Chapter 387: Soul Nurturing Wood

Chen Mobai followed Wang Gongdao to a seemingly inconspicuous shop in Tiankui Market.

Inside, several Foundation Establishment cultivators were either sitting or standing. Chen Mobai recognized one of them: the elegant-looking Fu Xiuzuo.

Soon after, the white-haired Liang Jinggui also entered. The three naturally formed a small circle.

“That’s Yuan Hongyuan,” Liang Jinggui said, pointing to a middle-aged cultivator in a black robe in the corner as he introduced him to Chen Mobai.

“His aura is formidable; he’s indeed a powerful individual who established his foundation through strength.” With this preconceived notion, Chen Mobai held Yuan Hongyuan in very high regard.

Because the Divine Wood Sect suppressed the nation, there were fewer internal conflicts. Thus, neither Fu Xiuzuo nor Liang Jinggui had personally tested Yuan Hongyuan’s methods, but based on common rumors, they all acknowledged him as a formidable person.

“Hong Xu has arrived too.” Soon, a cultivator with a square face and large ears walked in. Liang Jinggui recognized him as the leader of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance within the nation.

Besides Hong Xu, the Tang siblings, whom Chen Mobai had encountered at the entrance of Tiankui Market, also entered with him.

After waiting a while longer, two more Foundation Establishment cultivators, a man and a woman, wearing the attire of the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild, arrived. Wang Gongdao immediately went to greet them.

“Everyone, I am honored to host this selling event and bring you all together; it’s truly a rare occasion. Without further ado, let us begin,” Wang Gongdao announced. Seeing that most of his invited guests had arrived, Wang Gongdao wasted no more time and first presented a golden-yellow fruit.

“This Vajra Fruit has just matured in my Wang family’s medicinal field. It’s a third-tier item, a treasure for cultivators who focus on body tempering. If any of you are interested, please send me your bids via sound transmission.” Chen Mobai glanced around and noticed three or four Foundation Establishment cultivators were quite intrigued, stepping forward to examine the third-tier Vajra Fruit in Wang Gongdao’s hand.

Ultimately, the male Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild offered a price that pleased Wang Gongdao most. The two went to the back hall to complete the transaction.

“We have a second-tier Mountain-Suppressing Stone and a second-tier Stone Heart Fire Seed. If anyone is interested, we can discuss further.” After purchasing the Vajra Fruit, the male Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild also presented the spiritual items he brought. Mountain-Suppressing Stones are generally essential for setting up large formations. Placing one within a grand formation allows it to connect more closely with the earth’s spiritual veins, unleashing its true power.

Several rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed very interested in the Mountain-Suppressing Stone. They all planned to establish immortal cultivation families through their bloodlines, and spiritual land formations were crucial for this. A grand formation possessing a Mountain-Suppressing Stone was a primary condition for long-lasting inheritance.

However, the price of the Mountain-Suppressing Stone was exceedingly high. These rogue cultivators couldn’t afford it individually, and after discussing with the male cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild, they were all politely rejected.

“Dare I ask, fellow Daoist, what is the price for the Stone Heart Fire Seed?” Chen Mobai stepped forward and asked. The male cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild transmitted his reply: ten thousand spirit stones, or an exchange for a true fire seed of equivalent rank.

It was similar in price to a Qingyang Fire Seed. Chen Mobai nodded, and the exchange conditions were very suitable for him.

Although he didn't have ten thousand spirit stones, he possessed a fully refined Qingyang Fire. Elevating a Qingyang Fire Seed into a complete Qingyang Fire had cost Chen Mobai a great deal of time and resources, but degrading a Qingyang Fire back into a fire seed was a relatively easier task.

However, for other cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect, this process would still take a year or two. But with the help of Enlightenment Tea, Chen Mobai had already comprehended the essence of the Pure Yang Scroll’s Ignition Art, allowing him to ignite the Qingyang Fire he already mastered from nothing.

Using the remaining Qingyang Fire after condensing his Sword Qi as raw material, he was confident he could ignite a fire seed within a few days.

“I have a Qingyang Fire Seed within my sect, but it will take a few days to retrieve it. Would fellow Daoist be able to wait for a while?” Hearing this, the male cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild’s eyes lit up. He turned to Wang Gongdao, who was accompanying him, and inquired about Chen Mobai’s identity.

“So it is Daoist Chen from the Divine Wood Sect. I am Lou Xuelong. Your sect’s Qingyang Fire is a renowned spiritual item within several nearby regions. I will reserve this Stone Heart Fire Seed for you then.” Lou Xuelong, whether out of politeness or genuinely having heard of Chen Mobai’s reputation, smiled and waved his hand to the other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall, indicating that the Stone Heart Fire Seed was no longer available.

After the two exchanged communication talismans, it was the third Foundation Establishment cultivator’s turn.

“I accidentally acquired an incomplete alchemy manual which contains two complete pill formulas capable of refining two types of pills that can increase the cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the early and middle stages, respectively.” As soon as Hong Xu, from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, spoke, he drew the attention of all Foundation Establishment cultivators present.

In the Tianhe Realm, pill formulas were hard currency. Some immortal cultivation family inheritances relied on a few pill formulas and refining techniques to establish themselves and pass down their legacy, such as the Bai clan of Snowpeak, whose Tea Pill method could enlighten the mind and enhance spiritual sense, making it very popular among Qi Condensation cultivators.

Relying on this, even Baiyue Market flourished. Every spring, when the spiritual tea leaves were harvested, rogue cultivators from several nearby nations, and even from Snow Kingdom, would flock there just to purchase Tea Pills to cultivate their spiritual sense.

The Bai clan of Snowpeak, relying on their Tea Pills, firmly controlled a portion of the Qi Condensation cultivator market and was the wealthiest among the seven great families of the nation.

Hong Xu’s pill formulas, moreover, were capable of increasing Foundation Establishment cultivation, making their value immeasurable.

The Divine Wood Sect even had a rule: if a cultivator encountered a pill formula not possessed by the sect during their travels, they could acquire it at a suitable price, and the sect would reimburse them.

However, this rule was generally just for show. Firstly, Divine Wood Sect cultivators usually didn’t concern themselves with how many pill formulas the sect possessed, so they wouldn’t know if a particular one was already within the sect. Even if they knew for certain it wasn’t held by the sect, the “suitable price” was highly debatable, lacking a clear boundary and relying purely on subjective judgment.

Fu Xiuzuo and Liang Jinggui, who were beside Chen Mobai, were very tempted and walked over to Hong Xu to examine the contents of the two pill formulas.

“There shouldn’t be any issues,” Fu Xiuzuo said. “If the Rogue Cultivator Alliance wants to survive in this nation, they wouldn’t bring out problematic items.” After examining them, Fu Xiuzuo walked back, shaking his head.

“It’s too expensive,” Liang Jinggui sighed. “Thirty thousand spirit stones for two pill formulas; I simply can’t afford it.” Liang Jinggui had brought plenty of spirit stones, but his primary goal for this trip was the Cartilage Pill from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild. Although he greatly desired these two pill formulas from Hong Xu, he still knew how to prioritize.

“Brother Chen, aren’t you going to take a look?” If Chen Mobai wished to collect pill formulas from the Immortal Sect, he could obtain dozens of types daily; he didn't quite fancy those from the Tianhe Realm, but he remained humble in his words. “I know nothing about alchemy, so I’ll pass.”

Hong Xu’s two pill formulas were ultimately acquired by the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild. They were the only ones present with such vast wealth, never hesitating to spend spirit stones on items they fancied.

Following this, Liang Jinggui stepped forward. He presented two spirit beast eggs, laid by two second-tier Azure Wild Geese from his family. After hatching, they would quickly reach the second tier with sufficient pills and food.

Originally, Chen Mobai thought that since Foundation Establishment cultivators could all fly, there wouldn’t be much demand for these Azure Wild Geese. However, the reality defied his expectations; many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall had their eyes gleaming as they approached.

“Junior Brother,” Liang Jinggui explained, “those like you who possess flying artifacts are a minority. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators find flying by controlling qi to be very draining on their spiritual energy, so they usually keep a flying spirit beast or a flying artifact in reserve.” Flying artifacts have limited functions, primarily just flight; if defensive restrictions are added, their price becomes incredibly high.

Flying spirit beasts, however, are different. Spirit beast eggs are certainly much cheaper, and they can grow. The Liang family’s Azure Wild Geese are also well-known far and wide.

Descendants of second-tier Azure Wild Geese could advance to the second tier without bottlenecks. If lucky, it was equivalent to having a Foundation Establishment realm flying enforcer.

Soon after, several Foundation Establishment cultivators began to compete.

At this moment, Yuan Hongyuan approached. It was unclear what he transmitted to Liang Jinggui, but soon the two went to the back hall.

A short while later, Liang Jinggui emerged, beaming with joy.

“I profited significantly,” Liang Jinggui declared. “Two spirit beast eggs, plus one hundred portions of Spirit Opening Pills and Blood Qi Pills, for one third-tier Immortal Peach.” Liang Jinggui did not conceal the details, informing Chen Mobai and Fu Xiuzuo about his transaction with Yuan Hongyuan.

Spirit Opening Pills and Blood Qi Pills were the best elixirs for cultivating spirit beasts. Each portion was worth 10 spirit stones. The formulas belonged to the Divine Wood Sect, but the Liang family, through Liang Yanyou’s connection, paid the sect an annual fee to be able to refine and use these two formulas.

The price of two Azure Wild Goose eggs clearly couldn’t match a single third-tier Immortal Peach, so Liang Jinggui compensated with Spirit Opening Pills and Blood Qi Pills.

“Oh, I didn’t expect Yuan Hongyuan would actually be willing to pluck an Immortal Peach from Black Cloud Mountain,” Fu Xiuzuo remarked. Upon hearing this, Fu Xiuzuo couldn’t help but glance at his storage bag. Although he no longer harbored hopes of forming a Golden Core, he still wished to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment before his life ended. Thus, hearing about such a spiritual item, he couldn’t help but desire to acquire one.

“There are five third-tier Immortal Peach Fruits remaining, priced at five thousand spirit stones each, or available for exchange with equivalent heavenly materials, earthly treasures, or pills.” At this moment, Yuan Hongyuan also stepped forward, pulling out a reddish-yellow, fist-sized peach from his storage bag.

As soon as the third-tier Immortal Peach was brought out, a faint, refreshing fragrance permeated the hall, uplifting everyone’s spirits.

Chen Mobai activated his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes and saw that the peach fruit contained an extremely powerful yet pure spiritual energy. This spiritual energy was gentle and stable, already condensed into a liquid state.

If he were to consume and refine it, it could likely enable his Pure Yang Scroll to immediately break through to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Chen Mobai glanced at his spirit stones and sighed.

His purse was meager; he couldn’t even afford one.

At this moment, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild each made a move, purchasing a third-tier Immortal Peach for five thousand spirit stones.

If not for hearing that the effect would be halved when consuming a second one, Lou Xuelong would have even wanted to buy all five.

Subsequently, Hong Xu, who had earned a significant sum from selling pill formulas, also purchased one.

“I didn’t bring this many spirit stones with me this time,” Fu Xiuzuo said, a little embarrassed. “Brother Liang, Junior Brother Chen, could you lend me some? I’ll go to the Divine Wood Sect’s spirit stone shop to get some and return them to you once I leave.” Seeing three gone just like that, Fu Xiuzuo also grew a bit anxious. He rummaged through his storage bag and somewhat awkwardly asked the two beside him.

Liang Jinggui and Chen Mobai nodded, each lending him one thousand spirit stones.

Chen Mobai actually wanted one too, but even without this Immortal Peach, by consuming the Qi-replenishing spiritual water from the Immortal Sect, he could still break through to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment within a year. So, after some thought, he restrained himself and did not make the purchase.

After Fu Xiuzuo, Wang Gongdao, as the host, also made a move and bought one.

In the blink of an eye, only the last one remained.

Many rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators were communicating with Yuan Hongyuan via sound transmission, seemingly wanting to exchange for it with other items, but all were met with his refusal.

Just as it seemed the last one wouldn’t be sold, the Tang siblings, who had come with Hong Xu, suddenly made their move and acquired the third-tier Immortal Peach Fruit.

Chen Mobai saw Hong Xu give a portion of spirit stones to the Tang siblings and gained a general understanding of the financial strength of rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Family Foundation Establishment cultivators like Liang Jinggui and Fu Xiuzuo could mobilize tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, but these were family assets, requiring proper justification for their use. As for other ordinary rogue cultivators, their savings were generally around a thousand spirit stones, and including artifacts and other items, their total worth could reach approximately five thousand spirit stones.

In contrast to Lou Xuelong and his companion, who had been generous with their spending, having already lavished nearly fifty thousand spirit stones at the exchange event, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Eastern Barrens appeared rather impoverished.

Chen Mobai, a Divine Wood Sect cultivator whose status was second only to Lou Xuelong, barely made a move during the exchange event.

Had he not reserved a Stone Heart Fire Seed, the rogue cultivators present might have even suspected that the Divine Wood Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators were poorer than themselves.

“This is a Soul Nourishing Wood our siblings obtained from a secret realm. Its rank is definitely above second-tier, and we wish to exchange it for fifty thousand spirit stones.” Just when Chen Mobai and the others thought the exchange event was about to conclude, the Tang siblings, who had just purchased an Immortal Peach Fruit from Yuan Hongyuan, brought out a pitch-black, arm-thick, half-meter-long section of a tree trunk.

The tree trunk appeared to have been cut cleanly in half, with its upper black branches still fully intact, and faint wisps of black smoke subtly emanating from it.

“May I have a look?” The speaker was the other female Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Starry Sky Great Commerce Guild. She seemed to have some knowledge of Soul Nourishing Wood. The Tang siblings, knowing she was the most likely buyer, happily handed the Soul Nourishing Wood to her.

“It’s barely a third-tier Soul Nourishing Wood,” the female cultivator, Qu Xiuxian, stated. “For Foundation Establishment cultivators, it serves to purify spiritual sense and stabilize the mind.” Qu Xiuxian, a third-tier spiritual planter, gave a very fair assessment after examining the Soul Nourishing Wood.

“It’s a pity it was cut down,” Qu Xiuxian lamented. Soul Nourishing Wood was a rare treasure of heaven and earth. If a Golden Core cultivator failed to form an infant soul, a complete fifth-tier Soul Nourishing Wood could allow them to project their mind, abandon their physical body, and transform into a Dharma-body Nascent Soul.

Although a Dharma-body Nascent Soul was weaker than a normal Nascent Soul, it was still a Nascent Soul and could sweep away anything below the Nascent Soul stage.

However, after the Tang siblings’ Soul Nourishing Wood was cut, it lost the possibility of continued growth.

“If no one else bids, I am willing to acquire it for ten thousand spirit stones.” After Qu Xiuxian’s appraisal, Lou Xuelong consulted with her and then said this to the Tang siblings.

Although this price was already high, it was too low for the Tang siblings. After exchanging glances, they ultimately shook their heads and refused.

Meanwhile, Chen Mobai was pondering a question.

If his spiritual sense, divided into a myriad of thoughts, controlled the Formless Puppet from within the Soul Nourishing Wood, and his main body returned to the Immortal Sect, would he then be able to avoid the mental dizziness and spiritual pain caused by being separated between two realms? Or would he need two pieces of Soul Nourishing Wood, one acting on his divided spiritual sense and the other on his main body’s sea of consciousness?