As Qi Ping neared his territory after dealing with the mid-stage Foundation Establishment elder, a thought suddenly struck him.
'The targets on the Black Market's bounty list... a significant portion of them are practitioners of "blood food" techniques like the Blood Fiend Art. I wonder if that old man was on the list?'
If he was, wouldn't that mean Qi Ping could earn a few thousand Black Market Points for free?
With this in mind, he immediately turned toward the spot where he had buried his secret Black Market token, deciding to refresh the list a few times.
[Black Market Spirit Stones: 7,200]
[Black Market Points: 1,600]
He chose to refresh the Foundation-level tasks, and 200 spirit stones were immediately deducted. The first task was a faction bounty, unrelated to the elder he had slain.
Qi Ping wasn't in a hurry. He patiently continued to refresh the list. This information itself held value; spending a few spirit stones to learn about the Foundation-level powers and experts near the Azure Heaven Domain was a worthwhile investment.
On the seventh refresh, he found it!
[Foundation-level Task: Slay the rogue cultivator Daoist He. Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Cultivates the Blood-Swallowing Fiend Art. Expert in swordsmanship. Appearance... Reward: 1,500 Black Market Points.]
'1,500 points! Not bad at all!'
That was enough to purchase sixteen thousand spirit stones' worth of goods from the secret market.
When Qi Ping accepted and submitted the task, it was instantly marked as complete, and the points were credited to his account.
'I truly wonder how the Black Market knows the task is finished. How strange...'
He was somewhat intimidated by such god-like methods, but the Black Market was currently his only channel for acquiring high-level items. He would have to bear some risks.
'I'll just have to be more cautious in the future.'
He then looked at the updated points on the token.
[Black Market Spirit Stones: 5,800]
[Black Market Points: 3,100]
'Wonderful!'
Earning 1,500 points without any additional risk was a great cause for joy. 3,100 points were enough to buy many precious items.
After re-burying the token and returning to his territory, Qi Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief. The events of the last few days had left a significant impression on him.
The rigid hierarchy and stagnation of the cultivation world were far more severe than he had imagined. It wasn't just rogue cultivators; even within the sects, the struggle for resources was incredibly intense. It wasn't a question of "good" versus "bad," but a question of "having" versus "not having." It was impossible to fathom what kind of monsters such an environment would create. The elder who practiced the Blood Fiend Art was a perfect example.
'Fortunately, my territory is already established.'
Arrays, spiritual veins, spirit herbs, and spirit trees—he had them all. To increase his cultivation, he only needed to focus on his daily tasks. The outer Illusion Array hid the territory's existence. In such a desolate place, Qi Ping felt an immense sense of security. Moreover, with the little Flower Demon, the Three-Colored Deer, and the Spirit Fox around, life was never dull.
After centering his emotions, Qi Ping threw himself back into cultivation and farming.
'The Sun-Blaze Wood and Moon-Glow Tree have reached the middle and late stages of the second grade. That's about the limit of what I can nurture at my current level.'
'Next, I'll focus on bringing the Green Moon Fruit up to speed.'
The only items he had brought back this time were the low-tier second-grade Green Moon Fruit and the low-tier second-grade Cold Pond Grass he had purchased in Crimson Sun City. He hadn't brought the elder's belongings back yet; he planned to wait two or three years. For now, the Green Moon Fruit was his priority.
As for the affairs of the outside world, just thinking about them gave him a headache, so he chose to ignore them. Let the world tear itself apart; as long as it didn't interfere with his farming and cultivation, it didn't matter.
In the following months, Qi Ping split his time between studying arrays and pouring his efforts into the Green Moon Fruit.
It took him nearly half a year of first-time cultivation to see the tree bear its first crop.
"It wasn't easy!"
Qi Ping looked at the eight fist-sized spiritual fruits hanging from the Green Moon Fruit tree. They were shaped like crescent moons and radiated a soft green glow. His face was filled with the joy of harvest.
He had to admit, nurturing second-grade spirit herbs was far more difficult than first-grade ones. Fruit trees, in particular, were much harder to grow than normal medicinal herbs. Under normal conditions, he estimated it would take at least ten to twenty years for the first crop to ripen.
Given the rarity of second-grade spiritual veins and the difficulty of maturation, it was easy to see why these herbs were so scarce in the outside world. The annual yield was tiny. Between the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Qingyuan Sect and those in the various clans and cities, there were many mouths to feed. After the core members took their share, the rest were left fighting for scraps.
Sometimes, there weren't even scraps to fight for.
If they knew Qi Ping had produced eight Green Moon Fruits in just six months, they would go insane. Even core Foundation members of the Qingyuan Sect didn't receive such treatment.
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, the Green Moon Fruits are ripe?)"
The Bee Queen, resting on the tree, suddenly caught a whiff of a unique spiritual fragrance, far superior to anything it had smelled before.
"Yes, they just ripened," Qi Ping replied with a smile.
"Buzz buzz... (Amazing! Nurturing second-grade herbs is really hard!)"
"It is. Now, I'll leave the rest to you all!"
Qi Ping plucked a fruit and handed it to the Bee Queen, instructing:
"This fruit enhances fire-attribute spiritual energy and physical constitution. I want you to focus your research on how it can help you metamorphose to the second grade and how it can be used to nurture second-grade larvae. When you're making honey, try to be as efficient as possible with the dosage..."
"Buzz buzz... (Don't worry, Boss! I'll make sure the Medic Bees handle this perfectly!)" the Bee Queen promised, puffing out its chest. It had watched Qi Ping work tirelessly to nurture these herbs, so it understood their immense value.
"Good! I'll be waiting for the good news!"
Qi Ping trusted the Bee Queen implicitly; in fact, it was the companion he trusted most. Over the years, nearly every aspect of the territory—logistics, scouting, guarding the storage bags outside, honey brewing, and plant care—had been managed by the Bee Queen. The Golden Marrow Bee Queen was essentially Qi Ping's Chief Internal Minister.
He had no worries about handing over the precious fruits. Instead, he eagerly anticipated how much the resulting honey would boost his cultivation.
As a low-tier second-grade wood-attribute herb, the Green Moon Fruit's individual special effects weren't overwhelming. Its primary trait was its exceptionally pure and dense spiritual energy, which could be combined with other herbs in the territory to brew honey with various specialized effects.
Qi Ping was also excited to see the Medic Bees showcase their skills on a second-grade herb for the first time.
'Right, I wonder what would happen if I added the essences of the sun, moon, and stars into the mix?'
A flash of inspiration hit him, and he immediately had the Bee Queen arrange for the necessary experiments.
Advancing through the Foundation Establishment stage was far more difficult than Qi Refinement. If he could brew a honey that offered a significant breakthrough, it would be ideal.
After setting the honey research in motion, Qi Ping turned his attention away. He had something even more important to deal with: not long ago, his Druid level had finally reached level 7!