Buying Spirit Fruits (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

Since passing Ling Ruda's weapon refinement test a month ago and refining an Azure Bamboo Sword, after which Ling Yunhong had rewarded him with a hundred portions of Weapon Refinement Materials, Ling Pengyun could only squeeze the one hour needed to refine an Azure Bamboo Sword each day out of his cultivation time.

The reason he refined an Azure Bamboo Sword only once a day was that if he refined two in a day, setting aside all his other duties, he would likely have only about an hour left for cultivation.

That amount of time was not even enough for Ling Pengyun to complete three great circulation cycles, and the cultivation he could gain from it was pitifully little.

Since it was difficult to start with time, he could only start with cultivation resources.

Without much thought, Ling Pengyun found a cultivation treasure better than the Yellow Sprout Pill.

It was "spirit fruit."

The spiritual energy contained within spirit fruits was mild, pure, and free of impurities. Consuming one allowed cultivation to progress thirty percent faster than taking a Yellow Sprout Pill.

"Spirit fruits are good, but they're simply too expensive!"

Ling Pengyun said helplessly, feeling the pinch.

He then calculated how many spirit stones he had in his Storage Bag.

The result truly put him in a much better mood. He had a full two hundred and sixty-one spirit stones.

The next morning.

After settling all the matters on Azure Stone Mountain, Ling Pengyun first went to Azure Stone Village and informed Village Chief Ling Dong that he would be leaving. He asked the Innate Perfection martial artist to patrol the area around Azure Stone Mountain more often over the coming days, lest wild beasts attack the village.

Afterward, he went to the mine vein within the Underground River beneath Azure Stone Lake and sought out Ling Ruxian, who was stationed there. He informed Ling Ruxian that he would be leaving for a day to visit the Cloud Mist Market in neighboring Peaceful An County to buy some things. He entrusted Ling Ruxian with paying closer attention to Azure Stone Village, lest Qi Training Demon Beasts that the Lingxiao Guard, made up of more than a hundred Houtian and Innate Realm martial artists, could not handle were to appear.

The Blue-Scaled Demon Serpent's rampage through Azure Stone Village was a painful lesson written in blood.

That was only because the Blue-Scaled Demon Serpent had not been the sort of savage demon beast that slaughtered without restraint, merely hunting humans for food. Among demon beasts, there was no shortage of those that delighted in slaughter and bloody scenes.

If such a demon beast broke into Azure Stone Village, the entire village might well be wiped out.

Now that a powerful elder was nearby, Ling Pengyun naturally wanted to add another protective barrier for the safety of Azure Stone Village's residents.

After racing a thousand li, Ling Pengyun finally entered Cloud Mist Market at nightfall.

His first destination was the Lingxiao Rice Hall operated by his own clan.

When Ling Rushui, the lonely old man managing the shop, saw Ling Pengyun return after more than a year, he was pleased, yet he did not give Ling Pengyun a pleasant look. Instead, he gave him a thorough scolding.

"Pengyun, did you discover a mine vein and become rich, so now you look down on this old man? It's been a whole year, and only now did you think to come visit me."

The sight made Ling Pengyun's heart ache. He secretly swore that during the remaining three-plus years of his stationing at Azure Stone Mountain, he would come here every half year to visit Ling Rushui, this lonely old man who was like his own great grandfather.

With an apologetic expression, Ling Pengyun explained that he had recently been devoting himself to weapon refinement, which was why he had delayed coming to visit the old man.

"The clan has you cultivating both spirit plant farming and weapon refinement?" Ling Rushui was instantly astonished upon hearing Ling Pengyun's words.

Ling Rushui lived in Cloud Mist Market and had very little contact with his clansmen. Only when the clan sent someone to replenish the spiritual goods in the rice hall at the beginning of each year did he have an opportunity to speak with them.

Moreover, Ling Pengyun had only been designated as a reserve weapon refinement prospect of the Ling Clan in February of this year, and was formally made a weapon refinement prospect at the end of August.

The Ling Clan's upper ranks had not publicized the matter either. Not to mention Ling Rushui, who was thousands of li away from Lingxiao Mountain—even clan members who lived in the clan year-round knew nothing of it.

Broadcasting the emergence of talent within the clan was no good thing.

Though the five great Foundation Establishment Families of Huai River County stood on the same front and appeared close and flawless, none of them could bear to see the others doing too well.

If an opportunity arose in ordinary times, they would not hesitate to kill even a cultivator from another clan with Three Spirit Roots or Four Spirit Roots, let alone a Foundation Establishment prospect from the other side. Much less would they spare Ling Pengyun, who had mastered two of the Hundred Arts.

"The clan's talents are dwindling. This is also a move born of necessity." Ling Pengyun gave a simple explanation.

"It is true that the clan's talents are dwindling. But as far as I know, to formally become a weapon refinement prospect of the clan, one must refine a magical artifact. What magical artifact have you refined?" Ling Rushui asked curiously.

"Of course. Fifteenth Great Grandfather, please look at this sword. Although I refined this Azure Bamboo Sword, my weapon refinement skills are not high, and the quality of this Azure Bamboo Sword is also the very worst kind!" Ling Pengyun patted the Storage Bag at his waist, took out an Azure Bamboo Sword he had refined, and handed it to Ling Rushui.

Looking at the Azure Bamboo Sword gleaming with spiritual charm in his hand, Ling Rushui was shocked. In barely a year, Ling Pengyun had gone from knowing nothing about weapon refinement to successfully refining a magical artifact. Even if this artifact truly was the poorest quality, it was still a magical artifact. So long as the price was right, there would certainly be cash-strapped independent cultivators willing to buy it.

"Though the quality of this Azure Bamboo Sword is poor, for someone like you who has only just entered the path of weapon refinement, it is already quite good. In just over half a year, you have entered the path of weapon refinement, which proves the clan did not misjudge you. The clan truly needs a young Weapon Refiner to replace that boy Yun An and refine artifacts for the clan! Pengyun, work hard!"

Ling Rushui had been in the business of managing shops for several decades and had encountered all kinds of spiritual goods. The shop he had managed in the past was the Sundries Hall in Cloudwater Market Town. Did not the word "sundries" mean that it had every kind of spiritual item?

Thus, he recognized the quality of the Azure Bamboo Sword at a glance.

"Fifteenth Great Grandfather, I understand! I brought this Azure Bamboo Sword with me this time because I wanted to ask whether you could put Azure Bamboo Swords of this quality on display for sale in the rice hall you manage?" Ling Pengyun asked.

"That can be done, but Azure Bamboo Swords of this quality can sell for no more than their cost price—ten spirit stones! Can you accept that?" Ling Rushui said.

"Of course, Fifteenth Great Grandfather. I have two more here, so let us hang them in this rice hall for sale together!" Ling Pengyun said.

"Fine. Aside from selling these Azure Bamboo Swords, your main purpose in coming here was to purchase cultivation resources, wasn't it?" Ling Rushui said irritably.

"Nothing can escape Fifteenth Great Grandfather's discerning eye!" Ling Pengyun said. "This time, I intend to purchase twenty First Rank Middle Grade spirit fruits, as well as a First Rank Low Grade flying magical item called the Green Travel Leaf from the Cloudmist Hundred Weapons Hall. With the Green Travel Leaf, which can travel fifteen hundred li a day, I can save some time when traveling far from home. It will also be more convenient when I come to visit you! However, I would like Fifteenth Great Grandfather to make the purchases for these spiritual items, so that thieves do not set their eyes on me!"

Ling Pengyun had wanted to buy a flying magical item for a long time.

It was only because he had been too busy recently to spare time to come to Cloud Mist Market and buy one.

The reason he only planned to buy a First Rank Low Grade flying magical item rather than a First Rank Middle Grade one suited to his cultivation was simple: it was too expensive.

Ling Rushui was not surprised by Ling Pengyun's lavish spending. He knew that Ling Pengyun's parents sent quite a few spirit stones back to the clan every year, and Ling Pengyun himself was a Spirit Plant Farmer. It was perfectly normal for him to possess such wealth.

He teased, "I never thought you, boy, were so cautious! Buying the Green Travel Leaf from Cloudmist Hundred Weapons Hall is easy enough, but spirit fruits are rare goods. Even in the shops operated here by our Ling Clan, which excels at cultivating spirit plants, only five Azure Silk Peaches are released each year, let alone by the other four families! There should be more First Rank Low Grade spirit fruits with weaker effects. Do you want them?"

Upon hearing this answer, Ling Pengyun frowned and considered the effects of First Rank Low Grade spirit fruits.

The effects of First Rank Low Grade spirit fruits were the same as Qi Refining Pills of the same rank. However, because they were fruits nurtured by nature, the spiritual energy in their flesh was incomparably pure, mild, and free of impurities. They were usually much better than Qi Refining Pills, and were also somewhat more valuable, with a market price generally of three spirit stones each.

Only after Three Breaths did he speak. "If there are not enough First Rank Middle Grade spirit fruits, then purchase more First Rank Low Grade spirit fruits!"

He then looked toward the shop entrance. Seeing that no one was outside, he took out two hundred spirit stones from the Storage Bag at his waist and handed them to Ling Rushui.

After accepting the spirit stones, Ling Rushui first deducted forty spirit stones and handed Ling Pengyun the five First Rank Middle Grade and five First Rank Low Grade Azure Silk Peaches that the clan had delivered to the rice hall at the beginning of the year. Only then did he leave the Lingxiao Rice Hall and make his way through the market's other four shops to purchase spiritual items for Ling Pengyun.

As for Ling Pengyun, he obediently remained in the Lingxiao Rice Hall to wait, helping watch the shop and receive customers in the meantime.

Less than half an incense stick later, Ling Rushui returned to the rice hall.

"The other four shops in this market only had three First Rank Middle Grade and five First Rank Low Grade spirit fruits each. After seeing that there were still plenty of spirit stones left after buying the Green Travel Leaf, I bought them all. Since there was no discount, they were purchased at the original price, costing a total of one hundred and thirty-two spirit stones. The flying magical item was the Green Travel Leaf you mentioned, and it cost fifty spirit stones. Of the two hundred spirit stones, eighteen remain!" Ling Rushui shut the shop door, summoned thirty-two jade boxes, a green leaf no larger than a palm, and eighteen spirit stones from his Storage Bag, then used the Object Manipulation Technique to send them before Ling Pengyun.

Hearing the number of spirit fruits Ling Rushui had bought this time, Ling Pengyun's expression brightened with joy. This quantity of spirit fruits would be enough to support his cultivation for quite some time.