I Idle in the World of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 22: Qin Yun Repays a Favor
The next morning, Lin Luo came out of the mine, followed by Yue Long and Su Xiaoxiao. Morning light streamed through the gaps in the mountain gate, stretching their shadows long. Yue Long's rabbit ears poked out from under her hat, their silver-white fur trembling slightly in the wind. Su Xiaoxiao walked on Lin Luo's right, half a fist closer than yesterday. Unwilling to be outdone, Yue Long also pressed a little closer on Lin Luo's left.
Before the three reached the Chores Hall, someone stood at the mountain gate. A light golden robe, no attendants, standing alone in the morning wind, carrying a wooden box in his hand.
Qin Yun.
Sacred Ground disciple. The Foundation Establishment Layer 7 who lost to Lin Luo at the Cangxuan Sect's Trial Tower. The one who had climbed down the vertical shaft into the Demon Abyss with him. He stood there, saw Lin Luo come out, stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply – much deeper than the time in front of the Trial Tower.
Yue Long's rabbit ears perked up warily. She didn't know Qin Yun.
Su Xiaoxiao did. Her hand rested on her sword hilt.
Lin Luo recognized him. He didn't stop. He walked to the mountain gate and stood.
"Qin Yun."
"Brother Lin." Qin Yun straightened and raised the wooden box an inch higher. "I've come to repay the favor."
Lin Luo's eyes swept over the box. "Your sister's poison is cured?"
Qin Yun nodded. His eyes were slightly red, his voice a little hoarse. "Cured. That night after we came back from the Demon Abyss, I gave her the Blood Soul Pearl. The next morning, she could get out of bed. The third day, the poison was completely gone." He paused. "You saved her life. It's not that I owe you a favor – the Qin family owes you a life."
Yue Long's rabbit ears slowly relaxed. Su Xiaoxiao's hand left her sword hilt.
Qin Yun opened the box. Inside were five spirit stones neatly arranged – smaller than ordinary spirit stones, their color not white but pale gold, translucent, like凝固的阳光 (solidified sunlight). Yue Long had never seen high-grade spirit stones before. She peeked out from behind Lin Luo, her red eyes fixed on the pale gold stones in the box, her rabbit ears perking up and stretching forward like two radar dishes detecting a signal.
Su Xiaoxiao's eyebrows moved slightly. One high-grade spirit stone was worth a thousand low-grade stones. Five was five thousand. A Sacred Ground disciple was generous, but five thousand stones wasn't a small sum for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Qin Yun gave it without hesitation.
"Five thousand spirit stones." Qin Yun offered the box to Lin Luo. "It's not much, but it's all I have right now. The Qin family will thank you more later."
Lin Luo took the box and looked down at it. Five thousand stones. He had sold over five thousand worth of materials at the market yesterday. Add this, and his disposable spirit stones had passed ten thousand. "Enough."
Qin Yun let out a breath of relief, but his expression didn't relax. He closed the box, stepped closer, and lowered his voice. "Brother Lin, there's something else I have to tell you."
Yue Long's rabbit ears went up again. Su Xiaoxiao's hand returned to her sword hilt.
"My senior brother, Shen Yuan. Golden Core Layer 4. Ranked in the top ten of the Sacred Ground's younger generation." Qin Yun's voice was very low. "He's coming to take the Realm-Breaking Talisman by force. Not to negotiate – to take it. And he's bringing two junior brothers, both Foundation Establishment Layer 8. Sacred Ground sword cultivators, twins. They work together perfectly. Their combined attacks can trouble even early Golden Core cultivators."
Yue Long's voice floated from behind. "Are you telling Master this so he'll run away?" Her tone was sharp.
Qin Yun glanced at her, recognized the red eyes and rabbit ears. Jade Rabbit race. He didn't ask further. He turned back to Lin Luo. "Shen Yuan left three days ago. He'll reach Suihuang City today. He told me to pass a message to you – 'The Realm-Breaking Talisman – I'm going to take it.'"
Yue Long's cheeks puffed out. She didn't speak.
Su Xiaoxiao spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Which side are you on?"
Qin Yun was silent for a moment. "I'm on your side. You saved my sister's life. I can never repay that." He looked at Lin Luo. "I'll try to talk him out of it. But if he won't listen, don't hold back."
Qin Yun left. As he turned, the wind caught his robe, revealing the sword hilt at his waist. He walked slowly, his steps heavy, as if carrying an invisible stone on his back.
Yue Long watched his back disappear down the official road, then turned to Lin Luo. "Master, can we trust him? What if he gave the stones to win our trust, then leads Shen Yuan here to ambush us? The mortal said – you can't see inside another person's heart."
Su Xiaoxiao spoke, her tone flat as if reciting from a book. "Sacred Ground disciples care about their reputation. Qin Yun has a name in Suihuang City. He won't ruin half his life's reputation for ten thousand stones. And you cured his sister. He said 'the Qin family owes you a life' – that's not something said lightly in the Sacred Ground."
Yue Long wasn't convinced. "But what if?"
Su Xiaoxiao looked at her. "If so, Lin Luo's not afraid."
Both of them looked at Lin Luo at the same time. Lin Luo tucked the box into his robe and brushed his sleeve. "The five thousand stones are real. The rest doesn't matter."
---
It was already noon when they left the city for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. The main street of Suihuang City was wide, shops lined up one after another – pill sellers, magical tool sellers, talisman sellers, spirit beast sellers. Their signs glittered with gold characters, and shop assistants stood at the door calling out to passersby. Su Xiaoxiao walked on Lin Luo's right, Yue Long on his left – the two like magnets, drawn to and repelled by each other across him.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion was in the very center of Suihuang City, three stories tall, with two stone qilin crouching at the entrance and a gold-lettered plaque above the door. Lin Luo pushed the door open. The shopkeeper behind the counter looked up, recognized him, and greeted him with a smile.
"Spirit plant seeds. Spirit plant seedlings."
"How many?"
"As many as you have."
The shopkeeper's brush paused. He looked up at Lin Luo, then went back to writing the list.
Su Xiaoxiao spoke. "Forty Glow Mushroom seeds. Twenty Purple Mushroom seedlings. Twenty Cold Grass seeds. Ten Flamebloom seedlings. Twenty Soul-Nurturing Grass seeds." She listed them fast – the name of each herb, the quantity, the market price – without a pause. Even the shopkeeper was taken aback. Yue Long stood nearby watching her, a new expression in her eyes – not admiration, more like "so you can do this too."
The shopkeeper's abacus beads clicked and clacked. He looked up. "Three thousand two hundred spirit stones. Rounding down, three thousand."
Lin Luo reached for his stones. Su Xiaoxiao held his hand. "Too expensive. Glow Mushroom seeds go for forty stones each on the market – you're charging fifty. Purple Mushroom seedlings go for sixty – you're charging eighty."
The shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment. He cleared his throat and quoted again. "Two thousand eight hundred."
"Two thousand five hundred."
"Two thousand six hundred."
"Done." Lin Luo counted out the stones and pushed them across the counter. Yue Long had already opened her storage pouch without even realizing it, waiting to load up.
The Pavilion would take half an hour to prepare the order. Lin Luo took the two next door to the Drunken Immortal Residence to wait.
Yue Long held her phone, scrolling through the screen. In the warehouse, Rat One was waiting by the spirit field for the new seedlings. When the first batch of Glow Mushroom seeds was transferred through the sect warehouse, Rat One squatted by the field, digging holes with his little paws and planting the seeds one by one. The second batch – Purple Mushroom seedlings – came through. Rat One carried them in his mouth and planted them one by one. The third batch. The fourth. The fifth. Rat One's movements became smoother and smoother. Yue Long's eyes sparkled as she watched.
Su Xiaoxiao's voice came from beside her. "The storage pouch can be used like that?"
Yue Long looked up, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "Master said – just keep idling."
---
Qin Yun's prediction was right. Shen Yuan had gone to the Cangxuan Sect but couldn't find Lin Luo. Since he couldn't find him, he asked around. Asking around would lead him to Suihuang City.
When the Drunken Immortal Residence's door was pushed open, the air in the hall seemed to thin. Not an illusion – spiritual pressure. Golden Core Layer 4 spiritual pressure.
Shen Yuan wore a deep blue robe with a long sword at his waist, its scabbard black with dark gold patterns. Behind him followed two men in matching deep blue robes, one on the left and one on the right – like two drawn swords.
Shen Yuan stood in the center of the hall, scanning past the scattered cultivators, vendors, and waitstaff. His gaze went straight to the corner table by the window. Lin Luo sat there, his food untouched, Yue Long's rabbit ears poking out from under her hat, Su Xiaoxiao's chopsticks frozen in mid-air.
Shen Yuan walked over. Each step was heavy – not on purpose, but a Golden Core Layer 4 cultivator naturally released spiritual pressure even when just walking. The rogue cultivators eating in the hall put down their chopsticks one by one and slipped out with their heads down. The waiter crouched behind the counter, only half his face visible. The shopkeeper stood at the stairs, his abacus still, its beads still swaying.
Shen Yuan stood in front of Lin Luo, looking down at him. "You're Lin Luo?"
Lin Luo didn't stand up. "Yes."
"Hand over the Realm-Breaking Talisman."
"No."
Shen Yuan smiled – not a happy smile, but a "you dare say no to me, you waste" smile. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out an old text, and tossed it onto the table. On the cover were five ancient characters: "Lightning Prison Indestructible Body." The cover was dark blue, the edges worn, it looked very old, but the characters were deeply carved – as if someone had etched them with their finger, using spiritual energy.
"Qin Yun said you're not easy to deal with." Shen Yuan looked down at Lin Luo, still wearing that smile. "But I see you're just Qi Refining Layer 1. Do you dare take this bet?"
Yue Long gripped her chopsticks tight. Su Xiaoxiao straightened her back even more.
Without waiting for Lin Luo's answer, Shen Yuan turned to the two behind him and said, "You two – go ahead."
The two Sacred Ground disciples stepped forward. The one on the left was slightly taller, the one on the right slightly shorter. They drew their swords at the same time – one blade shining with white light, the other with black light. Yin and yang. Twin swords working together. Sacred Ground twins – one cultivated yang energy, the other yin energy. Their combined attacks could suppress even early Golden Core rogue cultivators.
Su Xiaoxiao put down her chopsticks and started to stand. Lin Luo's voice came first. "Stay." Su Xiaoxiao didn't move. Yue Long didn't move either.
Lin Luo pulled out his phone and tapped [Auto-Battle].
[Auto-Battle activated. Current targets: Top Foundation Establishment Layer 8 sword cultivators ×2. Realm gap: 6 sub-realms. Enemy advantage: Twin coordination, yin-yang complement. Our advantage: Nine Cycles Mystic Art, Second Cycle. Predicted win rate: 44%.]
The chibi figure on the screen faced the two enemy sword cultivators in formation – the left one with white light on his blade, the right one with black light. His win rate flicked from 44% to 45%, then back to 44%.
The battle began.
The two Sacred Ground disciples moved at the same time. The left one attacked high – his sword tip aiming for Lin Luo's throat, carrying a gust of hot sword wind. The right one attacked low – his blade sweeping across the ground, carrying cold sword energy. High and low together, cutting off all of Lin Luo's escape routes. Rogue cultivators at nearby tables scrambled to get away, their chairs tipping over as they crawled and stumbled toward the door. Su Xiaoxiao's grip on her chopsticks tightened, her eyes fixed on Lin Luo's figure. Yue Long's rabbit ears pinned flat to her head, her full attention on Lin Luo.
Lin Luo didn't retreat.
Nine Cycles Mystic Art, Second Cycle, ran at full power. A faint metallic sheen appeared on his skin. He took the high attack head-on – the sword tip struck his shoulder, sank in half an inch, then stopped, caught by his muscles. He took it. Head-on. At the same time, the low attack swept across his calf, slicing open his pants leg and leaving a white mark on his skin.
Both disciples' expressions changed at the same time. This Foundation Establishment Layer 2 (Qi Refining Layer 1 on display) chores disciple had tanked a full-power combined attack from the Sacred Ground twins.
Back at the Cangxuan Sect's Chores Hall, he had taken a punch from early Foundation Establishment. At the mountain gate, he had taken two palm strikes from late Foundation Establishment. Now he had taken a full combined attack from two Foundation Establishment Layer 8 Sacred Ground disciples.
Yue Long's eyes glistened – whether from fear or excitement, she couldn't tell. Su Xiaoxiao's chopsticks snapped in her hand. She didn't even notice.
Lin Luo swung his axe. Not aimed at either person – but at the empty space between the two sword cultivators. The blade hit the floor tiles, sending stone fragments flying. The two instinctively jumped apart, their formation breaking for an instant.
One instant was enough.
The axe changed direction and struck the left disciple's sword. He raised his blade to block – the sword vibrated violently, his thumb web split open, and the sword flew out of his hand.
Lin Luo spun. The axe handle slammed into the right disciple's chest. The man staggered back seven or eight steps, tripped, and sat down on the floor.
Lin Luo stood where he was. He didn't press his advantage. He looked down at his phone screen.
[Battle evaluation: Advantage. Spiritual energy consumed: approx 25%. Thumb web injury healing.]
The chibi figure stood still. The two sword cultivators had retreated to the wall.
[Win rate updated: 78%. Recommendation: Continue idling.]
Shen Yuan raised his hand to stop. The two junior brothers got up from the floor, retrieved their swords, and stepped back behind Shen Yuan, their heads bowed, not daring to look at him.
Shen Yuan stared at Lin Luo, scanning him from head to toe and back again. His expression shifted from contempt to assessment, from assessment to gravity.
"You're Foundation Establishment Layer 2? No." His gaze settled on Lin Luo's chest. "The density of your spiritual energy – it's at least Foundation Establishment Layer 6. But your displayed realm is only Qi Refining Layer 1."
Lin Luo didn't answer.
Shen Yuan was silent for a moment. He bent down, picked up the old text from the table, checked two pages to make sure it wasn't stained, then closed it and tossed it to Lin Luo.
"I lost. This is the bet."
The old text flipped through the air and landed steadily in Lin Luo's hand.
"The matter of the talisman ends here. But I'm telling you – you're not the only one with eyes on you. Take care of yourself." Shen Yuan turned and left. The two junior brothers followed, their footsteps hurried, as if being chased by something.
Qin Yun stood at the Drunken Immortal Residence's entrance, nodded at Lin Luo, and followed.
The hall was now empty except for Lin Luo, Su Xiaoxiao, Yue Long, and the waiter still crouched behind the counter.
Lin Luo tucked "Lightning Prison Indestructible Body" into his robe, sat back down, and picked up his chopsticks. The food had gone cold. The stir-fried vegetables were a bit wilted. A thin layer of oil had congealed on the braised pork.
Yue Long took off her hat. Her rabbit ears sprang up and twitched several times in the air. Then she reached out and touched Lin Luo's shoulder. The sword wound had already stopped bleeding. The mark was so faint you could barely see it.
Su Xiaoxiao put the broken pieces of her chopsticks on the table and picked up a new pair – in her left hand. She wasn't used to it. The food fell from her chopsticks twice, but her expression never changed. She just kept eating that way.
Lin Luo pulled out his phone. A message appeared on the screen.
[Battle ended. Defeated Sacred Ground disciples ×2. Win rate exceeded expectations. Evaluation: Excellent.]
[Reward: Copy Talisman ×1.]
[Copy Talisman: Can copy any non-living item. One use. Disappears after use. Cannot copy living things.]
Yue Long leaned close, her rabbit ears almost brushing Lin Luo's face. "Master, what's this?"
Su Xiaoxiao's voice came from his right at the same time. "What's this?"
Their voices overlapped. They turned to look at each other at the same time, saw each other looking, and turned away at the same time.
Lin Luo put his phone away, took a bite of braised pork, chewed, and then answered. "A talisman. Can copy things."
Yue Long blinked. "Copy what?"
"Not sure yet."
---
That night, Lin Luo opened the first volume of "Lightning Prison Indestructible Body."
The yellowed pages smelled of age. The dark blue cover was worn, but the characters were carved deep – as if someone had etched them with his finger, using spiritual energy. A body-tempering technique. It used heavenly lightning to temper the body during training. When mastered, the physical body became like a lightning prison, immune to all techniques.
Nine Cycles Mystic Art trained the inside – bones, meridians, internal organs. Lightning Prison Indestructible Body trained the outside – skin, muscles, sinews. One inside, one outside. One hard, one soft. Not only did they not conflict – they complemented each other.
Lin Luo put the book down and opened his phone's idle cultivation interface. The option to train "Lightning Prison Indestructible Body" Volume One had automatically appeared in his list. He had searched for related terms before, and the system had already recorded the technique's information.
[New technique detected: Lightning Prison Indestructible Body. Can be added to idle cultivation system.]
[Lightning Prison Indestructible Body · First Layer · Idle cultivation in progress. Estimated completion time: 72 hours.]
[Note: Training this technique requires引天地雷电淬体 (drawing heavenly lightning to temper the body). It is recommended to train during thunderstorms.]
Lin Luo put his phone beside his pillow and closed his eyes.
The night wind of Suihuang City squeezed through the gaps in the window, carrying the dry scent of the distant desert. Su Xiaoxiao was in the next room. Yue Long was in the stone chamber across the way. The two of them, separated by a wall – one turning pages of a book, one swiping her phone. The one turning pages hadn't turned a single page. The one swiping had scrolled through Bone One's battle log three times and hadn't read a word.
On the distant horizon, storm clouds were gathering.
The thunder wasn't loud yet. But it would be soon.
---
(End of Chapter 22)
Current Status
Main Account · Lin Luo
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 2 (~3h to Layer 3)
Nine Cycles Mystic Art: Second Cycle
Lightning Prison Indestructible Body: First Layer (idling, 72h)
Defense: 650
Attack: 350
HP: 1650/1650
Spirit Stones: 10850 (5850 + 5000) minus 2600 for herbs = 8250 disposable
Possessions: Spirit Recovery Pill ×8, Life Extension Pill ×1, Antidote Pill ×3, Light Talisman ×4, Mountain Pass Token ×1, Drunken Immortal Residence VIP card, Copy Talisman ×1
New technique: "Lightning Prison Indestructible Body" Volume One
Skill: Spirit Eye Technique
Disciple: Yue Long
Alt Account · Bone One
Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 8 (~12h to Layer 9)
Status: Idling at Ancient Battlefield (Blackscale Wolf, Foundation Establishment Layer 1) – 44 losses, 0 wins, deaths over 200
Alt Account · Blood One
Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 7
Status: Hidden – Demon Abyss second layer
Holding: Essence Blood ×1 jar
Alt Account · Rat One
Cultivation: Spirit Gathering, Layer 4 (~1h to Layer 5)
Status: Hosting – mine shaft (farming + digging)
Spirit Field: Glow Mushrooms 40, Purple Mushrooms 20, Cold Grass 20, Flamebloom 10, Soul-Nurturing Grass 20
New finds: Mid-grade spirit stone ×1 (stored), Spirit Vein Fragment ×1 (unexcavated)
Sect · Idle Sect
Sect Leader: Lin Luo
Formal Disciple: Yue Long
Members: Bone One, Rat One, Blood One
Level: 2
Idle Bonus: +15%
Sect Warehouse: Spirit stones, herbs
Idle Sect Disciple · Yue Long
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 1 (~3h to Layer 2)
Status: Idling
Four-Cultivation Body: demonic, Buddhist, human, beast
Possessions: disciple-dedicated phone, low-grade storage pouch, Zixiao Sect inheritance token
Today's achievement: watched the battle, no injuries
---
Appendix: Special Cultivation Systems for Lin Luo and His Alt Accounts
Immortal Cultivation (Main Account · Lin Luo):
Qi Refining → Foundation Establishment → Core Opening → Fusion → Heart Movement → Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Soul Departure → Spirit Separation → Body Integration → Cave Void → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Demon Cultivation (Alt Accounts · Bone One, Blood One):
Qi Gathering → Body Refining → Core Condensation → Desire Embodiment → Devouring → Demon Infant → Soul Departure → Sense Separation → Body Fusion → Void Break → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Beast Cultivation (Alt Account · Rat One):
Spirit Gathering → Intelligence Awakening → Body Tempering → Bone Refining → Beast Core → Transformation → Soul Condensation → Spirit Roaming → Body Purification → Void Training → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Note: The above are the exclusive cultivation systems for Lin Luo and his alt accounts. Everyone else (side characters, enemies, etc.) uses the traditional system: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Training, Body Integration, Great Ascension, Tribulation Transcendence.
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(End of Chapter 22)