height of about one meter, which was just about right for an experiment. If it proved to be effective, he could slowly construct a more luxurious one later on.

He poured all the water from his storage ring into the makeshift bathhouse, and then jumped in eagerly.

The moment his body touched the water, the values on the system panel began to jump.

[Attribute Point +1...]

[Attribute Point +1...]

It really worked, and he didn't even need to soak; just touching the water was enough to increase attribute points. Li Xiaobai was excited; he had found a way to become stronger. These attribute points were ticking every second, and if he soaked for a day, he could increase his attribute points by over a thousand.

After soaking for a while longer and adding several hundred attribute points, he put them all into defense.

[Defensive Power: Tough Skin (700/1000) Upgrade Available]

He found a plank of wood and carved the words "Tangneng First-class, Li Xiaobai" on it, then stuck it near the "bathhouse." From now on, whenever he had nothing to do, he would come for a soak—absolute bliss.

Back in the cave dwelling,

Li Xiaobai tidied up the information for the next two contests; his opponents were average in level, not famous within the Sect, so he didn't feel much pressure.

After enhancing his defensive power, ordinary disciples could no longer harm him. Li Xiaobai started to entertain some small aspirations for the top ten advanced training spots. If possible, naturally, it would be best to go out and see the great rivers and mountains of the cultivation world.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The knocking on the door made Li Xiaobai's heart tense; it couldn't be his sixth senior brother coming for him, could it?

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