"My Linghe..."
Watching from the side as Zhou Changwang removed insects, Old Xu immediately cried out in pain. He quickly rushed down to the field to support the bent Linghe.
"You can't blame me for this.
The trouble caused by Spirit Locusts is well known.
Only by mastering the Frost Ice Finger of ice magic and using the power of frost to freeze it can avoid its forepaws from swinging and damaging the Linghe."
Zhou Changwang put the Spirit Locust carcass in a cloth bag and said somewhat helplessly.
This Frost Ice Finger is also considered one of the spirit plant magics; it can use the power of frost to freeze the spirit insects, preventing them from further damaging the spirit plants.
However, this magic is valuable, with the Spirit Plant Hall pricing it at fifteen pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone. He couldn't afford to exchange, nor did he have the spirit stones to exchange.
"I'm not an unreasonable old man."
Although Old Xu was pained, he still opened his mouth and spoke.
He knew the characteristics of Spirit Locusts and naturally understood that this wasn't blameworthy for Zhou Changwang.
Then, he looked at the Linghe and quickly cast a spell.
After a few breaths, dots of spiritual light radiated from him, flowing into that Linghe.
Rejuvenation Technique.
This is a healing magic, which can apply not only to spirit plants but also to injured people, having a certain restorative effect.
At this moment, Old Xu was planning to use this magic to heal and restore the Linghe.
As for whether it would be effective, it depended only on the vitality and recovery of the spirit plant.
Afterward, Zhou Changwang began to search for pests again.
Fortunately, the subsequent pest removal went relatively smoothly, and he did not encounter any more Spirit Locusts.
Thus, after Zhou Changwang had examined all three acres of spirit field, his cloth bag now contained seven spirit insects.
"Seven spirit insects, plus the nine I had earlier, makes sixteen.
I heard that in the marketplace, someone is willing to buy spirit insects at a price of fifteen per piece of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone, occasionally merchants specifically come to spirit fields to purchase.
If taken for exchange, I could get a piece of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone.
That means I've earned a total of two pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone today."
Calculating in his heart, Zhou Changwang was instantly delighted.
Although this is not a usual occurrence, as he can only earn one piece of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone from Elder Xu every three days, this spirit insect harvest is indeed real.
When returning to his dwelling, the sky was just dark.
Zhou Changwang hurriedly washed the rice and prepared the meal, also handling six spirit insects as a dish for the meal.
After all, he needed the spiritual qi within the spirit insect meat to assist cultivation.
Based on his 'eating experience' these days, six spirit insects were already enough to restore the spiritual power he had consumed before and even increase his Qi cultivation level a bit.
Adding on the mastery level of the Five Elements Technique allowed him during cultivation to routinely increase 'a bit' of his cultivation every day.
This incremental increase, although small, accumulates over years, directly improving his cultivation level.
As for the remaining ten spirit insects, he plans to save them and exchange them for spirit stones when merchants come to the spirit field for purchasing.
Anyway, spirit insects are spiritual objects; their meat is delicate yet resilient, even after three to five days, they wouldn't spoil, nor would their spiritual energy lose too much.
"But this piece of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone..."
Zhou Changwang woke from cultivation, once again unable to resist taking out that piece of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone.
This spirit stone, likely wouldn't gather dust in the mortal world, as even in the dark, it emitted a shimmering light.
He then put it away again.
Because he had already decided what to use this spirit stone for.
That was to purchase Spirit Rice.
Food is the primary need for life.
Even cultivators, unless they are enlightened true cultivators, also need to eat, drink, and excrete.
But ordinary mortal rice can only fill the belly for a cultivator and offers no benefit for their cultivation.
Spirit Rice is different.
Not only can it satisfy hunger, but the spiritual qi contained within spirit rice can be easily absorbed and refined, gradually transforming into one's spiritual power and cultivation, enhancing strength.
"Though this spirit stone is good, since I am a cultivator, the real means to survive in this world is cultivation realm and strength."
Zhou Changwang sighed.
And so, early the next morning, he rushed out of the door.
His direction, however, was not the spirit field but the Fengming Dock Marketplace Inner City.
Of course, he was not going to the shops within the inner city but to an independent cultivator marketplace located at the northwest corner of the inner city.
There, numerous loose cultivators set up stalls selling items because the prices are often cheaper than in shops, sometimes offering bargains, which attracts many loose cultivators.
"This is the Inner City of the marketplace; even the air smells fresher.
If living here, life might be extended by a few years."
Zhou Changwang stepped into the marketplace inner city, took a deep breath, and couldn't help but sigh.
He knew Fengming Dock Marketplace was built on a First-Grade Spirit Vein, and its spiritual qi was much more abundant compared to the outer area. If mortals lived here, they could easily live past eighty years without illness or disaster, even if not living to a hundred.
"In the future, if I have spirit stones, I must move to the inner city to live."
Zhou Changwang sighed and dared not linger here longer, quickly heading northwest.
Soon, a long street appeared before him.
On both sides of the street, cultivators were setting up stalls.
On the road, there were various people, either walking or stopping at those stalls, inquiring about prices.
"There really are many cultivation tools."
Looking at the items displayed on each stall, Zhou Changwang couldn't help but sigh.
Each stall displayed palm-sized talismans covered in complex patterns, ancient books with names of various miraculous cultivation techniques and divine marvelous techniques, seemingly ordinary yet claimed by the stall owner to be powerful magical artifacts stolen from the tomb of some Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, Jade Scroll Pupils said to record powerful cultivation techniques, spirit pills with various effects, seeds claimed to be Second-Grade and even Third-Grade Spirit Plants...
Zhou Changwang carefully avoided these overly enthusiastic stall owners; he understood well these items in the independent cultivator marketplace might be cheaper, but there were also many deceptive things.
Believing the exaggerated boasts of these stall owners would lead to great loss.
Luckily, having grown up in the marketplace, Zhou Changwang was highly vigilant.
Very soon, he arrived at a stall.
It was precisely a rice stall.
The stall displayed various types of rice, including ordinary rice consumed by mortals, and various spirit rice, such as the Linghe Rice Zhou Changwang was currently cultivating, Crescent Rice shaped like a crescent moon, Blood Red Rice looking like strands of blood, and Spirit Fruit Rice as large as grapes...