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Chapter 25: The Deal
Chapter 25: The Deal
Silence.
Chu Ning channeled his incantation, but the seed remained dormant, unresponsive.
He wasn't too surprised, though. After all, not all seeds could be easily stimulated.
From his prior knowledge about spirit plants, Chu Ning was aware that stimulating the growth of some spirit plants could be quite challenging.
With a flick of his finger, he channeled his incantation again, casting the stimulation technique on the seed.
Still, the seed showed no signs of life, but Chu Ning remained undeterred.
He tried again—a third, fourth, and fifth time...until he had attempted it ten times! Finally, he noticed signs of the seed cracking open.
Eleven, twelve...fifteen attempts!
As Chu Ning repeatedly cast his stimulation technique, the seed gradually cracked open.
Only after the fifteenth attempt did the seed truly begin to sprout and grow.
The slender seedling had a brown stem, and tiny leaves were already emerging, their entire bodies a vibrant green.
As Chu Ning looked closely, he noticed that the back of each leaf seemed to have a faint, rainbow-like hue!
The colors were extremely subtle and elusive; one would never notice them without a careful inspection.
"So it really is the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit!"
After carefully confirming its identity, Chu Ning placed the seedling into the jade box, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Although he wasn't sure yet about the specific uses of the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit, he knew it had to be something extraordinary.
The old man with the long beard clearly treasured it, and he was willing to spend a significant amount of spirit stones to have Chu Ning help nurture it.
It had to be something valuable!
"The spirit stones, movement talismans, and even the Golden Sword Technique are certainly good.
But the true prizes from this deal are the Nine-Transformations Body Refining Technique and the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit."
Chu Ning thought to himself, "I need to find out more about these two things."
As he took stock of his gains, Chu Ning began to contemplate the entire affair—how it had come about and what his next steps should be.
He had no idea where the bearded man had obtained the seed of the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit, but Chu Ning had a hunch.
He suspected that the ambush might have been related to this very fruit.
Perhaps the assailants knew about his involvement in cultivating the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit for the old man using the Greenwood Spring Blossom Technique.
For the time being, it would be best to avoid the market. There was no telling if the rogue cultivator had any accomplices.
Consequently, he couldn't seek guidance from the old man about cultivating the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit, which meant he would have to inquire within his sect.
Furthermore, Chu Ning wanted to find out more about the Nine-Transformations Body Refining Technique. He wondered if there was any information about it within the sect, especially since he had acquired two different techniques, the Nine-Yin Body Tempering Technique and the Nine-Transformations Body Refining Technique, with such ease.
As for the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit, the Green Creek Sect was known for their expertise in cultivating spirit plants, so they might have knowledge about its cultivation as well.
If they didn't, he could always think of another way to visit the market later.
Chu Ning decided to seek information during his next visit to the transmission room, which was scheduled for two days later.
Fortunately, young spirit plant seedlings like this one could be safely stored in jade boxes for at least seven to ten days.
In the afternoon, Chu Ning went to the mountain behind the courtyard as usual to practice the Thorn Technique and the Vine Armor Technique.
His goal now was to master these techniques as soon as possible and transform them into innate divine abilities that he could cast instantly.
In addition to these two techniques, Chu Ning had also added two new ones to his repertoire: the Beast Driving Technique and the Golden Sword Technique.
For the Beast Driving Technique, he used the wooden sword he had purchased from the old man.
Perhaps because he was wielding a wooden sword, Chu Ning found the technique remarkably easy to use.
Moreover, the sword's weight was substantial, and its attack power was surprisingly good.
Even without cultivating any sword-controlling techniques, Chu Ning could use the Beast Driving Technique to wield the wooden sword with enough force to smash a tree as thick as a fist.
However, the Beast Driving Technique that Chu Ning was currently using could only be used in a straightforward manner, and it didn't have any spiritual power enhancement.
Otherwise, Chu Ning would have considered sword-smashing as an important part of his training regimen.
On the other hand, his attempts to cultivate the Golden Sword Technique were not going smoothly at all; it was completely incomparable to his progress with wood-based techniques.
In fact, out of all the techniques he was currently cultivating, the Golden Sword Technique was the most difficult for him.
Chu Ning could only approach it with a trial-and-error mindset, and if it proved impossible for him to cultivate, he would have to give up on it.
After this intensive half-day of training, Chu Ning felt that time seemed much more compressed than before.
No wonder Shi Yao had been reluctant to teach him too many techniques in the transmission room. Indeed, cultivating multiple techniques simultaneously tended to divide one's focus.
"Chu Ning, you've certainly done a splendid job with this courtyard."
The plump and jovial disciple, Zhuang Yunde, stepped into Chu Ning's courtyard, his eyes gleaming with appreciation.
"This barbed wire vine is perfect for practicing the Thorn Technique. I can tell you've put in quite some effort to transplant so many mature and high-quality vines here. They may be common, but it's not easy to find ones in such good condition."
Chu Ning replied, "Thank you, Brother Zhuang. I just wanted to add some greenery and decoration. I'm a simple man, and I don't have much of an eye for flowers and plants, but these neglected barbed wire vines seem rather endearing to me."
Chu Ning hadn't interacted much with Zhuang Yunde, so he spoke with a degree of caution, holding back a little.
Zhuang Yunde smiled but didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he shifted the conversation, asking, "Chu Ning, it's been almost two months since you started cultivating the Ink Spirit Bamboo, hasn't it? May I have a look at its progress?"
Chu Ning was taken aback for a moment, unsure of Zhuang Yunde's intentions.
However, he recalled that two months ago, Zhuang Yunde had specifically asked him about his interest in talisman-making and had mentioned checking on the growth of the Ink Spirit Bamboo at a later date.
A thought occurred to Chu Ning, and he suspected that Zhuang Yunde's visit might be related to this.
So, Chu Ning immediately replied, "Of course, Brother Zhuang. It would be my pleasure to have your guidance. Please, this way."
As he spoke, Chu Ning led Zhuang Yunde to the superior spirit field where he cultivated the Ink Spirit Bamboo.
As soon as they reached the outskirts of the spirit field, Zhuang Yunde's eyes lit up, and he quickened his steps toward the bamboo.
Seeing the bamboo stalks gradually turning from green to black, a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"Chu Ning, the growth of your Ink Spirit Bamboo is truly remarkable. In just two months, you've managed to achieve such a transformation."
As he spoke, Zhuang Yunde gave Chu Ning a meaningful glance.
"It seems your mastery of the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art is quite impressive."
"Brother Zhuang, you flatter me," Chu Ning said, his expression unchanged.
"I seem to have a stronger affinity for wood-attribute techniques like the Green Wood Eternal Art and the Green Wood Spring Blossom Technique, so I've focused most of my efforts in that area. As a result, my progress in other techniques has been rather mediocre."
As he spoke, Chu Ning casually performed the Sweet Rain Technique.
This was a technique that Chu Ning hadn't spent much time or energy on, and coupled with his ordinary talent in water-attribute techniques, his performance of the Sweet Rain Technique was comparable to, or perhaps even worse than, that of many new disciples.
Seeing this, the gleam of interest in Zhuang Yunde's eyes faded a little.
Recalling that Chu Ning had demonstrated a strong aptitude for wood-attribute techniques from the beginning, he didn't think much of it and smiled as he said, "Don't worry, Chu Ning. I'm not questioning your progress. I was just thinking that perhaps we can proceed with our little deal now."
"Deal?"
Chu Ning, who had been contemplating whether he should continue to maintain a low profile, was caught off guard by this suggestion.
He looked at Zhuang Yunde with a puzzled expression, and the latter smiled back at him and said, "Do you remember, Chu Ning, about two months ago, when we discussed the art of talisman-making? The reason I didn't pursue the topic further at the time was that if your Ink Spirit Bamboo didn't turn out well, even if there was a harvest, most of it would have to be handed over to the sect, and you wouldn't be left with much. But now, seeing the quality of your bamboo, if you can maintain this, after handing over half of the harvest to the sect, you'll still have about half left for yourself."
Zhuang Yunde paused for a moment, and after Chu Ning nodded in agreement, he continued, "According to the sect's rules, this remaining half of the Ink Spirit Bamboo is for you to dispose of as you wish. You can sell it to the sect for spirit stones, to others, or even use it to make talisman paper yourself."
Zhuang Yunde smiled at Chu Ning and said, "So, I'd like to propose a deal with you. I'll teach you the technique for making talisman paper, and in return, I'd like one-tenth of your remaining Ink Spirit Bamboo as payment. What do you say?"
(End of Chapter)
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