Chapter 102: So Many

Chapter 102: So Many

Nearly half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Chu Ning had not only been waiting for the Golden Origin Fruits to mature, but he had also continued his talisman-making endeavors.

Through constant practice, he was improving his success rate of crafting high-quality elementary-grade talismans.

On this particular evening, after finishing his daily talisman-making session, Chu Ning looked at the pile of talismans before him and felt a slight headache coming on.

"My talisman collection is growing by the day!"

With his current spiritual sense, he could continuously craft 150 low-grade elementary talismans in one go, and his success rate had reached a perfect 100%.

There was no issue with selling these talismans.

His reputation had already been established, and he could easily sell over a hundred low-grade elementary talismans each day.

As for the medium-grade elementary talismans, with his current spiritual sense, Chu Ning could craft 100 in one go, achieving a success rate of nearly 90%.

However, after the beast disaster, there had been a period when the demand for medium-grade elementary talismans wasn't very high.

Out of the 90 talismans Chu Ning made each day, he could only sell about a dozen.

Fortunately, after the beast disaster, quite a few demonic beasts lingered in the area.

Lately, it seemed that everyone's supply of talismans had dwindled, and the sales of his talismans had picked up again.

Even so, including the ones accumulated earlier, he now had nearly 800 medium-grade elementary talismans in his possession.

Regarding the high-grade elementary talismans, with his current spiritual sense, Chu Ning could craft 70 in one go.

After half a month, his success rate had increased from the initial 40% to 50%.

And most of these talismans remained in his possession.

In the past month, he had only sold fewer than 10 high-grade elementary talismans.

Thus, Chu Ning now had over 400 high-grade elementary talismans in his hands.

"If I keep drawing talismans at this rate, I'll end up with more than 2,000 talismans in stock," Chu Ning said with a smile as he shook his head. It seemed that after collecting the Golden Origin Fruits tomorrow, he would indeed need to make a trip to Wind Gorge Lane.

With such a large quantity of talismans, only a large store like Cloud Sea Pavilion would be able to take them all at once.

Chu Ning had considered turning these talismans over to the sect for recycling.

However, doing so would expose his cultivation level as a Level 7 Qi Refinement cultivator, otherwise, the high-grade elementary talismans would raise suspicions.

After some thought, he decided against it and concluded that it would be better to handle it himself.

Chu Ning sorted and stored the talismans into his storage bag before taking out the Black Night Iron Soul Wood Sword and sitting down to cultivate the Spirit Refinement Art.

With his uninterrupted talisman-making and cultivation during this period, he had made significant progress in the Spirit Refinement Art.

【Greenwood Eternal Spring Art (Yellow Low-Grade): Layer 3 (62/2100)】

【Nine Transforming Body Refinement Manual, Volume 1: Sinew Strengthening 31/1500】

【Spirit Refinement Art, Layer 1: 440/1000】

In the past half month, as Chu Ning increased the time spent on talisman-making and cultivating the Spirit Refinement Art, he managed to gain nearly 3 points of proficiency every day.

His proficiency in the Spirit Refinement Art had finally broken through the 400 mark.

In comparison, his progress in the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art and the Nine Transforming Body Refinement Manual was more steady and average.

Regarding the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art, Chu Ning, who had just broken through to the 7th Layer of Qi Refinement, mainly relied on the Green Wood Spring Art to cultivate.

He didn't rush to use a large number of spirit stones and pills, as he wanted to first stabilize his cultivation level.

Of course, there were no higher-grade pills available anyway.

In Yanji Lane, just like with the high-grade elementary talismans, there was virtually no demand for pills suitable for the later stages of Qi Refinement.

Chu Ning had even specifically used illusion magic to disguise himself and inquire with Gu Xiaoqin.

However, her response was that she didn't have any.

It seemed that even if Gu Xiaoqin had some for her personal cultivation, she wouldn't sell them.

With the aid of the Green Wood Spring Art, Chu Ning could still gain 2 points of proficiency every day.

This was thanks to the Iron Stem Orchid's ability to absorb spiritual energy.

Especially after the Iron Orchid Fruit matured, the effect of absorbing spiritual energy became very noticeable.

With Chu Ning's current cultivation at the 7th Layer of Qi Refinement and the amount of spiritual energy he could absorb, as long as he cultivated for a longer period, he could still manage to support the increase of 2 points of proficiency.

If Chu Ning had relied on the Green Spirit Fruit and Purple Crystal Bamboo for cultivation before, he estimated that he would barely surpass 1 point per day.

On the other hand, the progress of the Nine Transforming Body Refinement Manual had slowed down considerably.

Although the Sinew Strengthening cultivation method was more effective than the Bone Drying method, the corresponding difficulty in proficiency improvement was also greater.

Even with Chu Ning's diligent cultivation every day, he could barely manage to increase by 1 point of proficiency.

It seemed that if he wanted to speed up his progress, he would need to rely on some body-tempering substances.

After cultivating the Spirit Refinement Art, Chu Ning rested.

Early the next morning, he arrived at the spirit fields.

The Golden Origin Fruits had ripened, and it was time to harvest them.

The collection process was simple, as Chu Ning only needed to hold the jade boxes and move along the rows of plants to collect the fruits.

Soon, he filled ten large jade boxes, amounting to over a thousand fruits.

When calculated together with the Purple Crystal Bamboo, the yield was roughly the same.

Previously, he had already asked Gu Xiaoqin about the Golden Origin Fruits, and they were worth about one spirit stone each.

After harvesting the Golden Origin Fruits, Chu Ning looked at the twenty acres of spirit fields with a thoughtful expression.

He needed to decide what to plant next.

The Golden Origin Fruits were not a problem, as he could simply use the Stimulation Art and the Green Wood Spring Art after harvesting them.

In about a month, they would bloom again and bear fruit.

As for the ten acres of land that originally grew Purple Crystal Bamboo, Chu Ning didn't have a suitable spirit plant in mind for the time being.

He already had more than enough talisman paper, so he naturally wouldn't plant the Purple Crystal Bamboo again.

In fact, Chu Ning would have preferred to plant Iron Stem Orchids if possible.

Although the Iron Stem Orchid took longer to grow than the Purple Crystal Bamboo, the Iron Orchid Fruit could temper the body.

Chu Ning could use them himself.

Moreover, whether or not the Iron Orchid Fruits of others could bear fruit depended on luck.

But in his case, as long as Ling Xiaobai urinated on each plant and he used his Green Wood Spring Art, the Iron Orchid Fruits would definitely bear fruit.

However, the problem was that Chu Ning didn't have any Iron Orchid Fruit seeds at the moment.

After returning to the market street from his fields, Chu Ning didn't go back to his store. Instead, he went straight to find Gu Xiaoqin.

"Oh, has Brother Chu's Golden Origin Fruits matured?" Gu Xiaoqin asked, her face lighting up with delight as she understood Chu Ning's purpose.

"Recently, everyone in the sect seems busier, and Lin Zhisheng has been helping us less frequently with transporting goods. I'm just about to run out of Golden Origin Fruits, so your timing is perfect, Brother Chu," she said.

As Chu Ning took out ten large jade boxes from his storage bag, he replied, "Sister Gu, take a look at the quality of these fruits first."

"Of course!" Gu Xiaoqin eagerly opened one of the boxes, taking out a fruit and examining it closely before turning her bright eyes to Chu Ning, nodding with great satisfaction. "It seems that not only do you have a talent for talisman-making, but you're also extremely skilled in spirit plant cultivation. Golden Origin Fruits of this quality are rarely seen even within the sect."

"It's just a coincidence that my wood-based spells and techniques are a good match," Chu Ning replied, using the excuse he had relied on all this time.

He then took out ten large jade boxes from his storage bag and said, "Sister Gu, there are a thousand fruits here in total. Please count them."

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoqin smiled gently and said, "Since you've counted them, Brother Chu, I won't need to. It's truly remarkable to have over a thousand such high-quality Golden Origin Fruits from twenty acres of spirit fields."

Chu Ning smiled but didn't respond. In truth, this yield was from ten acres, not twenty. Of course, he had no intention of sharing that information with Gu Xiaoqin.

Gu Xiaoqin returned the ten boxes of Golden Origin Fruits to her storage bag and then took out a bag of spirit stones, placing it in front of Chu Ning. "Brother Chu, here's a thousand spirit stones. Please take them."

Chu Ning accepted the bag and then took out 50 spirit stones, placing them on the table. "Sister Gu, 950 spirit stones will be enough."

Chu Ning didn't deliberately emphasize that Gu Xiaoqin had given him the seeds for the Golden Origin Fruits, nor did he mention her gift when she sold him pills. However, Gu Xiaoqin was a very intelligent person and immediately understood.

Without any fuss, she took the 50 spirit stones and smiled, "In that case, thank you, Brother Chu."

Chu Ning politely bid her farewell and prepared to leave. At that moment, Gu Xiaoqin suddenly spoke up. "Brother Chu, I'm planning to invite everyone to go to Wind Gorge Lane in the next few days. Would you like to come with us?"

"Wind Gorge Lane?" Chu Ning was a little surprised to hear Gu Xiaoqin's invitation, as it was somewhere he had been planning to visit for the past half month.

However, he maintained a neutral expression and asked, "Why are you thinking of going to Wind Gorge Lane all of a sudden, Sister Gu?"

With a gentle smile, Gu Xiaoqin explained, "Lately, more people have been coming to the market street, and I've heard that another first-tier high-level demon beast has appeared, which may increase the demand for pills. On top of that, the sect isn't supplying a full range of medicinal ingredients, and I've heard that Wind Gorge Lane is a major market street. Tomorrow is market day, so I want to go and buy some ingredients for pill refining. Brother Shen, Brother Luo, and Sister Lu have also expressed interest in going, so I thought I'd invite you as well."

Chu Ning had been planning to go there himself, and now that he had company, he readily agreed.

That night, Chu Ning stayed up late again, drawing a batch of high-quality elementary talismans.

The next morning, Chu Ning and the other four set out from Yanji Lane.

"Can everyone fly with swords?" Luo Yipeng asked, turning to the group, his gaze settling on Chu Ning.

Without waiting for a response, he took out a flying sword from his storage bag. As an outer disciple of the Spirit Beast Hall, he had never shown much fondness for Chu Ning.

Chu Ning didn't particularly like him either, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he chose to remain silent.

According to the sect's rules, once a cultivator reached the later stages of Qi Refinement, they could learn the art of sword flight. Although Chu Ning had already broken through to the later stages, his displayed cultivation level was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. As he hadn't returned to the sect, he naturally hadn't learned sword flight.

Shen Zhengquan then took out a small spirit boat from his storage bag. Although it wasn't very large, it could fit two people. As a disciple of the Pill Refinement Hall, it was only natural that he possessed some good artifacts.

Next, Chu Ning saw Lu Miaoying standing beside Shen Zhengquan, indicating that she planned to ride with him.

At that moment, Gu Xiaoqin realized something and said apologetically, "I forgot that Brother Chu can't fly with a sword. I'll use the Wind Riding Technique with Brother Chu, so we'll arrive a little later."

Hearing this, Shen Zhengquan and Luo Yipeng exchanged a glance, both looking a little taken aback. They had discussed giving Chu Ning a hard time the previous day after learning that Gu Xiaoqin had invited him. They hadn't expected Gu Xiaoqin to say this.

Just as Luo Yipeng was about to suggest that Chu Ning not come at all, Chu Ning spoke up. "Sister Gu, it's fine. I have a flying artifact."

Then, to everyone's surprise, Chu Ning took out a shuttle-shaped artifact from his storage bag.

"A flying artifact?" Shen Zhengquan, as a disciple of the Pill Refinement Hall, immediately recognized it. "I didn't expect Brother Chu to have such an artifact, and it seems to be of a high grade, too. It must have been expensive."

Chu Ning's face remained calm, without a hint of pride, as he replied, "I earned some spirit stones from selling talismans and asked Lin Zhisheng to help me buy it."

His words caused Luo Yipeng, who had been hoping to see Chu Ning embarrassed, to scowl.

"That's settled then, we can all go together now."

As she spoke, Gu Xiaoqin also took out a flying sword from her storage bag.

Soon after, the group mounted their respective artifacts and soared into the sky, heading toward Wind Gorge Lane.

Along the way, Luo Yipeng, who was carefully riding his flying sword, glanced at Chu Ning, who was effortlessly piloting the Wind Shuttle, and felt a pang of jealousy.

While flying swords did enable cultivators to soar through the skies, they were not as specialized as dedicated flying artifacts.

The amount of spiritual power and the level of control required were both quite high.

This was also the reason why the sect only allowed cultivators at the later stages of Qi Refinement to learn this skill.

On the other hand, Chu Ning's Wind Shuttle, being an advanced artifact, only needed a slight infusion of spiritual power to operate, making it much easier to handle.

This was why he had been concerned about the others' speed; otherwise, he would have accelerated and reached Wind Gorge Lane much sooner.

After more than an hour, the group arrived at their destination.

Although Chu Ning had previously visited Wind Gorge Lane with Lin Changqing, he now trailed behind the others, feigning ignorance and curiosity.

Once inside the market street, Luo Yipeng turned to Gu Xiaoqin and asked, "Sister Gu, what do you plan to buy? Should we accompany you first?"

Gu Xiaoqin shook her head slightly and replied, "Since everyone has different things they want to buy, let's split up to save time.

We can meet back at the market street entrance in an hour. What do you think?"

"That's a good idea, so we won't have to stay too long." Shen Zhengquan agreed.

Hearing both Gu Xiaoqin and Shen Zhengquan's suggestions, Luo Yipeng could only feel slightly disappointed.

As for Chu Ning, he had no objections whatsoever.

Even if Gu Xiaoqin hadn't suggested it, he would have found an excuse to separate from the group.

After parting ways with the others, Chu Ning found a secluded spot in the market street.

He first cast an illusion spell and then changed into a different set of clothes from his storage bag, instantly transforming into an ordinary-looking middle-aged cultivator.

At the same time, he released the aura of his Yin Wood Spirit Body, revealing his cultivation level as a Level 7 Qi Refinement cultivator.

Only then did he proceed toward the center of the market street, where the Cloud Sea Pavilion was located.

Today was not one of the pavilion's auction days, and Chu Ning noticed that there were significantly fewer cultivators compared to his previous visit with Lin Changqing.

As soon as he entered, a Level 4 Qi Refinement attendant approached him.

"May I ask, esteemed senior, if you are here to buy or sell items?"

Chu Ning glanced at the attendant, whose cultivation level was a whole tier lower than the attendant he had met during his previous visit with Lin Changqing, a Core Formation cultivator.

This difference in treatment was only natural, given that Lin Changqing was a Core Formation cultivator while he, Chu Ning, was merely at the Qi Refinement stage.

"I wish to sell some elementary high-grade talismans and some demon beast materials. I have a large quantity of both, and I also intend to purchase some items."

After hearing Chu Ning's intentions, the attendant promptly replied, "Please follow me, senior."

The attendant led Chu Ning to a room where a female cultivator in her thirties was seated.

This woman, whose cultivation level was also at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, possessed a captivating charm despite not being exceptionally beautiful.

After the attendant conveyed Chu Ning's purpose, the female cultivator, whose surname was Zhang, greeted him warmly.

"My surname is Zhang. May I ask your esteemed surname, senior? Would you like to sell your items first or make a purchase?"

"My surname is Li," Chu Ning replied casually.

Without directly answering her question, he asked, "May I confirm that my identity and any information regarding my transactions here at the Cloud Sea Pavilion will be kept confidential?"

A smile appeared on Zhang's face as she heard this, and she replied, "Rest assured, esteemed senior. Our Cloud Sea Pavilion is well-known for its integrity within a few thousand miles of this market street.

Whether you buy or sell items here, no one outside the Cloud Sea Pavilion will know about it once you leave."

Chu Ning nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"Then, let's start with these items. May I ask what price you would offer for them?"

As he spoke, he began taking out items from his storage bag.

The first items he retrieved were those he had obtained from the Blood-spotted Unicorn Beast's cave.

"Five pairs of Ironclad Bull Horns, three pairs of Wild Spirit Boar Fangs..."

As Chu Ning took out each item, Zhang meticulously inspected and tallied them.

Her tone remained neutral, which was not surprising given that Chu Ning's current cultivation level was at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.

If one dedicated themselves to hunting demon beasts, it would be possible to accumulate a substantial number of materials from first-tier mid-level and below beasts.

However, she was also slightly puzzled as to why Chu Ning, who was merely selling low-tier demon beast materials, would be concerned about information leaks.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang remained silent as she watched Chu Ning continue to retrieve items from his storage bag.

When Chu Ning produced two Blood-spotted Unicorn Beast hides and a horn, her eyes, which seemed to hold a hint of allure, suddenly sparkled with interest.

"Oh, you have such well-preserved Blood-spotted Unicorn Beast hides and horns."

At this moment, Chu Ning stopped taking out items and asked the enchanting female cultivator, "May I ask, Fellow Zhang, how much would my items be worth?"

Zhang pondered briefly before answering, "The items you took out earlier are materials from first-tier mid-level and below demon beasts, and they aren't particularly valuable. Together, they are worth 300 spirit stones.

As for the Blood-spotted Unicorn Beast hides and horn, they are very well-preserved.

The hides are worth 50 lower-grade spirit stones each, and for the horn, I can offer you 300 spirit stones. That's a total of 700 spirit stones for the set.

Are you satisfied with this price, Fellow Cultivator Li?"

Chu Ning nodded in agreement, not saying a word. The price was fair.

Then, he took out a stack of talismans from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

"What price would you offer for these elementary high-grade and elementary mid-grade talismans?"

Upon seeing the talismans, Zhang was momentarily taken aback.

"These are all elementary high-grade and elementary mid-grade talismans, and you have so many?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end