Chapter 68: Heavenly Beans, Beef Jerky, and Popcorn!
Chapter 68: Heavenly Beans, Beef Jerky, and Popcorn!
The Dao Discussion Platform has been open for half a month now.
In this time, its impact on the Great River Market has been tremendous! Perhaps to foster a fighting atmosphere or to spark the audience's interest, the local Jade Peak Sword Pavilion has offered generous rewards.
For battles between creatures of the same rank, the victor can claim all the materials from the defeated creature. For battles between higher-ranking cultivators, the winner can obtain a magical artifact that the opponent had staked before the match. The top three monthly rankings can even win a high-quality magical artifact, elixirs, or cultivation techniques!
Additionally, the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion has adjusted ticket prices based on the importance of the matches. Normally, a ticket can be bought for as low as ten spirit stones. However, anyone caught scalping tickets will be sent to the Red Pillar Prison for a month and must participate in a same-rank battle before being released.
It's said that one shameless individual once sold a hundred spirit stone ticket for two hundred.
Someone, unfortunately, got caught in the crossfire.
The mid-stage Qi Cultivation battles that Qin Liangchen mentioned are a new standard introduced by the local Sword Pavilion. Qi Cultivators are divided into three levels: early, mid, and late.
Winning a mid-stage Qi Cultivation battle doesn't earn you the opponent's magical artifact, but you can receive a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills, worth a hundred spirit stones, from the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion. If you maintain the top monthly ranking, you can win ten bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills!
Ten bottles! That's a hundred pills, enough to support continuous cultivation for over three months.
In no time, countless independent cultivators rushed to participate in the Dao Discussion Platform's matches. Many of the out-of-town independent cultivators who visited the Great River Market half a month ago have stayed.
According to them, newly opened Dao Discussion Platforms often offer higher rewards compared to older ones in other places. These staying independent cultivators form the main participants in the matches.
Following Qin Liangchen's gaze, Luo Chen looked at the large jade tablet. Besides the rankings, it listed today's battle sessions, totaling over twenty.
Today, it's going to be a bloodbath!
Of course, regular battles are not to the death. They stop when the point is made, with referees ready to intervene at any moment. The Dao Discussion Platform truly is an excellent place for cultivators to discuss and demonstrate their skills.
"You don't have many magical artifacts, but they are all top-notch. Whether it's the Jade Green Blade or the Soul-Piercing Nail, they are absolutely invincible at the mid-stage Qi Cultivation level."
"Moreover, your effortless spellcasting has me, a late-stage Qi Cultivator, on high alert."
"If you add your devious fighting style, I think winning the top monthly ranking should be a piece of cake!"
Qin Liangchen's praise flowed like a river. Luo Chen could only roll his eyes.
"How can it be that easy? With more battles, others will become familiar with your fighting style and artifacts. Eventually, you'll lose."
"Li Zhuoqi from the White Jade Valley Li Family in the Great River Market dominated the top spot for ten days with his high-quality flying sword, but he was eventually dethroned by an out-of-town independent cultivator."
No one is invincible. Once your tactics are thoroughly studied, losing is inevitable. If your mortal enemy learns your weaknesses and devises countermeasures, you could face death in the wilderness.
Luo Chen wouldn't risk such scrutiny just for a few rewards. Besides, who says the only way to earn spirit stones through the Dao Discussion Platform is by fighting?
Luo Chen walked to the small square opposite the jade tablet, where a small stall was set up.
"Xiao Yue, how's business today?"
At the stall, a teenage girl around seventeen or eighteen was squatting. Hearing this, she blushed and stood up quickly.
Her fingers intertwined as she shyly said, "I sold seven servings of Heavenly Beans, five servings of beef jerky, thirteen servings of popcorn, and only ten bottles of Yellow Pear Wine. I made a total of thirty-five spirit stones."
Luo Chen frowned. "I just saw that there are twenty-five matches today. There must be at least four to five thousand spectators. How did you only sell this much?"
Xiao Yue fidgeted, on the verge of tears.
Qin Liangchen, disapproving of Luo Chen's bullying, said, "Your little snacks cost less than one spirit stone for ten servings. You're selling them for one spirit stone each. No one wants to be a sucker and pay that much!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't say that. The Heavenly Beans are my secret recipe, and the popcorn is made using spirit rice and my unique spell. The Yellow Pear Wine is even more special, brewed by the father of the former head of the Medicine Hall of the Mountain-Breaking Gang, Yue Jianhu. Each one is worth a spirit stone!"
Luo Chen argued, his face turning red, nearly spitting at Qin Liangchen.
Qin Liangchen stared in disbelief. Could it be that he really couldn't recognize the true value of something?
Xiao Yue pouted, her eyes brimming with tears, ready to spill over.
She felt so useless, unable to sell such a fine product.
Seeing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but sigh.
Xiao Yue was the only daughter of Yue Jianhu, the former head of the medicine hall in the Broken Mountain Gang.
Yue Jianhu had died on the Dao Discussion Platform, leaving behind a crippled old father and a daughter who had only reached the second level of Qi Cultivation.
Uncle Mi had promised to take care of the families of those who died in battle, but in reality, he had only arranged some relatively safe tasks for them within the gang.
Just enough to scrape by!
As for earning spirit stones to buy elixirs, that was nearly impossible.
In fact, for ordinary gang members, it was already a struggle to earn a few spirit stones to support their cultivation.
The majority of the resources went to the upper echelons of each hall, and even to the gang leader.
This kind of "care" was just enough to keep them alive without arousing envy, but it left no room for growth.
Over the past half-month, Luo Chen had stopped refining the Wondrous Pill to familiarize himself with gang affairs and maintain his cultivation.
Taking the opportunity to help one of the four elders, Qin Liangchen, recover, he managed to escape some of the gang's miscellaneous tasks and focused on improving his spell proficiency.
And it worked wonders.
He even earned the praise of being "unstoppable in the middle stage, capable of taking on the late stage."
Frequent visits to the Dao Discussion Platform also led him to discover a business opportunity.
It wasn't scalping tickets!
Instead, he noticed that cultivators watching the matches often found some fights boring.
To address this, he introduced a range of snacks like Immortal Beans, popcorn, and beef jerky.
Later, he learned from the medicine hall that Yue Jianhu enjoyed a fruit wine his old father brewed. Luo Chen approached the old man to see if he could brew it in large quantities and sell it to him.
The old man didn't refuse, but he had one condition: that Luo Chen take care of Xiao Yue.
The reason for this condition was simple.
Luo Chen was one of the most prominent figures in the Broken Mountain Gang.
He was a former guardian, now an elder, and a protege of Wang Yuan.
He was also a good friend and neighbor of Elder Qin Liangchen, who often called the medicine hall head, Murong Qilian, "sister."
Moreover, the ailing tiger of the combat hall, Zeng Wen, frequently visited Luo Chen. Their conversations were always hushed and intimate.
Anyone who saw these relationships would think Luo Chen had a bright future.
Luo Chen had no objections and readily agreed.
Besides, he needed someone to help sell these snacks.
Xiao Yue, a gentle and delicate girl, was the perfect salesperson!
However, it seemed this decision was a bit hasty.
Xiao Yue, having been sheltered by her father Yue Jianhu, had lived a comfortable life and developed a fragile personality.
After sighing, Luo Chen waved his hand.
Xiao Yue hesitated for a moment before stepping aside, letting Luo Chen take her place.
Qin Liangchen was puzzled by this move.
The next moment, he turned red and quickly moved to a secluded spot.
"Popcorn, Yellow Pear Wine! Beef Jerky, the most delicious!"
"Watch cultivators battle, savor the wisdom of the Immortal Path, one Immortal Bean contains the essence of the Dao!"
"Come and see! Just one spirit stone for a large bag of spirit rice popcorn."
"Enjoy the matches while munching on popcorn; what a delightful way to cultivate!"
With the enhancement of his spiritual energy, his clear and resonant voice echoed for miles around.
Whether it was the onlookers by the jade wall, the gamblers in the betting den, or the ticket-selling cultivators at the entrance, they all turned to look.
They saw a handsome man, grinning with a row of white teeth.
"Immortal Beans, beef, and popcorn! Give them a try!"
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(End of Chapter)
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