Chapter 430: Great Harvest

"I am personally inclined to make this trade with you," Chen Mobai said.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Lingping waited for the crucial second half of his statement.

"However, since this matter concerns True Lord Kong, I still need to report it to the Sect Master and even to our two Ancestors."

Upon hearing this, Lan Lingping nodded understandingly. Once a matter involved Core Formation cultivators, even though both of them held high positions in their respective sects, it was best for the Ancestors on both sides to personally reach an agreement for greater reliability. After all, in the Eastern Barrens, it was all too common for people to renege on agreements.

"Elder Chen, I'll need you to speak highly of this matter to your sect's two Ancestors. This small gift is a token of our sincerity; please accept it."

After their discussion, Lan Lingping smiled and took a jade box from her storage pouch, placing it on the tea table. Chen Mobai picked it up and opened it. A bone-chilling cold immediately emanated from within, revealing a fist-sized, translucent, light-blue crystal. Without Lan Lingping needing to explain, Chen Mobai knew this was the "Cold Ice Coalescing Crystal" he had been seeking.

"I will do my best to persuade the Sect Master and the two Ancestors," Chen Mobai said, accepting the gift with satisfaction.

In truth, this fire spirit rice was his spiritual plant, and even if he had agreed on the spot, the sect wouldn't have objected. The reason for his circumspection was not only to show respect to the sect but also to see if he could gain more benefits from the situation. Lan Lingping was clearly astute; her immediate offer of the Cold Ice Coalescing Crystal delighted him.

"Then I shall await Elder Chen's good news here."

Chen Mobai motioned for Liu Wenbo to stay and accompany the two women, while he quickly returned to Giant Wood Ridge using the teleportation array.

"Junior Brother Chen, you've accomplished a great feat this time."

In the Divine Wood Hall, Chu Zuoshu listened to Chen Mobai's report with a look of pleasant surprise. In his mind, fire spirit rice was merely an ordinary spiritual plant. If it could ensure the Snow Blowing Palace's non-interference, he'd even be willing to give them the sect's secret second-tier jade bamboo spirit rice.

"A few days ago, I had a breakthrough in my cultivation and was teleported into the Divine Tree Secret Realm. There, I obtained a blueprint for a 'Purple Sun Puppet' from the Talent Tree. After reviewing it, I believe it might be useful to Ancestor Fu."

At this moment, Chen Mobai gave Chu Zuoshu an even greater surprise. Although Chu Zuoshu didn't understand puppet techniques, he was aware of puppet grades. Upon learning that the Purple Sun Puppet was a top-tier third-grade artifact, a look of shock appeared on his face.

"Junior Brother Chen, please wait a moment. I'll inform the two Ancestors immediately."

Chu Zuoshu took two talismans, bowed towards the direction of the Three Divine Woods, and then the talismans transformed into wisps of green smoke that coiled upwards, condensing into ethereal images of Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue. The two Ancestors had been establishing alliances outside the sect recently, but to prevent any issues at the sect's main base, Chu Zuoshu could directly contact them using these communication talismans.

When Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue finished listening to Chu Zuoshu's report, both their eyes immediately lit up.

"Wait a moment, I'll send my puppet body over."

Upon hearing about the Purple Sun Puppet, Fu Zongjue's ethereal image immediately dropped all pretense. In a short while, a green streak of light glowed from a Longevity Wood and descended into the Divine Wood Hall. This puppet body flew directly to Chen Mobai. The latter immediately took out the prepared Purple Sun Puppet blueprint from his storage pouch. After examining it, Fu Zongjue's face lit up with joy.

"Excellent, excellent! With this, I can upgrade my puppet body again. Then, even if I have to face Ji Zhenshi alone, I'll be able to truly contend with him."

Amidst hearty laughter, Fu Zongjue looked at Chen Mobai with extreme satisfaction, even intimately patting his shoulder. However, because it was a puppet body, Chen Mobai felt a somewhat stiff sensation, and his shoulder ached slightly.

"Reporting to the two Ancestors, besides this, there's also the matter of Snow Blowing Palace that I need to report to you..."

Chu Zuoshu also approached at this moment and delivered the second piece of good news to Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue. Upon hearing it, both burst into hearty laughter, looking up at the sky. Such good fortune coming all at once showed that Heaven itself was on the side of their Divine Wood Sect.

Fu Zongjue said, "Coincidentally, I have another puppet body lurking in the Rock Kingdom. I'll make a trip to the Snow Kingdom to meet with Kong Lingling."

Regarding a sect-wide war, only Core Formation cultivators establishing contracts and making vows with each other could truly earn mutual trust. Chen Mobai had realized this after his conversation with Lan Lingping, which was why he requested to return to the sect to report.

"Two Ancestors, Junior Brother Chen has accomplished two great deeds this time. How should he be rewarded?" At this moment, Chu Zuoshu petitioned for Chen Mobai's recognition, as the latter was his direct subordinate.

"The Purple Sun Puppet is extremely important to me. However, to ensure it can turn the tide in battle, only the four of us should know about it for now. How about this: I will personally gift Nephew Chen 100,000 spirit stones, and once the Purple Sun Puppet is revealed, we will then reward him with 100,000 contribution points in the sect's name to announce this merit. What do you think, Senior Brother?"

Fu Zongjue had already held Chen Mobai in high regard, and now, having obtained the Purple Sun Puppet through him, he found him even more pleasing to the eye, decisively offering a huge reward.

"Very good. Although the matter with the Snow Blowing Palace is not as significant as the Purple Sun Puppet, it is still a considerable merit. Since we cannot immediately reward him with contribution points to avoid alerting outsiders lurking in the sect, I will use this as a substitute."

Zhou Shengqing nodded, agreeing with Fu Zongjue's proposal. He then had the latter's puppet body go to his Longevity Wood and retrieve a wooden box. Chen Mobai took it and opened it, finding a book and a golden talisman inside. The talisman's spiritual patterns resembled flames, shimmering with dazzling golden lines of light, impossible to look at directly.

"This was a guardian talisman my master, Hunyuan, gave me: a top-tier third-grade Golden Flame Sword Talisman. An ordinary Core Formation cultivator, if caught unprepared, would be severely wounded or even perish from it. I originally had five of these. Over the past century, I've used four, and Core Formation cultivators in the Eastern Barrens are mostly aware of this ability, so they've taken precautions. This last one is no longer needed, so I'll give it to you. This book is the Scarlet Flame Sword Art, personally annotated by my master, which can be cultivated to the complete Core Formation stage. It also contains his insights on drawing sword talismans from the first to fourth tiers. I'll give you this as well."

Chu Zuoshu, standing nearby, couldn't help but show a look of shock. In the Eastern Barrens, giving a junior something bestowed by one's master signifies regarding that junior as one's own disciple, a privilege usually reserved for the closest and most direct disciples. Unfortunately, Chen Mobai was unaware of this custom in the Eastern Barrens. Had it been any other Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Divine Wood Sect, they would have already prostrated themselves before Zhou Shengqing at that moment.

Fu Zongjue's face showed regret; he also wanted this disciple. However, since he had already taken Hong He as a disciple, it wouldn't be appropriate to contend with Zhou Shengqing now. To his surprise, however, Chen Mobai happily accepted the wooden box but did not acknowledge him as a master.

"You will have full authority over the matter of the fire spirit rice," Zhou Shengqing instructed. He saw that Chen Mobai hadn't kowtowed, and a hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes. However, as someone who had weathered many storms, he quickly composed himself. "However, as we need to win over the Snow Blowing Palace recently, you should offer them some appropriate concessions."

The Divine Wood Sect's current grand strategy was to eliminate Ji Zhenshi and annex Shaking Mountain Peak. For this cause, other considerations could be conceded. Having received significant benefits, Chen Mobai naturally had no objections and nodded repeatedly. At this point, Fu Zongjue gave him ten more top-grade spirit stones, which greatly delighted Chen Mobai. With these, the top-grade spirit stones he possessed would be enough to sustain his Purple Lightning Sword for a long time.

"Reporting to Ancestor Fu, there is actually one more thing..."

Before leaving, Chen Mobai seized the opportunity to bring up the Longevity Puppet Art, expressing his desire to view the blueprint for the fourth-tier Longevity Wooden Dragon puppet.

"These are my insights on puppet techniques, containing blueprints for puppets from the first to fourth tiers. Although you are an unparalleled genius, the blueprint for the fourth-tier Azure Dragon is extremely complex. At your current cultivation level, it's best not to expend your energy on it here."

Fu Zongjue now found Chen Mobai more pleasing to the eye than ever. After hearing his request, he didn't hesitate and gave him his compiled notes on puppet techniques from over the years.

"Thank you, Ancestor Fu, I was merely curious."

After receiving more than he had hoped for, Chen Mobai left the Divine Wood Hall fully satisfied, then immediately rushed to White Moon Market via the teleportation array.

"Elder Lan, it's done!"

Upon his return, Chen Mobai didn't keep her in suspense and immediately delivered the good news to Lan Lingping, who also showed a delighted expression.

"This year, my Little South Mountain still has 1,500 catties of fire spirit rice. If Elder Lan needs it, I can sell it to you at market price."

"In that case, I will immediately arrange for our sect members to come and collect the goods."

The two first settled this transaction. Upholding his business principle of integrity and long-term relationships, Chen Mobai only charged Lan Lingping 15,000 spirit stones. He subtly suggested trading with top-grade spirit stones, but she shook her head with a wry smile, explaining that the Snow Blowing Palace's top-grade spirit stones were all in Ancestor Kong's possession, and she could only mobilize mid-grade ones.

Mid-grade spirit stones were fine too. Conveniently, if Chen Mobai wanted to cultivate the Six Yang Body, he would need 600 mid-grade spirit stones. His previous 300 mid-grade spirit stones had already exhausted all his savings from over the years. Now, he only had the top-grade spirit stones left on him. However, at the end of the year, the spirit stones from talisman paper sales at Little South Mountain shops within the Divine Wood Sect's territory would be settled. Based on last year's earnings, he could expect to receive about 400 mid-grade spirit stones. Adding the 150 mid-grade spirit stones from selling fire spirit rice to the Snow Blowing Palace, and converting his contribution points from the sect's sale to the Body Forging Department half a year ago, the required spirit stones for the Six Yang Body would be sufficient.

"Here is the spiritual planting method for fire spirit rice. However, this spirit rice cannot withstand bitter cold earth qi, so your two kingdoms under Snow Blowing Palace will need to find suitable spiritual fields for cultivation."

After receiving the spirit stones, Chen Mobai immediately took out paper and pen, silently writing down all the crucial details for cultivating fire spirit rice, offering reminders as he wrote. Lan Lingping took the pages filled with Chen Mobai's writing and was greatly impressed by this young man who, despite possessing sword dao talent that could dominate the Eastern Barrens, was instead devoted to agricultural pursuits. The Divine Wood Sect was truly lucky to have recruited such a disciple.

"Elder Chen, my disciple Xueting has great talent in spiritual planting. How about letting her learn from you? You could let her practice with you when we sow next spring. Coincidentally, I'm also arranging for disciples in the palace to clear spiritual fields suitable for fire spirit rice cultivation, and formal sowing will definitely be half a year from now, so the timing is perfect."

After their discussion, Lan Lingping suddenly proposed this. The veiled female cultivator who had been kneeling by the side seemed to have known this all along. Upon hearing it, she turned and bowed to Chen Mobai.

"This..." Chen Mobai glanced at the Qi Cultivation female cultivator whose back and hip curves were particularly prominent after she performed a deep bow and knelt before him. His expression was somewhat hesitant. His Little South Mountain contained many hybrid spiritual rice strains, which were the culmination of his and Zhuo Ming's efforts. However, he then thought that since he held the core techniques, he didn't fear the seeds being stolen.

Furthermore, ever since Chen Mobai arrived in the Eastern Barrens, a small wish had always been hidden in his heart: that was to one day unify the Eastern Barrens, then transform it into a minor immortal sect where everyone could eat spiritual rice and cultivate immortality. If this female cultivator named Xueting truly had a talent for spiritual planting and could learn his agricultural techniques, it would actually be beneficial for Chen Mobai's future aspirations.

"Alright, let her first coordinate with Wenbo regarding the transportation of these 1,500 catties of fire spirit rice. Once that's settled, she can come to Little South Mountain with Wenbo, and I will make the arrangements then."

Chen Mobai nodded. Liu Wenbo, standing nearby, immediately nodded in agreement, while Xueting, who had been kneeling and bowing deeply, seemed to sigh in relief upon hearing his words, rising to express her gratitude.

"In the future, I humbly ask for your generous guidance, Martial Uncle Chen and Senior Brother Liu."

This was the first time both master and disciple heard Xueting speak. Her voice was pure and tranquil, like the clear fragrance of osmanthus or the delicate beauty of a white pear blossom.

After concluding the business deal, Chen Mobai exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lan Lingping, then excused himself and departed.

Returning to Little South Mountain, he immediately called his two disciples and informed them that all the fire spirit rice in the warehouse had been sold to the Snow Blowing Palace.

"That's wonderful! I thought all this spirit rice would have to be brewed into wine..." Zhuo Ming breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Spirit rice couldn't be stored for long, and she had been planning to hire help from the Alchemy Department these past two days.

"Master is truly amazing! You solved this problem just by going out for a trip," Luo Yixuan said with an expression of admiration.

"These 1,500 catties of spirit rice are too much to transport with storage pouches. Therefore, we'll need spiritual beasts to carry them to White Moon Market, where your Senior Brother will hand them over to the people from Snow Blowing Palace."

Chen Mobai recounted the details of his discussion with Lan Lingping. Transportation was a significant cost in large-scale transactions, especially in the Eastern Barrens where there were no means of transport other than spiritual beasts.

"Master, my family, the Luo clan, has fifty spiritual camels. Twenty of them frequently travel between Jian Nation and Yun Nation. If you write a letter, I'll take it to the Luo clan's Ancestor. He definitely wouldn't dare defy you. I guarantee I can requisition those twenty." Luo Yixuan's eyes lit up, and she immediately began offering her advice.