Chapter 53: Ambitions
Now that his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, He Song was still not well-off financially. For the next few years, unless his combat strength improved significantly, he didn't plan to invest his spirit stones into directly advancing his cultivation.
Instead, spirit talismans, spells, and artifacts—these three means of self-defense—were what He Song urgently needed.
Because of this, the cultivation speed brought by the Spirit Gathering Formation became particularly important for him.
By cultivating daily within the Spirit Gathering Formation, He Song could match the cultivation pace of other four-element root cultivators who used spirit stones and consumed pills to enhance their progress.
In fact, compared to those with limited resources, He Song's cultivation speed might even be faster.
After all, He Song could cultivate in the Spirit Gathering Formation every day, while those who relied on spirit stones or pills couldn't necessarily afford to use them daily.
This way, He Song's cultivation speed could remain within a normal range.
He wouldn't be seen as an anomaly among other four-element root cultivators, nor would he attract unnecessary attention.
To others, He Song would simply appear as an ordinary cultivator with four-element roots.
And in the absence of anything unusual, who would bother paying attention to an ordinary cultivator?
Having made up his mind, He Song took out five spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them into the Spirit Gathering Formation.
The Spirit Gathering Formation, after all, consumed spirit stones.
To keep the formation running continuously, it required five spirit stones annually. After a year, the spirit stones would need to be replaced to maintain its operation.
After setting the stones in place, He Song began meditating and cultivating.
It's worth mentioning that when a Spirit Gathering Formation is first set up, its effect is not particularly impressive.
After a night of cultivation, He Song only felt a slight increase in the spiritual energy within his body compared to cultivating without the formation.
But He Song wasn't bothered by this.
This phenomenon was already described in the Introduction to Formations Book.
A Spirit Gathering Formation typically takes about ten days after its setup to reach peak efficiency.
By then, the concentration of spiritual energy within the formation would be significantly higher than that of the surrounding environment.
Even if a Spirit Gathering Formation were set up in a mundane location, the spiritual energy concentration within the formation could rival that of an Immortal Market.
In other words, as long as you are a formation master, you could completely create your own Immortal Market.
However, whether the sect controlling that area would trouble you for it, or whether evil cultivators in the area would target your Market, was another matter entirely.
Moreover, to cover an area as large as Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, a single Spirit Gathering Formation wouldn't suffice.
At the very least, ten or even more formations would have to work in tandem to cover such a large area.
He Song had no intention of establishing his own Immortal Market.
But creating one or even several spirit farmlands exclusively for himself was something he had planned for a long time.
Becoming a formation master was only the first step in his plan.
Only by becoming a formation master could he set up Spirit Gathering Formations.
And only by setting up Spirit Gathering Formations could he gather spiritual energy to nourish the land and transform it into spirit farmlands.
Once the farmlands were transformed into spirit farmlands, He Song could grow Spirit Rice there.
When harvest time came, he could sell the rice at a high price and reap a substantial number of spirit stones.
Establishing spirit farmlands outside the Immortal Market had always been part of He Song's plan.
Working as a spirit planter within the Immortal Market held no future. Only by farming for himself could he earn more spirit stones and smoothen his path of cultivation.
In other words, He Song never regarded being a spirit planter in the Immortal Market as his real profession.
It was merely a stepping stone in the early stages of his journey.
To truly amass significant resources, one had to rely on their own efforts, not waste years farming for others.
"Sigh, the matter of establishing spirit farmlands will need long-term planning. At the very least, I must master both the Maze Formation and the Five Elements Formation mentioned in the introductory text on formations before I can truly proceed."
The Introduction to Formations Book mentioned three formations:
1. Spirit Gathering Formation: Used to gather spiritual energy to nourish oneself or the farmlands. He Song had already set this up and learned it.
2. Maze Formation: A formation shrouded in mist to obscure visibility and confuse perception, causing both mortals and cultivators to unconsciously avoid the area. It was crucial for hiding spirit farmlands. He Song had yet to study it.
3. Five Elements Formation: A versatile formation that could be used both offensively and defensively. It could kill enemies or block their attacks, with its continuous flow of energy derived from the Five Elements' cycle. This formation would serve as a safeguard for He Song, ensuring he could fend off or escape should anyone discover his spirit farmlands. He had not begun studying this either.
These three formations were interdependent.
The Spirit Gathering Formation nourished the farmlands, the Maze Formation concealed them, and the Five Elements Formation ensured offensive and defensive security. Only by successfully mastering and setting up all three could He Song safely establish his spirit farmlands.
The plan flickered through his mind, but He Song shook his head and rose from his seat.
Now isn't the time to dwell on this. It can wait until my strength improves.
He Song stepped out of his room and soon arrived at the spirit farmlands he managed.
After casually casting Spirit Rain Technique for half an hour, he didn't head to the spirit planting hall as usual. Instead, he made his way to the Market stalls.
It had been a long time since He Song last visited the stall area of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.
Having lived there for nearly ten years, he had explored the entire Market and knew there were no hidden treasures to discover among the stalls.
He wasn't some favored child of destiny; he was just an ordinary cultivator.
Naturally, once he realized there were no treasures to be found, he stopped coming to the stalls to try his luck.
As he strolled through the Market's stall area, He Song's gaze swept over his surroundings. He noticed that some familiar faces had disappeared, replaced by new ones.
For example, the old man he'd met buying rice when he first arrived had vanished. In his place stood a burly middle-aged man.
He Song stopped briefly, observing the new vendor.
In the end, he shook his head and continued walking.
The old man—was he dead? Or was he now peacefully enjoying his later years at home?
If He Song recalled correctly, he had once envied the old man for owning a storage bag.
But now, He Song had a storage bag of his own.
And yet, the old man who had once stood there was nowhere to be found.
A fleeting sense of melancholy stirred in He Song's heart. Quickening his pace, he soon arrived at his destination.
The Spirit Techniques Pavilion.
As soon as He Song stepped inside, he noticed someone approaching him.
A whiff of fragrance swept past as a figure drew near.
"Daoist He, it's been three years since we last met. Allow me to first congratulate you on your great progress in cultivation. I dare say, reaching Foundation Establishment is within your grasp!"
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