Although it was early morning, Cangyun City was already bustling with activity.
Lu Changsheng and Ning Yuxin walked along the street.
He was accustomed to entering the city, often coming to wander around when he had nothing to do.
As for Ning Yuxin, she hadn’t left since arriving at Qingyun Peak. During this time, she had been deeply immersed in cultivation, almost forgetting herself.
Getting out for once, she could barely contain her excitement. After all, she was only seventeen or eighteen and couldn’t yet achieve a heart as still as water; she still enjoyed lively places.
Walking and looking around, Lu Changsheng was quite at ease. Gazing at scenes he had seen countless times before, he sincerely felt that the joys of the mortal world surpassed the monotony of cultivation.
If he had to cultivate all day like Zhou Qingyu, he’d be bored out of his mind.
“Senior Brother Lu, what do we need to buy?”
“Let’s start by buying some spirit herbs!”
Lu Changsheng said as he walked into a medicine shop.
“Immortal Master Changsheng, it’s been a while. What would you like today?” A shop assistant greeted him with a smile.
Lu Changsheng’s reputation was well-known throughout Cangyun City. He was famous for being idle and having a Sword Immortal senior brother, which made his name quite significant.
“Clear Spirit Grass, Essence Condensation Flower, Spirit Accumulation Leaf, and Crimson Fire Root. Do you have them all?”
“Yes, we do. How much would you like?”
Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment. “I’ll take a modest amount. Let’s start with a hundred of each. If that’s not enough, I’ll come back for more!”
“A hundred of each?”
The assistant was stunned, almost unable to believe it.
“You don’t have that much?”
“We do. Please wait a moment!” The assistant turned excitedly and ran toward the back, shouting as he went, “Shopkeeper, we’ve got a big customer!”
All together, this would cost over fifteen thousand Spirit Stones-truly a major transaction.
Ning Yuxin was also lost in thought. These were all herbs rich in Spiritual Qi. She looked at him in disbelief.
“Senior Brother Lu, why are you buying so many spirit herbs?”
“To refine pills for you!”
“But this much… how long will it take me to consume them all?”
Lu Changsheng replied, “This is just enough for a few days!”
“A few days to eat all this? Even an Essence Condensation cultivator would be overwhelmed…”
It wasn’t that she cared about the Spirit Stones, but consuming this much would burst even a Core Formation cultivator, let alone an Essence Condensation one.
Lu Changsheng said seriously, “Junior Sister, you don’t understand. Pill refining has a failure rate. It’s not guaranteed to succeed every time. Plus, the pills I’m making this time are complex. Buying more ensures we have a backup!”
“I see!”
“Exactly!”
She just thought the quantity was a bit excessive.
After packing up the herbs, the two left the shop and went to another place, where they again bought a hundred of each type of various heavenly treasures and earthly rarities.
Most of them contained extremely dense Spiritual Qi.
They shopped all the way, spending thirty thousand Spirit Stones in just half a day!
However, as Lu Changsheng walked, he was still calculating. With all these herbs and the loss rate, he could only make a profit of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine thousand, which was far from his expectations.
But a hundred of each was already a lot. If he added more, it would be blatantly treating her like a fool, which would be somewhat rude.
After thinking it over, he looked at Ning Yuxin and said, “Junior Sister, would you like to get an Essence Condensation package?”
“What package?”
“This is a signature method from that senior. Within three years, it guarantees you’ll reach the ninth layer of Essence Condensation, temper your physical body-though not as strong as a body cultivator, it won’t be far off for the same realm. It includes three years’ worth of pills and ensures you break through to the fourth layer of Sword Intent within three years!”
As he finished speaking, Ning Yuxin was stunned.
She was currently only at the ninth layer of Spirit Accumulation. In three years, she would reach the ninth layer of Essence Condensation, crossing an entire realm.
On top of that, her physical body would be tempered to rival a body cultivator. More importantly, reaching the fourth layer of Sword Intent in three years was astonishing.
In another three years, she would only be in her early twenties. Achieving such accomplishments at that age would make her a standout in all of Cangzhou.
The temptation was immense, surpassing countless prodigies.
“Isn’t this too heaven-defying?” Ning Yuxin found it hard to believe.
Lu Changsheng said, “It sounds a bit absurd, but it’s absolutely real. If it doesn’t work, you can get a refund!”
To earn some Spirit Stones and reach Nascent Soul as soon as possible, he was going all out.
He had walked through these realms himself, tempering each one to the extreme. He knew every step of the way, having thoroughly studied it all in his spare time.
Moreover, cultivation below Nascent Soul was often just a process of accumulating spiritual power. For him, as long as an ordinary person wasn’t exceptionally untalented and had some Spirit Stones, reaching this stage was almost a sure thing.
Much easier than his own path.
“So, what do I need to do?”
Clearly, Ning Yuxin was tempted.
Lu Changsheng said, “It’s very simple!”
“Just have money?”
“Exactly!”
“How much money do I need?”
“One hundred thousand Spirit Stones?”
Lu Changsheng spoke, feeling a bit unsure, afraid he was asking too much. The amount was indeed substantial.
After all, even if Ning Yuxin had money, she wasn’t foolish.
Besides, one hundred thousand Spirit Stones was a huge sum even in Cangzhou.
The entire Cangyun Sect’s annual revenue was only thirty thousand Spirit Stones…
Ning Yuxin’s answer was still decisive, without a moment’s hesitation.
Lu Changsheng was thrilled.
Ning Yuxin continued, “But I might need some time. I only brought a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones with me, and I’ve almost spent them. I need to send a message to my father to have him send more!”
“No rush, no rush. Take your time!”
Lu Changsheng suppressed his inner excitement, not expecting her money to be so easy to earn.
According to his estimates, breaking through to Nascent Soul would require at least three hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If this deal went through, he would net ninety-eight thousand, completing nearly a third of his goal.
“Come on, let’s look around some more!”
Lu Changsheng said.
Ning Yuxin nodded, also feeling excited inside.
Yet both of them were secretly pleased, each thinking they had gotten a great deal!
Breaking through to the ninth layer of Essence Condensation in three years, reaching the fourth layer of the Sword Dao, and having a physical body close to a body cultivator-all for just one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. In her eyes, this deal was incredibly cheap.
Still, she had her doubts.
If Lu Changsheng had such a good method, why was he only at the fourth layer of Spirit Accumulation? Or was he hiding something?
She couldn’t figure it out, but she chose to trust him. It was also the first time she had begun to speculate about Lu Changsheng.
Just as she was lost in thought, Lu Changsheng had already arrived at another shop. When he saw a crimson-red spirit herb, a gleam lit up in his eyes.
“Cangyun City actually has something this good!”
Staring at the fiery red spirit grass, he couldn’t contain his emotions.
The shopkeeper came over and said to Lu Changsheng, “Immortal Master Changsheng has good eyes. This Crimson Spirit Grass is a rare find. There’s only one in all of Cangyun City, and it would be hard to find a second one even in Cangzhou!”
“Indeed, it’s rare. I’ve been looking for it for years!” Lu Changsheng said joyfully.
Every time he cultivated, the pain on his body was unbearable. He had stumbled upon an ancient formula that could refine a Crimson Spirit Pill to alleviate the pain.
After all, he already knew that when he broke through to Nascent Soul, the pain he would endure would be ten times greater than before, or even more. It would be a major tribulation on his path of cultivation.
Thus, he had always wanted to refine one. The Crimson Spirit Grass was the main ingredient, rare and hard to find.
Once the pill was made, he would have a much better chance of surviving this great tribulation.
Ning Yuxin was also surprised.
She had never seen Lu Changsheng react so strongly before.
The shopkeeper said, “We’re old acquaintances. Since Immortal Master Changsheng wants it, take it for a thousand Spirit Stones!”
Hearing this, Lu Changsheng was delighted and was about to speak when a voice from afar broke the silence.
“I’ll pay two thousand Spirit Stones!”
As he spoke, everyone looked over and saw a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five walking toward them.
The newcomer was thin, his face not particularly handsome, giving off a sharp and mean impression. He wore a feathered robe that fluttered in the wind. When he looked at Lu Changsheng, a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and a hint of provocation gleamed in his eyes.