Chapter 40 – Shop Till You Drop

“Enriching Soil Sutra.”

An entire new section to follow the Nurturing Rain Sutra had just been revealed to him by the worn piece of bark. Moments like this made Ren believe that he was the favored son of the Heavens. In the past, it would have made his chest swell with pride and his nose point towards the heavens. Now, his ego quickly nudged him out of his stupor. Such events didn’t happen without a reason!

When he recalled how he had obtained it, the coincidences piled up beyond belief. Instead of storing a valuable treasure like this in the inner sect, the piece of bark had found its way to the outer sect, where it had been priced at a measly 4 contribution points. Then when he tried to obtain it, instead of being given a copy, he had been handed the bark itself by Elder Yun Peng, whom he now suspected to be a core formation cultivator. Ren came to a conclusion that there were only two possibilities.

Either Elder Yun Peng had planned for this to happen or he didn’t know. If it had been planned, then why Ren? Was he just in the right place at the right time? Or was there a hidden reason? At that time, he had done nothing to deserve additional attention. He hadn’t ever felt anything malicious from the gruff old man, but was it even possible to tell? Ren didn’t exactly know the abilities of the core formation realm.

If the elder didn’t know, then what did that imply about the mysterious piece of bark? If a core formation realm expert couldn’t decipher its secrets, then it must be exceptionally well hidden. Or perhaps there was a hidden condition. What if one needed to understand the first step to a certain level as well as advancing a realm before it is revealed to them? He certainly couldn’t picture any dignified seniors hopping about, thrusting their hips and shouting!

Or was it completely unrelated to the elder and simply a matter of his own fortune? But back then he hadn’t even recognized his dao! That little bit of good karma surely didn’t deserve this much providence in return? If not a matter of luck from his dao, was it then related to his cultivation manual? Had the tiny bit of embers of the Fire of Merit of the 3 connections he had been enough to warrant such a prize? But that was too recent!

Ren was getting giddy from his swirling thoughts until he forced himself to stop.

“Well in any case, there’s nothing I can do. Let’s just examine this next sutra!” Worried as he was, he focused on what was within his control. The energy from his recent breakthrough let him stay up late, reading by firelight.

The Enriching Soil Sutra, like its predecessor, was performed with strange movements. Beyond that, an additional condition had been imposed. It needed to be performed barefoot! Stomping with large strides, a motion that looked like a handstand but with feet firmly planted wide, a set of chants that were supposed to sound guttural rose from his stomach. Whoever designed this certainly hadn’t strayed from their embarrassing themes! Ren ruefully thought how he had only recently gotten over the embarrassment of performing the first part of the sutra.

What was more important was what the sutra did. Similar to the nurturing rain, it sent qi into the soil to make it fertile. Not having any crops to test it on and unwilling to do the ridiculous dance for no reason, even if no one was watching, Ren could only continue studying it. From what he could tell, the qi wouldn’t be forced into the soil but gently flow in and support it.

If it was as effective as the first sutra, then it would become a stalwart pillar of his power in the foundation establishment realm. He had always intended to reveal the Nurturing Rain Sutra as a reward in one of his trials, but now he doubted if he should. The trials were already drawing attention on their own and this would just add fuel to the fire. But there was no direct harm that he could foresee, so he internally negotiated with himself. It wouldn’t be a prize for his next few trials but maybe for one of the later ones.

When he finally lay down to sleep, his mind refused to quiet. What if there was another section of the sutra that awaited him in the next realm? No matter how much he tried to convince himself that was a distant dream, the possibility alone excited him. In the last stretch before dawn, he managed to get some fitful sleep.

Despite his disturbed sleep, he was only a little tired the next morning. The benefits of having a body repeatedly purified and strengthened by qi. He went to the formation flag that marked his mountain and sent out the signal so that he could travel to the outer sect. He didn’t have to wait long, as many disciples were interested in participating in the same market day. He was carried along with 2 others all the way to the outer sect. This journey was far less comfortable than the leaf, with the howl of the wind preventing any conversation.

The discomfort was a small price to pay because of how quickly they arrived at their destination. It was around half the time of his first journey, and the sun was just halfway to its peak! Ren had already resolved to buy a flying sword, but he wondered how it would compare. For the price he was willing to pay, not very well, he assumed.

As Ren made his way to the usual market grounds, he was amazed how the entire market was roaring with activity. Everyone had turned up, and the grounds had been extended to accommodate the increased number of participants. When he approached the entrance, he was asked if he wanted to set up a stall. Without a large variety, Ren thought it would be better if he directly traded for the specific items he was seeking.

He began to walk around examining the items on display. The entire market was like an assault on his senses. Strange sights, confusing mixes of qi and smells. A constant low roar of hundreds of disciples making trades and cussing at each other. It was the usual market day but on a higher level!

Some enterprising disciples had formed groups to occupy the best spots at the market. Even those from the other sects. The disciples of the Celestial Instruments Sect had the items they created. Fans, calligraphy brushes, pill cauldrons, and more. Ren could see fascinating arrays on some items. He restrained himself with the promise that he would if he had any money leftover at the end.

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The monks of the Golden Light Monastery had fewer stalls but just as much variety. They offered healing, medicines, large amounts of crops such as spirit rice, talismans, and fortune-telling. One young monk was just shamelessly begging with naught but a bowl before him! Every now and then he would call out to a passerby saying, “You have a shadow on your glabella! Feed this poor monk and be blessed by the heavens!”

Ren almost laughed at the sight. That was such an old scam to trick superstitious people with signs of misfortune that it was famous! He applauded the audacious monk for adhering to traditions. He did look around hoping to see Sabo. He hoped his friend was alright. The thread connecting them was still intact, but alive and in good health were two different things.

He continued to look around and found some of the items he needed. He used the spirit plants to trade. His knowledge about the various items from his recent research came in useful in getting the right prices. If one got cheated, then it was considered their own fault. He desperately wanted to avoid such a fate.