Chapter 1557: The Chaotic Immortal Cultivation World
After careful consideration, Song Wen recalled something—
The Life-Replenishing Fruit.
Years ago, on the Western Rong Continent, he had encountered what he suspected to be this fruit within the Azure Jade Fox’s forbidden territory. However, since he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes but only heard about it through the Shadow Gu’s relay, he couldn’t be certain.
Consuming a Life-Replenishing Fruit could extend one’s lifespan by 3,600 years.
Even for Great Ascension Stage cultivators with lifespans exceeding 25,000 years, the Life-Replenishing Fruit remained an invaluable treasure.
With this idea in mind, Song Wen immediately set to work.
His first step was to acquire a Life-Replenishing Fruit.
Obtaining a genuine Life-Replenishing Fruit was impossible, at least in the short term. However, he could certainly acquire a convincing counterfeit.
Song Wen left the small courtyard and soared southward toward South City.
South City housed Blood Brilliance City’s largest marketplace for rogue cultivators.
The area teemed with spiritual objects of all kinds, ranging from first-tier to sixth or seventh-tier items.
Spirit herbs and pills, spirit fruits and demon cores, magical artifacts and spirit treasures, fragmented Ancient Texts, and even treasure maps—everything imaginable could be found here.
Of course, many of these items were counterfeit or of dubious quality. Those with poor judgment could easily spend exorbitant prices on worthless junk.
Though a chaotic mix of fish and dragons, the area maintained an orderly facade, at least on the surface, thanks to the formidable reputation of the Divine Blood Gate.
“Senior, look at this Azure Shadow Lotus! It was just harvested—incredibly fresh! Whether for alchemy or cooking, it’s a top-tier ingredient!”
A woman in a revealing halter top, her ample chest nearly bursting from its confines, reached out to grab Song Wen as he passed her stall, eagerly promoting her wares.
Song Wen ignored her, pushing aside her snow-white arm and continuing onward.
“Young master, please have mercy! My father was critically injured hunting demon beasts and urgently needs medicinal pills. I beg you, young master, buy some spiritual objects from me?”
At the next stall, a fair-faced girl knelt behind her display, weeping like a rain-soaked pear blossom.
Song Wen had no patience for such petty theatrics, but something on the girl’s stall caught his eye.
It was a fist-sized spirit fruit with a dazzling, multicolored rind.
At first glance, it bore a striking resemblance to a Life-Replenishing Fruit, sharing about seventy-eight percent of its characteristics.
The most distinctive feature of the Life-Replenishing Fruit was its seven-colored radiance.
The spirit fruit before him, though also displaying a vibrant, multicolored sheen, lacked the Life-Replenishing Fruit’s characteristic slow, undulating flow of light beneath its skin. Nor did it possess the Life-Replenishing Fruit’s inherent spiritual resonance.
Song Wen, unfamiliar with this particular spirit fruit, pointed at it and asked, “What is this fruit?”
The young woman, who had been weeping moments before, hastily wiped away her tears and gazed at Song Wen with hopeful eyes.
“Young master, this is the Three-Lives Dao-Seeking Fruit. Consuming it enhances one’s comprehension.”
Song Wen’s lips twitched involuntarily.
Three-Lives Dao-Seeking Fruit?
Why not just call it the ‘Heavenly Dao Creation Fruit’? Wouldn’t that sound even more impressive?
Some wild fruit she probably picked up somewhere, likely poisonous, and she dares claim it enhances comprehension?
A spiritual object that enhances comprehension? On your tiny little stall? And you’re just a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?
Do I really look like such an easy mark?
“How much?” Song Wen asked, too lazy to expose her charade.
“One thousand…” The young woman’s eyes locked onto Song Wen’s, and she paused briefly. “…high-grade spirit stones. For just one thousand high-grade spirit stones, young master, you can obtain this Three-Lives Dao-Seeking Fruit. I guarantee it will double your efficiency in comprehending cultivation techniques and secret arts from now on.”
“Too expensive. I don’t have that many spirit stones,” Song Wen said, shaking his head.
“Then what price can Young Master offer?” the girl asked.
“One hundred,” Song Wen replied.
“This…”
The girl hesitated, her expression turning pitiful as tears welled up in her eyes again.
“Young Master, my father risked his life to obtain this fruit. He’s now gravely injured and desperately needs spirit stones to buy Healing Pills. Please, Young Master, show some mercy and offer a little more. One hundred high-grade spirit stones won’t even cover the cost of the medicinal pills he needs.”
“Two hundred… two hundred high-grade spirit stones. Would that be acceptable? Please, Young Master, help me in my desperate situation.”
Song Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, not responding immediately.
Meanwhile, the seductive female stall owner from the previous stall watched this scene unfold, a flicker of mockery in her eyes.
Damn that arrogant man for ignoring me! He deserves to be swindled by this little bitch.
This little bitch’s pitiful act never fails to work. There’s always some fool who falls for it.
Maybe I should try a different approach?
A woman whose dao companion had died hunting demons, leaving her to raise their young daughter alone?
“You misunderstand me,” Song Wen suddenly interjected. “My offer is one hundred low-grade spirit stones.”
The girl froze, the tears that had been about to spill from her eyes halting mid-fall.
“One hundred low-grade spirit stones?” she asked, her voice incredulous.
“Yes, one hundred low-grade spirit stones. You dare to sell these wild fruits, which you likely scavenged from who knows where, for two hundred high-grade spirit stones? Where do you get the audacity?” Song Wen demanded.
He didn’t care about losing a couple hundred high-grade spirit stones, but he refused to be taken for a fool.
“Not selling!”
The girl’s voice lost its earlier fragility, now brimming with impatience.
After crying for so long, her eyes were swollen.
She couldn’t be bothered with a mere hundred low-grade spirit stones.
“Ten mid-grade spirit stones. That’s my final offer. This wild fruit has no real value; keeping it won’t do you any good,” Song Wen said.
These women who peddled scams in the stall area might appear weak, but they were often backed by hidden forces. Song Wen had no desire to provoke the local power brokers over such a trivial matter.
Though unafraid, Song Wen knew this was ultimately a nuisance.
The young woman pondered for a moment before snatching a spirit fruit from her stall and handing it to Song Wen. “Give me spirit stones.”
Song Wen retrieved spirit stones, paid her, took the fruit, and strolled away.
“Hahaha… Xiao Ling’er, you certainly misjudged that one today!” the seductive female stall owner called out mockingly from behind.
Song Wen paid no attention to this minor incident. Such encounters were common in any human cultivator city.
He soared into the sky, swiftly leaving Blood Brilliance City behind. After traveling hundreds of thousands of miles, he found a secluded mountain cave and flew inside.
Song Wen instructed Shadow Void to monitor the surroundings, then retrieved a jade box and placed the spirit fruit inside.
The jade box was crafted from ten-thousand-year warm jade, its surface engraved with intricate spirit-gathering runes. These runes prevented the spiritual object within from losing its Spiritual Qi, making it an ideal container for Spirit Herbs.
This jade box was worth a hundred high-grade spirit stones—far more valuable than the spirit fruit itself. Only true heavenly materials and earthly treasures qualified to be stored within such a vessel.
Song Wen took out an image stone and began recording the jade box and the spirit fruit inside.
(End of the Chapter)