Chapter 185 - 133: 2000 Spirit Stones

Chapter 185: Chapter 133: 2000 Spirit Stones

Qingping Lane.

Chen Jianghe had just returned from the Qinghe Tavern. Before he even reached the gate of his courtyard, he saw two Cultivators walking toward him.

One was a skinny middle-aged man with a mole on his face. The other was a frail-looking young man in green, though his body exuded an icy aura—a clear sign that he had begun practicing Body Refining Techniques. Both Cultivators were at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation.

The two stopped when they reached him. The middle-aged Cultivator smiled amiably and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have any interest in joining a Demon Hunting Team?

"Our team is incredibly strong. We have several Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivators who have achieved Body Refining Perfection. You can earn fifty Spirit Stones in a single trip." The skinny middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, his words laced with temptation.

Chen Jianghe glanced at them. He maintained a welcoming smile on the surface, but his guard immediately went up. He thought to himself, "This is the Southwest District. The Cultivators living here are mostly Middle-Lower Grade craftsmen. Very few Demon Hunters live in this area. This is especially true for Qingping Lane, where all the residences are single-room courtyards. For these two to come here recruiting Demon Hunters... there’s obviously a problem.

"On top of that, offering fifty Spirit Stones for a single trip is completely absurd. Even Ruan Tieniu, the captain of a genuinely powerful Demon Hunting Team, only makes about thirty or forty Spirit Stones per outing."

"Thank you for the generous invitation, Fellow Daoist, but I have no intention of becoming a Demon Hunter. Farewell," Chen Jianghe replied. With that, he quickly walked away.

"Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist," the frail young man called out, hurrying to catch up. He asked earnestly, "Are you a craftsman? May I ask what kind? Perhaps we can make a deal."

"Arrays. Do you need me to leave the Qinghe Marketplace with you for an Array Formation?"

"That would be wonderful!" The frail young man was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

"But my prices are very high," Chen Jianghe said with a pleasant smile.

"We can afford whatever you charge."

"For one Tier One Lower-Grade Array, I charge one hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

"Ah! That’s so expensive!" The young man stood rooted to the spot in sheer astonishment.

Chen Jianghe turned and walked away, returning to his own courtyard.

"Number Two, an Array Master sure knows how to make Spirit Stones! To think that setting up a Tier One Lower-Grade Array costs one hundred thousand Spirit Stones... Maybe we should go learn how to form Arrays, too," the frail young man said seriously to the skinny middle-aged man after recovering from his shock.

"Stop dreaming. Our cover is blown!" The skinny middle-aged man’s face darkened. He flicked his sleeves angrily and marched out of Qingping Lane.

"Our cover is blown?

"That kid knows we’re Tribulation Cultivators?" The young man’s eyes surged with killing intent as he glared at Courtyard 512. "Bastard! How dare you play a trick on Evil Fourth Brother! Sooner or later, I’ll skin you alive!" he snarled.

After dropping that vicious threat, the frail young man hurriedly jogged to catch up with the skinny middle-aged man.

He didn’t dare make a move inside the Qinghe Marketplace. Otherwise, the Guard Team would strike him down before a Foundation Establishment Cultivator even needed to intervene. Even his boss, Boss Duan, wouldn’t dare act recklessly in the Qinghe Marketplace. Only the Village Chiefs of Qingfong Village would have that kind of audacity if they came in person.

Furthermore, he knew very well that he was no match for Chen Jianghe. The fluctuations of Magical Power from a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator were enough to strip him of any courage to fight. But having grown accustomed to throwing his weight around while by Boss Duan’s side, his pride wouldn’t allow him to leave with his tail tucked between his legs. He had to leave a parting threat to save face.

Right after the two men left Qingping Lane, Chen Jianghe opened his courtyard gate. He gazed toward the entrance of the alleyway, a grave expression settling on his face.

"To think they would actually send people into the marketplace just to lure me out of the city," he murmured. "It seems this gang of Tribulation Cultivators has truly painted a target on my back."

Chen Jianghe went back inside his courtyard.

He wasn’t afraid of those two men in the slightest. Even without Little Black and Fur Ball’s help, he was entirely confident he could slaughter them. He wouldn’t bat an eye even if their boss, Duan Ming, showed up.

What he truly feared were the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Qingfong Village.

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator came and launched a direct attack against him, having ten High-Grade Protection Talismans wouldn’t be enough to save him. His only option would be to expose Little Black’s existence. But even then, there was no guarantee they could withstand the assault of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The only true solution was for Little Black to become a Tier Two Spirit Beast as soon as possible. Only then would Chen Jianghe have the confidence to stand his ground against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator without fear.

"It looks like I’ll have to make some changes to my original plans," Chen Jianghe thought.

He wouldn’t alter his Cultivation schedule unless it was an absolute last resort, but under the current circumstances, he had no choice but to carefully weigh his options. His own successful Foundation Establishment would cause Little Black’s lifespan limit to skyrocket. However, attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment would take him anywhere from fifteen to thirty years.

That was simply too long.

Without a sense of security, he wouldn’t be able to calm his mind enough for Cultivation. Thus, his only alternative was to prioritize raising Little Black’s Cultivation. He currently had an abundance of resources on hand. As long as he was willing to pay a hefty price, Little Black could absolutely become a Tier Two Demon Beast within ten years.

With that decision made, Chen Jianghe let Little Black and Fur Ball out. He looked at Little Black with absolute seriousness and asked, "Little Black, if you were to break through to Tier Two, how many Late-Stage Tier One Spirit Cores would you need?"

"What do you mean by that?" Little Black looked at Chen Jianghe in confusion. He distinctly remembered telling the Two-Legged Beast to focus on raising his own Cultivation first. Yet, based on what he was hearing, the man still wanted to dump all his Spirit Stones onto him.

"Someone wants to stew you into turtle soup," Chen Jianghe said with a completely straight face. "We have to increase your Cultivation as quickly as possible, otherwise, you really are going to be stewed."

"What?!" Startled, Little Black jumped right onto Fur Ball’s head. His terrified Doudou eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Chen Jianghe. "What’s going on? We’ve run so far away, so why does someone still want to stew me?"

"Stop talking nonsense. If you want to stay alive and kicking, you’d better do exactly as I say. How many Spirit Cores do you think you need to become a Tier Two Spirit Beast?"

"How should I know? It’s not like I’m an immor... I don’t want to end up on a dining table!" Little Black shrieked, practically tearing his hair out in panic.