Living a peaceful life in the world of cultivation

The room was simply furnished with just a few tables and desks.

Inside the bronze incense burner on the shore, wisps of white smoke curled upwards, releasing a delicate and serene fragrance that soothed the mind and made one feel refreshed and clear-headed, even accelerating the circulation of spiritual energy within the body.

"This is the fragrance of Qingming Festival. Its aroma is refreshing and invigorating, bringing clarity to the mind."

Shopkeeper Lu stroked his beard, quite satisfied with Lü Ping's reaction, and with a hint of smugness, introduced Lü Ping to him.

Lu Ping remembered that last time Manager Lu used calming incense in this quiet room, now that his cultivation had broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, the quality had improved, and he was even using mid-grade first-level Qingming incense.

"Young Master Lu, let's get down to business. The price for Rejuvenating Grass remains the same this time, but next month's price will drop back to normal." Manager Lu changed the subject, shifting the focus to Rejuvenating Grass.

From Manager Lu's words, Lü Ping accurately grasped a piece of information.

The price of Rejuvenating Grass will return to normal levels next month.

Judging from this, Manager Lu and his group must know something. To put it more broadly, the managers of various shops in the market, who are all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, should know some inside information.

If Manager Lu hadn't brought these details up, Lü Ping would have had no way of knowing them, or rather, it would have been impossible for a rogue cultivator like Lü Ping to know them.

In the marketplace, power, background, and social status have long defined social classes.

"Thank you for the reminder, Manager Lu." Lü Ping expressed his gratitude and then offered his congratulations, saying, "I haven't yet congratulated Manager Lu on breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining."

"From now on, Manager Lu will surely achieve immortality and be on the verge of establishing his foundation."

"I'm afraid that when I see Manager Lu in the future, I'll have to address him as Manager Lu and pay my respects to Lu Zhenxiu."

Although Manager Lu had heard Lu Ping's congratulatory words countless times from other spirit plant masters, he found the young man's words of congratulations to be much more pleasant.

"Getting back to the main point, young master Lü, a top-quality Rejuvenating Grass costs three low-grade spirit stones per plant, while other quality Rejuvenating Grasses cost two low-grade spirit stones per plant."

"Oh, by the way, you also cultivate Moon-Closing Flowers, right? A top-quality Moon-Closing Flower costs seven low-grade spirit stones, and a good-quality Moon-Closing Flower costs six low-grade spirit stones."

Shopkeeper Lu was very confident in Lü Ping's methods of cultivating spiritual plants, and deliberately ignored the price of the Moon-Closing Flower below good quality.

Lu Ping could only think to himself: Manager Lu, you have a good eye for people.

Immediately afterwards, he took out twelve Rejuvenating Grasses and three Moon-Closing Flowers.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you kid, your skills in cultivating spiritual plants are no less than mine when I was young."

"One ordinary quality Rejuvenating Grass, one good quality Rejuvenating Grass, and ten superior quality Rejuvenating Grasses. The total value of the Rejuvenating Grass is thirty-four low-grade spirit stones."

"One good-quality Moon-Closing Flower, and two superior-quality Moon-Closing Flowers. The total value of the Moon-Closing Flowers is twenty low-grade spirit stones."

"Huh, there's no Moon Dew? Oh, I remember now, you still need Moon Dew to nourish your spiritual consciousness."

"In total, fifty-four low-grade spirit stones."

Another fifty-four low-grade spirit stones were added to the storage bag, instantly bulging the waist pouch.

Lu Ping's lips curled up slightly, but he suppressed it again, thinking that he should not be impetuous. This little bit of wealth was nothing compared to Manager Lu's.

Another thing that reassured him slightly was that, with the help of his spiritual sense and the concealment provided by the perfected level of the Turtle Breathing Technique, Manager Lu, a cultivator who had just entered the late stage of Qi Refining, did not notice the change in his cultivation level.

"In addition, Lingcaotang is giving you fifteen portions of Rejuvenating Grass seeds and three portions of Moon-Closing Flower seeds for free this time."

"As compensation for this incident."

Manager Lu's expression was solemn and his attitude serious, clearly taking the matter of his unclean apprentice harming the visiting spiritual plant masters very seriously.

After all, if you're not careful, this kind of thing could ruin the foundation of Lingcaotang.

Even though he was a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, Manager Lu did not take this matter lightly.

"Thank you very much, Manager Lu. I will accept the spiritual plants you have given me." Lu Ping did not stand on ceremony. Considering that there was no alternative channel for spiritual energy, he asked.

"Manager Lu, do you know if we can buy mid-grade first-tier spiritual plants in the Spirit Herb Hall? Preferably those with a short growth cycle."

Lu Ping thought that Manager Lu would think about it carefully, but he didn't expect him to speak up immediately.

"A mid-grade first-tier spiritual plant naturally requires more spiritual energy and other nutrients than a low-grade first-tier spiritual plant."

"This also means that the growth cycle of a mid-grade first-tier spiritual plant is almost always at least three months."

"If you were to move to a courtyard with abundant spiritual energy and cultivate the spiritual soil there properly, the time required to cultivate a mid-grade first-level spiritual plant would be shortened."

Manager Lu's words make sense.

First-grade mid-level spiritual plants require more spiritual energy and nutrients from spiritual soil than first-grade low-level spiritual plants, so their cultivation time should naturally be longer.

It seems that before changing the cultivation environment, the spiritual energy provided by the spring grass was still the main source.

Aside from the cultivation environment, plant masters also play a role in shortening the growth cycle of plants, such as the Spirit Rain Technique at the perfect stage.

With this in mind, Lü Ping changed his approach. Since it wasn't feasible to move to a courtyard with abundant spiritual energy for the time being, he could purchase a spell to cultivate spiritual plants.

"Young Master Lü, in seven days, I will host a banquet at Xiangyun Tower to celebrate my breakthrough."

"Hey kid, do you want to come to this banquet? If you do, here's your invitation."

As he spoke, Manager Lu handed over a gold-embossed invitation.

This gold-embossed invitation signifies the goodwill of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

The other cultivators, upon seeing the gold-embossed invitation, would probably have already pocketed it, dreaming of getting to know the great cultivator at the banquet and at least leaving an impression.

However, when Lü Ping looked at the gold-embossed invitation, it was as if he had seen a hot potato.

Shopkeeper Lu is currently a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. The cultivators he is hosting are mostly mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. As a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he stands out from the crowd.

Furthermore, just because Manager Lu couldn't see through him doesn't mean the other late-stage Qi Refining cultivators couldn't. During the banquet, if a cultivator with good eyesight could see through his concealed cultivation level, they might become interested in his method of hiding his aura.

Being targeted by a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator is no joke.

Compared to these hidden dangers, the benefits of getting to know a great monk are negligible.

"I thank Manager Lu for his kindness." After expressing his gratitude, Lü Ping declined Manager Lu's offer: "However, my strength is too weak. If I accidentally offend a certain great cultivator, I might cause him some displeasure."

"It not only ruined Manager Lu's celebratory banquet, but also made him a target."

"I still want to stay in the courtyard and cultivate spiritual plants honestly so that I can break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible, and then move to a larger courtyard to continue cultivating spiritual plants."

Manager Lu was not annoyed by Lü Ping's refusal; on the contrary, he quite admired Lü Ping's steady and reliable way of doing things.

"There are very few juniors like you."

"Shopkeeper Lu, you flatter me."

......

After leaving Lingcao Hall, Lü Ping turned into the crowd and headed towards Duobao Pavilion in the center of the market.

Duobaoge (多宝阁) is a name that reflects the reputation of a person and the influence of a tree. To dare to use this name implies that it is not lacking in treasures.

Lu Ping's primary goal on this trip is to find a cultivation technique he can switch to, followed by developing his skills as a spiritual plant master, and finally, he'll try his luck to acquire a formation.

While a large yellow dog is sufficient for guarding the house, the sense of security only increases significantly when protected by a protective array...