Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 70: 5 Flowers and 8 Doors

The Pingyuan Fruit contains rich spiritual energy and tastes delicious. With a little refining, it can be replenished into the dantian. However, in terms of total quantity, it is definitely inferior to three spiritual pills of the same grade.

In sects and families with a stable and abundant supply of spiritual items, such a transaction would naturally be a natural outcome. However, today the courtyard is filled with rogue cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, all of whom are short of money and wish they could split a spirit stone into four pieces. How could they choose to engage in such a transaction because of their appetite?

After a cup of tea, the first cultivator to take the stage left looking dejected, clearly indicating that the transaction had ended in failure.

"Fellow Daoists, please take a look. This is a mid-grade first-tier Earth-Splitting Hammer, crafted entirely from mid-grade first-tier spiritual material, Earth-Splitting Stone. It is in 80% new condition. Exchange it for a fire-attribute magic weapon of the same grade."

The second cultivator was preparing to trade a first-grade mid-level earth-attribute magic weapon known for its bulky and crude appearance, but his target was a fire-attribute magic weapon of the same grade.

Water and fire cannot coexist. In the cultivation world of the Northern Ice Domain, water-attribute cultivators are the most numerous. While metal, wood, and earth attributes are rare, fire-attribute cultivators are as rare as rare species of demonic beasts.

Scarcity drives up value, and in the Northern Frontier Ice Region, all fire-attribute spiritual items are naturally more expensive than other spiritual items of the same rank, and their supply is also exceptionally limited.

Taking magical artifacts as an example, without fire-attribute spiritual materials, even the most skilled craftsman cannot make a meal without ingredients, and naturally, there is no way to refine them.

The weapon refiners in the Northern Ice Region mainly use earth fire to refine their weapons. The weapon refiners themselves are mainly wood-attribute cultivators, as wood generates fire, and the two attributes complement each other.

As for earth fire, it can only be drawn out on spirit islands of the second rank or above, so it is extremely difficult for a rogue cultivator to become a weapon refiner.

When Master Meng crafted magical artifacts, he also chose to rent earth fire from the Chen family, who were at the Foundation Establishment stage, to refine them.

"I have a piece of Earth Fire Stone here, enough to forge a mid-grade first-tier fire-attribute magic weapon. Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to trade?"

After a long silence, a thin cultivator tentatively offered a price: Earth Fire Stone was also a mid-grade first-level spiritual material, which could be used as the main material for fire-attribute magic artifacts.

"While Earth Fire Stone is valuable, it requires the addition of spiritual materials for refining, making it far less valuable than a magic artifact."

After some consideration, the bearded cultivator on the stage ultimately chose to refuse, and the transaction also ended in failure, at least because none of the cultivators present had a fire-attribute magic weapon of the same level.

"A bottle of first-grade superior-level Nourishing Spirit Water can purify the body's mana, assist water-attribute cultivators in their cultivation, and can be used to refine water-attribute elixirs. It has a wide range of uses, which I will not go into detail about."

"In short, the Ziyuan Water is a truly rare and precious spiritual item. Today, I wish to exchange it for a first-grade high-quality earth-attribute magic weapon."

The quality of the spiritual item that the third cultivator was preparing to trade had improved dramatically. It was a top-grade first-level spiritual water. If a group of mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were to refine it, its benefits would not be underestimated. In addition to its general effect of simply assisting cultivation, what Tong Bingfeng valued most was its ability to purify the mana within the body.

Although he successfully advanced to the sixth level of Qi Refining, most of this cultivation was obtained with the help of elixirs and spiritual water, rather than through the arduous cultivation of the Great Circulation. Therefore, there was still some emptiness in his cultivation, and he was still a little far from being able to control his own body as if it were an extension of his own arm.

Not to mention that this slight difference could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back in a life-or-death battle, and could also lead to failure at a crucial moment in future cultivation advancement.

"While Grade 1 High-Grade Nourishing Water is precious, it's still just a bottle. Its value is still slightly less than that of a Grade 1 High-Grade Magic Artifact. If you want to make a trade, you might as well add some other spiritual items."

Tong Bingfeng was quite interested in this bottle of first-grade high-quality spiritual water, but he was unwilling to be taken advantage of, so haggling was only to be expected.

"The value of first-tier high-grade earth-attribute magic weapons varies. I wonder what kind of magic weapon this fellow Daoist can offer for the transaction?"

The cultivators on the platform showed no anger upon hearing this; instead, they were delighted, since those willing to bargain were the ones who truly intended to make a deal.

"A top-grade Tier 1 Heaven-Opening Axe, incomparably sharp and best suited for frontal attacks. Its quality is excellent. If it weren't for the difference in attributes, I would never be willing to trade it."

Tong Bingfeng took out the magic weapon that he had seized from Liu Guangqing. Under the sunlight, it shone with a cold light, especially the axe blade.

"This Heaven-Opening Axe is indeed of excellent quality. How about we trade it for three bottles of Nourishing Water?"

The moment the cultivators on the platform saw the Heaven-Opening Axe, the light shooting from their eyes became firmly fixed on it, rendering it unable to move. They then took out the other two bottles of spiritual water.

"make a deal"

With the value of both items roughly the same, Tong Bingfeng decisively agreed that the spiritual water was more practical than a first-grade high-quality magic weapon whose attributes did not match.

Subsequently, one cultivator after another went up to the trading platform to try to make a deal, offering a wide variety of spiritual items. Unfortunately, due to the high prices, most of them ended in failure.

Some of the spiritual items were so obscure that the cultivators present could not effectively identify their effects, nor did they have any specific need for them.

The failure of a few other spiritual item transactions was entirely due to the traders asking for too high a price, and the repeated attempts to negotiate the price all ended in failure.

That afternoon, the diverse range of transactions came to a successful conclusion. Although Tong Bingfeng only successfully completed one transaction, he was generally quite satisfied.

"At such gatherings, the cultivators come from all directions. Normally, they would only exchange information in small groups. It wouldn't attract too much attention for a first-tier high-grade cultivator to participate in a normal transaction like the Heaven-Opening Axe."

Even if there were a few spies from the Chen family among the huge crowd, it would probably be impossible to monitor every single transaction.

Back in his courtyard, Tong Bingfeng finally relaxed. After all, in a large group of cultivators coming and going, necessary precautions and vigilance were still indispensable.

"The first-grade mid-level Water-Soothing Pill was obtained through normal trade. These three bottles of first-grade high-level Nourishing Water are the unexpected surprise. Who could have predicted that such high-quality spiritual items would appear at a gathering of mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators?"

In the similarly simply furnished room, Tong Bingfeng took out a bottle of first-grade superior Ziyuan Water and examined it, clearly satisfied with this transaction.

Although his current cultivation level is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, which is still at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it does not mean that he cannot consume first-grade high-quality spiritual water.

In a sense, using the effects of first-grade high-quality spiritual water to purify the mid-stage Qi Refining level mana in the dantian is superior in terms of solidification.

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Only by taking one step at a time and being down-to-earth can we seize the opportunity to soar to new heights. Today, let's experience the effects of Ziyuan Water first."

Tong Bingfeng opened the first bottle of spiritual water, and with a force emanating from his mouth, a drop of spiritual water the size of a thumb accurately separated from the bottle.