Chapter 52: Bloodshed
Chapter 52: Bloodshed
After using a second-grade Lihu Sword to obtain a section of third-grade Flood Dragon Vine from a female cultivator, Lu Chen continued to wander around the black market.
After searching for a while and not finding any more unknown spirit herbs, he found an empty spot for himself and hung up the first-grade flying sword he had obtained from Qin Ming.
Finally, he sold it for thirty-five spirit stones.
Lu Chen couldn't find any defensive array formations that truly satisfied him in the black market, and the few martial arts techniques he saw weren't of very high grades either, so he had no choice but to give up.
After much consideration, he spent thirty-two spirit stones on a first-grade shield named the Iron Scale Shield, which was covered in tight, pitch-black scales and offered decent protection for a first-grade artifact.
The black market had an abundance of bizarre demon beast materials and mature spirit herbs, followed by talismans and pills, but Lu Chen wasn't very interested in those. So, he infused spiritual energy into the guide talisman, and following the direction of the black arrow, he walked out of the thick, almost tangible black mist.
As soon as he emerged, the monk guarding the exit reclaimed the guide talisman.
Lu Chen remained vigilant, looking around and quickly leaving the outskirts of the black market.
Along the way, nothing unexpected happened. No one in the black market paid any special attention to him—a Qi Refining cultivator with seemingly ordinary cultivation and possessions.
More than half an hour later, he returned to the courtyard.
The array formation was still functioning properly, showing no signs of intrusion.
Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. After all, there were numerous rare and precious spirit herbs growing in the spiritual fields behind the courtyard.
There was the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng, Pure Snow Lotus, and Red Cloud Pine, the second-grade Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Mushroom, and Clear Mystical Spirit Tea, as well as the third-grade Misty Smoke Luo Fruit...
Even without considering the light orbs they would produce upon maturity, the value of these spirit herbs was enough to tempt any Qi Refining cultivator to take great risks.
As Lu Chen opened the courtyard door, his eyes caught a glimpse of a black light flashing in front of him and rushing towards the back of the courtyard.
He was startled for a moment, but quickly recognized the black-light figure as the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub that he had reluctantly left at home.
"Has this little guy been waiting outside for me all this time?"
Lu Chen walked around to the front of the courtyard, where the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub was crouching by the edge of the spirit spring pond, its emerald green eyes fixed on the slowly swimming Red-Whiskered Carp within.
It seemed oblivious to Lu Chen's return.
"I'm back!"
Lu Chen called out to the opposite side, and the patrolling Grass Puppet, Gray Grass, turned its head a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Its two pitch-black, hollow eye sockets glanced in the direction of the sound, but its footsteps didn't pause in its patrol.
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx ignored him, continuing to stare at the Red-Whiskered Carp in the spirit spring pond.
Lu Chen's sharp eyes noticed the tuft of grayish-white fur on the lynx's ears quivering slightly, betraying the joy and excitement it felt within.
Lu Chen walked straight back into the house.
Only then did the Cloud-Stepping Lynx turn its head to look at Lu Chen's retreating back.
The fur on the tips of its ears twitched slightly, sensing Lu Chen's approaching footsteps, and it quickly turned its head back again.
Lu Chen tossed a plump strip of Spiny Pig meat in front of the lynx.
"Meow~"
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx let out a hesitant meow, and its snow-white paws deftly grabbed the meat strip, stuffing it into its mouth.
Lu Chen chuckled and returned inside the house.
On this trip to the black market, he had disposed of the second-grade Lihu Sword that he had just obtained, as well as the first-grade flying sword that had been in his storage bag for a long time—a remnant of Qin Ming. In exchange, he had acquired a section of the third-grade Flood Dragon Vine and a first-grade defensive artifact, the Iron Scale Shield.
He had broken even on spirit stones, spending three to rent the guide talisman, which was offset by the three spirit stones he earned from reselling the flying sword and shield.
However, this wasn't much of a concern for Lu Chen, as his primary purpose for acquiring it at such a high cost was to cultivate and nurture it.
Holding the serpentine vine, he made his way to an empty spot in his spiritual fields.
Each spiritual herb required a certain amount of space, and with his fields spanning just over an acre, space was already becoming a luxury.
Thus, for the time being, Lu Chen planned to focus on quality over quantity. Common spiritual herbs like the Spirit Glow Grass and Blood Jade Ginseng could be sourced from the Hundred Herbs Hall, while he would seek out rarer and higher-grade herbs through other means.
Lu Chen channeled his spiritual energy, causing the spirit soil to shift and form a tiny fissure.
He carefully inserted the Flood Dragon Vine into this crack, leaving about two-thirds of its length exposed. Wisps of Spirit Rain fell gently, landing on the dark, desiccated vine and seeping into the surrounding spirit soil.
The soil gradually became moist, and the vital energy of the rain permeated through the vine's epidermis, slowly infusing its interior.
Lu Chen focused his mind on the sinuous, ebony vine.
A thought flashed through his mind, conveying information about the herb.
"Flood Dragon Vine, a third-grade spirit herb. Upon maturity, it can be used to cultivate and nurture Flood Dragon beasts. With special processing, it can also be refined into whip or rope-type artifacts, or serve as a primary ingredient for certain rare elixirs."
"When cultivating the Flood Dragon Vine, nourishment with serpent or Flood Dragon beast blood promotes rapid growth. The higher the grade of blood used, the faster the vine's growth rate."
"I yearn for blood imbued with powerful strength..."
Through this mental connection, Lu Chen instantly understood the requirements for nurturing the Flood Dragon Vine.
"It needs nourishment from serpentine or Flood Dragon beasts. Typically, cultivators hunting serpentine beasts value their hides, venomous fangs, and poison more, often neglecting the blood."
"Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the market to search for serpentine beast blood. If I can't find any, then..."
"...I'll have to commission a cultivator with my spirit stones to help me obtain fresh serpentine blood."
Lu Chen contemplated, unwilling to venture into the wilderness or secret realms himself to hunt for serpentine beasts. He would rather spend extra spirit stones to hire someone else, avoiding any risks to his precious spiritual fields.
As for Flood Dragon beasts, he dared not even entertain the thought. Even the weakest of their kind possessed strength comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Lu Chen held no hopes of acquiring their blood.
"For now, I'll plant it in the spiritual field and properly cultivate it once I've obtained serpentine beast blood."
"In the meantime, I can sustain it with Spirit Rain Art and Wood Birth Art, but its growth will be extremely slow, so this isn't a long-term solution."
After planting the Flood Dragon Vine, Lu Chen surveyed the rest of his spiritual field, admiring the myriad of spirit herbs.
"Third-grade spirit herbs are indeed more troublesome. First and second-grade herbs only require specific environmental conditions and spiritual energy, but third-grade herbs seem to have personalities of their own."
"The Misty Smoke Luo Fruit is like a mischievous imp, creating its own little playground and then making people search for it. If one can't find it, it becomes difficult to cultivate."
"And this Flood Dragon Vine is even more demanding, requiring the bath of serpent or Flood Dragon blood. If I had Flood Dragon blood, I might as well use it on myself!"
As he spoke, Lu Chen gazed at the misty cloud formed by the Misty Smoke Luo Fruit, a testament to its growing power.
(End of Chapter)
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