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Chapter 5: Stirrings
Chapter 5: Stirrings
"The Golden Sword Manual, a first-rate technique, involves a special method of cultivating and nurturing metallic sword qi in the orifices, resulting in swift and deadly attacks."
A first-rate technique! I never expected such a treasure to come from that ball of light...
Lu Chen's mind was momentarily stunned.
He currently possessed three techniques: Fireball Technique, Spirit Rain Technique, and the recently acquired Earth Drawing Technique from the white ball of light. These were all low-level and involved rudimentary manipulations of spiritual energy.
But even though the Golden Sword Manual was the lowest rank, Lu Chen was already content.
After all, even among intermediate and advanced cultivators, not everyone could claim to have a first-rate technique.
He remained in place, allowing his spiritual energy to gather along the pathways that appeared in his mind.
Soon, a pale golden stream of energy, about three inches long and as wide as a finger, surged forth from his body and sped toward the stone wall, cleanly slicing a black thorn in two.
Lu Chen walked over and picked up one half of the thorn, its cut surface smooth, and marveled at the power of the pale golden sword qi.
Though the black thorn wasn't a spiritual plant, it was exceptionally tough. Lu Chen had once tried to burn it with his Fireball Technique, and it had taken half a joss stick's time to sever it.
Comparing the two techniques, the Golden Sword Manual was far more efficient and at least twice as powerful.
"But I've just started cultivating this technique, and it takes too long to execute the sword maneuver. Its power is also greatly reduced."
"With such a powerful technique, I'll need to practice diligently from now on."
"Of course, if I could somehow obtain another copy of the Golden Sword Manual as experience, that would be ideal."
Lu Chen gazed at the remaining fifteen Spirit Firefly Grass plants, his thoughts drifting.
He placed the harvested Spirit Firefly Grass into the jade box, intending to head out again.
He now had nine mature Spirit Firefly Grass plants, six of average quality and three of good quality.
The jade box was already full, leaving no room for more spiritual plants. To prevent the spiritual energy of the Spirit Firefly Grass from dissipating, he needed to sell these nine plants as soon as possible.
At the same time, there was plenty of vacant space in his spirit field, and the remaining Spirit Firefly Grass plants would soon be ready for harvest. Lu Chen planned to use the earned spirit stones to buy some spiritual seeds.
If he had enough spirit stones, he would also try to find a low-level protective formation at the market.
The appearance of the white ball of light in his yard had greatly increased the importance of his spirit field. Lu Chen was worried that cultivators or demons might sneak in and steal or damage the spiritual plants in his field, affecting the abundance of the white ball of light.
After instructing the grass puppet to keep watch, Lu Chen left the yard, carrying the jade box containing the Spirit Firefly Grass.
As he stepped out, he happened to run into Zhang Hong, who was returning from the market.
"Where are you off to, Lu Xiao?" Zhang Hong called out cheerfully when he spotted Lu Chen from a distance.
"Hello, Brother Zhang. I'm heading to the market," Lu Chen greeted him.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Chen learned that Zhang Hong had just returned from the market, where he had purchased several protective amulets in preparation for the upcoming expedition to the new secret realm.
"Lu Xiao, are you really not interested in joining us to explore the new secret realm in the wilderness?" Zhang Hong asked, changing the subject.
"Brother Zhang, I appreciate your invitation, but my ambitions lie elsewhere. I just want to be an ordinary and peaceful spiritual herbologist," Lu Chen refused politely.
"Well, if that's the case, I can't persuade you any further. I thought it would be good to have a companion like you, someone I've known for a while and could rely on," Zhang Hong said with a hint of regret.
"I wish you good fortune and a safe return on your journey, Brother Zhang," Lu Chen said sincerely, bowing slightly.
And with that, the two parted ways.
Lu Chen walked to the market and noticed that there were significantly more cultivators present than usual.
Defensive amulets were in high demand, and healing pills were like rare treasures. Whenever they appeared, cultivators scrambled to buy them, even at inflated prices. Despite the high demand, the supply remained insufficient.
Lu Chen remained unfazed by the restless atmosphere in the city, quietly observing his surroundings.
He spent two to three hours wandering the market, paying close attention to every piece of information exchanged and occasionally inquiring with solitary cultivators manning stalls. Eventually, he turned a few street corners and arrived at an apothecary named 'Hundred Herb Hall'.
The owner of the apothecary was an alchemist with a large demand for various alchemy materials. Lu Chen had sold the spiritual herbs he cultivated to this shop in the past, and the prices were quite fair.
As he entered the apothecary, a rich aroma of medicinal herbs wafted through the air. Lu Chen made his way toward a wooden house, familiar with the layout.
Inside the wooden house were piles of spiritual herbs of various sizes, with several herb boys busy at work.
"Lu boy, are you here to sell more Spirit Firefly Grass?"
A thin and elderly man spotted Lu Chen immediately and, noticing the bulging pouch at his chest, called out to him.
"Yes, Elder He. Some of my Spirit Firefly Grass has matured, so I'm here to sell them to your shop," Lu Chen replied.
The thin and elderly man was a relative of the alchemist who owned the apothecary, often helping manage the shop's miscellaneous affairs. Lu Chen had to deal with him whenever he wanted to sell his herbs, so they were quite familiar with each other.
"How many do you have?" the elderly man asked.
"Nine. What's the going rate for Spirit Firefly Grass these days?" Lu Chen inquired as he took out the jade box from his chest.
"Still the same old price: three low-grade spirit stones per plant," the elderly man replied.
"Elder He, that's not very generous of you," Lu Chen said, hesitating to hand over the jade box.
"As far as I know, quite a few spirit herbologists in the North District have had their Spirit Firefly Grass infested with pests recently, resulting in lower yields than usual," the elderly man explained.
"And with the talk of the Wang family from the central region venturing into a new secret realm, the prices of healing pills have skyrocketed," he added.
"Spirit Firefly Grass is the main ingredient for refining healing pills, and yet you're offering the same old price. That's taking advantage of us honest solitary cultivators," Lu Chen argued.
"You little rascal, your cultivation may not be high, but your nose for information sure is sharp," Elder He chuckled, then composed himself and said, "One Spirit Firefly Grass for three spirit stones and twenty fragments. That's my final offer."
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, knowing that this was indeed a fair price.
"What about the good quality Spirit Firefly Grass? Is that the same price?" he asked.
"Oh?" Elder He raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing in surprise.
"You've managed to cultivate good quality Spirit Firefly Grass, boy? Let me see," he said, intrigued.
High-quality raw materials were favored by alchemists as they slightly increased the success rate and effectiveness of the resulting pills.
"Indeed, they are of good quality," Lu Chen confirmed.
"For someone of your age and with limited spiritual energy in your spirit fields, it's impressive that you've managed to cultivate herbs of this caliber. Not an easy feat," Elder He acknowledged.
"How about this: for those three good quality Spirit Firefly Grass, I'll offer three spirit stones and fifty fragments each. What do you say?"
Lu Chen nodded in agreement. Given that they were only slightly better than ordinary grass, and not of superior or perfect quality, an increase of thirty fragments per plant was already quite generous.
He handed over the nine Spirit Firefly Grass plants to Elder He, who inspected them carefully without nitpicking. The elderly man then counted out the spirit stones and handed them to Lu Chen.
For the six ordinary and three good quality Spirit Firefly Grass, Lu Chen received a total of twenty-nine low-grade spirit stones and seventy spirit fragments.
He carefully tucked them away at his waist, feeling the faint chill of the spirit stones through his clothes, a warmth spreading through his heart.
(End of Chapter)
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