Rogue Cultivator Market

"My spirit grain..."

Old Xu, who had been watching Zhou Changwang remove pests from the side, cried out in heartache and hurriedly rushed into the field, propping up the bent spirit grain.

"This can't be blamed on me.

Everyone knows how troublesome spirit locusts are.

Only by mastering Icebound Finger, an ice-element spell, and using the power of frost to freeze it can one stop its front claws from flailing about and damaging the spirit grain."

Zhou Changwang put the spirit locust's corpse into his cloth sack and spoke helplessly.

Icebound Finger was likewise considered one of the spirit plant spells. It could use the power of frost to freeze spirit insects and prevent them from further damaging spirit plants.

It was just that this spell was rather expensive. Spirit Plant Hall had priced it at fifteen low-grade spirit stones, and he had neither been willing nor able to exchange for it.

"This old man isn't someone who refuses to see reason."

Though Old Xu's heart ached, he still spoke up.

He knew the characteristics of spirit locusts, so he naturally understood that Zhou Changwang was not to blame.

Then, looking at that stalk of spirit grain, he swiftly cast a spell.

A few breaths later, specks of spiritual light scattered from his body and flowed into the spirit grain.

Spring Renewal Technique.

This was a healing spell. Not only could it be used on spirit plants, but it also had some restorative effect on injured people.

At this moment, Old Xu intended to use this spell to heal and restore the spirit grain.

As for whether it would truly work, that depended on the spirit plant's vitality and recovery.

Afterward, Zhou Changwang began searching for and removing pests again.

Fortunately, the pest removal that followed went fairly smoothly, and he did not spot another spirit locust.

Thus, after Zhou Changwang had inspected all three mu of spirit fields, there were already seven more spirit insects in his cloth sack.

"Seven spirit insects, plus the nine I already had, makes sixteen.

I heard that someone in the market is willing to buy spirit insects at fifteen for one low-grade spirit stone. Occasionally, traveling merchants also come specifically to the spirit fields to purchase them.

If I exchange them, I can get another low-grade spirit stone.

That means I earned a full two low-grade spirit stones today."

Zhou Changwang calculated inwardly, and joy immediately welled up within him.

Though this was not a regular occurrence—after all, he could only earn one low-grade spirit stone from Old Xu every three days—the spirit insects were a solid, tangible gain.

By the time he returned to his residence, the sky had only just darkened.

Zhou Changwang quickly washed rice and cooked a meal, then prepared six spirit insects as dishes to go with it.

After all, he also needed the spiritual energy in spirit insect meat to aid his cultivation.

Based on the experience he had "eaten up" over the past few days, six spirit insects were enough to restore all the spiritual power he had previously consumed, while also increasing his Qi Refining cultivation by a little.

Together with the proficient-level Five Elements Formula, which allowed him to routinely gain "a little" cultivation every day while cultivating,

that little bit might not seem like much, but bit by bit, year after year, wouldn't his cultivation rise naturally?

As for the remaining ten spirit insects, he planned to save them until a traveling merchant came to purchase goods from the spirit fields, then exchange them for spirit stones.

Spirit insects were spiritual creatures, after all. Their flesh was tender yet resilient; even if kept for three to five days, it would not spoil, and not much spiritual energy would be lost.

"This low-grade spirit stone, though..."

Zhou Changwang woke from cultivation and could not help taking out that low-grade spirit stone once more.

This spirit stone probably would not gather dust even in the mortal world, for even in the darkness of night, it gave off a soft, luminous glow.

Then he put it away again.

Because he had already decided what to use the spirit stone for.

To buy spirit rice.

"People regard food as heaven."

Cultivators, unless they were true cultivators who had attained the Dao, still needed to eat, drink, defecate, and urinate.

But ordinary mortal rice could only fill a cultivator's stomach; it offered no benefit whatsoever to cultivation.

Spirit rice, however, was different.

Not only could it satisfy hunger, but the spiritual energy contained within it could also be easily absorbed and refined, transforming bit by bit into his own spiritual power and cultivation, raising his strength.

"Spirit stones may be good, but I am a cultivator. In this world, the only things that can truly let me stand firm are my cultivation realm and strength."

Zhou Changwang sighed.

Thus, early the next morning, he hurried out the door.

The direction he took was not toward the spirit fields, but toward the inner city of Phoenix-Cry Cove Market.

Of course, he was not heading for the various shops in the inner city, but for a Rogue Cultivator Market in the northwestern corner of the inner city.

There, countless Rogue Cultivators set up stalls to sell goods. Their prices were often cheaper than those of shops, and sometimes one could even stumble upon a bargain, drawing many Rogue Cultivators together.

"So this is the market's inner city. Even the air smells much sweeter.

If I lived here, I'd probably gain a few extra years of life."

Zhou Changwang stepped into the market's inner city, took a deep breath, and could not help sighing.

He knew that Phoenix-Cry Cove Market had been built atop a First-Rank Spiritual Vein, where the spiritual energy was much richer than in the outskirts. If mortals lived here, they might not necessarily live to a hundred without illness or disaster, but they could at least reach eighty.

"When I have spirit stones in the future, I must move into the inner city."

Zhou Changwang murmured, but he did not dare linger. He hurried toward the northwest.

Before long, a long street appeared before him.

Cultivators had set up stalls all along both sides of the street.

Many people of every sort also walked along the road, some moving about, others stopping at stalls to ask prices.

"There really are so many cultivation supplies."

As Zhou Changwang looked at the items displayed on the stalls, he could not help marveling inwardly.

There were palm-sized talismans covered in all manner of intricate patterns, ancient books bearing the names of various divine arts and marvelous spells, seemingly ordinary objects whose stall owners claimed were powerful artifacts stolen from the tombs of some Foundation Establishment true cultivator, jade slips said to record powerful cultivation methods, bottles of spirit pills with differing effects, and seeds advertised as second-rank or even third-rank spirit plants...

Zhou Changwang carefully avoided those overly enthusiastic stall owners. He naturally knew that while some things in the Rogue Cultivator Market were indeed cheaper, there were also especially many scams and swindles.

If he truly believed the nonsense those stall owners boasted, he would suffer a huge loss.

Fortunately, Zhou Changwang had grown up in the market and was exceedingly vigilant.

Thus, he soon arrived at a stall.

It was a rice stall.

Various kinds of rice were laid out upon it. There was not only ordinary rice for mortals, but also all manner of spirit rice, such as the Spirit Grain Rice Zhou Changwang was currently growing, Crescent Rice shaped like curved moons, Blood-Red Rice streaked as though dyed with blood, and even Spirit Fruit Rice as large as grapes...