Chapter 38
The patrolling guards within the market reacted swiftly. As the blood-red tentacles rampaged, a verdant seed shot out like an arrow, landing around the tentacles.
In an instant, thick vines sprouted from the ground, rapidly extending and dividing, tightly entwining the blood-red tentacles.
The blood-red tentacles struggled fiercely, wrestling with the sturdy vines.
High above, a clear cry resounded.
Lu Xuan followed the sound and saw a colossal firebird floating in the sky, its wings spanned around four to five zhang, creating gentle waves of heat with each flap.
Then, it turned into a streak of red light, surging towards the multitude of tentacles that had split off from the mutated cultivator.
Wherever it passed, the ground turned to blackened char.
"Ah"
The mutated cultivator, overtaken by the tentacles, let out a pained wail, turning into black ashes within the raging flames.
The fire raced along the base of the tentacles, burning fiercely and eradicating the blood-red tentacles that spread in all directions.
On the ground, the broken tentacles squirmed, seemingly attempting to invade other cultivators once more.
Unfortunately, the flames caused extensive damage, incinerating all the tentacles thoroughly.
Soon after, a pure white halo emanated from the remains of the mutated cultivator, rippling outward.
Lu Xuan and the other cultivators nearby felt a sense of peace and tranquility as the halo swept over them.
"It's fortunate that this cultivator mutated at a convenient time. Otherwise, with so many wandering cultivators in the market, it could have caused significant disturbance," Lu Xuan thought, observing several mid-level Qi cultivators who had appeared around the remains of the mutated cultivator. They had just finished inspecting for residual malevolent forces and quickly joined forces to deal with the contaminated cultivator.
Their method was simple yet effective. The vines temporarily restrained the tentacles, preventing further casualties. It also provided a brief window for their companions to unleash potent techniques. The firebird incinerated the mutated cultivator completely, while purification methods were used to examine the remains and the surrounding wandering cultivators.
"These market guards indeed cooperate seamlessly," Lu Xuan noted. If he had encountered the mutated cultivator alone, with his mastery in the Golden Sword Technique, the Silver Blade of the First Grade, a secondary-grade talisman akin to a full-force strike from an advanced Qi cultivator, and the newly acquired Thunderfire Bead, handling the mutated cultivator wouldn't have been an issue. But it wouldn't have been as clean.
"It seems I need to work harder on cultivating spiritual plants, adding more methods to my arsenal," he resolved inwardly.
From the mutation to its resolution, the entire process was brief. After a momentary chaos among the wandering market attendees, order was swiftly restored, almost as if the mutated cultivator had never appeared.
However, the large areas of charred ground and the three deceased cultivators attacked by the tentacles were reminders of the recent events.
Among the three, there was the cultivator who had used an earth wall technique to hinder Lu Xuan. After Lu Xuan pierced his calf with the Golden Sword Technique, he couldn't move properly and met his end at the blood-red tentacles.
Lu Xuan felt no pity for him. It was all self-inflicted. If he hadn't attempted to block the tentacles with his own body, Lu Xuan wouldn't have acted so rashly.
After this minor disturbance in the market, Lu Xuan no longer had the inclination to stroll around aimlessly. He chose a path and made his way to the Hundred Herbs Hall.
The Hundred Herbs Hall wasn't far from the wandering market, just a few intersections away.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Lu Xuan halted, his attention drawn to a wooden board on a nearby stall.
There were eight black characters written on the board: "Special Spiritual Species, Selling at a Low Price."
Lu Xuan scanned the items on the stall but didn't find anything related to spiritual species.
"Excuse me, friend. What exactly is this 'special spiritual species' mentioned on your board? Can I take a look?" Lu Xuan inquired.
"Sure, it's this." The stall owner, an ordinary middle-aged cultivator at the fourth level of Qi cultivation, pointed at something on the stall.
The object was oval-shaped, faintly white, easily overlooked if not observed closely. Inside, wisps of smoke coiled, transforming into various peculiar shapes.
"Is this a spiritual species? Friend, are you sure?" Lu Xuan asked curiously. This object, constantly changing like smoke, made it hard for him to associate it with a spiritual species.
"To be honest, I can't say for sure if it's a spiritual species," the stall owner admitted. "When I got it, I found it near a withered spiritual plant. It's possible that as the plant matured and nobody harvested it, its essence condensed into this kind of spiritual species."
"This is absolutely true. If you're genuinely interested in buying it, I can swear by it," the owner added.
Lu Xuan pondered, deeply contemplating his words. After the stall owner mentioned the possibility of a sworn oath, he believed it to some extent. In the world of cultivators, various kinds of oaths existed, some carrying the risk of dire consequences, even death, if breached.
The way this spiritual species condensed wasn't uncommon. After a wild spiritual plant matured, some continued to grow, aging over time, while some naturally withered. Some, under fortuitous circumstances, condensed into a spiritual species, allowing them to continue their existence in another form.
Despite not knowing what it was, the object before him, with its miraculous form, was likely a rare and uncommon spiritual species.
"If you're willing to make a demonic oath, I might be interested. What's your price?" Lu Xuan asked the stall owner.
"I put a lot of effort into obtaining this spiritual species from a newly discovered secret realm. If you're interested, fifteen spirit stones will do," the owner proposed.
Lu Xuan showed genuine interest, catching a glint of surprise in the owner's eyes. Despite the potential of this item being a spiritual species, few had inquired about it during the days at the market. And those who did were scared off by the price. After all, buying an unidentified spiritual species, unknown in category and cultivation methods, for fifteen spirit stones seemed overly expensive.
Lu Xuan was perceptive, noticing the change in the owner's demeanor. He sighed lightly.
"Friend, your price is too steep, don't you think? For something uncertain as a spiritual species, asking for fifteen spirit stones is enough to buy three or four confirmed first-grade spiritual species."
He shook his head repeatedly, seemingly dissatisfied with the price.
"How about this, seven spirit stones, and I'll take it off your hands. This price is already higher than a regular first-grade spiritual species," he proposed, slashing the price by more than half.
"No, at least ten spirit stones. Look at its form; it could very well be a second-grade or even higher spiritual species," the stall owner argued, red-faced.
"Even if it's a second-grade spiritual species, what use does it have if I don't know how to cultivate it? Am I supposed to keep it in
my storage bag, letting its vitality slowly fade away?" Lu Xuan countered.
"Let's make a deal. I'll take a loss. Eight spirit stones, that's all I have. Add fifty broken spirits, and it's yours," he bargained.
"Deal!" Lu Xuan agreed readily.
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