Chapter 011: The Town’s Spiritual Vein

Under the blazing sun, Pinghua Town appeared somewhat different in Xu Xuan’s eyes than it had before. While practicing the breathing technique, his senses became exceptionally acute, allowing him to perceive the subtle distinction in the aura between the town and the villages.

“Spiritual energy…”

A voice from the bright star in his mind, the remnant soul of his previous life, echoed.

“Spiritual energy?”

Xu Xuan’s gaze sharpened as he delved deeper into the information in his mind, comparing memories from both lifetimes.

With the fusion of his past life’s memories, he naturally understood the benefits of spiritual energy for cultivation.

“Spirit veins! This town must have at least one miniature spirit vein; otherwise, the difference in spiritual energy compared to the village wouldn’t be so pronounced.”

A flash of divine light appeared in Xu Xuan’s eyes.

“Heh, you’re not entirely clueless. Since the ancient times, the human race has flourished, and cultivation resources have gradually dwindled. In ordinary regions, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is extremely scarce; only in places where spirit veins lie is the purity of spiritual energy high and suitable for cultivation. The purity of spiritual energy in this town is twice that of the villages,” the remnant soul remarked indifferently.

Twice as much!

Xu Xuan’s brow furrowed as realization dawned upon him:

Why do the wealthy in the villages always buy houses in town? Why do the children in town, under the same conditions, cultivate faster than those in the villages?

All of this is because towns are established atop spirit veins. Growing up in an environment infused with spiritual energy, people’s constitutions and even their innate potential are stronger than in ordinary places.

“The spiritual energy from the spirit vein should naturally diffuse into the world, but… No, there must be a ‘spirit-sealing array’ in this town, confining the energy within this limited area.”

Xu Xuan, merging the memories of his past life, quickly organized his thoughts, drawing in a cold breath.

“The resources of spiritual energy in the cultivation world have always been controlled by a handful of powers. Those at the bottom are forever exploited and trampled upon,” the remnant soul sneered before vanishing from Xu Xuan’s mind.

Xu Xuan pondered the meaning behind those words, and as he looked out over the town, his expression grew complex.

In that moment, the tip of the iceberg that was the vast cultivation world unfolded before his eyes.

…

Pinghua Town, subordinate to Yellow Dragon City, was the commercial center for tens of thousands of people from over a dozen surrounding villages. The population of the town itself numbered four to five thousand, creating a constant flow of people.

Even at noon, when Xu Xuan arrived, the town was packed with crowds.

Ordinary townsfolk were at least at the second or third stage of body refinement, with some reaching the fourth stage. Occasionally, one could spot individuals wearing magical robes; if not from wealthy families, they might be scattered low-tier cultivators…

“Squeak! Squeak!”

A luxurious spirit-forged carriage, white with black patterns and three or four meters long, rolled forward on four wheels. It required no horses, moving solely by the power of its built-in array.

As it passed through, the carriage was enveloped in a layer of azure light, generating a breeze.

The value of this single luxurious spirit-forged carriage was considerable; an ordinary cultivator would have to toil half a lifetime to afford one.

On the soft tiger-skin seat inside sat a dandy clad in splendid robes, lazily scanning the crowd.

The gazes of the townsfolk ranged from envy and resentment to admiration and longing.

Only the great families and wealthy merchants of the town could possess such a rare spirit-forged vehicle.

Walking among the crowd, Xu Xuan felt his own insignificance keenly, yet his mind was unusually clear.

With the powerful memories of his previous life, his rise above the masses was merely a matter of time.

He was full of confidence.

“One day, I’ll have the means to move my family here, so they can enjoy a better environment.”

He silently made this resolution.

After roaming the town for a while, Xu Xuan, guided by his memories, entered a large spiritual materials shop at the town’s center.

He glanced at the golden characters on the signboard: Zhang Family Spiritual Materials Shop.

The name was rather mundane.

Without dwelling on it, Xu Xuan approached the counter and presented the purple exotic herb from his basket.

The middle-aged master at the counter took the herb and frowned slightly. “I’ve never seen this material before. You should take it to a regular herbal shop instead.”

Xu Xuan was taken aback. Was this purple exotic herb not the Ziyang Grass recorded in the Spiritual Fragrance Manual?

Seeing the disappointment in Xu Xuan’s eyes, the master’s smile softened as he changed his tone. “However, I can personally buy it for ten spirit coins, just to see what it is.”

“Ten spirit coins?”

Despite his disappointment, Xu Xuan’s heart stirred.

Ten spirit coins was a tempting sum for him.

It was nearly equivalent to two or three days’ income for his family, exchanged for an unknown herb. It seemed a good deal.

“That’s right. Our shop’s spiritual material masters enjoy exploring unknown materials, though this doesn’t appear to be any sort of spiritual item.”

The master’s smile faded, his manner hesitant, as if he might retract his offer at any moment.

Xu Xuan remained calm, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through the master, and surveyed the shop.

Spanning several hundred square meters, the shop was luxurious and refined, with warm white marble floors, landscape paintings on the walls, and valuable flowers in the corners.

Even the ceiling was adorned with several extravagant ‘light pearls’, their black crystal mounts faintly etched with intricate array patterns.

Any one of those ceiling light pearls was worth at least a thousand spirit coins, equivalent to a year’s income for Xu Xuan’s family.

—And that was a conservative estimate.

Without a doubt, this spiritual materials shop was among the finest in all of Pinghua Town, its authority unquestioned.

As the name suggested, the shop traded in materials with spiritual properties, used in pill refining, artifact forging, array crafting, and so forth.

Simply put, these materials were essential for cultivators as basic resources.

Given its reputation, why would such an authoritative shop purchase a material with no spiritual value?

At this thought, Xu Xuan’s lips curled into a knowing smile, his deductions largely based on experiences from his previous life.

“No, I’ll try another spiritual materials shop,” Xu Xuan said resolutely, retrieving the purple herb and turning to leave.

“Wait, young man!” Now it was the master’s turn to panic. The feigned hesitation and ease in his eyes were replaced by urgency as he hurriedly called out.

Xu Xuan, somewhat reluctant, turned and said coolly,

“Ziyang Grass, highly fiery in nature, with rare specimens containing Golden Crow Flame, is a scarce variety among first-grade spiritual herbs. Not only is it the main ingredient for refining top-quality Vitality Pills, it’s also one of the optional materials for dozens of first to third grade spiritual pills, such as the Three Yang Pill…”

Within a few breaths, Xu Xuan recited the properties, effects, and uses of Ziyang Grass without pause.

When he finished, the master stared in shock.

Several other masters and apprentices in the shop gaped in astonishment, mouths so wide they could swallow an apple.

After a long moment, the middle-aged spiritual material master, whose cultivation far surpassed Xu Xuan’s, finally recovered, his expression slightly embarrassed.

“May I ask, young man, how much would you like to sell this Ziyang Grass for?”

Sweat glistened faintly on the master’s brow. If word of this spread, it would greatly damage the reputation of Zhang Family Spiritual Materials Shop, and he might well lose his respectable position.

“As a spiritual material master, even without the cultivation of a true immortal, you should at least have the ‘sense energy’ ability. Surely, you know the price of Ziyang Grass better than I do,” Xu Xuan replied carelessly, pushing the question back.

Despite the memories of his past life, Xu Xuan was uncertain about the exact value of the Ziyang Grass.

Hearing Xu Xuan’s confident and composed analysis, the master grew even more uneasy, inwardly speculating about the youth’s background.

“The Ziyang Grass you hold isn’t a rare specimen, just an ordinary low-tier spiritual material, and there’s not much of it.”

The master regarded him cautiously. “I suppose… our shop can purchase it for 400 spirit coins.”

Four hundred spirit coins!

Xu Xuan’s heart leapt—forty times the original offer!

(First chapter complete. If you have recommendation votes, don’t forget to cast a couple!)