Chapter 30: Two Years
Chapter 30: Two Years
Time quietly passed in cultivation and learning. Two months later, under the combined effects of Elixir and Spirit Grain, Wang Hong successfully advanced to the second level of Qi Cultivation.
During these two months, what surprised Wang Hong the most was the reputation gained by his Spirit Wine. Initially, the neighbors in the vicinity tried the Spirit Wine he distributed and found it decent.
However, when they discovered it was priced at just ten Spirit Stones, the response changed from decent to incredible. The news quickly spread, leading to long queues of people eager to purchase.
The primary benefit of Spirit Wine was its rapid replenishment of spiritual energy, especially crucial in battles where spiritual energy was quickly depleted. Possessing an item that could swiftly replenish spiritual energy was like having an extra life. Just one bottle could fill the spiritual power of a mid-level Qi Cultivation cultivator.
Similar Spirit Wines with the same effect were sold for twenty Spirit Stones per bottle. Sensing the situation, Wang Hong raised the price to twenty Spirit Stones per bottle. He also secretly went to the Mortal Market and bought tens of thousands of pounds of Strong Liquor, steeping it with Ginseng and Lingzhi.
Wang Hong couldn't explain why the Medicinal wine he brewed had such excellent effects. Perhaps it was the special Spatial Environment with rich Spirit Qi, or maybe the extended storage time played a role, or perhaps both.
Even with the price increase, the enthusiasm of buyers did not diminish. In the end, he had to implement a purchase limit each person could only buy one bottle per day. He also announced that the stock of this Spirit Wine was limited, and prices would increase after a year. This further intensified the rush, leading to increased sales of other items in the store.
After handling these matters, Wang Hong immersed himself in cultivation and learning.
Two years later...
Wang Hong squatted in front of Thin Tall Person's book stall, flipping through the stack of books. To his disappointment, he couldn't find any books that piqued his interest. Over the past two years, he had bought and read all the cultivation-related books from this stall.
Picking up a random book on cultivation gossip news, he casually flipped through it and said, "Hey, Ma Gan, why do you keep selling the same few books all the time? Get something new."
Thin Tall Person slyly smiled and said, "There is indeed one, a family heirloom from my clan, a treasure collected by my old man."
With a mysterious air, he pulled out a book from under the stall and handed it to Wang Hong. The book had an ancient design, slightly yellowed, with worn edges. As Wang Hong opened the cover, clear large characters came into view: "Newly Compiled Erotic Art." Wang Hong flipped through a few pages, instantly blushing. Glancing around and seeing no one paying attention, he quickly returned the book, earning a mocking laugh from Thin Tall Person.
Having spent a long time with Thin Tall Person, Wang Hong knew this guy by the nickname Ma Gan, but he had never heard his real name. He was a disciple of a small cultivation clan and had reached the sixth level of Qi Cultivation.
With limited resources in the small clan, each person received only one Condensing Qi Pill per month, along with two Spirit Stones. Despite this modest treatment, many independent cultivators envied him.
"You've been wanting to learn alchemy, right? Tonight, at the Wan Family Dao Transmission Hall, a Foundation Building senior will personally explain the art of alchemy. It only costs ten Spirit Stones. Are you going?" Ma Gan asked after hiding the erotic book.
Qingxu Immortal City had countless large and small cultivation clans, and most major families had their own Dao Transmission Halls dedicated to teaching their disciples. At some point, they began allowing independent cultivators to eavesdrop, charging Spirit Stones. Gradually, it evolved into a lucrative business. With numerous independent cultivators in the city, lacking guidance, they relied on self-exploration, making their journey extremely challenging. Whenever there was a chance to listen to the teachings of seniors, they were more than willing to spend Spirit Stones.
"Of course, I'm going. Are you coming too? Let's go together," Wang Hong invited. In the past year, whenever it came to alchemy, talisman crafting, and spell cultivation, Wang Hong never missed a single opportunity.
"I, of course... won't go! Our clan already has an alchemist. Without clan support, I can't afford it. Unlike you, a little rich kid who can spend money like water."
Wang Hong immediately put on a distressed expression and said, "You know, for every Spirit Herb I sell, after deducting the cost, I can only make a profit of two Spirit Stones. Look at my barely surviving little shop how many Spiritual Medicines can I sell in a day? You, on the other hand, get at least one Condensing Qi Pill every month. I haven't even seen what a Condensing Qi Pill looks like until now."
While complaining about poverty, Wang Hong secretly rejoiced in his heart, thinking, "I'm a wealthy Qi Cultivation expert, but I won't let them know. I just love keeping a low profile." He genuinely feared revealing his wealth; although the city was safe, he wasn't planning to stay inside forever.
In these two years, Spirit Wine had a booming market, bringing Wang Hong a direct income of forty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones. Unfortunately, the original batch of Spirit Wine had already sold out, and the newly made Spirit Wine might still need a few more years to mature before being sold.
Selling Spiritual Medicine also earned him tens of thousands of Spirit Stones. The mutated Scarlet Blood Ginseng had completed its transformation, and Wang Hong planted it separately. The other non-mutated Ginseng, he kept only a few with high age, pulling out the rest to sell. Wang Hong speculated that Purple Mushroom, White Jade Mushroom, and other Spiritual Medicines might also mutate in the future.
In total, over these two years, he had earned more than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, making him undoubtedly wealthy among Qi Cultivation cultivators. Wang Hong remained low-key, quietly amassing wealth.
While accumulating Spirit Stones, his cultivation had not lagged behind. He had reached the peak of the third level of Qi Cultivation and had also practiced some basic spells, such as Clairvoyance Technique, Wind Control Technique, Object Manipulation Technique, and others.
Most of the Spirit Stones Wang Hong earned were consumed by the Space. Now, the land area of the Space had expanded to eight-tenths of an acre.
Wang Hong allocated four-tenths of the space to grow Spirit Herbs needed for Condensing Qi Pills. He sold a portion and kept materials for two hundred furnaces, planning to learn Alchemy, which naturally required a large quantity of materials for practice.
Apart from the Space, cultivating forty-five soldiers under him also cost him a considerable amount of Spirit Stones. Since their aptitude was poor, some even had no aptitude at all, the resources needed naturally multiplied.
Since he announced the reward system, many suggestions had been put forward.
Currently, the most mature plan was to use cultivation techniques to convert Inner Strength into Spiritual Energy.
Several individuals had been practicing this method. They cultivated Inner Strength according to their martial arts techniques, then transformed it into Spiritual Energy using cultivation methods. However, the efficiency was extremely slow. Those soldiers who practiced in this way were still only at the first level of Qi Cultivation.
As the saying goes, one paves the road as one goes. Perhaps in the future, a better method could be found.
Maybe recruiting a new batch of independent cultivators with Spiritual Roots would be easier to train. However, their loyalty couldn't compare. These soldiers were comrades in life and death on the battlefield. It would take a long time for new recruits to fully integrate.
Moreover, since they trusted him and entrusted their lives to him on the battlefield, Wang Hong couldn't easily betray their trust.
Even if they couldn't cultivate, even if there was no way forward, Wang Hong would ensure they had a carefree life in their later years.
Wan Family was located not far from the market street. The clan possessed several Foundation Building cultivators, three Alchemists, and an Elixir Shop, making them a relatively influential force in Azure Void City.
Wang Hong handed ten Spirit Stones to the guarding cultivator and stepped into the Dao Transmission Hall. He had visited here several times before.
Around the hall, thirty or so people were already seated, and Wang Hong casually found a cushion to sit on.
In the center, there were more than ten empty seats that no one dared to occupy reserved specifically for Wan Family disciples.
After a while, a group of young people entered, all dressed neatly. Leading the group was a man in white robes, tall and handsome, but he had a habit of looking at the sky with his nostrils. This person was Wan Family's legitimate son, Wan Da.
Subsequently, several independent cultivators arrived, and then a bell rang, instantly quieting the somewhat noisy hall.
A refined middle-aged man walked out from the back, and everyone bowed in unison.
The elegant man nodded slightly in return, then swept his robe and sat down in the main seat.
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