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Chapter 59: The Misty Concealing Array
Chapter 59: The Misty Concealing Array
"I had a small breakthrough in my cultivation these past two days, and I was fortunate enough to reach the middle stage of Qi Refining." Lu Chen said with a hint of pride in his smile.
"Not bad, kid," the thin old man praised, before changing the subject. "With your current cultivation at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, your spiritual energy should be sufficient to cultivate more Spirit Glow Grass."
"I'll put in a good word for you so that you can get more Spirit Glow Grass seeds or seeds of other spiritual plants," he offered.
"Thank you, Elder He," Lu Chen expressed his gratitude with a smile.
"That's all thanks to your own abilities. If you didn't have the skill to cultivate high-quality spiritual plants and hadn't reached the middle stage of Qi Refining, there wouldn't be much I could do," Elder He said. "However, your progress has indeed exceeded my expectations. I recall when you first joined the Hundred Herbs Hall, you were only at the second layer of Qi Refining. Your talent in cultivating spiritual plants emerged after you broke through to the third layer, and now you've become a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator."
Elder He's expression turned serious as he continued, "Your rapid advancement in cultivation indicates that you have decent talent in this aspect. Moreover, with your current cultivation base, you can confidently venture into lower-tier secret realms with a greater assurance of safety."
"In doing so, you might come across opportunities that could propel you to greater heights," he added. "So, I ask you, do you want to remain a spiritual herbologist, or do you want to make the most of this talent and strive for those opportunities by focusing on your cultivation?"
Lu Chen let out a bitter laugh. "Elder He, I am aware of my own limitations. The fact that I was able to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining quickly doesn't necessarily mean that I have exceptional talent in cultivation. I merely took a shortcut."
"To ensure that my spiritual energy remains abundant and to be able to cast more cultivation arts, I used all the spirit stones I earned from selling spiritual plants to purchase first-grade pills that accelerate cultivation," he explained. "It was only after consuming them for an extended period that I was able to break through to the fourth layer. However, the effectiveness of first-grade pills diminishes the further you progress, and my rate of improvement will slow down as well."
"Additionally," Lu Chen continued, "I may have spiritual energy, but I lack proficiency in cultivation arts, and I don't possess any powerful magical artifacts. Without these, I wouldn't have the means to compete for opportunities in secret realms."
The matter of the white light orbs was too complicated to explain, so even though he trusted Elder He, he didn't reveal his true strength.
"That's a bit of a shame," Elder He said with a hint of disappointment. "I thought that with your youth and potential, it would be good for you to go out and experience the wider world. But it seems that leading an honest life as a spiritual herbologist and living a stable life is also a decent choice."
Lu Chen took the elder's words to heart and stayed a while longer before taking his leave.
In the bustling streets of the market district, buildings lined the roads on both sides, with all sorts of shops offering a diverse array of goods. Lu Chen made his way to the tallest building in the area.
The four-story structure was built from towering spiritual trees and topped with green glazed tiles. In the center of the roof, the characters "Wanbao Lou" (Treasure Pavilion)
were written in a flourish of dragon and phoenix motifs.
This was the most renowned shop in the market district, a place where one could find all sorts of cultivation treasures. As long as you had enough spirit stones, you could even purchase items meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Lu Chen followed the other cultivators into the building.
The spacious hall was bustling with two to thirty cultivators, and the counters were filled with an array of artifacts, talismans, pills, and more, dazzling the eye.
As Lu Chen entered and looked around, a delicate-looking young woman approached him. "Greetings, fellow Daoist. If you are new to the Treasure Pavilion, please let me know what you are looking for, and I will guide you."
"Sure, thank you. Could you please lead me to the counter with array formation-related items?" Lu Chen requested with a nod, as this was indeed his first time stepping into the Treasure Pavilion.
"Fellow Daoist, this is the counter for formation-related items on the first floor. Here you'll find dozens of formations with various functions, including offensive formations, Illusion arrays, concealment formations, and defensive formations."
The delicate-looking young woman led Lu Chen to a relatively secluded area, her smile warm and eager.
"Please introduce me to a few defensive formations," Lu Chen requested.
"Defensive formations... May I ask if you're looking for a first-rate or second-rate one?" she asked.
"Second-rate," he replied.
First-rate formations were effective for low-level Qi Refining cultivators, but they were less impressive against middle-stage Qi Refining cultivators. If an opponent also had formation-breaking talismans or artifacts, the defenses would be even more vulnerable.
"Very well," the young woman said, her smile growing brighter. Formations weren't a high-demand item for cultivators, so if she could sell a second-rate formation, she would receive a substantial commission.
"This is the Chaotic Stone Formation, renowned for its defensive capabilities. If an intruder enters, you can even control the formation to attack them with giant stones."
"And this is the Wood Cage Formation, which needs to be set up in an environment with special spirit trees. It can trap and block cultivators from entering."
"This one is the Misty Mist Array, which has decent defensive capabilities among second-rate formations. It also includes a Disorienting Array, causing cultivators who enter to have their spiritual senses affected by the mist, easily trapping them within."
"And this one is..."
...
The young woman pointed to the formation plates and flags on the counter, explaining their functions in detail to Lu Chen.
"The Chaotic Stone Formation has some offensive capabilities, but it requires the controlling cultivator to be actively involved. The Wood Cage Formation, on the other hand, has strict environmental requirements and may not be suitable for placement outside your courtyard."
Lu Chen considered his options and pointed to one of the formation plates shrouded in mist. "How much is this Misty Mist Array?"
"One hundred and sixty-five spirit stones."
"What about one hundred and thirty spirit stones?" Lu Chen knew this price was already quite reasonable, but his habitual haggling nature prompted him to push for a larger discount.
The young woman smiled and shook her head, refusing his offer.
Eventually, after much bargaining, Lu Chen managed to knock off ten spirit stones, purchasing the Misty Mist Array for one hundred and fifty-five spirit stones.
"It's a good thing that masked cultivator delivered those eighty-plus spirit stones in time. Otherwise, my wealth would have taken a significant hit," Lu Chen thought, glancing at his storage bag, which now held just under two hundred spirit stones. He felt a renewed sense of gratitude toward the masked cultivator who had merged with the spirit soil.
"By the way, do you have any snake or dragon-like demon beast blood here? Preferably fresh," Lu Chen asked the young woman after paying for the formation.
"For demon beast blood... usually, only those demon beasts with strange and rare qualities in their blood are sold here. As for snake-type demon beasts, the materials typically sold are snake skins, scales, and venom. I don't recall any snake-type demon beast blood being available," she replied, racking her brains.
"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment. If you urgently need it, you can place an order with Wanbao Lou by pledging a portion of spirit stones. We can then mobilize resources from other cities and markets to try and find what you need," she suggested.
"However, the spirit stones required will be one or two percent higher than the direct purchase price."
"If we can't find it within the agreed-upon timeframe, the spirit stones will be fully refunded to you."
Seeing that Lu Chen was about to leave, the young woman called out to him, offering an alternative.
(End of Chapter)
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