Poor Cultivators

Wei Songnian paused, then said:

"Junior Brother is a Spirit Farmer, so you should know that Spirit Fruit Trees can only blossom and bear fruit when planted in a ranked Spirit Field."

Old Huang straightened his back and said with a grin:

"Hehe, Senior Brother Wei, Little Brother An already has a First-tier Spirit Field."

His tone was quite smug, as though Ji An having a First-tier Spirit Field was somehow his doing.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Wei Songnian nodded calmly and said approvingly:

"I never thought you'd finally be generous for once, Old Huang. I thought you were merely talking big when we drank together that time."

This iron rooster Old Huang had finally learned to give away a major favor. Not bad—after living to such an age, he had finally seen the light.

Azure Corn yielded two harvests a year. Giving up some Spirit Crystals to befriend a promising cultivator was an extremely worthwhile deal. If Old Huang waited until he left the sect before handing the First-tier Spirit Field over to Ji An, there would not be much sincerity in it.

Old Huang's face immediately flushed crimson. When they had been drinking that time, he truly had considered giving away the Spirit Field.

But after sobering up and thinking it over, Azure Corn could bring him a net income of seven or eight Spirit Stones each season. Losing those Spirit Stones was no different from cutting flesh off his body.

This was a gift, not a loan of Spirit Stones. There would be no getting it back.

Once he left the sect, he would never encounter such a fine opportunity again. He wanted to save up a little more family wealth for his grandson.

Seeing Old Huang's dark face turn as red as a monkey's backside, how could Wei Songnian fail to realize that he had said the wrong thing?

"Senior Brother guessed wrong. I cultivated the patch of land in the little courtyard into a Low-grade First-tier Spiritual Field. Perhaps it was because the Senior Brother who lived there before left behind a good foundation."

Ji An smoothly took over the conversation. He did not mind that Old Huang had not transferred the Spirit Field to him.

The Spirit Field had been cultivated through another person's painstaking efforts. If it was given to him, he would be grateful; if it was not, that was the other party's freedom.

It was simply that if Old Huang gave him enough, Ji An would repay him all the more in the future.

Though his income was high, he was still severely short of Spirit Crystals. He had a Spirit Absorption Array, yet he could only use the formation for a mere thirty-odd hours each month—far from enough to satisfy him.

"It was Junior Brother's skill. It had nothing to do with the disciple who lived there before."

Wei Songnian said this because he knew full well that most Spirit Farmers treated their little courtyards as vegetable gardens, or raised rabbits and the like to improve their meals.

Old Huang's face became less red. He coughed to hide his embarrassment.

"Little Brother An's Thick Earth Art reached the perfected level a few months ago too. That's why he was able to cultivate a First-tier Spirit Field so quickly."

"I knew all along that Junior Brother was unlike other Spirit Farmers."

Wei Songnian sighed, then asked:

"Does Junior Brother have any requirements regarding the type of fruit tree?"

"I'm not picky. Common Spiritual Peach Trees, Spiritual Apricot Trees, and Spiritual Jujube Trees will do. I once heard Senior Brother mention an Enlightenment Tea Tree; seedlings of that would work too.

"And if there are seedlings of Soul Nurturing Wood, those count as well."

And he called that not picky? Among the three sects of the Western Continent, only Falling Maple Valley possessed a Second-tier Enlightenment Tea Tree. That treasure tree was one of Falling Maple Valley's great sources of income; not a single seed or sapling had ever made its way outside.

Soul Nurturing Wood had harsh demands for its growing environment. A First-tier Spirit Field simply could not keep it alive.

Wei Songnian bared his teeth and laughed.

"Junior Brother should forget about the Enlightenment Tea Tree. Ordinary Spirit Tea Trees, though—I might be able to find a way.

"No one sells fruit tree saplings, but Spiritual Peach and Spiritual Apricot seeds aren't hard to obtain. Ten Spirit Crystals can buy the seeds.

"Spirit Fruit Trees are unlike ordinary fruit trees. They need to be cultivated for years before they bear fruit. I don't know the details either; we'll have to find someone knowledgeable and ask."

He calculated the date, then continued:

"Tonight, I'll take Junior Brother somewhere and see whether we can find anything worthwhile.

"Junior Brother has broken through to Late Qi Condensation. It's time you had more contact with fellow sect cultivators."

Ji An cupped his hands. "Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Huang Feihu returned with spiritual wine, and Wei Songnian said with a smile:

"Old Huang, Fei Hu looks like a clever child. With your support, his path of immortality will surely be much smoother in the future."

"Haha, Fei Hu will definitely amount to more than I have. I'll have to ask you two to look after him in the future."

Old Huang slapped open the clay seal on the spiritual wine, and its fragrance immediately filled the air.

Liang Qiu finished preparing the spiritual fish and served it, along with seasonal fruits and vegetables and ordinary meat dishes. The group began eating with great gusto.

As the sun slanted westward, the two rode a Talisman Bird and drifted leisurely through the sky.

Wei Songnian patted the Talisman Bird beneath him and said bitterly:

"Ah, I'm growing less and less able to stand the speed of Talisman Birds. Once I advance to Foundation Establishment, I'm definitely buying a flying beast."

Ji An merely smiled. An ordinary flying beast was not terribly expensive, but the cost of raising a spirit beast was not low.

Unless one frequently needed it, it was best not to purchase large spirit beasts when Spirit Crystals were scarce.

"The place we're going this time is a free trading venue provided by the sect. There are several similar trading grounds, and a market is held once every three months. When there's a chance later, I'll take Junior Brother to visit them all.

"Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the sect oversee places like these and can help appraise whether items are genuine, though it costs a bit of Spirit Stones."

Ji An smiled.

"Sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother. Senior Brother, do you still have any spiritual pills suitable for Late Qi Condensation disciples? Could you let me buy some on credit? I'll repay you once the Spirit Grain ripens."

Ever since repaying his debts, he had not bought anything on credit from the other party for a year. It was time to cultivate on borrowed funds again.

"Haha, Junior Brother asked at just the right time. I only returned from Azure Cloud Immortal City a few days ago, and I still have two bottles of Shengyuan Pills.

"However, I can't give Junior Brother too many. I can only give you five pills. I need to keep the rest to trade for things I can use."

"Five is already very good. May I ask how much Shengyuan Pills are worth?"

Wei Songnian raised one finger.

"Genuine Shengyuan Pills produced by Falling Maple Valley cost two Spirit Stones each.

"Late Qi Condensation pills require spirit herbs with several decades of medicinal age as their main ingredients, so they have always been in short supply.

"I was only able to buy a batch of Shengyuan Pills from Azure Cloud Immortal City through my family connections."

So expensive. Azure Jade Pills were only thirty Spirit Crystals each!

Ji An mocked himself.

"I always thought I was doing pretty well, but who knew I was still this poor?"

Wei Songnian sighed with deep sympathy.

"Yes, we're both poor cultivators.

"Each month, I take at most five Shengyuan Pills. I need to save Spirit Stones to exchange for Contribution Points, so that I can queue up to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect in the future."

By the time the two arrived at the trading venue, the sky had already darkened.

Wei Songnian took out twenty Spirit Crystals and handed them to the disciple guarding the entrance, saying with a smile:

"Senior Brother Cui, two people."

The man accepted the Spirit Crystals and said indifferently:

"Junior Brother Wei brought a newcomer, huh? Please enter."

When the door was pushed open, noisy conversation poured into Ji An's ears. This hall had a soundproofing formation.

The two stepped inside. Ji An swept his gaze around and found roughly fifty or sixty people within.

Most of their auras were stronger than his. They were likely Senior Brothers at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

A somewhat chubby cultivator with a round face approached them and said with a genial smile:

"Old Wei, this Junior Brother beside you looks unfamiliar indeed.

"Junior Brother, let's get acquainted. I am Lin Antai."