After the loan business at Heavenly River Square ended, Jia Ren turned down Yang Bingzhi's invitation and headed straight to the Market.
Thirteen Spirit Stones for one Evil Warding Talisman?
After asking around at various talisman stalls, he discovered that many of them had sold out of Evil Warding Talismans.
The few available had their prices increased, selling for as high as twenty Spirit Stones each. Even after searching the entire Market, the cheapest he could find was thirteen Spirit Stones.
As news of the Bizarre Demons spread, many Cultivators had been bewitched, leaving everyone on edge.
The demand for Evil Warding Talismans skyrocketed, driving up prices.
Opportunistic merchants took advantage of this and bought up Evil Warding Talismans in bulk, causing a shortage and unmet demand in the market.
Some talisman sellers also saw an opportunity and hoarded their stock, waiting for the price of Evil Warding Talismans to hit new highs.
Jia Ren lamented. Initially, I could have bought four Evil Warding Talismans, but now I can only afford three. He knew the prices would only climb higher if he waited. Spirit Stones are important, but one's life is even more so. He promptly paid thirty-nine Spirit Stones and purchased three Evil Warding Talismans.
With the Spirit Stones received, it's time to get to work!
With the bait business dead, running a stall would only result in losing the booth fee.
It made more sense to help the Spirit Farmers with pest removal, earning as many Spirit Stones as possible before the insect disaster was resolved.
There were more than four Spirit Farmers in need of pest removal. With sufficient efficiency, other Spirit Farmers could also become potential clients.
He bought the Metal Finger Technique for one Spirit Stone, gaining an additional pest removal skill.
With the Proficiency Panel, his Spell's Proficiency Level increased rather quickly. Jia Ren knew it wouldn't be long before he greatly surpassed the standard of a Spirit Farmer. Coupled with the Insect Control Technique, his pest removal efficiency would be unparalleled.
All prepared, Jia Ren set off for Great Wilderness Mountain at once.
Entry to Great Wilderness Mountain was much stricter than before, with Cultivators occasionally seen patrolling the skies on their swords.
Jia Ren announced his identity as a pest remover but was immediately detained and taken to the Law Enforcement Office.
It wasn't until Yang Bingzhi and other Spirit Farmers vouched for him that he was able to successfully ascend Great Wilderness Mountain.
"Great Wilderness Mountain has been uneasy lately. Daoist Jia, please be prepared for some inconveniences," one of them advised.
"With a Pass Token, there will be no need for questioning next time."
The first Spirit Farmer Jia Ren visited was Old Man Wang, Yang Bingzhi's neighbor, with whom he had a slight acquaintance.
He had borrowed Spirit Rice and Spiritual Tea from Old Man Wang, thus having the best relationship with him.
"Daoist Jia is a trustworthy person. Please, make haste to the Spirit Field," Old Man Wang said, walking briskly. The three of them, with Old Man Wang leading, proceeded to the Spirit Field.
"And Daoist Jia has come too!"
The Spirit Farmers Jia Ren had recently encountered at Heavenly River Square greeted him warmly, their faces flushed with excitement.
A few, however, wore expressions of envy and jealousy.
Not every Spirit Farmer dared to borrow Spirit Stones from Heavenly River Square.
If nothing happened there, wouldn't they end up with a huge debt?
They had hoped to laugh at the Spirit Farmers who borrowed Spirit Stones, but now they themselves had become the laughingstock.
Things had changed too quickly; Heavenly River Square was no more.
The Spirit Farmers they knew had borrowed a large sum of Spirit Stones, which not only covered their losses from the insect disaster but also allowed them to make a handsome profit.
Even if others wanted to follow suit, it was too late.
With Heavenly River Square gone, the opportunity for wealth vanished, leaving them all with deep regrets.
"Leave the pest removal to me!" Jia Ren strode into the Spirit Field, followed by numerous Spirit Farmers.
They were willing to pay him a deposit not because they knew of his strong pest removal abilities, but because he was cheap.
If Jia Ren proved proficient at pest removal, the other Spirit Farmers watching would also pay a deposit.
"Insect Control Technique!"
Since he had decided to earn Spirit Stones through pest removal, revealing the Insect Control Technique was inevitable.
In the Spirit Field, each Spirit Insect under his control turned into a capable subordinate, moving precisely as he directed, like an extension of his own arm.
The number he could control quickly reached fifty—a 'grand' scale indeed. They launched relentless attacks on their own kind and other Spirit Insects, fighting to the death.
Jia Ren wasn't idle, using the newly learned Metal Finger Technique to pick off Spirit Insects.
The Metal Finger Technique wasn't considered a spell for Cultivator battles. When starting out, it only had a range of three feet, and its power wasn't strong. Attacking adult Corner Worms, a single hit couldn't kill them. It could only be used to bully the weaker Spirit Insects.
Its only advantage was its low consumption of Spiritual Power—only one-fifth of that of the Wind Control Skill. It required no incantations or hand seals; a mere thought was enough to cast it.
Once its Proficiency Level improves, the power of the Metal Finger Technique should increase accordingly.
"The pest removal speed is so fast!"
"Is this the Insect Taming Technique?"
"I wonder if Daoist Jia is willing to sell it?"
Seeing the power of the Insect Control Technique, the Spirit Farmers began to have ideas.
Compared to the ubiquitous Metal Finger Technique, the efficiency of using an insect-controlling technique for pest removal was far superior.
Jia Ren shook his head in silence, not responding.
Reaching my level of proficiency with the Insect Control Technique is too difficult! Under normal circumstances, even a decade of study would typically only raise the Insect Control Technique to the Skilled Level, allowing control over a dozen or so Spirit Insects at most. I, however, have reached the Master Level. I can control fifty Spirit Insects and multitask with ease, hence my high pest removal efficiency.
One of the Spirit Farmers exclaimed, "Daoist Jia's pest removal abilities are incredible! The Pest Removal Team is no match for him at all."
Another agreed, "Yes, we can leave the pest removal to Daoist Jia with peace of mind."
As Jia Ren moved deeper into the Spirit Field, the Spirit Farmers stopped watching and dispersed.
Jia Ren only stopped when the sky turned dusky.
All the Spirit Insects in the twenty mu of Spirit Fields were eliminated. The Storage Bag was so full of Bug Corpses that he even had to borrow an extra one from Old Man Wang to fit them all.
I've made a breakthrough!
The Insect Control Technique's level had advanced rapidly, breaking through to the Grandmaster Level in a short time.
The limit on controlling Spirit Insects increased once again, from fifty to nearly eighty.
"Many thanks to Daoist Jia!"
"This is the remaining payment for the pest removal."
Old Man Wang was grinning from ear to ear. In just over half a day, the pest removal for the twenty mu Spirit Field was completed. This level of efficiency was terrifying; a Pest Removal Team would need at least five members to achieve the same progress in that time.
The sooner the Spirit Insects were dealt with, the smaller the losses the Spirit Fields suffered.
"Daoist Jia, you've been busy all day. Please have dinner before you leave," Old Man Wang said, deeply grateful, urging Jia Ren to stay.
"It's getting late. I should be heading back! The later I head back, the more likely I am to encounter trouble."
The Great Wilderness Market at night was not particularly safe, and the areas outside it even less so. Jia Ren wasn't willing to take the risk.
Using the Wind Control Skill, he sprinted all the way and rushed back to the Great Wilderness Market safely.
Compared to making and selling bait, pest removal is hard work. Despite a whole day's effort, the earnings were less than what I made from bait.
Even with the Insect Control Technique, where he mostly relied on insects to fight other insects and only occasionally used the Metal Finger Technique to kill larvae, clearing twenty mu of Spirit Field was still quite exhausting.
If I were less scrupulous, I could charge an exorbitant price for pest removal and earn far more Spirit Stones.
But Jia Ren had a moral baseline. He wouldn't exploit others in their time of need, especially Spirit Farmers who had suffered losses through no fault of their own. A normal price for pest removal was sufficient.
A hard day's work, one Qi Recovery Pill, and I earned a total of nine Spirit Stones and one Fragmented Spirit Stone.
I've accumulated a fair amount of Bug Corpses, which should sell for some Fragmented Spirit Stones, though the price is hard to estimate.
Yang Bingzhi had told him where to sell the Bug Corpses. Although the price would be low, it was the fastest way to offload them.
I need to buy a Storage Bag and a Spirit Beast Bag. That's another significant expense. I can't keep using this borrowed Storage Bag indefinitely.
Most of the eggs soaking in the Spiritual Liquid had already hatched into larvae, so the need for a Spirit Beast Bag was becoming urgent.
These are all Poisonous Spine Insects. They're not very useful for pest removal. I'll keep them for now and wait until it's time to pluck their Poisonous Spines!