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After dealing with the Entry-level Mission matters, Wang Hong's mind settled a bit, and he began contemplating the purchase of a residence.
He currently had five hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones, just fifty thousand short of his goal.
There were many items Wang Hong could sell for Spirit Stones now, with Scarlet Blood Ginseng and the mutated Astragalus being the most valuable. However, these were not easy to part with.
After some thought, Wang Hong found a secluded place, transformed into a middle-aged cultivator, and entered a small courtyard adjacent to Wang Kun's residence.
The middle-aged cultivator walked into a cultivation room in the courtyard, pushed a bookshelf aside, revealing a dark hole in the floor.
Without hesitation, Wang Hong entered the hole, and the bookshelf above slowly returned to its original position.
After a moment, Wang Hong crawled out from the other end of the hole.
It was still a cultivation room, but Wang Hong changed into a different set of clothes, assuming the appearance of Wang Kun.
This was an additional precaution Wang Hong took later on. Once Wang Kun's identity was exposed, endless troubles would await him, possibly even jeopardizing his life.
Wang Hong wasn't sure if the Misty Illusion Mask could deceive Foundation Building cultivators, so he never dared to wear the mask in front of them.
Wang Kun, now in disguise, left his residence and found Qian Gui's Elixir store.
Qian Gui was the shopkeeper who first encountered Wang Kun and became quite familiar with him.
Qian Gui, the head of a small family, had just over ten cultivators in the entire clan, and even the highest cultivation level among them, Qian Gui, was only in the later stages of Qi Cultivation.
Relying on three acres of spirit fields, the family could barely sustain itself.
Twenty years ago, Qian Gui took over as the head of the family. Determined, he used the resources saved through frugality to open an Elixir store.
Although the business was not booming when the store opened, it still added thousands of Spirit Stones to the family's income each year, earning him the respect of the clan.
However, Qian Gui was not satisfied. He tirelessly searched for various sources until he met Wang Kun, leading to a significant turning point. Since then, he no longer worried about sourcing and saw at least a tenfold increase in net profit every year.
Continuing on this path, it was possible for the family to cultivate a Foundation Building cultivator.
When Wang Kun entered the store, he saw Qian Gui at the counter, calculating with a radiant smile on his face.
Looking up and seeing Wang Kun, Qian Gui's smile widened like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"I heard magpies singing early this morning; turns out, the God of Wealth is at my doorstep! Please, come inside!"
Qian Gui ushered Wang Kun into a quiet room and personally served him a cup of spiritual tea.
Wang Kun took a sip of the tea and took out a small wine bottle, handing it to Qian Gui.
"What do you think of this? Are you interested?"
Qian Gui took the bottle, opened it, smelled it, and his expression changed slightly. He poured some out, took a small sip, revealing a pleasantly surprised expression.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, how much of this high-grade Spirit Wine can you give me?"
Although his store primarily sold Spirit Pills and Spiritual Medicine, selling some Spirit Wine on the side was also feasible.
This type of high-grade Spirit Wine was in high demand, with some factions even treating it as strategic reserves.
"For now, I can offer you up to two hundred catties. But this is no small amount; it depends on whether you can handle it."
Two hundred catties of high-grade Spirit Wine could retail for at least sixty thousand Spirit Stones. Wang Hong would sell it to him for no less than fifty thousand.
Wang Hong still remembered the first transaction, just over ten thousand Spirit Stones. It took Qian Gui quite a while to gather the amount. Despite being a family head, he wasn't much wealthier than the average loose cultivator.
Qian Gui fell silent for a moment. While his current Spirit Stones were insufficient, the income over the past few years, coupled with some savings, should be enough to arrange. This Spirit Wine sold well, and if he agreed, it could be sold out in a day, earning him thousands of Spirit Stones. Wang Kun implied there might be more in the future, a new source of income that he couldn't afford to miss.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, can you give me one day? I promise to gather enough Spirit Stones within that time."
"Sure, bring the Spirit Stones to my residence tomorrow afternoon," Wang Hong agreed to Qian Gui's request. Qian Gui was Wang Kun's first customer, and despite having some ambitions, he had always been trustworthy. Wang Kun treated him with care.
The next day, Wang Hong received Qian Gui's Spirit Stones, finally totaling six hundred thousand.
Entering through a side gate of the Lord's Manor, there was a department responsible for managing vacant residences in the city, handling their daily affairs, external rentals, and sales.
Wang Hong entered the hall and saw an old man sipping tea, accompanied only by a maid, making the hall appear spacious and quiet.
Having been here several times before, Wang Hong recognized the old man as the person in charge.
"Fellow Daoist, this time I plan to purchase a residence."
The old man's originally half-squinted eyes suddenly brightened.
"Fellow Daoist, please have a seat."
The maid quickly poured a cup of spiritual tea for Wang Hong. The tea had a clear emerald color, a lingering fragrance, clearly of excellent quality.
After Wang Hong took a sip, the old man brought out a Magical Weapon similar to a map and placed it in front of Wang Hong.
Wang Hong's spiritual sense entered the map, as if overlooking the entire Azure Void City from a high altitude. The houses, mountains, and trees were all intricately detailed.
Some residences were shrouded in mist, making their shapes vague, indicating they were already occupied and not open for public viewing.
Unoccupied residences were crystal clear, each displaying a set of numbers indicating their prices.
With his spiritual sense, Wang Hong could clearly see every detail of the interior, from bricks to plants.
The price of a residence wasn't solely based on its area; it also considered the concentration of Spirit Qi, the number of spirit fields, and other factors.
He had already chosen a residence he liked, which hadn't been sold yet. Wang Hong directly selected it.
This residence covered thirty acres, had over a hundred rooms, and five acres of spirit fields. The price was six hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
After selecting it, Wang Hong paid half the Spirit Stones as a deposit. It would take another day for the official transaction because each vacant residence had spirit fields that needed to be cleared. It would take a day to remove the Spiritual Objects before the transaction with Wang Hong could be completed.
Two days later, Wang Hong and his subordinates moved into their newly purchased residence.
This place became Wang Hong's development base in Azure Void City.
With a sufficient number of rooms, everyone had enough space. As for the five acres of spirit fields, the original crops had already been cleared.
Wang Hong planned to plant his Space-mutated Spirit Grain and Spirit Wheat on four acres.
Other Spiritual Medicine had a too long growth period, often taking decades or even centuries.
These Space-mutated Spirit Grains could be harvested in just ten years, and after the second mutation, they became larger than a person's fist.
Once steamed, they had a unique rice fragrance and a distinctive taste with great elasticity.
Moreover, the Spiritual Energy contained in them was enormous. Eating a grain of rice was slightly less effective than consuming a Condensing Qi Pill.
The effects of Spirit Wheat were similar. Noodles made from its flour were crystal clear, like crystal.
Wang Hong had never tried planting mutated Spiritual Objects from his Space outside. This was an experiment.
If successful, the soldiers' cultivation speed would increase significantly.
Wang Hong handed out some seeds, had the soldiers prepare the land, and planted two acres of Spirit Grain and two acres of Spirit Wheat.
The remaining acre was transplanted with some one-tier spirit fruit trees from his Space.
These fruit trees had already grown into large trees in the Space, reaching three zhang in height. Each tree could yield over a thousand spirit fruits.
These fruits could be consumed, and any surplus could be used to brew Spirit Wine.
Wang Hong also transplanted a white crystal fruit tree, a second-tier spirit fruit. It grew much slower, only about a person's height, with a few fruits nearing maturity.
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