Chapter 154: Chapter 119: A Bountiful Harvest
Chen Jianghe stepped out of his room and into the courtyard. Looking beneath the lotus leaves in the pond, he saw that Little Black and Fur Ball were both cultivating.
Processing Demon Beast hides and fur was a time-consuming task. The Blood and Flesh, organs, and Heart Marrow of a Demon Beast could only be consumed after the hide was completely cleaned. As a result, Fur Ball’s Cultivation period was mostly concentrated in the final two months of the year.
As for Little Black devouring Spirit Cores, it didn’t require deliberate Refinement. The cores would be gradually absorbed as he practiced the Third Transformation Demon Ascension Technique.
Chen Jianghe didn’t disturb Little Black and Fur Ball. Instead, he first inspected the processed Demon Beast hides and the Spirit Blood. These two made up the bulk of the Demon Beast materials.
The two Flaming Fox pelts were processed decently enough, barely meeting the Demon Beast Workshop’s purchasing standards. He figured they would fetch a good price this time.
He then checked the Spirit Blood Barrels. There were thirty-two barrels in total. Opening one to take a look, he found the blood to be processed very purely, with almost no impurities visible.
"Master, let’s wait two more days before heading out," Little Black’s voice echoed across Chen Jianghe’s Spirit Platform.
This left him puzzled, prompting him to ask, "What’s wrong?"
"It hasn’t been long since Fur Ball devoured the Blood and Flesh Heart Marrow. He still needs two or three days to complete the Refinement."
"Alright, then we’ll wait until Fur Ball finishes his Cultivation," Chen Jianghe said, looking at the pond. Fur Ball’s aura was steadily rising, and it probably wouldn’t be long before he broke through to the Late-Stage Tier one.
When that time came, he would possess two Late-Stage Tier one Spirit Pets. Given a Spirit Beast’s combat prowess, even if Fur Ball had just broken through to the Late-Stage Tier one, his fighting strength would not be inferior to an Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator. If he were equipped with a specially crafted Attack Spiritual Artifact, Fur Ball’s combat power could likely rival that of a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator.
"Little Black, how much longer do you think it will take for Fur Ball to break through to Late-Stage Tier one?" Chen Jianghe asked.
Little Black transmitted his voice with a somewhat helpless tone, "By devouring the Blood and Flesh and Spirit Cores of two Mid-Stage Tier One Demon Beasts a year, plus the Blood and Flesh of two Late-Stage Tier One Demon Beasts, it should be very fast.
"Around two years, and definitely no more than three.
"It’s just that once Fur Ball breaks through to Late-Stage Tier one, your burden will grow heavier again."
"Uh, it’s fine. I just need to be a bit more diligent and paint a few more Spirit Talismans," Chen Jianghe replied.
Chen Jianghe was slightly taken aback by Little Black’s sudden concern and didn’t react immediately. However, once he came to his senses, his heart was filled with gratification. Little Black had grown up. He even knew how to care for him now.
In truth, even if Fur Ball broke through to Late-Stage Tier one, Chen Jianghe would still be able to afford their upkeep. Over the past four months, his Talisman Success Rate for crafting Middle-Grade Protection Talismans had finally reached forty percent. His Talisman Dao Skills had improved significantly.
This year, he could try crafting Middle-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans. As long as he raised his Talisman Success Rate for the Middle-Grade Five Elements Escape Talisman to forty percent, affording Little Black and Fur Ball would absolutely not be an issue. Furthermore, it wouldn’t delay his future Body Refining progress.
On top of that, as his Cultivation advanced and his Magical Power grew purer, his speed in Talisman Painting had also increased. The purer the Magical Power, the higher its stability. This not only boosted the efficiency of Talisman Painting but also improved the Talisman Success Rate to a certain extent.
Last year, he had crafted a total of forty-two Middle-Grade Protection Talismans—six more than the year prior. A large part of this increase was due to the benefits brought by his Cultivation advancement.
Of course, the Ten Thousand Waters Scripture took the most credit. It provided a thirty percent Magic Power Amplification.
He thought about how wonderful it would be if the unique characteristics of his Magical Power could be applied to Talisman Painting, which would grant him an extra twenty percent Talisman Success Rate. Dismissing this pipe dream, he returned to his room to continue Talisman Painting.
Right now, the Magical Power in his Qi Sea Dantian was abundant. He could attempt Talisman Painting five more times, which meant that in two or three days, he could produce two more Spirit Talismans. These were all Spirit Stones, after all. Time could not be wasted.
Three days later.
Nine days ago, Little Black sent a telepathic message, saying that Fur Ball had finished his Cultivation and they could head out to sell the Demon Beast materials.
During these three days, he added two more Middle-Grade Protection Talismans to his inventory, though the Magical Power in his body had depleted to just thirty percent. And this was only after running the Ten Thousand Waters Scripture and Breathing Spiritual Energy for nearly a full day to recover.
Talisman Painting consumed a tremendous amount of Magical Power. Without the aid of Qi Recovery Pills, relying solely on absorbing Spiritual Qi for recovery was a very slow process. However, taking Qi Recovery Pills would undoubtedly increase the cost of Talisman Painting.
Chen Jianghe stored Little Black and Fur Ball into the Spirit Beast Space. Then, he gathered the Flaming Fox materials into his Storage Pouch and headed to the Beast Taming Workshop.
It was fortunate that the Flaming Fox wasn’t large; otherwise, his Storage Pouch wouldn’t have been able to hold everything, and he would have had to make two trips. However, the Flaming Fox’s pelt was quite valuable.
The shop assistant at the Demon Beast Workshop inspected the Flaming Fox materials and respectfully said, "The Spirit Blood is pure. According to our purchasing price, it’s ten grains of Spiritual Sand per barrel. Since you brought thirty-two barrels, Senior, that comes to three Spirit Stones and twenty grains of Spiritual Sand.
"The standard purchasing price for a Flaming Fox pelt is six Spirit Stones each. However, the ones you brought have some minor flaws in their processing, so they can only be appraised at five Spirit Stones each. Two pelts will be ten Spirit Stones.
"The claws and Beast Fangs of the Flaming Fox aren’t of much use, but we can offer you one Spirit Stone for them.
"Altogether, that makes fourteen Spirit Stones and twenty grains of Spiritual Sand."
Chen Jianghe was inwardly thrilled, but he didn’t immediately take the Spirit Stones handed over by the assistant. Instead, he asked for fifty more Spirit Blood Barrels before leaving the Demon Beast Workshop. Although he still had some barrels at home, stocking up meant he wouldn’t need to go out and buy more for an entire year.
Fourteen Spirit Stones and twenty grains of Spiritual Sand, minus the fifty grains of Spiritual Sand spent on purchasing the fifty barrels...
Today’s net earnings came to thirteen Spirit Stones and seventy grains of Spiritual Sand. It didn’t seem like much, but it was earned by Little Black and Fur Ball, which made it incredibly hard-won. He was deeply satisfied.