Lin Chang'an walked out of Hundred Treasures Pavilion with his heart aching. Ten Spirit Stones—why didn't they just rob him? If they hadn't offered delivery, he would never have come here.
"Fellow Daoist Chang'an."
Lin Chang'an turned and saw Li Han and Murong Yue, who had also come to browse the Trade Fair.
"You two?"
Lin Chang'an could not help but be startled when he saw them. Both carried an air of grim slaughter about them.
Li Han scratched his head awkwardly. "Fellow Daoist Murong Yue and I met in the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range."
The Cloud Ridge Mountain Range linked the forces of both the righteous and demonic paths from east to west, stretching for tens of thousands of li. Wild beasts and fierce birds emerged in endless succession there. It was a primitive forest rarely touched by human feet, one even cultivators were unwilling to enter lightly.
This mountain range was also known as the Miasma Forest. Even Qi Condensation cultivators found it quite troublesome, yet the riches within the mountains stirred people's hearts, and many cultivators went there to search for them.
Miaowa Kingdom lay in the basin of this mountain range. How could the major sects and powers possibly let such an opportunity slip by?
In just two months, Murong Yue had changed from the woman who avoided his gaze after her wedding night into someone who greeted him with a calm, gentle smile. Her growth in temperament was plain to see.
Perhaps this was what they called adapting to local customs.
"With Fellow Daoist Li Han's strength as a Martial Grandmaster, the two of us make a good team for searching the outskirts of the mountain range. These spirit herbs, spirit fruits, and bits of spirit beast meat are all things we obtained."
Murong Yue spoke with a smile. Though it was rather dangerous, it was at least a channel with considerable returns. She could not bear children and did not wish to casually marry some Great Sword Sect disciple. Cultivating resources earned from farming alone were far from enough.
Still, Murong Yue truly deserved her High-grade Spirit Root talent. In merely two months, she had already entered Qi Condensation. Coupled with her birth into a martial arts aristocratic family in the mortal world, she was a genuine Innate Martial Artist.
An Innate Martial Artist's close-combat strength was no weaker than that of an early Qi Condensation cultivator. The two joining forces were indeed not weak. Within the Great Sword Sect, late Qi Condensation cultivators were already elder-level figures, while mid Qi Refining cultivators formed the main fighting force.
"Flowerless Fruit, Eight-petal Lotus Leaf..."
Looking over the pair's stall, Lin Chang'an could not help smiling as he nodded. "It seems the two of you have made quite a harvest."
Li Han rubbed his nose and laughed casually. "Fellow Daoist Chang'an, aren't you refining pills? If you need any materials in the future, just tell us. When we are in the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range, we can keep an eye out for them."
At this point, Li Han muttered in a low voice, "Everything in the sect costs thirty percent more than outside, but we simply can't go outside."
Lin Chang'an saw through their little scheme but did not expose it. It benefited both sides. Just then, Murong Yue asked solemnly, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Chang'an, what exactly is this Spirit Contract?"
At her words, a glint flashed through Lin Chang'an's eyes. He sighed. "Just as I thought. I was wondering how they could possibly let you leave so easily."
"A Spirit Contract is a type of contract used by cultivators. Signing one leaves behind a brand of one's own spiritual power, and that brand carries the unique soul aura of a cultivator. Its binding force is nearly equal to an oath to one's inner demon. Within a certain range, it can also trigger backlash of spiritual power and reveal one's location."
As he spoke, Lin Chang'an looked deeply at Murong Yue. "Even if you were lucky enough to escape, the fluctuations of your spiritual power would make you like a wanted criminal in the mortal world with a criminal brand tattooed across her face."
Murong Yue's face went pale upon hearing this. Clearly, the sect would not let her go, because she had signed a Spirit Contract.
"Fellow Daoist Chang'an, can this Spirit Contract truly not be broken?"
Seeing that Murong Yue had not given up, Lin Chang'an shook his head. "Not necessarily. First-rank Spirit Contracts are expensive, and their restrictions mainly target Qi Condensation cultivators. Once you break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, it becomes no more than a scrap of paper."
Foundation Establishment! Murong Yue's expression turned somewhat ugly at those words. Lin Chang'an also smiled bitterly. "You have a High-grade Spirit Root, so naturally they had you sign one early. As for me—"
At this point, Lin Chang'an looked at Li Han and shook his head. "Neither of us can escape it. The Great Sword Sect simply does not wish to waste resources so casually."
"I have been refining pills in the sect all this time, so naturally they did not want to waste a precious Spirit Contract on me. As for you, once you break through to mid Qi Refining, you will have one too."
The apparent peace and calm were merely an illusion. They had Spirit Roots and value, which was why they were treated this way. If they had no value, what awaited them would not be this peaceful atmosphere.
The potential of a Low-grade Spirit Root was too low. Did they want to leave by bearing children? The odds were too small. Having children was easy, but the chance of giving birth to a child with a Spirit Root was far too low.
This thing not only depended on exceptional talent, but also carried a touch of mysterious fate.
"The Spirit Contract requires me to serve the sect for fifty years! Or I must pay ten times the resources the sect spent raising me in order to redeem myself."
Having been sold here, what they had signed was a deed of bondage.
"Hehe, I wonder, Fellow Daoist Chang'an, can you refine pills that increase spiritual power? When we are in the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range, we will keep an eye out for related spirit herbs for you."
Seeing the determination in Murong Yue's eyes, Lin Chang'an's eyes shifted. It seemed he could save quite a few Spirit Stones this way as well, though this woman was no easy opponent either.
After looking around and confirming no one was paying attention to them, Lin Chang'an quietly cast a Soundproofing Spell and softly told the two what medicinal ingredients he needed.
"What!"
Inside the soundproof barrier, Lin Chang'an coughed lightly and slowly listed the medicinal ingredients he needed. Li Han's eyes widened, while Murong Yue beside him remained calm, though her gaze stayed fixed on his waist.
Lin Chang'an coughed twice and put on an awe-inspiring expression. Looking at the pair, he shook his head. "What kind of place is this? And what are we? To put it bluntly, we are like those in a Flower Pavilion. At a time like this, what face is there to speak of? Only Spirit Stones are real."
"The Great Sword Sect's actions show that its ambitions are not small. I fear it truly wishes to establish a foundation of inheritance that will stand unchanged for a hundred years. So now is the perfect opportunity. This kind of pill is a miraculous medicine that can help countless fellow Daoists fulfill their long-cherished wishes sooner."
"We sold ourselves here and were assigned quite a few high grade Spirit Fields according to the quality of our Spirit Roots, yet these resources are not even enough for cultivation. I am helping them complete their tasks sooner."
Watching Lin Chang'an's righteous, awe-inspiring manner, as though he were devoting himself to everyone's childbearing cause, Murong Yue and Li Han looked at each other, feeling only that he was utterly shameless.
However, Li Han's expression changed, and he nodded solemnly. "Fellow Daoist Chang'an is truly noble. It is just that these three main medicinal ingredients—"
Looking at the two, Lin Chang'an teased, "You two are far too unprofessional. With all the riches in the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range, you should at least first familiarize yourselves with most spirit herbs, as well as which parts of each beast are valuable and which are worthless. There are also precious ores that can not only refine pills and save lives, but serve other purposes as well."
"I have a copy of the Spirit Herb Manual and Miscellaneous Records of All Things here. I will give them to the two of you."
Just as Li Han was about to accept the jade slip gratefully, he suddenly found that he could not pull it free. Looking again at Lin Chang'an's smile, he immediately revealed an awkward grin.
"Fellow Daoist, how could we let you give it to us for nothing? Here is one tael of Spirit Sand."
Spirit Sand was a smaller unit of measurement than Spirit Stones. Seeing this tiny packet of Spirit Sand, Lin Chang'an could not help smiling. "You are too courteous."
Murong Yue smiled gently and likewise exchanged one tael of Spirit Sand for a jade slip.
Lin Chang'an, who had gotten what he wanted, wore a broad smile, as though he could already see an endless stream of Spirit Stones. Others went to the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range while he kindly bought their goods and even taught them not to waste anything.
Tsk, tsk. I truly am kind.
"Take your time browsing, Fellow Daoists. I will head back first."
"Take care, Fellow Daoist."
Lin Chang'an headed home with a broad smile. The cultivators heading into the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range could keep watch for the medicinal ingredients he needed, allowing him to save however much he could. At the same time, he could use it to give his pills a wave of publicity. Worth it.
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