Chapter 24: The Essence of All Things - One Hundred-Year Spirit Herb Per Month

He had heard of mid-grade spirit stones, with the generally accepted exchange rate being one to one hundred. However, when it came to actual transactions, a mid-grade spirit stone could easily be exchanged for 120 low-grade spirit stones. Chen Xun and the big black bull hid in a secluded corner, their eyes darting around vigilantly. One hand gripped the mountain-splitting axe tightly. 

"Old Bull, we're rich!" Chen Xun whispered gleefully. 

"Moo~" The big black bull let out a low call, its head resting against Chen Xun's chest, its eyes brimming with joy. 

The greatest use of low-grade spirit stones was for cultivation. The pure spiritual energy they contained was far superior to the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth. When cultivating, they still had to refine the impurities in the ambient energy. But that was the way of the wealthy in the cultivation world. Ordinary cultivators could only use spirit stones for transactions, as pills were more effective, though they came with the risk of developing resistance. To consume pills to the point of developing resistance was the mark of a true tycoon; resistance was not even a consideration for ordinary cultivators. 

The next day, they continued selling booklets and finally managed to gather one hundred low-grade spirit stones. Chen Xun trembled with excitement, while the big black bull mooed incessantly, circling around him. 

"Old Bull, we must act discreetly," Chen Xun said furtively, feeling as though everyone was out to steal their spirit stones. 

"Moo! Moo!" The big black bull called out, understanding the sentiment. 

On the third day, they stopped selling booklets and began browsing the various stalls. Suddenly, Chen Xun's eyes lit up as he spotted a familiar "old acquaintance." 

"Miss, it's you!" 

The young woman's appearance hadn't changed much; she still looked the same as before. Her stall displayed several spirit herbs and bottles of pills. 

Her expression froze. It was still the same familiar pair of legs, still the same four black bull hooves. A thought popped into her mind—how had this bandit brought his bull here again? 

"Heh, it's you," the young woman forced a smile. This look was so deeply ingrained in her memory that it was impossible to forget. 

"We're here to buy things. We have spirit stones." 

"Alright, what would you like to buy?" The young woman's eyes lit up, instantly energized. As long as they weren't here to mess with her, that was fine. 

"Could you introduce these three spirit herbs to me?" Chen Xun squatted down, offering an awkward smile. However, he had studied medicine and could discern a few things. 

Under the young woman's astonished gaze, Chen Xun reached into his crotch and pulled out a few spirit stones to prove he was serious. 

"Alright..." The young woman froze, her gaze dropping as she pointed to one of the spirit herbs. 

"This is Water Cloud Grass, twenty years old, a material for Gathering Qi Pills." 

"This is Frost Maple Grass, but it's only ten years old, a material for Heavy Feather Pills." 

"This is Divine Meeting Grass, thirty years old, also a material for Heavy Feather Pills." 

The young woman introduced each herb in turn. Although the ages weren't high, for a rogue cultivator to gather so many spirit herbs was already no small feat. If the ages were any higher, many demonic beasts and spirit beasts would come to fight over them. 

"Miss, how much for all of them?" Chen Xun licked his lips, his eyes fixed on the spirit herbs. The ages seemed particularly easy to judge, just as he had anticipated. 

"Twenty," the young woman said after some thought. 

"What?!" Chen Xun stood up and exclaimed, his piercing voice making the young woman frown. She said coquettishly, "Then how much would you offer?" 

"Eight." 

"What?!" Now it was the young woman's turn to stand up and exclaim. Was this how bargaining worked? "Why don't you just rob me?" 

Chen Xun looked troubled, reaching into his crotch again to pull out a few spirit stones with difficulty. "Ten spirit stones, that's all I have." 

The young woman's chest rose and fell slightly as she observed Chen Xun's expression. But she couldn't discern anything—just a nose, eyes, and mouth exposed to the air. 

"Fine, deal." The young woman nodded firmly. 

"Throw in three boxes for me; I don't have anything to store them in..." Chen Xun eyed the medicine boxes behind her, having coveted them for a while. Truly professional, as expected of someone selling spirit herbs. 

The young woman widened her eyes. This man was truly a bandit, taking everything he could. Still, she gave in and even offered him a sweet smile at the end. 

"Old Bull, spend wisely, but don't skimp when necessary. Got it?" 

"Moo moo!" The big black bull nudged Chen Xun in dissatisfaction. Having spent so much time in the mortal realm, they had long understood this principle. 

"Brother, how much for this Fireball Technique?" Chen Xun approached a stall selling techniques, his eyes calm and steady. 

A middle-aged man glanced at Chen Xun, his pupils slightly dilating. "Four low-grade spirit stones." 

Chen Xun looked troubled, hesitation flickering in his eyes. The big black bull tugged at him—let's go, let's go! 

"Wait, fellow cultivator," the middle-aged man said, glancing at Chen Xun and then at the big black bull. "Do you truly want it?" 

"Well, I do have some interest," Chen Xun nodded slightly. 

"Two spirit stones, take it!" 

"Brother, you're straightforward." Chen Xun praised, pulling two spirit stones from his crotch and taking the technique without hesitation. The transaction was swift and smooth. 

The middle-aged man shook his head slightly, pulling out another copy of "Fireball Technique" from beneath his stall. It was a common, mass-produced technique he could print endlessly. 

Chen Xun and the big black bull bought one copy of each technique from various stalls, never buying more than one. 

"Object Manipulation Technique," "Basic Alchemy Technique," "Spirit Herb Compendium," "Spirit Clarity Technique," and more. They even splurged on a bag of spirit herb seeds. Their hundred spirit stones were quickly depleted. 

Walking through the valley, Chen Xun and the big black bull felt their hearts racing. They felt as though their wealth was too conspicuous, with countless rogue cultivators eyeing them for a chance to rob them. 

"Old Bull." 

"Moo~" 

Man and bull exchanged a deep glance, their pace quickening as they dashed out of the valley, disappearing without a trace before the ten great sects even made an appearance. 

... 

On the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountain Range, they occupied a beast's lair, sealing the entrance with a massive boulder that ordinary people couldn't move. 

The boulder was covered in dense vines, making it nearly impossible to notice the cave unless one looked closely. 

Crack! Firelight illuminated the cave, making it bright as day. Chen Xun's face was flushed, while the big black bull ran in circles, spinning with excitement. 

"Old Bull, don't flaunt our wealth. Stay calm," Chen Xun said with a trembling voice, chuckling lowly. "Look at you—when will you ever be as composed as me?" 

"Moo~~" The big black bull rubbed against Chen Xun, brimming with joy. "Moo moo!" 

"We have 15 points of the Essence of All Things, which adds up to 30. That means we can accelerate the growth of spirit herbs by over two years in a single day," Chen Xun said, growing more excited with each word, saliva flying. "Old Bull, do you know math? How many years is that in a month?!" 

"Moo moo?" The big black bull called out twice, picking up a stone to scribble calculations on the ground. 

"Seventy-five years!" Chen Xun exclaimed, looking at the big black bull. "One hundred-year spirit herb per month—my heavens!" 

"Moo? Moo moo!" The big black bull was startled, dropping the stone. They had heard that a single hundred-year spirit herb could fetch around one to two hundred low-grade spirit stones. 

With spirit herb seeds to plant, they could sell and buy more, creating an endless cycle. Who in the cultivation world could rival their wealth in spirit stones? 

"Don't get carried away. We don't have the strength to sell in large quantities yet," Chen Xun said, noticing the big black bull's expression and knowing what it was thinking. "One shot at a time, then move on. That way, we won't attract attention. Besides, we need to refine pills ourselves." 

"Moo moo!" The big black bull nodded repeatedly, its eyes wide and dazed, nearly losing itself in excitement. 

"Let's first cultivate the three spirit herbs in the medicine boxes to a hundred years. Then we'll handle the spirit herb seeds one by one," Chen Xun said calmly. Hundred-year spirit herbs planted outside would emit a unique medicinal fragrance that could attract many demonic beasts and spirit beasts. 

These medicine boxes not only preserved the herbs' properties but also masked their fragrance. They would need to acquire more of them in the future, Chen Xun thought to himself.