My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 186: The Place of Seated Transformation

The hall fell into a heavy silence.

Every cultivator present was silently weighing the value of the gourd vine.

Defining the worth of this withered vine and shriveled gourd was no easy task.

On one hand, its vitality was severed; strictly speaking, it was trash.

On the other hand, it had once been the core of a Tier 3 Top Grade Spirit Plant and had undergone the baptism of a Lightning Tribulation. Perhaps it truly held some value for research?

Moreover, if one possessed the heaven-defying means to revive it, the benefits it would bring to a clan or a Sect would be immeasurable.

The question remained: How many pills was this Five Treasures Gourd Vine actually worth?

While most hesitated, a few were impatient to bid.

“Five Low-grade True Essence Pills,” a cultivator from the Earth Spirit Sect offered tentatively.

“Eight Low-grade,” a cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect countered.

“Ten Low-grade, plus three Middle-grade,” added a disciple from the Tianling Sect, seemingly interested in the scorch marks left by the tribulation lightning.

The price climbed slowly, but bidders were few. Clearly, interest was tepid, and the offers remained conservative.

Just as disappointment began to shadow the male cultivator’s face, Chen Ping spoke again from his corner. His voice remained as flat and indifferent as before.

“Ten High-grade True Essence Pills.”

Hiss—!

The sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the room. Even the host, Liu Mubai, couldn’t help but glance sideways in astonishment.

Ten High-grade True Essence Pills!

The value of this single bid far exceeded the sum of all previous offers combined.

Was this Chen Ping from the Qingyun Sect so wealthy that Spirit Stones burned a hole in his pocket? Did he possess a unique insight that allowed him to see value where others saw none?

Or… was he simply a fool with more money than sense?

All eyes focused on Chen Ping once more, filled with a mix of shock, suspicion, curiosity, and scrutiny.

The male cultivator surnamed Han looked sharply at Chen Ping, his eyes erupting with a gleam of ecstatic surprise.

“Is this true? Senior Brother Chen, ten High-grade True Essence Pills for my remnant vine?”

“Naturally.”

Chen Ping nodded, retrieving another jade vial.

As he spoke, a shrewd light flickered deep within his eyes.

In reality, he was setting a trap.

“Deal!”

The male cultivator agreed without hesitation, immediately thrusting the withered vine and shriveled gourd forward.

As he accepted the jade vial from Chen Ping, he extremely discreetly slipped a small jade slip into Chen Ping’s palm, accompanying the action with a meaningful glance.

Chen Ping’s expression remained unchanged. He accepted the vine and gourd, sweeping them into his Storage Bag along with the jade slip, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Internally, however, he smiled. The fish has taken the bait.

The treasures these two possessed could not possibly belong to their so-called “Han family.”

A gourd vine capable of altering a clan’s destiny? How could any family be willing to let it fail its Lightning Tribulation without exhausting every resource to save it?

Lies. All lies.

The woman and the man were spinning tales.

They held a secret—and a significant one at that.

Coincidentally, Chen Ping had a keen interest in this particular secret.

…

The surrounding cultivators whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Chen Ping growing increasingly peculiar.

First, he bought dead insect eggs. Now, he purchased a lightning-struck dead vine at an exorbitant price.

His behavior was baffling.

However, there were those who saw through the fog.

Liu Mubai, the host of the exchange, kept his gaze fixed on Chen Ping for a long moment. When he finally looked away, his expression suggested he was still intrigued.

Eventually, it was Chen Ping’s turn to take the stage.

He walked to the center of the room and spoke calmly.

“I am seeking Tier 2 pill formulas superior to the True Essence Pill.”

As his words fell, the hall plunged into silence.

Everyone looked at him, but no one responded.

After a long pause, Liu Mubai smiled and smoothed things over.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, your request… is likely too difficult. Tier 2 pill formulas superior to the True Essence Pill are the core, secret inheritances of various Sects and cultivation clans. They are not items that circulate casually. Even if one were to appear, it would command an astronomical price. I fear Fellow Daoist will find it hard to grant his wish here.”

The other cultivators nodded in agreement.

Chen Ping had anticipated this outcome, yet he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

He sighed and cupped his hands toward Liu Mubai. “Thank you for the clarification, Fellow Daoist Liu. It was an excessive request on my part.”

With that, he returned to his corner.

The exchange continued for another half-hour, but no one else produced anything that piqued Chen Ping’s interest.

As the session neared its end, Liu Mubai announced the conclusion, and the crowd began to disperse.

Chen Ping noticed that Han Jingying, who sold the eggs, and the male cultivator with the vine did not leave immediately. Instead, they exchanged a glance and subtly made their way toward the staircase leading to the third floor.

Chen Ping’s heart stirred. He recalled the jade slip the man had passed to him, as well as the voice transmission that had accompanied it.

Brother Chen, after the exchange ends, meet us on the third floor. We have information that will interest you!

He followed the flow of the crowd out of the pavilion but didn’t leave the area. Instead, he lingered in a secluded corner nearby.

Once the pavilion had mostly emptied, he quietly returned and ascended straight to the third floor.

The third floor was an elegant, quiet chamber.

Han Jingying and the male cultivator were seated on meditation cushions. Seeing Chen Ping arrive, smiles broke out on both their faces.

“Brother Chen, you actually came.”

The male cultivator stood up, cupping his hands with a warm smile. “I am Han Feiyu of the Yunshui Sect. This is my younger sister, Han Jingying.”

“So it is Senior Brother Han and Senior Sister Han.”

Chen Ping returned the greeting, understanding dawning in his mind.

So, they were siblings.

The Yunshui Sect was controlled by the Han Clan. As direct descendants and outstanding disciples, their status was naturally high.

Their earlier stories about the insect eggs and the gourd vine were likely riddled with falsehoods.

Han Feiyu got straight to the point.

“Senior Brother Chen is a man of straightforward words and generous action! To be frank, although our descriptions of the insect eggs and gourd vine were somewhat exaggerated, their origin is not false. We siblings indeed obtained them from the periphery of an ancient cultivator’s Place of Seated Transformation.”

Chen Ping was inwardly startled.

Han Feiyu was certainly direct, revealing the biggest secret right out of the gate.

It seemed his bait—the display of wealth and gullibility—had hooked them securely.

Han Jingying continued, “The Restrictions at the periphery of that Place of Seated Transformation were already extremely formidable. Our strength is limited, so we could only search the outer edges. Our harvest was meager—merely the two items Senior Brother purchased. However, we are certain that the inner area must contain that ancient cultivator’s true legacy and treasures!”

Han Feiyu looked at Chen Ping with burning eyes.

“If the periphery yielded these items, the inner Restrictions must be stronger, but the Fated Chance within will be far greater! With just the two of us, our strength is insufficient. Today, witnessing Senior Brother’s decisiveness and unique insight, we felt a desire to form an alliance. Would Senior Brother be willing to join forces with us to explore the inner sanctum of that ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling? We will distribute any gains fairly based on contribution! What do you say?”

Chen Ping sneered internally.

Join forces to explore for treasure?

It sounded appealing, but were stories of “Killing to seize treasures” and “burning the bridge after crossing” rare in the cultivation world?

However, Chen Ping decided to use a tactic of retreating to advance, hoping to fish out more intelligence.

On the surface, he remained expressionless and politely declined.

“Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother Han, Senior Sister Han. However, my cultivation is shallow, and my experience is limited. I fear I am not up to such a task. Moreover, the Sect’s Grand Competition is imminent, and afterward, I must return to my Sect to report. It is truly inconvenient for me to travel far.”

His reason was sufficient, his attitude clear.