Cultivation: I Forge Immortality with My Spiritual Eyes

"Fellow Daoist Niu, don't overthink it. That's not something we can covet. If you're really itching to get it, you might as well prop your pillow up a bit at night."

Jiang Yi shook his head and chuckled.

Storage bags are so precious.

It involves the principles of space, and the ability to contain emptiness within a mustard seed is extremely profound and cannot be crafted by ordinary weapon refiners.

Even the lowest-grade storage bag starts at over a thousand spirit stones.

Two poor fishermen who can't even afford a spirit ship shouldn't even dream of such a treasure.

Whether it will bring fortune or misfortune if you actually take it in your hands is hard to say.

"What's wrong with thinking about it? Fellow Daoist Jiang's words are rather discouraging."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yaojin pursed his lips and muttered resentfully:

"Which cultivator isn't far-sighted and ambitious? Even if our cultivation is low, we must look to the long term, have great aspirations and a broad vision, so that we can climb up step by step. We can't be fishermen for the rest of our lives, can we?"

Jiang Yi smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.

But he knew in his heart that every rogue cultivator at the bottom of society had such thoughts.

However, the path to immortality is long and arduous, and even the most outstanding individuals find it difficult to take a single step, let alone ordinary people like them with no background.

Having ambition alone is far from enough...

It was already late, and the two dared not delay any longer.

They made two trips back and forth, working together to load the bluestone slabs and the giant tortoise carcass onto the fishing boat.

To avoid attracting envy and trouble, they deliberately cut down many branches and leaves to cover up the marks.

They then raised the sails and sailed towards Qingluo Island, one after the other.

On the return journey, the two were in high spirits, chatting and laughing loudly from time to time.

Today's voyage not only yielded a bountiful catch, but also resulted in the capture of a Tier 1 Inkscale Turtle, a truly unexpected delight.

Although the turtle demons at the early stage of this level have low cultivation, their shells are hard and are excellent spiritual materials for crafting defensive magical artifacts, making them quite valuable.

In addition, the essence of flesh and blood containing spiritual energy can be sold for at least several dozen spirit stones.

The two of them split the spoils, and what they received was enough to make up for more than a month of hard work.

"..."

The ship had been sailing for a long time.

The sunset was hazy, dusk was falling, only a sliver of light remained on the horizon, and the sea gradually darkened.

The pier on Qingluo Island remains bustling with boats coming and going.

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin's small fishing boat slowly approached and moored at two berths on the edge of the dock.

Manager Ma of Chunfenglou had a sharp eye and had already noticed that the two men's fishing boat was drafted quite deep and was covered by branches and leaves, indicating that it was carrying a heavy load.

His eyes flickered slightly, and before the boat had even come to a complete stop, he led two crew members forward, greeting them with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Niu, Fellow Daoist Jiang, did you two go to sea together this time? Judging from your vigorous aura, you must have had a good haul?"

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin exchanged a glance, then opened the hatch and said calmly:

"I had some good luck today and caught some rare seafood. I think Manager Ma will be interested. Could you please give me an estimate?"

Ma Yan glanced into the cabin and saw many small shrimp and crabs. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in admiration:

"Indeed, these two types of fresh produce are quite rare! Fellow Daoist Jiang has found another excellent spot. Alright, I'll take them all. The price is one spirit stone plus seven taels of spirit sand. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Jiang Yi nodded slightly.

The price was exactly what he had estimated, and even slightly higher, and the other party did not try to reduce the price.

He didn't raise the price further, but instead smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Alright, Manager Ma is very generous, let's go with this price."

Ma Yan smiled faintly and waved his hand behind him.

Two men carried bamboo baskets aboard the boat and quickly began catching fish and shrimp.

"Ha! Hah!"

Little Pear curled up on Jiang Yi's chest, and was originally quite well-behaved and quiet.

Seeing people boarding the boat to catch fish, it immediately poked its head out angrily, breathing heavily, trying to scare away the two two-legged creatures who were fighting over the food.

After shouting for a while, seeing that they ignored him and were not afraid of him at all, the little guy rolled his eyes and started scratching Jiang Yi's neck with his claws, urging him to stop him quickly.

Jiang Yi remained expressionless, pressed Xiao Li back down, and smiled as he accepted the spirit stones handed to him by Manager Ma.

After the money and goods were exchanged, Ma Yan turned and walked towards Niu Yaojin's fishing boat.

After a brief conversation, they quickly bought everything.

The price was similar to Jiang Yi's, only two ounces more spirit sand.

After finishing his business, Ma Yan didn't rush to leave. His gaze fell on the branches and leaves hidden at the stern of the boat, and he casually asked with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Niu, what good things are hidden on the ship, concealed so tightly? If you want to sell, why not show them to us? No matter what it is, I can give you a fair price, saving you a trip to the market."

Niu Yaojin glanced at Jiang Yi.

Seeing him nod slightly, he grinned:

"Alright, we're going to sell them anyway, let's see if Manager Ma will be interested."

Although he appears carefree, he doesn't like to show off.

Having said that, he invited Ma Yan onto the boat, parted a corner of the branches to reveal the giant tortoise's corpse, and lowered his voice to say:

"Manager Ma, how about this one? It was hunted not long ago, the tortoise shell is intact, what do you think it's worth?"

Ma Yan glanced at him a few times, his expression unchanged.

A mere first-tier demonic beast wasn't enough to make him lose his composure. He replied calmly upon hearing this:

"This tortoise shell is not bad, the quality is acceptable, but it's a pity that the cultivation level is too low. It would be better if it were a late-stage first-tier Ink-Scaled Tortoise."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yaojin secretly grumbled to himself.

If they were to encounter a late-stage first-tier Inkscale Turtle, with their current cultivation levels, let alone hunting demons, they would be lucky to even return unscathed.

His smile remained unchanged as he followed up on the conversation and asked:

"Manager Ma is an expert. Would you like to buy this turtle demon? We'll offer it together with its shell, bones, and blood. You can name your price, and if it's reasonable, we'll sell it directly."

Ma Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"The blood and bones of this Ink-Scaled Turtle are quite nourishing, and our establishment will naturally find them useful. How about this, the price is forty-five spirit stones, and I, Ma, will take it away directly. This price is definitely not low, what do you think, Fellow Daoist Niu?"

Niu Yaojin's mind raced, and he put on a simple, honest smile, tentatively asking:

"Manager Ma's price is indeed very sincere, but it's not very convenient for Fellow Daoist Jiang and me to split it... Why don't you add another one to make it an even number, so that we can split the profits? If we have any more gains in the future, we will definitely think of you first."

"Ha, Fellow Daoist Niu, you really are..."

Ma Yan chuckled, pointed at Niu Yaojin, and shook his head helplessly:

"Fine, as you say. I'll add one more. I just hope Fellow Daoist Niu won't forget what I said today."

After saying that, he reached into a cloth bag, counted out some spirit stones, and handed them over.

"Absolutely! Don't worry, Manager Ma!"

Niu Yaojin quickly took it, carefully counted it, and deftly put it into his sleeve. He then helped the man carry the turtle carcass ashore.

This scene also attracted the attention of some independent cultivators in the vicinity.

A dozen or so gazes were secretly cast over, tinged with envy and jealousy.

A single demonic turtle worth dozens of spirit stones is equivalent to the income of an ordinary rogue cultivator working hard for one or two months.

Such a large sum of money is bound to make people envious.

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin did not want to stay here any longer; they could wait until they got home to divide the spirit stones.

The two exchanged glances, silently lifted the bluestone slab, and hurried back to their lodgings in the afterglow of the setting sun...