Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 453 Soul-Eating Insects

Ji An bought a large quantity of first-grade top-quality spirit charcoal in the market and then found a weapon-refining shop.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to sell a few magical artifacts."

He took out three first-grade high-quality artifacts: two flying swords and a defensive magic artifact shaped like a scorpion shell.

The shopkeeper was a burly man with a pockmarked face and tattoos on his cheeks and arms, undoubtedly a cultivator.

The burly man carefully examined Ji An for a few moments, and after inspecting the quality of the magical artifact, he spoke calmly:

"A flying sword costs two hundred spirit stones, and a defensive magic weapon costs three hundred spirit stones."

The magical artifacts showed no obvious damage, yet the other party sold three at once, suggesting their origins might be questionable. A normal cultivator wouldn't sell so many magical artifacts at once.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly understanding that the other party was trying to lower the price.

The magical artifact was obtained by him through fighting back against the cultivators, but it was essentially stolen property and could not be sold in large quantities openly. However, the price was simply too low.

"I also know a little about weapon crafting. These magical artifacts can be refurbished and sold for a good price. The recycled materials alone are worth more than a mere seven hundred spirit stones."

The burly man grinned and said coldly:

"Hehe, let's not beat around the bush, fellow Daoist, where did your magical artifact come from?"

He didn't continue speaking; he was the only weapon-refining shop in the market, a business all to himself.

Judging from the accent, the other party was from out of town and probably didn't have any other way to sell it.

As he spoke, he intentionally or unintentionally revealed the aura fluctuations of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Ji An frowned slightly. "It came from an innocent source; it was a gift from a friend."

It was a gift from a not-so-friendly stranger, so it's not entirely wrong.

He put away his magical artifact, shook his head, and left. As he reached the door, he released spiritual pressure at the Chaoyuan stage.

It would be difficult to sell these magical artifacts and spiritual weapons through normal channels. Ji An did not plan to try to sell them at a lower price on the black market and instead decided to dispose of them after returning to the sect.

Anyway, he doesn't lack spirit stones right now, so there's no need for outsiders to earn more.

The burly man's face stiffened, and he abruptly stood up, as if to say something.

'Why would a high-ranking cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage come to our small place!'

In the entire market, cultivators at the Chaoyuan stage are extremely rare.

He hurriedly chased after the customer out of the shop, only to find that the customer had disappeared.

Ji An returned to his cave, activated the magic restriction, and then summoned a rock bear from his spirit beast pouch, ordering, "Guard the entrance."

"Roar," Big Yellow growled, wagging its short tail as it sat behind the door.

Ji An entered the quiet room and used the stone tortoise to enter the gourd world.

He carried the bodies to the red earth, lit the sacred charcoal, and threw the eight bodies onto it.

Zhu Mingli and his junior sister were among them. The fact that the disciples of two Golden Core cultivators died at the hands of a Tribulation Cultivator made Ji An quite sigh.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, it's all over."

The ashes of a cultivator are a great tonic for spiritual plants; otherwise, he would have thrown the corpse into the lava, which would have been much easier.

After cremation, Ji An buried the ashes around the Crimson Cloud Pine. He would never bury ashes near any kind of spiritual fruit tree, as that would make him feel somewhat uncomfortable when eating spiritual fruits in the future.

The following day, Ji An left the market and rode a cloud northward along the Nulan River, drinking water and circulating his qi along the way, and arrived at Hongyan Immortal City ten days later.

This is a mountain town, and the stones have a rusty color.

It was around 7 AM, and one could see flying boats, shuttles, and various birds coming and going in an endless stream, as well as quite a few cultivators riding the clouds.

Ji An scratched his head. He had always felt that the far north was a desolate and barren land, but he never expected that this immortal city would be so prosperous.

Not only is it larger in area than Qingyun Immortal City, but it also has a much higher density of high-level cultivators.

'The Western Continent is actually one of the most barren regions among several continents!'

Ji An sighed inwardly.
He landed on the magic array entrance platform of the immortal city and found that the system here was the same as other immortal cities, where one could enter by using a jade token.

While he was observing, a monk came to greet him:
"Senior, is this your first time visiting Red Rock Immortal City?"

Ji An nodded slightly. "What are the rules here?"

"Apart from the cultivators living in the Immortal City, others need to pay an entrance fee of two spirit stones to enter the Immortal City and cannot stay overnight in the Immortal City."

Seniors do not need to pay any fees, but if they want to stay overnight, they need to rent a cave or stay in a restaurant.

If a conflict occurs with other monks and damage is caused, the enforcement department will hold the perpetrators accountable.

The cultivator explained, handing over a jade token with both hands, "This token is your pass to the magic array. Please keep it safe, senior. You don't need to return it to us when you leave the immortal city."

Ji An accepted the jade token. "Thank you."

He stepped inside, beckoned to a kind-looking middle-aged broker, and asked:
How many spirit stones does it cost to hire someone for a day?

First impressions are very important when people interact, and this broker benefited from his appearance.

The broker extended a hand and respectfully cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"Senior, five spirit stones every day."

I have lived in the Immortal City for nearly forty years and am familiar with all the shops here, as well as the auction houses and private trade fairs.

Whether you're buying or selling, I can negotiate the best deals for you. I have many long-term working relationships with experienced professionals.

The middle-aged man had clear eyes and spoke with a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant, carrying a subtle confidence.

"Is that so? Five spirit stones are much more expensive than brokers in other immortal cities. I'd like to see if you're worth the price."

Ji An said with great interest that he would be staying in the Immortal City for a long time and needed a capable errand boy.

It must be said that the broker's composed demeanor earned his trust.

If the other party betrays this trust, they will probably be missing something.

"Senior, you only need to pay one spirit stone first, and the rest of the spirit stones can be paid tonight. You will see my performance."

Ji An readily paid the spirit stones and said:
"I've been commissioned by a friend to purchase a batch of spirit soil to upgrade the grade of my spirit fields from top-grade first rank to second rank. You can arrange it."

By the way, what should I call you?

Of course, one cannot say it was for personal use, otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives were to speculate, they might draw some shocking conclusions.

"My name is Li Zhonghe," the middle-aged cultivator raised his eyebrows. "Improving the grade of spiritual fields is a long-term process, and the trade fair will last for many years."

If you can acquire a stable customer, that's a continuous source of income.

Unfortunately, he can't retain such customers for long. After a few years, the shop owner will abandon him and contact the other party directly.

The two walked along the street, compared the prices of the shops, and finally stopped in front of one shop.

Several cracks appeared on the signboard of "Zhou's Lingmi Shop," and the gold lettering peeled off, revealing the dark background.

Li Zhonghe coughed lightly and said:
"Senior, it is said that the Zhou family of Manglong Mountain has been rooted in the Immortal City for over a thousand years. More than twenty years ago, with the help of a noble person, the Zhou family patriarch broke through to the Golden Core stage."

The Zhou family's businesses are mainly concentrated in planting and medicine making, and they control 30% of the spiritual rice and spiritual medicine trade in the Immortal City.

Whether you're cultivating spirit fields or buying and selling spirit seeds, you can find the goods you need here. He lowered his voice and continued:

"To be honest, senior, my cousin is the manager's concubine, so she can get some preferential treatment."

We inquired about prices along the way, and the seniors were able to get the biggest discount.

That was his distant cousin, whom he had gone through many twists and turns to get to know, and he had gone to great lengths to establish a relationship with her.

Ji An glanced at the street ahead and nodded slightly.
"Let's go in and take a look. As long as they don't bully customers because they're big businesses, it'll be fine."

I glanced at the banners and saw that several shops ahead had the name "Zhou" on them. I don't know if they are all the same, but I think they probably are.

"Rest assured, the Zhou family has always been fair; otherwise, it would not have been able to grow to its current size."

"Senior, please!"

Li Zhonghe welcomed Ji An inside, whispered a few words to the waiter, who clearly didn't believe him and argued with him for a while.

Although both sides were speaking softly, Ji An heard them clearly; the broker's influence wasn't as great as he boasted.

He shook his head slightly, wondering to himself whether the so-called discount would satisfy him.

The shop assistant went up to the second floor of the shop, and Li Zhonghe came back, smiling:

"The shopkeeper will receive you once he receives the notification."

The waiter quickly came downstairs and invited Ji An and the other person up. At the entrance of the private room, they met the fair-skinned, round-faced manager, who looked like he was living a life of luxury.

"My name is Zhou Changji. Greetings, senior. Please come inside and have a seat."

The second floor of the shop is equipped with a sensing array that can detect the cultivation level of cultivators. It may not be particularly accurate, but it will not be inaccurate for those at higher cultivation levels.

When Li Zhonghe saw the usually arrogant shopkeeper being so gentle, and heard how he was addressed, his heart suddenly warmed.

He actually received a cultivator at the Chaoyuan stage, a first in his many years as a middleman.

Thinking of this, he unconsciously raised his head high.

"You are too polite, shopkeeper."

Ji An entered the room with a smile and took a seat. After exchanging pleasantries, he directly stated his purpose and then said:
"Each of the five types of spirit fields is about twelve acres. I will purchase two thousand catties of various spirit soils initially, and will continue to purchase more later. What price range can your shop offer me?"

Two thousand catties would last about three years, but he didn't want to buy too much at once, as it would attract too much attention.

Zhou Changji pondered for a moment, then said:
"Since you were brought by Chung-ho, you are entitled to special privileges."

Black soil and white clay cost six spirit stones per pound, while green soil, red flame sand, and earth yellow crystal cost eight spirit stones per pound.

These are all second-tier resources; other small shops would have a hard time gathering the amount the senior needed.

In the far north, the metal and water elements are abundant, and the production of these two types of spiritual soil is not low. However, the earth, wood, and fire elements are relatively scarce.

Ji An nodded slightly. This price was indeed a little lower than that of other shops, but a price was a price, and buying based on that price would make him seem too foolish.

He winked at Li Zhonghe, signaling that it was time to see how the other party performed.

Li Zhonghe smiled slightly and said:
"If you purchase ten thousand catties of spirit soil in one go, our shop will immediately receive a sum of spirit stones, which we can use to stockpile other goods."

After some haggling, Ji An received a discount of four thousand spirit stones.

Zhou Changji shook his head and forced a bitter smile, "The profit margin of the shop is too thin. Senior, you must take good care of my shop's business in the future, otherwise I will not be able to explain to the family."

He picked up the abacus, and his thick, chubby fingers danced nimbly:
"Senior, the total payment is 68,000 spirit stones. Do you need anything else? For example, spirit-binding stakes to upgrade the grade of spirit stones, and most resources related to spirit fields and spirit plants can be purchased from our shop."

Once the corresponding resource points are found, these spiritual lands only have excavation costs and shop rental and tax costs; they are not extremely profitable.

Do you have any rare, high-grade second-tier spirit seeds?

Zhou Changji shook his head, "Then there's nothing we can do."

The Zhou family shop only buys rare and precious spiritual plants but never sells them; this is an ancestral rule.

"Are there any spirit insects or anything else that can increase the soil's spiritual energy and fertility?"

Ji An, unwilling to give up, asked, "The species in the gourd world are too homogeneous. I want to create a more complex ecosystem."

"Senior, you've come to the right person. Our Zhou family has cultivated a kind of spirit-devouring insect that can survive by consuming spiritual energy."

These spirit insects lay a large number of eggs after they mature. The nests they build contain earth-elemental spiritual energy, and crushing them can improve the soil.

Of course, improving the soil is a long-term process, and it may take decades to see significant results.

They have high environmental requirements and prefer to live in areas of pure spirituality.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly. He had seen this kind of spirit insect in the cultivation inheritance. They were basically harmless and survived by devouring the free spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

It sounds good, but low-level ant nests are of no use to high-level spirit fields. Only by cultivating a large number of high-level spirit insects can they be effective, which would require many years of accumulation.

Fortunately, this kind of insect can be used as bait for other insects and fish, so it's not a bad deal to buy it.

The downside is that these spirit insects are preyed upon by various natural enemies, making it difficult for their population to expand. However, in the gourd world, there is no need to worry about this at all.

"You can bring it over for a look, let me see the quality of the spirit insect."

Ji An laughed and said that as for the fact that the other party was a spirit insect cultivated by his own family, it could only fool those who did not know the truth.

"Please wait a moment, senior. I will instruct them to bring the spirit insects."

Zhou Changji walked out of the room and gave a few instructions to the waiter outside the door.

A moment later, the waiter came in carrying a tray with a mound of earth on it that looked like a termite nest, and long, yellowish-brown insects could be seen crawling in and out.

Zhou Changji explained:

"When spirit insects build their nests, they secrete a kind of spiritual liquid that binds the spiritual soil together, which is why the soil's spirituality is increased."

Ji An extended his divine sense to perceive the vitality of the spirit insects inside and asked:

How much does an ant colony cost?

"It only costs two thousand five hundred spirit stones."

Li Zhonghe automatically got into character and started bargaining, finally settling on a deal for two thousand spirit stones.

Ji An asked a few more questions, and after finding no other useful resources, said:
"Check out, and give me the spirit soil too."

“Alright, that’s 70,000 spirit stones in total,” Zhou Changji said with a smile in his eyes. He had made a good profit from this deal, and after receiving the family’s reward, he planned to take another concubine.

Ji An took out the neatly stacked spirit stones from the Void Stone, including 20,000 low-grade spirit stones and the rest mid-grade spirit stones.

After killing the calamity cultivator in Silvermoon City, he obtained more than 30,000 mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones, which means he only had to pay half of the cost of this purchase.

After exchanging money and goods, Ji An left the shop with a warm farewell from the shopkeeper.

He took out a mid-grade spirit stone and handed it to Li Zhonghe, saying:

"Pay the employment fee, and the extra is a reward. Now take me to the most distinctive restaurant."

When traveling far and wide, one should not miss out on delicious food.

(End of this chapter)