READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 88: Trade
In the cave mansion at Xiao Yuan Mountain Market.
"My cultivation level has progressed to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and I've developed a resistance to the Superior Grade Triple Snake Pattern Pill. I can only use the Five Beasts Spirit Pill and Tricolored Mist Spirit Pill to enhance my mana."
"The Tricolored Mist Spirit Pill requires various spirit plants for successful refinement, and those spirit plants are extremely precious, planted only within the boundaries of a Golden Core Sect like Dan Ling Sect. Even in Xiao Yuan Mountain Market, gathering enough materials is extremely difficult."
"The Five Beasts Spirit Pill needs an inner core of a second-order middle-grade demon beast mixed with the essence blood of five second-order demon beasts and various heavenly materials and earthly treasures for successful refinement, which is also extremely challenging. I'm afraid that my cultivation speed will slow down significantly from now on!"
After completing a cultivation session, Zhao Yu frowned slightly and secretly pondered.
The materials for Tricolored Mist Spirit Pill and Five Beasts Spirit Pill, which can enhance the mana of Foundation Establishment cultivators, are naturally not overlooked by the Five Great Sects. These sects purchase these materials everywhere and assign their Pill Masters to refine them.
If Zhao Yu were in places like Wolf Ridge or Jiuchen Mountain Market, he would hardly receive the main materials for the Tricolored Mist Spirit Pill and Five Beasts Spirit Pill. Even within Xiao Yuan Mountain Market, he could only gather some of the materials, making it extremely difficult to collect all the materials needed for alchemy.
A communication talisman flew into the cave mansion.
"Junior Brother Zhao, it's me, Xiahou Zhenyu!"
Zhao Yu activated the array, opened the large door of the mansion, and found Xiahou Zhenyu standing outside alone, with a dejected expression.
"Senior Brother Xiahou, please come in and let's have a talk!"
Zhao Yu welcomed Xiahou Zhenyu inside and had him sit down.
Shangguan Lingxiu served the spiritual tea and quietly sat beside Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu asked, "Senior Brother Xiahou, did your journey go smoothly?"
Xiahou Zhenyu drank the spiritual tea in one gulp and sighed deeply, "The journey was not smooth! This time, although we captured seven spirit veins and killed over a dozen second-order demon beasts, we also lost Huo, Tuoba, and Sister Wei."
Zhao Yu's heart chilled slightly; losing three Foundation Establishment cultivators at once was no small matter.
In the Xiao Yuan Mountain Market area, the Dan Ling Sect originally had eight Foundation Establishment cultivators. With three gone, only five remained, significantly weakening their strength.
Xiahou Zhenyu said, "Junior Brother Zhao, the Huo, Tuoba, and Wei families hope you will join one of them to help guard the spirit veins. They are willing to support your cultivation with the full resources of their clans."
The Five Great Sects have issued a joint decree, which recognizes the spirit veins as belonging to the clan that occupies them for one year in the Canglong Mountain Range.
If these three great families cannot hold onto the spirit veins, all their previous investments will be wasted.
Zhao Yu pondered for a while and asked, "What grades are those three families' spirit veins?"
The spirit vein at Xiao Yuan Mountain Market is a second-order low-grade; cultivating there with his mid-stage Foundation Establishment level, Zhao Yu would progress much slower.
Originally, Zhao Yu had planned to cultivate in Xiao Yuan Mountain Market until reaching the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage before making other plans. However, since he couldn't procure too many Tricolored Mist Spirit Pill or Five Beasts Spirit Pill materials for pill consumption, he had no choice but to look for a suitable spiritual land for cultivation.
Xiahou Zhenyu said, "The spirit veins occupied by the Huo and Tuoba families are second-order middle-grade, and the one occupied by the Wei family is second-order high-grade."
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Zhao Yu said, "Senior Brother Xiahou, I'm willing to exchange a top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill for Sister Wei's spirit vein. If the Wei family disagrees, we can discuss with the Huo and Tuoba families."
Xiahou Zhenyu praised, "A top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill! Junior Brother Zhao, you are very generous! If the head of the Wei family is smart enough, he will agree."
A single top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill naturally does not match the value of a second-order high-grade Spirit Vein, but Wei Yahui, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Wei family, had already perished. Without the protection of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Wei family could not possibly defend that Spirit Vein for a year.
Xiahou Zhenyu and other Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Dan Ling Sect would rather have Zhao Yu take over that Spirit Vein, so that the six of them could better protect those few Spirit Veins together.
Inside the residence of the Wei family in Fengyan City, among the Thirteen Cities of Mortals, outside the market on Xiaoyuan Mountain.
A beautiful woman with a graceful figure and waterfall-like black hair, who looked quite lovely, said discontentedly, "Just one top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill and he wants to take away the second-order high-grade Spirit Vein that our ancestor obtained at the cost of his life? Zhao Yu is really going too far!"
A tall, white-haired old man with a heroic appearance slightly furrowed his brows and reprimanded, "Hold your tongue! How dare you casually discuss a Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator? It's fortunate this is at home; if it were outside, with your indiscreet mouth, do you want to doom our Wei family?"
This old man was none other than Wei Hongchou, the head of the Wei family, and the beautiful woman was his daughter, Wei Minghui.
Wei Minghui said with a look of grievance, "Father, I know I'm wrong!"
Wei Hongchou said, "Senior Zhao Yu's actions are still quite proper, even willing to give our Wei family a top-quality Foundation Establishment Pill! In the future, it's still possible for our Wei family to produce another Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If he didn't give it, losing the protection of our ancestor, could our Wei family really keep that second-order high-grade Spirit Vein?
The family has already decided to offer the Spirit Vein to Senior Zhao Yu and even send someone to serve him. I plan to send you."
Wei Minghui's pretty face changed as she said, "Father, Senior Zhao Yu already has a concubine. His concubine is also an inner sect disciple of the Dan Ling Sect. If I go there, I could only be a maid. It would be better to send Xinlan; though she is a by-born, she is very beautiful. In the eyes of Senior Zhao Yu, there's no difference between the legitimate and the by-born in our family."
Wei Hongchou hesitated for a moment and then said, "Alright, let Xinlan go!"
Inside the residence of the Tuoba family.
A muscular man with a hooked nose and heroic appearance, Tuoba Ying, the head of the Tuoba family, decisively said, "The ancestor died in battle, and I plan to offer the Spirit Vein he obtained to Senior Zhao Yu in exchange for his protection, allowing us to cultivate within the Spirit Vein."
The elders of the Tuoba family seated below all nodded slightly.
A large number of cultivators had poured into the market on Xiaoyuan Mountain, causing the prices of goods to climb. Each day depleted the resources of the Tuoba family. If the Tuoba family could not go to a Spirit Vein to earn Spirit Stones and cultivate, they would quickly decline.
Tuoba Ying said, "I plan to send Xue'er to serve Senior Zhao Yu!"
An elder of the Tuoba family could not help but say, "Family Head, Xue'er is your only daughter! Why not pick a beautiful by-born to serve Senior Zhao Yu?"
Tuoba Ying stated resolutely, "The most outstanding daughter of the Tuoba family is my daughter! Only she serving Senior Zhao Yu can show the sincerity of our Tuoba family!"
Seeing Tuoba Ying so determined, the rest of the Tuoba family's elders no longer tried to persuade him.
Inside the residence of the Huo family.
A slightly thin man with a handsome appearance, Huo Ying, the head of the Huo family, slowly said, "The ancestor died in battle, and without the protection of the ancestor, my Huo family can only choose a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to support. I plan to offer the Spirit Vein to Senior Xiahou Zhenyu in exchange for his protection, allowing us to cultivate within the Spirit Vein.
Do you have any objections?"
An elder said, "Family Head, why not choose from the other Foundation Establishment seniors?"
Huo Ying said, "The other seniors from the Dan Ling Sect are all Early Stage Foundation Cultivators, while Senior Xiahou Zhenyu is a Mid-stage Foundation Cultivator."
The many elders all nodded slightly, no longer saying anything.
In the Cultivation World, the strong are respected. Inside the Canglong Mountain Range, if a cultivator is not powerful, he simply cannot stand firm. Naturally, the Huo family tended more towards Xiahou Zhenyu, a Mid-stage Foundation Cultivator.