Chapter 200 : Wasteful Fool
Chapter 200: Wasteful Fool
Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding cultivators, Gu Yunsi took out a piece of beast hide and laid it beside Chen Beiwu’s stall. He neatly arranged the items for sale upon it, then immediately closed his eyes and entered meditation.
As the most highly anticipated contender for the championship in this Inner Sect Grand Competition, he had long grown accustomed to being the center of attention.
“Earth-Burial Mushroom.”
“Flowing-Firefly Vine.”
“Bone-Rot Flower.”
“……”
Chen Beiwu’s gaze swept over and found that everything sold on the black-robed cultivator’s stall consisted of extremely rare second-tier superior-grade spiritual herbs.
One had to know, although the Southern Wastes were brimming with treasures, not every cultivator could find high-quality second-tier spiritual herbs in the wilderness.
This person was most likely either an alchemist who understood the growth habits of herbs or a spiritual plant master.
At that moment, Chen Beiwu’s gaze froze, falling upon a third-tier treasure herb at the center of the stall.
Its entire body was moon-white, crystalline like glazed glass. It had three translucent petals, and within the veins of the petals, strands of starlight flowed faintly. Its light-golden stamens constantly released a subtle fragrance that soothed the heart and refreshed the spirit.
Even though Chen Beiwu was standing some distance away, he could still smell that fragrance, and his spirit was immediately uplifted.
This alone showed that the item was absolutely extraordinary.
Chen Beiwu furrowed his brows slightly, his mind racing.
This treasure herb looked familiar, yet he could not recall the exact information in such a short time.
“Inferior one is Gu Yunsi. Junior Brother, are you interested in this Illumination-Heart Lotus?” Gu Yunsi spoke first.
Geniuses were always proud.
Normally, he would not take the initiative to converse with others unless the person had some extraordinary qualities worth befriending.
“Inferior one is Chen Zi’ang.” After saying this, Chen Beiwu clasped his hands in salute and humbly asked, “Senior Brother Gu, what is the Illumination-Heart Lotus?”
Gu Yunsi cast a glance at the Sequence Disciple emblem on Chen Zi’ang’s Daoist robe, and his curiosity deepened.
Good heavens—there actually existed a Qi Refining cultivator in this world who could cultivate the Seven Revolutions of the Great Cycle Qi Refining Method to such an inconceivable level.
If Gu Yunsi had not once cultivated the Seven Revolutions of the Great Cycle Qi Refining Method himself during the Qi Refining stage, faintly sensing something unusual, he would have thought he was facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, not a Qi Refining one.
“The Illumination-Heart Lotus is a third-tier inferior-grade treasure herb. Its growth cycle spans a thousand years. If one collects its stamen and places it within an incense burner, igniting it with millennium-old purple sandalwood as fuel, it produces a wisp of Illumination-Heart Mist.
A cultivator who breathes in this mist during cultivation can clear the spiritual platform, greatly enhance comprehension, easily perceive flaws in one’s cultivation, and smoothly break through bottlenecks.”
Although Gu Yunsi knew full well Chen Beiwu could not afford it, he still patiently explained.
This treasure herb was hard to obtain. To snatch the Illumination-Heart Lotus from the jaws of a peak Foundation Establishment beast, he had nearly lost his life on Tianshan Island.
Yet the price offered by the sect’s Mission Hall was a mere twenty thousand contribution points.
Naturally, Gu Yunsi was unwilling to sell it cheaply at the Mission Hall, so he came specifically to the sect’s trading market. Perhaps a Golden Core True Person passing by might notice it and purchase it for a high price.
Even if he had bad luck and could not sell it, he could still transfer it to a True Disciple who was preparing to form a core.
Upon hearing this, inspiration suddenly flashed through Chen Beiwu’s mind, and he recalled the detailed information on this treasure herb.
In the Immortal Alliance, the Illumination-Heart Lotus was known as the Tai Xuan Reflecting-Heart Lotus.
As the name implied, it was a third-tier treasure herb that enabled cultivators to enter a state of enlightenment.
Perhaps because the two realms differed in methods of usage, the Reflecting-Heart Lotus was classified in the Immortal Alliance as a third-tier supreme-grade treasure herb—valued far above ordinary fourth-tier mystic herbs.
The reason was simple: it could help cultivators of the Immortal Alliance cultivate the Tai Xuan Guarding the One meditation method to the Minor Completion stage.
And what did Minor Completion of Tai Xuan Guarding the One mean?
One had to know, merely the introductory stage of Tai Xuan Guarding the One could already enhance a cultivator’s Spiritual Root Purity by a single point.
At Minor Completion, at the very least, it could increase Spiritual Root Purity by two to three points—comparable to the three meridians’ blessing of Gold Egg.
Chen Beiwu had only learned of the existence of the Tai Xuan Reflecting-Heart Lotus after browsing extensively on the Immortal Alliance Official Website.
But he had only known a few characteristics and had never seen an actual picture of it.
Had Senior Brother Gu not enlightened him with specific details, Chen Beiwu would not have recalled this herb that only existed in rumors.
‘This Reflecting-Heart Lotus must be mine.’ Chen Beiwu resolved inwardly.
The chance to enhance Spiritual Root Purity was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No cultivator would willingly miss such an encounter.
The only dilemma was: at what price could he swiftly obtain this Reflecting-Heart Lotus before unforeseen changes arose?
“How many Spirit Stones for this Illumination-Heart Lotus?” While Chen Beiwu pondered, a Foundation Establishment cultivator inquired.
“Thirty-five thousand contribution points,” Gu Yunsi replied.
At that steep price, the noisy marketplace instantly fell silent. Every passerby’s eyes turned toward Gu Yunsi.
Even if an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator never cultivated and spent thirty years risking missions, there was only a small chance of accumulating thirty thousand contribution points. Let alone saving up thirty thousand.
Although the Illumination-Heart Lotus was good, it did not seem worth such a high price.
After all, with only a few thousand contribution points, Foundation Establishment cultivators could exchange at the Hall of Mysteries for a second-tier superior-grade spiritual pill that aided in breaking through bottlenecks. There was no need to use such a rare treasure herb.
“This is too expensive. How about fifteen thousand contribution points?” The man frowned.
“If you can’t afford it, then scram.” Gu Yunsi’s eyes turned cold.
That was not how bargaining worked. At that price, he might as well sell it to the sect’s Mission Hall.
The inquiring cultivator shook his head and walked away.
For a Golden Core True Person, thirty-five thousand contribution points was nothing—something they could casually spend.
But for Inner Sect disciples, thirty-five thousand contribution points saved up could buy a sect’s Core-Forming Treasure Pill. Very few would be willing to waste it on an Illumination-Heart Lotus.
Thanks to the crowd gathering at Gu Yunsi’s stall, Chen Beiwu’s stall also drew customers, and his miscellaneous spiritual tools were soon more than half sold.
The Soul-Piercing Nail was too damaged, sold for a hundred contribution points.
The Mysterious Bane Qi was of too low a grade, sold for two thousand contribution points—a discounted price.
The Concealing Jade Pendant, being a rare mid-grade concealing spiritual tool, fetched the highest price—four thousand contribution points, rivaling the lowest second-tier superior-grade spiritual tools.
All these bits and pieces added up to seven thousand six hundred contribution points. Chen Beiwu successfully gathered enough to exchange for the Heavenly Evolution Cycle Art.
Within those two quarters of an hour, Chen Beiwu also gathered from Gu Yunsi’s bargaining conversations with passing cultivators what Senior Brother specifically sought:
First, superior-grade ice-element Earthly Sha Qi.
Second, secret arts that aided ice-element cultivators in Core Formation.
Third, third-tier treasure herbs or magical treasures greatly beneficial to late-stage Foundation Establishment ice-element cultivators.
If none of these three were offered, Senior Brother Gu would firmly insist on thirty-five thousand contribution points, not a point less.
Thinking this, Chen Beiwu decided to take the initiative. From his storage ring, he drew out the half stalk of Profound Marrow Ginseng that Senior Sister Wan’er had once gifted him, placing it on his stall.
Although this ice-element third-tier treasure herb had only half remaining, with much of its medicinal power lost, it could still help a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Senior Brother Gu easily break through bottlenecks and advance to Foundation Establishment peak, adding a foundation for future Core Formation.
Sure enough, just after Chen Beiwu finished writing the description, Senior Brother Gu’s gaze fell upon the jade box in his hand, eyes filled with heartache.
What a wasteful fool—he had actually broken a Profound Marrow Ginseng into halves!