Qingyang Market.
Inside the private room of Juxuan Pavilion.
Qin Ming ordered a table of fine wine and dishes, and together with Cai the Ninth, they enjoyed it heartily.
Shopkeeper Liao sat nearby, smiling, accompanying the two in their drinking.
He naturally knew that their visit wasn't just for the wine and food.
Shopkeeper Liao had long coveted Qin Ming's Beast Fang Rice.
After three rounds of drinks, Qin Ming and Cai the Ninth were both satisfied and full.
Only then did Shopkeeper Liao rub his hands together, smiling as he said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, about that thing you promised... the Beast Fang Rice..."
Qin Ming took a sip of wine, then leisurely took out the Golden Spirit Rice and Beast Fang Rice.
"Over five hundred pounds of Golden Spirit Rice, a hundred pounds of Beast Fang Rice, all here."
Shopkeeper Liao's eyes shone, almost ignoring the Golden Spirit Rice, with only eyes for the bag of Beast Fang Rice.
He reached in to take a few grains of the white-with-red-tint Beast Fang Rice, carefully scrutinizing them.
A long time passed.
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Qin, your Beast Fang Rice is indeed excellent, top-quality, almost reaching high-grade level!"
He saw the streak of bright red inside the Beast Fang Rice becoming more vivid.
Even though Shopkeeper Liao was usually shrewd and composed, a trace of excitement appeared on his face at this moment.
In all his years in business, it was his first time encountering Beast Fang Spirit Rice of such high quality.
If handled well, the price of this batch of Beast Fang Rice could multiply several times, with extremely attractive profit margins!
The key is.
He had now established a good relationship with Qin Ming, allowing him to firmly grasp an exclusive supply channel for Beast Fang Rice.
With Qin Ming's spirit plant mastery, long-term cultivation of Beast Fang Rice would be within reach.
As a result.
A significant achievement would be added to the records of Juxuan Pavilion!
Should the Pavilion Master be pleased, perhaps his long-held position could even advance.
With that thought.
Shopkeeper Liao seemed to understand something, forming a certain resolution.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, I can make the decision to purchase this batch of Beast Fang Rice at a price twenty percent above market value."
"That is, six Spirit Stones per pound of Beast Fang Rice, how does that sound?"
Qin Ming pondered for a moment, without replying directly.
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Liao quickly stepped forward, took out a jade token from his storage pouch, and solemnly handed it to Qin Ming, saying: "This is the Juxuan Pavilion's discount card."
"With this card, Fellow Daoist Qin can enjoy a twenty percent discount on all purchases at Juxuan Pavilion or its other branches."
Qin Ming took the jade token, examined it carefully, then nodded in agreement: "Deal."
Seeing the deal done, Shopkeeper Liao beamed with joy.
He promptly took out the Great Dipper Spiritual Artifact to weigh the goods.
"Five hundred pounds of Golden Spirit Rice, priced at one hundred seventy Spirit Stones."
"One hundred and five pounds of Beast Fang Rice, priced at six hundred thirty Spirit Stones."
"A total of eight hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."
Having calculated, Shopkeeper Liao efficiently handed over the Spirit Stones to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming accepted the Spirit Stones and stored them in his storage pouch.
With eight hundred Spirit Stones now in his possession, he felt more confident.
Beside him, Cai the Ninth, seeing so many Spirit Stones, couldn't help but drool with envy on his face.
Shopkeeper Liao then cheerfully asked, "Fellow Daoist Qin, is there anything else you need to purchase?"
"Not for the moment," replied Qin Ming with a blank expression.
"By the way, any news lately?"
Qin Ming suddenly asked again.
Shopkeeper Liao was momentarily stunned before replying:
"It's the same as always, the Spirit Feather Sect is still busy repairing the Teleportation Array, estimated not to be fixed anytime soon." He replied softly without further elaboration.
Qin Ming nodded.
This time, selling a hundred pounds of Beast Fang Rice to Shopkeeper Liao was intentionally to showcase a bit of his worth.
Shopkeeper Liao's background wasn't small, and he could access upper-tier news and trends.
Qin Ming himself would definitely need to inquire about some cultivation realm information from him in the future.
Subsequently, Cai the Ninth also sold two hundred pounds of Golden Spirit Rice to Shopkeeper Liao.
After the transaction.
When Qin Ming was preparing to pay and leave, Shopkeeper Liao was very straightforward, offering a twenty percent discount and only charging five Spirit Stones, even gifting a small jug of spirit wine.
Thereafter, Shopkeeper Liao smilingly saw the two out of the shop.
Leaving the store.
Qin Ming planned to visit the Steward Hall of the Spirit Feather Sect to attend the spirit plant knowledge assessment for the promotion to Tier One Spirit Plant Master.
He bade farewell to Cai the Ninth, and the two parted ways, each going about their own business.
Qin Ming arrived alone at the Steward Hall.
The assessment went smoothly, taking just an hour to complete.
It mainly involved some basic knowledge of cultivating spirit plants, along with an essay on cultivating Tier One Spirit Plants.
The Spirit Plant Master responsible for the assessment quickly provided the results—pass.
And immediately stamped Qin Ming's Spirit Plant Master identification wooden token with an official mana seal.
The spirit plant on the back of the Spirit Plant Master's wooden token had one of its leaves lit up, signifying his status as a Tier One Low-Grade Spirit Plant Master.
"To advance to a Middle-Grade Spirit Plant Master, you need to successfully cultivate more than three types of Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Plants."
"You may return here for promotion when the time comes."
The Spirit Feather Sect's steward responsible for the assessment took another look at the young Qin Ming, instructing him.
"Yes, thank you, Steward," Qin Ming respectfully bowed and left the Steward Hall.
...
Qin Ming walked along the market street, played with the Spirit Plant Master's identification wooden token for a while, and stored it back in his storage pouch.
"My goodness~"
"Such a coincidence!"
"Fellow Daoist, don't rush off, two Spirit Stones per person, interested?"
The road to the Ruan Family Mansion passed by the nearby entertainment venue.
The same alluring green-robed female cultivator batted her eyes fiercely at Qin Ming.
Constantly beckoning with her words.
Qin Ming kept his eyes forward, ignoring her, and walked in the direction of the Ruan Family Mansion.
"Bah! No fun at all!" the green-robed female cultivator spat.
Just after she spoke, two people emerged from the door behind her, one of whom was the same bearded man.
"Another one didn't bite."
...
The Ruan Family Mansion, near the center of Qingyang Market.
Along the way, several alleyways have been built with numerous houses, each a standalone sizable courtyard.
Equipped with all sorts of facilities, featuring private Quiet Chambers for cultivation, Refining Rooms for various cultivation techniques, and so forth.
Moreover, the entire courtyard is covered by an Isolation Detection Array to prevent prying.
After all.
In the cultivation realm, privacy and safety are crucial for cultivators.
Those who can rent and live here.
Often have deep backgrounds, mid-to-late stage cultivators, or even cultivators with Qi Cultivation Perfection.
Qin Ming inquired about the rental situation of houses here in passing.
He learned that the rental prices in the market have soared since last year, increasing several times compared to previous years.
"Nowadays, the poorest houses in Qingyang Market need three hundred Spirit Stones a year in rent."
Qin Ming secretly clicked his tongue in surprise.
"Moreover, the houses in Qingyang Market are all fully rented; if there's a vacancy, one has to apply for a spot from the Steward Hall of the Spirit Feather Sect."
"It's said that the queue for applying for a housing rental spot in the market has reached over nine hundred this year..."
Qin Ming: "..."
He initially thought.
The rents in the market were already absurdly high, and even at such prices.
He didn't expect that spots still needed to be competed for!
"Sigh... if it weren't for the protection offered by the Tier Two Array in the market."
"Not even a dog would rent here!"
"he~tui~"
...
At the gate of the Ruan Family Mansion.
Knock, knock, knock!
Qin Ming knocked on the door for a long time, but no one responded from inside.
He immediately sent a Communication Talisman to Fellow Daoist Ruan.
A short while later.
Qin Ming received a reply to his Communication Talisman from the other side.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, I'm truly sorry, I have some matters to attend to outside and won't be able to return home shortly."
"How about I give you an address, and you take a trip; it's not far."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming furrowed his brow.
He pondered for a moment.
But in the end, he cautiously replied: "Fellow Daoist Ruan, things aren't very safe outside now; how about I wait a bit longer?"
"Whenever you return, just let me know."