Chapter Ninety-Five: The Lord of Moonwatch Isle

The monks present were all taken aback.

"What? This..."

"Why has he suddenly conceded?"

"What on earth is Zhao Chanzhen doing?"

After Zhao Chanzhen spoke, he turned a sullen face away and strode off without a backward glance.

Two of the Zhao family's Foundation Establishment elders came over, frowning as they asked, "Chanzhen, what exactly is going on here?"

"Damn it! That brat has a Yin Thunder Pearl in his hands!"

The moment Zhao Chanzhen said this, even the two Foundation Establishment elders could no longer keep their composure.

Let alone him; even if they, at Foundation Establishment, were to face such a thing, they would not die, but they would surely be left skinless and torn...

At once, their gazes toward Qin Ming carried an almost imperceptible trace of wariness.

"How could he have a Yin Thunder Pearl? Is that not a restricted resource of the Mirror Snow Pavilion?" The two elders wore puzzled expressions.

"It's too late. Before the fight began, no one said such a thing couldn't be used."

Having said that, Zhao Chanzhen looked back at Qin Ming for a long moment, then led the Zhao family members away at speed.

...

Liu Yuanqing also looked rather surprised. He stepped forward with a smile and said to Qin Ming, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin, on your victory and on obtaining ownership of the spirit island!"

He too had not expected this turn of events to wound the Zhao family's pride so neatly.

After all, their manner was simply too overbearing.

Then, Qin Ming paid fifteen thousand spirit stones and signed his name on the spirit contract that Liu Yuanqing produced. The contract bore the legal seals of the Seventy-Two Loose Alliance as well as the Zhao family.

From this moment on, the spirit island belonged entirely to Qin Ming.

Once the loose alliance people had finished registering it in the records, they asked Qin Ming, "Fellow Daoist Qin, now that this spirit island is yours, you may give it a name."

After a brief consideration, Qin Ming replied, "Since it is on Moon-Viewing Lake, let it be called Moon-Viewing Isle."

The registrar smiled and entered the name.

With the island's ownership settled, the auction itself came to an end.

Those who had come merely to watch were greatly disappointed and soon departed one after another.

Quite a few independent cultivators also came over to make Qin Ming's acquaintance and exchange pleasantries.

Qin Ming returned the courtesies in kind and then saw them off.

After everyone had left,

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin, on becoming the lord of Moon-Viewing Isle!" Wu Jiang came over grinning from ear to ear, cupped his hands, and offered his sincere congratulations.

He had truly never imagined that the passing cultivator he had met aboard the spirit vessel would rise in a single leap to become the owner of a domain.

Even the spirit vein environment of this spirit island was far superior to that of his own clan's territory.

Qin Ming was in a good mood, and with a carefree smile he said, "It was all thanks to Fellow Daoist Wu for providing the information."

"Heh heh, it's nothing worth mentioning. I never thought Fellow Daoist Qin would be so formidable, even Zhao Chanzhen had to bow his head before you." Wu Jiang said with evident admiration.

Then his eyes rolled, and he seemed to think of something.

"Oh, right, Fellow Daoist Qin, now that you've secured Moon-Viewing Isle, may I ask what your plans are next?"

"For instance... building a cave residence, opening up spirit fields, and the like..."

Qin Ming guessed his intention and followed the current, saying, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Wu has time? I want to find someone to build a cave residence on the island. If you know anyone suitable, you can help me arrange it."

"Of course, I won't forget to compensate Fellow Daoist Wu for your trouble."

At that, Wu Jiang's eyes brightened and his face lit with delight. He thumped his chest and said, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin. Leave everything to me."

"I know quite a few skilled craftsmen in this line. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Only... the upfront purchase of construction materials will require some spirit stones... I wonder..." Wu Jiang scratched his scalp and said a little awkwardly.

Qin Ming asked, "How many spirit stones do you need?"

"About five hundred. I'll return any excess and make up any shortfall!" Wu Jiang said, holding up five fingers.

Qin Ming then took five hundred spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed them over.

After taking the job,

Wu Jiang hurried off at once to get things moving; he needed to recruit helpers.

Qin Ming had also thought it through carefully. Since he planned to farm here long-term, cultivate his life-bound spirit plants, and practice the Ancient Wood Longevity Art,

he might as well thoroughly renovate the cave residence on the island as well.

After all,

Qin Ming had other matters to prepare for.

The most pressing priority was to buy a protective grand array.

Second, he needed to purchase the spirit seeds and young spirit saplings for the spirit herbs and spirit rice he would plant next.

Qin Ming had already surveyed the spirit island's environment in full.

He had decided which spirit plants to cultivate.

And there was also another thing: he had to find a way to obtain a secret method for refining heaven-and-earth spirit fire, so he could subdue and refine the blue flame he had gained from the ancient ruins.

After all, with the earth fire and alchemy chamber now gone,

how he would make pills in the future was still a problem.

If he could subdue and refine that second-rank heaven-and-earth spirit fire, he would not only make great progress in the Dao of alchemy,

he might even break through to become a second-rank alchemy master.

Once he reached the perfection stage of Qi Refining, if he still could not buy a Foundation Establishment Pill,

then in the worst case, he could try gathering the materials himself and refine one.

The recipe for a Foundation Establishment Pill was not difficult to obtain.

Moreover, as far as he knew, there was more than one formula for it.

What was difficult was that the main ingredients and the rare auxiliary materials were hard to find and were monopolized by the great sects and powers.

Independent cultivators found it very difficult to gather them all.

As a strategic resource, a Foundation Establishment Pill would never be allowed to flow out easily by sects and noble clans.

In Azure Sea Immortal City, even on the rare occasions when a Foundation Establishment Pill appeared at a major auction, it would face fierce competition from all sides, making it difficult to win.

Even if he succeeded in buying one, doing so under the watchful eyes of all would be far too conspicuous.

Whether he could safely get away afterward would still be a major issue.

A year earlier, Qin Ming had also consulted Gu Qingzhao about Foundation Establishment Pills and learned that he could not obtain one from her either.

The Foundation Establishment Pill she had used when she established her own foundation had likewise been bestowed directly by the Mirror Snow Pavilion headquarters.

An hour later.

Qin Ming rode a streak of spiritual light once again to Tianhe Market.

This market also had a branch of the Mirror Snow Pavilion.

He stepped into a rather old-fashioned shop.

It was also a nine-story building.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Welcome to our shop. Are you here for a meal, or do you need to purchase cultivation resources?" A middle-aged female cultivator, plump in bearing and steady in temperament, saw a customer enter and greeted him with a professional smile, ushering Qin Ming inside.

Qin Ming nodded and got straight to the point. "I would like to buy a second-rank defensive array. In addition, I need to purchase a batch of spirit seeds for second-rank spirit plants."

"They are Spirit Shelter Rice, Purple Gold Bamboo, and Spirit-Gathering Tea."

The middle-aged woman first looked startled, then quickly regained her composure. Since he was asking for second-rank spirit seeds, he was clearly without doubt a second-rank spirit plant master.

She hurriedly and respectfully led Qin Ming into a private room on the fourth floor, then asked, "May I ask your surname, Fellow Daoist? And do you hold VIP status with our pavilion?"

"My surname is Qin."

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Qin, resources of second rank and above require approval from the upper levels on my side as well."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming directly took out the honorary guest token that Gu Qingzhao had given him and handed it over.

The middle-aged woman accepted the jade token, and her expression turned solemn. She quickly said, "So it's Guest Qin. I have been discourteous!"

"Since you are our pavilion's honorary guest, then naturally there is no issue. All resources will be supplied on a priority basis."

"However..."

"As for the spirit seed seedlings of Spirit-Gathering Tea and Purple Gold Bamboo, our side can arrange them."

"But Spirit Shelter Rice spirit seeds... the upper levels have had no stock for quite some time..."