Cultivating Immortality: Starting from Ferrying Passengers

Chapter 98 Return to the Market
After returning to the long-lost courtyard, Fang Jingxuan finally relaxed completely.

The journey thereafter was relatively smooth. Perhaps those cultivators did have some secret channels of communication, which is why Fang Jingxuan did not encounter any more cultivators coming to rob him.

The journey of over two thousand miles was quickly completed by Tuoyuan. When the man and the tortoise saw the familiar Red Leaf Pavilion, they felt a sense of déjà vu.

After unloading the cargo, Fang Jingxuan told Tuoyuan to rest quickly. It had been exhausted from carrying so much stuff for over 5,000 miles. If it weren't for the two talents of [Lightness] and [Return to Origin], Tuoyuan would probably have collapsed from exhaustion halfway there.

Ordinary Xuan Shui spirit turtles don't have this kind of endurance, and besides, most of the road is dry land, making it very difficult to travel.

Among them, the basic talent [Return to Origin] gave Tuoyuan at least twice the stamina of his kind, which enabled him to persevere.

Whether or not a creature possesses supernatural powers makes a huge difference, and this is also an important criterion for determining whether a monster is valuable.

Fang Jingxuan took out the Spirit Rice Jade Dew and let Tuoyuan enjoy a delicious meal. Looking at Tuoyuan's happy appearance, he was thinking that it was time to plan some more high-level tortoise shell resources for Tuoyuan.

Looking back on this journey, Tuoyuan's role cannot be ignored, but compared to Liuguyi, it seems to lag behind.

On two critical moments, he was able to survive only by relying on the supernatural power of Liu Gu. Although Tuo Yuan's combat strength was comparable to that of a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, that was all he could do.

Actually, it wasn't that Tuoyuan was growing slowly, but rather that the Six Bone Divine Power was too abnormal, which raised Fang Jingxuan's expectations and, consequently, broadened his horizons.

After settling Tuoyuan, Fang Jingxuan went to take stock of the goods he had acquired at a low price.

At the time, on the eve of the beast tide, these goods were ridiculously cheap, so much so that Fang Jingxuan was practically given away for free and was forced to accept a lot of them.

After taking inventory for more than half an hour, Fang Jingxuan made a preliminary estimate of the value of the goods. If he sold them slowly, he could get close to four thousand low-grade spirit stones this time.

Adding the cicada molt elixirs I had collected before, the combined profit amounted to six thousand low-grade spirit stones.

After calculating these gains, Fang Jingxuan was overjoyed. Six thousand low-grade spirit stones were enough for him to live comfortably for ten years.

It's true that risk and reward go hand in hand; if you want high returns, you have to take high risks.

Fang Jingxuan thought about his experiences over the past month and looked at the supplies. The joy on his face gradually subsided.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have made it past the Golden Cicada Ancestor.

Then, with the Foundation Establishment Demon Turtle surrounded by Tribulation Cultivators along the way, which Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator could guarantee that they could snatch a sliver of survival?

Therefore, all of this was earned through hard work and deserved by myself. Luck only played a part, but more importantly, it was my own trump card, which was strong enough!

Thinking of this, Fang Jingxuan's expression relaxed. From then on, everything would be different.

Three days later, Wang Xinyu came to freeload a meal as usual. Fang Jingxuan didn't tell her about his experience, only that he was unlucky and encountered a beast tide. Seeing that many things were cheap, he quickly brought back some supplies.

Wang Xinyu wouldn't doubt such words, because in her mind, Fang Jingxuan had always been the coward who would run far away whenever he saw someone fighting.

Who would have thought that Fang Jingxuan was the culprit behind the beast tide?

Fang Jingxuan doesn't want to change Wang Xinyu's opinion of him right now, nor does he want to live a high-profile life in the market.

After all, Fang Jingxuan was well aware of his true strength. In terms of cultivation, he was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Even if his soul could be temporarily amplified to the ninth level of Qi Refining through the six bones, what did that amount to in this market?

Can a Qi Refining Ninth Level Divine Soul, which is barely maintained by various means, suppress a true Qi Refining Eighth Level cultivator?

Without undergoing steady, step-by-step cultivation and understanding the changes at each stage, this sudden surge in spiritual energy, while sufficient in quantity, what about in quality?

Therefore, Fang Jingxuan felt that he could easily suppress a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator in terms of spiritual power.

However, against a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he would most likely be defeated.

As for facing a true ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, there is absolutely no hope of victory. This only applies to the spiritual aspect. A normal late-stage Qi Refining cultivator obviously has no weaknesses; they possess all the necessary magical power, magical artifacts, talismans, and supernatural abilities, as well as corresponding trump cards.

As for himself, he only has the one-time trump card, Six Bones. If Six Bones fails, he will be doomed.

Therefore, Fang Jingxuan assessed his own strength as being able to crush mid-stage Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators, but when facing Qi Refining Level 7 cultivators, he would have to proceed cautiously and plan carefully.

As for cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining, it's best to avoid fighting if possible, and prioritize peace.

As for those at the ninth level of Qi Refining, run if you can, and absolutely avoid conflict.

Clearly, there are no shortage of cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining in Red Leaf Pavilion; there are at least a dozen active ones. Fang Jingxuan's strength is not enough to cause any trouble for him right now.

When my cultivation truly reaches the late stage of Qi Refining, only then will I have the confidence to look down on other late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Thinking of this, Fang Jingxuan smiled helplessly. He still had to play it safe and wait for the future.

"What are you laughing at? Do you want something from me?"

Wang Xinyu picked at her rice bowl, looked at Fang Jingxuan, and then said:

"Fine, considering you've been feeding me for so long, I'll help you with anything that's not too difficult."

Upon hearing Wang Xinyu's response, Fang Jingxuan didn't hold back at all.

“I have some cicada remains and medicinal herbs that I need to sell. Since you are a medicinal herb master, you have connections in this area, which is much more convenient than me asking for prices one by one. You can help me sell them.”

"Hey, I thought it was something serious. Is that all? Is there anything else? This is too simple for me. I feel bad for the food you cooked."

Wang Xinyu casually declared, almost patting her chest in agreement. Fang Jingxuan's gaze paused for a moment, then he thought for a second and said:

"I just remembered something. I have a piece of remains that needs to be authenticated. Could you help me find an appraiser?"

In the cultivation world, there are many strange and unusual spiritual materials, which require specialized appraisers to identify them.

This kind of identification is not just about using experience to look and guess, but about using more mysterious supernatural powers to activate the spiritual energy within the material.

To become an appraiser, one must possess at least one exceptional skill in this area.

"Appraiser, let me think. The master at Jian Gu Zhai has a special appraisal ability called [Crimson Eyes and Golden Pupils]. For spiritual items at the Qi Refining level, you can't go wrong with him. How about this, I'll go ask him for you, and we can schedule a time?"

Fang Jingxuan had never heard of the Jian Gu Zhai before. This kind of occasion was clearly not one that a small, independent cultivator like him could fit into.

"Okay, the sooner the better. The cost doesn't matter, as long as the master is highly skilled."

Fang Jingxuan was eager to identify the cicada molt he was unsure about as soon as possible. After all the changes that had happened in recent days, he was even more eager to improve his cultivation.

“I know, it’ll be in the next few days, Fang Jingxuan. Tell me more about the wild and untamed scenery.”

At this moment, Wang Xinyu looked at Fang Jingxuan with a hint of longing, clearly indicating that she had never been to this desolate place herself.

That made things easier. Fang Jingxuan then began to make various alterations, which completely fooled Wang Xinyu.

For a moment, the small courtyard was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.

Not far away, Tuoyuan watched the male and female pair and thought to himself that humans were such a hassle; it was such a chore to even mate once.

(End of this chapter)