Creating a paradise in an ant nest

Chapter 81 Receives a Huge Sum of Money, Purchases a Spirit Beast

Lingxiao Market.

In front of an inconspicuous little shop.

Liu He, carrying two large bags full of stuff, landed using his lightness technique.

He had just arrived from the Immortal Abode and had changed into ordinary robes.

Upon entering the store, I saw the owner attending to other customers and waited for a short while.

This little shop was the same place where he last sold Viola yedoensis and other low-level spiritual plants.

After the customer bought several kilograms of spirit fruit and left, Liu He stepped forward and said, "Boss, do you buy jade spirit melons? I have quite a few here."

The boss, Zhang Yan, had an impression of Liu He.

After all, he was a cultivator, and his memory far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Young friend, I remember you. Last year you brought dozens of kilograms of high-quality violet radishes, which sold very well."

Let me see the quality of your jade melon.

It is indeed rare to find a Viola yedoensis that has been carefully cultivated to that quality.

"This is still a rare item."

As Liu He spoke, he opened his pocket for Zhang Yan to check.

Each of the jade-green gourds was perfectly round and quite large.

"Mind if I pick one to open and try?"

The quality of the flesh of the jade melon is the most crucial factor, and it is often difficult to distinguish from its appearance.

"Of course, boss, you can choose whatever you like."

Zhang Yan randomly selected a jade melon, opened it, and the bright red melon immediately emitted a sweet fragrance.

The abundant juice flowed down the melon rind.

"Thin skin, many seeds, and abundant juice—it is indeed a top-grade jade melon. It should sell for four spirit stones per pound."

"If I buy it, how about I give you three spirit stones per pound?"

Zhang Yan has been selling low-level spiritual plants here for many years, and she is very accurate in judging the quality and price of common spiritual plants like the Jade Spiritual Melon.

"Boss, give me a little more, three dollars and two cents, and your profit will still be quite considerable."

Liu He bargained with the boss.

He brought two full bags of jade spirit melons weighing over 100 jin each, each jin containing more than two fen of spirit stones, totaling dozens of spirit stones more than the original price.

The term "two-tenths" refers to two-tenths of a spirit stone.

There are actually no smaller spirit stones; they are just for the convenience of pricing.

Zhang Yan covered her mouth and chuckled: "Young friend, do you think profit is just the selling price minus the purchase price? My shop rent, and the unsold inventory, those are all costs—"

After some haggling, the two agreed on a price of three spirit stones.

The two large bags of jade melons weighed a total of 150 jin, and Liu He earned 465 spirit stones!

When Liu He walked out of the store, his feet felt light as if he were walking on clouds.

He felt a little dizzy, as if he were dreaming.

In his spirit stone pouch, there were four more mid-grade spirit stones, the color of ice mist. This was the first time he had ever possessed mid-grade spirit stones.

Four hundred and sixty-five spirit stones, plus his savings of ninety spirit stones, totaling five hundred and fifty-five!

When did he ever possess so many spirit stones?

Keep in mind that his monthly salary was only ten spirit stones, but he earned more than four hundred spirit stones by selling a single jade spirit melon.

Earning spirit stones isn't actually that easy.

The Emerald Melon is a spiritual plant with a high demand for spiritual energy.

In the Qian Yuan Holy Sect, the spiritual energy within the Spirit Gathering Array is limited, which is why the Spirit Plant Peak stipulates that disciples are not allowed to privately cultivate spiritual plants.

If they plant spiritual plants, it will inevitably affect the spiritual plants on Spiritual Plant Peak itself, as well as the cultivation of everyone.

One hundred and fifty catties of jade spirit melons, which is about fifty melons, requires a special area with abundant spiritual energy to grow.

Also: No one can cultivate jade melons like Liu He.

He used the Green Soil Root Cultivation Technique every day to nourish the Jade Spirit Melon, a spell that only cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining could cast.

The normal range of the Green Soil Root Cultivation Technique varies from three feet in diameter to as large as three zhang, depending on the amount of spiritual energy consumed.

Which mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator would waste their spiritual energy for a few jade spirit melons?

Liu He, on the other hand, only needs to expend a small amount of spiritual energy to nourish the entire miniature spiritual plant garden, without having to worry about the consumption of spiritual energy.

Five hundred spirit stones are enough to buy elixirs to improve one's cultivation level.

Liu He, however, had no intention of buying elixirs to improve his cultivation.

His cultivation progress has been rapid; it's only been a year since he broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. If he were to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining too quickly, it would definitely arouse suspicion.

It should be noted that Wang Yarong, who has a medium-level spiritual root, and Meng Kaizhou, whose father is in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, have not yet reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Su Miao, who entered the Spirit Plant Peak at the same time, had just advanced from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level last month.

Therefore, it is necessary for Liu He to appropriately "conceal his talents".

He doesn't actually possess extraordinary talent for cultivation; he relies on the ant nest. If someone with ulterior motives discovers the secret of the ant nest, he will be in danger.

"Let's go check out the Spirit Beast Pavilion of the Lingrui Immortal Sect."

With over five hundred spirit stones in his pocket, Liu He felt incredibly confident.

In Lingxiao Market, the Lingrui Immortal Sect's pavilion selling spirit beasts is divided into several sections.

There is a Rare Beast Pavilion that sells second-tier spirit beasts, namely Foundation Establishment stage spirit beasts; a Bird Pavilion that sells flying spirit beasts; and a Battle Beast Pavilion that sells combat spirit beasts.

"Expensive, really expensive!"

He only glanced at the rare beast pavilion before quickly leaving.

Even a random young spirit beast inside costs tens of thousands of spirit stones, and the cheapest one he saw cost five or six thousand spirit stones.

His savings of over five hundred spirit stones weren't even a fraction of what he had saved.

After all, it is a cub of a second-tier spirit beast. Once raised to adulthood, it can possess the strength to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, so its high price is only natural.

The Bird Pavilion mainly sells large spirit birds that can carry cultivators through the air, but it also sells smaller spirit birds.

Small spirit birds, such as Huang Shideng's red-beaked spirit bird, were purchased from the Bird Pavilion.

Larger spirit birds are generally more expensive, typically costing one or two thousand spirit stones.

For some late-stage Qi Refining cultivators who frequently undertake long-distance expeditions, raising large spirit birds as "flying tools" is a good option.

Spirit birds fly faster than cultivators and conserve their spiritual energy. Otherwise, what if a cultivator flies thousands of miles, consuming too much spiritual energy, and then encounters an emergency?

The Beast War Pavilion, as the name suggests, primarily cultivates spirit beasts for use in combat, fighting, and self-defense.

Once those spirit beasts are raised to adulthood, they will possess combat power equivalent to the late stage of Qi Refining.

The price is also very high, ranging from one or two thousand spirit stones to three or four thousand.

Finally, Liu He entered the cheapest "Spirit Pet Pavilion".

The Spirit Pet Pavilion mainly sells companion spirit beasts, or "pets".

As Liu He stepped through the gates of the treasure pavilion, a chaotic and noisy commotion immediately ensued.

Because the treasure pavilion has a soundproof array, it cannot be heard from outside.

Upon entering, one discovers an incredibly lively atmosphere, with the voices of cultivators mingling with the howls of spirit beast cubs.

The pet cubs in the Pet Pavilion are mostly small, cute, and adorable, unlike the ferocious and violent pets in the Beast War Pavilion. Therefore, many cultivators are willing to stroll around here.

Cultivators live longer than mortals, and many of their parents and family members pass away over time.

Without parents and relatives, and with most other cultivators unreliable, having even a few close friends is a rare privilege. The long path of cultivation is inevitably lonely, so they choose to raise a spirit pet.

"Welcome to the Spirit Pet Pavilion, fellow Daoist. What kind of spirit pet would you like to buy? I can recommend one for you."

The person who received Liu He was a female cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

"Could you give me a brief introduction? I know very little about spirit pets."

Liu He's understanding of spirit beasts and beast taming came from some books he had read in the Qixia Peak Cultivation Pavilion.

Since the Qian Yuan Holy Sect had no spirit beasts and no one cultivated the way of beast taming, he only had a superficial and rough understanding of some common knowledge.

"Okay. Our Spirit Pet Pavilion mainly has two types of spirit pets: spirit dogs and spirit cats."

They have many advantages as spirit pets. They are intelligent and have a human-like nature, making them much smarter than other spirit pets and easy to form contracts with.

They have a varied diet, are easy to raise—and are inexpensive and of good quality.

"In addition, there are less common spirit pets, such as spirit sheep, spirit horses, spirit snakes, spirit lizards, and even spirit rats, etc."

The female cultivator spoke eloquently, leading Liu He to the area where various spirit pets were displayed.

The vast Pet Pavilion is mostly filled with spirit dogs and spirit cats.

Other types of spirit pets are much fewer in number and more expensive.

"Introduce me to spirit dogs and spirit cats."

Liu He said.

He raises spirit beasts partly to secretly accumulate strength, and partly because he is always alone in the ant nest and miniature spirit plant garden, which is a bit lonely. Raising a spirit beast would make things more lively.

Although there are many ants in the ant nest, the ants have almost no intelligence and only follow the pheromones.

The female cultivator led Liu He and introduced him to the spirit dogs and cat cubs that were kept in cages.

"This is a Snowy Tibetan Mastiff, a large spirit dog. Adults can reach six feet tall and weigh 800 kilograms, and are tall and mighty."

It is extremely loyal and is the best choice for guarding caves and protecting sacred sites.

These cubs are only two months old and have recently been weaned, making it a perfect time to build a bond and easily form a contract.

Priced at 500 spirit stones, plus 10 catties of animal feed.

If a contract cannot be signed, a full refund will be provided.

The snow-covered spirit mastiffs were noticeably more robust than ordinary spirit dogs. Although they were only two months old, their babyish howls contained a hint of domineering power that was not yet fully developed.

Although spirit pets are called "pets," there are also some with considerable strength.

"How strong will this spirit mastiff be when it grows up?"

Liu He asked.

"It depends on the specific situation. Snowfield spirit mastiffs have a large appetite during their growth period and need to be fed with spiritual resources."

With normal feeding, an adult will have a strength of approximately the fifth level of Qi Refining.

With sufficient food, one can reach the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Conversely, if nutrition is insufficient, the physique will be slightly thinner, probably only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, just reaching the middle stage of Qi Refining.

This is the "flaw" of the Snowfield Mastiff.

Many cultivators can afford to buy a Snowfield Spirit Mastiff for 500 spirit stones, but not many can afford to keep it as a pet.

Not only do we need to provide resources, but we also need a sufficiently spacious spiritual place.

Spirit beasts are different from human cultivators: cultivators actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, while spirit beasts do not. They can only rely on instinct and passively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and grow and develop by relying on the spiritual resources in their food.

This is the result of generations of spirit beasts passing down their skills. They have strong physiques and instincts, and a high absorption and utilization rate of spiritual resources, but unlike human cultivators, they do not have the consciousness of independent cultivation.

"Why don't you take a look? Sometimes first impressions are very important."

Seeing Liu He's interest, the female cultivator opened the cage containing several snow-capped spirit mastiffs.

Liu He picked out the most lively one from among them, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it out.

"Woof woof~~"

The young beast's throat trembled, and it opened its mouth to reveal its still-unsharp teeth, growling and trying to bite the human hand that was holding it.

"Haha, that's pretty fierce."

Liu He smiled and rubbed its furry belly before putting it back in its cage.

"Let me introduce the others."

There are many breeds of dogs and cats here, giving him a wide range of choices.

>