Chapter 6: Red Cloud Pine

"Nine Spirit Fire Grass plants have been exchanged for a total of twenty-nine low-grade spirit stones and seventy spirit fragments. Adding the six spirit stones and eighty-two spirit fragments I already had, I now have a total of thirty-six low-grade spirit stones and fifty-two spirit fragments."

"It's a pity that those damned Black Bud Worm larvae caused a lot of damage; otherwise, my wealth would be even greater."

Lu Xuan thought about the black thread that cost him six spirit stones and fifty spirit fragments, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.

Money gives one courage, and with such a large sum of spirit stones, his back straightened a bit more.

Leaving the Hundred Herbs Hall, Lu Xuan, worried about the almost non-existent protective measures for his spirit field, hurriedly headed to his next destination.

The market was filled with various shops, including some that specialized in or sold spirit seeds as a side business.

He went to a familiar shop.

A low-level Qi Practitioner, a middle-aged cultivator, was tending to the spirit plant seedlings displayed in the shop. Seeing Lu Xuan enter, he stood up to greet him.

"Little brother, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'll take a look first," Lu Xuan replied, his gaze sweeping over the entire shop.

The shop displayed a variety of spirit seeds, each with different forms, most of which Lu Xuan did not recognize.

In the corner, there were also many spirit plant seedlings, each with unique phenomena, which were even less familiar to him.

When spirit plants mature, if left to grow further, they have a certain chance of producing spirit seeds. However, most of these seeds are not suitable for cultivating new spirit plants.

The vast majority of spirit seeds require various special methods to condense, and some of these methods are only known by major sects.

Especially for those rare and high-grade spirit seeds, the methods to condense them are never revealed to the outside world.

Even the condensation of ordinary-grade spirit seeds is beyond the reach of ordinary wandering cultivators. Behind this shop, there might be some powerful cultivators or major families.

"How much for a Spirit Fire Grass seed?"

Lu Xuan pointed to the Spirit Fire Grass seeds on the shelf, which looked like withered tea leaves, and asked the middle-aged cultivator.

"Forty spirit fragments each, but if you buy at least ten at once, the price is fifty spirit fragments each."

"I need twenty."

"Also, could you recommend a first-grade spirit plant seedling or seed to me? Preferably one that doesn't require much spirit energy and has simple growth conditions."

In the spirit field in the courtyard, there were previously twenty-four Spirit Fire Grass plants. This time, Lu Xuan did not plan to buy the same number of seeds.

Neither the Spirit Fire Grass nor the Erode Moon Tree has a grade, but the Erode Moon Tree is more valuable, though it doesn't qualify as a first-grade plant.

The richness of the white light spheres that appear when spirit plants mature is influenced by many factors, including the type and grade of the plant.

Therefore, Lu Xuan wanted to try planting a relatively simple first-grade spirit plant to see what kind of light sphere reward it would produce upon maturity.

"Low spirit energy requirements, simple growth conditions... How about these two?"

"One is the Blood Devouring Vine seed, which requires a certain amount of exotic beast or demon beast flesh essence to feed. When mature, it can be consumed directly to enhance a cultivator's qi and blood, or assist in the cultivation of certain special techniques."

"The other is a Red Cloud Pine seedling. During cultivation, it occasionally needs fire-type spirit energy to nurture. The Red Cloud Pine fruit it produces is rich in spirit energy, with a unique and delicious taste, and is extremely popular among female cultivators."

The higher the grade of a spirit plant, the more stringent the growth environment and conditions required, including spirit energy, spirit soil, spirit springs, and other complex factors. The cultivation of these two first-grade spirit plants is already relatively simple.

Lu Xuan first ruled out the Blood Devouring Vine. He was barely at the subsistence level, and he might not even eat demon beast meat once every ten to fifteen days. If he planted the Blood Devouring Vine, what would he feed it?

He couldn't possibly cut his own flesh to feed the vine, could he?

As for the Red Cloud Pine, he currently knew the Fireball Spell, and he still had over a dozen Spirit Fire Grass plants and Erode Moon Fruits to open, which might yield some fire-type spells. Supplying it with a small amount of fire-type spirit energy shouldn't be a problem.

"How much for that Red Cloud Pine seedling?"

Lu Xuan pointed to a pine seedling in the corner. The small pine tree was less than two feet tall, with leaves like fiery red needles. From a distance, it looked like a small cluster of red clouds, hence its name, Red Cloud Pine.

"Five spirit stones," the middle-aged cultivator replied.

"Twenty Spirit Fire Grass seeds and this Red Cloud Pine seedling, twelve spirit stones. I'll take them all. What do you say?"

"You're really cutting the price too much. How about this, I'll sell them to you at cost, plus seventy spirit fragments."

"Brother, you know, it's not easy for a wandering cultivator to earn spirit stones."

"I only feel a connection with that Red Cloud Pine, and I'm not sure if I can successfully plant it."

"Fifty spirit fragments, no more."

"Deal!" The middle-aged cultivator shook his head and smiled bitterly.

He handed over the twenty Spirit Fire Grass seeds to Lu Xuan and helped pack the Red Cloud Pine seedling in a cloth bag, instructing Lu Xuan to plant it as soon as possible to avoid affecting the seedling's vitality.

Lu Xuan nodded in agreement, reluctantly taking out the twelve spirit stones and fifty spirit fragments, completing the transaction.

In the market, Lu Xuan's face was red as he argued with a wandering cultivator.

"Brother, this protective array is second-hand and has bloodstains on it, which is a sign of great misfortune. Twenty spirit stones is already a high price!"

The wandering cultivator looked helpless.

"Little brother, if the array were new, I would charge at least double. As for the bloodstains, they don't affect its protective ability. You can't just cut the price from twenty-five to twenty like that, can you?"

"The array itself is fine, but its origin is unknown, which is a bit worrying. Also, I don't know how long it has been used, so I'm not sure if it will still be effective."

Lu Xuan put on a look of wanting to buy but being deeply concerned.

"Alright, twenty-one spirit stones. If there are any problems with the array, you can come find me in the market. I've been here for over ten years, and I have some credibility."

"Alright, I'll consider it a favor from you."

Lu Xuan made his decision and took out twenty-one low-grade spirit stones.

"No, no, no, let's just talk about the spirit stones, not favors."

The wandering cultivator quickly refused. Lu Xuan had already argued with him for nearly half an hour to cut a few spirit stones. If they really became friends, who knows how many spirit stones it would cost to maintain that friendship.

Lu Xuan took the array disk with a few dark red bloodstains from the stall owner and carefully tucked it into his chest.

He didn't care about the bloodstains at all. After all, no matter how terrifying a ghost might be, it's nothing compared to being poor.

Once, to avoid haggling, he never went to roadside shops. But in this cultivation world, to save a little bit of spirit stones, he had honed his haggling skills to a lethal level.

"All the spirit stones from the nine Spirit Fire Grass plants are gone, and I even used up my original wealth."

"But the harvest is still considerable. Twenty Spirit Fire Grass seeds and a Red Cloud Pine seedling."

"Most importantly, the long-desired protective array is finally in my hands."

Lu Xuan pinched his now empty chest and thought to himself.