https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-26-Unscrupulous-Merchants-All-of-Them/12831467/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-28-The-Small-Courtyard-Hiding-Dragons-and-Tigers/12831491/
Chapter 27: King Wang Never Licks a Poisoned Blade
Chapter 27: King Wang Never Licks a Poisoned Blade
To seek the Great Dao, Lucas Chen decided to splurge!
At the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, the counter attendant smiled as Lucas Chen, with a pained expression, handed over five hundred lower-grade spirit stones.
"Five bottles of Life Force Supplements, thank you for your visit!"
Out of the one thousand one hundred spirit stones he had just obtained, nearly half were gone in an instant.
Anyone would feel the pinch.
But Lucas Chen knew that at this stage, he had to spend these spirit stones.
Ideally, he should have invested the spirit stones into expanding the operation of the Wondrous Pill, rapidly increasing his proficiency to generate substantial net profits.
This way, he could escape his current Predicament and embark on a sustainable path of cultivation.
However, the external environment had changed!
He had killed two cultivators and looted the legacies of three corpses.
Especially that cultivator surnamed Gao, whose wealth suggested he might have significant connections.
If someone were to come looking for him, disregarding the rules set by the Jade Cauldron Sect in the Great River Market, and forcibly try to kill him, what could he do with his Fourth Stage Qi Condensation strength?
The Soul-Piercing Nail was indeed powerful, but it wasn't invincible.
Wang Yuan had once managed to escape after being hit by a Soul-Piercing Nail, then turned around and killed two people.
Even if Lucas Chen hadn't killed the third unfortunate soul, Wang Yuan would have definitely taken him down.
Wang Yuan was only at the Seventh Stage Qi Condensation, and there were many stronger cultivators out there.
So, Lucas Chen couldn't afford to be complacent.
Moving into the Inner City was one solution.
Rapidly advancing his cultivation level was another.
After experiencing the effects of the Life Force Supplements, Lucas Chen knew that he would likely be dependent on taking pills for his cultivation for the rest of his life.
Last night, he had tried the Perfect Longevity Technique combined with a first-stage Spirit Meridian, but the improvement was not significant enough to be transformative.
To achieve a transformative change, he needed time to accumulate.
Time?
Lucas Chen, with only seventy-five years of life left, lacked time!
So, taking pills was a necessity, and he couldn't afford to hesitate!
He carefully stored the five bottles of Life Force Supplements in his storage bag, his steps slightly hesitant.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and walked towards the Spirit Source Hall.
Fortunately, he was a cultivator; if he were an ordinary person, his teeth would have been ground to dust by now from the constant strain of spending spirit stones.
The Spirit Source Hall was a shop opened by the Five Elements Divine Sect, one of the six major sects in the Far East, in the Great River Market.
The Five Elements Divine Sect was renowned for its Five Elements Magic, with most of its experts capable of performing extremely intricate Five Elements Spells.
This made them unique among cultivators, who primarily relied on magical treasures and talismans in battle.
Compared to combat, the Five Elements Divine Sect preferred to apply their Five Elements Magic to production.
They were the pinnacle in the cultivation of various Spirit Plants, unmatched even by the Medicine King Sect, which was only slightly better in the cultivation of medicinal herbs.
In the realm of Spirit Plant Cultivation, the Five Elements Divine Sect had no real competitors.
Not to mention, the Spirit Rice commonly consumed in the entire Six Realms of Cultivation was almost entirely produced by the Five Elements Divine Sect.
Other sects, despite having their own private fields for cultivating Spirit Grains, could not match the Five Elements Divine Sect in terms of both taste and the amount of spiritual energy contained in their Spirit Rice.
It was clear that in the realm of Spirit Plant Cultivation, the Five Elements Divine Sect had the upper hand in the Six Realms.
Lucas Chen entered the Spirit Source Hall, first spending one spirit stone to buy ten pounds of Spirit Rice, then walked up to the counter.
"Can I take a look at the spell catalog?"
The pretty attendant's eyes lit up, and she promptly pulled out a book.
"Which type of spell are you interested in purchasing, sir?"
"Mid-Qi Condensation stage? Have you learned all the essential spells? If not, I highly recommend this set of spells for only five middle-grade spirit stones."
Lucas Chen's eyes twitched.
Five, five hundred!
"Each spell in the book has been personally annotated by our Five Elements Divine Sect's experts, ensuring you a quick and smooth entry into the realm of magic."
”
"If you've learned everything, you might consider the improved elemental spells of the Five Elements Sect, like this one—the Firebird Spell, evolved from the Fireball Spell! It consumes the same amount of spirit energy, but it's much more versatile. When you're short on spirit stones, you can even earn some pocket money by setting off Firebird fireworks for people."
"This one's also great, a small Water Rain Spell, perfect for watering flowers!"
"Price? It's a steal, just three medium-grade spirit stones!"
Luo Chen left the Spirit Source Pavilion, feeling dazed.
Spells?
He didn't buy a single one!
They were just too expensive. The Firebird Spell, evolved from the Fireball Spell, cost three medium-grade spirit stones, which was equivalent to three hundred low-grade spirit stones!
He'd have to be crazy to spend that much money on it.
As for the few spells he really wanted, their prices made his head spin.
It was all because of his poverty!
The Five Elements Divine Sect was renowned for its expertise in elemental spells and had a deep understanding of other spells as well.
Therefore, every Spirit Source Pavilion sold a variety of spells.
While they might be common low-tier spells, after being annotated by the experts of the Five Elements Divine Sect, they were easy for cultivators to master.
If they were improved spells, they were even more powerful.
That's why Luo Chen wanted to check them out.
But the prices made him hesitate.
"Looks like I'll have to go to the independent cultivator market and look for those unendorsed spells."
No backing from a sect, no annotations from experts, and no after-sales guarantees.
He arrived at the independent cultivator market in the southern part of the city, where the crowd was sparse and the atmosphere a bit chilly.
The big market had just concluded, and the small market wouldn't open for another three days.
With the hope of finding something, Luo Chen wandered through the market.
But after a thorough search, he felt a bit disappointed.
Since it wasn't a small market or a big market, the stalls were mostly run by long-term vendors selling stable goods.
Things like cultivation techniques and spells were far from stable.
They all depended on those who lived on the edge.
"Living on the edge every day, they don't fear the poison on the blade. I wonder if they've all been poisoned to death today?"
Luo Chen cursed under his breath and was about to leave.
But as he was about to exit the market, he ran into an acquaintance.
Seeing him, Luo Chen's heart blossomed, and his pulse quickened.
"Brother Wang, my dear brother!"
Indeed, my Brother Wang never licks a poisoned blade!
Wang Yuan glanced at him and walked toward his stall.
Luo Chen followed him eagerly, like a little lackey.
What's a little lackey? He, Luo Chen, was under Brother Wang's protection, and that was a fact!
A gray cloth was spread on the ground, and with a wave of Wang Yuan's hand, a multitude of items appeared on it.
Bloody magical weapons of various types, books and bamboo scrolls, and even a yellowed jade slip.
Looking at the pile of items, with their heavy aura of blood, Luo Chen's eyelids twitched.
"Brother Wang, you've had quite a harvest recently!"
Wang Yuan's lips curled. "Not all of it is mine."
Luo Chen had heard before that Wang Yuan wasn't just involved in killing and looting or village skirmishes.
He had a legitimate job.
He worked for the Broken Mountain Gang, handling illicit goods and making a lot of profit from it.
That's why Luo Chen would see Wang Yuan at every market, big or small.
It was a promising job.
"Have there been no fights lately?"
How could cultivator battles be called fights!
Wang Yuan's eyes drooped. "They've paused. They'll start again in a few days."
Gang wars following such rules?
Luo Chen was a bit confused.
But it was a good thing; otherwise, how would Wang Yuan have time to set up his stall?
(End of Chapter)
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