... Fortunately, that Second-tier Wild Ghost Grunt was limited in strength. After unleashing one powerful Bursting Thunder spell, its momentum had significantly waned, and for a time, it was actually being battered somewhat awkwardly by the Bloodthirst-enhanced Grunts. Lei Dong’s murky-green miniature sword, while not overwhelmingly powerful, was enough; as he was at the second layer of Qi Condensation, every strike visibly reduced the wild ghost’s structural integrity by a fraction.

In barely a hundred breaths, one of the Bloodthirst Grunts found an opening and cleaved the Wild Ghost Grunt in two. It immediately scrambled to gorge upon the remains, and shortly thereafter, the Wild Ghost Grunt’s core mass, along with a transparent inner core resembling a soul bead, was devoured amidst squealing shrieks. The Bloodthirst Grunt’s body, dulled from its previous injuries, began to slowly repair itself.

After a short while, Lei Dong’s Bloodthirst Grunt appeared more vigorous than ever. Its semi-transparent body was condensed and solid, and the strange light flickering in its eyes, coupled with the waves of blissful thoughts it constantly transmitted to Lei Dong, all indicated that devouring the Wild Ghost Grunt had yielded it significant gains. Upon careful inspection, Lei Dong noted that while the Bloodthirst Grunt hadn't quite reached the threshold for a Second-tier Ghost Grunt, it was clearly at the peak of the First-tier, just a hair’s breadth from promotion.

Lei Dong sighed with feeling. It truly lived up to its reputation as a Mid-grade Spirit Ghost; after consuming that Second-tier grunt, it had jumped up by nearly half a level. This was far beyond what a Low-grade Spirit Ghost could achieve, explaining why a Mid-grade Spirit Ghost was worth exponentially more than its Low-grade counterparts.

With this promotion for his Bloodthirst Grunt, Lei Dong’s resistance to hunting wild ghost grunts diminished. Instead, he began actively seeking them out. Several days later, after searching numerous zones of Yin Sha energy, Lei Dong encountered another Wild Ghost Grunt. But this one was already a Fourth-tier entity. Terrified, Lei Dong spun around and fled. It was a close call, saved only because the Bloodthirst Grunt managed to hold the pursuer off for a few vital breaths.

Otherwise, given the flying speed of a Fourth-tier grunt, even Lei Dong, equipped with Cloud-Treading Boots, would have been slightly slower. If he, relying only on the Ghost Control Art and lacking other offensive spells, had been caught by the Fourth-tier grunt, his fate would have been dire. In truth, the Cloud-Treading Boots were the real lifesavers; without them, there would have been no chance of escaping the clutches of a Fourth-tier grunt.

Having narrowly suffered such a major scare, Lei Dong became even more cautious than before. He sent the Bloodthirst Grunt far ahead to scout for ghosts, always keeping himself in a ready-to-bolt posture. The subsequent days passed without incident. Finally, he encountered a First-tier ghost grunt, and after defeating it in battle, allowing the Bloodthirst Grunt to consume it, the little fellow finally broke through to the Second-tier after several days incubating in its cocoon.

The newly promoted Bloodthirst Grunt was not only visibly more solidified in form but also appeared significantly more ferocious and savage. Its aura was vastly different from its previous First-tier state. Lei Dong found himself growing fonder of its new appearance the more he looked. The Ghost Control Art was indeed a marvelous technique.

Another three months slipped by in the blink of an eye. After Lei Dong had amassed about thirty Soul Beads, he finally decided to temporarily halt his activities. Having dealt exclusively with Yin Souls up to this point, Lei Dong estimated, even conservatively, that he had captured around seventeen or eighteen thousand of them. What struck him as both amusing and frustrating was that among them, he had only managed to capture a single Low-grade Spirit Ghost. While it was statistically normal that only one Spirit Ghost might emerge from ten thousand weak souls, Lei Dong couldn't help but lament his own exceedingly ordinary luck. Senior brothers and sisters he occasionally met while hunting Yin Souls had mentioned that with better fortune, one might capture two or three from ten thousand, and sometimes even a Mid-grade Spirit Ghost might appear.

He had just been discussing this with someone a few days prior: a sixth-layer Qi Condensation senior sister in the Myriad Ghost Cave had procured a Mid-grade Spirit Ghost after capturing merely a few dozen weak souls during her first attempt at cultivating the Ghost Control Art. That would have been a fantastic outcome, whether kept for personal use or sold for profit. Such news genuinely inspired envy and bitterness in many.

Thankfully, Lei Dong possessed the Heaven-defying treasure known as the Soul Devouring Pagoda; otherwise, he would certainly have been intensely jealous of her luck.

Settling into Myriad Ghost City, he spent several days feeding the Soul Beads to all three of his Low-grade Spirit Ghosts, successfully promoting them all to Mid-grade Spirit Ghosts. His consciousness delved into the Soul Nurturing Tower, and Lei Dong could barely contain the surging excitement as he observed the three Mid-grade Spirit Ghosts. The thought of that sixth-layer senior sister causing such a stir in the Myriad Ghost Cave just by acquiring one Mid-grade Spirit Ghost brought an undeniable thrill to Lei Dong’s heart. He inwardly thought, Senior Sister, you might have luck, but even the best luck cannot overcome my precious Soul Devouring Pagoda.

However, while he could enjoy this satisfaction privately, letting anyone know he possessed a total of four Mid-grade Spirit Ghosts would undoubtedly arouse suspicion, perhaps even drawing the attention and covetous actions of the Myriad Ghost Ancestor himself.

Based on his estimation of his mental fortitude, even without relaxing his Spirit Forging Art cultivation, driving three ghost grunts one or two tiers higher than himself simultaneously would be his limit for the foreseeable future. The surplus Mid-grade Spirit Ghost would thus need to be sold, ideally in exchange for a better Soul Nurturing Tower. Only by doing so could he continue his cultivation in the Myriad Ghost Cave with peace of mind. With a decent Nurturing Tower, even if he lacked the time to venture out for premium flesh and souls to feed his grunts, he wouldn't have to fear them falling too far behind his own advancement, as Mid-grade Spirit Ghosts leveled up quite quickly.

However, selling one within the Myriad Ghost Cave's territory was out of the question. If he sold it today, everyone in the entire cave would know of his Mid-grade Spirit Ghost sale by tomorrow. Yet, keeping it served no purpose; converting it into a large sum of spirit stones to rapidly enhance his own strength was the ultimate priority.

As for where to sell it, Lei Dong had already made inquiries. It was a cultivator market town located roughly eight thousand li away from the Myriad Ghost Cave. Although its geographical position still fell within the Yin Sha Sect’s sphere of influence, the market was actually managed by a cultivation family affiliated with the Yin Sha Sect. It was rumored that this location constantly attracted numerous rogue cultivators practicing evil arts or those from other sects. Of course, 'righteous' practitioners were also present, though in smaller numbers. Selling a Mid-grade Spirit Ghost there was naturally an excellent choice; the greater the concentration of miscellaneous evil cultivators, the better the price he could demand.

The only minor issue was the sheer distance. Even with Lei Dong's second-layer Qi Condensation cultivation, enhanced by the Cloud-Treading Boots, his speed was comparable to a swift horse, yet it would still take over ten days to arrive. Furthermore, the journey itself carried the risk of encountering unknown dangers.

Consequently, Lei Dong pondered the situation for a long time. Steel in his resolve, he decided he must first select a superior flying artifact; after all, that was something he needed to purchase eventually anyway. Previously, Chen Ge forbade such purchases to conserve spirit stones for cultivation. But now that he possessed the Heaven-defying Soul Devouring Pagoda, spirit stones would not be a long-term shortage. Time, conversely, was the resource he truly lacked.

Returning to the Myriad Ghost Cave, Lei Dong paid a visit to the ancient recluse managing the exchange of artifacts and items, specifically examining the prices of flying artifacts. He first considered the High-grade flying artifacts, but the corresponding spirit stone conversion—tens of thousands—was an astronomical figure that immediately caused a cold sweat to break out, prompting him to quickly close the ledger before the shock caused him to lose his wits.

Next, he looked at Mid-grade flying artifacts. The required contribution, converted to spirit stones, cost at least eight hundred for the cheapest, soaring up to five or six thousand for the best. This figure also made Lei Dong’s body go weak. He had previously thought his modest hoard of one hundred-odd spirit stones was quite impressive, but seeing the terrifying prices of Mid-grade and High-grade artifacts revealed just how utterly poor he truly was.

However, this expense was specific to flying artifacts; other types of Mid-grade artifacts were priced several times lower. Out of necessity, Lei Dong began examining the Low-grade flying artifacts.

Finally, the prices looked slightly more normalized, reaching a level that Lei Dong could barely accept. Converting contribution points to spirit stones, the cheapest flying artifact was priced around twenty or thirty spirit stones, but slightly better models cost over a hundred, and the most exorbitant Low-grade flying artifact was valued close to the price of a Mid-grade item.

After reviewing the prices and establishing a clear target, Lei Dong departed leisurely, drawing a resentful glare from the old immortal who had watched him browse for so long without buying a single thing. Still, at this point, the old man dared not treat Lei Dong with undue arrogance. He had at least heard whispers that the Ancestor had personally met with Lei Dong and others, bestowing considerable rewards.

Turning sharply, Lei Dong hurried to Zhao Baiwan’s residence. After loudly demanding he open the door, Lei Dong immediately adopted a furious and menacing posture: "You good-for-nothing Zhao Baiwan, daring to cheat me out of spirit stones with a broken Soul Nurturing Tower! I’ll fight you to the death! ~"