Chapter 121: Immune to Poison Miasma
Tianxuan City.
"Fellow Daoist, do you have any low-grade second-rank demon cores? If not, even a quasi second-rank demon core will do."
Quasi second-rank demon cores were formed within some demon beasts with powerful bloodlines when they reached the late peak of the first rank.
Barring any accidents, such demon beasts were all destined to advance to the second rank.
"This Fellow Daoist, it’s not that there aren’t any, but this kind of resource is extremely scarce. The demand is too high, and the supply can't keep up."
At the Marketplace Trading Zone, Lin Changan, in disguise, had visited several shops selling demon beast materials, but all he received in response was refusal.
"Or rather, the current market supply simply can't meet demand."
Lin Changan frowned inwardly. His demand for demon cores was quite significant; he really couldn’t afford a supply cut.
Demon cores were not only the main material for Foundation Establishment Pills but also one of the key materials for second-rank cultivation-enhancing pills. They were even required for artifact refinement and formations.
"In recent years, while the rise in raw material prices has gradually stabilized, some resources have also become increasingly scarce."
The Cloudmist Mountain Range was indeed a treasure trove, but its increasing difficulty had led to a huge market gap.
Adding to this, the turmoil in the Yue Kingdom had major powers hoarding resources to strengthen themselves.
Such strategic resources naturally wouldn't be released easily.
"Right now, the wood-attribute crystalline core in my body is almost unable to support my cultivation any longer."
Using his spiritual sense to inspect, Lin Changan observed the wood-attribute crystalline core within his body, which was already nearly saturated with black impurities.
This was already the third wood-attribute crystalline core he had replaced since cultivating the Essence Condensation Method.
"One crystalline core was consumed in about a year. On top of that, alchemy alone consumed several cores annually. Now, even a low-grade demon core at the marketplace costs nearly ten thousand low-grade spirit stones."
That meant a low-grade second-rank demon core would cost sixty to seventy mid-grade spirit stones.
Even if he earned spirit stones, openly or secretly, he could only make about a hundred mid-grade spirit stones a month—already comparable to a year's income for cultivators of the same level.
But with alchemy, spirit beasts, purchasing spiritual liquid to nourish his Life-bound Spirit Plant, and daily cultivation expenses, the numbers were alarming.
As Lin Changan strolled through the Marketplace Trading Zone, he couldn’t help frowning again.
"The majority of my spending goes into nourishing the Life-bound Spirit Plant and cultivating the Essence Condensation Method, but the Life-bound Spirit Plant concerns the future, and the crystalline core's filtration in the Essence Condensation Method directly affects future Golden Core."
Though Golden Core was still far off, everyone knew the purer the mana and the more perfect the body, the higher the success rate.
"Most demon cores are currently in the hands of major powers. After all, they're strategic resources. Especially under these circumstances, if I revealed my identity, perhaps resources wouldn't be lacking—but the problem is, I can't expose myself."
Otherwise, no matter how difficult it was to hunt demon beasts, it wouldn’t be this hard.
There had even been Robber Cultivators using demon cores as bait. Nowadays, cultivators were truly devious.
Thinking of this gave Lin Changan a headache. After all, how many Foundation Establishment cultivators were like him, relying on pills for daily cultivation?
The problem lay in his cultivation of ancient methods—powerful, yes—but their speed was painfully slow. Without pills, his progress would be negligible.
…
Juxian Tower.
Lin Changan arrived at Juxian Tower. Although he had to conceal his identity when refining pills, he didn’t need to hide the wood-attribute crystalline cores required for cultivating secret methods.
After all, among Foundation Establishment cultivators, who didn’t have a few secrets of their own? Moreover, crystalline cores could assist in cultivation—many Foundation Establishment cultivators used them too.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, the second-rank crystalline cores you’re looking for are rare enough, let alone wood-attribute ones."
"Indeed, it’s not that old Hu is stingy—it’s just that crystalline cores are hard to come by. Qi Refining cultivators need them to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and Foundation Establishment cultivators need them too."
Old Hu, a rugged mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, spread his hands helplessly. He truly didn’t have such rare items.
"And besides, Fellow Daoist Lin, you know this—many Demon-Hunting Squads that succeed in hunting demon beasts prefer to trade with Tianxuan City. One reason is the variety."
Whether pills, magical artifacts, or cultivation methods, all could be found here. Many of these couldn’t be bought with spirit stones outside. More importantly, those who consistently supplied Tianxuan City in trade could have their clansmen and descendants receive some level of protection..."
Though Old Hu usually acted boisterous, his understanding of the world was astute.
Even if Lin Changan was a mid-grade second-rank Talisman Master, what could he offer in exchange?
Upon hearing this, Lin Changan sighed helplessly. What Old Hu said was true.
Apart from talismans, he only had some pills to offer in secret. But Tianxuan City had more options.
As for increasing the price? How much more could he offer?
Moreover, many things weren’t simply obtainable with spirit stones. Foundation Establishment cultivators often sought magical artifacts and cultivation methods more.
And the protection for one’s descendants—this was far beyond what Lin Changan could provide.
"If either of you Fellow Daoists acquire any wood-attribute demon cores in the future, I’ll pay extra."
Old Hu and another middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator exchanged glances, before Old Hu laughed heartily and said:
"Brother Lin, old Hu isn’t one to boast. The Demon-Hunting Squad isn’t under my sole control. Sometimes, it all depends on the demand. But I’ll definitely keep an eye out for you."
"Then I thank you both, Fellow Daoists."
"Haha, come, today’s your treat, Brother Lin. We must have a few more drinks!"
At the top floor of Juxian Tower, amidst laughter and cheer, though the situation in the Yue Kingdom was chaotic, Foundation Establishment cultivators remained largely unaffected.
Unlike Qi Refining cultivators, who would panic at the slightest tremor.
…
Inside the cave abode.
[Technique: Eternal Evergreen Art (Proficient: 38/500), Essence Condensation Method (Mastery: 203/1000), Killing Origin Sword Art (Mastery: 856/1000)]
Looking at his list of techniques, Lin Changan nodded to himself.
His main cultivation method was the most difficult and progressed slowly—that was understandable.
"As expected of a demonic cultivation method, as long as one can withstand the side effects, it’s nothing short of rapid advancement."
Lin Changan sighed emotionally. These demonic techniques truly were remarkable—low entry threshold and rapid progress.
The secret technique he cultivated last, the 'Killing Origin Sword Art', had unexpectedly surpassed the others in advancement.
"But without this ancient method, no matter how strong the other secret arts are, they’d be rootless duckweed."
Lin Changan was well aware that the 'Eternal Evergreen Art' was his foundation. Without the Regenerative Body granted by the ancient method, he simply couldn’t cultivate this demonic secret technique.
"Now, with the enhancement of this demonic secret technique, my strength is no less than that of an ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. And with the second-rank spirit pet Azure-Horned Bull, I could even escape from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
As Lin Changan pondered in silence, a plan to investigate the Cloudmist Mountain Range was already forming in his mind.
If it truly was fraught with danger, then he would rather slow down his cultivation speed than take such a risk.
At worst, he could wait until reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, improving his strength by another tier before attempting again.
"Actually, the poison miasma in the Cloudmist Mountain Range that everyone fears is, for me, like a fish in water—it’s actually advantageous."
He had such a thought because, when he previously tried to trade second-rank detoxification pills for cultivation materials, he naturally had to first test the power of this poison miasma.
Inside the marketplace, quite a few people sold portions of poison miasma stored in jade bottles and similar treasures.
"Let’s try this bottle of poison miasma from the deeper part of the Cloudmist Mountain Range."
To be safe, Lin Changan took out the poison miasma he had specially purchased today.
As the jade bottle opened, a wisp of dark purple miasma slowly drifted out. Lin Changan dared not be careless and cast a spell to confine it near himself.
He didn’t want all the decorative spirit plants inside his cave abode to wither away.
In the next moment, the dark purple miasma swirled around before him.
To other Foundation Establishment cultivators, the poison miasma was as dreadful as a tiger, but to him, it had no effect whatsoever.
After waiting for a while, he didn’t feel any discomfort—instead, he felt mentally refreshed, and couldn’t help but nod to himself.
"In that case, the poison miasma from the deeper parts of the Cloudmist Mountain Range has no effect on me."
"But next, I still have to do another test."
Not sure what came to mind, Lin Changan suddenly smiled and stood up, heading out of the cave abode.
Outside the cave abode, the Azure-Horned Bull was lazily basking in the sun inside the pond.
Seeing its master walking toward it with a smiling face, the Azure-Horned Bull immediately showed a flattering expression and excitedly climbed out of the pond.
"Moo, moo."
With gentle mooing and splashes of water everywhere, Lin Changan couldn’t help but feel delighted. After raising this bull for so many years, it was finally time to make use of it.
The deeper parts of the Cloudmist Mountain Range were rife with poison miasma, and the demon beasts that thrived there were mostly poisonous insects.
Once these poisonous insects were stripped of their toxins, their strength greatly diminished. For demon beasts like the Azure-Horned Bull, known for their brute strength, as long as they weren’t afraid of poison, they generally held the upper hand.
"Good bull, obediently inhale some of this. It’s good stuff."
When Lin Changan took out the jade bottle, the Azure-Horned Bull immediately put on a pleasing look and mooed excitedly.
However, the moment the jade bottle was opened, instinct kicked in, and the Azure-Horned Bull’s eyes widened—the previous excitement vanished.
In its place was fear—its large, copper-bell-sized eyes looked pitifully at its master, mooing in distress.
It seemed to be saying, “Master, please don’t really stew me!”
Seeing this, Lin Changan gave the bull’s head a firm slap and glared:
"You useless dumb cow, what are you afraid of with me here?"
Although Lin Changan had detoxification pills, those were costly. He wanted to first test whether his Evergreen mana could help the Azure-Horned Bull become immune to poison miasma.
"Moo!"
The Azure-Horned Bull's pitiful eyes showed it had no way to argue. It could only suppress its instinctive fear, stop sniffing, shut its eyes, and extend its tongue—swallowing the entire bottle in one go.
"Crunch! Crunch!"
The sound of chewing the jade bottle echoed as Lin Changan laughed and scolded, "You stupid cow."
Though scolding, Lin Changan felt a surge of emotion in his heart.
No wonder many cultivators, though selfish and cold, were extremely fond of their spirit pets.
In this cruel world of cultivation, perhaps spirit pets were the last trustworthy companions for cultivators.
"Moo, moo!"
After swallowing even the bottle, the Azure-Horned Bull’s face visibly turned green, and its eyes reddened—it was clearly poisoned.
"Don’t panic."
Seeing this, Lin Changan secretly nodded. As expected of a demon beast, it was naturally somewhat resistant to poison miasma—far beyond that of human cultivators.
Given the physique of a demon beast, getting through it wasn’t a major issue. Also, the dose he gave was quite small.
He then extended his palm. As his Evergreen mana, brimming with life energy, was infused into the Azure-Horned Bull, its visible symptoms of poisoning began to recede.
"Just as I thought."
When he saw his life-infused Evergreen mana neutralizing the toxins, Lin Changan smiled with satisfaction.
He had previously noticed that his mana had a healing effect, so he speculated that it might also have detoxifying properties.
Although the effect on himself wasn’t significant, it was still extraordinary.
"As expected of an ancient cultivation method. It’s a pity that in the world of cultivation, very few are willing to let others inject mana into their bodies."
Lin Changan smiled and shook his head. Even among married couples and cultivation partners, there was often mutual wariness in the world of cultivation.
This ancient cultivation method, with its excellent healing and detoxification effects, made him even more pleased.
With this, venturing deep into the Cloudmist Mountain Range would be different. Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same stage—even those in the late stage—would need to tread carefully.
But he had no fear. Deep within the Cloudmist Mountain Range, he could fully unleash his strength.
While human cultivators would be weakened by the poison miasma...
The deadliest threat from the poison insect demon beasts—their toxins—was ineffective on him.
With the enemy weakened and himself strengthened, whether encountering hostile cultivators or poison insect demon beasts, he would have the upper hand.
His safety margin greatly increased.
"In that case, going deep into the Cloudmist Mountain Range is actually to my advantage. Even against late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, I could still retreat calmly."
Seeing the results of his cultivation method, Lin Changan couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
At this moment, with the toxins dissipated, the Azure-Horned Bull let out excited mooing.
"A reward for you."
In a great mood, Lin Changan laughed and retrieved a Spirit Fruit from his Storage Pouch, tossing it directly to the Azure-Horned Bull.
The Azure-Horned Bull happily opened its mouth, crunched away with delight, completely forgetting the earlier experience of being used for poison testing by its master.
…
"The deeper part of the Cloudmist Mountain Range might truly be a treasure trove for me."
Thinking this, Lin Changan, seated inside the pavilion, couldn’t help but reveal a satisfied smile.
"But I mustn’t be careless—I still need to prepare more means."
Poisonous insect-type demon beasts often had higher value than those of the same rank and also more bizarre abilities.
As for potentially ending up in the marketplace later and someone noticing something suspicious, he wasn’t worried.
Even though his income as a mid-grade second-rank Talisman Master was stable, his spiritual root aptitude was poor, so going out to hunt demon beasts for resources...
In the eyes of others, that was perfectly normal. After all, not every cultivator was like Chen Qing, content and no longer seeking breakthroughs.
To break through, one had to constantly seek out opportunities and resources.
Fighting tempered the will, and second-rank demon beasts brought abundant materials.
Risk and reward were always proportional.
This behavior wouldn’t arouse any suspicion.
In fact, this was the true image of a hard-working cultivator.
"With this, I can also conceal my use of pills to accelerate cultivation. I can openly acquire some cultivation materials now."
After all, wood-attribute cultivation methods were inherently slow to advance, known for accumulating strength before breakthrough.
"There are many benefits. And in the future, whether my strength improves quickly or I take out rare resources, no one will question it."
After all, those who hunted demon beasts were always either destitute or filthy rich.
Ordinary skill-based cultivators had stable incomes and considerable assets.
But cultivators who hunted demon beasts either rang with poverty or carried multiple spirit artifacts, possessing cultivation resources comparable to the true disciples of major clans and sects.
"But caution is still key. I’ll first look for early-stage second-rank demon beasts and avoid mid- and late-stage ones for now."
Just as Lin Changan was reviewing his plans for anything he might have overlooked, Zhou Bingyun's voice rang out from outside the cave abode.