Chapter 6: The Red Cloud Pine
Chapter 6: The Red Cloud Pine
"Nine Spirit Fireflies exchanged for a total of twenty-nine low-grade spirit stones and seventy spirit shards, added to the six spirit stones and eighty-two spirit shards I already had, now I have a total of thirty-six low-grade spirit stones and fifty-two spirit shards."
"Damn those black budworms, they really did a number on my crops. Otherwise, I'd be even richer."
Lu Chen grit his teeth in frustration as he thought about the black silken threads that had cost him six spirit stones and fifty spirit shards.
Wealth gives one courage. With this substantial sum of spirit stones, he felt his back straighten with newfound confidence.
Leaving the Hundred Herbs Hall, Lu Chen hurried to his next destination, anxious about the near-defenseless state of his spirit fields.
The market was bustling with shops of all kinds, including those that specialized in or carried spirit seeds.
He made his way to a familiar store.
A middling middle-aged cultivator at the Qi Refining stage was tending to the spirit plant seedlings on display when Lu Chen entered. The shopkeeper greeted him warmly.
"Young brother, is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'll just browse for now," Lu Chen replied, scanning the store.
The shop had a wide variety of spirit seeds, each with a unique appearance, most of which Lu Chen didn't recognize.
In one corner were several spirit plant seedlings, their exotic appearances equally unfamiliar to him.
When a spirit plant matures, if left to continue growing, there is a chance it will bear spirit seeds. However, most of these seeds are not suitable for cultivating new spirit plants.
The vast majority of spirit seeds are created through various special means, and some condensation methods are known only to the major sects.
Especially for those rare and high-grade spirit seeds, their condensation methods are never shared outside of their circles.
Even the condensation of ordinary-grade spirit seeds is beyond the capabilities of ordinary loose cultivators. There might even be a powerful cultivator or a member of a prominent family running this shop.
"How much for the Spirit Firefly seeds?" Lu Chen asked, pointing to the seeds on the shelf that resembled dried tea leaves.
"Forty spirit shards each, with a minimum purchase of ten. Otherwise, it's fifty shards per seed for retail."
"I'll take twenty, then."
"Also, could you recommend a First-Grade spirit plant seedling or seed that has low spiritual energy requirements and simple growing conditions?"
He had previously cultivated twenty-four Spirit Fireflies in the small plot in his yard, but this time he didn't plan to buy the same number of seeds.
Neither the Spirit Fireflies nor the Moon-Eating Tree had grades, but the latter was more valuable. Still, it couldn't be considered First-Grade.
The white light orbs that appeared when a spirit plant matured were influenced by various factors, including the type and grade of the plant.
So, Lu Chen wanted to try cultivating a relatively simple First-Grade spirit plant to see what kind of light orb it would produce at maturity.
"Low spiritual energy requirements and simple growing conditions, huh?" The shopkeeper pondered for a moment. "What about these two options?
"They're both First-Grade spirit plants. One is the Bloodvine spirit seed, which requires a certain amount of demon or beast essence blood to nourish it. When it matures, you can consume it directly to enhance your spiritual blood or aid in the cultivation of certain special techniques."
"The other is a Red Cloud Pine seedling. During its cultivation, it occasionally needs to be nurtured with fire-attributed spiritual energy. The Red Cloud Pine fruits it bears are rich in spiritual energy and have a unique and wonderful flavor, making them very popular among female cultivators."
The higher the grade of a spirit plant, the more demanding its environmental and growing conditions. Complex requirements involving spiritual energy, spiritual soil, spiritual springs, and more come into play. Compared to others, these two First-Grade spirit plants were relatively simple to cultivate.
Lu Chen immediately ruled out the Bloodvine; he was barely making ends meet, and he might not eat a single demon beast in ten days. How could he afford to feed it to a plant?
The loose cultivator wore an helpless expression.
"Little brother, if the array was brand new, I would be asking for double the price. As for the bloodstains, they won't affect its functionality. You're trying to bring the price down from twenty-five to twenty spirit stones; that's quite a bargain!"
"The array itself is fine, but its origins are unknown, which is concerning. Plus, I don't know how long it's been used for, so it might not even work," Lu Chen argued, feigning worry while still eager to buy.
"Alright, how about twenty-one spirit stones? If there's any problem with the array, you can find me here in the marketplace. I've been running this stall for over a decade, so I have some credibility," the stall owner offered.
"Alright, consider it a deal between friends," Lu Chen agreed, taking out twenty-one low-grade spirit stones.
"No, no, let's keep it strictly business and not bring friendship into this," the loose cultivator quickly refused. Lu Chen had been haggling with him for almost half a hour, and if they were truly friends, the cost would be even higher.
Lu Chen took the array disc, which had faint bloodstains, and carefully tucked it into his bosom. He didn't mind the stains at all because, to him, nothing was scarier than being penniless.
Once reluctant to bargain to avoid embarrassment, he now honed his skills at haggling to save every spirit stone he could.
"I've spent all the spirit stones I got from the nine Spirit Fireflies, and even dipped into my original savings," Lu Chen thought to himself.
"But it was worth it. I got twenty Spirit Firefly seeds, a Red Cloud Pine seedling..."
"And most importantly, I finally got my hands on the defensive array I've been longing for."
Lu Chen patted his now-flat chest and continued on his way.
(End of Chapter)
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