Chapter 43: Junior Brother, I’m Short of Everything

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Junior Brother, I’m Short of Everything

"Senior Brother can’t get any more Purple Bamboo Grass?"

Liu Chen understood that this was what Senior Brother Yang meant, but he still had to ask. His remaining stock of Purple Bamboo Grass wasn’t enough to reach Body Tempering Perfection, let alone evolve his techniques into something unique.

If possible, Liu Chen would still prefer only Purple Bamboo Grass, but on second thought, that seemed unlikely. Given Senior Brother Yang’s social circle, it was probably limited to a few Outer Disciples.

Outer Disciples had their own cultivation to worry about, so they likely had very little Purple Bamboo Grass to spare. And even if Inner Sect Disciples and True Disciples had extra, with Liu Chen unwilling to expose himself, it would be difficult for Senior Brother Yang to have any dealings with them.

"That’s one reason. While Purple Bamboo Grass is relatively common on Purple Bamboo Peak, it’s quite rare in the greater Purple Cloud Valley. I won’t hide it from you, Junior Brother—I have the support of my family. If I needed specific cultivation resources, I could choose anything from my family’s treasury. But Purple Bamboo Grass rarely circulates outside the sect. Buying it with Spirit Stones might mean paying far more than it’s worth."

Yang Haichen sounded a little helpless. All the Outer Disciples knew he was collecting Purple Bamboo Grass. The internal price on Purple Bamboo Peak, normally eight Spirit Stones per stalk, had already risen to eleven. That was even one Spirit Stone more expensive than the Purple Bamboo Grass that occasionally appeared in the Marketplace.

"I see. If the price of Purple Bamboo Grass is too high, Senior Brother, you can just trade for items of equivalent value. Your Junior Brother here is short on everything."

Liu Chen nodded. He couldn’t force the issue with the Purple Bamboo Grass. Besides, more would grow in his bamboo grove eventually. Not to mention, Outer Disciples received five stalks of Purple Bamboo Grass a month, and Inner Sect Disciples would only get more.

After a while, those Outer Disciples on Purple Bamboo Peak who knew their cultivation was a lost cause would surely want to sell their Purple Bamboo Grass. Liu Chen wasn’t worried that Senior Brother Yang wouldn’t be able to get any. Once demand fell, the price of Purple Bamboo Grass would certainly return to normal, and it would once again be the most cost-effective option.

"Thank you, Junior Brother."

Yang Haichen immediately stood up. As someone who had not yet become an Inner Sect Disciple, the resources he could mobilize were few, and his Spirit Stones were all personally saved. However, if it came to other types of resources, he had ways to access them. After all, everything was for the sake of breaking through to the Inner Sect.

Even if some people in his family were eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey, they wouldn’t withhold these resources from him. As long as he became an Inner Sect Disciple, his older brother, who was currently wary of him, would instantly change his tune. The resources he could obtain would then be even greater.

"Senior Brother, you should hurry back. The food is getting cold."

Liu Chen stood up and walked toward the kitchen deeper in the bamboo grove. Although they hadn’t talked for long, it wasn’t right to keep his two junior sisters waiting on an empty stomach.

"Junior Sisters, although you have just taken your first steps in Body Tempering, it’s normal to feel your meridians ache and swell as if ants are gnawing at your marrow. You both need to rest and regulate your breathing for several hours. If you still feel a stagnation of qi in your chest when you sleep, you can soak in hot water to cleanse the turbid breath with the water’s spiritual energy."

Liu Chen put down his bowl and chopsticks and answered his two junior sisters’ questions. After beginning Body Tempering, the body needed a certain amount of time to adapt. The two of them would most likely be unable to cultivate this afternoon. Of course, it was also possible they would adapt quickly and recover by the afternoon.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong nodded in acknowledgment. As Liu Chen’s gaze shifted, he caught sight of Ji Suyao still slumped over the small table.

This junior sister had a habit of becoming languid and unwilling to move after finishing her meal. At this moment, with her hairpins askew and her head resting on her pale arms, she looked as charmingly naive as a begonia in spring slumber.

Liu Chen was long used to this. His master, his master’s wife, and his two junior sisters were, in the truest sense, his own people. Liu Chen wouldn’t develop any messy feelings over something like this.

As for strangers, he felt even less. If a stranger acted rashly and died, Liu Chen would at most offer a sigh of lament.

The sun slanted west, and the bamboo shadows danced.

Liu Chen sat cross-legged, his cyan robes rising and falling gently with his breathing. A faint purple mist condensed in the air three inches around him.

Liu Chen cultivated alone in the bamboo grove. His two junior sisters were in the Spiritual Qi adaptation phase that followed the start of Body Tempering. Liu Chen himself had just slept soundly through it back then. In truth, pretty much anything you did during this process had no effect, as long as you didn’t mobilize the Spiritual Power in your body.

[Purple Bamboo Scripture Body Tempering Mastery +40]

After completing a round of Body Tempering, Liu Chen smiled at the proficiency notification in front of him. ’If I can keep up this pace, I might reach Perfection very soon.’

Liu Chen stood up and glanced at the shadow of a Cyan Bamboo, then froze for a moment. This time, even with the Purple Bamboo Grass, his Body Tempering session had only taken half an hour. Moreover, the side effects of Body Tempering also seemed to have been reduced to an absolute minimum.

Previously, recovery would take anywhere from half an hour to nearly a full hour. Now, he could recover in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, at most.

’I can increase the number of Body Tempering sessions. If nothing wastes my time, I can probably manage ten sessions a day. The demand for Purple Bamboo Grass is getting bigger and bigger.’

Liu Chen readjusted his cultivation plan and simultaneously began to worry about the number of Purple Bamboo Grass stalks he had. A preliminary calculation showed he would need fourteen stalks a day. If Senior Brother Yang could bring him Purple Bamboo Grass every day, he would even have a surplus.

But that was obviously impossible. If the supply of Purple Bamboo Grass was cut off starting tomorrow, his current stock would only last for about four days.

’Today is already the twenty-seventh of the sixth month. Four days from now will be the first of the seventh month. A new batch of Purple Bamboo Grass is about to be distributed to the Outer Disciples. That should be just enough to bridge the gap.’

Liu Chen sighed with a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the price of Purple Bamboo Grass didn’t match the value of his Spiritual Cuisine, but he still wanted to maintain a relatively stable partnership with Senior Brother Yang. He didn’t want to deal with all the messy troubles himself. With Senior Brother Yang around, he could acquire some of the things he wanted without ever leaving his home.

Liu Chen’s plan was quite idyllic. After he reached Perfection in all the Magic he currently knew, he would, on one hand, obtain new Magic from his master, and on the other, get Magic from Senior Brother Yang that his master didn’t teach but that he himself found useful.

However, that was destined to be far in the future. Right now, even his fastest-progressing Magic, the Withering Skill, was only at Minor Success. It would still take a long time to reach Perfection and evolve it into something unique.

After making his plans, Liu Chen felt his body had more or less recovered. He took out another stalk of Purple Bamboo Grass and swallowed it directly.

Once his Body Tempering was complete, Liu Chen walked directly toward the stone wall. His Thrusting Sword Technique and Sword Splitting Technique had already become unique, but there were still eight other sword skills within Basic Swordsmanship. Beyond that, there was the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword, which Liu Chen found to be a form of torture. It was a Body-Protecting Technique, so he absolutely could not afford to slack off.

The third basic sword skill was the Liao Sword Technique. To put it simply, it was an upward swing of the sword, mainly used to attack an opponent’s lower body or to counterattack after a defense.

Cultivating Basic Sword Skills gave Liu Chen immense confidence. The fact that he could evolve a basic sword skill into something unique in just two days was proof of this.

The bamboo grove swayed with the wind, and leaves drifted down like rain.

The blade’s edge traced a sharp arc from bottom to top, like a new moon breaking through the earth. It began three inches in front of his feet, rising in a diagonal slash to the height of his chest.