Creating a paradise in an ant nest

Chapter 101 Returning to the Market, Making a Fortune

After the Lingzhi Peak selection concluded, Liu He's superior became Jiao Yuechuan, and his old friend Li Liangtian returned from the neighboring forest area.

Besides, his life remained largely unchanged; he continued to guard the forest area and devote himself to spiritual practice.

The daily task of patrolling the forest area and inspecting the condition of sacred trees is indispensable.

Next, the "Green Soil Root Cultivation Technique" is applied to the miniature spiritual plant garden to nourish and promote the growth of the spiritual plants, and ant colonies are fed.

He takes the Eternal Spirit Tree and the Soul-Nourishing Moon Ganoderma every day without interruption.

Because of the abundance of spiritual plant resources, he reduced the time he spent practicing the "Gathering Spirit and Qi Technique" daily, only practicing the basic techniques for one hour each day.

The rest of the time is spent practicing stone manipulation and drawing talismans.

With the nourishing moonflower, his soul strength increased rapidly. Previously, he could only control one obsidian bead with the Stone Control Technique, but now he has begun to cultivate the combined attack technique that allows him to control two obsidian beads at the same time.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

It had been a year since Liu He last went to Lingxiao Market. He was able to use the sect's benefits to go again, and coincidentally, the Foundation Establishment cultivator he was leading the escort for this trip was Meng Yunxiang.

Lingzhi Peak, the gathering place, where thirty or forty inner and outer disciples gathered.

Liu He ran into an acquaintance, Wu Shao, who had just passed the Lingzhi Peak selection and been assigned to Tianliangyuan.

"Senior Brother Wu, it's been a long time. I heard from Li Liangtian that you were assigned to the grain farm, and I'm planning to visit you another day."

He took the initiative to greet him.

Of course, the latter part was just a polite remark; the two didn't have that deep a relationship.

Wu Shao knew he was just being polite, but he tacitly understood and didn't point it out. Back in the outer mountain forest farm, Wu Shao valued Wang Yarong and Meng Kaizhou the most, and didn't pay much attention to the inconspicuous Liu He.

"Junior Brother Liu, have you seen Li Liangtian?"

"Well, it's quite a coincidence that he was assigned to the forest area next to mine."

As the two were talking, Wu Shao suddenly realized that Liu He had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"You've reached the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

He exclaimed in surprise.

"I only managed to break through this barrier half a month ago," Liu He said modestly as always.

Wu Shao smiled, his eyes narrowing, concealing the envy in them: "Incredible, incredible! You'll definitely break through to the Qi Refining stage soon."

Later, he stayed at the sect.

This is the advantage of entering the Spirit Plant Peak early; a quick start leads to continuous progress.

It took him five years to go from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and another nine years to reach the sixth level. If he hadn't spent some spirit stones on Song Qian, he might have reached the sixth level of Qi Refining a year earlier.

Now, there are only six years left until the deadline set by the sect.

Could he really break through from the sixth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level within six years? Even with the second-tier Spirit Gathering Array of the Spirit Plant Peak, it would be absolutely impossible.

After six years, he should leave the sect and become a rogue cultivator.

Just as the two were talking, Meng Yunxiang, who was leading the team, arrived, followed by Meng Kaizhou.

"Greetings, Steward Meng." The group bowed.

"Liu He, Senior Brother Wu?"

When Meng Kaizhou greeted Liu He, he was surprised to find that the person next to him was very familiar.

"Junior Brother Kaizhou, what a coincidence! Was it your father who led the team to Lingxiao Market this time?"

Wu Shao's expression towards Meng Kaizhou was slightly obsequious.

"Yes. Let's go, let's get on the flying boat first."

The three boarded the magical flying boat piloted by Meng Yunxiang.

The flying boat carried everyone into the sky and flew towards Lingxiao Market.

The three of them stood on the deck of the airship chatting.

Meng Kaizhou learned that Li Liangtian and Wu Shao had passed the selection at Lingzhi Peak, and also heard about the situation of those people from the Waishan Forest Farm back then.

"Junior Brother Kaizhou, when did you reach the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

Wu Shao wasn't surprised that Meng Kaizhou had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining so early; on the contrary, he thought it was only natural. Even Liu He could break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, let alone Meng Kaizhou.

"More than three months ago."

Meng Kaizhou casually replied that he had broken through earlier than Liu He.

He wasn't concerned about the speed of his progress towards the mid-stage of Qi Refining. He had the resources provided by his father, and he deliberately slowed down his breakthrough speed in order to solidify his foundation.

However, his talent and aptitude are somewhat mediocre, and the upper limit of his path to immortality lies in whether he can break through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck.

"What about Wang Yarong? I wonder how her cultivation level is? Do either of you have any news about her?"

Wu Shao thought of Wang Yarong and asked the two of them.

"she?"

Meng Kaizhou raised his voice, spreading the gossip with great interest: "She's also reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, but that's not the key point."

A few days ago, I heard my dad say that an outer disciple of the Flower and Grass Garden had been accepted as a personal disciple.

At first, I heard that the outer disciple was lucky enough to be taken in as a personal disciple by Senior Yan Ying, who had just broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. However, his talent in terms of medium-grade spiritual root and plant-based spiritual body was still a bit short of what would qualify him as a personal disciple.

"A mid-level spiritual root, a plant-based spiritual body? Could it be Wang Yarong?"

"I also suspected it was her, and after inquiring, it turned out to be true! A personal disciple, her treatment is much better than that of an inner disciple."

With Wang Yarong's talent, establishing a foundation would be a piece of cake for her. Now, with her master's help, she should at least reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and perhaps even have a glimpse of the Golden Core realm.

Meng Kaizhou was filled with envy. With both talent and a master's assistance, his path to immortality was limitless.

The so-called "personally taught disciple" is a true disciple.

For cultivators, the master-disciple relationship is similar to that of parents and children in mortal life.

"Wang Yarong was already incredibly talented, and now she's reached the pinnacle of success. I can't help but envy her!"

"Once I get back from Lingxiao Market, I'll look for her. She didn't even tell me about this wonderful news; she has to treat me to some spirit fruit."

Liu He wasn't particularly envious; he was more happy for his friend who had gotten the opportunity.

"Haha, you're right, we should ask her to treat us to a wedding banquet when we get back," Meng Kaizhou chimed in.

"Kaizhou, do you know who this Senior Yan Ying is?"

Liu He inquired out of curiosity, but he was only familiar with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators commonly seen in the Spirit Wood Garden and did not know much about the others.

Meng Kaizhou often heard his father mention other people, so he knew many names of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Senior Yan Ying is from the Flower and Herb Garden. It is said that she is low-key, dislikes socializing, and doesn't like to manage others. She rented a large area of ​​spiritual land in the Flower and Herb Garden and lives a secluded life."

The three chatted idly along the way until the spirit artifact flying boat arrived near Lingxiao Market.

The bustling Lingxiao Market was teeming with people and cultivators coming and going in an endless stream.

With the benefits he received from Fu Shuai, Liu He planned to make a "big purchase".

Having experienced the Fu Shuai incident, he realized that the Ant Nest's strength was far from sufficient.

He needs to improve the overall strength of the ant colony as soon as possible to cope with potential dangers.

His cultivation level in reality is steadily improving, but it is not advisable to improve too quickly.

With the ant nest as his backing, his actual strength is not that important.

As long as the strength in the ant nest is strong enough, not to mention the ninth level of Qi Refining, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator cannot threaten him.

At the "Spirit Robe Pavilion," which sells magical robes, Liu He spent a hefty 200 spirit stones to purchase a high-grade robe.

This fine robe is dark blue, and its style is a simple, common design that appears quite ordinary on the surface.

It offers no benefit in casting spells or restoring spiritual energy. Aside from providing some defensive capabilities, its only function is to conceal one's cultivation level.

Wearing this robe, one's cultivation level cannot be discerned by Qi Refining stage cultivators, but it cannot prevent Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from probing it.

There is another restriction: spells cannot be cast. If spells are cast, the effect of concealing one's cultivation level will be lost.

For Liu He, this robe was sufficient.

There are more effective and better robes, but they are too expensive; you get what you pay for.

Secondly, why would a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator need to buy such a fine concealing robe? If he wore a robe that could block the detection of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would only arouse more suspicion.

The Concealing Robe, costing two hundred spirit stones, was quite common in Lingxiao Market and didn't look out of place; it suited him perfectly.

After purchasing the robe, Liu He rented a secluded and quiet cave dwelling in the Xiaoyao Immortal Abode, where he refined the robe.

It was already late at night when the robe was completely refined.

He changed into a robe that concealed his aura, traveled into the ant nest to pick up a storage bag, and then traveled back to Lingxiao Market.

Liu He wanted to keep the spoils he got from Marshal Fu: the Soul-Nourishing Moon Dew and the storage bag for himself.

His robes were tattered and worthless.

He also kept some elixirs that could restore spiritual energy for his own use.

The only valuable item is the top-grade sandalwood sword.

He sold it to a street vendor who specialized in buying and selling secondhand magical artifacts, and after some haggling, he got it for 280 spirit stones.

Because the sandalwood sword had undergone a fierce battle, it showed obvious signs of wear and tear, which affected its price.

"Commander Fu has a little over a thousand spirit stones on him, as well as my spirit stipend from this period of time."

He has a high income, but also a high expenditure.

Learning to draw talismans cost me seventy spirit stones, including ink and brushes. The purple apple spirit fruit I gave Pei Shuyi was from his spirit plant garden, and that didn't cost me any spirit stones.

"We now have 1,100 spirit stones."

For a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, such a large amount of spirit stones is a "huge sum".

Liu He felt that this was far from enough. This time, he planned to purchase second-tier spiritual plants and resources that could quickly enhance the strength of the Eight Desolations and Nine Netherworlds, so that he could deal with Foundation Establishment cultivators in the ant nest.

"Go sell a batch of spiritual plants."

He carried many spiritual plants in his storage bag.

"It's so convenient to have storage bags; I don't have to carry around big bags anymore."

With that thought in mind, he arrived at that familiar little shop.

His previous two transactions with the shop owner went smoothly. The shop owner didn't ask about the origin of his spiritual plants and offered reasonable prices.

He then returned with practiced ease.

There were no customers in the shop at the time, but when the owner, Zhang Yan, saw someone coming in, she went to greet them.

"Welcome, fellow Daoist—is that you?"

Zhang Yan found the newcomer familiar, but he was wearing a robe that concealed his cultivation level, making it impossible for her to sense his power.

"Boss, are you still buying the violet radish and the jade melon?" Liu He asked directly, stating his purpose.

"Is it still in the same condition as before? If it's in good condition, I'll buy it."

Zhang Yan has a stable supply chain and has been cooperating with Liu He for many years, so she won't suddenly switch to receiving goods from him.

She wouldn't want a piece in ordinary condition, but she would buy a rare piece if it sold for a better price.

"Of course, it's an absolute gem."

As Liu He spoke, he took out three large bags from his storage bag, one filled with violet radishes and the other with jade spirit melons.

Zhang Yan was slightly surprised. She remembered that Liu He was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining when he came last time. This time, he even had a storage bag?

But she remained calm and composed. Having spent a long time in Lingxiao Market, she knew not to ask what she shouldn't ask and not to be curious about what she shouldn't be curious about.

Carefully inspect the condition, then weigh it.

"Eighty catties of violet-flowered radishes and one hundred and sixty catties of jade-green melons, still the same price, how about it?"

"OK."

"A total of five hundred and sixty spirit stones."

"Boss, I also have Moonlight Spirit Grapes and Bodhi Seed Spirit Berries—will you take them?"

Liu He noticed that Zhang Yan's shop also sold these spiritual plants.

These spiritual plants are low-grade spiritual fruits, and are inexpensive. The more expensive ones cost two or three spirit stones per kilogram, while the cheaper ones can be bought for one spirit stone for two kilograms.

"Let me see its condition."

Liu He then took out four different kinds of spiritual fruits from his storage bag.

"They're all in excellent condition. Okay, you can take them out now."

More than a dozen boxes of spiritual fruits, packed in wooden crates, appeared in the shop.

These spiritual fruits were more than Liu He could eat in his ant nest; he only brought a small portion of them, not many.

After some negotiation and weighing, the total price of these spiritual fruits was 680 spirit stones.

"What about the Purple Apple Spirit Fruit? Are you buying it?"

A strange, purple spiritual fruit appeared out of thin air in Liu He's palm.

"I'm sorry, fellow Daoist, my little shop doesn't sell Purple Apple Spirit Fruit; it's too expensive."

Zhang Yan's shop sells low-level spiritual plants, while the Purple Apple Spiritual Fruit is too expensive, so customers who come to the shop won't buy it.

One Purple Apple Spirit Fruit costs three spirit stones, and at a unit price of about eight spirit stones per pound. It is often used as a gift or to entertain guests.

After saying that, she took out a bag of spirit stones and gave Liu He twelve mid-grade spirit stones and forty ordinary spirit stones, for a total of 1240 spirit stones.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't bring too much goods next time you come. This amount of spiritual plants worth over a thousand spirit stones is the limit of what I can buy. I can't sell any more than that."

She noticed that Liu He was selling more and more spiritual plants each time he came, and she worried that there would be even more next time.

The spiritual plants have a limited shelf life after being harvested, so her sales volume is limited; she can't sell all of them if she buys too many.

"it is good."

Liu He accepted the spirit stones and nodded in agreement.

As he walked out of the shop, he wondered where he could sell the Purple Apple Spirit Fruit.

He had several boxes of Purple Apple Spirit Fruit in his storage bag; these were the most valuable items in his spirit plant garden.

"After selling these Purple Apple Spirit Fruits, I will have four thousand spirit stones in savings."

"We're rich! We're rich! Haha!"

He was overjoyed, his eyes gleaming with greed.

However, the process of selling the purple apple fruit did not go smoothly.

Shops selling Purple Apple Spirit Fruit are all quite large, and are often run by members of a sect.

Liu He inquired at several shops or spirit fruit pavilions that sold purple apple spirit fruit, but was refused by all of them.

They either refuse to buy spirit fruits from outsiders, or they refuse to accept spirit fruits of unknown origin, requiring Liu He to provide the specific origin of the Purple Apple Spirit Fruit, or even a talisman.

"I didn't expect it to be this troublesome."

He thought to himself.

If the Purple Apple Spirit Fruit can't be sold, he'll have to rely on low-level spiritual plants to earn spirit stones in the future.

However, the limited number of low-level spiritual plants that Zhang Yan's shop can sell will severely restrict his income.

After a while, Liu He found a medium-sized shop called "Lingyun Fruit Garden".

He searched almost the entire Lingxiao Market, and if this shop didn't accept it, he would give up.

As you enter the Lingyun Fruit Garden, a young female cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining greets you with a radiant smile.

"Welcome, senior. What would you like to buy?"

Her name is Li Mengli. She has deep dimples on her cheeks, giving people a feeling of warmth and comfort.

"Hello, do you buy purple apple spirit fruit? The quality is very good."

Liu He showed the Purple Apple Spirit Fruit in his hand.

Purple Apple Fruit?

"Senior, I'm only responsible for greeting customers and selling spirit fruits; I'm not familiar with the source of the goods. My boss happens to be here, how about I ask him for you?"

Li Mengli's smile remained unchanged. As a waitress hired by her boss, she was very dedicated.

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