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Chapter 954: Cooperation
Chapter 954: Cooperation
"Master, you must be tired. Please, have some tea."
Lu Chen had just returned from the Spirit Fields when Bai Yu, the White Celestial Ape, appeared before him, holding a cup of steaming spirit tea.
"You little rascal, you've actually learned to serve others for a tasty treat."
Lu Chen couldn't help but chuckle, and a silver lotus seed appeared in his palm. It arced gracefully through the air before landing in the small ape's mouth.
It had been over a month since the little white ape entered the cave abode and became its guardian spirit beast.
During this time, the cave abode had been livelier than usual, and the little ape had even learned various ways to serve its master. When Lu Chen went out, it faithfully fulfilled its duty of guarding the abode.
Now, as Lu Chen returned from the Spirit Fields, he could sit back, relax, and savor a freshly brewed cup of spirit tea—a delightful arrangement that pleased him immensely.
He sat in the courtyard, slowly sipping his tea while gazing down at the tumultuous sea of clouds below.
"Lu, are you in the cave abode?"
Just then, a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Lu Chen greets Senior Yuan," he replied, rising to his feet. He flew to the entrance of the cave abode to welcome Yuan Rong.
"I hope I'm not disturbing your cultivation," Yuan Rong said with a smile.
"I just returned from the Spirit Fields a short while ago and haven't started cultivating yet," Lu Chen quickly explained.
"I've come to discuss a potential collaboration with you," Yuan Rong continued. "As you know, the Sword Sect has nine Sword Peaks. Although we are all part of the same sect, it's impossible to treat everyone equally. There is competition, both overt and covert, among the peaks.
In addition to comparing the strength of cultivators at various realms, we also assess other aspects such as the Hundred Arts of cultivation."
"You, my dear nephew, excel in spirit herbs, sword talismans, and spirit brews. Aside from entrusting you with cultivating a large quantity of sword grass, I'm also interested in exploring further cooperation with you."
Yuan Rong's smile was warm and devoid of the airs one might expect from a Yuan Ying cultivator.
"May I ask what kind of cooperation you have in mind?" Lu Chen asked, intrigued.
"The Sword Peak can provide you with the main materials for crafting talismans and spirit brews free of charge," Yuan Rong explained. "Once you've refined them, we can exchange them for sword seals at a fair price.
Of course, there's a minimum quantity involved, but given your abilities, I'm confident you'll have no trouble meeting that requirement. As for how many sword seals you can earn, that depends on your own skills."
Yuan Rong provided a detailed explanation.
"I'm amenable to the arrangement, but it's up to the seniors to decide," Lu Chen replied nonchalantly.
Ever since he joined the Sword Peak, he had enjoyed numerous benefits, and he understood that with those benefits came certain obligations.
Moreover, whether it was drawing sword talismans or brewing spirit brews, his success rate was far higher than that of other talisman masters or brewers thanks to the absorption of multiple experience packs. This collaboration had the potential to earn him a substantial number of sword seals.
After discussing the finer details of their cooperation, Yuan Rong took her leave.
"Lu, I won't disturb your cultivation any further."
"The materials you need will be delivered to you soon."
"Farewell, Senior Yuan," Lu Chen said, seeing her off at the entrance of the cave abode. He watched as her graceful figure disappeared into the sea of clouds.
"I'll save up sword seals and see if I can exchange them for a seven-grade sword grass spirit seed in a few years," he mused to himself.
The Dongxuan Sword Sect was many times larger than the Hailou Commerce Guild, and with its size came increased opportunities to obtain high-grade spirit seeds. Lu Chen was determined not to let those opportunities slip by.
Currently, the primary method of acquiring high-grade spirit seeds was through exchanging sword seals.
Other avenues included breaking through to the Yuan Ying realm or improving upon the Little Dongxuan Sword Gourd spirit herb, neither of which was feasible for Lu Chen at his current cultivation level.
Until he could stabilize the production of the Yuan Spirit Ginseng, the path to the Yuan Ying realm remained a distant one.
As for improving the five-grade sword grass, he had only recently joined the Sword Sect, and the difficulty of improving a five-grade spirit herb was exponentially higher than that of a four-grade one, making it equally unrealistic.
Thinking about it, Lu Chen decided to try and acquire more sword seals.
After inquiring with Shang Xiuyuan, Lu Chen made his way to a small market outside the Sword Sect.
The market was located at a convenient distance from all nine Sword Peaks, and over time, it had become a popular gathering place for disciples to exchange and trade treasures.
"The Sword Sect truly lives up to its reputation."
As Lu Chen strolled along the cobblestone streets of the market, he couldn't help but be impressed.
All around him, disciples of the Sword Sect bustled about. Most of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a minority at the Qi Refinement stage, and for every hundred disciples, there were two or three at the Core Formation stage.
Such a ratio would have been unimaginable back at the Star-Plucking Tower of the Tianxing Cave.
Lu Chen paused occasionally to inquire about the prices of various treasures from the disciples manning the stalls, gaining a rough understanding of the market rates within the Sword Sect. Eventually, he chose an empty spot to set up his own stall.
With a casual wave of his hand, a collection of treasures closely related to sword cultivation appeared on display—fourth and fifth-grade sword talismans, True Sword Liquid, Little Dongxuan Sword Gourds, and even a Thunderous Sword Gallbladder.
Since he had arrived a bit late, Lu Chen had to settle for a rather remote location for his stall. However, his unique assortment of items quickly drew the attention of passing disciples.
"Greetings, Senior. May I ask what type of sword gourd this is? It resembles the Sword Nurturing Gourd, yet it seems to be a tier higher in quality."
A sharp-eyed cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage approached Lu Chen's stall, drawn by the mottled green sword gourds on display.
"You have a keen eye, Junior. This gourd is called the Little Dongxuan Sword Gourd, an improved version of the third-grade Sword Nurturing Gourd. The sword qi within has undergone a qualitative change."
"It has been enhanced from ordinary sword qi to the Sword Sect's primordial sword qi, which holds great value for fellow disciples at the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages."
Lu Chen explained with a gentle smile.
"The Little Dongxuan Sword Gourd?"
The young cultivator extended his spiritual sense into the gourd and immediately sensed a pure strand of sword qi that seemed capable of piercing through all variations.
He was now almost certain of his initial assessment.
"May I ask the price of this sword gourd, Senior?"
"One hundred and twenty sword seals, no bargaining."
"Quantities are limited, so it's first come, first served."
Lu Chen replied with a smile, well aware of the value his gourds held for Sword Sect disciples. Thus, he set a price slightly higher than that of a typical fifth-grade spirit herb.
"One hundred and twenty sword seals... That's already at the top end of fourth-grade treasures..."
A hesitant look crossed the young cultivator's face, but his desire for the exceptional fourth-grade gourd was strong. He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! Senior, I'll take two!"
He wanted to buy more, but this purchase had already depleted his entire fortune.
Lu Chen handed over two Little Dongxuan Sword Gourds to the young cultivator and casually scanned his storage bag to confirm the number of sword seals.
"Senior, could you please keep one aside for me? I'll go and gather some more sword seals to see if I can buy another one or two," the young cultivator asked, his eyes shining with anticipation as he gazed at the five remaining gourds on the stall.
He had some treasures on hand, but he knew they wouldn't amount to much in the eyes of a Core Formation stage Senior like Lu Chen, so he pinned his hopes on gathering more sword seals.
"I'll keep one for you, but the rest are up for grabs."
"If you come back and I still have some left, feel free to buy as many as you like."
Lu Chen had intended to refuse, but the pleading look in the young cultivator's eyes softened his heart, and he agreed with a gentle smile.
"Thank you so much, Senior! I'll be right back!"
The young cultivator rushed off, eager to return with more sword seals.
(End of Chapter)
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