Chapter 135

Shi Zhu Forest market is located in a valley surrounded by several mountain peaks.

In this valley stand hundreds of stone pillars of different shapes and thicknesses.

The stone pillars are like a forest, hence the name Shi Zhu Forest.

The location of Shi Zhu Forest happens to be in the middle of several immortal cultivation forces and some loose cultivator gathering places. Because the terrain is special, the recognition is high, and it is easy to locate, if the cultivators in this area want to find a place to meet or find a place to trade, they will often think of Shi Zhu Forest first.

Over time, Shi Zhu Forest developed into an immortal cultivation market, attracting immortal cultivators and merchants from all over.

They set up temporary stalls and shops between these stone pillars or on the stone pillars, selling various spiritual herbs, spiritual elixirs, talismans, magic treasures, and even some cultivation secret books...

Later, this immortal cultivation market developed larger and larger, and the Spirit Ba Dao Men saw that it was profitable, so they sent people to take over the Shi Zhu Forest market.

All merchants who set up temporary stalls or opened shops here must pay management fees to the Spirit Ba Dao Men.

Not only that, the Spirit Ba Dao Men also opened shops in the market itself.

This was Xia Daoming's first time coming to an immortal cultivation market.

Originally, he was a bit worried that he, a martial artist, would look abrupt if he broke into the market.

After arriving at the market, Xia Daoming realized he had thought too much.

Those who come to the immortal cultivation market are not only immortal cultivators, but also many martial artists.

However, the vast majority of martial artists are of the seventh rank and above, and even Martial Arts Grandmasters, who are rarely seen in the secular world, Xia Daoming encountered three of them not long after entering the market.

A young eighth-rank Great Wu Shi like him, placed in the secular world, is definitely considered outstanding.

But here, he can only be lost in the crowd.

But this is also good, which just suits Xia Daoming's personality.

Xia Daoming walked through the stone pillars, looking at the shops one by one.

This time he was just exploring the way, roughly understanding the situation of the market, and had no intention of buying or selling items.

After having a preliminary understanding, he would make full preparations next time he came, and wouldn't appear in the market with his true face like today.

There are elixirs in the market specifically for martial artists to take, which can increase qi, blood, and strength.

However, as Ding Chu Shan said, they only accept spirit stones, spiritual herbs, spiritual rice, and other items from the immortal cultivation world for trading, and do not accept secular gold, silver, jewelry, and other wealth.

Xia Daoming walked all the way and found that many martial artists were using medicinal herbs, or minerals that could make magic treasures, sharp claws, sharp teeth, leather armor of monsters, etc., to trade with merchants.

Most martial artists come here to purchase elixirs that can increase qi, blood, and strength, and some are also purchasing divine weapons.

Like Xia Daoming, who is single-mindedly trying to purchase spiritual herbs and elixirs for enlightenment or Qi Refinement Charm Secret Maps, he hasn't found any along the way.

However, Xia Daoming also didn't find any shops selling the two things he wanted.

This made Xia Daoming a bit disappointed.

He came to Ten Thousand Spiral Xianshan, which could be said to be the biggest purpose of purchasing these two things.

Walking and looking all the way, not long after, Xia Daoming came to the middle of the market.

In the middle of this market, there is a huge stone pillar nearly twenty zhang high, with a flat top as if cut by a giant saber.

Looking up, one can see a magnificent and ancient pavilion built on top of the stone pillar.

This pavilion has blue bricks and black tiles, with eaves tilted up, and one can vaguely see flying dragon and floating cloud patterns carved on the tiles, with wind chimes hanging at the four corners. When the breeze blows, it makes crisp and pleasant bell sounds, which is like immortal music lingering, making people feel relaxed and happy.

This is not all, the most unique thing is that the pavilion is built on a huge stone pillar of more than twenty zhang, and there is no staircase passage to go up.

"This pavilion looks extraordinary at first glance, it should be some Tianxuan Pavilion opened by the Spirit Ba Dao Men itself. I don't know if there are any spiritual herbs and elixirs for enlightenment or cultivation charm secret maps for sale inside?"

Xia Daoming stood below looking up, showing a look of thought, and didn't move for a long time. That appearance really had the style of a country boy entering the city for the first time.

A young cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refinement glanced at Xia Daoming with a sense of superiority, then pinched a spell, and a gust of wind rose beside him, rolling him up slowly into the air.

In mid-air, the guy didn't forget to look down at Xia Daoming.

Xia Daoming looked at the young cultivator's sense of superiority and was speechless.

He doesn't deny that immortal cultivators have many more means than martial artists.

For example, the young cultivator who ascended just now, if he really talks about strength, he is estimated to be equivalent to an eighth-rank Great Wu Shi.

But an eighth-rank Great Wu Shi absolutely has no way to stir up wind power and roll himself into the sky, but a Qi Refinement cultivator can do it.

These skills fall into the eyes of ordinary people, which is a fairy method, making them worship involuntarily.

But for Xia Daoming, this kind of ascent speed, if he dares to use it in a fight, is fundamentally looking for a beating.

"Don't look, little brother. This stone pillar is the 'Tianxuan Pavilion' opened by our Spirit Ba Dao Men, and it is also the highest-end shop in the Shi Zhu Forest Immortal Market. Inside, there are spiritual rice, spiritual elixirs, talismans, magic treasures, secret books, etc., everything.

However, 'Tianxuan Pavilion' only targets immortal cultivators and Martial Arts Grandmasters. Those below the Martial Arts Grandmaster have no qualifications to go up, unless you can prove that you have spiritual herbs or other things worth at least five spirit stones on you." An elderly second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator walked up and said to Xia Daoming.

This elderly cultivator wore a gray Taoist robe, with a small knife surrounded by clouds and mist embroidered on the sleeve, which was the sign of the Spirit Ba Dao Men.

"So it's an immortal master of the Spirit Ba Dao Men, the junior is rude!" Xia Daoming bowed hurriedly.

"Exempt from the ceremony, you should go quickly, don't stand here and disturb the customers of 'Tianxuan Pavilion'." The old man waved his hand and said.

"Immortal master senior, is there any spiritual elixir or herb for enlightenment on this 'Tianxuan Pavilion'?" Xia Daoming asked as if he hadn't heard the old man's words, bowing and asking.

The old man was also only a second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator at his age, and had long lost the pride of becoming an immortal cultivator back then.

Seeing Xia Daoming, this young eighth-rank Great Wu Shi, first calling himself an immortal master, and then calling himself an immortal master senior, he couldn't help but look at him much more favorably.

"Spiritual elixir or herb for enlightenment? You don't want to walk the path of immortal cultivation, do you?" The old man looked at Xia Daoming with disbelief.

"The path of martial arts, no matter how hard you try, will come to an end when you reach the Grandmaster level, but the immortal path has no end. Since I have the opportunity to come to Ten Thousand Spiral Xianshan, I naturally want to fight for the path of immortal cultivation." Xia Daoming said seriously.

"Old Tao advises you to give up this idea as soon as possible! Enlightenment is to reopen the blocked eight extraordinary meridians. The eight extraordinary meridians are also called congenital meridians. Without congenital qi, how easy is it to reopen them?

Therefore, whether it is the spiritual elixir or herb for enlightenment, they must contain a little congenital spiritual energy to have a chance

How precious are elixirs and spiritual herbs that contain a bit of innate spiritual energy; any random one is estimated to cost over a thousand spirit stones.

Therefore, those qualified to enjoy such spiritual elixirs and herbs must at least be the direct descendants of Foundation Establishment ancestors. Sometimes their children, when young, are not enlightened, not smart enough, or have personalities that are too lively, making them unable to comprehend cultivation Dao methods or guide Qi into their bodies.

The ancestors, feeling sorry for their children, wait until they are a bit older, smarter, and more sensible, and then spare no expense to feed them precious spirit-awakening elixirs or spiritual herbs.

So, kid, stop daydreaming. Walk the path of martial arts well and strive to become a Wu Shi. In the future, with the help of your Wu Shi father, it will be somewhat easier for your children to walk the path of cultivation," the old man advised with good intentions.

"At least a thousand spirit stones!" Xia Daoming was instantly dumbfounded upon hearing this.

When he killed the evil cultivator Wu Rong, he seized fifty spirit stones, gave five to Lan Xue, and had forty-five left.

Not long ago, he killed Lu Weiwen and seized thirty spirit stones, while Lu Chengtian didn't even carry a single one on him.

Added together, that was a total of seventy-five.

At least a thousand? If he really wanted to kill and rob to get them, how many lives would he have to take?

Of course, magic treasures and such could definitely be sold for money.

But he estimated that even if he sold everything, he wouldn't be able to scrape together a thousand spirit stones.

What's more, both Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue needed spirit-awakening, which would cost at least two thousand or more.

"It seems I've been floating quite high lately, actually thinking about when I might achieve the 'one person attains the Dao, the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven' scenario, and having the opportunity to give my senior brother, my master, and the others some spirit-awakening elixirs or fruits to taste, letting them also experience the thrill of cultivation.

As it turns out, a single spirit-awakening elixir or fruit costs upwards of a thousand spirit stones. If I wanted to buy them now, I'd probably have to sell one of the immortal caves in Mangzhou," Xia Daoming thought, mocking himself inwardly after his shock.

"Yes, a thousand! I, this old Daoist, work hard every day guarding the gate and running errands for the sect; after a whole year, I only earn five spirit stones.

Sometimes I use them for cultivation, sometimes I buy elixirs to supplement my health, and after a year, I don't even have a single one left over.

If I had a thousand spirit stones, even if my aptitude were dull and I hadn't reached the late stage of Qi Refinement, I should at least be at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement by now," the old man sighed.

"May I ask, immortal master senior, what is the current market price for spiritual rice?" Xia Daoming hesitated for a moment before asking.

His family didn't have much else, but they did have seventy or eighty acres of spiritual fields.

The yield of spiritual rice cannot be compared to worldly grain, but one acre can still harvest forty or fifty catties at a time.

In one harvest, there are three or four thousand catties, and after removing the husks, there are still two or three thousand catties.

"Nowadays, one spirit stone can buy ten catties of spiritual rice." The old man looked at Xia Daoming with some curiosity, but still gave the answer.

"The spiritual fields at Mount Yuncui can be harvested twice a year, and the spiritual fields over at Gengyun Mountain are harvested once a year. Calculating it this way, my income from the spiritual fields alone can reach over three hundred spirit stones a year. Compared to this old Daoist in front of me, I am definitely a wealthy man.

It's just that even so, it would take several years to buy a single portion of spirit-awakening elixirs. How could I afford to wait for several years? It seems I have to find a way to make some quick money. But the problem is, how do I make quick money? I can't really go around killing and robbing, can I!" Xia Daoming calculated in his heart after hearing this, rubbing his chin, feeling quite troubled.

PS: There will be two normal updates today, but the second chapter hasn't been written yet; it will likely be scheduled for noon or evening. Please forgive me.

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(End of this chapter)