Chapter 98: The Panacea Balm
Chapter 98: The Panacea Balm
"Right, Elder He, could you trouble you to bring me 200 Spirit Glowworm Grass seeds?"
After He Guan Shi conveyed the message, Lu Chen continued, "Please wait here for a moment."
Feeling a bit guilty for how the recommendation from the Hundred Herbs Hall had almost led Lu Chen into danger, the elder didn't inquire about the previous batch of Spirit Glowworm Grass and instead went straight into the hall.
Following the previous discounted price, each Spirit Glowworm Grass seed was thirty shards of spirit stones. Lu Chen paid sixty spirit stones and received two hundred dry and shriveled spirit seeds from the elder.
He planned to plant a batch of these seeds after joining a sect, harvesting them for cultivation progress, and then using the rest to condense his own seeds for continuous planting.
Back in the courtyard, Lu Chen glanced at the four second-grade mutated spirit herbs he had acquired, and with his focused spiritual senses, he noticed that the progress bar below had filled up more than half.
Due to the severe damage the spirit herbs sustained during the mutation process, further refined cultivation would have a negligible impact on their quality. Thus, Lu Chen decided to harvest them all.
Instead of selling them to the Hundred Herbs Hall, he brought them to the Wanbao Building.
Inside the Wanbao Building, a dazzling array of treasures was displayed, leaving one feeling overwhelmed.
As soon as Lu Chen entered the main hall, a graceful female cultivator approached him with a warm smile.
"Friend, please feel free to ask me if you need anything."
"I want to sell four second-grade spirit herbs. Could you get someone in charge to come here?" Lu Chen replied.
The graceful girl nodded gently.
Soon, an elderly man with white hair walked over and greeted Lu Chen with a respectful fist bump.
Lu Chen took out the four second-grade mutated spirit herbs and placed them on a flat, empty space.
The old man narrowed his eyes, inspecting every detail of the spirit herbs.
"Friend, the quality of these four spirit herbs is average. Three of them are of inferior quality, and one is of ordinary quality. How about this—eighty spirit stones for each of the inferior quality ones and a hundred for the ordinary one. What do you think?"
"That works for me," Lu Chen nodded in agreement.
After receiving three hundred and forty spirit stones, he asked the graceful girl, "I've heard that the Wanbao Building has many branches across the cultivation world, and resources can be transported and exchanged between them. Is it also possible for cultivators to be transported to designated areas?"
"Indeed, the Wanbao Building possesses a considerable number of third-grade large flying artifacts, the Wanxiang Boats, which can transport vast amounts of cultivation resources. Cultivators can also hitch a ride by paying a certain amount of spirit stones." The graceful girl replied proudly.
"How much would it cost to get to the nearest place to the Celestial Sword Sect?" Lu Chen inquired.
"Friend, are you planning to join the Celestial Sword Sect? I've heard that unless one possesses extraordinary talent, the minimum requirement to join is having a high-level Qi Refining cultivation base." The girl looked at Lu Chen with a hint of curiosity, and upon sensing his mid-level Qi Refining cultivation, she asked with a hint of doubt.
"That's none of your concern. Just tell me how I can earn spirit stones," Lu Chen replied nonchalantly, opting to keep his high-level Qi Refining cultivation and the Qingyun Token a secret.
"Apologies, I was out of line," the girl said, straightening her posture.
"The Wanxiang Boat has four grades of rooms—Grade A, B, C, and D. Grade D is the lowest grade, offering only a small private room at the bottom of the boat. Grade A, on the other hand, is equivalent to a separate courtyard and can accommodate up to ten people. It's equipped with soundproof arrays, attended by female cultivators, and provides the freshest spirit fruits and tea daily."
"How much would it cost for a Grade D room to the nearest place to the Celestial Sword Sect?" Lu Chen asked directly, knowing that Grade A was out of his reach as a small, independent cultivator. The privacy offered by Grade D was more than sufficient for his needs.
"Departing from Linyangfang City, the closest place to the Celestial Sword Sect is a town called Jianmen. The fare for a Grade D room is two hundred spirit stones."
"Fellow cultivator, the direct distance between the market and Jianmen Town is already several thousand miles, and we have to detour around several treacherous and sinister lands along the way. The actual travel distance is no less than ten thousand miles."
"The Wanxiang Boat is a third-grade flying artifact, equipped with a third-grade array, and there will be Foundation Establishment cultivators protecting us along the way. You don't have to worry about encountering demonic beasts or evil spirits, as well as rogue cultivators and bandits," the young girl explained with a smile.
Lu Chen nodded, agreeing that the female cultivator's words made sense. If he were to travel alone to the Celestial Sword Sect, he estimated that he would face many difficulties and may not even arrive safely.
The journey was long and the route uncertain. If he accidentally stepped into a sinister land, he might meet his end in the belly of a demonic beast or at the hands of a rogue cultivator or bandit hiding in the mountains.
"Alright, then I'll take the offer of two hundred spirit stones."
Lu Chen haggled a bit but eventually nodded in resignation. Fortunately, his earnings from the secret realm trip were substantial, otherwise, he might not have been able to afford this expense.
Led by the young girl, he exchanged two hundred spirit stones for a specially crafted talisman from the Wanbao Building. This talisman would allow him to board the Wanxiang Boat.
He inquired and learned that the next Wanxiang Boat departing from the market town to Jianmen Town near the Celestial Sword Sect would be in about ten days.
Returning to his courtyard, Lu Chen felt the pressure of time. He had to settle everything within this short period.
First, he needed to sell the large quantity of demonic beast materials, spirit herbs, and elixirs in his possession. He set up stalls in various shops and markets, offering them at relatively discounted prices to ensure a quick sale.
As his artifacts and storage bags were not obtained through legitimate means, he visited the black market to sell the second-grade artifact and several storage bags he had acquired from Li Jianfeng.
With the sale of the four mutated second-grade spirit herbs, a large amount of low-grade demonic beast materials, spirit herbs, storage bags, and artifacts, Lu Chen amassed a total of over a thousand spirit stones. Combined with his previous savings, he now had a substantial fortune of two thousand spirit stones.
During this busy period, he also visited the home of the snake-catching youth, Yu Jie, and bought all the remaining Jade Water Viper Blood that his family had in stock. It would be enough to sustain the Flood Dragon Vine for a long time.
He also paid a farewell visit to Zhang Xiuyuan and He Guanshi, bidding them an emotional goodbye.
In the courtyard, the Pure Snow Lotus had entered its maturation stage, and Lu Chen harvested the lot the day before his departure.
He obtained sixteen snow-white lotus seeds, which were the main ingredient for the second-grade elixir, Spirit Infusion Pill. These seeds could also be consumed directly, helping cultivators maintain a clear mind for a period of time.
After harvesting the Pure Snow Lotus, a white ball of light floated on the surface of the Spirit Spring Pond, gently shimmering.
Lu Chen picked it up gently, and the ball of light transformed into countless specks of light that flowed into his body. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and a small vial of ointment appeared in his hand.
The ointment was a pale green color, and its scent was refreshing, invigorating the mind and body.
[Panacea Balm, a second-grade elixir, capable of staunching blood flow, regenerating skin, and promoting wound healing.]
"To think that an ordinary first-grade Pure Snow Lotus could produce a second-grade healing ointment. That's quite a pleasant surprise," Lu Chen remarked with a sense of satisfaction as he stored the ointment away in his bag.
Before leaving, he collected the remaining second-grade Clear Wonder Spirit Tea, Copper-bone Bamboo, third-grade Misty Smoke Web Fruit, Flood Dragon Vine, first-grade demonic iron-claw crab, his spirit pet the Cloud-walking Lynx, and the Spirit Puppet made from the Spirit Puppet Grass, placing them all into his Living Pouch.
He also stored the Mist-hidden Mystifying Formation in his bag, his gaze resolute as he looked up into the sky, his vision seeming to pierce through the endless mountains and rivers.
(End of Chapter)
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