Chapter 98: The Richest Man in the Spirit Field Valley

“The cultivation speed of a Purple Seed is just terrifying,” the new disciples who were still at the Rooting or Sprouting stage lamented.

The innate advantage of a Purple Seed was something they could never hope to match. Even the weakest of the three, Li Jing, was already at the Fourth-Leaf Realm. For an Uncolored Seed to reach that level, without some kind of fortuitous encounter, would take at least seven years of diligent practice.

“Forget the Purple Seeds,” another sighed, “even the two Gray Seeds, Zhang Yang and Murong Chao, are at the Second-Leaf. Who knows how many years it will take us to get there.”

He paused, his expression glum, then added, “An Uncolored Seed is an Uncolored Seed. Look at Qin Haoxuan, the strongest among us. He’s been cultivating behind closed doors this whole time, but it’s been nearly two months since he sprouted, and still no leaf. The heavens are truly unfair.”

“Now that you mention it, I’d almost forgotten about him. He’s been such a recluse lately, and with no news of a breakthrough, it seems he’s faded into the crowd.”

“Of course he has. His Immortal Seed isn’t even full. His initial speed might have been a fluke, but the Spirit Sprout Realm requires a solid accumulation of spiritual energy. Luck can’t carry you forever.”

In his room, Zhang Yang paced back and forth, his brow tightly furrowed. His followers, who were responsible for monitoring Qin Haoxuan, trembled as they gave their report. “Boss, he hasn’t left his room this whole time. As you ordered, we’ve been watching him day and night, but he’s never alone. Even when he goes to eat, that old man Pu Hanzhong is with him.”

“Keep watching!” Zhang Yang roared. “And keep your eyes peeled! If I find out you were slacking off and missed an opportunity, delaying my plans and slowing my cultivation, I will pull out your tendons, peel off your skin, and dry you into human jerky!”

His vicious, snarling tone sent a chill through his followers. They bowed their heads, stammering their assent, and fled the room. Only when they were outside did they realize their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

“Taking your anger out on them won’t help,” Chu Xiangzi said, annoyed by Zhang Yang’s outburst. “Just wait for an opportunity.”

“I’ve been waiting for over a month! I can’t wait any longer!” Zhang Yang shot back, leaping to his feet. “Look at Murong Chao! He used to be weaker than me, but now he’s getting powder from Qin Haoxuan every few days and has already caught up to me at the Second-Leaf Realm. How am I supposed to tolerate that?”

Being yelled at by his junior disciple, Chu Xiangzi shot up from his chair, his own anger barely contained. “Are you shouting at me?” he said, his voice dangerously low.

Seeing the fury on his senior brother’s face, Zhang Yang was startled back to his senses. He remembered that this man was not one of his lackeys, but his Guiding Senior Brother, and he still needed his help. He quickly forced a sycophantic smile. “I’m sorry, Senior Brother Chu. I just lost my temper. It wasn’t directed at you. Please don’t take offense.”

He knew his guide had a narrow heart and that if he didn’t smooth things over, it would come back to bite him. “How can I not be anxious?” he continued, laying it on thick. “Because you’ve been guiding me, your own cultivation has been delayed. If you had been cultivating on your own, you would have surely broken through by now. It pains me to see you held back like this. When we get that powder, I’ll give it to you first.”

The flattery worked. The dark clouds on Chu Xiangzi’s face began to clear.

Zhang Yang wasn’t the only one feeling anxious. Li Jing was also considering his next move. He planned to visit Xu Yu to strengthen their relationship, but his main goal was to buy another packet of her powder. The last one had helped him break through to the Fourth-Leaf Realm, and he was now obsessed with it. But it was expensive, and he was running out of spirit stones.

He summoned the disciple who managed his finances. The boy entered with his head bowed, not daring to look up. “Senior Brother Li,” he said in a trembling voice, “you… you have no spirit stones left.”

“What? None? I…”

“Yes,” the disciple said, quickly reciting the figures from memory, terrified of being accused of theft. “You gave me a total of nine hundred third-tier spirit stones. You’ve made five purchases, each for one hundred and eighty stones.”

Li Jing, who had just been mentally rehearsing how he would casually ask to buy more from Xu Yu, felt his plans evaporate. For the first time in his life, the prince felt the urge to curse. But his composure was better than Zhang Yang’s. He knew it wasn’t his subordinate’s fault. He couldn’t produce spirit stones out of thin air. The anger faded, replaced by an expression full of sorrow and concern.

“Have you tried borrowing more?” he asked.

“I have, Senior Brother. I went through the list you gave me, but all those senior brothers have already lent us what they can. They have no more to spare.”

Li Jing let out a long sigh. Using his status as a Purple Seed, he had managed to buy five packets from Xu Yu at a discounted price. But that was only a five-day supply, and the nine hundred stones it had cost was a massive sum for him. Only a small part had been his own savings; the rest was borrowed from senior disciples eager to curry favor with him. But that well had now run dry.

A hero can be vanquished by a single coin. The prince, who had never once worried about money, was now at a loss. He was falling behind. If he became the weakest of the three Purple Seeds, his dream of becoming the next Sect Master would be lost.

And with three Purple Seeds in this generation, the future of the Taichu Sect was destined to be that of a supreme great sect. To be the master of such a sect was to wield unimaginable power.

After dismissing his follower, he thought, No. If I keep buying from Xu Yu, I’m just helping her accumulate resources. But my own attempts to replicate her powder are less than a tenth as effective as a normal pill. It wasn’t just him.

Even the Sect Master, after studying a sample, had been baffled. He had concluded that the refining method was ordinary, but the medicinal essence used was of unbelievably high quality—a reckless waste of a heavenly gift.

How does she have such an ingredient? Li Jing wondered. He was certain she had a supporter. And that supporter… “Yes!” he said aloud. “It must be Qin Haoxuan!”

Thinking of their close relationship, he became even more certain. Though Qin Haoxuan had seemingly faded into obscurity, he was actually a major player. Because he had a very good monkey.

In the past month, Qin Haoxuan’s little monkey, Little Gold, had expanded its workforce to two hundred Mighty Apes. At Qin Haoxuan’s direction, Little Gold ran a massive farming operation, renting out the apes to other disciples for a two-tenths share of their harvest.

The business had expanded from the new disciples to the four great halls. The apes were now so well-trained they could even perform delicate tasks like weeding and fertilizing. This had earned Qin Haoxuan the nickname “Monkey King,” and his fame was spreading.

And so, while others thought he had been left behind, Qin Haoxuan had, without a doubt, become the richest among all the new disciples. In the entire Spirit Field Valley, the only one whose wealth could compare to his was Xu Yu herself.

(End of Chapter)