Not for sale for even One Hundred Spirit Stones?
Is the price of a single Talisman Crafting Technique that horrifying?
Jia Ren also wanted to learn from Elder Wu and had expected the price to be much lower than what the cultivator surnamed Shen had offered.
Yet, Elder Wu was not willing to sell for even One Hundred Spirit Stones...
Jia Ren was puzzled. A Talisman Crafting inheritance didn’t come cheap, and a complete one encompassed many types of talismans, not just a single variety.
Why would a single Talisman Crafting Technique be so absurdly priced?
Could there be something I don’t know?
Jia Ren carefully recalled that the Demon-Spotting Talisman was rather esoteric. Most of his purchases of Demon-Spotting Talismans were either through Elder Wu or several major talisman stores.
With prices cheaper than the talisman stores, Elder Wu had few competitors in the Outer City.
The Demon-Spotting Talisman was like a hen that laid golden eggs; only a fool would teach it to others and create competitors for themselves.
Isn’t earning Spirit Stones for oneself more appealing?
One Hundred Spirit Stones was no small sum for an average Loose Cultivator. Elder Wu, with his substantial wealth, might simply not be interested.
The likelihood of him learning the Demon-Spotting Talisman was growing slimmer.
I’ll just take it one step at a time.
The appearance of the cultivator surnamed Shen also served as a reminder to Jia Ren.
There’s one source of information I haven’t fully utilized.
The cultivator surnamed Shen, who had taken over the business of aging stone houses, had extensive connections and was a strong competitor for the Seeking Demon Talisman Technique.
He also possessed a large sum of Spirit Stones earned from aging stone houses—a considerable fortune.
If I could kill the cultivator surnamed Shen, just like Si Mingkong, wouldn’t I acquire all his wealth?
No sooner had the thought arisen than Jia Ren squashed it.
He still had his own moral bottom line and codes of conduct to adhere to.
"If others don’t offend me, I won’t offend them."
If Jia Ren used his insects to kill, he might indeed be able to secretly and undetectably murder the cultivator surnamed Shen and seize the latter’s wealth.
But once he entertained such wicked thoughts and grew accustomed to making ’quick money,’ he would never be able to return to the slower, conventional ways a Loose Cultivator earned Spirit Stones.
Why do gamblers get stuck in gambling, unable to extricate themselves?
They don’t get addicted overnight. Rather, it’s because one day they earn a fortune far exceeding what normal means could provide. They mistakenly believe gambling can change their fate, and so they fall deeper into the trap.
Once one’s values are destroyed, it’s incredibly hard to revert to how things were.
Bizarre Cultivators are the same; their fall doesn’t happen in a single day.
Apart from a few individuals inherently evil, most are Loose Cultivators struggling at the bottom. After tasting the ’sweetness’ of plunder and murder, they embark on this road of no return.
Once accustomed to plundering for quick money, a first time inevitably leads to a second, and then a third...
Walk by the riverside often enough, and your shoes are bound to get wet.
Someday, one has to pay the price for their actions.
Jia Ren didn’t want to live such a perilous life; it was best to nip these dangerous thoughts in the bud.
Just gather information, nothing more.
Reconnecting to my previous dwelling isn’t difficult; it can be done in half a day.
I could gain another source of information.
Today is the day the transaction meeting reopens. I need to gather more information.
Jia Ren didn’t plan to attend the transaction meeting. Failing to acquire the treasures he wanted would only increase his risk of exposure.
His main focus was to gather information.
Before he could seclude himself to cultivate, a massive roar suddenly came from above. The earth shook, and the mountains trembled.
The commotion has never been this intense before.
Jia Ren halted his cultivation and activated the Turtle Breath Technique, ensuring his aura wouldn’t leak out.
While improving my cultivation level is important, safety is paramount.
Being underground and thus cut off from information, Jia Ren immediately rushed through the tunnel toward Fang Wu’s underground trading post.
Fang Wu had the widest range of contacts and was the most well-informed.
Everything was dark and silent here.
Time ticked by, and Jia Ren practiced his Turtle Breath Technique to pass the hours.
An unknown amount of time passed before sounds finally emerged from the underground trading post.
"Thousand Beasts Mountain has broken through!"
"I hope it doesn’t affect this place."
"The Great Wilderness Market better hold up."
Jia Ren’s eyes lit up; he bore not the slightest goodwill toward the Five Elements Sect and wished for nothing less than its downfall.
However, Yang Bingzhi is still with the Five Elements Sect.
If the sect were gone, all the investments I’ve made in Yang Bingzhi would be for naught.
The life and death of a sect isn’t something a small fry like me can intervene in; I have no choice but to quietly await the outcome.
The ground shook violently, trembling unceasingly. Jia Ren seriously worried the tunnels might collapse.
The worst didn’t happen. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the shaking stopped, and everything returned to calm.
Jia Ren could hear Fang Wu’s faint breathing within the underground trading post.
A figure barged into the underground trading post, shattering the long-standing stillness.
"Fang Wu, haha, there’s some fantastic news!"
"The Spirit Fields on Grand Wilderness Mountain are on fire!"
"Thousand Beasts Mountain’s attack on the Outer City was a feint! Their true aim was to set Grand Wilderness Mountain ablaze. They want to cut off the Five Elements Sect’s subsequent supplies!"
"The Five Elements Sect repelled Thousand Beasts Mountain but couldn’t protect the Spirit Fields. All of them were burned to ashes!"
"The Spirit Rice we’ve been hoarding can now fetch an astronomical price!"
People’s sorrows and joys rarely align. The complete burning of the Spirit Fields and the destruction of Spirit Rice was a catastrophic blow for both the Five Elements Sect and the victimized Spirit Farmers.
But to some, it was a cause for celebration.
Thousand Beasts Mountain was one beneficiary; speculators hoarding stocks were another.
Simply because the supply of Spirit Rice had decreased, their potential profits had increased.
The most pitiable were, without a doubt, the Spirit Farmers.
The sacrificial lambs of the sect wars.
After a busy year, first came the pestilence.
Before they could enjoy any peace, the fires of Thousand Beasts Mountain descended upon them.
Both disasters were man-made.
The Spirit Farmers I know will be heartbroken again.
Alas, war always harms the common folk at the bottom first...
With the Spirit Rice destroyed, it’s going to be so hard to buy any now...
Jia Ren felt heavy-hearted; the destruction of the Spirit Fields was not good news for him.
With scarce grain supplies, prices will be even higher.
The war had already driven up Spirit Rice prices. Now, I’m afraid it will be nearly impossible to buy any.
I still have over four hundred catties of Spirit Rice. It seems like a lot, but it won’t last too long.
The voice sounded familiar to Jia Ren. He peered through the wormhole toward the underground trading post.
His view was limited, but he managed to catch a glimpse of the visitor’s face.
Qi Yulong! The Loose Cultivator Fang Wu had initially found to help with aging the stone houses!
"When will we sell the Spirit Rice?"
Fang Wu adopted a humble posture before the ecstatic Qi Yulong, ready to follow his lead.
They had accumulated a large stockpile of Spirit Rice, and Inner Sect Disciples of the Five Elements Sect had even questioned why they weren’t selling any.
The income from the underground trading post hadn’t met expectations, so they’d wanted to wrap things up early.
Now, it seemed their attitude would undergo a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree change.
"Hehe, actively selling it won’t fetch a high price."
"Believe me, it won’t be long before Loose Cultivators come begging at our door. If we don’t sell it for at least one Spirit Stone per catty, how could we justify this heaven-sent opportunity?"
Qi Yulong thought about the vast amounts of Spirit Rice he had hoarded, his face blossoming into a wide grin.
Selling all this Spirit Rice will definitely bring a huge fortune!
"Manage the underground trading post well for me, and you won’t be short of rewards."
"After this is done, I’ll take you into the Inner City and also reward you with a generous sum of Spirit Stones," Qi Yulong said.
Qi Yulong didn’t linger; he floated away.
He had to rush to report this excellent news to his superiors.
Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and added a reminder.
"The business of aging stone houses is over. The sheep have been fattened, and it’s time for the slaughter."