You Cultivate, I Farm

Lu Xuan quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the black paper kite. The malevolent thought that had brushed past him vanished in no time.

"What in the world..."

He cursed inwardly, growing even more cautious about the forces behind the black market.

The ability to deploy about a dozen of these eerie paper kites to patrol the black market spoke volumes about the terrifying influence backing them.

He walked slowly, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

"There are more cultivators inside the black market than I imagined. Two hundred people, each paying three spirit stones as an entrance fee... That's at least six hundred spirit stones! What a lucrative deal!"

"The spiritual energy inside this black market is denser than the outskirts. I wonder how long three spirit stones allow one to stay. If there's no time limit, it might be better to stay here and cultivate, absorbing the rich spiritual energy."

He pondered but didn't entertain the idea. After all, he had no clue about the potential consequences.

The aim of the forces behind the black market was to earn spirit stones; there was no reason for cultivators to exploit them in return.

The management of the entire black market was relatively lax. Cultivators coming in could set up stalls as they pleased, as long as they didn't encroach on others' spaces or cause conflicts, the market's overseers wouldn't intervene.

Lu Xuan meticulously examined the items on the stalls.

His primary goal this time was to find rare or unknown spiritual species, seedlings, or young creatures like demonic beasts or bird eggs.

Next, he aimed to find a defensive array that was stronger. The defense array in his courtyard was initially set up by the previous tenant, and he only had limited access. With an increasing number of high-grade spiritual plants in his spiritual field, the current array felt somewhat insufficient.

Then, he sought a suitable cultivation technique for himself. The rewards from matured spiritual plants hadn't yet included any techniques. Although he hadn't been practicing for long, if he could find an advanced technique, Lu Xuan felt it would be worth trying.

Additionally, he searched for defensive-type artifacts. Whether it was the Fractured Silver Blade or the Thunderfire Bead, they were more offensive. Lu Xuan felt the need to patch up his weaknesses.

However, with a base from the white light orbs and four nearly ripe Crimson Cloud Pine nuts, he didn't urgently require artifacts.

The first items to sell would be the top-grade flying sword left behind by Qin Ming. It had been taking up space in his storage bag for a considerable time now, and being in the black market, Lu Xuan had nothing to worry about.

If the price was right, he could consider selling the Crimson Cloud Pine nuts and the second-grade Thunderfire Bead. Their functionalities clashed to some extent.

Although the latter was only a first-grade item, due to its ability to split into numerous shards, it could catch opponents off guard. Lu Xuan found it more convenient to use.

The items on the stalls were diverse. Lu Xuan even spotted several eerie paper figures on one stall.

Pale paper bodies with bright red blush on their cheeks and a creepy smile on their lips.

The stall owner was equally strange, slender and barely thicker than the paper, looking frail. They wore loose red and green robes, exuding a chilling aura.

The stall displayed many bizarre materials: parts of demonic beasts, eerie creatures, and some unidentified items.

Giant eyeballs that moved on their own, grotesque creatures born in pairs, and numerous slender tendrils floating like seaweed...

"Hmm?"

As he passed one stall, Lu Xuan couldn't help but pause.

On the stall were several well-built female cultivators, at the second level of Qi cultivation, tightly bound by black ropes. The bindings emphasized their figures, arousing a sense of brutality in onlookers, an urge to dominate.

In front of the female cultivators was a black sign that read:

"Selling furnaces, suitable for low-level Qi cultivation."

"Friend, care to test the quality?"

Behind the stall, a thin-faced cultivator in a mask gruffly asked Lu Xuan.

"No, my cultivation technique requires maintaining my primal Yang before foundation building."

Lu Xuan casually made up a reason and walked past the stall.

His brows furrowed, thoughts swirling in his mind.

He remembered Wang Shan buying a second-level Qi cultivation female cultivator from the black market before falling prey to contamination by malevolent forces. He had even come to boast in front of Lu Xuan back then.

Looking back, Lu Xuan sensed something amiss. A cultivator's rapid advancement simply by indulging in pleasure—there couldn't be such a good deal in the world. Perhaps encountering malevolent forces had a close link with that second-level female cultivator.

With this realization, Lu Xuan involuntarily quickened his pace.

He arrived at a stall managed by a female cultivator whose strength was discernible from her faint aura—a mid-level Qi cultivator, possibly even a high-level one.

Most of the items on her stall were spirit medicines and plants, all at least top-grade, many of which Lu Xuan hadn't encountered before.

Lu Xuan pretended to browse through the stall and eventually picked up a vine about half a foot long.

The vine was a deep black, winding and coiling like the body of a sinuous black serpent.

"Friend, what's the story behind this vine? Can you tell me more?" Lu Xuan inquired.

"This is Dragonvine, a third-grade spiritual plant. It can be used to refine whip or rope-type artifacts. When ground into powder, it can also be added to certain alchemical materials."

The female cultivator replied indifferently.

"I recall that vine-type spiritual plants can be cultivated by cuttings. Can this piece of Dragonvine be used for that?" Lu Xuan asked curiously.

"Theoretically, yes. But I advise against daydreaming. Even experts in major sects would find it challenging to cultivate a full vine from a single piece."

"Only those specially treated Dragonvines, coupled with unique cultivation methods, stand a chance of growing a complete vine from a section."

"Is that so? I might have been a bit unrealistic in my thoughts," Lu Xuan sighed, disappointment evident on his face.

"I am interested in this Dragonvine. I plan to refine it into a rope-type artifact. Could you suggest a price?" Lu Xuan inquired.

"It's a third-grade spiritual plant, slightly shorter than ideal, but if you're genuinely interested, it can be yours for two hundred spirit stones," the female cultivator said, accurately assessing Lu Xuan's cultivation level without a hint of disdain. In the black market, cultivation level was the most crucial factor.

"Two hundred spirit stones? That's too expensive," Lu Xuan shook his head hurriedly. With his current total wealth being just a little over two hundred spirit stones, making a decision was challenging.

After a moment's hesitation, he glanced around and, seeing no one paying attention, pulled out the second-grade Thunderfire Bead from his storage bag.

"Friend, how about this second-grade flying sword? Can I exchange it for this Dragonvine?" Lu Xuan asked, handing the flying sword to the female cultivator.

Taking the sword, the female cultivator infused a thread of spiritual energy, causing flames to burst out from the sword's crimson blade.

"The flying

sword is excellent. How about this? Add thirty spirit stones, and you can take the Dragonvine."

"Friend, this Dragonvine is only a short piece, limiting its use for artifact crafting and being less effective for alchemy. Moreover, it's priced lower than most items. My flying sword is enough to trade for it," Lu Xuan bargained.

"Twenty spirit stones."

"That's still too much. Ten spirit stones, and I'll take it immediately," Lu Xuan persisted.

The female cultivator hesitated. The short length of the Dragonvine did indeed affect its value, and she had held onto it for a while.

As for Lu Xuan's second-grade flying sword, she quite fancied it. Hence, she nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

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