14: Chapter 14 The Mystery of the Spirit Crystal, A Further Exploration of the Market

When the cloth bundle in the boy's arms fell open, half a piece of shimmering white Ore rolled onto the bluestone pavement.

A faint spiritual light flickered on its surface, and its fluctuations were indeed somewhat similar to the spirit crystals associated with a plane, yet it appeared more impure.

"Grab him!"

Several men in black sneered as they surrounded him. The leader stepped on the Ore and reached out to grab the boy's collar.

The boy's face was covered in mud, but he stared fixedly at the half-piece of Ore, letting out whimpering sounds of resistance from his throat.

Lin Yue withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

Although this Ore was somewhat peculiar, compared to the high-grade Spiritual Plant seeds and Cultivation Techniques he was looking for, it was clearly not worth rashly getting involved in the Iron Fist Gang's disputes.

The power dynamics in Black Stone City were complex; there was no need for him to bring trouble to the Lin family over an unknown piece of Ore.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

A voice sounded from behind him.

Lin Yue looked back and saw Shopkeeper Liu of the Hundred Herbs Hall standing at the entrance at some point, cupping his hands toward him.

"Is Fellow Daoist interested in that Ore?"

Lin Yue was noncommittal: "It just looks a bit unusual."

"That is a 'companion ore crystal',"

Shopkeeper Liu lowered his voice, "They are occasionally mined in the depths of the Black Wind Forest. They contain a tiny bit of Spiritual Qi and aren't worth much. Only trash like the Iron Fist Gang would fixate on them."

He paused and added, "That boy is the child of a miner from outside the city. I heard his father didn't make it out when the mine collapsed, leaving only this bit of stuff behind."

Lin Yue understood and said no more, turning to merge into the crowd of the market.

When he returned to the Yingke Tower, Lin Hu and the others were gathered around a table eating.

Seeing him return, Lin Hu quickly stood up: "Clan Chief, where did you go?"

"We were just waiting for you."

"I took a stroll through the market and exchanged some Spirit Stones."

Lin Yue handed the jade box containing Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to Lin Hu, "Keep this and exchange them for Low-Grade Spirit Stones for backup."

He remembered Lin Cang's instructions when they came; although Mid-Grade Spirit Stones circulated in Black Stone City, daily transactions were still primarily in Low Grade ones.

Rashly showing Mid-Grade Spirit Stones would instead easily attract attention; since they had just entered Black Stone City, it was best to keep a low profile in everything for now.

Lin Hu took the jade box, weighed it, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he didn't ask much and quickly put it away:

"Clan Chief, regarding the high-grade Spiritual Plant seeds you're looking for, I just asked the waiter. There's a 'Spirit Item Pavilion' at the easternmost end of Jubao Street."

"Supposedly, it specializes in selling various Spiritual Plant seeds. We can go take a look tomorrow."

"Good."

Lin Yue sat down and picked up his chopsticks, "I saw many Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the market today, most of them between the Early Stage and Middle Stage. We must act more cautiously."

The others nodded in agreement, and the members of the Guard Team even reined in the sharpness they had in Sunset Town, their faces showing more vigilance.

The next morning, Lin Yue had Lin Hu and the others stay at the inn while he headed to Jubao Street again.

Just as he reached the street entrance, he saw those men in black guarding the entrance of the Spirit Item Pavilion, seemingly waiting for someone.

Lin Yue's footsteps paused slightly, and he detoured into a side alley, entering the market from the other end.

The Spirit Item Pavilion was a small shop with a dozen wooden basins at the door, planted with various Spiritual Plant seedlings.

A middle-aged woman in green robes was watering the seedlings. Seeing Lin Yue enter, she looked up and smiled:

"What would Fellow Daoist like to buy? Spiritual Plant seedlings or seeds?"

"I want some higher-grade Spiritual Plant seeds, preferably those that can assist Foundation Establishment Cultivators in their Cultivate."

Lin Yue got straight to the point.

A hint of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes, and she led him inside:

"Please come in, Fellow Daoist. High-grade seeds are in the inner room, but the price is not cheap."

Dozens of small jade boxes were arranged on the shelves in the inner room, each with a label.

Lin Yue picked up a box labeled "Heart-Clearing Grass." After opening it, there were three grayish-black seeds inside with weak Spiritual Qi.

"These are seeds for third-Rank Heart-Clearing Grass. They can calm the mind and assist Foundation Establishment Cultivators in stabilizing their spiritual power. They are fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones each."

The woman introduced.

Lin Yue shook his head.

Although Heart-Clearing Grass was not bad, the plane's spirit fields were now Medium Grade. Planting such Low Grade Spiritual Plants would be a waste of the soil's fertility.

He put down the box and picked up another labeled "spirit nurturing flower": "What about this one?"

"The spirit nurturing flower is a fourth-Rank Spiritual Plant. It can condense Spiritual Qi and speed up Cultivate speed. However, the seeds are delicate and hard to keep alive. They are one hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones each."

Lin Yue pinched a seed with his fingertips and could feel the pure Spiritual Qi contained within; it was indeed much stronger than the Heart-Clearing Grass.

He pondered and said, "I want ten seeds. Can you make it cheaper?"

The woman smiled: "Since Fellow Daoist is a sincere buyer, I'll charge you one hundred and thirty per seed, totaling one thousand three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Lin Yue nodded and counted out one thousand three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and handed them over.

The woman took the Spirit Stones, packed the seeds, and handed them to him, then added:

"If Fellow Daoist needs the planting method, I have a Jade Slip here for fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"I'll take one."

Walking out of the Spirit Item Pavilion with the seeds and Jade Slip, Lin Yue was about to look for Cultivation Technique Jade Slips.

But then he saw those men in black from yesterday surrounding a Cultivator and arguing. Looking at the Cultivator's clothing, he seemed to be from the Green Robe Hall.

"You people from the Iron Fist Gang, how dare you snatch our business on Jubao Street?"

The Cultivator from the Green Robe Hall shouted angrily.

"What do you mean your business? We clearly discovered that Ore vein first!"

The man from the Iron Fist Gang did not back down.

The two argued more and more fiercely, and a crowd of onlookers quickly gathered.

Lin Yue frowned and turned toward the "Pavilion of Ten Thousand Laws" on the other side—

That place specialized in selling Cultivation Technique Jade Slips.

The manager of the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Laws was an expressionless old man. Seeing Lin Yue enter, he pointed to a wooden plaque on the wall:

"First-Rank Cultivation Techniques are one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, second-Rank are five hundred, and third-Rank start from two thousand."

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the shelves and finally stopped on a second-Rank Cultivation Technique called the "Azure Essence Art."

He had seen this technique recorded in Li Shan's Jade Slip. It was said that when practiced to a deep level, the spiritual power would carry a hint of wood-attribute resilience, making it very suitable for Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to build their foundation.

"How much for this 'Azure Essence Art'?"

"Six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Lin Yue paid the Spirit Stones, picked up the Jade Slip, and injected spiritual power with his fingertips. The content of the technique then flowed into his mind.

It was indeed much more complete than the crude techniques the Lin family currently practiced, enough for the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the clan to Cultivate for a while.

After buying the technique, Lin Yue didn't stay any longer and went straight back to the Yingke Tower.

Just as he reached the inn's entrance, he saw the boy from yesterday crouching in the corner, holding the Ore repackaged in cloth, looking expectantly at the door.

Seeing Lin Yue return, the boy's eyes lit up. He stood up to approach but then stopped timidly, only staring at the bag in Lin Yue's hand—

It contained the newly bought Spiritual Plant seeds.

Lin Yue didn't stop and walked into the inn.

Some things he couldn't manage, and shouldn't manage.

Back in his room, Lin Yue put away the spirit nurturing flower seeds and the Azure Essence Art, then flashed into the plane.

[ruined plane (Rank: 4)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 30 (Outside ordinary environment is 1)]

[spirit soil Area: 100 square meters (Including 50 square meters of Medium Grade spirit field, 50 square meters of Low Grade spirit field)]

[New Function: spirit spring (Can produce 10 liters of spirit spring water daily, which can accelerate Cultivator recovery and improve soil);]

Ore Vein Upgrade: companion spirit iron ore vein (Produces 25 catties daily), low-grade spirit stone mine vein (Produces 10 pieces daily)]

[Status: Stable]

He walked to the Medium Grade spirit field, planted the ten spirit nurturing flower seeds, and scooped some spirit spring water to water them.

As the seeds came into contact with the spirit field and spirit spring water, tiny green sprouts soon emerged. The nourishment from the Spiritual Qi allowed their growth speed to far exceed that of the outside world.

After finishing this, Lin Yue exited the plane.

Outside the window, the night in Black Stone City had deepened. The lights of Jubao Street were still brilliant, but behind that brightness, who knew how many disputes and schemes were hidden.

He took out another Jade Slip he had bought from the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Laws—

This was a miscellany recording the distribution of power in Black Stone City, which had cost him thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Besides the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Robe Hall, it also recorded several larger powers

such as the "Black Stone Chamber of Commerce," which controlled the main Ore veins outside the city, and the "City Lord's Mansion," which was said to have a Golden Core Cultivator in residence.

"Black Stone Chamber of Commerce..."

Lin Yue's fingertip brushed over these words.

He remembered Shi Feng of the Black Stone Merchant Team had mentioned they were a branch of the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce.

Perhaps more information about high-grade Spiritual Plants and Ore veins could be found here.

The next day, Lin Yue had Lin Hu go exchange the Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for Low Grade ones, while he took twenty high-quality qi condensing grass plants produced by the plane and headed to the Hundred Herbs Hall again.

Shopkeeper Liu saw him coming and welcomed him with a smile:

"Did Fellow Daoist bring good things again today?"

"I have some more Spiritual Plants I want to exchange for some Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and I also want to ask Shopkeeper Liu about something."

Lin Yue took out the Spiritual Plants, "I wonder where the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce is?"

Shopkeeper Liu took the Spiritual Plants and was stunned for a moment:

"Why is Fellow Daoist looking for the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce?

They are a colossus in the city, specializing in large-scale Ore vein and Spiritual Plant business. Their threshold is very high."

"I have some spirit iron ore of decent quality and want to ask if they would accept it."

Lin Yue said half-truthfully.

Shopkeeper Liu understood and pointed toward the east of the city:

"Go straight east along Jubao Street until you see the tallest black stone tower. That's it.

However, if Fellow Daoist has no connections, I'm afraid you won't even be able to get in the door."

He paused and took a wooden plaque from his robe

"An old friend of mine is a manager at the Chamber of Commerce. Take this with you, and you might be able to see someone."

Lin Yue took the wooden plaque, which had the character "Liu" carved on it. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Liu."

"It's just a small favor."

Shopkeeper Liu counted out four thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and handed them to Lin Yue, "The quality of these Spiritual Plants is still top-notch, so I'll still count them as two hundred a plant."

Lin Yue took the Spirit Stones and walked out of the Hundred Herbs Hall with the wooden plaque. The sunlight shone on the bluestone pavement of Jubao Street, reflecting the figures of the passing Cultivators.

He looked up toward the east of the city, where a towering tower could be faintly seen; that was exactly where the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce was located.

Perhaps this was the path he truly should take in Black Stone City.