Qin Ming pondered silently.
It seemed that Manager Liao had some extraordinary connections. How else could he have obtained such insider information about the upper echelons of the cultivation sects so early?
Maintaining a good relationship with him might not be a bad idea.
"Thank you, Manager Liao, for the information."
"Is there anything else?" Qin Ming asked.
Manager Liao smiled faintly and suddenly spoke with a meaningful tone, "Hehe, Fellow Cultivator Qin, you truly are a low-key person!"
"I have a small request. When the Beast Tooth Rice matures in two years, could you sell a portion of it to our shop?"
"Our pavilion is willing to pay ten percent above the market price."
Qin Ming was startled. It hadn't even been a few days, and Manager Liao already knew about this.
"Manager Liao, your reach is truly impressive. Nothing in my spirit fields seems to escape your notice," Qin Ming replied, not immediately agreeing.
"I've planted the Beast Tooth Rice, but I can't guarantee it will mature and be harvestable in two years."
It seemed that Manager Liao had paid him the increased price for the spirit rice and shared so much information about the Spirit Feather Sect with the intention of securing exclusive access to Qin Ming's Beast Tooth Rice for just an extra twenty or thirty spirit stones.
Truly a seasoned businessman!
"Of course, Fellow Cultivator Qin, if you have other conditions, we can certainly discuss them," Manager Liao said, observing Qin Ming's reaction and promptly pouring him more tea.
"At such a young age, you've already achieved such mastery in spirit planting. Your talent must be exceptional. Harvesting the Beast Tooth Rice should be a sure thing for you."
"Does your pavilion happen to sell body refining techniques?" Qin Ming asked after a moment of thought, abruptly changing the subject.
Manager Liao immediately understood.
He took out several body refining techniques and began introducing them one by one:
"**Nine Revolutions Yang Restoration Art**, a top-tier body refining technique that can be cultivated all the way to the Foundation Establishment stage. It's extremely yang and rigid in nature. Priced at three thousand spirit stones."
Qin Ming couldn't help but grimace inwardly. 'The technique is good, but the price is equally impressive.'
"**King of Brightness Body Tempering Art**, which can open 270 acupoints throughout the body and condense true yang energy. A high-tier body refining technique, priced at one thousand spirit stones."
"**Vajra Forging Origin Art**, a mid-tier body refining technique. It takes thirty years to achieve minor mastery. Priced at five hundred spirit stones."
...
After explaining until his mouth was dry, Manager Liao took a sip of tea and continued, "**Heavenly Fiend Demon Summoning Scripture**, priced at eighty spirit stones."
"Wait!"
"Manager, could you elaborate on this technique?"
"**Heavenly Fiend Demon Summoning Scripture**, hmm... this technique is quite good!"
"It sounds very positive. I'll take this one!"
Manager Liao: "..."
Qin Ming pondered for a while before making a resolute decision.
"This is a demonic cultivation technique. If you practice it, everyone will want to kill you," Manager Liao explained.
"Then why are you selling it to me?"
"Ah, my apologies. I must have made a mistake."
"..."
An hour later, Qin Ming left the Gathering Pavilion.
The techniques Manager Liao had were either far beyond Qin Ming's current financial means or required decades of cultivation to show any results.
Qin Ming was at a loss.
However, Manager Liao did point him in a new direction.
"Fellow Cultivator Qin, in the eastern district of Green Sun Market, there's a family named Ruan. They've fallen on hard times, but they have a family heirloom—a body refining technique."
"I once offered a hundred spirit stones to buy it, but Fellow Cultivator Ruan refused, insisting on additional blood-enhancing pills or medicines as part of the deal."
"I didn't think it was worth it."
"Perhaps you can try your luck there."
"But don't get your hopes up too much."
Manager Liao implied that since Qin Ming had successfully cultivated Beast Tooth Rice, he might be able to use it as leverage to persuade the Ruan family.
In return for this information, Qin Ming agreed to sell a portion of his Beast Tooth Rice to the Gathering Pavilion once it matured.
The transaction concluded, and both parties were satisfied.
As soon as Qin Ming stepped out of the shop, he encountered a large patrol team from the Spirit Feather Sect rushing out of the market.
They were fully armed and exuded an intimidating aura.
"Fellow cultivator, do you know what's happening?" Qin Ming casually asked a bystander.
"I heard they're going to hunt demonic beasts."
"But don't worry, the market itself is very safe. Even a Foundation Establishment-level demonic beast couldn't break through the market's second-tier protective formation."
"Just don't wander around too much."
Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully.
He then followed Manager Liao's advice and headed to the Ruan family in the eastern district of the market.
However, when he arrived, he found the Ruan family's gate tightly shut.
A nearby cultivator informed him that Fellow Cultivator Ruan had gone out on business and wouldn't return for three or four months.
Qin Ming had no choice but to plan to return later.
...
Back in the slum area.
Evening.
Inside his house, Qin Ming was preparing dinner, his mind elsewhere.
The Green Sun Market was safe, but the protective formation didn't extend to the slum area where he lived.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
Qin Ming cautiously opened the door.
To his surprise, it was Fellow Cultivator Long.
A rare visitor indeed!
"Fellow Cultivator Qin, I heard your spirit rice yield and quality are quite good. I'd like to purchase some from you."
Fellow Cultivator Long got straight to the point.
Qin Ming hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile. "Yes, my recent spirit rice yield has been decent, but most of it has already been sold."
Fellow Cultivator Long frowned slightly but maintained a polite tone. "How much spirit rice do you have left? I'll buy all of it at the current market price."
"Fellow Cultivator Long, I've heard that the price of spirit rice in the market is about to increase by around fifty percent..." Qin Ming said hesitantly.
Although he didn't want to offend this late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, he also didn't want to be taken advantage of.
Fellow Cultivator Long was visibly surprised.
He began to scrutinize Qin Ming. The news of the spirit rice price increase was known to very few.
Although it would soon become public knowledge, within Green Sun Market, only a small circle of late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators and a few powerful factions were aware of it.
"Fellow Cultivator Qin, you're quite well-informed."
"In that case, I'll pay the increased price. How does that sound?" Fellow Cultivator Long said straightforwardly.
Qin Ming nodded in agreement. "I currently have about fifty pounds of spirit rice left to sell. That's all I have for now. The next harvest will have to wait."
After completing the transaction, Fellow Cultivator Long left in a hurry.
Qin Ming didn't dare to offend him too much.
After all, Fellow Cultivator Long was the one who kept the nearby alleys safe.
"Sigh, even late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators are starting to prepare. It seems things are about to change."
"The rising price of spirit rice is good for me."
"But it also means the surrounding environment is becoming increasingly dangerous."
...
After a meal of spirit rice, Qin Ming went to his bedroom and sat cross-legged on a cushion, beginning to circulate his **Longspring Technique**.
In his spiritual sea, he still had two "Weak Spiritual Power" entries.
"Today's the day!"
With a thought, one of the "Weak Spiritual Power" entries disappeared.
Spiritual energy surged from his dantian, circulating through his meridians and continuously expanding them.
Finally!
*Boom!*
When the spiritual energy in Qin Ming's dantian reached a critical point, a barrier seemed to break.
"Qi Refinement, third layer!"
The fluctuations of Qin Ming's spiritual energy increased significantly.
"Phew~"
Qin Ming exhaled deeply.
"After so many years, I've finally escaped the prison of the second layer of Qi Refinement."
He couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed in just over a year.
'As long as I steadily progress, reaching Foundation Establishment isn't impossible.'
Qin Ming felt the Longspring spiritual energy in his dantian, which had nearly doubled in size.
Despite his joy, he didn't get carried away. "The third layer of Qi Refinement is still unstable. I need to improve my strength as soon as possible."
"The world of cultivation is unpredictable. Those at the bottom of Qi Refinement are like cannon fodder. Only by reaching Foundation Establishment can one barely stand on their own. My fate must remain in my own hands."
Currently, living under someone else's roof came with many inconveniences.
He could easily be swept into the vortex of sect conflicts, with no control over his own destiny.
To free himself from the Spirit Feather Sect's forced labor, he needed to meet one of three conditions:
First, break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Second, reach the second tier in any of the hundred arts of cultivation.
Third, contribute a Foundation Establishment-level resource.
He knew he had to work toward these goals.
However, breaking through from the third to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement would be a significant challenge.
The fourth layer marked the transition into the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.
It was the first true bottleneck in cultivation, far more difficult than breaking through to the third layer.
...
Ten days later.
Most cultivators in Green Sun Market and the surrounding slum areas had learned about the sharp increase in the prices of daily necessities like spirit rice and meat.
The prices of spiritual tools, pills, and talismans also began to rise.
Since Qin Ming had successfully cultivated Beast Tooth Rice, Overseer Du Haifu had been inspecting his spirit fields more frequently.
With the recent unrest, Du Haifu had even increased patrols around the fields.
During this time, Qin Ming focused on applying the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique to enrich his fields and immersed himself in studying spirit planting knowledge.
He also continued his search for a suitable body refining technique.
The Beast Tooth Rice wasn't ready yet, so there was no need to rush.
Three months passed.
In the spirit fields, perhaps Qin Ming's luck had run out.
From the four acres of Golden Spirit Rice in the second season, he only harvested two "Weak Spiritual Power" entries.
However, after breaking through to the third layer of Qi Refinement, his spiritual energy had doubled, so he no longer struggled to sustain the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique.
The second season's Golden Spirit Rice yield also hit a new high, exceeding nine stones.
This time, after paying the spirit rice tax, Qin Ming didn't rush to sell the remaining rice.
Instead, he stored a portion of it for emergencies.
Manager Liao wanted to buy more at the increased price, but Qin Ming had already prepared an excuse.
He mentioned Fellow Cultivator Long's request to purchase spirit rice.
Recently, the price of spirit rice in the market had skyrocketed, increasing by over sixty percent.
Qin Ming made a small fortune.
For the first time, the spirit stones in his storage bag exceeded one hundred and fifty.
He spent twenty-five spirit stones at Manager Liao's shop to buy a low-grade Golden Light Protection Talisman and a low-grade spiritual sword, the Green Spirit Sword.
"In these times, you can't go without some protective gear."
(End of Chapter)