"There it is!"
Yang Genshuo excitedly pumped his fist.
"Once this child is born, Yang Shi will no longer be the Yang Family's only member."
"Many children, many blessings—that is what makes an immortal-cultivating lineage."
This excited Yang Genshuo even more than Yang Shi becoming an Innate Grandmaster.
"I hope the child has a Spiritual Root."
Yang Genshuo looked at the less than 200 Incense Value and felt a little troubled.
"The annual market is about to open. I need to find a way to earn some more Incense Value."
Yang Genshuo did have a good idea.
Manifestation.
"Yang Shi, this year your ancestor will teach you a new strategy—hunger marketing."
Time accelerated once more.
Year 4, Day 285. Rogue Cultivators gradually gathered in Bluestone County. Bai Heyu of the Blackstone Sect came alone, and Yang Shi announced the second Demon Venerable Tournament.
Year 4, Day 286. Yang Shi released word that the senior who made Three Kingdoms Kill had returned to the craft. After a year of polishing his work, he had created another fourteen sets of cards. He would auction off one finely plastic-wrapped set of Three Kingdoms Kill cards each day, and every set would come with a limited-edition divine card.
The news instantly left the Rogue Cultivators drooling.
The master only made fourteen sets of cards in a year!
Buy one set and get a divine card for free!
How could they not hurry up and snatch them?
I'm damn well bidding, bidding, bidding!
Year 4, Day 300. The Demon Venerable Tournament came to an end. Bai Heyu's strength had soared this year, and his total score carried him into the top six. Jiang Xiaobai could not participate because she was pregnant.
Yang Shi sold fourteen sets of Three Kingdoms Kill cards, earning a total of 125 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
For the first time, the Lineage's assets surpassed 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Incense Value +50
"Good! Saving money really can increase Incense Value."
Blessing: Spiritual Essence
From the Yang Family ancestral tablets, a stream of golden light shot into Jiang Xiaobai's belly, enveloping the little life growing within. A sudden insight came to Jiang Xiaobai, and she gave the ancestral tablets a slight bow.
"Xiao Bai and the baby thank the ancestors for your blessing~"
Year 4, Day 301. Bluestone Market officially opened.
After trading began this time, Yang Shi did not immediately sell the Yang Family's Spirit Wheat and Spirit Rice Paddy. He stored them all in the warehouse.
They had earned Spirit Stones selling cards this year, and the three members of the Miao Family had contributed some as well.
At present, he had a total of 165 Low-Grade Spirit Stones on hand.
"Buy three Marrow Cleansing Pills."
One each for Yang Genshuo, Jiang Xiaobai, and Huzi.
Huzi's Minor Vessel Accomplishment talent had begun to show its strength over the past few years. Coupled with the Yang Family's support, his martial cultivation speed was not much slower than Yang Shi's. This year, he had a chance to enter the Seventh Level of Body Tempering, and he could also use a Marrow Cleansing Pill to forcibly break through to the Eighth Level.
Marrow Cleansing Pills were common First-Grade Pills and were not scarce in the market. Yang Shi looked around and spent 54 Low-Grade Spirit Stones to buy them.
"111 Low-Grade Spirit Stones left."
Yang Genshuo's eyes nearly went crossed from rummaging through everything. Aside from proper immortal-cultivation supplies, these Rogue Cultivators really had heaps of miscellaneous junk.
More than half of it was trash that looked somewhat useful.
Like panning for gold in shit, Yang Genshuo clicked until his hand cramped before barely finding a decent artifact.
More precisely, it was a set of artifacts.
Following Yang Genshuo's guidance, Yang Shi arrived at a lonely stall with no other vendors set up nearby.
Five beads of different colors sat on the stall, along with oddly shaped Spirit Stones.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man. He held a glowing jade carving knife and was completely absorbed in carving a Low-Grade Spirit Stone. As the knife carved line after line into it—
Bang!
The Low-Grade Spirit Stone exploded. Yang Shi was sent flying by a tremendous force, smashed into the wall across from him, and slowly slid down.
"?"
Yang Shi got up with bared teeth and rubbed his sore body, then patted the dust off himself.
"I think I know why you're the only stall here."
He had not even been at the center of the explosion, yet the shockwave alone had sent him flying. The blast could easily overturn half the stalls on the street.
"Hehe~ Sorry about that. I was too absorbed and didn't notice anyone arriving. Would you like to look at something?"
The middle-aged man scratched his head. A silver glow appeared over his stall, which had not moved in the slightest.
"Huh? How did you secure this stall?"
"A simple Earth-Binding Formation does the job."
"Oh, so it's an Earth-Binding Formation."
Yang Shi's head was full of question marks. What was an Earth-Binding Formation? He had no knowledge in that area!
Yang Genshuo did know.
He had been observing this stall for quite some time. The owner was a Second Layer of Qi Refining formation master, likely the cultivator with the highest cultivation level at this year's market besides Bai Heyu.
Yang Shi said nothing more, lest his lack of knowledge expose his weakness.
"How much are these beads?"
"Five-Element Spirit Pearls. They are a set of five Low-Grade artifacts. In battle, they can be thrown to track and attack an enemy, and they will automatically return. Combined, they can activate a Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Formation."
"How many Spirit Stones?"
"You can see that I'm badly short on Spirit Stones right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't sell these artifacts. One Low-Grade artifact is worth around fifteen to twenty Spirit Stones. Mine come as a set of five and can activate a Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Formation to increase cultivation speed. One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and no bargaining."
After saying that, he took out another Low-Grade Spirit Stone from his pocket and continued carving. If he had not known Yang Shi was an agent of the Blackstone Sect, he would not even have quoted a price to a mortal.
Yang Shi pondered for a moment before asking, "What are these things on your table? Formations?"
"Single-use formation stones. Two Low-Grade Spirit Stones each. Every type is available."
"I'll buy this set of Five-Element Spirit Pearls. Throw in five formation stones for me, how about it?"
"Pick them yourself."
Yang Shi spent 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones to take away the Five-Element Spirit Pearls and five single-use formation stones.
Yang Genshuo looked thoughtfully at the formation master's character card.
Extremely high talent for formations!
"This man is a rare genius. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the strength to make him serve us."
Among Rogue Cultivators, there were occasionally brilliant and astonishing talents, but with the Yang Family's current capabilities, they were not yet able to bring such people under their command.
"So, keep developing!"
There was nothing else worth trading for at the market. Just as Yang Genshuo was about to speed up time, his gaze drifted to the street, where he spotted two masked cultivators with powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.
"There are Qi Refining Realm experts too?"
He opened the two men's character cards and was instantly shocked.
"Demonic cultivators from Bloodsoul Valley!"
"Do they want to destroy this market too?"
Yang Genshuo was just about to warn Yang Shi when the two men left the market and headed south of the county seat.
"South of the city... the Xiang Family?"
Yang Genshuo manifested and told Yang Shi.
"Ancestor, I placed someone in the tavern over there as a lookout. If they discover anything unusual, they will tell me."
Yang Shi had never forgotten the Yang Family's blood-deep vendetta. He was merely waiting. Waiting for an opportunity.
The next day, news indeed arrived.
Late last night, many carriages left the Xiang Family estate, carrying away a large quantity of supplies.
They were escorted front and back by two masked people.
"The Xiang Family still has ties to Bloodsoul Valley?"
This discovery weighed heavily on Yang Shi's heart.
Yang Genshuo ordered Yang Shi to plan before acting. Without absolute certainty, he must not alert the Xiang Family. They were still far from being a match for the Xiang Family.
They needed more time!
Year 4, Day 305. Bluestone Market ended, and the Rogue Cultivators left one after another to seek their own opportunities.
Jiang Xiaobai used the Five-Element Spirit Pearls to set up a Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Formation. Cultivating within it increased her cultivation speed by 20% compared to normal.
Year 4, Day 365. Your descendant Yang Shi successfully completed this year's ancestral worship ceremony.
Incense Value +10 You received offerings from members of the Yang Family: 1,000 jin of Spirit Wheat, 1 Marrow Cleansing Pill. Would you like to bestow a reward upon the Yang Family descendants? Bestow 100 tubs of Nescafé coffee
Coffee had received quite favorable reviews among the Rogue Cultivators. This year, the old beggar had specifically come to take three tubs of coffee powder, so Yang Genshuo replenished his stock.
"I'm so sleepy. I'll deal with it tomorrow. Time to sleep."
Yang Genshuo slept soundly in the study as the game's time flowed into the sixth year.
Year 5, Day 10. Huzi broke through to the Seventh Level of Body Tempering. After taking a Marrow Cleansing Pill, he broke through again to the Eighth Level of Body Tempering. His aptitude increased slightly, and his 'Overlord' talent strengthened.
Year 5, Day 46. Jiang Xiaobai broke through to the Fourth Layer of Embryonic Breath within the Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Formation.
Year 5, Day 180. While using the Universal Growth Art in the Spirit Field of Tiger-Leopard Forest, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly felt a pain in her belly.
Before you continue