Exchange

Lu Xiaotian's will stirred, and the mist surged, with several wisps of mist wrapping around his Primordial Spirit to protect it once more. Upon contact with the agile green strands, Lu Xiaotian's spirit was invigorated, feeling refreshed after his Primordial Spirit devoured the green strands.

Just as he was about to devour the other green glows, a hoarse laugh rang out, "Haha. There's spiritual energy to replenish in this damned place, wonderful!"

Hearing the voice, Lu Xiaotian immediately became anxious. Although he was protected by the mist and didn't need to worry about the Black Robe Old Man's sneak attack, the significant difference in their Realms meant his speed was ultimately no match for the Black Robe Old Man's.

Could these green strands be the spiritual energy produced by the Spiritual Grass I just consumed? Lu Xiaotian wondered. He then regained control of his body and consumed another leaf of Spiritual Grass. As expected, apart from what his meridians could accommodate, the rest disappeared again, and more green strands appeared within the Barrier.

The Black Robe Old Man's Primordial Spirit was searching everywhere. Upon seeing the green strands regenerate, he became overjoyed and chased after them, devouring them into his body. His Primordial Spirit Body, which had become faint from casting spells, now appeared much more solidified.

"Stop, that spiritual energy is mine!" Lu Xiaotian shouted in anger after his experiment proved that the spiritual energy was transformed from Spiritual Grass.

"What is ownerless belongs to the virtuous. Whoever eats it gets it. If you want it, come in and take it yourself," the Black Robe Old Man sneered.

"I consumed Purple Grass, and within a short time, I couldn't absorb all the spiritual energy the Purple Grass needed, which is why it appeared within the Green Fruit Barrier. If you use it all up, I simply won't consume Spiritual Grass anymore and will Cultivate on my own. Not a single wisp of spiritual energy will be born within the Barrier!" Lu Xiaotian felt a pang of heartache. The Purple Grass he had painstakingly collected was being wasted like this, and worse, it fell into the hands of his enemy. He had consumed Spiritual Grass and Cultivated for over a year, yet he was still only at the Qi Refining First Layer. If he relied solely on his own Cultivation, it would likely take at least three years to break through to the second layer.

Cultivation becomes increasingly difficult later on. It was estimated that reaching the Qi Refining Third Layer would take six to seven years, or even longer. However, after consuming Spiritual Grass, apart from the portion his body could immediately digest and absorb, all the excess spiritual energy produced appeared within the Barrier. Entering the Barrier meant constantly guarding against the Black Robe Old Man's sneak attacks. This problem had to be solved, otherwise, future Cultivation would be as difficult as ascending to heaven!

"You say it is, so it is? What proof do you have? Also, this place is called the Green Fruit Barrier?" The Black Robe Old Man hesitated for a moment and asked. He had been trapped in this Barrier for several months without encountering a single wisp of spiritual energy. Now, two waves suddenly appeared, which was definitely not without reason. Moreover, the name of this cage-like place seemed peculiar.

"If you don't believe me, name a time, and I'll make another wave of spiritual energy appear within this Barrier," Lu Xiaotian said with a snort. The so-called Green Fruit Barrier was a name he gave himself. This place was born from Green Fruit and had a Barrier-like wall, so he decided to call it the Green Fruit Barrier.

"Fine. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, if another wave of spiritual energy appears within the Barrier, I'll believe you," the Black Robe Old Man agreed.

After the incense stick burned out, the green strands within the Barrier became dense again.

"Well, do you believe me now?" Lu Xiaotian's Primordial Spirit reappeared outside the Barrier.

The Black Robe Old Man looked at the drifting green strands in the air, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

"So what if I believe you?"

"We'll split the spiritual energy born in this space, eight for me, two for you." Lu Xiaotian proposed.

"If I want to use this spiritual energy, I can. Two parts, what's the difference between that and nothing? Your Cultivation is too low to use so much spiritual energy. It would be more like eight for me and two for you," the Black Robe Old Man scoffed.

"Seven for me, three for you. Any more, and we can just go our separate ways. You won't get a single wisp of spiritual energy from me again."

"No, at most six for me and four for you!"

"Six for me, four for you!"

"Split it fifty-fifty, or forget it!"

"Fifty-fifty it is. I only have two and a half Purple Grass left anyway," Lu Xiaotian said, annoyed. Although he had to give half of it to his nemesis for nothing, it was still better than meditating and Cultivating on his own.

The Black Robe Old Man snorted, "Purple Grass? You truly have limited vision. What you're talking about is Purple Spirit Grass. With your current Cultivation, you can only absorb the spiritual energy from Purple Spirit Grass without being overwhelmed. If it's refined into a Qi Gathering Pill, its efficacy is at least three times greater than simply consuming Purple Spirit Grass."

"If I knew how to refine pills, would I need you to tell me?" Lu Xiaotian's eyes darted. "How about this, since we're in the same boat now, you teach me the method for refining Qi Gathering Pills. Once I've refined them, you'll get more spiritual energy."

The Black Robe Old Man rolled his eyes. "Do you think refining pills is a trivial matter? Even if I teach you the method, you're not even an alchemy apprentice yet. If you can refine one furnace out of ten, that would be good. Two stalks of Purple Spirit Grass wouldn't even be enough for your tuition fees."

"If you don't agree, then forget it. Don't expect any more spiritual energy supplements from now on," Lu Xiaotian threatened.

"It's not impossible. However, if a Qi Gathering Pill is successfully refined, the spiritual energy from the first two Qi Gathering Pills will be mine. After that, we'll split it fifty-fifty."

The Black Robe Old Man pondered for a moment. Qi Gathering Pills could only be used by cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining. The spiritual energy from one stalk of Purple Spirit Grass was far from enough for him. He had fallen to the Qi Refining Eleventh Layer, and it would take a lot of time to return to the twelfth layer. If Lu Xiaotian continued to stall, it would be of no benefit to him.

"Deal!" Lu Xiaotian agreed. Regardless, learning to refine Qi Gathering Pills would eventually add another skill to his repertoire.

"I need an Alchemy Furnace made of Red Copper?" Lu Xiaotian was annoyed that the Black Robe Old Man refused to give him the previous Alchemy Furnace. Now he was certain that the unopened Storage Bag belonged to the Black Robe Old Man. However, the old man wouldn't budge, and he was helpless. There must be something very important inside that Storage Bag.

Having obtained the Pill Recipe for Qi Gathering Pills, Lu Xiaotian had no intention of continuing to Cultivate in the cave. He returned to Pingwu County City and sold two more herbs. Then, he visited several blacksmith shops and finally found a third one that could forge a Red Copper Alchemy Furnace.

After paying the deposit, Lu Xiaotian left the blacksmith shop. As he walked down a secluded alley, he saw two groups of people facing each other with swords drawn. They were all boys and girls around twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in tight-fitting clothes. One side had six or seven people, while the other had fourteen or fifteen.

"I wonder which Sect you're from. You dare to be so arrogant even in Pingwu County City? So you're from the Thunder Blade Sect. You're unlucky to have run into our Black Tiger Gang this time!" a thin young man in brocade clothes said with a stern face.

"You're just relying on numbers. If you have the guts, fight us one on one and see if your Black Tiger Gang members have grown any stronger in recent years," one of the seven people with their backs to Lu Xiaotian, a slightly taller martial artist in black, stepped forward and said disdainfully.

Lu Xiaotian had intended to turn and leave, but his steps faltered when he heard that familiar voice. If it were an ordinary Thunder Blade Sect disciple, he wouldn't have bothered. He hadn't expected to run into Shi Qingshan again here after leaving Qingzhu County. The martial world is full of trouble, and it seemed the Thunder Blade Sect and the Black Tiger Gang had a past feud. Lu Xiaotian was genuinely happy to see Shi Qingshan leading so many disciples.