https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-126-The-Spirit-Bell-of-Grievance/12543922/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-128-A-Sudden-Shift-in-Art-Style-for-Farming/12543926/
Chapter 127: The Thorny Bone
Chapter 127: The Thorny Bone
Having purchased a second-rate Yanhou Bell from the old man, Lu Chen left Wanbaolou with a satisfied expression.
This trip to Wanbaolou had been fruitful. He had earned nearly six hundred spirit stones from selling the Linglygrass, traded two leaves of Qingmiao Spirit Tea for two hundred spirit stones, and spent two hundred and thirty spirit stones on a rare Yin Soul type magic artifact, the second-rate Yanhou Bell.
Including his previous savings, he now possessed over two thousand and two hundred spirit stones, a wealth he had never known before.
He didn't plan to buy demonic beast meat or a first-rate flying sword at Wanbaolou.
These items could be found everywhere in Jianmen Town, especially at the loose cultivator stalls, and were often cheaper there than at Wanbaolou.
Lu Chen made his way to the Qingshi Plaza, where the loose cultivators set up their stalls.
Hundreds of stalls were squeezed together, and Lu Chen felt reminiscent of his days wandering the loose cultivator markets in Linyangfang City. He navigated agilely through the narrow spaces between the stalls.
"How much for this first-rate flying sword?" he asked a stall owner.
The stall owner was an ordinary young man who immediately deduced Lu Chen's background from his clothing.
"This flying sword is crafted from red iron ore and is priced at forty spirit stones," the young man replied.
"That's too expensive. How about thirty spirit stones?" Lu Chen haggled, drawing upon his past bargaining experience.
"Fellow cultivator, that's a rather ruthless offer," the young stall owner said with a wry smile. "This flying sword is in perfect condition and extremely sharp. There's no way I can let it go for just thirty spirit stones."
"Second-hand flying swords usually go for around that price," Lu Chen argued. "And while your sword may look fine at first glance, there are already signs of damage in many subtle places."
"For example, the blade here is noticeably thinner than the rest, and I suspect it won't be long before it cracks." Lu Chen's sharp eyes had spotted the sword's weakness.
"Then how about thirty-five spirit stones?" The young stall owner grit his teeth, his face pained as if he were making a great sacrifice.
"Thirty-two spirit stones, and not a single stone more," Lu Chen countered.
"Deal!"
With the flying sword acquired, Lu Chen continued to browse the stalls casually.
Since the flying sword he bought only needed to be buried around the sword-nourishing gourd and didn't require actual use, he specifically looked for second-hand swords and managed to get them at discounted prices.
Soon, he had collected ten worn-out first-rate flying swords, spending around three hundred spirit stones in total.
After taking care of the fertilizer for the sword-nourishing gourd, Lu Chen continued to wander the stalls, searching for suitable demonic beast meat.
With the Cloud-stepping Lynx and the baby Wind Falcon in the cave dwelling, he had huge appetites to satisfy, so he bought a large quantity of meat—nearly fifty pounds of it—for over a hundred spirit stones.
This left him with around one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.
"Are these bones considered spirit plants? That's preposterous!"
Just as Lu Chen was about to leave Qingshi Plaza, a voice suddenly caught his attention. It seemed someone had discovered a unique spirit plant, and Lu Chen's interest was piqued. He made his way toward the source of the voice.
The stall owner was a one-eyed middle-aged cultivator with a cold demeanor and a high-level Qi Refining cultivation base.
The speaker, like Lu Chen, wore the standard Tianjian Sect robe and had a high-level Qi Refining cultivation base.
"I've been cultivating spirit plants in Tianjian Sect for so long, and I've never heard of a spirit plant that looks like these bones!" the cultivator exclaimed indignantly.
Lu Chen followed his gaze to the stall, where a strange object was displayed. At first glance, it looked like several slender white bones entangled together.
Each slender bone had thorn-like protrusions extending from both sides, giving them an extremely sharp appearance.
"Then we'll see if anyone falls for your trick!" The Qi Refining cultivator stood up, flicked his sleeves, and walked away.
The one-eyed middle-aged cultivator closed his eyes and remained silent.
"Fellow cultivator, may I take a closer look at this peculiar white bone?"
The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes and saw Lu Chen wearing the standard Tianjian Sect robe. Hesitation flashed across his face.
However, seeing Lu Chen's sincere expression, he eventually nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
Lu Chen approached the white bone object. He gently pinched it with his fingers and examined it carefully.
The peculiar white bone was grayish-white, and its texture indeed felt like bone. Upon closer inspection, the thin, long bone and the spikes on both sides seemed to form a tiny cluster of thorns.
When he probed it with his spiritual sense, he could feel a strong vitality and spirituality within, which was a common trait among Spirit Plants.
"Fellow cultivator, you seem quite certain that this is a Spirit Plant. Do you happen to know its grade and type?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
"To be honest, I don't know its specific type or grade either. I only assume it's of a high grade. From the reactions of your fellow sect member and yourself, it seems to be an extremely rare variety," the one-eyed middle-aged cultivator replied indifferently.
"I found a unique secret realm while attempting to delve deeper into the Black Abyss, and that's where I discovered this unusual Spirit Plant," he added.
"What you're saying does sound somewhat believable to me, and I'm quite intrigued by these peculiar Spirit Plants as well," Lu Chen said.
"If your price is reasonable, I might consider buying it to try planting it," Lu Chen continued.
"How about 200 spirit stones? Judging from the vitality within this White Bone Spirit Plant, it's very likely to be a third-grade Spirit Plant," the middle-aged cultivator offered tentatively.
Lu Chen shook his head immediately upon hearing the price.
"Fellow cultivator, that's too much! You're asking for 200 spirit stones for an unknown Spirit Plant. Do you know that 200 spirit stones could almost buy a second-grade magical artifact?" Lu Chen feigned anger and turned to leave.
"Wait, fellow cultivator. We can negotiate the price," the one-eyed middle-aged cultivator called out to stop Lu Chen.
Lu Chen hesitated, then stopped in front of the stall once more, his eyes falling back on the peculiar white bone.
"I'm a bit curious. If this white bone is indeed a Spirit Plant, how would one go about planting it? Fellow cultivator, could I try simulating the process by digging a hole to see if it can be planted?" Lu Chen asked casually.
The one-eyed middle-aged cultivator was solely focused on selling this peculiar white bone and didn't mind Lu Chen's odd request. He simply nodded in agreement.
Lu Chen's fingers moved swiftly like a sword, digging a small pit in the ground. He then placed the thin, long white bone into the hole.
As he completed the 'planting' action, Lu Chen concentrated his mind on the peculiar white bone.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
[Thorny Bone, Third-grade Spirit Plant. Can be used to refine high-grade puppets and certain sinister magical artifacts after maturation.]
[Requires consumption of bone marrow essence during cultivation.]
"Perfect!"
Lu Chen was delighted inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. He carefully retrieved the Thorny Bone from the shallow pit, wiped away the dirt, and returned it to the stall owner.
Using his ability to discern the current state of a planted Spirit Plant, Lu Chen clearly understood the details of this peculiar white bone Spirit Plant. His desire to obtain this third-grade Thorny Bone Spirit Plant intensified.
(End of Chapter)
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