“Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist for acquiring five unidentified seeds from the stomach of a five-hundred-year-old Earth-Rolling Dragon for the price of 33 Mid-grade Spirit Stones!”

The host smiled broadly as he offered his congratulations.

Moments later, a staff member from the auction house approached with a jade tray.

Five Spirit Plant seeds of varying sizes were arranged upon it. Some were as large as a fingernail, while others were as small as a grain of rice. Three were light green, one was earthy yellow, and the last was a deep, dark red.

Jiang Chen handed over the 33 Mid-grade Spirit Stones to the staff member and swept the five seeds into his storage pouch. He wasn’t in a hurry to examine them closely, as the auction was still ongoing.

The next item up for bid sparked a frenzy among the attendees.

It was called the [ Mountain-Settling Seal ].

It was a damaged spirit artifact containing a faint trace of Yellow Earth Qi. Although its structure was compromised, it remained functional. Its power, however, was somewhat lacking—only about seventy percent of its original capability remained.

Watching the bidding war, Jiang Chen fell into thought. The items at this auction… they all seem related to Earth Spirit Roots.

The earlier [ Dragon Shaking Art ] was an earth-attribute cultivation technique.

The five Spirit Plant seeds he just acquired were taken from the stomach of an Earth-Rolling Dragon.

And now, here was an offensive spirit artifact that required earth-attribute spiritual power to activate.

This is no coincidence. Something significant must have happened deep within the Dark Forest.

After waiting a while longer and seeing nothing else that piqued his interest, Jiang Chen stood up and left the venue.

Once outside, he walked to an unoccupied corner and rested for a moment. Simultaneously, he retrieved the communication talisman connected to Shen Rong.

“Fellow Daoist Cai, have you arrived at the Loose Cultivator Market?”

“Please give me your location, and I’ll send someone over for the transaction.”

Jiang Chen relayed his location and waited patiently.

Not long after, a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Shen Rong appeared. He held a tracking talisman in his hand, scanning the area.

“You… are Fellow Daoist Cai?” the young man asked, unable to hide his excitement.

Although Jiang Chen’s appearance differed slightly from his father’s description, he was the only one standing there. It had to be him.

The young man hurriedly introduced himself. “I am Shen Peng. Shen Rong is my father.”

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, showing a hint of dissatisfaction. “Stop switching people on me.”

Shen Peng nodded nervously. “Rest assured, from now on, I will be the only one conducting transactions with you.”

Jiang Chen didn’t waste words. He directly produced 250 kg of Tier-2 Spirit Rice.

“It truly is Top-quality Spirit Rice produced from a Tier-2 Spirit Farm…” Seeing the goods, Shen Peng was inwardly astonished.

To be honest, when his father first brought home the Top-quality Spirit Rice, Shen Peng had thought the old man had gone senile.

Whether produced from a Tier-1 or Tier-2 Spirit Farm, as long as the quality reached ‘Top-quality’, it would incite fierce competition among countless cultivators. Moreover, the price remained consistently high. How could such a treasure be obtained so easily?

Shen Peng snapped back to reality and spoke with an apologetic expression. “My apologies, I’m a bit nervous for this first transaction. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Cai. Here are 5 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.”

He explained with a smile, “Although the market exchange rate hasn’t changed, my father believes it’s not easy for Fellow Daoist Cai to travel all the way to the Loose Cultivator Market. The extra amount is meant to cover your travel expenses.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chen smiled.

One Mid-grade Spirit Stone equaled 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones. His round trip cost 40 Low-grade Spirit Stones at most. If it were truly just for travel expenses, why pay in Mid-grade stones? The intent to curry favor was obvious.

At that moment, Shen Peng produced a red invitation and asked politely, “Fellow Daoist Cai, I will be getting married next month. Would you honor us with your presence?”

Jiang Chen shrugged. “I may not have the time.”

Shen Peng waved his hand hurriedly. “That’s alright. It is the thought that counts, whether you can come or not.”

Seeing this, Jiang Chen accepted the wedding invitation. Then, he pulled a bundle of fresh vegetables from his small storage pouch.

“This is my wedding gift.”

Seeing they were mere vegetables, Shen Peng maintained a polite smile on the surface, but inwardly, he didn’t think much of it.

However, the moment he sensed the rich Spirit Qi radiating from the greens, his eyes widened in shock.

Top-quality Spirit Rice was one thing, but these vegetables were also Top-quality.

This Fellow Daoist Cai… his talent in Spirit Farming must be truly terrifying.

Seeing Shen Peng’s frozen reaction, Jiang Chen asked with a hint of amusement, “Don’t want them?”

Shen Peng hurriedly and solemnly stored them away. “Thank you for your gift! With these Spirit Qi-rich vegetables, my guests are sure to be very satisfied during the wedding.”

If they were ordinary vegetables, he wouldn’t care. But these contained rich Spirit Qi, just like the Spirit Rice. When served at the wedding banquet, the guests would praise them endlessly. The reputation and standing of the Shen family would surely rise.

Jiang Chen turned to leave, asking with slight impatience, “Anything else?”

Shen Peng carefully secured the vegetables and Spirit Rice. He then took out a transparent crystal sphere.

“This item is called the [ Water-Containing Pearl ]. It can be considered a utility spirit artifact. I obtained it by chance. It can store approximately 10 cubic meters of liquid.”

Jiang Chen took it curiously. “Liquid?”

Shen Peng nodded. “Rainwater, fresh water, seawater—any kind of water, as long as it’s liquid—can be stored inside. You can even keep live fish in it.”

Finding it quite interesting, Jiang Chen tossed it into his storage pouch and waved his hand. “Goodbye.”

Watching Jiang Chen’s departing figure, Shen Peng took a deep breath. “Father was right. If we can build a good relationship with this Fellow Daoist Cai, the Shen family is bound to rise in Green City. Perhaps we could even send our descendants to an Immortal Sect to obtain the best cultivation resources.”

On his way back to the inn, Jiang Chen casually bought three bottles of Spirit Wine.

These were currently the most popular brands in the Loose Cultivator Market. People bought them in an endless stream every day.

Upon returning to his room, he sat cross-legged on the bed and tasted them one by one.

He uncorked the first establishment’s Spirit Wine and took a sip.

Pfft!

He spat it out immediately.

Jiang Chen looked down, his eyelid twitching. Good grief! It wasn’t filtered properly; there are grain residues in my mouth.

With a look of distaste, he set aside the first bottle.

He picked up the second one. This time, he specifically checked for any residue. Seeing it was relatively clear, he took a small sip.

He frowned instantly.

The second establishment’s Spirit Wine was clean enough, but the taste was sharply sour. It felt like their brewing technique was rather low-level. The reason it sold well was likely due to its low price.

Next came the third bottle, which came from the shop with the longest queue.

As soon as he pulled the stopper, a rich aroma of grains wafted out.

Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up, and he immediately poured some into his mouth. The alcohol content wasn’t high, and it carried a pleasant sweetness.

Among all the commercial Spirit Wines he had encountered so far, this demonstrated the highest brewing skill. It was no wonder sales were so explosive in the Loose Cultivator Market.

“Unfortunately, compared to my own Spirit Wine, it still falls somewhat short,” Jiang Chen smiled confidently.

He immediately pulled up his attribute panel.

[center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Effect 1: Increases Spirit Qi absorption speed by 20% for 2 hours ☽ [/color][/b][/center] [center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Effect 2: Reduces spiritual power consumption by 15% when operating wood-attribute techniques ☽ [/color][/b][/center] [center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Effect 3: Increases comprehension speed of low-tier techniques by 15% while slightly intoxicated ☽ [/color][/b][/center] [center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Effect 4: Increases comprehension speed of high-tier techniques by 5% while slightly intoxicated ☽ [/color][/b][/center] [center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Negative Effect 1: Long-term consumption will continuously reduce reaction speed ☽ [/color][/b][/center] [center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Negative Effect 2: Long-term consumption will cause damage to internal organs ☽ [/color][/b][/center]

[center][b][color=#0066cc] ☾ Consume 1888 days of Lifespan to elevate ‘Spirit Wine Expert’ to ‘Masterful’? ☽ [/color][/b][/center]