Chapter 107: Another Expert?!

"Another expert?!" 

That day, just as Li Ye finished cultivating and was preparing to check on the latest happenings, he came across the pieced-together information compiled separately by the Lan family, Fang Ze, and Xiong Li, and couldn't help but slap the table in amazement. 

Ever since Tengyun Market had organized personnel to form patrol squads, they'd been locked in a tug-of-war with the bandit cultivators. 

Over the past few months, numerous skirmishes had broken out large and small alike! 

Though they'd managed to somewhat stabilize the market's order and safety, both sides had suffered heavy casualties in the ongoing battles.

And just as this precarious balance had lasted for nearly a year, the situation suddenly took a turn. 

Bandit cultivators began appearing around Sanhui Market as well, catching many unsuspecting cultivators off guard!

As a result, even Pingyang Mountain was forced to step up organizing its squads to patrol and defend the area around the market. 

Now both markets had been dragged into the same mess they were truly entangled! 

This move… were they taught by the same master? There was no counter to it! 

With things as they were, even though a good number of patrol members were recruited from outside, manpower was still running short...

Both sides were often stretched too thin covering one end while leaving the other exposed which, ironically, led to a decrease in bandit activity.

This in turn gave both markets a chance to catch their breath. The situation eased up slightly, and business began to recover.

Looking at the overall state of affairs, setting aside the losses in manpower, the brunt of the damages was borne by the rogue cultivators.

Whether it was the Chang and Luo families on one side, or Pingyang Mountain on the other, both had fattened themselves nicely through this game of "playing the bandit." 

Moreover, it now seemed that neither the patrol squads nor the bandits were suffering the kind of intense casualties they did at the beginning almost as if both sides were intentionally limiting the scale of the conflict. 

"Hiss… are they paving a new path here? Don't tell me the Chang and Luo families are in on this with Pingyang Mountain?" 

Li Ye stroked his chin, a strong sense that something wasn't right creeping over him. 

.... 

The situation remained temporarily stable, and life continued as usual. 

The issue with the bandit cultivators remained unresolved, and the patrol squads had become a permanent fixture. Yet, the ongoing unrest seemed to have prompted some cultivators to consider leaving. 

In the blink of an eye, a full year had passed amidst the intense struggle between the two marketplaces. 

"I'm a year older again... Already twenty-nine, nearly thirty..." 

Li Ye let out a sigh, then, without hesitation, swallowed and refined a dose of Void Realm Spirit Essence. 

Vital energy surged through him his hair remained jet black, his skin smooth like jade, without a single wrinkle in sight.

Compared to before, it was as if he hadn't changed at all. 

Just as he had always said: let the outside world stir as it may he remained nestled on the mountain, quietly tending to his fields, never stepping out. 

In this past year, thanks to the cultivation speed brought by his mid-grade spiritual roots, Li Ye's progress had been nothing short of astonishing. 

His mana foundation was now more than halfway complete, and the breakthrough was no longer far off. 

As for his Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique, with continued study of second-tier alchemy, he had developed an even more potent Focus Incense. With its aid, he successfully broke through to the third realm. 

His spiritual power had grown immensely on the verge of evolving into divine sense. He could now concentrate on seven tasks at once and was striving toward the peak of ninefold mental focus. 

In doing so, he had essentially resolved the issue of his spiritual capacity ensuring that when the time for a breakthrough came, his spirit would be able to handle the explosive surge in mana and retain control. 

Compared to this, his other advancements like breaking into second-tier formation arts or reaching high-second-tier in cultivation techniques seemed almost secondary. 

"My aptitude used to be so poor, I never realized how effective pills could be... At this rate, I should reach the peak of Qi Refining by the end of this year or at the latest, next year!" 

Murmuring to himself, Li Ye made his way to the second-tier spiritual field. 

Compared to three years ago, the field was now lush and vibrant. 

Earth Dragon Ginseng grew deep underground, with only a few diamond-shaped leaves poking above the surface nothing unusual to the naked eye. But with spiritual sight, one could see that the earth around it was far richer and more concentrated in energy. 

Mindroot Flower bloomed in a light blue hue, its veins laced with faint purple and wrapped in a soft glow. Staring at it too long could induce dizziness and illusion. 

White Yin Fruit grew in small shrub-like clusters, its translucent silver fruits sparkling like tiny orbs of light. 

Three very different spiritual plants flourished harmoniously together. Each one thrived in excellent condition, steadily accumulating vitality and medicinal potency. 

"The feedback cycle for second-tier spiritual plants is a bit longer than I expected. After a whole year, I've only gotten one round of spiritual essence feedback. Though each plant gives about 2%, I'm still quite a bit short of the full amount needed..." 

Li Ye calculated carefully. 

The near-disastrous lesson from overclocking the Longevity Pill was still fresh in his mind. With his current second-tier alchemy skills, he'd already attempted simulated refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pill using herbs with similar properties. 

Through that, he deduced the approximate ratio of spiritual essence required from the three main ingredients Earth Dragon Ginseng, Mindroot Flower, and White yin Fruit at around 2:3:3. Though Earth Dragon Ginseng required the least, it was the linchpin in harmonizing the entire formula's medicinal effect. 

By this calculation, he would need to accumulate two to three dozen units of spiritual essence from each herb before he could even attempt to refine the pill...

At this rate, it would likely take another one or two years of cultivation!

"Well then, steady does it. At worst, it'll just take a little more time." 

Li Ye remained confident and completely unhurried. 

Cultivating, farming, occasionally refining pills, crafting talismans, and studying formations. 

Life on Mount Changcui was rich and fulfilling for Li Ye. Meanwhile, the outside world was changing by the day. 

The tug-of-war between the two marketplaces continued. Though things appeared balanced order maintained, profits secured it all came at a cost: rogue cultivators and weaker mountain sect disciples were being systematically worn down and exploited.

Over the past year or two, Chidi Mountains still welcomed outside cultivators some seeking refuge, others looking for a place to practice. They either joined existing sects or tried to survive as independents within the market system. 

But those familiar with the region had begun to grow wary. With unrest in both markets, even rogue cultivators banding together risked becoming prey to bandits dying without a sound. 

Rogues weren't fools. Many had begun to sense something was wrong with the situation. 

As a result, more and more cultivators chose to leave the region entirely, heading for other nations instead.

Whether they had originally come here for safety or cultivation opportunities if the situation here turned out worse than their homelands, why stay?

As this trend continued, the foundation of the Chidi Mountains remained, but its cultivator population was shrinking. 

And with fewer people, who would the markets earn money from? 

Even the bandits were struggling to find victims worth robbing. With less income, tensions between the patrol squads and the bandits flared up once again. 

In a short period, several intense battles broke out with heavy casualties on both sides.

It was at this moment while Li Ye had merely been watching the show from the sidelines that he suddenly received a summons.

-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 165+ chapters in there

patreon.com/LordoftheReader