A week passed in the blink of an eye. After its initial introduction, Yan Mi became an instant sensation, selling for tens of spirit stones per jin on the black market!
Such a treasure that could increase cultivation and open up the dantian upon consumption had never been encountered before!
Normally, even if one possessed spirit stones, such pills were nowhere to be found. Even sect disciples received them sparingly, or they were stored in specialized containers, reserved for revitalizing the sect during times of decline!
How could anyone bear to sell them?
But when the second batch of one hundred tons of Yan Mi reappeared, the entire Liangcheng in Chongzhou went into a frenzy. Countless cultivators gathered around Liangcheng, eager to acquire some Yan Mi.
Even if they lacked spirit stones, they could offer items in exchange. Their preferred trade goods were various spirit herbs and spirit beasts. They showed little interest in spirit artifacts, magic treasures, pills, or talismans.
"Senior, they're all sold out! Not a single bit is left!"
Zhan Hua arrived on his sword, beaming with joy!
The dozen or so storage bags bulging at his waist exuded an aura of immense wealth!
"Please, Senior, take a look!"
Zhang Wei inspected the haul. Almost all the spirit herbs were medicinal herbs, suitable only for medicinal cuisine. There were few edible vegetables like cucumbers or eggplants.
The most abundant items were various metal and wooden materials, followed by spirit swords and magic treasures.
With a sweep of his finger, Zhang Wei distributed half of the spirit artifacts.
"Consider these your commission. Also, distribute them to arm your disciples."
Zhan Hua quickly kowtowed, "During the sale of these one hundred tons, you already generously gifted our sect ten tons of Divine Rice. That is already unimaginable wealth. How can I possibly accept more from you, Senior?"
"These weapons are of no use to me, other than as mementos."
That made sense.
Why would a senior from the upper realm be interested in such crudely made items?
No longer refusing, Zhan Hua respectfully accepted the gifts.
Returning to the Treasure Hall, seven days had already passed. Within the Treasure Hall, a year had gone by. He wondered what the situation was like.
In a small room.
Over a hundred gourmet hunters were sensing spiritual energy...
They held spirit stones, continuously absorbing spiritual energy to nourish themselves.
"How is the situation?"
The instructor was the old cripple. After a year, he had been completely tamed. Of course, there were many untamable wild horses, but now it was more appropriate to call them dead horses.
The old cripple bowed subserviently, "Their progress is rapid, and everyone's physique is excellent. Although they lack spirit roots, they can utilize spiritual energy to open up their Sea of Qi. This is something I have never witnessed before."
"Furthermore, reaching the middle stage of the first level of Qi Condensation in just one year is a talent only possessed by those with extremely high spirit roots!"
One year...
Such little progress.
With that time, they could have advanced seven or eight levels just by eating more!
Indeed, the benefits gained in this world were minimal.
Regarding this issue...
Zhang Wei summoned the old cripple and asked, "What are your cultivation levels?"
"What levels?"
"Qi Condensation, what comes after Foundation Establishment?"
"Ah, you mean that. Above Foundation Establishment is Golden Core, where the true qi within the Sea of Qi is condensed into a solid, achieving supreme magical power!"
The old cripple's expression was filled with longing, clearly indicating that such a realm was beyond his imagination.
Along the way, even reaching the early stage of Foundation Establishment was extremely difficult, let alone the supreme path of the Golden Core!
Among mortals, spirit roots were found in only one out of several hundred people. And most of these spirit roots were of inferior, mixed types, allowing them to reach only the first or second level of Qi Condensation in their lifetime. Releasing a single spell would be their ultimate pursuit.
Purity and the ability to absorb spiritual energy were better in common spirit roots, found in only one out of a dozen mixed spirit roots.
Combined with those who were overlooked, lived in seclusion, or missed detection due to fortunate circumstances, on average, a sect would have to secretly test five thousand people to find one student with decent aptitude to recruit.
This resulted in an extremely small number of cultivators, to the point where the mortal world was completely unaware.
Furthermore, cultivators strived for self-cultivation of both mind and body, and they could gain nothing from the mortal world to aid their practice, thus their connections became increasingly ephemeral.
The force that truly governed mortal power was something called martial arts.
Zhang Wei inquired, "Golden Core stage... and after?"
"It seems to be called Nascent Soul stage... However, there are no records in any books indicating anyone has ever reached this realm. It seems to exist only in the fantasies of Golden Core cultivators."
Zhang Wei fell silent.
It seemed the benefits he could obtain from cultivators were too few.
"If that's the case, you are no longer of use."
These words were spoken lightly, but to the old cripple, they were like a bolt from the blue!
What did these words imply?
The old cripple instantly recalled his fellow companions who had refused to cooperate. Their graves were probably already two or three meters high by now!
Could it be...
He too could not escape this fate?
The old cripple suddenly shuddered and exclaimed, "No, who says I'm useless! Besides cultivation techniques, I also possess a large number of outer sect skills, such as the Three Swords of Ling Shuang, the Floating Cloud Dragon Binding Lock, and the Cloud Climbing Steps..."
"What are those?"
"The Three Swords of Ling Shuang is the basic form of sword control techniques. When true qi is insufficient, it is used to strengthen the body and build a foundation. A basic understanding of sword intent is extremely helpful for later learning!"
"The Floating Cloud Dragon Binding Lock is a technique for controlling objects. It can be used to manipulate soft whips, ropes, and chains. It allows one to capture opponents alive! The initial forms are all mortal whip techniques."
"The Cloud Climbing Steps is a spell. Its basic form explains body movements. When augmented with true qi, it can achieve tremendous effects, far superior to ordinary wind manipulation techniques!"
They sounded promising.
Their actual combat effectiveness still needed to be tested.
The old cripple was quite confident in this area. He randomly selected three to five hunters and pitted their hunting techniques against the Three Swords of Ling Shuang.
The Three Swords of Ling Shuang, with only a single drop of three threads, held its own without falling behind!
Zhang Wei was astonished!
"With equal physical fitness, they can achieve triple the effect?"
The old cripple stated directly, "I am definitely useful. The physiques of the villagers here are incredibly powerful, but their techniques... how should I describe them? One could say... they have absolutely no techniques."
Zhang Wei: ...
Was the gap truly this significant?
The old cripple patted his chest, assuring that as long as he continued teaching, everyone could learn the Three Swords of Ling Shuang, and their combat power would multiply!
"Very well. I shall spare your life for now. Continue teaching here for three more years, and I will grant you your freedom."
"I still have a few companions..."
Zhang Wei gave him a meaningful glance, "I didn't expect you to have such loyalty. Fine, include them all."
The old cripple was immensely grateful. But suddenly, his face turned pale and red, and he almost lost his footing.
A person responsible for supervision noticed and took a piece of candy from his pocket, placing it in the old cripple's mouth.
"What's going on?"
The supervisor explained, "It's likely simple hypoglycemia. These fellows always cause trouble after eating, so we've been controlling their food intake."
Zhang Wei recognized that candy. It was likely a Level 1 edible black sugar, a product of the Black Sugar Desert.
However, speaking of which...
"There is no spiritual energy here, right? Has this caused any adverse effects on these fellows?"