Chapter 15

Chu He's current desire for spirit stones is indeed unprecedented, as he has reached a point in his cultivation where there are no more elixirs to use, and his previously rapid progress has gradually slowed down. He originally planned to advance to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement stage within a month, but without the support of mid-grade Qi Enhancing Pills, it would definitely take more time.

The most critical issue is that once there is no assistance from the medicinal power, it is unknown whether the transformation of the spirit body will be affected.

Chu He is so eager to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement stage not only to obtain the qualification of a low-level spirit farmer and for the needs of cultivation, but also because he can activate mid-grade talismans. Without the spirit essence of the fifth level of the Qi Refinement stage, it is impossible to activate mid-grade talismans.

With his extraordinary skill in controlling talismans, if he has enough mid-grade talismans in hand, he might even be able to fight against cultivators at the ninth level of the Qi Refinement stage who have reached the Great Perfection.

With sufficient self-protection capabilities, Chu He can go to the Qingling Town's scattered market. Of course, he would not forget to invite Gu Han to go together, as his discernment of materials should far surpass his own.

Chu He has also learned about Gu Han's family background through indirect inquiries: he comes from a considerable family, and has been learning and working under a family alchemist since childhood. He is extremely familiar with low-grade materials, making him the perfect person to oversee this.

If the Cleansing Fire can indeed transform better low-grade materials into mid-grade materials, the price difference should be significant. To be precise, as long as there is a price difference, it would be sufficient, because in terms of manpower, this method is almost cost-free (except for Gu Han's compensation). Therefore, this is clearly a path to wealth, which is why Chu He is so focused on it.

There is no other way; if not for these reasons, Chu He would not have racked his brains to earn spirit stones.

It has been half a month since Chu He connected with Gu Han. This guy is still someone who remembers old friendships; even though he has become an inner disciple, he still calls Chu He "Brother Chu" and treats him no differently than before.

Gu Han's place of cultivation and study is on a mountain called Linglu Peak, which is over a hundred miles away from Cone Peak.

The ninety-nine peaks of Qingling Mountain can be divided into three areas:

1. The outer area, like Cone Peak, which is on the outer layer of the mountain range. There are seventy-two such peaks, and almost each peak has a true disciple or elder in charge. The spiritual energy in this area is several times stronger than the average outside.

2. The inner area, which consists of peaks with the character "Ling" in their names. There are twenty-one such peaks, and the master of each peak is either an outstanding true disciple or a respected elder. The density of spiritual energy in this area is several times stronger than in the outer area.

3. The core area, which consists of five peaks, all with the character "Qing" in their names. Since Instructor Zhang did not provide detailed information, Chu He cannot know the specifics, but it can be inferred that these peaks are better than the "Ling" peaks, as they are located on the main vein of the spirit vein.

When inner disciples like Gu Han enter the sect, they are immediately assigned to peaks with the character "Ling" in their names, indicating that the sect's resources are prioritized for talented individuals. Chu He finds this reasonable, as his mother used to say, "You eat according to your ability," and he agrees with this.

The communication between Chu He and Gu Han is not through the legendary transmission swords or jade talismans, but through the Qianji Jade in his hand.

Within Qingling Mountain, the transmission arrays at various points are already interconnected, allowing information to flow smoothly. The Qianji Jade in each person's hand can also communicate with each other, but it requires obtaining the imprint of the other person's Qianji Jade.

However, users must pay a certain amount of spirit stones each month to cover the daily consumption of the transmission array, similar to the monthly rental of a mobile phone in the past.

On this day, Gu Han brought good news: in three days, they would be led by several instructors to Qingling Town to intern and identify materials for a day. He had already found an excuse to inform the instructor, allowing Chu He to accompany them.

Good friend, for life! Upon receiving this news, Chu He could not help but feel tears welling up: he did not expect the opportunity to earn his first pot of gold to come so quickly. In his excitement, he almost wanted to send a flying kiss image back, but he refrained when he realized it would incur additional costs.

The rewards from over a month of missions, after deducting the consumption of the Qianji Jade and the repayment of debts, still left him with nearly a hundred low-grade spirit stones. He was able to save so many spirit stones because his Gannian Technique had improved to the second level of Great Perfection, allowing him to complete more tasks each day.

Chu He and his group had completed their courses a month ago. Now, except for the specified days each month when they must attend the academy, the rest of the time is at their disposal. Since the days Gu Han mentioned were during this free time, Chu He's application was quickly approved.

The magical tool that Gu Han and his group rode was the same type of spacecraft that had picked them up. This time, including the instructors, there were about forty to fifty people.

When Chu He boarded the spacecraft halfway through, most people were somewhat surprised, and some even showed disdain. After all, a spirit farmer apprentice who is not even an outer disciple is far below their level, and it is natural to look down on him.

Chu He ignored those gazes and respectfully greeted each instructor, which earned him a bit of a good impression from the two instructors.

After not seeing each other for over a month, Gu Han had also broken through to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement stage. Chu He was not surprised by Gu Han's cultivation level, but Gu Han was somewhat surprised when he saw Chu He's cultivation level. If he knew that Chu He had broken through to the fourth level within a week of entering the sect, he would have been speechless.

The spacecraft moved very quickly, and in just a few dozen breaths, Qingling Town was in sight.

After disembarking from the spacecraft, Chu He resisted the urge to visit the elixir shop and instead rented a room at the inn where he had previously stayed with Gu Han to wait.

After about an hour, Gu Han came over, and they went to the Qinghe Market together.

However, this time they were not going to the scattered market, but to the area where magical tools were sold.

Chu He was somewhat puzzled: wouldn't it be better to go to the scattered market to find treasures? After all, this area is full of large shops, and the prices of the items sold are higher than the market price.

Of course, since the prices are higher, there would be no fake or inferior goods mixed in. Large shops emphasize the principle of "you get what you pay for" and prioritize credibility. However, with limited spirit stones, Chu He still wanted to go to the scattered market to find better deals.

"Hey, in our Qingling Mountain shops, there are several materials that meet your requirements. They have been personally identified by the instructors, so you don't have to worry about making a mistake," Gu Han explained happily.

Finding the right materials for Chu He so easily naturally made him happy, knowing that Chu He would pay him two low-grade spirit stones for each material.

In the shops of his sect, with the instructors' identification and Gu Han's oversight, it would definitely be 100% reliable.

Gu Han also brought another piece of good news: "I talked to their young shopkeeper, and they can give us a 10% discount."

Good friend, for... no, no, it's a good partner! Can't always think that way! Chu He naturally did not lack in enthusiastic praise, which made Gu Han's face turn red with embarrassment.