Chapter 150
Chapter 150
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Two Years' Time, a Surge in Spiritual Sense
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Applying the Soul-Warming Sand to the space between his brows, he felt faint streams of warm spiritual energy enter his sea of consciousness. Guided by the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, it flowed into the newly opened sea of soul.
Nourishing the soul, solidifying the foundation of the sea of soul.
Its value wasn't high, but its effects were miraculous.
A month later.
The Soul-Warming Sand emitted a puff of green smoke, its spiritual energy depleted, turning it into ordinary soil.
At the same time, the spiritual power of the Spirit-Condensing Grass was also completely absorbed by his soul. The familiar tremor of spiritual energy entering his sea of consciousness appeared once more.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took another Spirit-Condensing Grass to stabilize his soul essence, and at the same time, he took out a new jar of Soul-Warming Sand and applied it between his brows.
Through the ancestral aperture between his brows, he sent spiritual energy into his sea of consciousness, then refined it with the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art to consolidate his sea of soul.
Another three months passed.
Chen Jianghe's sea of soul was now barely stable, but he still needed the assistance of Soul-Warming Sand and Spirit-Condensing Grass.
In four months, he had consumed five stalks of Spirit-Condensing Grass and five jars of Soul-Warming Sand, which gave him a clear understanding of the consumption rate of these basic resources.
In the initial stage of practicing the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, he would need to consume at least fifteen stalks of Spirit-Condensing Grass and fifteen jars of Soul-Warming Sand each year.
In other words.
His cultivation had reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, so he no longer needed the assistance of True Spirit Pills, which cost forty spirit stones a year.
But that was replaced by one hundred and twenty spirit stones' worth of Spirit-Condensing Grass and Soul-Warming Sand.
And that was on top of the resources needed for body tempering.
Two pieces of Tidal Essence a year cost fifty spirit stones, two Meridian-Opening Pills cost forty spirit stones, two Qi and Blood Pills cost forty spirit stones, and two Body-Forging Pills cost forty spirit stones.
Adding it all up.
He now had a fixed annual expenditure of two hundred and ninety spirit stones.
This didn't even account for the consumption when he reached the middle stage of the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, which would require first-tier, high-grade Spirit-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid.
No wonder so many cultivators didn't delve into spiritual cultivation.
It consumed far too many spirit stones.
An ordinary rogue cultivator would find it difficult to maintain normal cultivation even if they only focused on body tempering arts, let alone adding spiritual cultivation on top of that.
After all, a demon beast hunter at the ninth level of Qi Refining earned only sixty to seventy spirit stones a year.
Before Ruan Tieniu reached Foundation Establishment, his annual income as a demon beast hunting team captain was only between eighty and one hundred spirit stones.
His income rarely broke one hundred.
Chen Jianghe calculated that his current success rate for drawing intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans was nearly sixty percent.
He could produce about sixty-three talismans a year, with a profit of roughly five hundred and ten spirit stones.
This could sustain the resource needs for his body tempering and spiritual cultivation in the early stages, but in the later stages, his annual income might not be enough.
When his spiritual cultivation reached the late stage, he would need natural treasures to help him break through to the perfected realm.
For example, the Thousand-Year Yin Soul Bamboo that Yun Xiaoniu had was worth nine hundred spirit stones on the market, and could fetch around twelve hundred at auction.
To quickly perfect his physical body, he would need something similar.
Such natural treasures were typically priced at around a thousand spirit stones.
Rogue cultivators simply couldn't afford such resource consumption, which was why they would risk their lives to attempt a breakthrough even with a success rate of only twenty to thirty percent.
Without a perfected body and a perfected spirit, the so-called thirty percent success rate was a joke.
But the cultivation world had a vast population, so there were always some lucky cultivators who succeeded.
Another three months passed.
"The sea of soul has been initially stabilized. I can start tempering my spiritual sense."
After finishing his practice of the Tidal Body Tempering Art and drawing his spiritual talismans, Chen Jianghe returned to his bed and sat cross-legged.
With a thought, his spiritual power circulated.
Water-element spiritual energy condensed before him, forming a water mirror.
The next moment, his spiritual sense entered the water mirror, observing his reflection within it. Using the mirror as a base, he began to extend his spiritual sense further.
This was the basic method for tempering spiritual sense in the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art.
It could not only enhance the acuity of his spiritual sense but also strengthen his soul essence, thereby increasing the distance his spiritual sense could reach.
"Twenty-three zhang and six chi!"
"The sea of soul has just been opened, how could it have improved so much?"
During these seven months of seclusion, this was the first time Chen Jianghe had extended his spiritual sense to its limit, and he was shocked to find it reached a staggering twenty-three zhang and six chi.
After a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining came into contact with a spiritual cultivation method and opened their sea of soul, their spiritual sense would undergo a qualitative change, with its range directly increasing to over ten zhang.
Of course, this was also related to the spiritual cultivation art itself.
Some ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators could only extend their spiritual sense a little over ten zhang after opening their sea of soul; that was because the arts they practiced were too inferior.
The Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art had a starting price of eight hundred spirit stones, which was considered a superior art among those practiced by rogue cultivators.
But according to the summary of the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, his spiritual sense should have been able to extend fifteen zhang.
That was the normal phenomenon for a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator practicing this art.
However, his spiritual sense had reached twenty-three zhang and six chi, far surpassing other cultivators.
This was the spiritual sense strength of someone in the middle stage of Spirit Refining.
"Could it really be because two souls merged into one?"
He had always felt that his previous mortal soul was too weak to have any influence on a cultivator's soul essence.
Therefore, he hadn't expected it to bring about any particularly significant effects.
However, Chen Jianghe didn't dwell on it. A stronger soul meant stronger spiritual sense, and faster progress in learning spiritual arts.
Drawing talismans would become even more effortless.
Three hours later.
Chen Jianghe stopped his cultivation. With a thought, his spiritual power, fine as silk, retrieved the letters from the courier box.
There were three letters in total.
They were from Yu Daniu, Ruan Tieniu, and Zhou Miaoyun, respectively.
Chen Jianghe first opened Yu Daniu's letter. It was an invitation for a small gathering on New Year's Eve.
"Time really flies when you're living a fulfilling life of cultivation."
Chen Jianghe calculated the time and realized that New Year's Eve was indeed in two days. A year had passed without him even noticing.
Next, he opened Ruan Tieniu's letter.
It was also an invitation for a small gathering.
But he had already missed it; the letter was from the Mid-Autumn Festival.
A smile touched Chen Jianghe's lips.
He set Ruan Tieniu's letter aside. Even if he had seen it during the Mid-Autumn Festival, he wouldn't have gone.
Ruan Tieniu had mentioned in the letter that there would be two other Foundation Establishment cultivators present.
If he guessed correctly, it must be the Xu Feng and Xu Hong brothers.
Chen Jianghe didn't want to interact with Foundation Establishment cultivators too early. He was just an ant at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
He had no means of dealing with Foundation Establishment seniors.
Even if he relied on someone else's power, it would make him feel very uncomfortable.
It was a feeling of entrusting his safety to others.
He did not like that feeling at all.
Finally, he opened Zhou Miaoyun's letter, which contained some news about the Yun Clan.
After Yu Daniu's family left, the Yun Clan did not suppress Yun Youniu, who was in Shixia Town.
The Yun Clan Ancestor had even sent a seventh-level Qi Refining clansman and four sixth-level Qi Refining clansmen to protect Yun Youniu.
In Shixia Town, Yun Youniu was still in charge, assisted by Talisman Master Chu Lang's family.
Not only that.
The Yun Clan Ancestor had also sent Yu Daniu's younger brother's family to Shixia Town.
Yu Daniu came from a farming family in Bixia Town. He had a younger sister and a younger brother, and his parents had passed away more than ten years ago.
His sister had also passed away a few years ago.
His brother was still alive, but he was already in his sixties. With Yun Huizhen's secret help, he had a large family with many children and grandchildren.
"The Yun Clan Ancestor is trying to resolve the resentment from Yu Daniu's family. He truly can't rest easy even in his old age, all for the sake of the younger generation."
Chen Jianghe sighed with emotion.
He then turned the letter to dust, doing the same with the other two.
When New Year's Eve arrived.
Chen Jianghe left his home and, after a brief gathering with Yu Daniu's family, headed to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
He had run out of Spirit-Condensing Grass and Soul-Warming Sand.
He needed to buy more.
Practicing the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art didn't require high-grade supplementary items, but the quantity needed was immense.
He needed fifteen portions of both Soul-Warming Sand and Spirit-Condensing Grass each year.
Fortunately, he was a Talisman Master, an intermediate-grade one with high-grade talisman-crafting skills at that.
Of course, if it weren't for Alchemist Zhuang's help, who not only waived many of his alchemy fees but also allowed him to earn a considerable amount of spirit stones...
He probably wouldn't even be able to afford a spiritual cultivation art right now.
Arriving at the second floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he purchased thirty portions each of Soul-Warming Sand and Spirit-Condensing Grass through Chen Ping.
And ten pieces of Tidal Essence.
He planned to go into seclusion for a while to rapidly improve his spiritual cultivation.
Once he reached the late stage of Spirit Refining, he would have to find a way to purchase natural treasures to elevate his spirit to the perfected realm.
He already had the supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. As long as his body and spirit were perfected, his success rate for Foundation Establishment would reach ninety percent.
Then he could attempt to break through.
The total cost for these items should have been four hundred and ninety spirit stones, but with Chen Ping's discount, he only paid four hundred and sixty-five spirit stones and fifty spirit sand.
He saved twenty-four spirit stones and fifty spirit sand.
He was in a great mood.
After leaving the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Chen Jianghe returned home.
He took all the demon beast parts that Xiao Hei and Maoqiu had processed to the Demon Beast Workshop to sell.
The parts from twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts sold for a total of one hundred and thirty-two spirit stones, higher than in previous years.
This showed that Xiao Hei and Maoqiu's processing skills had reached an above-average level.
Moreover, their techniques for handling demon beasts had become more proficient.
They were fully qualified for a supported position at the Demon Beast Workshop.
After selling the demon beast parts, he headed to Fortune and Longevity Lane to find Alchemist Zhuang and purchase the spiritual pills needed for body tempering.
He was already in the late stage of body tempering. With another two years of practice, if he could acquire a natural treasure to aid his body tempering, he could elevate his physical body to the perfected realm.
But he was out of spirit stones.
He could only rely on time to grind his physical cultivation to perfection.
He arrived at Fortune Residence number 136.
When Alchemist Zhuang heard the number of spiritual pills Chen Jianghe wanted to buy, he looked surprised.
"Four Meridian-Opening Pills, four Body-Forging Pills, and four Qi and Blood Pills each?"
"Fellow Daoist, are you really this poor?"
Alchemist Zhuang was somewhat speechless.
He had some friends in Qinghe Market City with whom he was on decent terms, and when they bought body tempering pills, they would purchase at least ten portions at a time.
Who bought them in fours like Chen Jianghe?
Besides, he had been concocting pills for Chen Jianghe for free these past few years, and he let Chen Jianghe take the entire batch each time.
Logically speaking, he shouldn't be this poor!
And the man was a Talisman Master.
"Haha~"
Chen Jianghe let out an awkward laugh.
His spirit stone consumption was indeed enormous, especially with two spirit beasts to raise at home, which made the expenditure even greater.
He currently only had two hundred and eighty-five spirit stones and seventy spirit sand on him.
He wanted to buy the same quantity of pills as he had of Tidal Essence, but his financial situation didn't allow for it!
Ten portions would cost six hundred spirit stones.
Buying four portions would be two hundred and forty spirit stones, and with Alchemist Zhuang's discount, it would probably be around two hundred.
He would still have eighty-five spirit stones left, which he could use to pay Pockface for the demon beasts.
Times were tight; he had to be meticulous with his calculations.
Of course, he had quite a few extra resources on him, but he couldn't find a buyer at the moment.
He still had one Beauty-Retaining Pill and one Life Extension Pill each.
"Make it ten each of the Meridian-Opening Pills, Body-Forging Pills, and Qi and Blood Pills. I won't charge you for them now, Fellow Daoist. We'll deduct it from future alchemy sessions."
Alchemist Zhuang took out three jade vials and handed them to Chen Jianghe.
"Uh... alright."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
He then bid farewell and left. After returning home, Chen Jianghe shook his head helplessly, "My expenses are exceeding my income!"
Xiao Hei and Maoqiu consumed over two hundred and eighty spirit stones a year.
Adding his own annual consumption of two hundred and ninety spirit stones.
The five hundred spirit stones he earned from drawing talismans were simply not enough.
But he couldn't stop focusing on Xiao Hei's development. In at most four more years, Xiao Hei would definitely become a second-tier spirit beast.
He absolutely couldn't stop now.
Only when Xiao Hei became a second-tier spirit beast could his safety be guaranteed before he attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment.
On the fifth day of the new year.
This time, it wasn't Pockface who came to trade, but Boss Wang himself. His attitude towards Chen Jianghe had become much more respectful.
Clearly, this was due to Ruan Tieniu.
"Brother Chen, here's this year's stock."
Boss Wang handed over four storage bags with a cheerful smile.
Chen Jianghe took them and scanned them with his spiritual sense, only to find that the quality of these twelve demon beasts was even better.
It was clear that Ruan Tieniu's successful Foundation Establishment had brought him quite a few benefits.
"The quality of this stock is excellent. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang."
Chen Jianghe cupped his hands in thanks and moved the demon beasts from the storage bags into his courtyard. The better the quality...
The higher the price they would fetch after being processed by Xiao Hei and Maoqiu.
Being able to recoup a bit more of his investment was a very good thing for him.
"Here are forty-seven intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans. Please take a look, Fellow Daoist Wang." Chen Jianghe took out the talismans he had drawn.
He had drawn a total of sixty-one intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans last year, fourteen of which he had sold at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
"Forty-seven intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans are worth three hundred and eighty spirit stones and seventy spirit sand. Brother Chen just needs to give me nineteen more spirit stones."
Wang Kun laughed heartily, his words laced with familiarity.
"Nineteen spirit stones?"
Chen Jianghe looked at Wang Kun in confusion.
He remembered that the price for twelve demon beasts was four hundred and twenty spirit stones. Even after subtracting three hundred and eighty spirit stones and seventy spirit sand, and rounding down, he should still owe thirty-nine spirit stones.
"Brother Chen is Senior Ruan's benefactor, so of course, we have to waive the odd twenty spirit stones."
"Uh... then wait a moment."
Chen Jianghe calculated the spirit stones he had on him. After subtracting the nineteen he still owed Wang Kun...
"Fellow Daoist Wang, do you have seven more late-stage first-tier demon beasts?"
Chen Jianghe decided to give Xiao Hei a heavier workload.
"Brother Chen needs more demon beasts?"
Wang Kun was taken aback for a moment, but then he stopped asking questions and said directly, "Never mind seven, even if Brother Chen wanted another twenty, I could get them for you."
"From now on, I'll charge Brother Chen thirty-three spirit stones for each late-stage first-tier demon beast..."
"Thirty-three spirit stones? Then make it eight."
"Alright, twenty first-tier demon beasts at thirty-three spirit stones each, that's six hundred and sixty spirit stones. Subtracting the three hundred and eighty-one spirit stones for the talismans, Brother Chen just needs to give me two hundred and seventy-nine spirit stones."
"I, Wang Kun, thank Brother Chen for his patronage!"
"No need to pay the spirit stones just yet. I'll have Pockface deliver the other eight demon beasts later. Brother Chen can just give the spirit stones to him then."
"That works."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
"Then I'll head back and gather the stock for Brother Chen."
Boss Wang cupped his hands in farewell and left, feeling quite pleased.
From demon beasts worth six hundred and sixty spirit stones, he could earn a profit of nearly two hundred spirit stones.
And that was after giving Chen Jianghe a discount.
Now, Chen Jianghe had truly become his biggest client.
If Duan Ming were still alive now, Boss Wang wouldn't have teamed up with Ruan Tieniu; he would have schemed to kill Duan Ming himself.
Chen Jianghe was his money tree now.
Anyone who touched Chen Jianghe was cutting off his, Wang's, source of wealth.
About an hour later, Pockface delivered the remaining eight late-stage first-tier demon beasts.
Chen Jianghe gave the two hundred and seventy-nine spirit stones to Pockface.
He swept his spiritual sense over his storage bag.
He felt like he was back fifty years ago, with only six spirit stones and seventy spirit sand to his name.
"Xiao Hei, here are twenty late-stage first-tier demon beasts. Are you confident you can handle them?"
Chen Jianghe looked at Xiao Hei with a solemn gaze.
"You should have done this long ago."
Xiao Hei replied nonchalantly, then slapped Maoqiu. "Time to get to work."
Seeing Xiao Hei's energetic expression filled him with motivation as well.
Returning to his room, he began to practice the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art. He consumed a stalk of Spirit-Condensing Grass and applied Soul-Warming Sand between his brows.
The art circulated, consolidating his sea of soul and refining his spirit.
An hour later, he used the water mirror technique to temper his spiritual sense.
After finishing his spiritual cultivation, he began six hours of talisman drawing, striving to increase his success rate for intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans to sixty percent.
He didn't have the spirit stones to purchase a first-tier, high-grade talisman-crafting inheritance right now.
He could only rely on increasing the success rate of the intermediate-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans to boost his income.
After drawing talismans, he would practice the Tidal Body Tempering Art.
Life was fulfilling, and time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
It was New Year's Eve once again.
Chen Jianghe slowly stopped his cultivation and took a deep breath.
Thinking about his progress with the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, he couldn't help but beam with joy.
At full power, his spiritual sense could now extend to twenty-six zhang and eight chi. His progress could be described as rapid.
He far surpassed ordinary cultivators.
This made Chen Jianghe wonder if he had a unique talent for spiritual cultivation.
With a perfected spirit, one's spiritual sense could extend fifty zhang.
When spiritual sense could extend thirty zhang, one was considered to be in the late stage of Spirit Refining.
Chen Jianghe's current spiritual cultivation was firmly in the middle stage of Spirit Refining. At most, it would take him another two years to reach the late stage.
Such speed truly astonished him.
And he hadn't even started using first-tier, high-grade Spirit-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid yet!
If he started using the spiritual liquid, he was confident he could advance his spiritual cultivation to the late stage within the next year.
As long as he had enough spirit stones to buy natural treasures, he was confident he could attempt his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in five years.
Feeling that Foundation Establishment was another big step closer, a smile involuntarily spread across Chen Jianghe's face.
In this treacherous cultivation world, only by reaching the Foundation Establishment stage could one truly have the power to protect oneself.
"Maoqiu, bring me the letters."
Chen Jianghe sent a command through the spirit beast ring.
As its cultivation improved, Maoqiu's speed of devouring and refining demon beast flesh had also increased significantly.
It had now gone from eating the flesh of three demon beasts a year to four.
Xiao Hei, on the other hand, was still focused on refining demon beast spiritual cores.
Chen Jianghe could clearly feel that Xiao Hei's aura was growing increasingly profound, much stronger than Ruan Tieniu's had been at the tenth level of Qi Refining.
Its body was also a size larger than before.
The diameter of its shell now exceeded two meters. When it stood upright, it could reach a height of one zhang, a truly frightening sight.
"Squeak squeak~"
Maoqiu delivered the letters.
Maoqiu's current form was even larger, having reached a height of one zhang and two chi.
"Go on."
Chen Jianghe waved his hand.
He then began to read through the letters.
There were five in total: one from Jiang Ruxu, two from Zhou Miaoyun, one from Ruan Tieniu, and one from Yu Daniu.
He opened Jiang Ruxu's first.
It was an invitation from Alchemist Zhuang to attend a family banquet.
But the banquet had already passed over a month ago; he had missed it.
Next, he opened Ruan Tieniu's letter, and his expression turned grave.
"The Xu brothers are seriously injured?"
"They actually ventured four hundred li into the Roaming Immortal Mountain Range!"
Reading the contents of the letter, Chen Jianghe was truly shocked.
Under normal circumstances, even Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't dare to venture three hundred li deep into the Roaming Immortal Mountain Range.
That was the territory of second-tier demon beasts.
Encountering a solitary one might be manageable.
But if they ran into a pack of second-tier demon beasts, even five Foundation Establishment ancestors would find it difficult to escape.
"One Purple Glow Vermilion Fruit, two stalks of Ice Heart Grass."
Chen Jianghe swallowed hard.
The rewards were astonishing.
But demon beast hunters were truly fearless when it came to spirit stones.
To venture so deep into the Roaming Immortal Mountain Range just for one Purple Glow Vermilion Fruit and two stalks of Ice Heart Grass.
The Xu brothers had even been seriously injured as a result, damaging their physical essence.
The content of Ruan Tieniu's letter was simple: he wanted to ask Chen Jianghe to help them purchase two Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills.
For the Xu brothers to need Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills, their injuries must be severe.
They were lucky to be alive; otherwise, they would have died in the Roaming Immortal Mountain Range.
Chen Jianghe knew the value of the Purple Glow Vermilion Fruit.
But what was Ice Heart Grass?
Chen Jianghe had no idea. The *Qinghe Gazette* didn't mention anything about Ice Heart Grass.
However, that didn't matter. He could ask Alchemist Zhuang when he saw him.
To get Chen Jianghe to help them purchase the Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills, the Xu brothers were willing to offer one hundred spirit stones as a token of gratitude.
"One hundred spirit stones? They are Foundation Establishment seniors. Don't they have channels to buy Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills from a second-tier Alchemist?"
Chen Jianghe was very puzzled.
Including Alchemist Zhuang, there were six second-tier Alchemists in Qinghe Market City. Three of them were guest elders of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
One was an elder of the Qing Clan, and one was an elder of the He Clan.
There was no shortage of second-tier Alchemists. As Foundation Establishment seniors, their connections should be more extensive than his. How could they be unable to even buy Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills?
What Chen Jianghe didn't know was that, apart from Alchemist Zhuang, these other second-tier Alchemists all shared another identity.
They were also Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Their pride was no less than that of the weapon refining grandmaster, Fairy Luo Xiyue.
"I need to ask Alchemist Zhuang for the reason. Why can't Foundation Establishment cultivators who were once demon beast hunters buy Flesh-Regrowing and Bone-Mending Pills?"
"If the conditions are harsh, one hundred spirit stones? Heh~"