End of the Transaction

Whoosh!

Zhou Ping exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, his body emitting a crisp cadence of popping bones. He slowly opened his eyes, unable to suppress the joy welling up within them.

Since improving his aptitude, the amount of Spiritual Qi he could accommodate had naturally increased significantly.

Generally speaking, a cultivator with one cun of Spiritual Light could accommodate seven to twelve strands of Spiritual Qi; two cun could hold ten to fifteen strands; and three cun could hold around thirteen to eighteen strands.

On rare occasions, a cultivator with one cun of Spiritual Light might accommodate more Spiritual Qi than someone with two cun, or far exceed the normal range, entirely due to acquired factors.

Spiritual Light originates from the True Spirit and is fixed by heavenly law. Even if methods existed in the world to alter one's Spiritual Light, the cost was immense. However, the physical body could be tempered through acquired means-such as consuming treasures of heaven and earth, or repeatedly risking one's life to force a breakthrough. This increased the body's affinity for Spiritual Qi, thereby stretching the limits of what it could hold.

Take Zhou Ping, for example. His Spiritual Light had previously been a mere one and a half cun, so he could initially hold only eight strands of Spiritual Qi. Yet, after cultivating to his peak, he had repeatedly attempted to break through to the Qi Condensation realm. Though each failure left him severely injured, the intense tempering intimately intertwined his flesh with the Spiritual Qi, drastically increasing his physical affinity for it. This was why he had ultimately managed to amass eleven strands.

In other words, he had long since reached the absolute peak of his Spirit Awakening Realm. Those extra strands represented a half-step forward achieved by a cultivator of mediocre aptitude, even if the remaining half-step still felt utterly out of reach.

Although three cun of Spiritual Light was the minimum threshold required to break through to the Qi Condensation realm, many Sects set their standard for recruiting outer disciples at two and a half cun or above. They knew that if a cultivator possessed immense willpower and endured several life-and-death crises during breakthroughs, the transition was not entirely impossible.

Now, his Spiritual Light had reached two and a half cun, and the Spiritual Qi within his body had swelled to fourteen strands-a full increase of three strands. If he attempted a few more breakthroughs, he might just achieve the Qi Condensation realm, enabling his family to establish themselves as a true Immortal Clan.

Just as Zhou Ping was about to focus his mind to refine his cultivation further, he heard Zhou Minghu's urgent voice from outside the door.

"Father! Father!"

Zhou Ping opened the door and stepped into the courtyard. Looking at the sweating Zhou Minghu, he asked in confusion, "What is the matter?"

Ever since Zhou Minghu learned the method for gathering Mountain Clear Qi, the father and son had taken turns entering the mountains every few days. Zhou Minghu, stubborn and eager to contribute more to the household, rarely stayed at home.

There was also the trade with the demon fox. Over the past three or four years, the creature had gradually lost interest in petty human delicacies, and the intervals between their meetings grew longer. Nevertheless, it remained their sole avenue for acquiring Magical Artifacts, so Zhou Ping and his son treated it with utmost gravity. This time, Zhou Minghu had gone to conduct the secret trade alone.

Over these three years, they had managed to obtain several useful, albeit damaged, Magical Artifacts. The spear currently in Zhou Xuanya's possession was one of them, alongside a jade seal, a wine gourd, and a few other items.

Zhou Minghu calmed his agitated Qi and whispered, "The demon fox no longer wishes to trade. It said this would be the last time."

Zhou Ping froze, experiencing a mixed wave of regret and relief.

He felt regret because they could no longer acquire damaged Magical Artifacts, but bargaining with a demon was a perilous affair. If word ever leaked out, they would be branded as traitors to humanity. Now that the transactions had ceased, their lives would at least be more secure.

"Before it left, the demon fox mentioned one more thing," Zhou Minghu said slowly. "It said that due to the intense heat of the past few years, the beasts and demons within Darong Mountain have grown restless. It warned that a beast tide might be brewing and told us to be careful."

This left Zhou Ping stunned. Though he knew the demon fox possessed a mild temperament, he had not expected it to offer a warning at a time like this. In contrast, human hearts were often wicked; many would gladly stand by and watch others suffer despite knowing the danger.

"I have noticed this as well," Zhou Ping said. "The past three years of scorching drought have been unbearable, and the Baixi River has shrunk by more than half. The wild beasts in the mountains are bound to suffer. Our herb-gathering team has already encountered fierce beasts several times in a row."

"Your cousin had the foresight to build a dam downstream early on to preserve our water. Now, he is preparing to dig channels to divert the flow, ensuring the crops in the fields can survive."

"Do not go up the mountain to gather Qi anymore. The situation there is becoming too perilous. If you run into a demon beast, it will be incredibly difficult to handle."

Zhou Minghu nodded slightly. "But a beast tide is no small matter. Should I inform the other households in the village so we can pool our men and form a defense force?"

Zhou Ping refused flatly. "A simple warning is enough. The villagers are already overwhelmed with their own fields. If we try to conscript labor from every household, they will only breed resentment toward our family."

"Our family now employs over thirty estate guards. You and Uncle Xu should lead them to dig deep, wide trenches around the perimeter of our village. This will both deter the wild beasts and help divert water to irrigate our crops."

"Father is right," Zhou Minghu said, bowing respectfully.

Zhou Ping then asked, "How is your cultivation progressing? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

"I have reached twelve strands, but I am completely stuck," Zhou Minghu answered honestly, letting out a heavy sigh. "The further I cultivate, the more I realize how agonizingly difficult the path to immortality truly is."

"I wonder when our family will finally produce a Qi Condensation cultivator. If we have a Qi Condensation master, we can formally establish our clan, petition the imperial court for a warding array, and gather Spiritual Qi to grow Spirit Rice," Zhou Minghu said longingly. "If Grandfather and Grandmother could eat Spirit Rice regularly, their bodies would surely fare much better."

Ever since Zhou Ping had compiled his knowledge of the cultivation world into a manual, his sons had finally managed to bridge the gaps in their understanding of the wider world.

Hearing his son's words, Zhou Ping could not help but sigh as well.

He, too, wished for his elderly parents to enjoy longevity and perfect health. However, in the entirety of Qingshui County, only the Pingyun Huang Clan to the east cultivated and sold Spirit Rice. They only harvested a few hundred jin each year. Even if the Zhou family offered an exorbitant price, they could only secure a dozen or so jin at most-hardly enough to sustain Zhou Dashan and his wife, let alone the rest of the family.

To cultivate Spirit Rice, the concentration of local Spiritual Qi had to reach a specific threshold. The Pingyun Huang Clan possessed a proprietary array that drew in Spiritual Qi from all directions, which was the only reason they could maintain their Spirit Fields.

In a remote, impoverished corner like Baixi Village, Zhou Ping had scoured the surrounding land thoroughly during his initial years back home. Even the most fertile spots could barely nourish common ginseng or lingzhi, let alone Spirit Rice.

Furthermore, Zhou Ping had no connections to procure a warding array, nor could he afford one. A single standard array required a baseline of at least a hundred Spirit Stones. Those were precious Spirit Stones, after all.

Their sole viable path was to produce a Qi Condensation cultivator to elevate the family into a recognized Immortal Clan. Only then could they apply to the imperial court to purchase a basic array-albeit at the cost of a staggering debt.

Word had it that the Pingyun Huang Clan still owed the court five hundred Spirit Stones, and the vast majority of their annual Spirit Rice harvest was seized directly to service that debt.

As for Spirit Awakening Realm cultivators, the court would never grant them such a request. The imperial bureaucracy was not foolish; they strictly calculated an applicant's capacity to repay.

A Qi Condensation cultivator establishing a clan possessed genuine strength and could protect the investment using the array's power. But a Spirit Awakening cultivator? If an array were set up today, they would likely be found dead in the wilderness tomorrow, and the array components would vanish without a trace.

The imperial court refused to take such risks. Their purpose was to harvest the wealth of the Immortal Clans, not to engage in losing business ventures.

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