Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Spirit Stones Acquired, Summer Task
The results came out quickly.
A total of fifteen hundred people participated in the Spring Wheat trial here in Huiya Marketplace, including children from surrounding families, but few were able to cultivate Wheat Pills.
Out of fifteen hundred people, only a hundred succeeded.
And the only person who could cultivate almost half the wheat into Wheat Pills was none other than Li Ye.
This result was expected by Li Ye; he not only had a Golden Finger but also gave almost everything good he could to those wheat.
No one else was as generous as he was, with unlimited Spiritual Liquid and abundant Spiritual Qi, not to mention the Wheat Spirit’s help in overseeing.
Yet he was a bit dazed; he had kept a low profile for so long, and now that he won first place, he hoped to still disguise his brilliance and develop slowly.
After the daze came excitement.
Because soon Spirit Stones would be in hand!
"Taoist Friend, you see, the total amount I’ve calculated is just like this!"
The Taoist Friend He, after calculating the results, immediately made a deal with Li Ye—five hundred and twenty Wheat Pills and eleven hundred and fifty stalks of wheat; the Wheat Pills and wheat didn’t affect each other.
For just the Wheat Pills, he gave Li Ye one hundred and four thousand Spirit Stones, and for the wheat, three thousand four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, totaling one hundred and seven thousand four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.
That’s a pile of Spirit Stones.
Li Ye’s Storage Pouch was somewhat inadequate to hold these Spirit Stones, so Taoist Friend He directly gave him a large-capacity Storage Pouch, putting all the Spirit Stones inside.
He seemed impatient during the transaction, hurriedly fearing someone might wrest them from him.
After acquiring the batch of wheat, he was beaming and gave his regards to Li Ye, "Taoist Friend Li, when you come to the Four Seasons Sect in the future, make sure I treat you to a meal at Yingzhan Building!"
With that, he eagerly left, humming a joyful tune.
"..."
Li Ye watched him depart.
He held the palm-sized Storage Pouch in his hand, and when he probed inside with his Divine Sense, he saw the dazzling heaps of Spirit Stones.
One hundred and seven thousand four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, plus the previous four thousand two hundred Spirit Stones and scattered leftover Spirit Stones.
In winter, Li Ye had next to nothing, yet now he had over eleven thousand Spirit Stones, a number exciting even to Li Ye’s disposition.
Why remain so calm now?
He didn’t have such savings before he transmigrated!
However, he knew this task was a seasonal task, happening only once a year, benefiting from favorable conditions.
Even if he were to plant again in the future, whether he could reap such rewards again is still uncertain.
A year, a hundred thousand Spirit Stones... It indeed sounds substantial at first glance, but this was an annual task.
Honestly, it’s not very stable.
The feeling of sudden wealth is indeed wonderful, but he must plant crops that bring Spirit Stones steadily throughout all four seasons.
With these Spirit Stones, plus nearly two thousand points of Vital Essence he accumulated these days, he should be able to handle both Locust Spirit Scroll and Spirit Vein Willow.
The yard could also be slightly remodeled, at least setting aside a reception area, though he planned to enter the Four Seasons Sect in autumn, he still had an entire summer.
Previously, Su Ya suggested coming to his place for discussion and leisure, but the yard was inconvenient.
Thinking this through, he quickly calmed down.
This was just a small success; judging by Su Ya’s expression, he envied Li Ye’s ability to cultivate Spirit Plants, not the tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
As long as he had the skill, Spirit Stones would come quickly; elevating his foundation and abilities is what truly matters.
He put the Storage Pouch with Spirit Stones into his pocket.
Su Ya watched Li Ye’s expression and reminded him: "Huiya Marketplace is one of thousands of marketplaces under the sect, so prices aren’t really high.
Once Taoist Friend Li enters the sect, there are naturally places to spend Spirit Stones.
Bluntly speaking, the marketplace is currently for low-tier cultivators, and the prices of some items are controlled to ensure cultivators can continue cultivating.
Tens of thousands of Spirit Stones seem a lot, but Taoist Friend Li will eventually need to build his own Cave Mansion, Spirit Vein, Spiritual Spring, Spirit River.
And even purchase special Array Flags, all of which require spending Spirit Stones.
I was shown kindness back then; the elders in my family gave me a million low-tier Spirit Stones when entering, yet building a Cave Mansion alone consumed it all.
There are good things within the sect, but they’re expensive, expensive enough to make you grit your teeth while wanting to buy!"
He couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
Li Ye, upon hearing this, with an already stable mindset, grew even steadier. When hearing "low-tier Spirit Stones," he understood that the thriving cultivation realm naturally has different currency tiers.
It’s only normal; various signs prove the cultivation realm isn’t as simple as what he sees in the marketplace.
That’s good; more scenery to see.
He smiled at Su Ya:
"I am merely the first in the Huiya Marketplace task, even occasional gains want persistence."
"Being overly famous will undoubtedly lead some to disrupt my life, so please, Taoist Friend, don’t disclose this matter. If you have friends, I’m willing to make their acquaintance."
Su Ya couldn’t help but laugh: "The rank isn’t public; only those responsible for such matters within the sect know.
It’s recorded and archived, cataloged into the ginkgo ancestor’s leaves.
Earlier, I mentioned to you that upon completing two seasonal tasks, and keeping Hungry Bone’s task and the Autumn Harvest Token from Senior Spiritual Mechanism Vine, you could enter the Temple of All Gods before Foundation Establishment.
Now you’ve done it; only Hungry Bone remains.
But as far as I know, there are follow-ups to the seasonal tasks. Would you like to continue?"
During his brief pause, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted:
"You rascal, assigning tasks for me now? Are you that idle? Go host the wheat distribution then!"
This voice...
Li Ye’s eyes lit up; he cupped his hands towards the voice’s source: "Senior Spiritual Mechanism Vine, you’re finally back!"
A bouncing green vine appeared in view.
It raised its head, looked at Li Ye, and said, "Well done, once the Hungry Bone task is completed, a chance awaits you."
This vine was being all secretive, not revealing what opportunity lay ahead, just swaggering onto the chair, with Su Ya automatically standing respectfully behind the chair.
"Guyu is turning drizzly, summer approaches."
"When I left the sect before, several sects in the Southern Domain were seeking Fireproof Spirit Silk Robes, so the Artifact Refiners were rushing to craft. Thus, the only seasonal task for summer is raising silkworms and mulberry cultivation."
It paused, with a slightly serious tone:
"Bright Shining Spirit Mulberry and Qingsui Silkworms, both equivalent to Third-Tier Spiritual Objects of Foundation Establishment cultivators, Kid Li, your cultivation is somewhat lacking."
Li Ye frowned slightly; he’s determined to seize the opportunity to enter the Temple of All Gods.
Compared to that, if this task requires him to break through Foundation Establishment, he would rather not accept it.
Or think of other ways.
The Spiritual Mechanism Vine observed Li Ye’s changing expression, knowing he was weighing the options. If it were usual, it would probably exaggerate to indulge in its quirky humor.
But with Li Ye... it didn’t want to tease too much.
So it continued: "But, it’s not impossible."
"Although these spiritual objects are of Foundation Establishment Stage, they’ve been nurtured by Four Seasons Sect’s seniors for generations and are used to receiving cultivators’ care."
Through the interface, Li Ye could see the Spiritual Mechanism Vine’s mood turned to [selling the story and teasing].
He could clearly see that he was being toyed with by this spiritual plant senior smarter than some in the Human Race!
"Senior’s teasing is making me conflicted." Li Ye admitted helplessly.
"Involving your path, hesitation is natural. If I were in your place, I’d also suggest delaying Foundation Establishment; the mulberry trees and silkworms will be fully transferred in three days."
"Hmm... you’ve harvested a significant haul of Spirit Stones, surely it’s time to shop for some items, isn’t it? Tell me, what do you wish to purchase?"
Switching to merchant mode, the Spiritual Mechanism Vine said.
It’s spot on, since Li Ye indeed had things to buy, having worked hard for so long, it’s time to spend.