Chapter 42: Nurturing Thoughts to Forge the Spirit Technique

After learning about most of the market prices, Chen Mobai felt a little unsettled. He only now realized that what he had considered ordinary items were actually worth a significant amount of spirit stones.

No wonder cultivators in this world openly discuss selling stolen goods. The saying "murder and arson lead to wealth" truly applies here; he had merely picked up two packages belonging to ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators and gained resources worth nearly fifty spirit stones.

Unfortunately, his trip to Nanxi Market this time was solely to understand the market conditions and gather information. Moreover, since the Eastern Wilderness had left him with the impression of a lawless and brutal cultivation world, he had only brought combat-related items this time, such as the needle case obtained from the Flying Needle Sect disciple, a hand crossbow, and the old man's short knife. Though a little reluctant, magic tools were mere external possessions; nothing compared to exchanging them for spirit stones and using them to advance his own cultivation realm.

However, being cautious by nature, Chen Mobai did not rashly set up a stall to sell his items. He clearly remembered that the needle case was a magic tool of the Flying Needle Sect, a sect that, according to their disciple handbook, was overseen by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Furthermore, magic tools like the needle case were rare throughout the Eastern Wilderness. If he were to encounter a Flying Needle Sect disciple, he would be unable to explain himself and would surely be accused of murder and theft.

He dared not sell the needle case for now, but the hand crossbow and short knife were a different matter. He noticed a fair number of stalls in the market selling these two items, particularly hand crossbows, which were very popular among low-level Qi Refinement cultivators. This was likely because cultivators below the third layer of Qi Refinement could not withstand a single crossbow bolt. These crossbow bolts were, of course, not the common iron-tipped arrows but specialized bolts enhanced with spells like Sharpness, Explosion, and Swift Wind. However, because crossbow bolts were less convenient to carry than talismans, they were significantly cheaper, selling for ten taels of gold per bolt in the market. Arrows were consumables, but a good crossbow, once acquired, could be used for a long time. The crossbow Chen Mobai had obtained from the Flying Needle Sect disciple was of decent quality; it was foldable, making it easy to carry, and had also been enchanted with Durability and Aiming spells, ensuring it was not easily damaged and fired accurately.

After another round through the various stalls, Chen Mobai confirmed the market price: 500 taels of gold. The short knife, on the other hand, was practically worthless at two taels of gold. He noticed they were typically used for personal nail trimming and were often given as freebies when purchasing other magic tools.

Having finished surveying the magic tool market and noting the time, he decided to return. For caution, Chen Mobai did not immediately sell the Black Water Art or the hand crossbow. This was primarily because gold held little value for him, and bringing large quantities back to the Immortal Sect for sale could easily attract the attention of market regulatory departments. After all, the Immortal Sect's resources were finite, and gold mines were under state control. Too much gold flowing into the market and causing price fluctuations would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention. Therefore, the best and safest approach was to convert all acquired items into usable spirit stones.

Before leaving, he visited the stalls selling pills, though fewer people were gathered there. He observed that all the pill vendors displayed signs stating: "Defective products from [X] Pharmacy." Practically no one claimed to have refined the pills themselves, suggesting that the attitude towards elixirs was similar in both worlds. If a renowned alchemist did not produce them, people generally wouldn't dare consume them. As for unregulated products (those without a producer, production date, or quality certificate), it went without saying that even when offered for sale, they needed to bear the name of a major pharmacy; otherwise, few cultivators would even bother to inquire about the price. It seemed those few bottles of pills would be difficult to sell. Chen Mobai shook his head, recalling the spoils of war he had stashed at the bottom of his bedside table.

After understanding the general situation, he no longer lingered and, under the cover of twilight, turned and left Nanxi Market. At the entrance, he encountered the linen-clad boy again, the one who wanted to earn money as a guide. The boy saw Chen Mobai and humbly lowered his head. This deferential posture startled Chen Mobai, who had initially intended to greet him, and he couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Indeed, there was a reason for our Earth's ancient 'breaking of the Four Olds.' This kind of feudal old society is simply wrong." However, he was merely an outsider, a minor cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, and it wasn't his place to criticize a social environment people had grown up in their entire lives. Chen Mobai exited the market gate without a word, vanishing into the array's mist.

The Nanxi Market was protected by an external array, though its full power was not active; it merely served to deter mortals from approaching. On his way back, Chen Mobai had a sudden thought: What if he didn't go to the Water Mansion to click "return to home"? Would it still work? He stopped, found an uninhabited valley, and took out his phone. Sure enough, within the Gui Bao software, the "Return Home" button was still brightly lit and prominent, ready to be pressed. This meant that in the Tianhe Realm, he wasn't limited to the Water Mansion; as long as he had his phone, he could return home anytime, anywhere.

But then another question arose: If the return location changed, where would he reappear during his next teleportation—here, or still the Water Mansion? Chen Mobai pondered for a while but ultimately decided against trying it out.

He returned to the Water Mansion. However, as he was about to return home, a sudden thought struck him, and he walked into a side hall. This way, he could observe where he would appear during his next visit. If he still appeared in the main hall, it would indicate that the teleportation location was fixed. If he appeared in the side hall, it would mean that he would return to the exact spot where he initiated the "Return Home" function. Amidst a flash of silver light, Chen Mobai found himself back home.

He felt as though his logical reasoning regarding teleportation and returning home was missing something, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't identify the oversight. He could only shake his head and temporarily give up. He checked the time on his phone; it was almost dinner. His mother had already left for work in the afternoon, leaving him to cook dinner again that evening. However, he had already grown accustomed to it.

While cooking spirit rice, Chen Mobai used his phone to log into his main account, "Azure Emperor," at the National Library. He used his points to download the "Nurturing Thought and Forging Spirit Art." Although he was highly interested in and eager to try the fitness-style method for cultivating spiritual consciousness, it was impossible. He couldn't acquire second-tier thought incense, and his "Azure Emperor" account couldn't redeem the "Exciting Spirit Wandering Heaven Art." Therefore, he was left with no choice but to follow the orthodox path. This was also a good thing, as the spiritual consciousness cultivated through this method would be well-rounded and wouldn't require daily incense burning for stabilization. While dinner was cooking, Chen Mobai thoroughly read through the "Nurturing Thought and Forging Spirit Art." By cross-referencing it with the cultivation insights uploaded by masters on the auxiliary software, he gained a comprehensive understanding of the technique.

Despite having access to previous practitioners' experiences, he still found the practice challenging. To nurture thought, one must first enter a state of "meditative absorption." After achieving this state, "visualization" is required. This visualization could involve anything in creation, but according to the experience of previous cultivators, it was best to visualize an image that resonated with one's own state of mind. The ideal image should be powerful yet not overly overwhelming – a seemingly contradictory statement. Fortunately, the auxiliary cultivation software provided a detailed explanation: visualizing powerful entities could accelerate a cultivator's mental growth, but if the imagery was too overwhelming, it would cause mental fluctuations and intense emotional swings, proving more detrimental than beneficial. Therefore, cultivators needed to find the right balance during their visualization practice. Chen Mobai, reflecting on his own experiences, scratched his head and finally thought of the "Jade Phoenix Tree" he had seen that morning.