Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

The owner of Liu's General Store was not polite. He picked up the teacup and drank it down in one gulp, a slightly intoxicated look on his face. Although he didn't know if it was real or not, he was quite satisfied. The slight heartache he felt from consuming the spiritual tea was somewhat soothed.

"May I ask if you have received any definite information regarding the rental of magical artifacts?"

After resting for a while, Tong Bingfeng changed the subject and got straight to the point, asking about matters related to magical artifacts with a hint of anticipation.

After all, there was no other interaction between the two of them.

"Fellow Daoist Tong is indeed wise. The other party has already initially recognized your strength and is willing to rent a mid-grade first-tier water-attribute magic weapon. However, the price of magic weapons varies depending on their quality. Fellow Daoist can take a look first. In addition, all other precautions are described in the jade slip."

"If Fellow Daoist Tong is still willing to rent the magic artifact after reading this, he can go to Liu's General Store tomorrow morning. If not, as long as it is kept secret and not disclosed, we can stop here. It is getting late, so I will take my leave now."

After finishing the last drop of tea, the owner of Liu's Grocery Store handed over a jade slip, bid farewell readily, and left, giving himself ample time to process the tea.

Inside the small house, Tong Bingfeng sat cross-legged on a futon, circulating the "Water Spirit Technique" throughout the day to refine and replenish the spiritual energy he had accumulated, sending it into his dantian. After replenishing the missing mana and restoring his spirit to its peak state, he opened his eyes, took out a jade slip, and prepared to learn more about the rental of magical artifacts.

"This is outrageous, blatant exploitation."

A quarter of an hour later, Tong Bingfeng's face stiffened, clearly showing his strong aversion and dissatisfaction with the contents of the jade slip in his hand.

"A standard mid-grade first-tier water-attribute magic weapon usually sells for around 150 spirit stones in the Ice Sea Market, yet they dare to ask for a full 300 spirit stones. The complete corpse of a mid-grade first-tier demon beast is only worth about 3 spirit stones, which is only a quarter of the market price."

"Furthermore, according to the agreement, a complete mid-grade first-tier demonic beast corpse must be paid every month for a full six years. This is not just a transaction; it is a genuine bloodsucking worm."

After Tong Bingfeng finished reading the contents of the jade slip, his face was stiff and his breathing was heavy, clearly indicating that he was not at peace.

For a newly promoted mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Tong Bingfeng, who came from a background of independent cultivation, obtaining a magic weapon with compatible attributes through leasing is of paramount importance.

As a qualified cultivator, he was willing to pay a certain price for this, but the price in the jade slip was far beyond his capacity to bear.

No wonder this method of renting magical artifacts has never spread in the market, but can only serve as a small supplement to other channels. It contains great terror. If any accident occurs in any month during these six years, it could lead to an even heavier burden.

The greatest significance of this so-called "magical artifact rental" is that it adds an extra heavy burden to the already difficult cultivation of individual cultivators.

In fact, for independent cultivators in the Northern Ice Region, hunting a low-to-mid-grade first-tier demon beast is not an easy task. Simply finding the exact location of these demon beasts' lair on the boundless ice surface through a few clues is a difficult task.

In particular, most of the Qi Refining Level 4 and 5 cultivators, who have no support, can only rely on manpower and time to search aimlessly without any experience or assistance.

In a lucky situation, one might find traces of a monster within three to five days, but whether or not one can hunt it down is still unknown. In a bad situation, it is quite common to find nothing for a month or so.

"With the help of two pairs of large incisors, the efficiency of searching for mid-grade first-tier demonic beasts is greatly improved by locking onto the aura of ice-attribute spiritual power. The cost of renting the magical artifact is not unbearable."

"However, we still need to negotiate. The fish on the mat is strong enough to struggle. Surrendering and being slaughtered has never been in my nature. Between two evils, I choose the lesser. This magic artifact is still necessary after all."

After calming down a bit from his anger, Tong Bingfeng assessed his own situation and finally made his final decision.

His two pairs of large front teeth do not have any direct auxiliary effect on the normal circulation of Qi and cultivation, but they can be used to search for suitable demonic beasts in the icy northern frontier, with immediate results.

The monthly consumption of a mid-grade first-tier demon beast corpse is not too much of a burden for Tong Bingfeng; it is still within his manageable range. The spirit stones he earns from hunting demon beasts in his spare time are also beneficial to his cultivation.

As the sun rises and sets, day and night alternate, and the night passes quickly.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, it is truly impolite of you to come and bother me so early this morning."

The next morning, Tong Bingfeng was already standing at the entrance of Liu's Grocery Store, and when he saw his owner, he naturally apologized profusely.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, why be so polite? Quickly enter the shop. Have you already made a decision?"

The owner of Liu's Grocery Store naturally understood the significance of his visit, and if the transaction was successfully completed, he could also obtain a considerable profit.

"Although the conditions for renting magical artifacts are harsh, for us cultivators, the benefits ultimately outweigh the drawbacks. I hope you can mediate and reduce the cost a little."

Tong Bingfeng got straight to the point, making no attempt to conceal the purpose of his trip, and of course, he also needed to express his attitude.

"The jade slip contains the initial screening. Those who are interested can naturally receive a certain discount. As long as you choose the magic weapon, both the price and the time required to collect the demon beast can be shortened."

The owner of Liu's Grocery Store also patted his chest and guaranteed, showing great enthusiasm for this transaction.

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Liu. I will naturally choose Liu's General Store as my first choice for future business dealings."

Returning a favor is only right and proper. For Liu's Grocery Store, a stable repeat customer at the mid-stage of Qi Refining is also quite important in daily operations.

"Fellow Daoist Tong is indeed very straightforward. Please, let's proceed to the shop specializing in the rental of magical artifacts."

Having successfully achieved their goal, the cultivator surnamed Liu naturally didn't linger any longer. Led by him, the two followed some secluded paths straight to their destination.

The shop renting out magical artifacts was not located on the main street of the market, but in a courtyard house with abundant spiritual energy in the northwest corner, not far from the Chen family's sacred mountain.

In fact, judging from its location, it can be concluded that the owner of the magic artifact rental business is a genuine direct descendant of the Chen family.

Ordinary cultivators, if they were to openly run a business that primarily involves exploitation, would have long since become prisoners of the market patrol.

"Old Liu, have you brought any promising young talents from Ice Spirit Island to me today?"