7: The upgraded interface is now updated.

To avoid drawing unnecessary attention from the sudden changes to the small courtyard.

During the Hour of the Ox, when the night was deep and quiet.

Lu Xian specifically went out to investigate; after confirming there was no movement in the neighbors' homes, he returned to the front yard.

"Upgrade [Immortal Cave]!"

The piles of bluestone bricks, lime mortar, and wooden planks on the ground, along with the 10 Spirit Stones in his pocket, vanished simultaneously.

Immediately after, the outer walls, the ground, and the house within the courtyard became exquisite in the blink of an eye.

The courtyard walls rose to four zhang high, several potholes on the ground were patched smooth, and the damaged parts of the roof were restored.

Lu Xian took a deep breath and noticed that the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings had significantly increased by a notch!

Although it couldn't compare to the city, within a few miles of the Shantytown, his place could be considered a "Treasured Land for Immortal Cultivation."

At the same time, an indescribable sense of comfort flowed through his body, and the fatigue of the entire day was quietly fading away.

Stamina and energy recovery speed +10% quietly manifested.

Lu Xian tested the remaining bonus, circulating his mana to his palm and suddenly striking out.

"Swoosh—!" The wind from his palm whistled.

The air let out a dull boom!

His strength had directly doubled.

Without relying on Spells, if someone at the third level of Qi Refining attacked, he could easily slay them!

A sense of security welled up within Lu Xian.

He suddenly thought of something and cast a Spell.

"Hmm? Even the distance of the Sound Transmission Art has increased to four zhang. Truly not bad," Lu Xian thought excitedly.

He couldn't help but wonder if the small courtyard would directly turn into the Immortal Realm if he upgraded the [Immortal Cave] to Rank 100.

Entering the Cultivation Chamber, Lu Xian took out that Clear Heart Stone.

Upgrade [Cultivation Chamber].

The furnishings in the room didn't seem to change much, but as Lu Xian closed his eyes, he felt his emotions calm down a bit, and various distracting thoughts no longer cropped up at will.

Qi Deviation risk -10%, immediate results.

He immediately circulated the Primordial Art for one full cycle.

"It really is twenty percent faster, and the mana refined is also a few strands more."

Lu Xian was pleasantly surprised, but on second thought, it wasn't surprising.

With the increased concentration of Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Cave first, combined with the boost in cultivation speed, he could save nearly thirty percent of his hard cultivation time!

If he relied solely on meditation, his Five Elements Cultivation reaching the third level of Qi Refining would be reduced from the original six months to four months.

With the help of Jade Marrow Eggs, it would only be faster!

"No worries about food, no worries about clothes, life is joy without end..."

Lu Xian hummed a little tune as he went to the bedroom.

Master Lu, having been busy all day, was about to go to bed when he suddenly remembered something.

He checked the panel again.

Sure enough, it had been updated!

[Immortal Cave: Rank 1]

[Rank 2 Effects: Stable structure, impervious to heat and cold. Spiritual Qi concentration +80%, stamina and energy recovery speed +50%, combat power within range +150%]

[Generates a Tier 1 Defensive Formation: Can automatically detect intruders, alert the Cave Master's Divine Sense, and withstand attacks from Cultivators at the Qi Refinement Stage]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 300, Formation Flag * 20, formation stone * 30, "Elementary Introduction to the Way of Formations" * 1]

A Formation!

Lu Xian almost cried out in surprise.

Inside the city, an ordinary Cultivator could at most set up small Formations for soundproofing or early warning.

Only those who were truly wealthy could possibly purchase a defensive Formation!

Moreover, due to the Immortal Dynasty's "Law Burning Ban," few among the Loose Cultivators could learn the Dao of Formations.

One either had to buy a finished Formation Plate or pay a hefty sum to hire a Great Master of the Dao of Formations, with costs easily reaching over a thousand Spirit Stones!

"The effects can be said to be quite good."

"The Formation Flags and formation stones together probably won't cost many Spirit Stones, but the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation cannot be passed on privately. That 'Elementary Introduction to the Way of Formations' will be hard to get."

Lu Xian frowned and looked at the other buildings.

[Cultivation Chamber: Rank 1]

[Rank 2 Effects: Qi Deviation risk -20%, cultivation speed +40%, Comprehension Ability +20%]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 150, Tonghui Grass * 1]

[Chicken Coop: Rank 1]

[Rank 2 Effects: Excellent meat quality. After daily feeding, there is a 10% chance to evolve into a Tier 1 Spirit Fowl. Its droppings contain trace amounts of Spiritual Qi, which can increase the fertility of the Spirit Field. Egg production rate +120%]

[Tyrant of Chickens: A Great Chicken Overlord will randomly appear in the Chicken Coop, serving at the Cave Master's command]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 100, Warm Sun Stone * 5]

"Great, two more Materials I've never heard of, and they require quite a lot of Spirit Stones."

Lu Xian muttered, but the effects after upgrading were indeed tempting.

The Cultivation Chamber offered pure numerical boosts, increasing cultivation speed.

The chicken coop was even more peculiar, actually including a beast-taming effect; the combat power of that Tyrant of Chickens would certainly not be weak.

And a 120% egg production rate—did that mean it was possible to lay two spirit eggs every day?

[Spirit Field: Rank 0]

...The Spirit Field was still at Rank 0. Lu Xian considered whether he should upgrade it as well.

After all, that effect of "randomly adding 1 year of growth to one spirit plant daily" was incredibly fast for cultivating low-tier Spiritual Plants!

He had 12 Spirit Stones left on him, which was enough.

Moreover, a bold idea suddenly flashed into his mind:

What if... only one Spirit Medicine was planted in the entire Spirit Field?

Wouldn't that be equivalent to one day for every year?

A hundred-year-old Spirit Medicine in just a hundred days?

As soon as this thought arose, Lu Xian was so excited he couldn't sleep.

Upgrade!

He absolutely had to upgrade it!

Tomorrow, he would remove the pests and weeds from the field.

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky.

Lu Xian carried a hoe he hadn't used in a long time to the backyard.

The Spirit Field was overgrown with weeds. He swung the hoe, patiently tilling it row by row.

Deeply hidden pests were turned out of the soil. Lu Xian then released that Jade Marrow Chicken and several Mortal Chickens.

This Old Immortal Among Chickens, suddenly gaining its freedom, even tried to flap about and attack Lu Xian. After being smacked into submission with the hoe, it obediently went to catch bugs.

After being busy for half a day.

Seeing that it was about done, Lu Xian was just about to upgrade when a knock came from outside the courtyard.

Who was it this time?

He herded the chickens back into their cages and pulled open the courtyard door.

Standing outside the door was actually a familiar face.

"Old Zhao, what are you doing here?!" Lu Xian asked casually.

The newcomer was named Zhao Shouren, who could be considered his neighbor; their courtyards were less than fifty zhang apart.

The other party often thick-headedly came over to scrounge a meal, and in the past, Lu Xian would just whip up a couple of dishes.

The two of them had a decent relationship.

"Hehehe."

Zhao Shouren squinted his small eyes and peered inside with effort, showing his large teeth as he laughed. "Little Brother Lu, don't be a stranger. This old man hasn't eaten in three days and is starving to death. Have a heart."

He changed the subject, speaking with a bit of playfulness, "Besides, you've entered the Immortal Path these past few days and even renovated your house. It wouldn't be too much for me to come over for a drink to celebrate, would it?"

"Hmm?" Lu Xian's eyes narrowed.

How did this old fogey know he had successfully refined Qi?

Lu Xian investigated carefully and found that there wasn't the slightest ripple of cultivation on Zhao Shouren's body; he seemed just like a Mortal.

There were only two possibilities: either the other's cultivation was so vast that he simply couldn't see through it, or he had practiced a Breath-Concealing Spell.

Either way, it meant that his judgment of this old neighbor over the past two years had been mistaken.

"Senior Zhao, at your age, living as a hidden expert in the city, would you really be lacking this meal from me?" Lu Xian's words carried a hint of testing.

Zhao Shouren grinned and shook his head. "Kid, don't try to trick this old man. Cultivators each have their own secrets; don't go poking around into what shouldn't be asked. This is the first lesson of Immortal Cultivation. It seems you've just had some dog-shit luck to enter the threshold; your experience is still very shallow!"

Without giving Lu Xian a chance to reply, he changed the subject: "Give this old man a bite to eat, I'm really starving to death. Damn those debt collectors..."

Lu Xian wasn't too surprised by this.

Actually, he had a fairly good impression of Old Zhao. Two years ago, regarding the recruitment at the Hundred Elixirs Hall, it was through the other's unintentional tip that he managed to get a job as a handyman.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to pay the ground rent back then.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Xian happened to have some doubts about his cultivation, so he said, "Senior, please come in. You're just in time for dinner."

At the same time, he deactivated the effects of the [Immortal Cave] in his mind.

Prudence above all; do not reveal one's trump cards.