Chapter 34: Effects of the Low Grade Spirit Stone
Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Effects of the Low Grade Spirit Stone
The shimmering spring ripples were perfect on a clear day, and the mist-shrouded mountains were equally enchanting in the rain.
It seemed this Fragrance Pavilion was quite something!
Accompanied by the spring morning, Chen Mo pushed open the window of the Fragrance Pavilion, breathing in the denser Spiritual Qi of the Marketplace.
Yu Xi had finished dressing and cast a Cleaning Technique on herself. She instantly felt incredibly refreshed.
She approached Chen Mo and asked softly, "Would you like to wash up?"
"Yes."
The dust was swept away, and the grime vanished. Magic, ah, magic was always so wondrous. The Cleaning Technique she cast was much gentler and more refined. With Yu Xi’s help, Chen Mo dressed and slipped on his Magic Robe.
For Female Cultivators like them, they had seen hundreds of Magic Robes. Naturally, they wouldn’t make a fuss over it, let alone secretly pocket a guest’s resources. The establishment was right here. They operated on reputation.
When Chen Mo walked out of the room, Song Yunxi was already sitting at the table, sipping tea while admiring the spring scenery outside the window.
Upon seeing him, he called out warmly, "Brother Chen, come, sit."
Beside them, Yun Rou pulled out a chair and helped him sit down.
"Try this Immortal Peak. How does it taste?"
Chen Mo picked up the Zisha Clay Cup and took a sip. It was incredibly refreshing.
"Spirit Tea?"
"That’s right."
"Can it be planted?" Chen Mo asked instinctively. He was a Spirit Plant Cultivator, after all; his first reaction was always whether it could go in the ground.
"Huh?" Song Yunxi paused before bursting into laughter. "It can be planted, it can be planted. Brother Chen, you truly are dedicated to your craft. However, you can’t just plant this Immortal Peak however you want. It was grafted from Cyan Yang Peak, the Cyan Yang Sect’s Main Peak. A single plant costs nearly ten Low Grade Spirit Stones."
Hearing this, Chen Mo couldn’t help but exclaim internally. Good heavens! So expensive!
He then poured himself another cup and downed it.
"Haha." Seeing this, Song Yunxi laughed heartily. He remembered when he first heard that a single Immortal Peak plant cost ten Spirit Stones. His reaction had been exactly the same—he had wanted to drink every last drop!
"I must thank Shopkeeper Song for the expense last night," Chen Mo said, taking another sip.
"Don’t mention it! What are Brother Chen’s plans from here on?"
"Spring is here. I’ll head back to farm the fields first. I rely on it for my livelihood, after all."
Song Yunxi nodded without offering much of an opinion. As for Breeding, there was no need to stay in the Marketplace all the time. Coming over for a few days at the end of the year would suffice.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before leaving Earth Character Room Two side by side. They walked down the stairs and headed outside.
It was still early morning, so the Fragrance Pavilion had few guests. A shop assistant was currently kneeling on the ground, scrubbing the floor with a cloth. The stains could have easily been handled with a Cleaning Technique, yet they forced these Cultivators to do the menial chores of mortal servants. The Fragrance Pavilion certainly had its methods.
As the two appeared, Yin Zheng, who was groveling on the floor, unconsciously looked up. When he saw Chen Mo nonchalantly walking out of the Fragrance Pavilion, he was completely dumbfounded.
No! Wasn’t Chen Mo supposed to be trapped here like him, suffering inhumane abuse? How... how did he just leave?
"What are you staring at? Hurry up and work!"
THUD!
A foot stomped down on Yin Zheng’s face.
...
After bidding farewell to Song Yunxi, Chen Mo made a trip to Niu’s Shop. He collected the Spirit Seeds he had already paid for and returned to his Spirit Field.
The surrounding Spirit Plant Cultivators had already begun invoking Rainfall and watering their crops. Chen Mo waited until dusk approached before sowing his seeds into the soil and covering them up. In addition, he specifically cleared an area next to his wooden cabin to plant the two taels of mysterious seeds he had bought from the peddler.
Afterward, he cast the Rainfall Technique once over the area and quietly waited for them to sprout.
Wang Lixia’s five acres of Spirit Field ultimately went to Xiao Changhua. Looking at it now, the true motive behind the spread of that particular rumor was glaringly obvious. Of course, that was the man’s own business. Right now, Chen Mo only hoped to break through his Cultivation Realm soon. When the time came, he could legitimately lease even more Spirit Fields.
Early the next morning, Chen Mo went to wait outside Xiao Changhua’s door.
When Xiao Changhua opened his door, he was caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance. He then asked with some dissatisfaction, "What is it?"
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I heard you’ve reached the Qi Refining Third Layer? Congratulations, congratulations!" Chen Mo cupped his hands in greeting.
"Spit it out!" The other man was visibly impatient.
"In my spare time outside of Cultivation, I have some extra energy. I would like to help cast Rainfall on your ten acres of Spirit Field in the future. I wonder if that would be alright?"
Xiao Changhua frowned. Soon, he figured out the man’s motive. This was a gesture of goodwill! An attempt to seek his protection, just like how he had curried favor with Wang Lixia in the past.
He had to admit, this kid’s strength was average, but he certainly knew how to conduct himself. With someone taking care of Rainfall, he could focus entirely on his Cultivation. Once he successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer in two years, he would soar to greatness!
"I’ll allow it," Xiao Changhua said, completely ignoring any mention of compensation. In his eyes, extending his protection to the other man was already a massive favor!
Chen Mo smiled and cupped his hands again. To him, as long as he had fields to water, everything was negotiable. He wouldn’t be using the [Increased Production] Talent anyway; all he wanted was the experience! Fifteen acres of Spirit Field over the course of a year would definitely be enough to accumulate the remaining three hundred or so experience points.
Chen Mo took his leave and returned to his own field. He sat cross-legged on a futon, carefully took the Low Grade Spirit Stone from his robes, held it in his palm, and began his breathing exercises.
As the Spiritual Qi flowed from the Spirit Stone into his body, Chen Mo felt increasingly weightless, as if transcending mortality. He sat like that for an entire day!
It wasn’t until dusk that he finally ceased his practice.
A Low Grade Spirit Stone was indeed a Low Grade Spirit Stone! The Spiritual Qi contained within was much purer, making the effects of Cultivation significantly more pronounced! In just one day, his progress matched what used to take two days using Spiritual Sand. At this rate, it would probably only take him two days to gain a single point of experience for his Qi Cultivation Technique!
Chen Mo opened his hand. The fist-sized Low Grade Spirit Stone was still crystal clear, showing absolutely no visible transformation. This proved just how abundant the Spiritual Qi within it was.
"Spirit Stones really are better!"
It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. Chen Mo felt that once he had experienced cultivating with a Spirit Stone, going back to Spiritual Sand would be unacceptable in the short term.
"It seems I need to hurry up and make more money!" Chen Mo secretly made up his mind. He needed to double down on practicing his Rainfall Technique and Qi Crossing Technique.
Before it got dark, he returned to the wooden cabin, lit an oil lamp, and continued practicing his Spirit Snake Body Technique and Geng Metal Finger.
For him, bitter cultivation and grinding were essentially the same thing—just endless repetition. Moreover, he possessed a Golden Finger that others didn’t have. If he didn’t grind until the ends of the earth and the seas ran dry, wouldn’t he be wasting this steadily increasing experience?
[Geng Metal Finger +1]
[Geng Metal Finger +1]
...
[Spirit Snake Body Technique +1]