Going ashore from the dock of the fishing cage, Ji An took his leave from Liang Hill and went to the stall square to find Wei Songnian.
The willows swayed gently by the shore, and he couldn't help but shiver.
At dusk, he fell into the lake and had no dry clothes to change into.
The wind on the lake was strong, and after being chilled by it for a long time, even his Third-Layer Qi Refining body couldn't withstand it.
He stopped, circulated his Spiritual Power through his limbs and bones a few times to dispel the cold, warming his body back up.
By now, his Daoist Robe was half-dry. He tidied up his hair, tying it again and inserting a Wooden Hairpin.
When he found Wei Songnian, the latter was packing up his stall, his elongated shadow blocking the light. He instinctively looked up, and said in surprise:
"Junior Brother, why do you look so bedraggled?"
"Just a little embarrassing incident, I'd rather not talk about it," Ji An waved his hand, pulling out a still damp Jade Bottle:
"Senior Brother, give me an estimate."
Originally, he planned to exchange the Wood Element Bead in the Sect for Contribution Points, but since the exchange for the Fourth-Layer Technique could be done in 'installments', he decided to trade the Wood Element Bead for Spirit Stones.
"What good stuff did you get, Junior Brother?"
Wei Songnian laughed as he took the Jade Bottle. He fetched a clean cloth to wipe it, pouring out over twenty pale green beads the size of longans.
He examined them one by one in front of his eyes, and said lightly:
"Inferior Wood Element Beads, three for one Spirit Crystal."
"That cheap?"
"Your Wood Element Beads are probably refined from ordinary plants, Spirit Farmers can refine them themselves, so they don't fetch a good price. They're mainly used to increase Spirit Grain production.
Only those refined from higher-grade Spiritual Objects are in demand, as they can be used to enhance the age of Spirit Medicines."
The age refers to the Medicinal Power. When Practitioners talk about hundred-year age, five-hundred-year age, or thousand-year age, that's what they mean.
Otherwise, how could there be so many Spirit Medicines that have truly grown for hundreds or thousands of years for Practitioners to use!
Advanced Planting Techniques combined with dedicated Medicine Field Arrays can accelerate the 'growth' of Spirit Medicines, thereby increasing their age.
In the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, Spirit Farmers earn Crystal Stones with difficulty in the early stage, but if they endure until the later stage, they are quite sought after.
By then, even Alchemists must lower themselves to win over Spirit Farmers.
Apart from Spirit Herbs and Medicines that cannot be artificially planted, a large part of medicinal materials are cultivated, relying on finding them in the wild presents too many variables.
The inheritance of Sects and great families is more stable because they have cultivated Medicinal Gardens for generations, naturally able to continually refine various Pills for disciples to improve their cultivation.
Take the Golden Spirit Sect, for example, although the Sect doesn't excel in Alchemy, Pills like the Foundation Establishment Pill and Nourishing Yuan Pill used to breakthrough into the Great Realm can be refined every few years.
"Junior Brother, would you like to sell?"
Wei Songnian inquired again, his evaluation of this Junior Brother rising a few notches.
In three months, the other party had elevated two Magic Techniques to the Minor Achievement Level, clearly talented in Planting Techniques.
He decided in his heart that after the next Spirit Grain harvest, he would invite him for a drink to strengthen their bond.
More importantly, he planned to invest more.
He wanted to see if the other party would make further progress in another three months, which would determine how much more he should bet.
"I'll sell."
Ji An nodded, as these Wood Spirit Beads would only be used in a few dozen days' time when the Spirit Grain tassels.
A regular Jade Bottle can't seal the escape of Spiritual Qi, keeping them could only turn them into trash.
"Alright, altogether 23 beads, it'll be eight Spirit Crystals for you, Junior Brother."
Wei Songnian skillfully poured the Wood Spirit Beads out and placed them into a specially made Jade Bottle.
The Wood Element Spiritual Energy contained in inferior Wood Element Beads was not much, so their quantity was too little to fetch a high price.
If one could acquire a large batch and encounter the right opportunity, it could still yield a decent profit.
The Sect's Medicinal Gardens needed to deliver Spirit Medicines on a regular basis, and sometimes contingencies would require the use of Wood Element Beads to improve the quality of materials.
As long as there were enough inferior Wood Element Beads, they could also serve as emergency aid.
"Do you have anything you need to buy recently, Junior Brother, don't hesitate to say.
In a few days, I'm heading out for ten days to half a month, taking the Sect's Flying Ship to Cyan Cloud Immortal City to trade some odds and ends."
Ji An shook his head. Even if he wanted to buy something now, he had no Crystal Stones.
He clasped his hands, speaking sincerely:
"I never thought Senior Brother had such a wide business network, truly admirable!"
He had always thought the other party was just a merchant within the Sect, not realizing that his business dealings extended beyond it.
He must have either skill, connections, or both.
"You flatter me," Wei Songnian smiled, waving his hand. The trade in the Immortal City was where his major profit in Spirit Stones lay.
...
Tian Qingbai grabbed the Zisha teapot and sipped a bit of Spirit Tea, contentedly shaking his head.
This year he was one hundred and thirty years old and had just recently broken through to the Fourth-Layer Foundation Establishment Stage.
When it took him nearly ten years to advance from the First-Layer Foundation Establishment to the Second-Layer Foundation Establishment, he realized that no matter how hard he worked in this life, he could not possibly advance to the Chao Origin Stage, unless he encountered a heaven-defying opportunity.
With seven to eight hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Golden Spirit Sect, so many people wanting to progress, the competition was too fierce.
The Sect's production was vast, but with too many wolves and not enough meat, it was never enough to go around.
He was only a Middle-Grade Talent, without enough Crystal Stones, Pills, and other external aids, raising his cultivation was just a fool's dream.
Living within the Sect is stable enough, but dreaming of great opportunities is just that—dreaming.
To progress faster, he could only set out and seek opportunities himself.
If he could find rare Spiritual Objects or Spirit Medicines, or explore a senior practitioner's Grotto Mansion, he might receive enough return to aid his cultivation.
It sounds simple, but going out without a plan or guidance is akin to seeking death.
Among the Sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivators, many encounter bottlenecks and venture out seeking opportunities, with few returning.
Many only see the lucky few who return to the Sect and advance rapidly, but have never faced the numerous bones littering the path of cultivation.
His ambitions had been worn down by years, and besides, having strived for half a life, he should enjoy it more now.
Therefore, he decided to take more beautiful concubines, expand the family, and cultivate a few more Immortal seeds for the Tian family, providing more resources for future generations.
What he couldn't achieve, his offspring might, and that's a kind of success too.
The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had many tasks, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators pursuing cultivation avoided its affairs.
Tian Qingbai was an Alchemist, but his skills were scattered, so he took this duty.
Once he truly took charge of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he found the hidden benefits rather substantial!
"Junior Martial Uncle, Li Changfeng seeks an audience."
"Changfeng, come in," Tian Qingbai put on a stern expression.
"Junior Martial Uncle, yesterday when you were not here, a Spirit Farmer disciple came to exchange for the Fourth-Layer Planting Technique, I have logged his details for your approval."
Li Changfeng handed a booklet in front of him.
"Not bad, more good seedlings appear, the Sect's prosperity is just around the corner."
Tian Qingbai glanced at the booklet, internally laughing heartily, finding the hidden benefits substantial!
A disciple mastering a Planting Technique to Great Success, according to the usual practice, the Sect rewards 50 Contribution Points for encouragement, but the disciples don't know this rule!
He doesn't have to do anything, and 100 Contribution Points go into the account.