Chapter Seventy: Five Hundred and Fifty-Two Grains of Thunder Spirit Rice (Part Two)

What a pity that his cultivation had not advanced much. Even with the aid of the Returning Essence Pill, which had increased his efficiency in training, Zhou Changwang glanced at his own progress and saw he was still far from reaching the peak of the third stage of Qi Refining. There was little he could do about it. The speed at which a cultivator advanced was often tied to the quality of their spiritual root. His own spiritual root determined his pace, and no matter what he did, it simply couldn’t be sped up.

Even now, with a dedicated cultivation chamber where the concentration of spiritual energy was more than twice that of the outskirts of the marketplace, it was impossible to expect any dramatic changes in a short time. The strength he had attained so far was due in large part to his constant consumption of spirit pills to aid his training. One Returning Spirit Pill could boost his cultivation speed significantly; the refined spiritual energy was equivalent to half a month’s progress. The Yellow Spirit Pill was even more effective—after consuming it, the spiritual energy refined was nearly equal to twenty days’ worth of training.

Thus, after breaking through the third stage of Qi Refining, he was able to raise his cultivation to the current level of fifty-five out of a hundred in such a short span. Now, without spiritual pills, at his natural training speed, even with the chamber’s rich spiritual energy, he would need at least a year to reach the peak of the third stage.

Fortunately, his mastery of the Five Elements Technique was also nearing completion. Perhaps by then, his cultivation speed would experience a substantial leap. Zhou Changwang calculated silently, his gaze shifting as a hint of joy appeared on his face.

He was just twenty-five experience points away from advancing his Five Elements Technique from minor achievement to mastery—just twenty-five more cycles of the technique, and he would reach the major achievement stage. That was fast. When he had first reached minor achievement, the Five Elements Technique could operate automatically. Although the pace was much slower than when he controlled it himself—one cycle every two hours—he could still complete five or six cycles a day. By training another five or six cycles himself, he’d reach more than ten cycles daily. In two days at most, his Five Elements Technique would be perfected.

The minor achievement stage already allowed automatic operation and slow restoration of spiritual energy—what could major achievement bring? Zhou Changwang looked forward to it as he finally stepped out of the cultivation chamber.

He stood in the courtyard and began practicing the Eight Movements of Heavenly Origin. There was no denying the power of this physical training technique. After just a few days spent learning the basics, he could already feel its remarkable effects. Even at the entry stage, his physical strength and body resilience had doubled. Of course, he wasn’t immune to blades and swords, but he believed that if he faced those bandit cultivators again, he would not be so battered.

Though practicing this technique was indeed arduous—each session left him drenched in sweat, as if he’d just undergone intense exercise—after a cycle, the feeling of exhilaration and ease was unparalleled. After two cycles, Zhou Changwang finished the movements and cast the Cleansing Spell. Soon, he was clean and dry again.

He then proceeded to the backyard. Half a month had passed, and almost all the Gathering Spirit Grass across the five acres of spirit fields had survived. Occasionally, some struggled to grow or suffered from pests, but thanks to his timely intervention and the Reviving Deadwood Spell, they were spared.

Looking at the lush Gathering Spirit Grass in the fields, Zhou Changwang felt a deep sense of satisfaction. In another two months, these spirit grasses would mature. Once sold, he would have a considerable amount of spirit stones in hand.

Walking among the spirit fields, Zhou Changwang felt that all his previous efforts had been worthwhile. For a spirit farmer, the greatest satisfaction was seeing the spirit herbs they planted grow smoothly.

Although the Gathering Spirit Grass still needed another two and a half months to mature, the Thunder Spirit Rice was already ripe. Zhou Changwang quickly made his way to the three Thunder Spirit Rice trees. Seeing the clusters of blue-gray spirit rice, each about the size of a pinky finger, he was filled with excitement.

Over a month had passed since the seeds—once black and unremarkable—had sprouted, flowered, and borne fruit. For the past half month, he had used six Thunderbolt Talismans daily. Calculated in spirit stones, the cost exceeded fifty low-grade spirit stones—never mind the time and energy he spent. It was no easy feat.

Now, the joy of harvest made his breath quicken. He carefully collected the Thunder Spirit Rice from the trees, feeling the weight of each plump grain and the rich, abundant spiritual energy within. He was genuinely satisfied and delighted.

In total, he harvested five hundred and fifty-two grains, weighing eleven pounds—ten grains per two ounces. After calming himself, Zhou Changwang looked at the bag of Thunder Spirit Rice and separated fifty grains, about one pound. After so much effort, he certainly wanted to taste a little.

The rest he would keep for seed. Although he couldn’t yet judge the value of Thunder Spirit Rice, it was nearly extinct in the cultivation world and undoubtedly precious. He wouldn’t dare sell it openly for now, but even for his own consumption, it was far superior to the ordinary spirit rice he could buy elsewhere.

But before he could cultivate them further, he needed to learn a thunder spell—preferably one for area attacks. Looking at the ten pounds of Thunder Spirit Rice, he felt a bit helpless. He knew that some in the cultivation world used formations to gather thunder energy and grow thunder attribute spirit plants. The same method applied to the Thunder Spirit Rice trees, but the cost was far too great—not to mention the materials for the formation, hiring a formation master was beyond his means. Formation masters held a higher status than alchemists in the cultivation world.

Twenty days later, Zhou Changwang finally left his house again.

Nearly a month had passed since the night of chaos. The Phoenix Song Market had already regained its former bustling prosperity. Life and death, arrivals and departures—markets like Phoenix Song, which had existed for over a century, would always attract cultivators as long as resources were available.

When Zhou Changwang entered the rogue cultivators’ market, he found fewer familiar faces and more strangers, but it was just as lively as before. This time, he wasn’t there to buy anything. He went straight to a market guard at the entrance, paid fifty fragments of spirit currency, and received a token that permitted him to set up a stall.

As for the stall’s location?

The front rows were out of the question—they were all fixed stalls, with annual rents costing several hundred low-grade spirit stones. He belonged to the mobile stalls, paying spirit stones each visit, often only coming once every ten days or so. There was no need to buy a fixed stall.

Good spots had to be fought for. Arriving early might let you choose a prime spot, but with so many people coming and going, Zhou Changwang could only move further back. By luck, he found a stall owner in the middle-rear section who had just sold out and was packing up. Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Changwang sat down immediately.

A few cultivators who were about to claim the spot saw this and could only sit back down, disappointed. Zhou Changwang paid them no mind. He spread a piece of leather on the stall and laid out stacks of talismans. Then he found a wooden board and wrote a bold line:

Clearance Sale!

Below was a smaller line:

Package One: Two Lightness Talismans, two Protection Talismans, two Cleansing Talismans, paired with one House Protection Talisman, one Fireball Talisman, and one Thunderbolt Talisman—all for just one low-grade spirit stone.

Package Two: Two Evil Dispelling Talismans, two House Protection Talismans, two Soul Summoning Talismans, paired with one Premium Water Spirit Talisman, one Premium Fireball Talisman, one Premium Thunderbolt Talisman—all for just three low-grade spirit stones.

Package Three...

The focus was volume and affordability. His success rate in crafting talismans was extremely high—excluding his early attempts, he could produce nine out of ten talismans. Even at low prices, he still profited.

After setting up his sign, Zhou Changwang was about to start hawking when a shifty-looking cultivator approached and asked quietly, “How’s the quality of your talismans?”

“Rest assured, they’re all crafted by a master with years of experience. Absolutely above standard. Buy with confidence, use with peace of mind... Most importantly, they’re cheap and practical... Look—this quality, this quantity, and these package deals? Where else can you find such offers?”

Zhou Changwang didn’t bother with any sound-muffling spells—hawking at a stall required a loud voice to attract more customers. Having experienced the live-streaming boom in his previous life, his sales pitch was smooth and practiced.

Almost instantly, the rogue cultivator was persuaded. Without bargaining, he gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll take one of Package One.”

“Alright!” Zhou Changwang replied with a smile, quickly selecting the corresponding talismans and handing them over, accepting the low-grade spirit stone from the other.

His sales pitch had clearly attracted nearby cultivators, and soon a middle-aged cultivator came by to ask about prices. In no time, his stall was crowded with customers.

His prices were truly affordable. Even those who hadn’t intended to buy talismans were tempted by the attractive package deals and ended up spending a spirit stone or two.

Within just half an hour, all the talismans he had laid out were sold out. Of course, Zhou Changwang still had talismans on him—mostly premium ones, which he dared not display all at once.

(End of this chapter)