Chapter 40: Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring
Chapter 40: Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring
Suddenly, a voice caught Cheng Lingyu’s attention.
“Come here! Top-grade monster cores for sale! Exchange for spiritual herbs, spiritual grass, or beast pills!”
The shout drew many cultivators who crowded around to ask about trades. Cheng Lingyu, Qu Wei, Jin Miaoyi, and two others pushed forward—monster cores were precious items rivaling spiritual herbs.
The central area’s usually quiet trading market now bustled with activity as nearly every cultivator on the island gathered. Many sold unused items, turning the trading area into a lively scene.
“How do you want to trade this monster core?”
“One spiritual herb, a hundred spiritual grasses, or fifteen beast pills.”
“Who’d trade a spiritual herb for this? You just scavenged it from Soul-Luring Forest. A hundred grasses? Ten would be more reasonable.”
“This is a monster core! Ten grasses? At least eighty!”
“Eighty grasses? Who’d pay that?”
Haggling continued as people complained about the high price.
Cheng Lingyu studied the monster core’s ancient patterns, confirming its superior quality.
“I’ll give fifteen grasses. You found it anyway—pure profit.”
“Sixty. Final offer.”
The seller refused to lower the price. Few had sixty grasses, leaving many frustrated.
“Beast pills here! Eight grasses each!”
“High-grade magical artifact! Ten grasses!”
“Trading spiritual grass for magical artifacts or pills!”
Though many items were sold, the monster core remained most valuable.
Cheng Lingyu waited until poorer buyers left before approaching.
“You’ll never sell it at sixty. Twenty-five grasses.”
The Middle-Aged Cultivator from Soul Martial Realm countered: “Fifty.”
“Thirty. Keep it otherwise. Someone might rob you after leaving Green Island.”
Cheng Lingyu turned away, pretending to walk off.
“Thirty’s too low! Forty—my lowest!”
Cheng Lingyu remained firm. “Thirty. Take it or leave it.”
“Add more for luck! Thirty-five… thirty-two… Fine! Thirty it is!”
Cheng Lingyu hid his satisfaction, feigning reluctance as he pulled thirty grasses from his robe to complete the trade.
Qu Wei, Jin Miaoyi, Miao Sanxu, and Fang Zhuqing stared in shock—none knew Cheng Lingyu carried so much spiritual grass.
“You’ve been hiding your talents, haven’t you? I stood right beside you but couldn’t detect any spiritual grass aura,” Fang Zhuqing remarked, patting Cheng Lingyu’s shoulder with curiosity.
“You weren’t paying attention to me, that’s why,” Cheng Lingyu answered.
The five continued wandering through the market. Cheng Lingyu focused on observing beast pill prices.
“Beast pills! Five spiritual grasses each! Only three left – last chance to buy!”
The beast pills held little allure. Mainly True Martial Realm cultivators showed interest, though many considered five spiritual grasses per pill overpriced.
Cheng Lingyu surveyed the market and found only three vendors selling beast pills, totaling ten pills priced between three to five spiritual grasses each. Sales were poor.
Most cultivators avoided beast pills due to their bloody aura causing side effects. Consuming spiritual grass directly proved safer and more effective.
Using his remaining spiritual grass, Cheng Lingyu purchased all ten beast pills at three grasses per pill.
Most market stalls sold magical artifacts – mainly medium-grade and high-grade magical artifacts mixed with lower-grade treasure artifacts, mostly plundered from corpses.
“Medium-grade treasure artifact here! Flawless condition! Superior quality!”
The shout drew crowds. Miao Sanxu and Fang Zhuqing hurried to look, but Cheng Lingyu stayed back.
Within half an hour, the trading area emptied as cultivators left Green Island. The Soul-Luring Forest’s blood shadows meant certain death. The vanished treasure and swarming monsters deterred explorers. The northern stone forest remained unchanged. Over eighty percent of cultivators had departed.
Cheng Lingyu lingered, hoping to inspect the well in Soul-Luring Forest. However, others told him the well had collapsed after Purple Jade Alchemist Cauldron’s emergence.
Disappointed but determined, Cheng Lingyu prepared to leave when a gravely injured cultivator stumbled into the central area clutching a frost-covered jade vial.
“Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring for trade! Seeking spiritual herbs!”
The announcement stirred nearby cultivators. Qu Wei immediately alerted Cheng Lingyu.
The injured man had been a late-stage Soul Martial Realm expert. Now desperate to heal, he offered his precious find.
“How do we know this is genuine?” a cultivator challenged.
“This came from the collapsing well in Soul-Luring Forest after Purple Jade Alchemist Cauldron surfaced. Three of us collected it in jade vials. I’d never sell this if not for my injuries.”
“We didn’t witness it. How can we trust you?”
“Feel the vial yourself – bone-chilling cold with constant frost mist. That’s your proof.”
Cultivators tested the vial, recoiling from its icy sting. Cheng Lingyu touched it nervously, his palm numbing.
“Spiritual herbs are scarce now,” someone commented. “Most big trades already happened. You’re too late – might only get spiritual grass at best.”
Previously, there were hundreds of cultivators on the island, but now only forty to fifty remained – the situation had deteriorated tenfold.
“Spiritual grass works too. A hundred stalks for exchange.”
“Your price is unreasonable. Even during peak times with more people, this Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring couldn’t fetch such value. The Tianyang Empire favors Yang-aligned techniques. Though precious, this icy spring’s extreme Yin nature only suits specific uses.”
A cultivator argued against the inflated price.
Cheng Lingyu nearly spoke up but was halted by Qu Wei’s warning glance.
With the island’s reduced population, buyers couldn’t meet high demands. The cold spring’s owner faced harsh reality – no premium prices here.
The injured Soul Martial expert knew his safety depended on staying in the central area. Beyond this zone, ambushes awaited.
“Let’s hold an open bid then. Highest offer takes it.”
“Agreed! Ten spiritual grasses!”
“Twelve… Fifteen… Eighteen… Twenty!”
Bidding continued with modest increments. The owner frowned at twenty stalks – pitifully low.
“Twenty-five… Twenty-six… Twenty-eight!”
“Still too cheap.”
“Twenty-eight’s generous considering the shortage! Enough for your healing!”
“State your price then.”
“Fifty stalks minimum.”
“None here possess that amount. Keep your bottle.”
The auction stalled at this impossible figure. Cheng Lingyu observed silently, biding his time.
The owner remained unmoved despite rising offers. When thirty-five stalks failed, Cheng Lingyu made his move.
“Fifty spiritual grasses.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The injured man rasped, “Prove it.”
Cheng Lingyu turned to Qu Wei. “Miss Qu, may I borrow fifty stalks? I’ll repay you promptly.”
Without comment, she produced the grass. The transaction completed, Cheng Lingyu clutched his prize and hurried away.
“Where to now?”
“The ferocious beast region. Wait here – I’ll return by dusk.”
Jin Miaoyi cautioned, “Stay vigilant. You’ve drawn hungry eyes.”
“Noted.”
Cheng Lingyu ventured into uncharted beast territory, harvesting fifty-six stalks within hours. But shadows trailed him.
“Show yourselves,” he demanded in a thinning grove.
Five figures emerged – all True Martial Realm practitioners. Their leader stood at True Martial Fifth Level – Gathering Lake Stage, others at River Stage.
Cheng Lingyu assessed their cultivation levels calmly. “State your business.”