Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 46: Procurement

As the sun rises and sets, and day and night alternate, more than ten days pass in the blink of an eye.

"Crunch"

On this morning, as the sun rose high, golden sunlight bathed the world in a new light, and the door, which had been closed for a long time, slowly opened again with a hoarse sound.

A young cultivator in a green robe stepped out smoothly. His eyes seemed slightly uncomfortable under the dazzling sunlight, but his joy was genuine.

"At the fifth level of Qi Refining, although it is still only at the bottom of the cultivation world in the cruel Northern Ice Region, it is still a preliminary level of self-protection among the vast number of Qi Refining stage cultivators on Ice Spirit Island."

"From today onwards, even if the market guards want to extort or arbitrarily bully us again as before, they will have to think twice. A Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator has already begun to qualify for retaliation. Although a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator who acts without restraint is insignificant, he still possesses a certain degree of destructive power."

Various thoughts surged through Tong Bingfeng's mind, and a surge of pride rose within him. Of all the unpleasant memories he had, the extortion and blackmail by the market guards was always the most profound.

This is not a simple humiliation, but a true destruction of a cultivator from the inside out. If one cannot rebuild confidence from this, undergo a phoenix-like rebirth, break free of the cocoon, then for the rest of one's life, let alone the pursuit of the Dao and the advancement of cultivation, one's entire life will probably fall into a state of confusion and despair.

Therefore, whenever his cultivation level improved even slightly, he would subconsciously compare it to the market guard team of Ice Spirit Island.

The market guards are managed on behalf of the local Chen family and carry out the will of the Chen family, but they always have some of their own additional ideas.

In addition, while the core members of these guards are naturally from the Chen family, most of the basic members are recruited from independent cultivator groups.

Most of the extortion and blackmail schemes were orchestrated by these unscrupulous cultivators, and the guards who came from these unscrupulous cultivator backgrounds had taken the methods of bullying other unscrupulous cultivators to a whole new level.

Of course, they are also well-versed in the rules of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Once a cultivator's cultivation level reaches a certain stage, they will immediately conceal all their sharpness.

Therefore, after advancing to the fifth level of Qi Refining, as long as he pays the rent on time and abides by the various rules set forth on Ice Spirit Island, he basically doesn't have to worry about being extorted by the market guards again.

"The past may be unbearable to recall, but it is now in the past. We should focus on the present, strive hard, and continue to move forward."

The various thoughts that arose and fell in his mind took only three to five breaths. As a qualified cultivator, all kinds of negative emotions did not dominate his thoughts, and his fighting spirit quickly returned to his body.

Having successfully advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining and after more than ten days of arduous training, his cultivation level has basically stabilized. This also means that he will need to patiently hone his cultivation for at least the next two years, and further advancement is a long way off.

As time passed, the agreed-upon time to harvest the crystal gourds with the owner of Liu's Grocery Store drew ever closer, naturally requiring a more detailed plan based on the original plan.

"Although my cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining has improved, the gap between me and my companion is still considerable. The combat power of someone in the middle or late stages of Qi Refining is incomparable."

Tong Bingfeng was fully aware of the difference in cultivation level between the two, and naturally, he was also well aware of the risks involved.

However, the crystal gourd contains a natural energy that can effectively aid in advancing to the late stage of Qi Refining. This is the real reason why he couldn't refuse and was willing to take the risk.

If there is a gap in cultivation level that cannot be quickly bridged in the short term, then other external means are needed to effectively compensate for it.

"I still have 500 spirit stones left in my storage bag, and I can also sell the three mid-grade first-tier magic artifacts. Unfortunately, I've been busy advancing my cultivation level lately, and I've inevitably become a little lax in hunting demonic beasts."

As he finished speaking, Tong Bingfeng's tone inevitably carried a hint of regret, seemingly because he lacked the spirit stones he could earn from selling the corpses of demonic beasts.

"Take a walk and have a look; these are genuine medicinal herb seedlings and seeds."

"A century-old shop, honest and reliable, with all kinds of first-tier spiritual items. Fellow Daoists, please come in and have a look."

"Made by a first-tier low-grade alchemist of the Chen family, genuine and of guaranteed quality."

"A freshly slaughtered spirit ox is delicious and aids in cultivation. Paired with a pot of spirit wine, it makes the journey to the mortal realm worthwhile."

Half an hour later, Tong Bingfeng, surrounded by the bustling sounds of vendors, stepped into the most lively area of ​​the market once again, preparing to select the best and buy some treasures for any eventuality.

Of course, his target was not these seemingly bustling small shops and the mixed-quality stalls, but the shops located in the heart of the area.

While the spiritual items sold in these shops are certainly more expensive, they adhere to the principle of "you get what you pay for," giving them an inherent advantage in quality.

As for the so-called "finding a bargain," Tong Bingfeng was perfectly aware of his own limitations. Apart from some basic common sense, he had very little additional knowledge. Therefore, he never had any expectations for things based on his own limited knowledge.

"Chenling Pavilion is a shop established by the Chen family of Ice Spirit Island. It specializes in buying and selling spiritual items in the market. In addition to earning a stable business income, it also searches for rare spiritual items for the Chen family. Although the spiritual items sold are priced higher, they are all inspected by the Chen family, and the quality is controllable."

In the center of the entire market, a five-story wooden building rose from the ground, with the three magnificent characters "Chen Ling Ge" hanging in the center. Tong Bingfeng did not step into it rashly, but recalled some basic knowledge about this shop in his mind.

Of course, the variety of spiritual items sold in Chenling Pavilion is quite complete. As long as there are enough spirit stones, the first-tier spiritual items needed by Qi Refining cultivators can basically be obtained.

Next to Chen Lingge, there are also two five-story pavilions. One of them is the Gourd Merchant Building of the Zhang Family of the Third-Order Gourd Spirit Island, and the other is the Qiwu Pavilion of the Northern Frontier Ice Domain Commercial Alliance.

Perhaps both shops could meet his needs, but after some thought and comparison, he ultimately stepped into the gates of Chenling Pavilion.

His thinking was very simple: as an extension of the Chen family, Chen Lingge could not be short-sighted and pursue immediate interests by using inferior goods. This would not only affect Chen Lingge's reputation, but would also damage the reputation that the Chen family had painstakingly accumulated over thousands of years.

No normal cultivator would make such a deal, losing the big picture for a small gain, losing both their wife and their army.