Seeing Huan Rui’s clueless look, Huaxinyuan knew her reminder was wasted.
“Anything she’s touched, put it away right away. Don’t keep it for long, remember?”
Only then did Huan Rui recall, “It’s just been so long since I last saw her, I…”
Seeing Huan Rui’s sheepish face, Huaxinyuan sighed.
It wasn’t really Huan Rui’s fault. Sitting beside Hua Jian, she’d naturally fall under her influence, gradually drawn in, even forgetting earlier warnings about Hua Jian.
For any young girl practicing Huayagu Techniques without a strong mind, Hua Jian’s presence was a fatal temptation.
Even Huaxinyuan sometimes fell under her spell—let alone Huan Rui.
“What did she say to you? Actually, never mind, you probably did most of the talking.”
“I just told her why we came here! She seemed genuinely concerned, even said if we’re in trouble, we can ask for her help—she’s super nice!”
Watching Huan Rui grin foolishly, Huaxinyuan took a deep breath. This child was hopeless.
Still, maybe it was for the best. Letting Huan Rui be the bridge was better than others—Hua Jian didn’t see her as a threat, and that was enough.
Huaxinyuan knew Hua Jian’s status in the sect was special, but even she didn’t know the full truth.
Perhaps only more powerful Elders could understand the real secret.
“Shijie, what’s the deal with this Church?”
“Children shouldn’t ask too many questions.”
“Is it run by our people?”
“Not exactly, but we can cooperate.”
“Ohh!”
……
After leaving the Church, Hua Jian wandered the city aimlessly, eventually drifting toward the cultivators’ market.
Every time she visited a city, Hua Jian liked to browse these markets, hoping to find a treasure. This time was no exception.
Tianbei City’s specialties were very different from the Central Continent’s core region.
Because it was near Beijing, the spirit plants and beasts here were mostly water-type, with rare ice-types now and then.
In just a few shops, Hua Jian saw several materials she’d never seen before.
But after a closer look, she found most of them were just novel to look at, not especially useful.
Still, since the prices weren’t high, she decided not to start smacking these stallholders with the hat of “rip-off artist” just yet.
After circling the market and finding nothing that truly interested her, Hua Jian was about to leave when a nearby quarrel caught her attention.
“This little trinket is just made from a Spirit Master-tier beast’s bones, and you want a hundred Spirit Stones? Fifty at most!”
“Old thing, are you trying to die? Who bargains like that?”
“I’ve lived long and have sharp eyes. That’s all it’s worth.”
Following the voices, Hua Jian saw someone she could never forget.
Wow, wasn’t that the old granny who’d scammed her so many times? How was she here too?
Hua Jian didn’t doubt her identity for a second.
The old woman clearly hadn’t noticed her, still bartering furiously with the stallholder—this time, the granny was the buyer, not the seller.
She definitely couldn’t just go over and greet her.
If not for hearing her voice, they probably would have passed by each other in the crowd with no interaction.
Edging closer, Hua Jian watched as, after a fierce battle, the granny successfully bought the item for sixty Spirit Stones.
Her haggling skills amazed Hua Jian—she was truly impressed.
If it were her, she might only get the price down to seventy. The old are still the sharpest, after all.
“Hey, isn’t this that little lass? What brings you to Tianbei City?” The old woman turned after buying, spotting Hua Jian behind her.
“I had some business in Tianbei City.”
“Haha, good, people need goals. Since fate has brought us together, I have a bottle of Spirit Beast Bone Powder here…”
The granny pulled out the item she’d just bought, ready to resell it to Hua Jian.
Hua Jian immediately raised her hand to refuse. She wasn’t going to get scammed again.
She still hadn’t made any progress with the planting technique she bought last time.
Her spell kept getting stuck on not being able to control her spiritual power finely enough.
After many failed attempts, Hua Jian realized the problem wasn’t effort, but that her Soul wasn’t strong enough to handle such fine control.
Logically, her Soul was already quite strong—even comparable to Linglong.
But the planting spell required a baseline much higher than hers.
“You gave me something last time that I haven’t even been able to use yet.”
“That’s not my fault, is it? Tell me what the problem is—maybe I can help you fix it.”
“The thing you gave me needs way too much soul strength! I just can’t manage!”
Shifting the blame so smoothly onto the granny’s head, Hua Jian’s shamelessness was impressive.
Her words left the old woman exasperated.
She pointed north. “Not enough soul strength? Easy. Go to Beijing and get some Spirit Liquid of the Soul from the demonic path.”
“I’m a decent person!” Hua Jian put her hands on her hips.
She was an upright, law-abiding girl—how could she use something as shady as Spirit Liquid of the Soul?
Wasn’t there an upright way to achieve the same effect?
“Then go join the Saint Sect and become an apprentice. They’ll teach you Soul Nourishing Art. Stop pestering an old granny for help.”
When it came to arguing, the granny was a match for Hua Jian. Hua Jian even felt she was losing ground.
On shamelessness, the two were evenly matched.
“The Ascension Gathering isn’t for a while, so I figured I’d find some way to practice before then.”
“Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Soul Nourishing Art isn’t something you can just switch to. If you mess up, you could end up possessed.”
The old woman shook her head, refusing to budge.
Her message was clear: Hua Jian’s problem wasn’t something she could fix. Hua Jian had to find her own solution.
“But this Bone Powder is really useful for you! Aren’t you interested in planting spirit flowers and herbs? This Spirit Beast Bone Powder is top-grade fertilizer.”
The granny started pitching her goods again.
“Sixty Spirit Stones, then?”
“Seventy, no haggling!” The old woman grinned.
Even the stallholder from earlier was stunned—so he’d sold it too cheap?
She hadn’t even warmed it in her hand before flipping it for a ten-Stone profit. What a shrewd dealer!
“So you’re just here to scam me!”
“I haggled so hard for this, I have to make a little for my trouble. Don’t worry, you won’t lose out for seventy Spirit Stones.”
Hua Jian took a deep breath. “As if I’d trust you!”
This time, she didn’t fall for it. Please—she could always ask Lingcaifeng Master about spirit flowers and herbs. Why buy this Bone Powder?
And she’d seen the granny buy it for sixty Spirit Stones, only to try selling it to her for seventy. Did she look like an idiot?
No, she wasn’t an idiot—she was stingy. A penny-pinching iron rooster.
She flatly refused, huffily leaving the market. At worst, she’d just go beg Lingcaifeng Master.
That was better than getting scammed.
Watching Hua Jian’s receding figure, the old woman shook her head in regret.
“Sigh, kids grow up and start rebelling.”
Hua Jian used to be so easy to trick—a few words and she’d be hooked. Now, she’d seen more of the world, had more temper, and wasn’t as easy to scam.
But, in fairness, she hadn’t lied this time. The Spirit Beast Bone Powder really was quality fertilizer—it just was only worth sixty Spirit Stones.
Her Bone Powder was made from Spirit Master-level beasts, while what Hua Jian needed had to be from at least Spirit King level.
And that price was sky-high. For most cultivators, keeping spirit flowers and herbs of their own level was already a huge burden.
But Hua Jian wanted to raise flowers a tier above her real strength.
“Fate is strange. Who’d have thought she’d get caught up in all this…”
Nighttime was supposed to be one-on-one tutoring with Fenghua Venerable, but tonight, Hua Jian’s room had a new guest.
Previously, Lingcaifeng Master had been far away, but now that she was here, there was no way she’d let Fenghua Venerable monopolize Hua Jian.
So, under Fenghua Venerable’s glare, Lingcaifeng Master squeezed in and declared they’d compete fairly over Hua Jian.
Hua Jian could sense the rivalry between the two Venerables, but what could a little pawn like her do? She could only try not to offend either.
First, she brought her cultivation questions to Fenghua Venerable, then asked Lingcaifeng Master about spirit flower planting—making sure to show both Venerables some attention.
“Oh? Hua Jian’s interested in cultivating spirit flowers?” Upon hearing this, Lingcaifeng Master’s mood brightened.
That was great! When it came to spirit flowers, she was unrivaled—no one dared claim second place!
Fenghua Venerable? Just a brute who only knew how to fight. Could she compare to Lingcaifeng Master’s skills?
“Yeah, I found a Cailian in a Secret Realm and want to keep raising it.”
Hua Jian took out her seven-colored Cailian from her Storage Pouch for Lingcaifeng Master to examine.
Fenghua Venerable was also watching, but Hua Jian trusted Lingcaifeng Master wouldn’t steal her treasure.
Lingcaifeng Master looked over the Cailian carefully, surprise flashing in her eyes.
“Its spiritual nature is perfectly preserved, and there aren’t even visible cut marks. You did a wonderful job, Hua Jian.”
Such praise made Hua Jian blush. “It wasn’t me—it just fell off the root on its own.”
Her gathering skill was only slightly above average.
If the Cailian hadn’t dropped off itself, she couldn’t have managed such perfect results.
“My little Hua Jian is so beautiful, it’s no wonder,” Fenghua Venerable nodded enthusiastically.
Such shamelessness! Lingcaifeng Master rolled her eyes, openly despising Fenghua Venerable’s conduct.
“This probably has to do with Hua Jian’s physique. Hers is a rare wood-type Celestial Physique, which exerts a certain suppression over ordinary spirit flowers and herbs.”
Lingcaifeng Master wasn’t entirely sure what Hua Jian’s physique was, but based on its performance, she dared to call it a Celestial Physique.
Special physiques came in grades—some were common, but above those were Sacred Physique and Celestial Physique, which would cause a stir in any Saint Sect.
As the names suggested, a Sacred Physique could almost guarantee reaching the Saint realm; a Celestial Physique could reach Immortality.
Such physiques were extremely rare, maybe one in several thousand years—often unique with no equal.
Hua Jian’s physique had that potential. Lingcaifeng Master felt she could confidently call it a Celestial Physique.
“You’re bold to make that claim…” Even Fenghua Venerable was startled. She’d only dared guess Sacred Physique, but Lingcaifeng Master went straight to Celestial.
“It’s better to aim high. Even if it’s only Sacred Physique, she’s just as important to me as a Celestial Physique.”
Lingcaifeng Master’s gentle gaze landed on Hua Jian, filling her with a warm feeling.
So that’s where the hidden dagger was! Fenghua Venerable inhaled sharply. Lingcaifeng Master was using such a sneaky trick!
She’d been slow to react when Celestial Physique was first mentioned, but now she saw it—Lingcaifeng Master was using this excuse to boost Hua Jian’s affection!
Woman, you’re despicable.
“Raising this Cailian isn’t hard, but you’ll need to at least match its strength,”
Lingcaifeng Master continued, smoothly steering the topic. “That won’t be easy in the short term.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you can’t afford it. Growing spiritual plants takes strict conditions. For this Cailian, you’d need a spiritual pool that costs this many Spirit Stones.”
Lingcaifeng Master held up a hand, showing a number that made Hua Jian despair.
Wow, raising spirit flowers and herbs was really that expensive?
“That’s exactly why it’s so hard to cultivate them. The investment far exceeds the return. Only for truly rare plants is there any hope of a profit.”
Lingcaifeng Master sighed. “Most of the time, going to a Secret Realm and trying your luck is much easier than raising from scratch.”
“Exactly. So, Hua Jian, don’t go down that dead end. Come to Jade Pool with me…”
Fenghua Venerable didn’t get to finish before Lingcaifeng Master interrupted,
“That may be so, but I believe Lingcaifeng will eventually find a way to make raising spirit flowers and herbs easier. Hua Jian, your talent is outstanding. Lingcaifeng is the best place for it!”
“Whatever you want to learn, I can personally teach you. As long as you nod, you’ll be my direct disciple from today…”
“Lingcai, you’re poaching my disciple right in front of me? Do you think I’m dead? Get out!”
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