Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: A Dire Predicament and the Talisman Master Alliance
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When Xiao Hei saw Maoqiu appear, he was even taller and bigger than himself. A wide grin spread across his face, and satisfaction shone in his bean-like eyes.
“Not bad. You've broken through to the second tier.”
In that moment, it was as if Xiao Hei were the master. He patted Maoqiu on the shoulder and offered a word of praise.
“Squeak squeak~” (It's all thanks to Lord Turtle's excellent teaching.)
Maoqiu didn't dare to be arrogant. Even after becoming a second-tier spirit beast, he wouldn't act presumptuously in front of Xiao Hei.
He vaguely remembered a time when Xiao Hei had gotten ruthless.
Xiao Hei had said that if he ever dared to use [Divine Illusion] on him again, or even bare his teeth, he would be eaten alive.
Chen Jianghe watched this scene with great interest, not interrupting Xiao Hei and Maoqiu.
Just then.
After a brief exchange, Xiao Hei and Maoqiu began to wander around the territory, which spanned over twenty li in circumference.
The head and tail of the Ao were shrouded in thick clouds and mist, obscuring the view, but the scenery on the other two sides was clearly visible.
“Are we in the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range? Why can't I sense any demonic beast auras?” Xiao Hei asked Chen Jianghe after making a full circle.
“This isn't the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range. It's Thousand Mountains Market City, far from Mirror Moon Lake. There are basically no demonic beasts in these mountains. Even if there are, they're only first-tier.”
There were demonic beasts in the mountains of Thousand Mountains Market City, but not many.
However, there were plenty of ordinary wild animals and birds.
On Golden Ao Mountain where they were, there were quite a few wild animals and birds. When Chen Jianghe modified the formation, he hadn't driven them away.
Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life.
Golden Ao Mountain was their natural habitat; he was merely a tenant.
“So it's very safe here?”
A flicker of joy appeared in Xiao Hei's eyes.
Like Chen Jianghe, he enjoyed a peaceful and fulfilling life of cultivation.
Upon learning that the place was safe, Xiao Hei's perspective instantly changed, and his gaze toward his surroundings softened.
After surveying the area.
“What a great place. Two-Legged Beast, you picked a fine spot. The rivers and streams are abundant. I can raise fish again.”
The thought of raising fish made Xiao Hei very excited.
Chen Jianghe nodded. A major reason he chose Golden Ao Mountain was its abundant water systems.
It would allow Xiao Hei to practice aquaculture.
Xiao Hei was not one to sit idle. If you asked him to be a spirit beast that just ate and slept, he would definitely refuse.
As for processing demonic beasts?
It was true that Thousand Mountains Market City was near the Arctic Snow Forest, but there weren't that many demonic beasts around.
In the territory of Thousand Mountains Market City, over ninety percent of the cultivators were still in the Qi Refining realm. They didn't make a living by venturing deep into the Arctic Snow Forest to steal spirit items.
Although some late-stage Qi Refining cultivators did enter the Arctic Snow Forest to steal spirit items, they were in the minority.
Only Foundation Establishment cultivators dared to venture deep into the Arctic Snow Forest for spirit-thieving.
Therefore, most Qi Refining cultivators took on relatively safe professions like spirit farming, fishery farming, ore farming, and so on.
The territory of Thousand Mountains Market City had many immortal mountains containing spirit veins, and many of them were not leased by cultivation clans.
Thus, the spirit fields on these immortal mountains couldn't be left to waste.
This created a need for spirit farmers to help with planting and management. For instance, Chen Jianghe could hire some spirit farmers for his Golden Ao Mountain.
However, he had no intention of hiring any.
He didn't even want the three women to enter his living area, let alone strange spirit farmers or fishery farmers.
The water systems on Golden Ao Mountain were also very abundant, with a spirit spring as their source. It could be said that such waters were perfectly suited for aquaculture.
“The rivers of Golden Ao Mountain will be for Xiao Hei to raise aquatic life, and the spirit fields will be for Maoqiu to plant Immortal Crystal Rice and first-tier medicinal herbs.”
“Uh... Xiao Hei, you'll have to help Maoqiu with the planting.”
Chen Jianghe looked at Xiao Hei and Maoqiu and asked, “How about it?”
“Sure. With so many spirit-rich rivers, we can let them grow freely.”
“Planting is no problem either. Maoqiu and I can handle it.”
Xiao Hei grinned widely and laughed.
Maoqiu, on the other hand, looked troubled.
His large, watery eyes looked at Chen Jianghe and Xiao Hei as he weakly transmitted his thoughts: “I don't know how to plant?”
*Thwack~*
Xiao Hei smacked Maoqiu on the head with a paw and chided him, “Have you forgotten everything I taught you? As long as the master needs it, we learn whatever we don't know.”
“Right, right, Lord Turtle is right.”
Maoqiu held his head and looked pitifully at Chen Jianghe. “Master, I can learn.”
“Mm, don't worry. Just like when I taught you how to process demonic beasts, I'll learn it first, then I'll teach you.”
“You'll learn it first? Are you sure you know how to process demonic beasts?”
Xiao Hei shot Chen Jianghe a contemptuous look.
“Haha, close enough. In theory, I know how,” Chen Jianghe chuckled, not feeling awkward at all.
After all, he understood all the theory; he just hadn't put it into practice.
After some light-hearted banter.
Chen Jianghe recalled Xiao Hei and Maoqiu into the spirit beast space, then left Golden Ao Mountain and headed for Thousand Mountains Market City.
He knew very well that for the first two years here, he couldn't expect to settle down and cultivate peacefully.
Both Xiao Hei and Maoqiu needed time to adapt before they could settle down.
Moreover, Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan were about to attempt their breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
Zhuang Xinyan would probably attempt it this year.
As for Jiang Ruxu, she would attempt it next year at the latest.
When they attempted their breakthroughs, Chen Jianghe naturally had to be present. After all, Alchemist Zhuang had entrusted them to his care.
He had to protect them until they successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
Entering Thousand Mountains Market City again, Chen Jianghe went straight to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Thousand Mountains Market City had seven floors, with a completely different layout from the ones he had seen before.
The first floor was actually a restaurant, offering all sorts of delicious spirit cuisine, as well as immortal wines and fine brews.
The second floor was the resource emporium for Qi Refining cultivators.
The third floor housed the cultivation technique section, the publication section, and a section for introductory second-tier resources (Spirit Gathering Pills, five-element spirit pills for spirit beasts...).
The fourth floor was a bartering and exchange hall.
The fifth floor was the auction area.
The sixth floor served as lodging for disciples of the Tiannan Sect who came here for training.
The seventh floor was the residence of the manager of the Thousand Mountains Market City's Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Thousand Mountains Market City, unlike the one in Qinghe Market City, was not a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It was presided over by at least a False Core Adept.
Sometimes, a Core Formation Master would even be sent to oversee it.
Chen Jianghe went directly to the third floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and dove into the publication section, wanting to quickly familiarize himself with Thousand Mountains Market City.
Naturally, he browsed through the [Thousand Mountains Periodical].
He spent four spirit stones to purchase a copy of the [Thousand Mountains Periodical] and an [Illustrated Guide to the Arctic Snow Forest].
Then he found a seat in the teahouse on the third floor and began to read.
He spent half an hour reading through the [Thousand Mountains Periodical] and gained a better understanding of Thousand Mountains Market City.
Thousand Mountains Market City was close to the Arctic Snow Forest, a place with the most abundant spiritual resources. In addition, its territory contained numerous immortal mountains with spirit veins.
Therefore, north of the Heaven-Reaching River, seventy percent of the Immortal Spirit Rice, Bloodfang Rice, Spirit Marrow Rice, and Immortal Crystal Rice required by the major market cities, immortal clans, and immortal kingdoms were supplied by Thousand Mountains Market City.
One could say that Thousand Mountains Market City was a massive mountain farm.
There was another point.
The reason Thousand Mountains Market City had so many Foundation Establishment cultivators was not only because of the Arctic Snow Forest, where they could go spirit-thieving, but also because they could explore the boundless sea.
The spiritual resources in the sea were even more plentiful.
Of course, the vast and boundless sea held even more terrifying demonic beasts; danger went hand in hand with opportunity.
Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators might enter the Arctic Snow Forest.
But only Foundation Establishment cultivators dared to explore the boundless sea, and even then, they would venture no more than three thousand li deep.
Next, Chen Jianghe read the [Illustrated Guide to the Arctic Snow Forest]. Basically every spirit-thief owned a copy of this guide.
It recorded the approximate locations, information, value, and illustrations of various spirit items in the Arctic Snow Forest.
Chen Jianghe, of course, had no intention of entering the Arctic Snow Forest for spirit-thieving.
But that didn't stop him from expanding his knowledge.
This way, if he encountered a spirit item in the future, he would know whether it was useful to him.
After finishing the [Illustrated Guide to the Arctic Snow Forest], Chen Jianghe returned to the publication section and bought a copy of [Spirit Farming for Dummies].
He then left the third floor and went to the bartering and exchange hall on the fourth. There was no need to cover one's face here.
As long as you didn't leave the territory of Thousand Mountains Market City, you would be safe.
Yet, many people still covered their faces and concealed their auras.
Evidently, they might have come to Thousand Mountains Market City to shop and would leave afterward.
Others frequently ventured deep into the Arctic Snow Forest and didn't dare to reveal their wealth, fearing they would be targeted and pursued into the forest to be killed for their treasures.
Chen Jianghe, however, didn't care.
Thousand Mountains Market City was quite comprehensive. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't leave its territory.
He was greatly looking forward to the special artifact, [Thousand Illusions].
At the very least, when he came to a place like this bartering hall, he could conceal his face, which would make it much safer when exchanging valuable treasures.
As for now?
It didn't matter.
He had no precious treasures to trade and didn't need to worry about being targeted.
The reason he had come to the bartering hall now was that he was out of spirit stones. He didn't even have enough to buy Immortal Crystal Rice seeds.
Nor did he have spirit stones to buy aquatic spirit fry.
The bartering hall on the fourth floor was very large, roughly divided into three areas: the Hundred Arts Area, the Spirit Items Area, and the Exotic Items Area.
The Hundred Arts Area included spirit pills, artifacts, talismans, puppets, and more.
The Spirit Items Area was for medicinal herbs needed for alchemy, spiritual materials for artifact refining, and natural treasures that cultivators could use for their cultivation.
The Exotic Items Area was for young beasts, inheritances, and the like.
Chen Jianghe first wandered through the Hundred Arts Area. He saw that every cultivator held a sign, on which was written what treasures they had and what treasures they wanted in exchange.
Of course, some also accepted spirit stones for purchase.
But he noticed that whenever an item was available for purchase with spirit stones, a crowd of cultivators would gather, and it would be sold quickly.
After just one round.
He found that artifacts, spirit pills, and second-tier talismans were rarely traded in the Hundred Arts Area. After walking around, he only saw one or two cultivators' signs offering them.
The spirit pills were all conventional second-tier ones, like the five-element spirit pills for raising spirit beasts, and low-grade second-tier healing pills.
The artifacts were also ordinary top-grade ones; as for spirit-nurturing grade artifacts, they were nowhere to be seen.
As for talismans, most were low-grade second-tier offensive and defensive talismans. He saw no escape talismans or special talismans.
However, as long as there were talismans, that was enough.
Chen Jianghe glanced at the prices, got a general idea, then went to the exchange counter to get a sign. He wrote "Falling Star Thunderclap Talisman" and "Golden Light Body Protection Talisman" on it.
He wrote down the grade and price for each.
But just as he displayed it, someone stopped him.
“Fellow Daoist, are you a second-tier Talisman Master?”
The one who stopped Chen Jianghe was a handsome young man dressed in light purple brocade, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist.
But the jade pendant shimmered with a fluorescent light, indicating it was a defensive artifact.
“Does Fellow Daoist wish to trade?”
Chen Jianghe nodded and pointed to the sign he had written.
[Falling Star Thunderclap Talisman: Eight hundred fifty spirit stones]
[Golden Light Body Protection Talisman: One thousand spirit stones]
“Fellow Daoist must be new to Thousand Mountains Market City,” the brocade-clothed young man said with a gentle smile.
Chen Jianghe didn't speak.
He was here to sell second-tier talismans, not to chat.
“Fellow Daoist, you can put away your sign. This Cen will buy all the second-tier talismans you have.”
Hearing this, Chen Jianghe smiled. He immediately wiped the writing from the sign and returned it to the exchange counter.
Then, he took out two Falling Star Thunderclap Talismans and four Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and held out his hand to the handsome young man.
“Two Falling Star Thunderclap Talismans, one thousand seven hundred spirit stones.”
“Four Golden Light Body Protection Talismans, four thousand spirit stones.”
“A total of five thousand seven hundred spirit stones.”
The handsome young man took out five thousand seven hundred spirit stones and bought Chen Jianghe's six low-grade second-tier talismans.
“I am Cen Linchuan, also a second-tier Talisman Master.”
After the transaction, Cen Linchuan cupped his hands and introduced himself.
“Chen Jianghe, second-tier Talisman Master,” Chen Jianghe said calmly.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, you must be new here and unaware of the rules. Second-tier talismans cannot be sold directly at the bartering hall.”
Cen Linchuan reminded him.
“Then why is that Fellow Daoist...”
“You're asking why that Fellow Daoist can sell second-tier talismans, right? He's a member of the Second-Tier Talisman Master Alliance, and this year happens to be his turn to trade...”
From Cen Linchuan's explanation, Chen Jianghe learned that there were restrictions on selling second-tier talismans in Thousand Mountains Market City.
To sell second-tier talismans in Thousand Mountains Market City, one must first join the Talisman Master Alliance.
Then, you get in line.
When it's your turn, you can come to the bartering hall to sell second-tier talismans for a period of one year. You can only sell second-tier offensive or defensive talismans.
Furthermore, they must be low-grade and mid-grade second-tier.
High-grade second-tier talismans were not allowed to be sold.
As for how long it would take for your turn to come, that depended on how many members were in the Second-Tier Talisman Master Alliance.
Each person gets one year. If there were only two second-tier Talisman Masters, your turn would come once every two years.
If there were ten, your turn would come once every ten years.
Twenty, and it would be once every twenty years.
And so on.
It wasn't just second-tier talismans; the same rules applied to top-grade artifacts and second-tier spirit pills.
If you were in urgent need of spirit stones, you could sell your talismans to the Talisman Master Alliance, but they would deduct fifty spirit stones from the price of each talisman.
Of course, you could sell your second-tier talismans to friends, or even give them away.
But if you were caught smuggling second-tier talismans instead of selling to friends, you would be expelled from Thousand Mountains Market City by the Talisman Master Alliance.
At that point, not even the power backing Thousand Mountains Market City could intervene.
The situation north of the Heaven-Reaching River was different from the south. The environment was different, so there were many restrictions on the sale of artifacts, spirit pills, and talismans.
North of the Heaven-Reaching River, there were four great immortal kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Yue fought with the Kingdom of Yu.
The Southern Kingdom fought with the Kingdom of Qi.
They were basically at war year after year, so powerful war resources like second-tier talismans were strictly controlled.
This was to prevent them from flowing onto the battlefield and harming mortals.
Most importantly, if they flowed into the four great immortal kingdoms, the price of second-tier talismans would be inflated.
So, the Talisman Master Alliance was profiting from both sides.
They exploited the Talisman Masters, and they exploited the immortal kingdoms.
All while shouting righteous slogans about fearing harm to mortals.
Although Chen Jianghe was disgusted by this behavior, there was nothing he could do. He thanked Cen Linchuan.
Then he left the bartering hall.
He had no spirit items on him that he could trade.
Even if he saw a treasure he liked, he could only covet it. It was better not to look at all.
He went down from the fourth floor to the Hundred Arts Area on the second and found the spirit seed counter.
“How are the Immortal Crystal Rice seeds sold?”
Chen Jianghe asked.
The person didn't answer directly. First, they bowed respectfully and addressed him as "Senior."
Then they said, “The seeds needed for one mu of Immortal Crystal Rice cost sixty spirit stones. May I ask how much Senior needs to purchase?”
So expensive!
Chen Jianghe was shocked. One mu of Spirit Marrow Rice seeds only cost five spirit stones, and one mu of Immortal Spirit Rice seeds cost fifteen.
Yet one mu of Immortal Crystal Rice seeds cost a staggering sixty spirit stones.
It was a bit pricey.
But considering that one dan of Immortal Crystal Rice was worth thirty spirit stones, it seemed acceptable. One mu of spirit field could normally produce three dan of Immortal Crystal Rice.
With high-level planting techniques, it could even yield four dan.
The profit was still very substantial.
“Eighty mu of Immortal Crystal Rice seeds,” Chen Jianghe stated the amount.
Immortal Crystal Rice was harvested once a year. As long as they were lucky and Xiao Hei and Maoqiu worked hard, they would turn a profit next year.
In three years, they would make a huge profit.
In fifty years, they would be well-off and never lack spirit stones again.
Chen Jianghe took out four thousand eight hundred spirit stones, a pained expression on his face. These were spirit stones he had just acquired.
He hadn't even had a chance to warm them up before handing them over again.
After storing the eighty mu of Immortal Crystal Rice seeds, Chen Jianghe went to the aquatic spirit fry counter.
Golden Ao Mountain had abundant water systems. It would be a real shame not to use them for aquaculture.
Moreover, aquaculture was a direct path to profit.
The first year of planting Immortal Crystal Rice might result in a loss, but raising aquatic life would definitely be profitable.
After all, this was Xiao Hei's specialty.
However, Chen Jianghe didn't buy that many aquatic spirit fry; he didn't have enough spirit stones.
Besides, he wasn't going to live on Golden Ao Mountain for just three years and then leave. He could start by buying a small amount.
After raising them, he wouldn't rush to sell them in the first few years. Once their numbers had multiplied, he could then have the Hundred Treasures Pavilion buy them back.
Whether it was aquatic life, poultry, or beasts, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would buy them back. The same went for Immortal Crystal Rice.
Thousand Mountains Market City exported resources to the entire region north of the Heaven-Reaching River.
Chen Jianghe spent four hundred spirit stones on aquatic spirit fry and another six hundred on five Spirit Gathering Pills.
Then he left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
He was left with only ninety-six spirit stones and twenty grains of spirit sand.
Originally, he had wanted to buy more aquatic spirit fry, but on second thought, he decided to keep some spirit stones for emergencies.
He might need them.
Chen Jianghe sighed internally.
During the Qi Refining realm, he was always short on spirit stones, wishing he could split one stone into two. He had to be meticulous about spending even a single grain of spirit sand.
He had thought that after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment and advancing his talisman skills to the second tier, these difficult days would be over.
To his surprise, things were even harder now.
He even had to be cautious when buying spirit fry.
He even owed Luo Xiyue six thousand spirit stones, and Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan seven thousand five hundred.
This was even more impoverished than his life during the Qi Refining realm.
“I hope Xiao Hei and Maoqiu can work a little harder and become qualified spirit farmers soon. That way, I'll have a bit more breathing room with my spirit stones.”
Chen Jianghe flew on his qi through the peaks of the market city, searching for the banner of the Talisman Master Alliance.
If he wanted to earn spirit stones by drawing talismans, he had to join the Talisman Master Alliance. He had no other choice.
The arm cannot win against the thigh.
If he clashed head-on with the Talisman Master Alliance, he would be the only one to get hurt.
The Talisman Master Alliance was located on a mountain peak near the Arctic Snow Forest, housed in a massive, circular palace complex.
Many late-stage Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators could be seen flying toward it.
They were lining up in an orderly fashion in front of a pavilion outside the palace complex. It seemed that second-tier talismans could be purchased here.
Chen Jianghe flew over and took a closer look.
It was just as he thought.
Low-grade and mid-grade second-tier talismans—be they offensive, defensive, escape, or special talismans—were all sold here.
But there were conditions for purchasing them.
Only spirit-thieves heading to the Arctic Snow Forest were allowed to buy them.
You couldn't just claim to be a spirit-thief. You needed a written permit from Thousand Mountains Market City.
Only after entering the Arctic Snow Forest three times would one receive a spirit-thief's permit issued by Thousand Mountains Market City.
Then you could purchase low-grade or mid-grade second-tier escape talismans and special talismans.
As for high-grade second-tier talismans, it was best not to even think about them. Without special connections, they were impossible to buy.
Qi Refining spirit-thieves could only buy low-grade second-tier talismans, and only one set per year.
That is, one offensive, one defensive, one escape, and one special talisman.
Foundation Establishment spirit-thieves could buy three sets.
Chen Jianghe glanced at the Talisman Pavilion, where a detailed price list was displayed.
“What a rip-off!”
Chen Jianghe cursed inwardly.
Prices for low-grade second-tier talismans: Offensive talismans were one thousand spirit stones, defensive talismans were one thousand two hundred, and escape talismans were one thousand five hundred.
No wonder at the bartering hall, the moment that cultivator with normally priced talismans showed his sign, they were snatched up instantly.
If Cen Linchuan hadn't stopped him in time, he probably would have been swarmed as well.
“No wonder Ruan Tieniu was so anxious for me to come to Thousand Mountains Market City. If I didn't come, he'd be the one getting fleeced.”
Chen Jianghe hadn't expected the Talisman Master Alliance to be such a scam. They were viciously exploiting both sides.
They even regulated the selling price of talismans for second-tier Talisman Masters at the bartering hall. This meant only they could profit; others couldn't even get a sip of the soup.
Chen Jianghe watched the Talisman Pavilion for a while.
He noticed that most cultivators were buying escape talismans and special talismans.
Far fewer were buying defensive talismans.
As for offensive talismans, they were even rarer.
It seemed these cultivators were indeed all spirit-thieves.
They entered the Arctic Snow Forest to steal spirit items guarded by demonic beasts, not to fight them. They weren't demon hunters in the true sense.
“Looks like I need to contact Fellow Daoist Ruan. He can buy discounted talismans, and my talismans can sell for a good price.”