Novel Full Chapter 58: Settling Down in Spirit Pearl Mountain Market
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Settling Down in Spirit Pearl Mountain Market
One month later, after thoroughly understanding the situation of the Spirit Pearl Mountain market town, Li Jizhou checked out of the inn.
He now had a total of 583 spirit stones in his possession.
The origin of the Spirit Pearl Mountain market town is rather interesting.
More than two hundred years ago, this place was nothing but a barren wilderness with thin spiritual qi.
Yet, due to a jade pearl rolling down from the mountaintop, spiritual qi suddenly overflowed.
Only then did people realize that there was a spirit vein here, and it was a Tier Two Lower Grade spirit vein.
After numerous investigations, it was speculated that someone had cleverly arranged an array to gather spiritual qi here, hiding it in a cave within the mountain body, solely supplying one person for cultivation.
No one knows how long that array-mastering predecessor cultivated here and whether he broke through the cultivation realm, leading the spiritual qi to no longer suffice for him, abandoning this place, or met with an accident and couldn’t return.
Eventually, after an undisclosed period, the array he arranged gradually failed. The unified mountain body underwent changes over time and the array’s fusion caused deviations, leading to the array hub pearl rolling off and the spirit vein spreading around.
The appearance of the Tier Two Lower Grade spirit vein instantly caused significant strife among nearby cultivation families.
Ultimately, five medium-sized cultivating families in the vicinity were embroiled in conflict that lasted a hundred years, dragging over a dozen smaller families into chaos, until an edict from the Golden Sun Sect quelled the dispute, establishing joint development and management.
Due to that one rolling jade pearl, it was finally named the Spirit Pearl Mountain market town!
“That predecessor was truly a divine being! Blessed with deep fortune!” sighed Li Jizhou.
Subsequently, he moved straight to the core area of Spirit Pearl Mountain and entered the market management hall.
He paid three hundred spirit stones at once to rent a standalone courtyard close to the Spirit Pearl Mountain, with a monthly rent of twenty spirit stones, signing a ten-year contract, with three months’ deposit and yearly payment.
If the rental period is less than ten years, the deposit won’t be refunded.
The small attic in the outer area of Spirit Pearl Mountain market town has a rent of five spirit stones per month, the adjoining small courtyards in the inner city have a rent of ten spirit stones per month, while a standalone courtyard at the foot of Spirit Pearl Mountain in the core area costs thirty spirit stones.
Fortunately, Li Jizhou, with his status as an Honored Guest Elder at the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, gets a large discount.
Otherwise, wanting to reside in a standalone courtyard in a medium-small market town like this without external interference would have been financially straining for him.
Later, he invited the official array master of the market town to set up a Tier One Advanced Level protection array for the courtyard at a cost of sixty spirit stones.
With this done, Li Jizhou finally had a place to settle in the market town.
“Now it’s time to earn spirit stones well and focus on peaceful cultivation.”
Closing the courtyard door, Li Jizhou felt the world become silent.
“Quack~”
After months of hustle since leaving the Inverted Mountain, Gua Gua was hardly containing his excitement.
Jumping out of the spirit pet bag, he looked at this new home, larger than Pharmacist Zheng’s yard before, and was thrilled, instantly digging out a small pond in the courtyard.
“The item given by the woman in the mysterious realm is indeed extraordinary.” Li Jizhou carefully examined Gua Gua’s situation, nodding silently.
Only to see the beastly aura within Gua Gua becoming stronger. It originally was at the Tier One Mid Stage level trying to advance to the Late Stage, but it probably would have taken three to five years given its inherent qualification. However, with the plenty of spirit beast feed given by that woman, Gua Gua is now almost reaching Mid Stage consummation.
Calming his mind, it’s time to check the spoils of departing the Inverted Mountain.
The eight storage bags from the reception at Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion were rather poor, collectively containing less than thirty spirit stones, a pile of primary talismans, and some miscellaneous items.
Li Jizhou put away the spirit stones and burned the rest.
The three storage bags from the robbers were much better.
Especially the one belonging to the array master.
The three shared close to a hundred spirit stones, a middle-grade flying sword magical artifact, a middle-grade magical robe, and a high-grade shield-shaped magical artifact.
There were also several bottles of middle-grade pills, though the quality was not very good, with somewhat excessive pill toxicity.
Besides, the most satisfying part for Li Jizhou was the array technique legacy in the array master’s storage bag, which included insights and realizations from his decades of research into arrays.
Having mastered the art of Alchemy in his previous life, now lacking only the refinement of top-grade pill fire, given time, he expected to seamlessly continue his past pill skills without much concern.
His studies in talisman creation over the past eight years, combined with the characteristics of Eternal Spring Magical Power and the support of his previous life’s Divine Soul, have greatly benefited him. He’s steadily building this foundation in this life as a good basis for the next.
Although medical poison hadn’t been the focus, his prior alchemy experience significantly aided the study of medical poison pharmacology, coupled with Pharmacist Zheng’s life-encompassing insights, having attained modest achievements. Especially through poison scripture methods, capable of both catching others off guard and protecting oneself from being poisoned.
Furthermore, Li Jizhou’s storage bag now also contains fundamental puppet artistry and array technique legacy.
However, puppet mastery has a high threshold, with cumbersome processes requiring at least three types of magical power to be practiced, aided by a strong Divine Soul.
For now, Li Jizhou is primarily cultivating Wood Element Evergreen Skill, having just initiated into the Flame Phosphorus Skill for Fire Element, but he still needs to learn a Metal Element cultivation technique.
Moreover, getting into puppetry is not easy, often consuming many materials, and early stages of puppetry aren’t profitable.
Now Li Jizhou, wanting to settle in Spirit Pearl Mountain market town, requires stable income, temporarily unable to invest in puppet artistry which demands high upfront investment and yields low profit.
At least until he reaches the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, with both talismans and pills generating enough spirit stones to guarantee his livelihood before considering it.
As for the arrays, they don’t need attribute-compatible magical power but require the Divine Soul to connect with heaven and earth. Only high intelligence and talent are demanded.
Without sufficient insight, one cannot analogize, nor can they adapt to the local conditions, spending a lifetime indistinctly imitating others, never achieving mastery.
In terms of insight, Li Jizhou has always been exceptional.
Therefore, array arts were immediately categorized by Li Jizhou as worthy of intensive study.
However, because they don’t bring immediate profit, they were still placed after alchemy dao, talisman creation, and medical poison.
For the upcoming days, the primary focus remains on advancing realm to increase longevity through Evergreen Skill cultivation.
Besides, talisman creation, having attained Tier One Advanced Level, and with Tier Two talisman legacy being out of reach at the moment, has limited space for advancement and can be slowed.
Most importantly, it’s refining pills.
Now with the fire attribute cultivation technique Flame Phosphorus Skill initiated, and having preliminarily condensed a slight Pill Fire,
the spiritual qi level of his current residence courtyard is equivalent to a Tier One Middle Grade spirit vein and very stable. Coupled with cultivation experience and insights from his previous life’s Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, Flame Phosphorus Skill is bound to progress swiftly.
With the improvement of pill fire quality, complemented by memories from a Tier Two Pill Master of his past life, the path of alchemy is guaranteed to be smooth sailing with high prospects.
It not only allows for substantial short-term revenue increase but also prepares for realm advancement, making it the top priority.
Before focusing on serene cultivation, he glanced at the Celestial Secret Pavilion bulletin again.
Li Jizhou found it perplexing that the outside seemed calmer despite expecting an upheaval around the Inverted Mountain.
Although it was sealed internally since Li Jizhou left half a year ago, establishing the Independent Practitioner Alliance, flaunting protection of Daoist Venerable Mo Li’s prestige, guarding Inverted Mountain as if it were its master.
Yet externally, it remained extraordinarily quiet.
The Three Sects and Five Families show no reaction whatsoever.
“How strange!”
“Are they merely spectators to the outcome?”
“Never mind, as long as it doesn’t affect me.”
After some thought, he decided to make time for a visit to the local branch of the Celestial Secret Pavilion in Spirit Pearl Mountain market town, to continue subscribing to the bulletin and adjust the region and category.
The present location of himself at Spirit Pearl Mountain market town has already exceeded the range of the tier two quarterly report initially subscribed to centering around Inverted Mountain.