**Chapter 37: The Price of Spirit Rice Drops**
Inside the alchemy chamber.
Su Yuqing stared blankly at the six azure-colored pills swirling inside the pill furnace, almost ready to burst out!
What baffled him even more was that one of the six Qi Gathering Pills had a faint layer of medicinal aura radiating from its surface.
"A premium-grade Qi Gathering Pill?!"
Before Qin Ming could act, Su Yuqing raised his hand, and the six pills flew into his grasp.
He examined each pill carefully, frowning deeply as he checked them over and over again.
"Brother Su, could you help me take a look? Would you say this batch of Qi Gathering Pills is up to standard?"
"Is there anything I should pay attention to?"
Qin Ming was overjoyed with his successful alchemy attempt. He smiled sincerely, humbly seeking advice from Su Yuqing.
After all, Su Yuqing was a genuine high-grade alchemist, a rare figure even in the surrounding areas of Green Sun Market.
If he were willing to offer some guidance, it would be invaluable to Qin Ming.
After a long while, Su Yuqing finally handed the pills back to Qin Ming.
His face revealed a complex expression as he forced a smile and muttered, "Hmph... It's... barely acceptable."
On the surface, he appeared calm, but internally, his mind was in turmoil.
"Is his alchemical talent really catching up to mine?!"
"Wasn't this kid failing constantly just a short while ago?"
"How did he suddenly improve so drastically?"
"Could he have truly mastered all my secret alchemical techniques?"
"Is his comprehension ability really this extraordinary?"
"No, no, next time I need to hold back a bit."
Qin Ming happily admired his 'masterpiece,' feeling a deep sense of accomplishment.
At the same time, he was extremely grateful to Su Yuqing.
If it weren't for Su Yuqing allowing him to observe every alchemy session, Qin Ming wouldn't have learned so much through osmosis.
Even with his enhanced soul power, he wouldn't have reached the threshold of a low-grade alchemist so quickly.
---
**Dinner.**
Qin Ming personally cooked a feast using Beast Tooth Rice, and both he and Su Yuqing enjoyed the meal immensely.
"Brother Qin, your Beast Tooth Rice is truly excellent," Su Yuqing said, already on his second large bowl of the fragrant rice, not forgetting to scoop more into his bowl.
"If you need some, I can sell you some at market price," Qin Ming offered with a smile.
When Su Yuqing had sold him premium Qi Gathering Pills before, they were of exceptional quality. This was Qin Ming's way of returning the favor.
Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing's eyes lit up. "Really?!"
"How much do you have? I'll take all of it!"
Qin Ming immediately took out a bag of Beast Tooth Rice and placed it in front of Su Yuqing. "This is all I have right now, about a hundred pounds."
"At seven spirit stones per pound, just like the market price."
Su Yuqing's face brightened. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, and the bag of rice disappeared into his storage pouch.
Then he handed over seven hundred spirit stones to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming accepted the spirit stones and stored them away, bringing his total savings to over sixteen hundred spirit stones.
He raised his cup and toasted Su Yuqing. "Come on, let's celebrate tonight!"
Su Yuqing grinned and downed his drink in one gulp.
---
After dinner, Qin Ming bid farewell and left.
During the meal, Su Yuqing asked Qin Ming to help cultivate spiritual plants for one more year.
Once again, these would be auxiliary materials for alchemy.
However, this time, the plants Su Yuqing requested were quite challenging.
One was a high-grade first-rank spiritual plant called 'Demon Flame Grass.'
The other was an exquisite first-rank spiritual plant known as 'Seven-Leaf Skullcap.'
Both plants had a growth period of exactly one year.
Although Qin Ming looked troubled, he couldn't refuse Su Yuqing's repeated invitations.
Su Yuqing now had complete confidence in Qin Ming's ability to cultivate spiritual plants—more than Qin Ming himself.
Considering that he still needed to continue learning alchemy techniques from Su Yuqing and inherit his alchemy chamber, Qin Ming quickly nodded in agreement.
One of the requirements for advancing to a high-grade spiritual planter was successfully cultivating two or more high-grade first-rank spiritual plants.
This time, Su Yuqing only provided twenty seeds for each type of plant.
At the level of high-grade spiritual plants, even the seeds became exceedingly rare.
Qin Ming went to the hillside fields, tilled the soil, and planted the dozens of seeds separately.
He then used the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique to summon a rain of spiritual energy.
Afterward, he turned his gaze toward the three acres of Beast Tooth Rice fields.
This year, the Beast Tooth Rice was thriving, promising a bountiful harvest.
Satisfied, Qin Ming left.
---
**Green Sun Market.**
Qin Ming returned to his 'Cool Breeze Abode.'
He glanced at the corner of the courtyard, where the Witherblood Poison Vine he had transplanted stood.
Qin Ming had been observing it for a long time. Without using the 'Ripening' entry, the plant grew extremely slowly, showing almost no change since transplantation.
With only a few 'Ripening' entries left in his consciousness sea, he decided to leave it as it was for now.
Just as Qin Ming was about to enter the meditation room, the communication talisman on his body vibrated.
"Daoist Qin, come quickly. There's new information."
Qin Ming picked up the talisman and frowned—it was from Shopkeeper Liao.
"What's happened now?" He had a bad feeling.
---
**An incense stick later.**
Qin Ming arrived at the Gathering Pavilion.
Shopkeeper Liao greeted him with a smile and led him to a private room on the fourth floor.
After casting a soundproofing talisman, he spoke gravely. "Daoist Qin, there's some bad news."
"The price of spirit rice in the market is going to drop."
"It will likely happen within the next couple of days. Not only that, but other cultivation resources like magical tools and pills will also gradually decrease in price."
Qin Ming's brows furrowed as he instinctively asked, "Has the Spirit Feather Sect repaired their teleportation array?"
"You're correct," Liao confirmed with a nod. "Just a few days ago, the Spirit Feather Sect completed repairs on the teleportation array and resumed logistical support."
"Not only that, but both the Spirit Feather Sect and Golden Cloud Valley are planning to add two direct teleportation arrays to the Immortal City of Cloud Marsh currently under construction."
"In the future, both sects will undoubtedly make the Immortal City of Cloud Marsh their central hub, gradually replacing the importance of Green Sun Market."
"The master's intention is that once the Immortal City of Cloud Marsh is completed, the main operations of the Gathering Pavilion will relocate there entirely."
"In Green Sun Market, only insignificant branches will remain."
Hearing this, Qin Ming frowned in deep thought. After a long pause, he raised his teacup, took a sip, and suddenly asked, "Will the rent for houses in the market decrease?"
Liao seemed to have anticipated this question and replied directly, "No, the rent won't drop."
"Alas, there are still so many wandering cultivators, and housing is in short supply. Once the Immortal City of Cloud Marsh is built, it will initially be accessible only to a select group of cultivators, with certain thresholds."
Qin Ming was stunned.
He hadn't expected the price of spirit rice to drop while housing costs remained high. He had only moved here a few days ago...
"If you have any leftover spirit rice, Daoist Qin, you should sell it quickly within these two days," Liao advised, pouring tea for Qin Ming with a meaningful smile.
Qin Ming couldn't help but purse his lips, thinking to himself, *'This old fox has been eyeing my stock of spirit rice all along.'*
"Sigh, if you had told me earlier, I did have about a hundred pounds of Beast Tooth Rice left," Qin Ming sighed, shaking his head.
"But I've already sold it all to Brother Su."
Upon hearing this, Liao's hopeful expression turned to disappointment.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter. After all, the next harvest of Beast Tooth Rice will be ready soon!"
After the conversation ended, Liao still warmly escorted Qin Ming out of the shop.
---
Outside the shop, Qin Ming paused to think for a moment.
Then, he sent a communication talisman to Cai Laojiu.
"Lao Jiu, if you still have any spirit rice in stock, you should sell it quickly within these two days. Keep this to yourself."
(End of Chapter)
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