Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 76 Mystic Beast Egg
"The influx of people might be an opportunity for me."

Lin Changheng's mind stirred slightly.

A large number of people is not just a collection of human beings, but also represents the accompanying flow of resources.

Resources include both the cultivators' own resources, which may flow out, and resources that merchants deliberately gather and transfer in order to take advantage of the situation for profit.

More diverse and richer than ever before.

The pills and spirit stones he currently possesses are worth nearly 2,800.

If it weren't for the considerable expense of purchasing monster blood essence over a long period, this number would have already exceeded three thousand.

But Lin Changheng was not reluctant. He just had nowhere else to spend the money. Otherwise, he would have spent it all at once and used it for practical purposes without feeling the slightest bit of heartache.

Now is a good time to make some good purchases.

In reality, the amount isn't that much. Even with a discount, the thousand portions of [Lantern Grass Essence] blood purchased by the Liu family over the past five years would still cost 2,400 low-grade spirit stones!
Earning spirit stones and spending spirit stones must be balanced.

……

Six or seven days passed in a row.

Looking at the bustling crowds, the endless stream of carriages and horses, and the constant flow of flying boats at the entrance of the desolate ruins, Lin Changheng couldn't help but feel dizzy.

It was truly incredibly prosperous, unlike anything he had ever seen before!
Lin Changheng parted ways with the caravan and female cultivators, handed over the spirit stones with practiced ease, and went straight into the workshop.

They first found a celestial inn in the market to stay in, but now there are so many people that they have far exceeded the capacity of the inns, so they have raised their prices significantly.

The price was a whopping one spirit stone per night! And they refused to negotiate.

Lin Changheng could tell from the innkeeper's nonchalant expression—a stark contrast to his previous demeanor—that the rooms were in extremely short supply.

Thinking back to when I was in Zichuan Market, the annual rent for a cave dwelling was only ten spirit stones.

In today's desolate ruins, there is only enough room for ten days. How exaggerated!
But they can't just set up shop outside the market like many independent cultivators or immortal cultivation families who travel together, thus avoiding wasting money.

Lin Changheng is different; for the sake of safety and comfort, there really isn't a better choice.

After resting in the hotel room for half a day, I changed my clothes and then went to the street stalls and shops to pick out some ordinary resources.
Then he wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood, only feeling relieved after confirming that no one was following him.

Early the next morning.

Lin Changheng did not use his usual attire, but instead went to the Spirit Fox Beast Pavilion again with a new look.

As expected, the Liu family was prepared and would not let go of such a large crowd!

The variety and number of tamed beasts have obviously increased significantly. Previously, a huge crystal cabinet only had one spirit beast inside, but now there is a huge space for it to move around and play.
The space was now divided into three sections, with one spirit beast placed in each section. The space was much smaller, and some of the spirit beasts even appeared sullen.

Clearly, their intelligence is not low.

However, a small beast doesn't have much essence blood, so taking it would be useless.

Moreover, if one were to absorb the essence of a rare species, and subsequently have no way to continue the spiritual cultivation, wouldn't that be a waste of the opportunity to secure a seed position?

We still need to obtain the essence blood of the most common and abundant types of demonic beasts.

Lin Changheng paid particular attention to this point.

This must be implemented at least before the foundation is laid.

"but……"

Lin Changheng suddenly had an idea, "Since the Spirit Fox Beast Pavilion has so many kinds of spirit beasts, there should also be corresponding information and catalogs of them, right? They can be used as a basis for selecting spirit beasts in the future! It's just that the cultivation world here is too protective of its own resources, even to the point of being extremely guarded. But I can try asking around..."

Just as he was thinking this, the shopkeeper Liu Fengxiu saw off a customer and then saw Lin Changheng staring at the spirit beast cabinet, lost in thought. He felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place it. He could only attribute it to his memory being confused from seeing so many customers.

"Sir, are you looking to purchase a spirit beast? Our shop boasts a rich variety and numerous spirit beasts. While we may not be as renowned as the Beast Taming Families, we are among the top Foundation Establishment cultivators. I am truly confident in that." Liu Fengxiu chuckled, his expression bright and cheerful, before adding, "However, the Beast Taming Families do not have shops in this area, so..."

The implication is that if one wants to buy spirit beasts in the Desolate Ruins, shops belonging to other races are the first choice.

“I understand, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here.”

Lin Changheng smiled and naturally did not refute.

"Would you like me to introduce myself to you, fellow Daoist?"

Liu Fengxiu was full of enthusiasm and showed no signs of old age; he was full of energy.

Lin Changheng was somewhat moved by what he saw. The Liu family had made the right choice in choosing a manager; they were experts in their fields, and the shop was managed very well.

"Alright."

Lin Changheng nodded and listened to Liu Fengxiu's introduction as he walked and looked around.

"This is a cub of the Earth Dragon Beast, a mixed-blood spirit beast. If properly fed, it has the potential to reach the mid-stage of the first tier when it grows up, and can guard the cave and protect the house..."

"This is a baby Giant Tongue Python Frog, a miscellaneous bloodline spirit beast, a good helper for spirit plant growers. It can remove pests from spirit fields and medicinal fields, greatly reducing the burden and protecting spirit plants..."

"Don't let its docile appearance fool you, this raccoon is quite powerful and extremely aggressive. It's called the Ironclaw Mountain Cat, a spirit beast with the Turbid Fiend bloodline. It can assist cultivators in combat. Some members of my clan have raised two late-stage first-tier ones, which are a great asset..."

As he spoke, Manager Liu kept observing Lin Changheng's expression and body language, trying to determine whether the customer in front of him was interested.

"Does your shop sell spirit beasts with the [Mystic Bloodline]?"

Suddenly, Lin Changheng stopped and asked.

The descriptions of these spirit beasts sound good; they might be okay for extracting essence and blood, but they're not quite suitable for nurturing, as their potential is limited.

Not only will it cost spirit stones, but if my strength can't keep up with Lin Changheng's pace by then, and I can only serve as a companion, then what's the point of raising me?
The way of spirit beasts is to provide assistance and exert their effects.

Lin Changheng was perfectly clear-headed and had a clear objective. No matter how much Manager Liu raved about it, he remained unmoved.

The [Mysterious Spirit Bloodline] is different; the probability of advancing to the second tier is quite high.

This is equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage for humans.

Of course, the resources required for its cultivation are far greater than those for [Mortal Impurity] and [Turbid Evil].

But at least they have a bright future and it's worthwhile to continue nurturing them.

"Mysterious Spirit Bloodline?"

Manager Liu wasn't surprised, as if he'd heard it countless times before. He looked at Lin Changheng with an unwavering smile, "This is a question you've asked many times before, fellow Daoists who come to the shop. After all, everyone prefers higher-level bloodlines..."

"So that means there isn't one?" Lin Changheng seemed to understand.

"It wasn't there before, but it is this time."

Manager Liu smiled and led Lin Changheng upstairs.

"Oh?"

Lin Changheng was surprised. He had asked this question before and received negative answers. This time, the neighborhood was bustling, so perhaps it was different. He asked casually and actually got a response.

A VIP room.

As soon as the two sat down, a waitress brought over a spirit beast bag. Manager Liu took it, then held the bag up to the ground and cast a spell.

A gray glow burst forth from within, unfurling a spirit beast egg the size of an infant's head.

(End of this chapter)