Receiving the spirit stones, Xiao Jingting was excited. “They’ve arrived! The spirit stones have arrived! They actually sent them over so quickly.”
He counted the spirit stones and found that the price was higher than the market rate, which made him even happier. “Lingbao Pavilion really has a lot of spirit stones!”
Chen Xu thought for a moment and said, “Lingbao Pavilion is different from ordinary organizations.”
Xiao Jingting asked curiously, “How is it different?”
“Lingbao Pavilion is a large commercial organization. Many cultivators from other sects come here seeking opportunities, but Lingbao Pavilion’s cultivators come here to collect spiritual herbs. They don’t search for herbs themselves; they bring a large amount of spirit stones and pills to exchange with others for their herbs.”
“Uncle Xiao, you know that once we leave the secret realm, our sects will inspect us and require us to exchange our gains for spirit stones, contribution points, or pills. Generally, the exchange is fair, but some sects exploit their disciples.”
“Some cultivators directly exchange the herbs they collect for pills and use them. That way, they don’t have to worry about inspections when they leave.”
Xiao Jingting nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Chen Shao, you know a lot.”
Chen Xu smiled modestly, “It’s nothing.”
“Thanks for the transfer box, Chen Shao,” Xiao Jingting said.
“It’s just a small gadget, nothing much.”
Xiao Jingting smiled. “It might be a small thing to you, but it helped your Uncle Xiao a lot.”
Xiao Jingting thought to himself, Lingbao Pavilion reportedly has over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. By keeping a low profile, they show some respect. If my identity were exposed, they might covet my possessions due to my weak strength. Although Lingbao Pavilion has a good reputation, any organization that has stood for a thousand years must have its secrets.
Chen Xu shyly smiled, “I’m glad it helped, Uncle Xiao.”
“Chen Shao, you said the Xiling grass only grows in the inner city of the Tianxia Secret Realm, and the inner city will only open in two years?” Xiao Jingting asked.
Chen Xu nodded, “Yes.”
Xiao Jingting rubbed his forehead, feeling the frustration of incomplete information. He had thought the medicine gardens might have Xiling grass and had planned to try his luck at other gardens, but now it seemed futile.
“To enter the inner city of the Tianxia Secret Realm, one must cross a swamp filled with miasma, poisonous insects, and monsters. It’s very challenging to get across,” Chen Xu said worriedly.
Xiao Jingting nodded, “Although the inner city won’t open for a long time, we need to start preparing early.”
“I heard that the inner areas of the medicine gardens contain the best things, like Pure Spirit Liquid,” Chen Xu said.
Xiao Jingting asked, “What is Pure Spirit Liquid?”
“It can help with forming a Nascent Soul and is also beneficial for Nascent Soul stage cultivators to improve their cultivation,” Chen Xu explained.
“Can it help with forming a Golden Core?” Xiao Jingting asked.
Chen Xu nodded, “Of course, but using it for forming a Golden Core is a bit of overkill.”
Xiao Jingting : “…” Elder Qiu said the Xiling grass is the most precious thing in the secret realm, but it seems Elder Qiu’s understanding of the secret realm is limited. Whether Pure Spirit Liquid or Xiling grass is more valuable depends on who needs it more.
Chen Xu, looking hopeful, said, “If I can find Xiling grass, I can become a dual spiritual root cultivator.”
Xiao Jingting was surprised. “Dual spiritual roots? How can that be?”
Chen Xu blinked and said, “I’m a triple spiritual root cultivator. If one root is washed away, I’ll have dual spiritual roots.”
Xiao Jingting widened his eyes. “Xiling grass can only wash away one spiritual root?”
Chen Xu nodded, “Yes, but it’s generally used for dual spiritual root cultivators. Using it on triple spiritual root cultivators is considered a waste.”
Xiao Jingting thought, “Elder Qiu fooled me again, but it’s not entirely his fault; he probably doesn’t know the details either.”
“I thought Xiling grass could turn someone into a single spiritual root cultivator,” Xiao Jingting said, a bit disappointed.
Chen Xu looked at Xiao Jingting, “Uncle Xiao, don’t be too disappointed. Becoming a dual spiritual root cultivator is already quite good.”
Xiao Jingting nodded, “Yes, you’re right.”
…
Xiao Jingting continued to send a portion of his pills daily to Lingbao Pavilion for them to sell, maintaining a good relationship with them. Through Lingbao Pavilion, he learned that the young master who was bitten by the scorpion had woken up and recovered.
The Lingbao Pavilion people seemed to hold great respect for Xiao Jingting, impressed that he could develop an antidote. Enjoying this rare opportunity, Xiao Jingting decided to sell his stockpile of pills. To maintain his mysterious image, he claimed that the lower-quality pills were made by his disciples.
After some time, Xiao Jingting earned nearly two thousand mid-grade spirit stones from Lingbao Pavilion, replenishing his depleted treasury.
Zhou Lan looked at the pills in his hand, deep in thought.
“Senior Brother, did that senior send more pills?” Zhang Qing asked, walking into the room.
Zhou Lan nodded, “Yes, quite a few.”
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Qing asked.
“Nothing, it’s just strange. Look at this Three-Stripe Blood Ling Dan. It should be made from a hundred-year-old blood ganoderma, which is rare. Yet this senior sent over seven or eight bottles of it,” Zhou Lan said.
“What’s so strange about that? Maybe they specifically collected such herbs,” Zhang Qing said.
Zhou Lan shook his head, “If it were just one kind of pill, it would be understandable. But there are many such pills, all made from rare herbs. This person has sent quite a few, and some of these pill recipes are hardly known.”
Zhang Qing rubbed his chin, “Are you saying this person might have a secret method for cultivating rare spiritual plants and knows many pill recipes?”
Zhou Lan nodded, “Yes! This person’s behavior is very suspicious. If they can enter the secret realm, their cultivation level shouldn’t be too high. They are likely hiding their identity to protect themselves.”
Zhang Qing lowered his head. Although the person had helped them, the secret method for cultivating rare plants and the pill recipes were incredibly valuable.
“Senior Brother, can we use the transfer box to find this person?” Zhang Qing asked, his eyes shining.
“This transfer box is specifically designed for secure transactions. It won’t be easy to locate the person using it,” Zhou Lan shook his head.
Zhang Qing felt disappointed, “That’s too bad.”
Zhou Lan smiled, “There aren’t many people capable of making such a transfer box. We might be able to trace it back to the master who made it and find out who bought it.”
Zhang Qing, excited, said, “Great idea, Senior Brother! But is it worth the trouble?”
Zhou Lan shook his head, “I’m not sure. It’s just that the person being able to provide the antidote so quickly is very unusual.”
As they were talking, the transfer box suddenly self-destructed.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Qing asked.
Zhou Lan frowned, “The person must have destroyed their transfer box. These boxes come in pairs; if one is destroyed, the other is rendered useless.”
“They’re very cautious,” Zhang Qing said.
Zhou Lan nodded, “Indeed.”
…
Back at Xiao Jingting’s side.
Xu Mu’an looked at the destroyed transfer box with some regret, “It’s a pity. These boxes are worth a lot of money.”
Xiao Jingting looked at Xu Mu’an and said, “Don’t worry about it. Safety first.”
Xu Mu’an nodded, “You’re right.”
Xiao Jingting thought, “It’s a shame to destroy such a useful item, but to protect the jade pendant space, it’s necessary. Selling so many pills would inevitably arouse suspicion.”
“We’ve sold most of the pills, and it’s time for the box to retire,” Xiao Jingting said.
Xu Mu’an nodded, “Agreed.” They had sold off most of their unused pills, earning nearly three thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Considering how quickly Xiao Jingting spent spirit stones, Xu Mu’an wondered how long this amount would last.
…
“This Lingbao Pavilion really knows how to do business. They drive a hard bargain,” Luo Yuting said after selling some spiritual herbs to Lingbao Pavilion for pills.
Qiao Xiang nodded, “Yes, but don’t worry. In this place, spiritual herbs are useless; pills are what matter.”
Luo Yuting nodded, “True. I heard a young master from Lingbao Pavilion was bitten by a Golden-Topped Red-Tailed Scorpion and recently got cured.”
“I heard that too. They say the person who cured him used a transfer box to send the antidote, acting very mysterious. I wonder what they were hiding,” a disciple from the Wushuang Sect accompanying Qiao Xiang interjected.
“I heard Lingbao Pavilion paid a top-grade spirit stone as a reward. Later, that alchemist sold many pills to Lingbao Pavilion.”
“Yes, I heard that too. Many of the pills Lingbao Pavilion has been selling recently come from that alchemist. They must be very skilled.”
“I heard from a servant at Lingbao Pavilion that the alchemist’s transactions amounted to over two thousand mid-grade spirit stones, plus the top-grade spirit stone. That alchemist must be very wealthy!”
“That alchemist is cautious, but you can’t blame them. Just that top-grade spirit stone is enough to attract trouble. If their identity were exposed now, they’d likely be robbed and killed. In this place, no one cares about status.”
“They’re very capable. I wonder who they really are.”
Qiao Xiang listened to the discussions around him, feeling envious. He had thought he was someone important, but seeing others casually spend two thousand spirit stones for three months in a Time Cultivation Chamber and earn a top-grade spirit stone so easily made him feel inadequate.
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