The guards in the market town reacted quickly. As the blood-red tentacles wreaked havoc, a green seed shot out like an arrow and landed around the tentacles.
In an instant, thick vines burst from the ground, growing rapidly and splitting, tightly wrapping around the blood-red tentacles.
The tentacles struggled fiercely, wrestling with the thick vines.
High above, a clear cry rang out.
Lu Xuan looked up and saw a giant firebird hovering in the air, its wings spread wide, about four to five meters across, creating waves of heat as it flapped gently.
Then, it transformed into a streak of red light, rushing towards the mutated cultivator who had split off numerous tentacles.
Wherever it passed, the ground was burned to charcoal.
“Ah…”
The mutated cultivator, whose body was occupied by the tentacles, let out a painful wail, turning to black ash in the raging sea of flames.
The fire climbed up the roots of the tentacles, fiercely scorching the blood-red tentacles spreading everywhere.
On the ground, severed tentacles writhed, seemingly trying to invade the bodies of other cultivators again.
Unfortunately, the flames were too destructive, and all the tentacles were burned clean.
Next, a pure white halo radiated from the remains of the mutated cultivator, spreading outwards.
In the distance, Lu Xuan and the other cultivators felt a wave of peace and calm wash over them as the halo passed by.
“One can only say that this mutated cultivator chose the wrong time. Luckily, there were a few mid-level Qi Refining cultivators patrolling here. Otherwise, with so many loose cultivators in the market, he could have caused quite a stir.”
Lu Xuan watched as several mid-level Qi Refining cultivators gathered around the remains of the mutated cultivator. They had just been checking for lingering evil forces, and in an instant, they had worked together to eliminate a cultivator tainted by malevolent spirits.
Their method was simple and effective. The vines quickly restrained the tentacles, preventing greater casualties while giving their companions a brief moment to unleash powerful techniques. The firebird burned the mutated cultivator completely, then used purification techniques to check the remains and the surrounding loose cultivators.
“Truly impressive teamwork among the guards in the market town,” Lu Xuan thought. If he had encountered this mutated cultivator alone, with his mastery of the Gengjin Sword Art, the special artifact Silver Splitting Blade, a second-tier talisman sword qi that equaled a full strike from a high-level Qi Refining cultivator, and the newly acquired Thunder Fire Pearl, he should have been able to deal with the mutated cultivator.
But it wouldn’t have been as clean and efficient.
“It looks like I need to work harder on planting spiritual plants to give myself more options,” he silently decided.
From the moment the cultivator mutated to the time they resolved the situation, the entire process was very quick. After a brief moment of chaos in the market, order was restored as if the mutated cultivator had never appeared.
However, the large area of charred ground and the three cultivators who died from the tentacle attack reminded everyone present of what had just happened.
Among the three, there was naturally the cultivator who had used the Earth Wall Technique to block Lu Xuan. After Lu Xuan pierced his calf with the Gengjin Sword Art, he was unable to move and died at the hands of the blood-red tentacles.
Lu Xuan felt no pity for him; it was all his own doing. If he hadn’t tried to block the tentacles, Lu Xuan wouldn’t have acted so casually.
After the small disturbance in the market, Lu Xuan lost interest in wandering around and casually chose a path toward the Hundred Herbs Hall.
The Hundred Herbs Hall wasn’t far from the loose cultivator market; just a few turns and he could see the shop.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, Lu Xuan stopped, his attention caught by a wooden board at a nearby stall.
The board had eight black characters written on it.
“Special Spirit Seeds for Sale at Low Prices.”
Lu Xuan scanned the goods at the stall but didn’t see anything related to spirit seeds.
“Excuse me, friend, what kind of special spirit seed are you talking about on that board? Can I take a look?”
“Here it is.”
The stall owner was an ordinary middle-aged cultivator, at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Hearing Lu Xuan’s inquiry, he pointed to an item on the stall.
The item was oval-shaped, a faint white color, and could easily be overlooked. Inside, wisps of smoke swirled, constantly changing and transforming into various strange shapes.
“This is a spirit seed? You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”
Lu Xuan asked curiously. It was hard for him to associate such a smoke-like, ever-changing object with a spirit seed.
“To be honest, I can’t say for sure if it is a spirit seed.”
“When I got it, I found it near a wilted spiritual plant. It’s possible that the spiritual plant reached maturity without being picked, and its essence condensed into this spirit seed.”
“I swear this is true. If you really want to buy it, I can make a vow as I just mentioned.”
Lu Xuan stroked his chin, deep in thought.
After the stall owner said he could make a vow, Lu Xuan believed him a little more. There are many types of vows among cultivators, and breaking one could even lead to death.
The way spirit seeds condense isn’t surprising. Some wild spiritual plants mature and continue to grow, while others wither naturally, and some, through chance, condense into spirit seeds, allowing them to continue in another form.
Although he didn’t know what this object was, its magical appearance suggested it could very well be a rare spirit seed.
“If you can truly make a vow, I’m quite interested. How much do you want for it?”
Lu Xuan asked the stall owner.
“I spent a lot of effort to get this spirit seed from a new secret realm. If you want it, fifteen spirit stones will do.”
The stall owner’s eyes sparkled with surprise when he saw Lu Xuan’s interest.
This item did indeed have the potential to be a spirit seed, but he had only had a few inquiries in the market over the past few days, and those who asked were quickly scared off by the price.
After all, paying fifteen spirit stones for something whose type and planting method were unknown seemed a bit too steep.
Lu Xuan, being perceptive, noticed the stall owner’s change in expression and sighed softly.
“Friend, this price is a bit harsh, isn’t it? For something that isn’t even confirmed to be a spirit seed, you’re asking for a price far above that of a first-tier spirit seed. With fifteen spirit stones, I could buy three or four first-tier spirit seeds.”
He shook his head repeatedly, seemingly dissatisfied with the price.
“Then how much do you suggest?”
“Seven spirit stones, and I’ll take it right away. This price is already much higher than a normal first-tier spirit seed.”
Lu Xuan slashed the price by more than half.
“No way, at least ten spirit stones. Look at its form; it’s very likely a second-tier or even higher spirit seed.”
The stall owner argued, his face red with embarrassment.
“Even if it’s a second-tier spirit seed, what’s the use if I can’t plant it? Am I supposed to just keep it in my storage bag and watch it wither away?”
Lu Xuan countered.
“How about this, I’ll take a loss. Eight spirit stones. This is all I have, and I can’t go any higher.”
“Plus fifty spirit fragments, and it’s yours.”
The stall owner gritted his teeth and said.
“Deal!”
Lu Xuan agreed readily.
(End of Chapter)