The harvest from this trip to the Qingshi Market had completely exceeded Qi Ping's expectations.
First, from Boss Gao, he had obtained:
A First-Grade Alchemist's Alchemy Note.
The Spirit Herb Encyclopedia.
These allowed Qi Ping to compensate for the lack of spirit herb and alchemy knowledge that had always plagued him.
'In the future, I finally won't have to blindly mix honey recipes! Once I study these two books thoroughly, I can slowly begin my journey into alchemy. If there's a chance to learn, I certainly won't miss it.'
However, compared to alchemy, Qi Ping was most interested in the path of formations. His ultimate wish was to one day set up a super-powerful Spirit-Gathering Formation on his land, drawing in countless amounts of spiritual energy for his farming.
Aside from Spirit-Gathering Formations, he could also set up Illusion Formations, Killing Formations, and Trapping Formations to protect his farming industry, his animal companions, and himself. What Qi Ping looked forward to most was merging formations with his animal companions. That would best utilize the advantage of having many companions.
And if he encountered a powerful enemy, he could use the delay and cover provided by formations to buy time for his escape.
While obtaining the two alchemy-related books from Boss Gao was good, it was trivial compared to what he had gained from Meng Yan.
First was the matter of the Dao-heart Intent. From Meng Yan, he not only heard of the theory but gained a much clearer and deeper understanding of the importance of tempering the heart. Even more significant was that Qi Ping had learned a method to clarify the Dao-heart! Furthermore, through his discourse with Meng Yan, he gained more insight and a firmer conviction regarding his own path. This was the most fundamental harvest on the road of cultivation.
In the short term, the most meaningful gain was opening a channel through Meng Yan's connections! With Meng Yan's status as the disciple of a Golden Core Elder in the Qingyuan Sect, the benefits of an alliance were manifold. Through him, Qi Ping could access cultivation methods, treasures, and spirit beasts that were previously unthinkable.
He had received:
The Fetal Breath Art, which could hide spiritual energy, the spirit-soul, and Intent!
A set of rare spells containing the flavor of the True Meaning of Fire: the Explosive Flame Technique, which included the Explosive Flame Art (attack), the Explosive Flame Movement (speed), and the Explosive Flame Net (defense)!
One first-grade high-rank Scarlet Dragon Fruit!
Two first-grade high-rank Fire-Glimmer Flower seeds!
Each of these four items was of vital importance to him, and Meng Yan had given them all freely.
'I must say, Meng Yan's resolve is truly great, to give away so many precious things directly.'
These items were critical. Thus, Qi Ping felt that risking a battle was entirely worth it. Plus, with his Natural Perception talent, he could prepare his escape before encountering danger, maximizing his safety.
'Most importantly, through Meng Yan's channel, I should be able to find a powerful spirit beast as my third animal companion. As long as I obtain a suitable spirit-soul and comprehension talent, combined with my current resources, comprehending the True Meaning of Fire and breaking through to Foundation Establishment should face no bottlenecks.'
This would save him the massive expense and trouble of competing for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
'Next, I'll properly nurture high-grade spirit herbs to increase my cultivation and prepare the spirit stones needed to buy the spirit beast. I made eight hundred spirit stones with Boss Gao, but spent over three hundred on Spirit-Nurturing Fruits. Combined with my remaining five hundred, I have just over a thousand spirit stones. My talismans could sell for another thousand or so, but I'm still far from the amount needed for a top-tier spirit beast.'
Qi Ping wasn't sure how much the price of spirit beast cubs had dropped. He only hoped they had plummeted, allowing him to acquire a beast with a more powerful bloodline at a lower price. At the same time, he intended to use this period of low prices to slowly consider a fourth animal companion, though he hadn't decided on its direction yet.
'Let's secure the third one first! Once I have surplus stones, I'll have Meng Yan look for rare beasts with powerful bloodlines. Since I have no specific direction, I'll choose the strongest one with the highest potential within my means—especially one with special talents. That way, I won't regret it.'
Now that he had some capital, Qi Ping would certainly not choose an ordinary beast; that would be a waste of an animal companion slot.
After taking stock of his gains, Qi Ping immediately put them to use. First, he handed the Scarlet Dragon Fruit to the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees, instructing them to refine its properties into a simple Scarlet Dragon Honey. Since he didn't have more fruit for experimentation, he didn't intend to test various recipes.
However, a surprise occurred when he was decomposing the fruit. After carefully cutting it open, a seed appeared inside!
'A viable Scarlet Dragon Fruit seed?'
Qi Ping was stunned! This was rare indeed! Compared to flowers and grasses, fruit-tree-type spirit herbs were much harder to produce seeds from. Furthermore, once a fruit tree was planted, it would yield fruit continuously! There was even a chance to produce new spirit seeds. Thus, the price of a fruit tree spirit seed was very high, often exceeding the value of the fruit itself.
'I've hit the jackpot!'
Once this spirit seed was nurtured, it meant Qi Ping would have a steady supply of Scarlet Dragon Fruits! And as the tree aged, the properties of the fruit would grow stronger! More importantly, the Scarlet Dragon Fruit was one of the most compatible herbs for practicing the Explosive Flame Technique. With enough of them, Qi Ping's mastery of the spells would accelerate, and his cultivation realm would rise in tandem!
'Then I'll save the flesh of this Scarlet Dragon Fruit for now and try merging it with my current spirit herbs and pollens to see which honey recipe is best for boosting cultivation and practicing the Wood-Flame Spirit Manual. I can also start growing the Fire-Glimmer Flowers; perhaps their nectar will have miraculous effects on the recipe.'
With his plan set, Qi Ping excitedly threw himself into nurturing the Scarlet Dragon Fruit and practicing the Explosive Flame Technique. This was his first time handling high-level immortal spells—spells that even ordinary disciples of the Qingyuan Sect couldn't practice. His excitement was palpable.
He even temporarily slowed the speed of his Swarm Expansion, deciding to master the Explosive Flame Technique first. This process would also simultaneously strengthen his cultivation realm and the intensity of his Beast King's Flame.
As he practiced, Qi Ping discovered that with the help of the Beast King's Flame—his natal fire—the process of learning the Explosive Flame Technique was incredibly smooth!