The Quenching God Technique naturally has no problem; Li Mu has already entered it into his proficiency panel.
After the old Daoist inspected and confirmed, he happily took out 10 pieces of crystal-clear Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, each about the size of a baby's fist, exuding a rich Spirit Charm.
Li Mu's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the 10 Middle-grade Spirit Stones, put them into the Spirit Stone Cloth Bag, and handed the Quenching God Technique to the other party.
"Money and goods have both been exchanged; come find me next time when you have good stuff." Li Mu collected three more spell manuals, happily taking his leave.
1 Middle-grade Spirit Stone equals 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones.
Striking it rich!
Li Mu cheerfully stored away his Spirit Stone Bag and left the old Daoist's cultivation technique stall with a happy heart, completely unaware that as he turned away, the old Daoist secretly took a small Porcelain Bottle from his pocket and secretly sprinkled a bit of fluorescent powder onto his clothes.
The old Daoist watched Li Mu's departing back with a sinister smile on his face.
Li Mu headed towards the spiritual talisman stall next door.
He didn't know when the Thunder Summoning Exorcism Technique could be successfully practiced, and the Cui Ling Fruit Seedlings needed urgent treatment.
After haggling with the talisman stall owner, Li Mu spent 35 Low-grade Spirit Stones to buy 10 Exorcism Talismans, bought a pound of Demon Beast Meat at the meat stall, and then went to the Spirit Plant Store to buy Spirit Nurturing Water, ...
Li Mu was calculating how to use these Spirit Stones.
After Old Man Zhang terminated his lease, no one was on that hilltop, so Li Mu planned to develop a few more Spirit Fields on that mountain.
He intended to apply to the sect for a development permit, to open up a few acres of Spirit Fields nearby. The Spirit Mountain ownership belonged to the Qing Xuan Sect, and the sect's Servant Disciples naturally owned the Spirit Fields they applied to develop, though they could enjoy three years of tax-exempt rent, after which rent needed to be paid to the sect.
Developing Spirit Fields wasn't cheap, and in the absence of a nearby Spirit Vein, it would require setting up a Spirit Summoning Array, costing several hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, usually something no Servant Disciple would bother with.
However, for Li Mu, with a divine talent for Plant Spirit Absorption, the more Spirit Fields he had and the more Spirit Plants he grew, the more feedback he could receive, which was very worthwhile.
Having made up his mind, Li Mu found a secluded corner, placed the purchased supplies into his Storage Compartment, and changed his course towards the Qing Xuan Sect's outpost in Qing'an Town.
"What do you want? This is sect territory; don't wander around if you have nothing to do." Soon, an Outer Disciple blocked Li Mu's path.
"I am looking for Senior Brother Xu, who manages the Spirit Fields, to apply for a development permit," Li Mu quickly explained his purpose.
"Follow me!" The Outer Disciple gave Li Mu a once-over and led the way.
Li Mu quickly followed, passing through a corridor and was brought to a room with an open door where a man in his thirties was sitting at a desk, fully focused on writing in account books.
"Senior Brother Xu, this kid wants to apply for a development permit; it's him." The Outer Disciple pointed at Li Mu and reported to Xu Lijin.
"Hmm? You want to develop some land? Which mountain?" Xu Lijin looked up at Li Mu, surprised.
This year, due to an insect plague, the harvest wasn't good, and the Spirit Plant Cultivators were complaining bitterly. Many people applied to withdraw from the sect's land, and Xu Lijin had quite a headache. Yet, someone dared to go against the trend and apply for land development at this time.
"I rented two plots of Spirit Fields on Little Liang Mountain, but they are a bit far apart and inconvenient to manage, so I plan to develop a few more Spirit Fields and consolidate them together. Then I plan to find a Daoist partner to cultivate the fields together." Li Mu deliberately put on a simplistic demeanor and smiled in response.
"Ha, you're young yet quite forward-thinking; Little Liang Mountain, right? Fine, I'll approve this development permit for you." Xu Lijin was amused by Li Mu's plan and happily approved the development order for him.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu," Li Mu expressed his gratitude, slipping two Low-grade Spirit Stones into his hand as he received the development permit.
Xu Lijin was slightly startled upon touching the two Low-grade Spirit Stones but then smiled tacitly and smoothly pocketed them.
"Haha, go! Do well, I have faith in you. When you need to set up a Sprit Summoning Array, come find me, and I'll give you a discount," Xu Lijin laughed and watched him leave with a smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu!" Li Mu expressed his gratitude, taking the development permit and quickly leaving.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Mu returned to Little Liang Mountain and directly used the Exorcism Talismans and Spirit Nurturing Water to treat the Cui Ling Fruit Seedlings.
Ten Exorcism Talismans were consecutively activated, turning into spots of golden righteous energy, dispelling the demonic aura surrounding the Cui Ling Fruit Seedlings. With the watering of Spirit Nurturing Water, soon those ailing seedlings revived with vitality.
Seeing this, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to incorporate the Thunder Summoning Exorcism Technique into his regular cultivation routine.
This technique could not only be used to treat Cui Ling Fruit Seedlings but also to attack when encountering Evil Spirit Yin Souls. The exorcism effect should be quite effective.
Once Li Mu confirmed there were no issues with the Spirit Field of Coi Ling Fruits, he busied himself with developing the Spirit Field, starting to plow new fields.
Two hours later, drenched in sweat, Li Mu took off his clothes to take a shower.
"Eh! How did this stuff get on my clothes?"
Li Mu noticed something amiss. As he removed his clothes, his Innate Divine Power - Recognition of Ten Thousand Spirits detected some powder-like Spiritual Objects.
[Illusionary Mother Disc Spirit Powder]
[Grade: Tier One Spiritual Object]
[Attributes: Strong aura, hidden and unseen]
[Spirit powder unique to Illusionary Mother Discs, refined through secret techniques, its aura doesn't disperse for ten days and is irresistibly attractive to Illusory Butterflies within ten miles.]
Seeing the attributes of the powdery Spiritual Object on his clothes, Li Mu was startled.
Who! Who scattered these tracking spirit powders on him? If it weren't for Li Mu's divine talent in Recognition of Ten Thousand Spirits, these barely visible powders would surely have gone unnoticed by him.
The face of the old stall-keeping Daoist appeared in Li Mu's mind.
That must be it! It must be him!
Li Mu quickly changed into a new set of clothes, thoroughly checked the room and himself to ensure no spirit powder was attached, and then packed the stalked clothes, heading towards Soul Fall Valley in a hurry.
While fleeing, one thought lingered in Li Mu's mind: he must quickly improve his Sword Control Technique level and cultivation, learning the Sword Flight as soon as possible. Otherwise, even escaping danger would be impossible.
The sun was setting, and nightfall was approaching.
Li Mu kept changing directions, running non-stop for 20 or 30 miles, reaching near Soul Fall Valley.
Li Mu packaged the old clothes and threw it far into the depths of Soul Fall Valley, then headed straight back to Little Liang Mountain.
Not long after Li Mu left, an old swordsman followed a Seven-Colored Spirit Butterfly and arrived at Soul Fall Valley.
"Strange, that kid is only in the Qi Refining Fifth Layer; how dare he stay in the Soul Fall Valley at this time?" The old Daoist's expression was solemn as he started to recall the restless Seven-Colored Spirit Butterfly that wanted to fly deeper into the valley.
"Xiaoqi, it's too dangerous inside; we'll come back tomorrow." The old Daoist sighed, successfully recalling the Seven-Colored Spirit Butterfly into his hand and soothing it softly.
To this, Li Mu was completely unaware, and after returning to Little Liang Mountain, he focused on cultivation, always keeping vigilant.
"Damn! This world is indeed too dangerous. Even having a fragment of a good thing can get you targeted. In the future, I must keep a low profile, much lower, and plant more Spirit Rice to quickly raise my cultivation to Late-Stage Qi Refining! No, I must at least reach Foundation Establishment." In the room, Li Mu gritted his teeth, listening carefully to the sounds outside, and secretly made up his mind.