The remaining five mature Spirit Firefly Grasses produced three first-grade talismans, two Sword Qi Talismans, and one Evil Dispelling Talisman. There was also a drop of Grass Spirit Essence, which Lu Xuan stuffed into the large tumor of his diligent Straw Puppet.
Under the impact of abundant plant spiritual energy, the Straw Puppet's huge head gradually turned green. One perfect-quality Spirit Firefly Grass produced a Gengjin Sword Art experience pack. After absorbing it and fully understanding it, Lu Xuan felt he had mastered this sword technique to an extreme level.
"A first-grade sword technique at the Master level," Lu Xuan thought. With a thought, a golden sword energy shot out from his body, swiftly moving around the yard and leaving behind trails. The sword energy moved freely, with improved speed, attack range, and lethality. Lu Xuan estimated that the Gengjin Sword Art could surpass many second-grade techniques.
He packed ten Spirit Firefly Grasses into a jade box and continued to inspect the Spiritual Field. The four Blood Jade Ginseng plants he was saving for seeds had stems that were becoming increasingly plump and red, ready for harvesting soon.
On the twisted old branches of the Pure Wondrous Tea, tiny green tea leaves trembled slightly in the wind. The surrounding Spiritual Soil of the Copper-Boned Bamboo was scattered with red and gold copper and iron fragments. After this period of nourishment, the bamboo had grown taller.
The mist around the Phantom Smoke Fruit had expanded a bit more, with the spirit fruit hiding inside, almost blending into the surrounding fog. The Flood Dragon Vine was watered every other day with second-grade Bi Shui Python blood. Under its influence, the dark vines were covered with red and green patterns, occasionally wriggling like a brightly colored poisonous snake.
The Sword Grass and Dark Marrow Fungus were getting closer to maturity. Lu Xuan checked their progress daily, worried he might miss the perfect moment for them to mature. The Pure Snow Lotus bloomed alone in the Spiritual Spring Pool, but unfortunately, the few Red Whiskered Carps that had accompanied its growth had disappeared, leaving him unable to see the pure white lotus.
Looking at the empty Spiritual Spring Pool, Lu Xuan suddenly had an idea. The monster meat nourished by the Spiritual Spring was incredibly tender, and planting just one Pure Snow Lotus seemed wasteful. He decided to visit the scattered cultivator market to see if he could find any aquatic spirit beasts. Ideally, something edible.
Thinking of this, he moved his shoulder slightly, and the Cloud Stepping Leopard, which had been elegantly perched on the wall, immediately jumped down, its cloud-like paws resting on Lu Xuan's clothes.
Seeing Lu Xuan glance over, its pair of green eyes coldly stared back at him. "Straw Puppet, keep a good watch!" Lu Xuan called out to the half-green-headed Straw Puppet not far away. The Straw Puppet, with its half-green head, slowly turned, as if responding to Lu Xuan.
After Lu Xuan had fed it a few drops of Grass Spirit Essence, the Straw Puppet had developed a simple form of intelligence, allowing it to execute Lu Xuan's commands better.
Lu Xuan activated the Mist Concealment Array and arrived at the scattered cultivator market. After a few days away, he noticed significant changes at the various stalls in the market.
He had been paying attention and quickly noticed many stalls had a lot of new types of monster materials, spiritual herbs, and spiritual medicines, including second-grade materials and spiritual medicines.
As he approached a lively area, he overheard whispers. "I heard many cultivators struck it rich recently, finding a lot of treasures in the secret realm."
"A friend of mine said a fellow cultivator returned from the secret realm and gave her a large sum of spirit stones after they talked for a while, claiming to have found a hidden stash of spiritual herbs and brought back dozens of first and second-grade spiritual plants."
"That's nothing! The other day, I heard about a Qi Refinement cultivator discovering a mysterious cave and obtaining a third-grade technique, which can help them reach the Foundation Establishment stage."
"I'm so envious!"
As they spoke, many cultivators showed expressions of envy and jealousy, wishing they could trade places with those who had gained opportunities, hoping to soar to great heights.
Lu Xuan remained calm and walked through the crowd. Although the new secret realm had already been explored by the Wang family, their focus was on the core area, leaving many parts of the outskirts untouched. This meant that many cultivators who went exploring would find good opportunities.
The scattered cultivators only noticed that some had gained opportunities but did not consider how many had perished, with countless bones lying beneath, victims of monsters, evil spirits, and even their fellow cultivators.
Suddenly, a whistling sound reached his ears. Lu Xuan looked up to see a brilliant sword light sweep through the market, like a rainbow piercing the sun, disappearing in the distance in the blink of an eye.
"The opening of the new secret realm has made the market increasingly restless. I heard some disciples from nearby sects have come to explore and train," Lu Xuan learned a lot from the discussions around him.
He arrived at a shop specializing in monster materials, young beasts, and monster bird eggs. "Friend, do you have any water-type young beasts for sale? Preferably something edible," Lu Xuan asked the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was a thin young man who welcomed Lu Xuan warmly. "Water-type young beasts? We have a few kinds. Do you want a first-grade one or one without a grade?"
"First-grade," Lu Xuan replied. The Three-Tailed Red Whiskered Carp he had bought before was delicious but of low grade. If he raised it again, the rewards from the white light orb would likely become useless, so he thought about raising a first-grade monster instead.
"We only have a few Iron-Claw Crabs that meet your requirements. Please come with me to take a look," the thin young man said after thinking for a moment.
He led Lu Xuan to a pool where seven or eight baby-sized crabs were swimming. "This is the Iron-Claw Crab, a first-grade monster. Once grown, its crab roe is rich and fragrant, and its meat is delicious, truly a delicacy."
"However, these Iron-Claw Crabs are aptly named; they have a pair of sharp claws and are very aggressive. But if you raise them yourself, with your mid-level Qi Refinement cultivation, you should be able to control them well."
Lu Xuan nodded and looked at the pool. The Iron-Claw Crab young beasts were already the size of a baby's head, with dark blue shells and bulging eyes that spun around. One of the crabs noticed Lu Xuan's gaze and raised its large claws, as if to provoke him.
Lu Xuan smiled slightly. "I just like your wild nature."
He turned to the thin young man and asked, "How much spirit stone for each Iron-Claw Crab?"
"Twenty-three spirit stones each."
"I'll take four. How about eighteen each?"
Although Lu Xuan's wealth had increased significantly, he still maintained his good habit of being frugal and haggled hard. After some back and forth, he finally bought four Iron-Claw Crab young beasts for twenty spirit stones each.
"Please help me pick that one," Lu Xuan pointed to the crab that had just shown off to him and said to the young man.
(End of Chapter)