The Taixu Sect chieftain felt a serious headache right then.
A medicinal pellet that improved Yuan Spirit cultivation?
That stuff was incredibly hard to make and its required materials extremely expensive. While the Taixu Sect did have it, their stock was not much and it was being kept to help their disciples recruit after they ‘reopened’.
That said, it was nothing compared to premium-grade soul items.
Nonetheless, the chieftain felt as if he was dying from regret right then. Why did he have to put on airs and pay a compensation for those two?
Most importantly, he really did not expect that Jiang He could be that ruthless when asked to name his price, just as it was inconvenient for a chieftain like him to go back on his word. As such, he stiffened himself and said, “We do have medicinal pellets that improve Yuan Spirit cultivation.”
He hence summoned Elder Mo once again, instructing him to bring one of such pellets.
Holding the pellet up, the chieftain then introduced it to Jiang He, “This is a spirit condensation pellet, a rank-six soul pellet that improves the cultivation of Yuan Spirit cultivators. It is incredibly hard to make and my sect does not have much of it left.”
Puzzled, Jiang He asked, “A rank-six soul pellet? Could this medicinal pellet be categorized in different ranks?”
“Certainly.”
“The spirit condensation pellet is the finest soul medicine among all rank-six medicinal pellets, and the average rank-six pellet refinist would have a hard time brewing them. Only rank-seven pellet refinists can cook up normal ones.”
Jiang He’s interest was promptly piqued.
Pellet refining… Was it not a necessary skill for cultivators?
It was no different from array techniques and item refining, and a cultivator should at least have a little idea how to go about it even if they did not master it. He would therefore put it in his schedule to create a pellet refinement manual along with that item refinement technique he had planned previously.
“Well, how much of those pellets would I get if I discount it from the nine premium-grade soul items?”
“To tell the truth, average premium-grade soul items would be worth 500 spirit condensation pellets, making it at least 4,500 pellets for your compensation. That said, our vaults are nearly empty after more than two thousand years have passed and I could give you 100 at best.”
Jiang He was speechless.
Staring at the chieftain for heartbeats, he then sighed. “You drive a hard bargain like a Dragon-Slaying Saber, brother. While others would cut prices by half, how did my 4,500 spirit condensation pellets get cut down to 100 by your blade?”
The Taixu Sect chieftain was at a loss for words.
Are you playing victim after gaining every advantage? Nine premium-grade soul items… what nonsense. If you did not have such fine ability and might prove to be a key figure in the coming calamity, I would have reduced you to mincemeat with a single slap for extorting me.
Nonetheless, the 100 spirit condensation pellets were soon delivered to Jiang He in exquisite porcelain bottles.
Jiang He took a look. It seemed that the bottles were quite old, and it could have been auctioned for dozens of millions each if it was not for the chaos in the world today.
There were two pellets in each bottle.
Putting all fifty bottles into his System Backpack, Jiang He was celebrating inwardly and thinking to himself, “Like I said, the people from the Taixu Sect are agreeable. I came intending to get around a dozen or twenty medicinal pellets that improve Yuan Spirit cultivation, but I got a hundred at once!”
As for his insistence that he was ‘losing out’…
That was merely nonsense.
In the end, Jiang He was no fool. He knew perfectly that he was being absolutely reasonable—would the Penglai Sect or the Ten Thousand Swords Sect pay him nine premium-grade soul items?
All he wanted was to stir conflict.
The attitude of those immortal sects who had kept themselves secluded and did not come out to help when the Sky Demon legion invaded had left Jiang He feeling repulsed anyway. Since he would be at odds with them anyway, would he not have an excuse should there be some treasure he needed to ‘borrow’ from those two sects?
***
After that, Jiang He had a long conversation with the Taixu Sect chieftain.
Jiang He had actually wanted to leave now that he have the spirit condensation pellets, but the chieftain kept putting off any mention about the ‘sun’, which was why Jiang He had to brace himself and say, “Chieftain, about the deal before…”
As he spoke, he pointed above.
In fact, it was not as if the Taixu Sect chieftain had forgotten about it…
He was just reluctant.
How did he come to have sold a ‘sun’ in perfect condition?
Luckily, there was another similar item in the Taixu Sect’s treasure vault that could be used for replacement. It was a premium-grade soul item, and while its quality did not match the sun, it just had to shine.
Arriving outside, the sun had taken the place of the moon. Nonetheless, with a grasping motion by the chieftain, the sun descended rapidly, shrinking as it came down and ultimately turning into a scarlet soul pearl, landing in the chieftain’s hand.
He casted a mystic art, severing the connection between himself and the scarlet soul pearl, before passing it to Jiang He.
Jiang He fiddled with the pearl a few times after accepting it, feeling extremely delighted—it was almost the same as the scarlet pearl he had played with when he was a child, and there was a fire patterns on it too.
‘A mediocre-grade sage item…’
‘It would definitely become superior-grade or even premium-grade if I plant it. I would earn another load of Farm Points as well, so it is a major profit!’ Jiang He thought, bringing out his Sky Demon Bell while putting away the scarlet soul pearl, and sending the bell flying to the Taixu Sect chieftain with a gentle push.
Then, Jiang He looked up at the horizon.
Though the moon was now hidden, Jiang He still vaguely sensed its presence.
Yes.
He would let it hang around in the Taixu Sect for now, and he will leave with it the next time he came.
“Young Jiang He.”
Before Jiang He left the Taixu Sect, the chieftain mused to himself for a while before saying somberly, “Chaos is upon us. Many secluded immortal sects and demonic sect shall soon reveal themselves, just like the many Holy Grounds that the ancient daemon cultivators had left behind. When that happens, Earth would be left in great chaos.”
Jiang He smiled faintly and waved him off. “It’s fine. You people reveal yourselves as you will, while I will continue farming. I wouldn’t care as long as I’m not provoked, but if anyone tries to fool around at my expense, I would prove that I’m no pushover.”
The Taixu Sect chieftain was left doing a double take.
He felt an incomparably powerful self-confidence in Jiang He, and so quickly said, “Young Jiang He, you must not let down your guard. Even if immortal sects like my own revealed themselves, they would usually give commoners a wide berth and avoid interaction with the profane.”
“Even so, the demon sects are different. They are adept in using the soul, blood, and essences of living beings to help themselves cultivate and refine treasures, just as many ancient daemons preferred eating humans. Indeed, in ancient times, there were powerful daemons that would bless certain groups so that everything goes well for them, all for the children that would be presented for their monthly feasts, just as there were those who farmed humans for food.”
Jiang He, who was at first nonchalant about the matter, was taken a back.
In his head, he imagined he scene…
There he was, minding his farm and sunbathing with his maids in his arms, but while he minded his own business, a big daemon riding a cursed cloud was here to capture and eat him.
What a killjoy would that be?
Damn it!
Furious, Jiang He exclaimed, “Don’t immortal sects who seek the truth like yours care about karmic retribution? Aren’t those daemons afraid of the vileness in devouring humans as they will?”
After all, it was how it was written in most novels.
The powerful would accumulate karmic retributions for slaughtering mortals, and it could only be nullified by good deeds. Zero good deeds meant that one had to rely on personal ability to grind the retributions off through their long lives, not to mention that too much vileness subjected them to sufferance.
Still, reality was clearly different from whatever nonsense that those writers had come up with.
The Taixu Sect chieftain answered then, “Retributions are not frightening for the powerful. In fact, many demon sect elites specialize in cultivating their divineness through retribution.”
Jiang He sighed at that, and stopped pursuing that matter.
He was too weak, so everything he would say was empty words. Still, since those demon sects and daemonic cultivator’s Holy Grounds would not reveal themselves anytime soon, he could ignore them for now. After all, what if he was peerless by the time they showed up?
When that happens, he just had to pick out some sore thumbs and wipe them out right away. He would never believe that it would fail to keep the others in check with intimidation.
With a fist-palm salute, Jiang He excused himself and flew away from Mount Kunlun, turning into a sword flash that disappeared into the night sky…
He would go home first and plant the spirit condensation pellet.
After that was done, he would create item refinement and pellet refinement manuals, at which point Wang Hou would have delivered the mutated rice. He would plant that as well before heading overseas.
“Hmmm…”
“My cultivation would have improved a little after I plant everything and return from overseas, would it not?”
“When that happens, I may then consider how to permanent resolve the problem that is the Sky Demons.”
Argh!
Such a bother.
Jiang He felt that he would go bald prematurely if this continued.
A huge pile of problems popping out every other day… secluded demon sects, ancient daemon cultivators, Sky Demons, extraterrestrial races…
“If I had the power, I would just blow up Earth itself, solving everything at once…”
