Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

When one first got started with cultivation, they began by refining their body, molding it into a vessel that could absorb and accumulate spiritual energy.

Even for gifted individuals, the process took a year at least. However, it wasn't an obstacle that stopped many as there were shortcuts one could take.

The most popular among these methods was to consume natural treasures that could aid in refining the body. This was a method that was very safe and had a great degree of success. The wild animals that evolved into spirit beasts had mostly done so through this method.

Cultivation sects generally gave their disciples with good talent natural treasures to aid in their body refining process. Wei Mao was similarly deemed to be one of the talented disciples and his progress since joining the sect was no joke.

Because of his rapid improvement, the sect had given him an allowance of five spirit stones to buy treasures that could help him.

Carrying the precious spirit stones, Wei Mao descended the mountain and entered the Broken Sword city. Following the advice of his senior brothers and sisters, he quickly made his way to the Silver Moon Emporium.

He looked at the giant building once before heading in. He started browsing the wares being showcased and soon stopped in front of a wooden box that was half opened.

Through the opening, he could see five plump plums placed on top of a bed made from golden grass.

Wei Mao had stopped because the plums seemed incredibly familiar. Ever since he was a kid, he had a very keen sense of smell. He could confidently say that these plums were the ones grown by brother Sen.

However, considering how the farmer was an ordinary man, there was no way for him to be able to have his goods displayed here. Furthermore, the price tag of one spirit stone written under the box made his confidence waver.

After all, though the plums were bigger than the average ones, the most they would weigh would be around 80 grams. The most five of these plums would weigh would be 400 grams, less than half a kilo. And yet, the price was a staggering spirit stone. Not a ricetalon that mortals used but a spirit stone that even cultivators who had completed their body refining and stepped into qi condensation would be reluctant to part with.

Wei Mao called over an attendant who put on a bright smile after seeing him wearing a uniform of the Sky Sword sect's disciple.

"How can I help you?"

"Can you tell me about these plums?"

"Certainly," the pretty attendant smiled even more brightly. Someone who could show interest in such an exorbitantly priced item usually spent a lot. "These are spirit plums that are very different than the ones that can be found in cultivator markets. Unlike most spirit fruits, this one does not contain a lot of spiritual energy but offers a culinary experience that's unlike anything else."

As she reached this point, she glanced at him to see if he had lost interest after learning that the fruit didn't have much spiritual energy inside. Seeing that he was still listening attentively, she continued with even greater enthusiasm.

"These plums are extremely rare and even our Silver Moon Emporium only managed to get a very small amount."

"Can you tell me where the emporium got it from?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know that. However, considering how the expert who grew it purposefully made it so that the spirit fruit used the spiritual energy it absorbed to create deeper flavor and not just store it, it can be said that it's a work of an eccentric senior who is a master of cultivating spirit fruits."

Listening to the attendant's explanation, Wei Mao grew even more confused. In the end, he decided to buy one and put his heart at ease. Even though others would most likely see it as an unnecessarily lavish expense, he had always been one to get to the bottom of the matter once he put his mind to something.

"Please pack up a box for me."

Hearing that the disciple was buying the plums, the attendant immediately got to work without wasting any time. In seconds, she handed him the plums neatly packaged inside a delicately crafted wooden box that gave off an elegant air.

"Is there anything else you'd like to purchase?"

"Yes, I'm looking for some natural treasures that can increase the rate of my body refinement."

'I knew he was someone who would spend a lot.'

The attendant thought to herself and led him to the second floor that was only open to VIPs. The goods here were more expensive but their quality was a notch higher than the ones found on the lower floor.

"This is a hundred-year-old ginseng that can greatly boost one's vitality and accelerate their body refinement procedure. Ones that grow this old are very rare and this one's priced at eighteen spirit stones. This is oil extracted from a spirit fish that can only be found in the west sea. This bottle is priced at fifteen spirit stones."

The girl went on introducing one item after another and Wei Mao was suddenly at a loss. Why were the items introduced to him so expensive? And why did all of them have such extraordinary origin?

He wanted to stop the attendant and tell her that he couldn't afford these items but what she introduced next instantly changed his mind.

"This is the blood essence of a spirit beast that had reached the foundation establishment stage. Among all the treasures we have, this one is definitely the best when it comes to helping cultivators in the body refinement stage. A single drop of this costs forty spirit stones and each customer is limited to buying only a drop."

Wei Mao could feel his body being attracted to the blood essence. This was a sign of his body refinement technique resonating with the treasure.

He could feel it. If he absorbed the energy in this blood essence, his progress would skyrocket.

The only thing stopping him from buying it right now was his lack of fund. He didn't want to walk away empty handed. In the end, the only thing he could do was grit his teeth and take out a pair of claws and fangs from his pouch.

These were from the tiger that he had hunted in the past – the one that had turned into a spirit beast. He had kept these as memento but now there was no other option but to part with them.

"I'd like to sell these materials from a spirit beast, I wonder how much I could get for them."

"Please wait a moment, I'll go get an appraiser for you."

Half an hour later, Wei Mao walked out with a single drop of the blood essence as well as the fancy box containing plums. The only thing left in his pocket was a single spirit stone. After much haggling, he had finally managed to sell off the claws and fangs for 37 spirit coins.

Wei Mao sighed at his financial status and turned to the plums to distract himself.

'Forget it! Worrying won't change anything. Let's just make sure these aren't the ones grown by brother Sen.'

Wei Mao took a bite and was certain of it. These were indeed the ones grown by brother Sen. But how? How did the fruits grown by an ordinary farmer end up here?

No, that wasn't it. He couldn't tell the last time he ate these plums as he was still a mortal then. Now that he had already started refining his body, he could taste and experience the spiritual energy inside the fruit. It was like eating something he had eaten hundreds of times before and suddenly recognizing a completely new element in the dish.

'So, this is a spirit fruit. No wonder they say the more powerful a cultivator is, the more of the world they can experience. I would never be able to know what I was missing if I were still a mortal.'

"Get out of the way."

Wei Mao was brought back to reality by a loud shout. Turning his attention to the source of the shout, he saw two burly cultivators, each carrying a giant fish the size of a calf on their shoulders.

Walking in front of them was a young lady dressed in black. She had long hair that swayed with every step and just by her walking the street, she had already put a standstill to every shop's activity.

Wei Mao recognized her at a single glance. She was Xiang Lan, a well-known spirit chef in the city. Rumor has it that tasting her dishes had helped many cultivators break through their bottlenecks and make great advancement in their cultivation.

Just as he moved to the side so as to not get in her way, a hearty laughter sounded from behind him.

"I see miss Xiang has gotten her hands on some fine ingredients. Could I interest you in a thousand-year ginseng that our Rolling Clouds shop acquired just two days ago? I guarantee you that not even the Silver Moon Emporium will be able to take out anything more impressive than it."

"What nonsense. Anything your shop can bring out; my emporium can match." As soon as the first man had stopped speaking, a jovial voice spoke from inside the emporium. Having made the claim, the manager of the emporium walked out and stood against the manager of Rolling Clouds shop.

Wei Mao, who was stuck between the two gulped nervously as hundreds of eyes began looking straight at his direction.