BXBX NOVEL Chapter 119 - 85: Action 1
Three days later, within the little cabin.
Xu picked up a pen and was in the midst of drawing talismans.
The pen shaft, made from green bamboo, possessed the texture of fine jade and emitted a faint luminescence. The bristles were top-quality wolf hair, firm, vigorous, upright, and pliable. His strokes flowed like dragons and snakes, exemplifying stability and exuding a grand and imposing aura.
The Green Jade Pen, a mid-tier magic artifact, was priced at eight hundred spirit stones and also produced by the Green Jade Sect.
As one of the Three Sects of Golden Core in Liang Country, the Green Jade Sect had a distinctive feature: they were adept at crafting with “Green Jade.”
This was because the sect controlled a large piece of spirit land, Green Jade
Mountain, within which lay a third-tier supreme grade Green Jade Spiritual Vein. Nourished by this spiritual vein, the Green Jade Sect’s mountain gates were abundant with spiritual objects. Their material was top-grade, whether for alchemy, artifact refining, or talisman making and formation setting.
The Green Jade Sect had been able to thrive for a thousand years, still in its prime, and this had a lot to do with their resources. “Green Jade series” pills, talismans, and magic artifacts were extremely popular in the Cultivation World of Liang Country, and Xu Yang had acquired a fair number of them.
One could see him writing fluidly, finishing a talisman in one go. The power of thunder and lightning condensed at the tip of his pen, and in a flash, he had drawn the talismanic symbols on the paper, which still flickered with traces of electricity.
This was the first-tier spirit talisman—the Small Thunder Talisman!
Over the hundred years at Blackwater River, Xu Yang had completely mastered the first-tier talisman technique and acquired the ability to draw talismans.
Now, coupled with the “Thunder Commanding Power” divine skill and the assistance of his skill traits, his creation of the Small Thunder Talisman seemed effortlessly elegant. He achieved a high success rate of seventy percent, and his products were of excellent quality.
The Small Thunder Talisman was already the strongest attacking spirit talisman among first-tier talismans. Because it required the invocation of thunder and lightning powers, it was notoriously difficult to make, and ordinary talisman masters didn’t dare attempt it, fearing a complete loss.
Xu Yang’s success rate for making talismans was as high as seventy percent, and his Small Thunder Talismans, thanks to the effects of “Thunder Series Talisman,” were even more potent than the ordinary ones.
The Small Thunder Talisman, already the most powerful in the first-tier, was enhanced by Xu Yang’s skill trait to a degree that its power was comparable to that of the general second-tier attacking talismans.
At the cost of the first tier for the power of the second, and being part of the “Thunder Series” talismans, with this ability alone, Xu Yang could earn a large sum daily and collect countless spirit stones.
“Very good!”
Xu Yang was very satisfied with this and stored the one thousand seven hundred and fifty-third Small Thunder Talisman as an important part of his “firepower” reserve.
If one’s cultivation isn’t enough, firepower will compensate. More than a thousand top-quality Small Thunder Talismans might not explode a Golden Core cultivator to death, but severely injuring a Perfect Foundation Building or breaking a second-tier formation was not an issue.
This was also part of Xu Yang’s decade of accumulation.
Xu Yang put away the talismans, along with the spirit ink, talisman paper, and talisman pen, then took out a sickle from his storage bag and headed for the field.
Although he had decided to restart his dream cultivation practice, he needed to settle some real-world matters first, such as harvesting the season’s spirit rice, sowing new seeds, visiting the market to replenish cultivation supplies, buying pills, spirit ink, talisman paper, and so on.
He needed to take care of these matters before he could restart his dream practice with peace of mind.
In the field, Xu Yang brandished dual sickles, employing his Martial Arts Scripture’s Fighting Scroll techniques. He moved swiftly, blades flashing with cold light, and within a short period, he had harvested several acres of spirit fields.
Afterward, he applied the Spiritual Farmer technique to thresh the rice, yielding three thousand two hundred catties of Blood Spirit Rice, three hundred and fifty catties of Large Blood Spirit Rice, and over two thousand catties of rice husks fit for feed.
Xu Yang stored all the spirit rice into his storage bag and then summoned the Golden Eagle, tossing it a Large Blood Spirit Rice, “Watch the house well!”
“Goo-goo-goo!”
The Golden Eagle excitedly caught the Blood Spirit Rice in its beak and humanely waved its wings at Xu Yang.
Without further words, Xu Yang released the magic artifact, the Black Wood Boat, transformed his Gang Yuan into a spell, conjured an Escape Light, and vanished into the clouds of Dongting in the blink of an eye.
White Dragon Island.
Compared to more than a decade ago, this Cultivation World’s market had declined considerably.
But decline or not, it still upheld the “market” framework.
There had been rumors of the White Dragon Island market closing down due to pressure from enemies and rivals several years ago until the Island Master had made a breakthrough to the middle period of Foundation Establishment, showcasing his cultivation to the public, allowing the business to resume.
Though the middle period of Foundation Establishment couldn’t compare with the latter stages, it was enough to support a market. The enemies and rivals of White Dragon Island no longer dared to press too hard, as fortunes could change. If they oppressed White Dragon Island today, they themselves could be suppressed by White Dragon Island tomorrow. Going too far would mean cutting off their own retreat.
The Cultivation World, like the Martial World, wasn’t just about fighting and killing. It was also about human relations and the survival of the fittest but within a set of underlying rules and tacit agreements.
At the White Dragon Tower, Xu Yang arrived with purposeful strides. Confronted by the welcoming manager, he directly asked, “Where’s your steward?”
With a smile, the manager bowed and said, “The steward is currently in discussion with the Island Master. I’ve already sent someone to notify him. Please, senior, have a seat and tea on the second floor, and the steward will be here shortly.”
“Mhm!”
Xu Yang said no more and went straight to the second floor. Seeing this, everyone in the hall wasn’t surprised. “That senior has come again.”
“Thunder Lightning Mana King, Shi Jian!”
“It’s said that this man practices thunder and lightning techniques with incredible combat power, on par with Foundation Establishment cultivators!”
“Really? A mere Qi Cultivator daring to clash with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?”
“Others might not, but he is a Thunder Series Spell Cultivator. If he really fights for his life, even Foundation Establishment must avoid his edge.”
“If it weren’t so, how could he have dealt with White Dragon Tower so many times and still remain unscathed?”
“Everyone knows this man is wealthy, even considered a tycoon, yet no
Robbing Cultivator dares to target him.”
“Strong power truly deters the petty.”
“I wonder when he will break through to Foundation Establishment.”
“I’ve heard that Yun Yan, the steward, is on excellent terms with him, even to
the point or contemplating a parthersing…”
The crowd whispered among themselves, filled with gossip and rumors.
Thus, a moment later.
“Senior Xu Yang’s visit brings glory to White Dragon Tower.”
Yun Yan rushed over, with a charming and gentle smile on her face, but when she saw Xu Yang, her heart shivered.
“Has this man… made a breakthrough?”
Although the aura he emitted was still that of the twelfth layer of Qi
Cultivation, a vague sense of danger still raised suspicions in Yun Yan’s heart.
Xu Yang, however, didn’t care about that, pushing forward a few storage bags: “The usual rules, take a look.”
“Yes!”
Yun Yan also collected her thoughts, calmly and quietly began to inspect the storage bags.
Whether this person had made a breakthrough or not was irrelevant to her. With the current situation of White Dragon Island, they could only do business honestly and could not afford to damage their reputation. Otherwise, the consequences and costs would be unbearable for any of them.
“White Jade Rice, Yellow Beam Rice, Blood Spirit Rice, Green Bamboo Rice, Jade Spirit Rice… totaling seven thousand eight hundred jin.”
“The total price is three thousand six hundred and fifty-two lower-grade Spirit Stones!”
Yun Yan, looking at the various types of Spirit Rice brimming in the storage bag, her eyes flickered, but she did not say much more, moving on to the second bag for inspection.
“Mysterious Turtle Shield, a mid-tier defensive Magic Artifact, crafted with expert technique, brand new and unused, without any damage. In terms of defense, it can even compare to supreme-grade Magic Artifacts, priced at one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!”
“Green Scale Armor, a mid-tier defensive Magic Artifact, crafted with high skill, also brand new and unused, without any damage. Truly a fine piece, priced at one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.”
“Phantom Cloud Bead, a mid- tier concealment Magic Artifact, also a fine and new product, priced at one thousand Spirit Stones.”
“Mysterious Thunder Bead, a supreme-grade offensive Magic Artifact, created with the dual elements of Mysterious Water and Thunder Lightning. A fine piece among fine pieces, priced at two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.”
Yun Yan, observing the various Magic Artifacts in the storage bag, and then casting her gaze towards Xu Yang, said with a smile, “Senior’s Magic Artifacts are of increasing quality.”
Unfazed, Xu Yang replied indifferently, “What, can’t handle them?”
“Senior jests, although White Dragon Island cannot be considered a major power, we can still handle a batch of Magic Artifacts.”
Yun Yan shook her head, giving her quote, “The total price for this batch of Magic Artifacts is thirteen thousand five hundred and sixty-three lower-grade
Spirit Stones.”
Xu Yang glanced at her and asked, “While I was walking in the market, I noticed that the prices of various pills, talismans, and Magic Artifacts have risen quite a bit. Has something happened?”
“I was just about to discuss this with you, Senior.”
Yun Yan nodded and said soberly, “Rumor has it, the Three Sects of Golden Core in Liang Country are planning to join forces to explore the Hundred Thousand Mountains. They’re also planning to recruit cultivators from all sides, offering various treasures for exchange of military merits. Foundation Building Pills are quite common, as well as supreme-grade Magic Artifacts and even Spiritual Artifacts, not to mention Golden Core Skills…”
“The Three Sects of Golden Core?”
“The Hundred Thousand Mountains?”
Xu Yang furrowed his brows.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains, a perilous region bordering the Cultivation World of Liang Country, were said to harbor a hundred thousand demon beasts, including Foundation Establishment Demon Generals and even Golden Core Demon Kings. Cultivators often ventured there seeking mysteries and adventures, with varied fates—some were devoured by demon beasts, while others encountered fortuitous opportunities…
In short, the Hundred Thousand Mountains were rich in resources, a large piece of “fat meat.”
The Three Sects of Golden Core had each made moves towards it, wishing to exploit the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but in the end, they were repelled by the Golden Core Demon Kings within the mountains.
This time, with the Three Sects of Golden Core joining forces to open up the region, and even recruiting cultivators while offering various treasures as rewards for military merits…
What were they planning?
Xu Yang was unclear.
But it didn’t matter whether he was clear or not; he certainly wasn’t going to wade into this muddy water.
so…
“With the looming battle, the prices of pills, talismans, and Magic Artifacts naturally soared. On the other hand, the prices of materials that cannot be immediately transformed into combat power have declined – after all, once the Hundred Thousand Mountains are opened, a large amount of materials will emerge, impacting market prices,” Yun Yan explained, watching Xu Yang closely, observing his reaction to this information, especially noting his lack of interest in “Foundation Building Pills,” which further confirmed her suspicions.
So she immediately said, “At White Dragon Tower, we conduct business fairly, without deceiving either the young or the old. Senior’s collection of Artifacts is of fine quality, and if you wait to sell them later, their prices will surely increase significantly.”
“No need.”
Xu Yang shook his head, speaking calmly, “Let’s trade at the current market price.”
“Senior is generous!”
Upon hearing this, Yun Yan smiled, “If that’s the case, White Dragon Tower won’t let Senior suffer a loss. We’ll increase the price by an additional ten percent on top of the market rate. Additionally, would Senior like to purchase materials? The prices of materials have dropped considerably, and it would be a good deal to stock up now.”
“Alright!”
Xu Yang nodded, pushing forward a list, “Order double the amount of each type of material on this!”
“Understood!”
After completing the transaction, Xu Yang did not linger and left White Dragon Island, heading straight for Dongting Lake.
Although he had no intention of getting involved with the chaos of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the activities of the Three Sects of Golden Core and the foreboding atmosphere in the Cultivation World of Liang Country still left him feeling uneasy.
Therefore, he decided to return to his island for a closed-door retreat, keeping away from this whirlpool. He would wait until after the matter was resolved and everything returned to calm before coming out again.
After all, in these past ten or so years, through his use of pills, talismans, Artifact Refining, and various outputs from farming and breeding, he accumulated quite a fortune. The resources required for his cultivation filled storage bag after storage bag, and even if he avoided the Cultivation World for decades, it wouldn’t affect his own progression.
So, he decided to go home, sleep, and dream!