Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Rapid Progress in Cultivation, Mastery of Magical Arts
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In the first two years of the pest control season, Chen Jianghe still helped with pest removal, but by the third year, his help was no longer needed.
Xiao Hei discovered that the Green Feather Swallows on Golden Turtle Mountain actually fed on grass insects, so he directed them to help catch the pests.
The crystal insects that grew alongside the Immortal Crystal Rice contained spiritual energy, which was a great temptation for the Green Feather Swallows. However, with two second-tier spirit beasts present before, they hadn't dared to approach.
While Xiao Hei and Maoqiu were cultivating, the swallows would sneakily catch crystal insects to eat. After Xiao Hei discovered this, he handed over the task of pest control to them.
The Green Feather Swallows were much faster at removing pests than Xiao Hei and Maoqiu.
By consuming a large number of crystal insects and gaining spiritual energy, the Green Feather Swallows now had a chance to become spirit beasts themselves.
Xiao Hei and Maoqiu also had more time to cultivate.
The third year's harvest also improved, with the yield per mu reaching three shi. Xiao Hei and Maoqiu could now be considered high-level spirit farmers.
They were cultivating Immortal Crystal Rice, and a yield of three shi per mu already met the standard for a high-level spirit farmer.
Thus, in the third year, the income from the Immortal Crystal Rice was 7,200 spirit stones, minus the 4,800 spirit stones for the seeds.
The profit was 2,400 spirit stones.
However, the profit wasn't calculated quite like that; there was another cost that hadn't been factored in.
That was the land rent.
One mu of high-grade spirit field cost twenty spirit stones in rent per year.
For eighty mu of high-grade spirit fields, the annual rent was 1,600 spirit stones.
Therefore, the actual amount of spirit stones Xiao Hei and Maoqiu earned should have been 800.
In the fourth year, Xiao Hei applied the spirit farming knowledge Chen Jianghe had taught him, thinking outside the box. He found earthworms by the river, and together with Maoqiu, they dug them up and put them all in the spirit fields.
This saved him and Maoqiu the time needed for plowing and loosening the soil.
Freeing up more than a month for cultivation.
As their planting skills improved.
In the fourth year, the Immortal Crystal Rice from the eighty mu of spirit fields sold for a total of 8,160 spirit stones.
Subtracting the cost of the seeds, the profit was 3,360 spirit stones.
If the land rent was also subtracted, that would be 1,760 spirit stones.
However, the land rent didn't actually need to be subtracted.
After all, since he had already rented Golden Turtle Mountain, if Xiao Hei and Maoqiu didn't have a talent for spirit farming, these eighty mu of spirit fields would have just gone to waste.
The Immortal Crystal Rice for the fifth year had not yet been harvested.
But in the past four seasons of Immortal Crystal Rice harvests, Xiao Hei and Maoqiu had earned a total of 6,480 spirit stones.
After paying Chen Jianghe four years of land rent, they had eighty spirit stones left.
Chen Jianghe saved these eighty spirit stones for them. As for their daily cultivation needs, Chen Jianghe still provided for them free of charge.
Actually, there was another source of income for Xiao Hei that hadn't been included.
That was the mandarin fish, sturgeon, and black-shelled turtles living in the river systems of Golden Turtle Mountain. These three aquatic species had all grown up.
They could be taken to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to be sold.
However, to save on costs, Chen Jianghe chose not to sell them, instead letting them breed on Golden Turtle Mountain.
Once they had reproduced to a certain number, he would sell the mature ones.
Chen Jianghe had also earned a considerable amount of spirit stones during these five years.
After receiving the legacy of the Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talisman from Ruan Tieniu, he began to draw this second-tier, low-grade, fire-attribute escape talisman.
In the first year, he drew seven Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans.
In the second year, because he had cultivated the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture and had a Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pill, his soul cultivation improved rapidly.
His spiritual sense also grew much stronger.
Therefore, in the second and third years, he drew nine Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans each year.
In the fourth year, he drew three Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and seven Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans.
In the fifth year, he drew five Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and six Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans.
His deal with Ruan Tieniu required him to give Ruan Tieniu one Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talisman for free each year, for a total of ten years.
Over these five years, he had given Ruan Tieniu five Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans, and he still had thirty-three left.
As well as eight Golden Light Body Protection Talismans.
He took out fifteen Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans and eight Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and sold them to the Talisman Master Alliance.
The normal price for a Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talisman was 1,400 spirit stones.
The normal price for a Golden Light Body Protection Talisman was 1,000 spirit stones.
But when selling to the Talisman Master Alliance, fifty spirit stones were deducted for each talisman.
So, selling fifteen Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans earned him 20,250 spirit stones.
Selling eight Golden Light Body Protection Talismans earned him 7,600 spirit stones.
In total, he received 27,850 spirit stones from the Talisman Master Alliance.
He repaid Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan 7,500 spirit stones and paid another installment of the rent for Golden Turtle Mountain.
He spent 15,000 spirit stones.
During these five years, he also bought two Peachwood Heart-Clearing Talisman Brushes and five boxes of second-tier spirit ink.
Spending 3,700 spirit stones.
Fifty Spirit Gathering Pills, forty of which were purchased from Jiang Ruxu for only eighty spirit stones each.
For a total of 3,600 spirit stones.
As for the second-tier water-attribute spirit core for Xiao Hei and Maoqiu, Xiao Hei took only half a year to devour and refine it.
Maoqiu, on the other hand, took a year.
After that, they started taking second-tier Water Spirit Pills.
One Water Spirit Pill cost 500 spirit stones. Xiao Hei needed three per year, while Maoqiu needed two.
Over these years, he had purchased a total of twenty-five Water Spirit Pills, spending twenty-five thousand spirit stones.
There was also the demon beast blood purchased for the Dragon Pattern Red Pine.
As for the Dragon Pattern Red Pine, Chen Jianghe still hoped to cultivate it properly, allowing it to evolve into a second-tier, high-grade spirit plant wood.
Over five years, he had spent 3,000 spirit stones just on purchasing the blood of second-tier demon beasts with dragon bloodlines.
The reason for such a large investment was that he wanted the Dragon Pattern Red Pine to become a second-tier, high-grade spirit plant wood, so that he would have a ready supply of spirit plant hide for drawing second-tier, mid-grade talismans.
Thinking about it this way, the investment was very worthwhile.
Adding the cost of medicinal herbs he used for his alchemy attempts, and the courtyard built by a spirit architect.
In these five years, he had spent a total of 51,320 spirit stones.
The majority of this was spent on Xiao Hei, Maoqiu, and the Dragon Pattern Red Pine.
Fortunately, he sold the other eighteen Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans in his possession to Ruan Tieniu at the normal price of 1,400 spirit stones each.
If Ruan Tieniu were to resell them, he would probably raise the price by fifty spirit stones.
Or perhaps he wouldn't sell them, but trade them for other items.
But Chen Jianghe didn't concern himself with that.
Because he cultivated the Myriad Waters True Scripture, his magical power was more profound than other second-tier Talisman Masters, and his soul was also powerful.
Thus, he was able to draw many more second-tier talismans.
He sold some of his talismans to the Talisman Master Alliance, although the quantity was less than what a normal second-tier Talisman Master would produce.
But couldn't he have a friend or two to whom he might gift a talisman?
Therefore, he didn't have to worry about the Talisman Master Alliance causing him trouble.
The talismans he drew over the five years sold for a total of 53,050 spirit stones.
Adding the spirit stones earned by Xiao Hei and Maoqiu, that came to 59,530 spirit stones.
Subtracting the expenses of 51,320 spirit stones, he had 8,210 spirit stones left.
Adding the previously remaining 596 spirit stones and twenty grains of spirit sand.
He now had a total of 8,806 spirit stones and twenty grains of spirit sand.
He finally had some savings again.
He gazed at the shimmering silver Immortal Crystal Rice. This year's harvest should be good, allowing his spirit stone count to exceed 15,000.
"It's been five years since I asked Ruan Tieniu to help me acquire second-tier water-attribute spirit cores, but he hasn't managed to get a single one. It seems I oversimplified things."
Chen Jianghe felt a bit helpless.
According to Xiao Hei, with enough second-tier water-attribute spirit cores, he could break through to the mid-second tier within ten years.
And break through to the late-second tier within thirty years.
But if he relied on Water Spirit Pills, although Xiao Hei had the Three Revolutions Demon Ascension Art to expel pill toxins...
...it would still take time.
Reaching the mid-second tier would likely take fifteen years.
And reaching the late-second tier would require at least sixty years.
The further he progressed, the less help the Water Spirit Pills would provide, and the same was true for second-tier water-attribute spirit cores.
Of course, if he had enough second-tier, high-grade water-attribute spirit cores, his cultivation speed would increase.
Even second-tier, low-grade water-attribute spirit cores were hard to come by.
Let alone second-tier, high-grade ones. The appearance of a single high-grade spirit core meant that a late-second tier water-attribute demon beast had fallen.
To slay a late-second tier demon beast and prevent it from escaping, it would require at least five late-stage Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators.
"Coo, coo, coo~"
Chen Jianghe mimicked a bird call, took out a Spirit Accumulating Pill, crushed it, and scattered it on the ground.
Before long, a flock of Green Feather Swallows flew over and pecked at the pill fragments at his feet.
Then, Chen Jianghe took out another two Spirit Accumulating Pills, crushed them into powder, and scattered them on the ground.
These Green Feather Swallows had contributed greatly by helping him with pest control.
They had been consuming crystal insects for a long time, and Chen Jianghe had also fed them most of the first-tier, low-grade spirit pills he refined.
This greatly increased their chances of advancing to become spirit beasts.
Back then, to enhance their intelligence, Chen Jianghe had specially refined ten batches of Spirit Awakening Pills.
He fed them to these Green Feather Swallows, as well as to the earthworms in the spirit fields' soil.
If they could become spirit beasts, it would be a great help to Xiao Hei in cultivating the Immortal Crystal Rice.
Besides.
If they became spirit beasts, he could sell them for spirit stones. No matter how you looked at it, it was not a loss.
He glanced again at the plump grains of Immortal Crystal Rice. In half a month at most, they could be harvested and sold.
He didn't disturb the cultivating Xiao Hei and Maoqiu.
Instead, he returned to his own courtyard.
Arriving in front of the Dragon Pattern Red Pine, he looked at the sturdy spirit plant. It was in much better condition than when he had just bought it.
After all, it was irrigated with the blood of second-tier demon beasts every day.
"In another three years, it should be able to become a second-tier, high-grade spirit plant. Not bad. My investment wasn't in vain."
Chen Jianghe sat down cross-legged.
He had invested a lot in the Dragon Pattern Red Pine, and the tree itself was already close to the high-grade second tier.
With Chen Jianghe's help, it could now evolve ahead of schedule.
Chen Jianghe took out a Spirit Gathering Pill and consumed it, then began cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture. A sliver of magical power seeped from the five drops in his dantian, guiding the spiritual energy of the pill to circulate for three minor heavenly cycles according to the scripture's refining method.
He transformed the refined spiritual energy into magical power and poured it into the initial drop of Foundation Establishment magical power.
His magical power grew more profound, providing him with enough power to charge the spirit talismans he drew.
Combined with his increasingly powerful soul.
The speed at which he drew talismans had increased significantly.
Six hours later.
Chen Jianghe exhaled a breath of turbid air and then began to cultivate the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture. This was the spiritual cultivation technique that Gao Peiyao had exchanged for him in the Tiannan Sect.
It was a spiritual cultivation technique focused on soul defense and nourishment. He only had the first six levels of the technique.
Chen Jianghe was extremely familiar with the name of the first three levels of the technique; it was the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art that he had been cultivating.
At first, Chen Jianghe was puzzled. How could it be such a coincidence that the spiritual cultivation technique Gao Peiyao exchanged for him...
...turned out to be the follow-up to the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art? He didn't even need to switch techniques.
Later, he realized that he had bought the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. How could such a thing escape Gao Peiyao's notice?
Chen Jianghe wasn't angry that Gao Peiyao had investigated him.
If he had a powerful faction backing him, he would certainly investigate Gao Peiyao as well. He had a strange feeling about her.
That she definitely held a great secret.
He had thought so sixty years ago.
And now, he still believed his intuition was correct, because Gao Peiyao handled matters too perfectly, too prudently.
It was not at all what one would expect from a little girl from a farming family.
Especially after joining the Tiannan Sect, her mindset was calm, without a trace of arrogance, and her actions were even more meticulous.
It seemed as if everything was within her calculations.
Chen Jianghe didn't know when he had become part of Gao Peiyao's plans, but he greatly admired her calculations, how she had led him step by step from owing her small favors to being unable to refuse participation in the secret realm trial.
Everyone is human for the first time... uh, no, this was his second time.
But, it was everyone's first time cultivating. Why didn't she seem like a cultivation rookie at all?
Chen Jianghe shook his head, no longer dwelling on these thoughts.
He calmed his mind, discarded distracting thoughts, focused his spirit, and circulated the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture, transforming spiritual energy into pure soul power to nourish the soul essence within his soul sea.
The Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art, as the first three levels of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture, was about opening up the soul sea and solidifying the foundation.
The fourth level of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture was about constructing a soul sea barrier within the soul sea that had been opened in the sea of consciousness.
This would enhance resistance to soul impacts, defend against soul-type attack spells, and ward off inner demon interference.
Opening the soul sea was the first layer of protection for the soul essence.
In other words, even if a soul attack spell entered Chen Jianghe's sea of consciousness, it would first have to locate the soul sea before it could touch his soul essence.
Constructing the soul sea barrier added another layer of defense for the soul essence.
Ten hours later.
Chen Jianghe absorbed and refined the last trace of spiritual energy from the Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pill, enhancing his soul essence and solidifying the foundation of his soul sea.
"The Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pill truly lives up to its name as a second-tier, mid-grade spirit pill. A single pill took me three years to completely absorb and transform its spiritual energy into soul power."
With a thought, Chen Jianghe extended his spiritual sense outward.
The area he now lived in was very large, so he didn't need to conjure a water mirror and use the spiritual sense reflection-extension technique to check how far his spiritual sense could reach.
"One hundred fifty-seven zhang and six chi?!"
"This one Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pill actually increased my spiritual cultivation by so much."
The spiritual sense of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could typically extend from one hundred to two hundred zhang. He had only just started cultivating the fourth level of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture and had already reached one hundred fifty-seven zhang and six chi.
First, the strength of his soul essence was greater than that of cultivators at the same level.
Second, the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture he cultivated was likely a rather good spiritual cultivation technique.
Third, he had a Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pill.
He had spent over five thousand spirit stones to win this pill at auction back then. Thinking about it now, it was well worth it.
He could now draw five Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and six Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans in a year.
This was because his magical power was profound and his mental strength had increased.
It greatly shortened the time it took for him to draw second-tier talismans and also reduced the time needed for charging them with spirit.
"Second Revolution Spirit-Nourishing Pills are rare and can't be sought out. I'll need to buy Soul-Solidifying Clay and Spirit-Nurturing Grass to cultivate."
Both Soul-Solidifying Clay and Spirit-Nurturing Grass were basic second-tier spirit items and weren't very valuable.
A piece of Soul-Solidifying Clay was worth fifty spirit stones.
A stalk of Spirit-Nurturing Grass was worth thirty spirit stones.
A set of both only cost eighty spirit stones, which was indeed not much for Chen Jianghe now.
However, his soul essence was extraordinary, and he absorbed spirit items extremely quickly. Even if they weren't expensive, the sheer quantity he needed was daunting.
Every time he thought about spending spirit stones, he felt a pang of heartache.
His spirit stones were all earned through hard work; every single one was his blood and sweat.
Actually, there was another spirit item particularly suited for his cultivation of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture: fragments of a Mystic Turtle's Soul Armor.
Of course, if it was a complete Mystic Turtle's Soul Armor...
...it would be even more helpful for his cultivation of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture.
It was just that Xiao Hei was unwilling to contribute his soul essence. Otherwise, he could have quickly reached the sixth level of the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture.
After all, the soul sea barrier was constructed based on the Mystic Turtle's Soul Armor. Directly absorbing a complete one...
...would enhance his soul essence and complete the construction of the soul sea barrier.
Killing two birds with one stone.
"Since Xiao Hei is unwilling, I can only start with the black-shelled turtles."
After cultivating the Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture, Chen Jianghe no longer planned to sell the black-shelled turtles. Instead, he thought about helping them advance to become spirit beasts.
That way, the black-shelled turtles' souls would solidify and form a Mystic Turtle's Soul Armor, which could help his cultivation.
The effect would be much better than that of Soul-Solidifying Clay and Spirit-Nurturing Grass.
No longer thinking about spiritual cultivation, he spent another two hours cultivating the Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation.
Four years ago, after he finished collecting the second-tier spirit plant morning dew, he began cultivating the Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation.
In his dantian, there was a blood-red escape mark, which was the catalyst for activating the Blood River Escape Art.
It was also the blood catalyst for regenerating severed limbs.
Next to the blood escape mark, there was a Jade Dew Spirit Seal.
When Chen Jianghe cultivated the Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation, he was refining this Jade Dew Spirit Seal, and then using it to produce Jade Dew Spirit Power.
Thus allowing him to recover from his injuries.
He had been cultivating the Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation for four years and had already reached the realm of great mastery.
Four years.
The Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation was a supreme magical art. To be able to cultivate it to great mastery in four years showed that Chen Jianghe was very talented in spell cultivation.
The next moment.
With a thought, Chen Jianghe's powerful spiritual sense guided his magical power, using the Jade Dew Seal as a furnace to refine twenty drops of Jade Dew Spirit Power into a single drop of Jade Dew Spirit Liquid.
Pop~
This drop of Jade Dew Spirit Liquid flowed out of Chen Jianghe's dantian and transformed into a jade-white spirit pill.
This was the Jade Dew Pill that could be condensed when the Jade Dew Muscle-Growing Incantation was cultivated to great mastery. It wasn't a real pill, but a manifestation of Jade Dew Spirit Power.
However, its effects were similar to a Dew-Condensing Muscle-Growing Pill.
The medicinal effect was gentler than a Dew-Condensing Muscle-Growing Pill, making it easier to absorb and allowing for faster injury recovery.
It just required twenty drops of Jade Dew Spirit Power to condense one Jade Dew Pill.
At his level of great mastery, he could only cultivate twenty drops of Jade Dew Spirit Power a year, which meant he could only condense one Jade Dew Pill.
That wasn't bad.
If he sold it, it would be an extra income of 1,200 spirit stones a year.
Chen Jianghe placed the Jade Dew Pill into a jade bottle and put it away.
Then he prepared to draw spirit talismans.
With his current talisman-crafting skills, magical power, and spiritual strength, he could attempt to draw second-tier, mid-grade talismans.
But he currently lacked the medium to draw second-tier, mid-grade talismans on.
He could only continue drawing Crimson Flame Cloud-Soaring Talismans for now.
Just as he was about to start drawing, he saw his message box flash with light. He probed it with his spiritual sense.
Two letters had arrived.
One was from Yu Daniu, and the other was from Gao Peiyao.
Over the past five years, Chen Jianghe had exchanged several letters with Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao.
It was just that Thousand Mountains Market City was too far from Qiyun Mountain and the southern gate of the Tiannan Sect.
A single letter took about four months to arrive.
Chen Jianghe pulled the two letters into his hand.
He first opened Yu Daniu's letter and began to read.
It was about the situation in Qinghe Market City.
Previously, Yu Daniu had sent him a letter detailing some of the events in Qinghe Market City.
After the Tiannan Sect's disciple trial ended...
...Gao Peiyao's master, Elder Lan, led the disciples back to the sect.
As for Qinghe Market City?
It was surrounded, completely besieged.
Those demon beasts didn't dare to block the Tiannan Sect's elder and disciples, but they dared to cut off Qinghe Market City's lifeline.
However, while the Tiannan Sect disciples were training, the Ji Clan from the Western Border had also sent their direct descendants to Qinghe Market City for training.
The demon beasts didn't dare to stop the Tiannan Sect cultivators from leaving.
But they showed no regard for the cultivators of the Western Border's Ji Clan.
More than ten direct descendants were trapped in Qinghe Market City, forcing the Ji Clan to dispatch a Core Formation mighty figure to rescue them.
On the surface, the Ji Clan didn't dare to complain about the Tiannan Sect, but inwardly they were cursing them endlessly.
When leaving, the Tiannan Sect had only given them a brief notice without taking them along, which was truly hateful.
But one Core Formation expert was completely useless in Qinghe Market City.
Helpless, the Ji Clan had no choice but to send two more Core Formation experts. The three of them attacked the market city together.
But trying to take away the Ji Clan's direct descendants proved to be somewhat impossible.
Instead, the great demons from the depths of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range saw the three Core Formation experts appear in Qinghe Market City.
And they weren't elders of the Tiannan Sect.
Instantly, four third-tier demon beasts flew out from the depths of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range and trapped the three Core Formation experts from the Ji Clan in Qinghe Market City.
This letter from Yu Daniu...
...explained that the Western Border's Ji Clan had approached the Tiannan Sect. With the Tiannan Sect's intervention, along with the Qing Clan in Qinghe Market City, they released the Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard.
Only then did the beast tide at Qinghe Market City recede.
Qinghe Market City survived, but the reputation of its two great immortal clans plummeted, and cultivators fled the city in droves.
"More than five thousand cultivators died because of the two Qinghe clans. I'm afraid Qinghe Market City will be a city in name only from now on."
Chen Jianghe said faintly.
Then, he opened Gao Peiyao's letter.
"Peiyao is coming to Thousand Mountains Market City?!"