Chapter 134, Night Market and Marrow Cleansing Pill

Translator: StarReader

 

Night fell.

 

Immortal City Zhaoge was ablaze with lights, the spirit towers and immortal pavilions shimmering with jewels, amplifying the clamor and bustle.

 

Along the streets of the immortal city were shops of all sizes, mostly belonging to prominent cultivator clans. The various magic items, spirit pills, cultivation methods, and other wares sold within were typically quite expensive.

 

Master Lu took Su Chen and the others to the night market in the southern part of the city for a look around while explaining the situation there.

 

The southern night market was a large plaza.

 

Cultivators would gather and set up stalls every night, selling small goods.

 

There were no shops, so the prices were a bit cheaper. Many cultivators enjoyed strolling through the southern part at night, hoping to find the spirit grains they needed for cultivating.

 

Some cultivators would sell demon beast pelts and materials they hunted far away or rare spiritual treasures they had found.

 

If one had a good eye, they could pick up good things at a bargain and make a small fortune.

 

The night market was teeming with small vendors, the ground covered with a dazzling array of goods, forcing pedestrians to navigate through the middle.

 

Master Lu didn’t take them to look at the valuable magic items, cultivation methods, spiritual art secrets, and other such items, as they simply didn’t have the spirit stones for it—looking would be pointless.

 

He simply wandered through the areas selling cheaper spirit goods.

 

“Spirit grain, selling spirit grain! Young man, superior spirit grain, only one spirit stone for a handful! It will save you ten days of arduous cultivation. Try a couple.”

 

The vendor, seeing Su Chen, Woodcutter Wu, and their group appear unfamiliar, quickly called out.

 

Su Chen had never tasted it before, and with curiosity, he pinched two grains of spirit grain and chewed them in his mouth.

 

The spiritual energy was quite concentrated.

 

Eating rice cooked with this spirit grain would likely accelerate cultivation by more than ten times.

 

However, he was not familiar with the prices in this Immortal City, Zhaoge.

 

He didn’t know if a piece of spirit stone was worth one liang—was it expensive or cheap?

 

Master Lu, with his hands behind his back, glanced at the sack of rice from behind and let out a cold snort, saying, “Youngster, who are you fooling? The spirit grain rice in this sack is a mix of colors. What kind of inferior rice have you mixed in?”

 

“Master Lu, are these your old friends? They look so unfamiliar… Are you new rogue cultivators arriving in this immortal city? Perhaps a slightly cheaper price of four spirit stones for a quarter kilogram would be agreeable?”

 

The vendor was taken aback.

 

He noticed that Ah Nu, standing beside Su Chen, was a mortal woman and hastened to add, “If a mortal eats this spirit grain, there is a great chance of condensing spirit and cultivating into an immortal! Why not buy a few liang to try one’s luck?”

 

“No need.”

 

Master Lu harrumphed twice and beckoned Su Chen, Woodcutter Wu, and the others to leave, making a grand display.

 

“The price of spirit grain in this Immortal City Zhaoge is based on exchanging 50 grams of superior spirit grain for a piece of spirit stone, that is, the spirit grain grown in the spirit field of those ten great clans of Zhaoge.

 

“These spirit fields are at the foot of the mountain, closest to Spirit Mountain, and with the most abundant spiritual energy, therefore worth a piece of spirit stone. The further away from Spirit Mountain, the less valuable the spirit grain is. This sack of inferior spirit grain is grown more than ten miles away, barely touched by a bit of spiritual energy. A piece of spirit stone can at least buy a fifth of a kilogram of inferior spirit grain.”

 

Master Lu said to Su Chen.

 

He brought Su Chen to see the most common spirit grain in the night market in order to familiarize himself with the prices and avoid being deceived. In the future, when settling in and cultivating in this Immortal City Zhaoge, he would frequently have to deal with these spiritual object vendors, and carelessness would easily lead to being swindled.

 

He had been conducting business in Immortal City Zhaoge for dozens of years, and he had been cheated many times.

 

Woodcutter Wu only felled trees; he didn’t conduct business or engage in cultivation. He followed them to watch the spectacle.

 

“Brother Lu, can mortals eat spirit grain and become an immortal?”

 

“Indeed, this is the normal way! All cultivator clans do it this way.”

 

Master Lu, Su Chen, and the others strolled along while chatting.

 

It wasn’t long before Su Chen understood and resolved many doubts.

 

He understood his own slow cultivating progress and how Ah Nu, being mortal, could embark on the immortal path.

 

When Master Lu said this, Su Chen was surprised to discover that these two questions could be solved using the same method—consuming spirit foods.

 

Qi Refining Stage cultivators, regardless of the cultivation method they used, essentially drew spiritual energy from the surrounding heavens and earth, transforming it into essence through spirit marrow.

 

The spiritual energy in the air was scarce, with only hundreds of microscopic spiritual energy particles floating within a space of a few dozen feet. Even the most formidable cultivation method could only draw a very limited amount of spiritual energy from the space of the heavens and earth.

 

Even Spirit Mountain, a place rich in spirit vein with spiritual energy far exceeding that of the mortal realm by dozens or hundreds of times, was home to a massive immortal cultivation community led by eight hundred cultivator clans, where everyone was cultivating. The spiritual energy was simply not enough to share.

 

The effects of cultivation were limited and insufficient to rapidly improve one’s cultivation.

 

To cultivate faster, cultivators had to adopt other methods.

 

The best method was to consume spirit grain, spirit beans, spirit peach, spirit tea, various spirit beast meats, and other foods rich in spirit in order to absorb more spiritual energy.

 

In Immortal City Zhaoge, most cultivators mainly consumed spirit grain.

 

A few ounces of superior spirit grain cost roughly the price of a spirit stone; this was the cheapest form of food rich in spiritual energy.

 

Cultivators with extra money often enjoyed a bowl of spirit grain rice and steeped a cup of spirit tea while they idled.

 

This spirit grain and spirit tea contained abundant spiritual energy, the effect being equivalent to enduring ten days of arduous cultivation. Cultivation speed would instantly be elevated.

 

Qi Refining Stage cultivators consumed it to enhance their cultivation, while mortals had a certain chance of condensing spirit, thereby transforming mortal to immortal.

 

Once spiritual energy accumulated within a mortal’s body, it would form a powerful spiritual power, breaking through the barrier of the Muddy Grain Palace, allowing a wisp of spiritual awareness to enter the sea of consciousness. If this mortal possessed spirit marrow, the spiritual energy would be transformed into essence. Such a mortal would be able to birth spirit within their body, smoothly stepping into the Qi Refining Stage cultivator realm.

 

In Immortal City Zhaoge, all newly born infants were mortals; none were born with the spirit and spirit marrow of an immortal; they all relied on consuming spirit grain’s spiritual energy to become cultivators.

 

The eight hundred large and small clans of Immortal City Zhaoge would supply spirit grain to the young members.

 

Each member could receive a few ounces of spirit grain each month. Over time, new cultivators would automatically be born among the clan members.

 

Those over the age of twenty or thirty who still hadn’t reached the Qi Refining Stage would be cut off from the supply of spirit grain by their clans.

 

For cultivator clans, their only remaining purpose was likely to be the propagation of their lineage. But they still couldn’t bear to leave Immortal City Zhaoge; they themselves might be unsuccessful, but their descendants still had hope of achieving immortality.

 

Su Chen, hearing this, was filled with hope.

 

As long as he found a solution, he just needed to earn spirit stones and buy more spirit grain.

 

“Brother Lu, approximately how much spirit grain does a mortal need to have a chance of becoming a cultivator?”

 

“This depends on the mortal’s potential. Those with strong spirit marrow potential need only five kilograms of superior spirit grain. Those with poor potential need fifty. The vast majority of mortals fall within this range. If consuming over fifty kilograms proves ineffective, it signifies that the individual lacks spirit marrow, and immortal cultivation is hopeless.”

 

Master Lu stated indifferently.

 

He regarded Su Chen with considerable worry.

 

Cultivator clans, if they wished to cultivate a mortal into a Qi Refining Stage cultivator, incurred costs ranging approximately from one hundred spirit stones to one thousand spirit stones, with no fixed amount.

 

There existed a tremendous risk within this. If this mortal lacked spirit marrow, the early investment of one hundred to one thousand spirit stones would be entirely wasted.

 

Rogue cultivators found it difficult to acquire spirit stones and typically would not expend a great deal of effort cultivating a mortal.

 

Only the eight clans of Immortal City Zhaoge, through long-term accumulation, possessed the financial resources to cultivate their descendants into Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

 

“That is to say, from one hundred spirit stones to one thousand spirit stones, one can reach the Qi Refining Stage.”

 

Su Chen mused, almost to himself.

 

It appeared that his first task in Immortal City Zhaoge would be to devise a way to earn a greater number of spirit stones.

 

“This is far from an easy matter!”

 

Master Lu remarked with a laugh, “A newcomer rogue cultivator such as yourself, who is in the early Qi Refining stage, can expect to earn approximately three to five spirit stones a month working in shops or workshops within Immortal City Zhaoge.

 

“If one were to set up a stall, engage in commerce, and conduct business, the outcome would be unpredictable. Profit or loss was a common occurrence, contingent upon an individual’s insight.

 

“Or, one could journey to distant lands to hunt low-level spirit beasts, earning dozens or even hundreds of spirit stones per hunt. But it was too perilous; you have only just arrived in Zhaoge and have not yet learned any protective spiritual art—do not take unnecessary risks.”

 

“So little?!”

 

Su Chen’s expression registered disbelief.

 

That was fifty spirit stones a year.

 

This would take at least two or three years to accumulate the minimum of one hundred spirit stones.

 

This was for the lowest limit; if one thousand spirit stones were needed, that would be a matter of dozens of years.

 

Ah Nu’s hope flickered and dimmed.

 

This was too difficult… The prospects were bleak.

 

Moreover, this could not guarantee absolute success. If she lacked spirit marrow and failed… then everything would be lost, and she would also burden Su Chen’s cultivation.

 

“Take it slow; there’s no need to rush. Many mortals in the Immortal City Zhaoge area stay here and refuse to leave, simply to try their luck. Who knows, perhaps after eating a bowl of spirit grain, one might become a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.”

 

Master Lu looked at their pale faces and tried to comfort them.

 

The five of them continued to stroll through the night market.

 

Besides spirit grain, the staple food, spirit peach was also very popular. It didn’t even need to be cooked; simply wash it and eat it directly—incredibly convenient. The price of a spirit peach was about the same as a couple of spirit grains.

 

Su Chen saw a grey-robed cultivator sitting alone at a stall.

 

Unlike the other vendors who displayed a wide variety of goods, he only had a very small box in front of him, containing a spirit pill that radiated spiritual energy.

 

Occasionally, a Qi Refining cultivator would pass by and ask a curious question.

 

“Marrow Cleansing Pill! One thousand spirit stones, no haggling!”

 

The grey-robed cultivator’s cold and indifferent offer startled them.

 

That was far too expensive, impossible to afford.

 

In the Zhaoge night market, most of the vendors sold spirit goods for a couple of spirit stones; those exceeding one hundred spirit stones were extremely rare. Let alone items costing a thousand spirit stones, who could afford such things?

 

“Marrow Cleansing Pill!”

 

Master Lu saw the spirit pill and revealed a few expressions of surprise. He rarely saw this kind of spirit pill sold in Immortal City Zhaoge these years. He didn’t know where this grey-robed cultivator had obtained it.

 

“What is it used for?”

 

Su Chen was surprised.

 

“Marrow Cleansing Pill is a rare spirit pill that cultivators use to improve the quality of their spirit marrow, cleansing inferior spirit marrow to a better state. Washing it several times might turn inferior spirit marrow into average, even superior, spirit marrow.

 

“This spirit pill was exceedingly rare, and its price was absurdly high; a normal price was over a thousand spirit stones per pill. Repeated washing could produce a superior spirit marrow.

 

“It also possessed another special minor effect—it could directly cleanse a mortal’s spirit marrow, allowing them to become a Qi Refining cultivator. If it didn’t cleanse, it meant the person had no spirit marrow. Consuming more spiritual treasures would be useless.”

 

“The spirit marrow can be altered? Using a Marrow Cleansing Pill to cleanse it?!”

 

Su Chen was shocked.

 

It was a wonderful thing!

 

Even a cultivator with an inferior spirit marrow grade could improve considerably by taking one pill. It could resolve his own marrow cleansing, or Ah Nu could ascend. One pill could handle it all.

 

However, he didn’t have a single spirit stone on him and could only envy.

 

Su Chen felt a pressing desire in his heart; ultimately, he wanted a connection, a means to earn more spirit stones. Without spirit stones, he couldn’t afford any good things.