White walls and blue tiles, red plum blossoms stained with snow.
A black cat arched its back, stepping across the wall tiles, playing with the captured bird.
Its emerald eyes curiously looked at the little white-haired girl.
"Meow, come here~"
Xu Qingjun tiptoed, extending her soft white little hand.
Her phoenix eyes rippled with a gentle smile, exhaling a faint warmth in front of her scarf.
The black cat loosened its claws, approaching step by step.
The bird chirped lightly and flew away awkwardly.
But should it thank the black cat for its mercy...
"Crunch—"
Blood splattered, staining the girl’s fair face.
In her pupils, a reflection of scattering fur and a hint of red appeared.
"The weak are prey to the strong."
She wiped the cat’s blood from her palm expressionlessly.
The bird flew back, viciously pecking at the fleeing black cat.
Enduring humiliation only as a means to an end.
...
"Conceal one’s strength and bide one’s time, seize the opportunity again!"
Chen Ye, filled with ambition, wandered around the market with spirit stones.
Currently, he had seventeen spirit stones and planned to keep only two for household needs.
The rest, all for cultivation!
Fifteen spirit stones were already a considerable amount.
For someone like him, a loose cultivator from a shantytown with a skill, it required half a year of frugality to save up.
The resources he could purchase would be sufficient to significantly increase his proficiency in a short time!
"Fellow cultivator, what’s the price of this pill furnace?"
"Fifty-seven spirit stones, no bargaining!"
Chen Ye reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the pill furnace, secretly clicking his tongue.
Alchemist truly was a gold-consuming profession.
Just the pill furnace alone was so expensive.
Not to mention that it required a heritage, relying on a furnace alone wouldn’t allow one to refine any pills.
But correspondingly, this profession was much more lucrative than being a Spirit Plant Master.
Chen Ye shook his head, suppressing his desires deep down.
Right now, there was no rush to learn other crafts.
On the proficiency panel, the higher the skill realm, the more proficiency required.
He planned to,
wait until the Three Spirit Plant Skills reached Perfection, and when it became difficult to level up in a short time, he would consider learning other immortal cultivation arts.
Chen Ye continued to browse the free trade zone.
His gaze swept over the various magical artifacts at the stalls, quite tempted.
For instance, the magic robe before him, though it was only Tier One Lower Grade.
It was engraved with Dust Cleaner and Spirit Shield talisman arrays.
That day, if Chen Ye had been wearing the magic robe, Kong Hongxuan’s magic fragments wouldn’t have been able to harm him!
Unfortunately, such protective magical artifacts were far more expensive than ordinary magical artifacts.
They typically cost around twenty spirit stones!
"Too expensive, really too expensive..."
Chen Ye sighed helplessly, increasingly yearning for spirit stones.
Kong Hongxuan could make a significant reputation in the Yunxi District, thanks to the Frost Scale Armor crafted with hundreds of spirit stones.
Spirit stones were also combat power!
After browsing for half a day, he finally bought ten Qi Nourishing Pills and five Qi Recovery Pills.
Both were priced at one spirit stone and were considered the most popular pills in the Cultivation Realm.
Qi Recovery Pills were for quickly replenishing spiritual power, enhancing Chen Ye’s practice efficiency.
Qi Nourishing Pills were for cultivation and could also increase proficiency in the Evergreen Technique.
Having spent all the spirit stones, Chen Ye wasn’t planning to head home yet.
He focused on browsing the spiritual medicine stalls, observing the market.
At that moment, a commotion erupted ahead.
"The cultivators of Yunxi District are really unreasonable! The Cyan Grass may be missing half, but it’s still spiritual medicine! How could you sell it for four spirit stones?"
"Heh, fellow cultivator, your eyes are not blind. It’s missing half, so why can’t it be sold for four spirit stones?"
"Forget it... If not for my child participating in the Outer Sect competition of Lingyin Sect, I would never agree to sell it!"
Chen Ye’s expression was suspicious.
The more he listened, the more familiar it sounded?
When he came closer, wasn’t it an old acquaintance!
The loose cultivator selling Cyan Grass was the robust man who previously sold him Silver Scale Grass.
The robust man looked haggard, reluctantly selling the Cyan Grass to another loose cultivator, sighing:
"Sigh, I’ve lost big... really lost big!"
He stuffed the spirit stones into his pouch, and upon seeing Chen Ye, his expression changed: "Fellow cultivator, what a coincidence, we meet again."
Chen Ye grinned without feeling: "Indeed, fellow cultivator, weren’t you saying your child was attending an entrance examination, how come it turned into a big competition now?"
The words of a loose cultivator, nothing but lies!
Back then, he vaguely sensed something off about the robust man.
But he happened to need low-priced spiritual medicine to practice proficiency, so he didn’t delve too deeply.
The man argued vigorously: "Can’t there be two kids? If you killed the Silver Scale Flower, it’s none of my business! Once goods and money are exchanged, it’s one clear transaction!"
Even as he said so, a trace of guilt flickered in his eyes.
Chen Ye laughed; this guy was indeed selling faulty spiritual medicine to scam unknowing loose cultivators.
He chuckled: "To tell the truth, I should thank you, fellow cultivator. I’ve already cured the Silver Scale Flower and earned quite a few spirit stones."
The robust man’s eyes widened: "You... you cured the Silver Scale Flower??"
The robust man’s reaction was within Chen Ye’s expectations.
After treating several spiritual medicines, Chen Ye finally realized something was wrong with the Silver Scale Flower.
At that time, he had achieved Great Success in Disease Removal Saber!
His accomplishments in the Disease Removal Saber were comparable to a Spirit Plant Master.
Even so, he worked day and night, spending five days to cure the Silver Scale Flower.
During which, his Disease Removal Saber Technique even broke through to Perfection.
If even Chen Ye found treating the Silver Scale Flower so challenging, let alone other loose cultivators in the market.
"Why deceive fellow cultivator? I’ve already sold it to Herb Hall; go ask, and you’ll know."
Chen Ye remained calm, showing no intent to make trouble.
At this moment, the robust man slightly relaxed, furrowing his brows in thought:
"No wonder! No wonder the Silver Scale Flower at Herb Hall looked so familiar; it was the one I harvested... Fellow cultivator, you have such skills?"
In the vast Yunxi District, only Old Man Ye from Herb Hall could do such a thing!
But that Old Man Ye was like a pixiu who only takes in and never lets out, stingy in his dealings...
The robust man suddenly perked up, pacing back and forth as if in contemplation.
At an opportune moment, Chen Ye spoke up: "Fellow cultivator, where did you get so many diseased spiritual medicines... selling them at such low prices, isn’t it a pity? How about you and I collaborate?"
These words struck a chord with the robust man!
He slapped his thigh: "Sure! But, fellow cultivator, you must show me some skills. It so happens I have a spiritual medicine; why not display a few tricks right here?"
The man pulled open his clothes and carefully took out a pot of Spirit Flower from the storage bag at his waist.
The spirit flower’s leaves were withered and curled, the stems full of dark red spots, with spiritual energy in chaotic threads like a web.
But most strikingly, on the main stem of the spirit flower, there was a vein pulsating like a blood vessel!
Chen Ye’s eyes sharpened.
This spirit flower was different from any spiritual medicine Chen Ye had encountered; it was a Tier One Middle Grade spirit plant!
The robust man scratched his head: "Don’t worry, fellow cultivator, I’m not asking you to cure the Red Orchid, just show a few skills..."
He hadn’t expected the loose cultivator before him to cure a Tier One Middle Grade Red Orchid.
Who would have thought, Chen Ye sized it up and directly interrupted: "It’s treatable; this ailment is called Rotting Marrow Syndrome. It needs to be soaked with Cloud Rain Technique for three two-hour periods, then the rotting marrow excised with Disease Removal Saber, and finally restored using Fostering Technique."
The man’s hand trembled, first incredulous, then followed by delight:
"Really?"
"Really!"
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