[Black Market Spirit Stones (Low-grade): 100,000]
[Black Market Points: 318,785]
[Remaining Spirit Stones (Mid-grade): 86,027]
"A full one hundred thousand black market spirit stones!"
"Nearly three hundred and twenty thousand black market points!"
"And over eighty-six thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"
This was the extent of Qi Ping's current wealth. The black market spirit stones were what he had topped up last time, bringing the number to an even hundred thousand.
His remaining personal wealth had reached a staggering eighty-six thousand mid-grade spirit stones! If converted to low-grade stones, that would be over eight point six million! This was despite Qi Ping keeping all the metal-based spirit tools and ores for the Small Stone Spirit and retaining most of the spirit herbs. Otherwise, adding another million or two to the total would have been no problem.
The black market points had also reached nearly three hundred and twenty thousand. This many points were enough to buy three million low-grade spirit stones' worth of goods! However, compared to his total of eight million spirit stones, the points felt slightly insufficient.
"Sigh... black market points are even harder to obtain than spirit stones!"
Qi Ping felt a bit helpless. Spirit stones were precious, but relatively speaking, black market points were even more valuable and difficult to come by.
"I can only choose the most urgent and irreplaceable items."
"As for the rest of the spirit stones, it looks like I'll have to find new trade channels and spend them elsewhere."
In the current Qingtian Domain, the only places that might hold items of great value to him were the Qingyuan Sect and the Celestial Alliance. Qi Ping still had the token given to him by that Silver-Masked Golden Core, which allowed him to directly become an inner disciple. It was perfect for this purpose.
"I'll digest this batch of resources first. Once my strength has improved sufficiently, I can head to the Qingyuan Sect."
The reason he chose to wait was that he felt cultivation required a solid foundation. He needed to follow his plan steadily. The resources and knowledge currently in his hands were enough to support a significant portion of his journey.
Secondly, he harbored great wariness toward the Qingyuan Sect. That Silver-Masked Golden Core cultivator he met last time was terrifyingly strong. Once he had digested these resources—especially the knowledge and secrets—he would have much more confidence in sending his Treant Clone to the sect. With the Treant Clone's strength and his own increased experience, he could adapt to any situation.
"Regardless, I must find a way to obtain the cultivation and formation master knowledge there. At most, I'll only lose a Treant Clone!"
"Moreover, after I spend my black market points, I'll still have over five million spirit stones left. If I don't start with the Qingyuan Sect, it will be hard to find items of enough value elsewhere."
"But first, I should spend my wealth where it matters most!"
Looking at the wealth in his black market token, a joyous smile appeared on Qi Ping's face. He could buy three million spirit stones' worth of goods! He remembered when he first started raising the Black Little Bees; he had to split every single spirit stone in half. But now, he possessed wealth that would make an average Golden Core cultivator feel ashamed.
"With so many stones in hand, it's enough to do something big!"
"The spirit herbs for the bees to evolve to the late stage of Rank 2 have already been gathered, so I don't need to buy them from the market this time."
"The Small Stone Spirit can use the ores and spirit tools from the spoils."
"As for spirit trees, I should buy a Water-attribute spirit tree. It must be able to produce Water-attribute resources to accelerate the Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger's growth!"
"Then, I'll buy a soul-type spirit tree that produces soul-related resources. That way, basically all my animal companions can use it, especially the little Spirit Fox and the Flower Demon."
Contracting and nurturing two more Rank 3 spirit trees was about the limit his soul could currently bear. Contracting any more powerful trees would put significant pressure on his spirit. As for Rank 4 trees, he couldn't even think about it; his current territory couldn't sustain them yet.
The reason he chose "production-type" spirit trees was because nurturing animal companions was simply too resource-intensive. Although his current fortune of several million stones seemed like a lot, if he converted all the resources needed to raise his companions into stones, the final number would be terrifying.
Therefore, producing resources suitable for his companions was a top priority. Something like the Sun-Blaze Wood, which produced solar essence, was fantastic; not only could Qi Ping use it himself, but it also saved him a massive amount of resources in raising the Crows. Furthermore, these high-end resources were essential for raising the limits and potential of his animal companions.
"Let's finalize these two spirit tree seeds first!"
With deep pockets, Qi Ping didn't hesitate and began his search immediately. His goals were clear: the most precious Water-attribute and Soul-attribute Rank 3 spirit trees!
[Searching for Rank 3 Water-attribute Spirit Trees... Cost: 2,000 Spirit Stones]
[Searching for Rank 3 Soul-type Spirit Trees... Cost: 2,000 Spirit Stones]
Soon, as Qi Ping confirmed the search, streams of information appeared before him. He carefully compared the attributes and characteristics of every tree, including their environmental requirements.
Some trees had excellent attributes but could only grow on ancient battlefields; without that environment, no amount of spiritual energy would matter. He had to exclude those. After some time, he quickly identified his targets.
[Ripple Wondrous Wood Seed, Rank 3 High-grade. Price: 110,000 Spirit Stones + 11,000 Black Market Points]
[Dark Moon Soul Wood Seed, Rank 3 High-grade. Price: 170,000 Spirit Stones + 17,000 Black Market Points]
The prices for these two seeds were 110,000 and 170,000 spirit stones, respectively! This was more expensive than the Rank 3 low-grade Three-Colored Deer! And these were just seeds! For Rank 3 seeds, the price was ridiculously high.
However, Qi Ping didn't find it unreasonable. On the contrary, he was extremely tempted because they were worth every penny! These two trees were almost at the limit of Rank 3 and were incredibly rare.
The Ripple Wondrous Wood was also known as the Water-attribute Wonder Wood. This tree could absorb Water-attribute spiritual energy and the power of Water Laws from the heavens and earth to condense Ripple Spirit Dew. Consuming this dew not only rapidly increased a Water cultivator's progress but also enhanced their Water-attribute talent. If consumed in large quantities, there was even a chance to evolve into a Ripple Spirit Physique!
While this physique might be slightly inferior to the Cloud-Dream Spirit Body of the tiger's "Monarch of Waters" status, it would significantly boost the probability of the tiger's bloodline evolving and strengthening!
The Dark Moon Soul Wood was even more extraordinary. It directly absorbed the power of moonlight and the Yin-attribute energies of the world to grow. Once matured, it could condense a Heart of the Dark Moon, which could substantially increase one's soul strength. There was even a chance it could enhance the consumer's comprehension!