Immortal Clan: I have a Tree of Creation

The harvest from collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains was quite surprising.

Zhou Chengnan successfully broke through to the fifth realm of Blood Refinement, and his strength improved once again.

The most direct result of this is an increase in strength.

He carried hundreds of pounds of firewood and leaped through the mountains without any effort.

The efficiency of digging has been greatly improved, and even the old Huang Jing buried deep underground cannot escape the "clutches".

That's why Zhou Chengnan successfully dug up an old yam yesterday, which was quite astonishing in size and weighed a hundred pounds.

Wild yams weighing over 100 kilograms are rare even in Anshan.

Yam already has excellent nourishing effects, and an old yam of this size and age is beyond the realm of ordinary yams.

Zhou Chengnan also has an old ginseng root that is several decades old.

Taking this opportunity, I went to the pharmacies in the city to inquire about prices.

First, I bought two doses of tonic medicine for my eldest brother, Zhou Yuanshan, and then casually inquired about his health in a gossipy tone.

What he found out really startled him.

The pharmacy buys wild ginseng year-round. Old wild ginseng, around fifty or sixty years old, costs about eighty taels.

The value of an old yam weighing over 100 kilograms is difficult to estimate.

This doesn't mean the price is exorbitant; it's just that yams of this size are extremely rare, and there's no suitable standard.

However, the old man at the pharmacy also said that a hundred catties of old yam is definitely a rare item, and it would be easy to sell for at least several dozen taels of silver.

The exact value can only be determined by seeing the actual item.

The two medicinal herbs were obtained by chance in the mountains, and they brought in more than a hundred taels of silver, which was equivalent to two years' income for the Zhou family. It was a real surprise.

Zhou Chengnan was very satisfied with this, but he was not in a hurry to sell the two old medicinal plants.

Firstly, such old medicines are quite valuable, which inevitably attracts envy.

We have enough money for food, clothing, and other necessities at home for the time being, so it's best not to spread the news.

Secondly...

He also needed to make some preparations for his third son, Zhou Yuanqing.

Old ginseng and old yam have transcended ordinary products and can be considered as spiritual medicines.

Although it's not exactly a rare and precious medicinal herb, it's still a valuable treasure for cultivators who are just beginning their journey into immortality.

If Qing'er can successfully join the Immortal Sect, these two old herbs will be given to him.

Compared to money, my son's path to immortality is more important.

The harvest of 100 jin of old yams greatly encouraged Zhou Chengnan.

The mountains are full of treasures, and Anshan has supported countless people.

Actually, compared to the hard work of chopping wood and digging for medicinal herbs, there is another way to make money faster and more directly.

--hunt!

The vast Anshan Mountain is not just covered with grass and trees.

The area around Anshan is better; at most, there are some snakes, insects, rats, and rabbits.

If you venture deep into Anshan, you'll find wild beasts quite common.

The beasts in this world are stronger than I had imagined.

Wild boars alone pose a significant threat, and can sometimes even cause disasters.

In the past, Jinyang Village had many hunters who made a living by hunting.

Unfortunately, the wild beasts in the mountains were too ferocious, causing hunters to be injured repeatedly. As time went on, fewer and fewer people went hunting.

Now, there should only be two hunters left in the village, both of whom are very skilled martial artists.

Zhou Chengnan has now entered the fifth realm of martial arts. As a martial artist in the Blood Refining Realm, he is considered to have some strength and is more than capable of dealing with ordinary wild beasts.

The potential for huge profits from hunting is undeniably tempting.

"Let's slowly venture further into the mountains these days and familiarize ourselves with the terrain," he quickly decided.

"Next month, I'll go to the government office to pay the hunting tax and apply for a hunting permit. Then I can go into the mountains..."

Hunting wild animals is not something just anyone can do.

A martial artist's strength is only the foundation; in addition, permission from the government is required.

Theoretically speaking, every single tree and blade of grass in Anshan belongs to the Liang Kingdom.

Any citizen who wants to hunt has to pay taxes.

There are land taxes for farming and hunting taxes for hunting; that's the rule.

After making up his mind, Zhou Chengnan first went to the blacksmith shop in town.

He ordered two iron weapons, one long and one short, plus a light chainmail.

The short knife, as wide as an arm, cost more than six taels of silver.

The steel-tipped spear, which was the same height as the user, cost only two taels of silver because it used very little iron.

As for chainmail... the price is astonishing.

Even the lightest chainmail weighs at least five or six pounds, and you can't buy it for less than twenty or thirty ounces.

With the master blacksmith absent, the apprentices cannot forge light armor.

This suited Zhou Chengnan perfectly; he would wait until next month, when he received the hunting permit, to come and forge the armor.

Having already encountered the "Mountain King" in the mountains, he naturally dared not be careless at all.

While the strength boost brought by the Blood Refining Realm was considerable, he was still a mortal and could not withstand the bites of ferocious beasts.

With chainmail and iron weapons, there are fewer concerns, which can increase combat power by at least 50%.

The county government collects hunting taxes quarterly, with the next collection scheduled for mid-next month.

During this time, Zhou Chengnan continued to go into the mountains to cut firewood and dig for medicinal herbs.

They also took the opportunity to explore the terrain and topography of the deep mountains, as well as the traces of wild animals.

I wonder if it's because I have a spiritual root.

The further he went into the mountains, the more he could feel the air becoming increasingly fresh and vibrant, seemingly brimming with life.

The vegetation in the mountains has become noticeably more lush, with giant trees over ten feet tall visible everywhere.

Naturally, the number of animals in the mountains also increased dramatically.

Wild boar droppings, mandrill pelts, and even tiger claw marks can be found.

"We can't go any further." Zhou Chengnan shook his head and stopped in time. "We'll come back when the armor is finished."

Further ahead lies the deep mountains and forests; without chainmail for protection, venturing in rashly could very likely lead to danger.

They retreated two miles and continued chopping firewood.

The baskets were already full; once the firewood was tied up, they could head out of the mountains.

Zhou Chengnan was slightly out of breath, but full of energy.

He goes into the mountains three times a day, and the firewood he cuts can sell for three or four hundred coins.

If you're lucky enough to dig up a lot of old yam and Solomon's seal, you can often earn more than a tael of silver in a single day.

This is much faster than making money by farming.

The power of a Blood Refining Realm martial artist can be seen from this.

The more this was the case, the more Zhou Chengnan desired to improve his strength.

Although Blood Refining is powerful, it is only the fifth realm of martial artists. There are seven realms for acquired martial artists, and there is also the innate level above them.

If one can make another breakthrough to reach the "Marrow Refining Realm", or even the "Heart Refining Realm", which is the limit of acquired abilities.

Then there will be no need to go through the hardship of going into the mountains to collect herbs.

A martial artist at the Refining Mind Realm can work as a bodyguard in a security escort agency, and is also fully qualified to work as a constable in the county government.

Being able to eat the government's food is much more comfortable than being a farmer.

"We still need to have more children..."

Zhou Chengnan smiled helplessly.

Shuzhen gave birth to four children for him, which was already very hard for her.

In the future, we may still have to rely on our children to have more descendants.

The eldest son, Zhou Yuanshan, and the second son, Zhou Yuanyu, are both quite old.

People in Anshan tend to get married quite early, and in two more years they will all be of marriageable age.

If Shan'er and Yu'er got married and each had several grandchildren... Zhou Chengnan imagined this, and couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.

As the Zhou family grew and its descendants multiplied, so too did their influence.

At that time, the Tree of Creation will not be as empty as it is now, and we may be able to see a spectacular sight of branches laden with spiritual fruits.

hiss......

Just then, a faint sound came from beside my ear.

He chopped down a tree branch with a machete in his hand.

A huge, dark shadow fell along with the tree branch.

"Huh?" Zhou Chengnan was startled and quickly took two steps back.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large snake, at least five feet long.

Its head was triangular like a spear, its back scales were brownish-red with serrated patterns, and its upright snake eyes were staring at Zhou Chengnan without any emotion.

Before he could even think, they launched an attack.

--hiss.....

The snake's mouth gaped open, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly.

It seemed as if a thick green liquid was condensing at the tip of my tooth.

This snake...is highly venomous!

Zhou Chengnan dared not be careless and drew the knife from his waist.