Creating a paradise in an ant nest

Chapter 68 The Roots of the First Year Spirit Tree

"Fellow Daoist, since you can see the extraordinary nature of this spiritual bone at a glance, I might as well tell you the truth."

This is the foreleg bone of the heterochromatic black tiger. Judging from the fracture marks, the bone is still very fresh, at most a month old, and still contains some spiritual energy.

This is a rare find; you can search the entire market and still not find fresh broken bones of such a spirit beast.

If you really want it, you can take the two hundred spirit stones...

The person who was talking boastfully was Zhao Qian, the stall owner at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Before him lay a broken bone, as thick as an upper arm and over a foot long. The bone fragments gleamed with a cold, hard, grayish-white hue.

A few dried bloodstains clung to the bones.

It exudes a faint spiritual aura and carries a slight animalistic smell.

The "heterochromatic black tiger" he mentioned was a second-tier spirit beast, and its broken bones were indeed quite rare in this market stall area, attracting many onlookers.

The person asking the question was a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator. He carefully examined the broken bones and asked, "How do I know this isn't the bone of the Heterochromatic Ink Tiger? The Heterochromatic Ink Tiger is quite powerful among second-tier spirit beasts, equivalent to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator."

If you try to fool me with some other second-tier spirit beast, who can I complain to?

Seeing that the other party was questioning his character, Zhao Qian put away his smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, you don't come to Lingxiao Market very often, do you?"

I, Zhao Qian, have been setting up my stall here for fifteen years. I may exaggerate the effects, but what is, is; I never lie about anything.

"This is absolutely the bone of the Heterochromatic Ink Tiger; I guarantee it with my fifteen years of reputation."

A cultivator in the crowd chimed in, "That's right, Brother Zhao has been running a stall here for many years, he doesn't lie about this."

The stall owner next to Zhao Qian was also at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He seemed to be undermining Zhao Qian, saying, "Old Zhao, even if it's the bone of the Heterochromatic Ink Tiger, what use is this broken bone? Its spiritual energy will almost be exhausted in a month."

"How could it be useless? It can be ground into powder to make spiritual ink or raw materials for spiritual pills. Some spiritual pills require bone powder from spirit beasts, and the higher the level of the spirit beast, the better the effect."

In the hands of certain people, it can produce remarkable results.

After a few words from the group, the cultivator who had made the inquiry believed them. He happened to need the bones of a high-level spirit beast.

"Two hundred spirit stones is too expensive."

"There aren't many people who need spirit beast bones, and it just so happens that you have a connection with it. I'll give you a discount of twenty spirit stones, making it one hundred and eighty spirit stones."

"..."

After some haggling, the two finally agreed on a price of 150 spirit stones.

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Liu He stopped to watch Zhao Qian's stall with curiosity.

Because the items at this stall are all very strange, not the usual cultivation resources.

Besides the bones and hides of unknown spirit beasts, there were also rusty spirit artifacts, incomplete ancient books, and oddly shaped stones...

Liu He couldn't identify most of these things.

"Fellow Daoists of the Qian Yuan Holy Sect, what would you like to buy?"

Seeing that Liu He was quite interested, Zhao Qian asked with a smile.

"I'll just take a look."

Liu He didn't recognize these things, let alone spend spirit stones to buy them.

"Okay, feel free to look around. If you're interested in anything, I can introduce it to you."

After Zhao Qian finished speaking, he stopped disturbing Liu He and allowed him to look around at his leisure.

The things he sells are too strange and don't sell often; he's lucky if he can sell one item every ten days or half a month.

Liu He glanced at it briefly and was about to turn and leave when he noticed a section of root placed in a wooden box.

The root section had long since dried up, turning a dark brown color, and was covered with clearly visible ravines.

It is about a foot long, with the thickest part of the break only as thick as a finger, gradually tapering from the break to the end of the root. Some even thinner roots extend from this broken root section.

"Stadium owner, what kind of spiritual plant's root is this?"

"You're asking it?"

Zhao Qian's eyes lit up. He had been keeping this item for several years; many people were curious about it, but very few actually wanted to buy it.

"It comes from the roots of a thousand-year-old spiritual tree, comparable to a third-tier spiritual plant at the Golden Core stage!"

A thousand-year-old sacred tree?

Tier 3 spiritual plant?

That's such a boast; Liu He didn't believe a single word of it.

Seeing Liu He's disbelieving look, Zhao Qian explained, "I won't keep you in suspense any longer. It's a root from the Eternal Spirit Tree, a third-tier spiritual plant, and the tree is at least a thousand years old."

The ancient sacred toon tree?

Liu He had seen the Eternal Spirit Tree in the books of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion; it was indeed a third-tier spiritual plant.

But he only glanced at them and didn't pay much attention. At that time, in order to enter the Spirit Plant Peak, he had memorized in detail the common low-level spirit plants.

Tier 3 spiritual plants are too far beyond his reach.

"May I examine it using the wood diagnosis technique?"

"Of course, please go ahead. Once you examine it, you'll know it's definitely the root of a high-level spiritual plant."

Liu He made a hand seal and touched the unknown root with his finger. A wisp of spiritual energy flowed into the unknown root from his fingertip and quickly returned to his body.

Ancient and dry.

This was Liu He's first impression.

The roots of the spirit tree have been dead for countless years, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years, long since turned into a withered root, devoid of any life.

Secondly, the wood of the roots is very dense and tough.

If it were ordinary wood, a slender root would have long since turned into wood chips that crumble at the slightest touch after a long period of time.

This root section is incredibly tough, comparable to steel bars.

"It is indeed a high-level spiritual plant. Unfortunately, it has lost all vitality and is of little use."

Liu He shook his head.

Even if the roots of a spirit tree that has been dead for many years are of little value, they are still considered third-tier spirit wood.

"That's not how it works. Do you know about the 'withered tree can spring back to life' technique? Some powerful beings who are proficient in wood-based magic can bring dead spiritual plants back to life and restore their vitality."

"Stadium owner, a powerful being with such abilities doesn't need a root of the Eternal Spirit Tree; he can directly obtain a sapling of the Eternal Spirit Tree."

How can a root that has been dead for hundreds of years be brought back to life and develop into a third-tier spiritual plant?

I'm afraid even Foundation Establishment cultivators can't do that; it would require a Golden Core cultivator.

"Uh...you're right, haha."

Zhao Qian laughed awkwardly, admitting that he was too eager to sell the root.

"The characteristics of the ancient Chinese toon are its vigorous vitality, rapid growth, and tall and lush growth."

Its leaves can be steeped in water and drunk as tea, which is believed to have the effect of prolonging life.

The roots are even more effective; there is a formula for a longevity elixir that uses the roots of the ancient Chinese toon tree as the main ingredient.

You can soak this root in water and drink it, or grind it into powder and swallow it; it will surely extend your life by three to five years.

He was eloquent and persuasive, using every possible excuse to sell his product.

The Eternal Spirit Tree does indeed have the effect of "prolonging life," but it's not an exaggeration; it can only slightly extend lifespan. Cultivators have a limited lifespan, and external resources can only slightly extend it. It's impossible for a Qi Refining cultivator to live for a hundred years longer.

Furthermore, the ancient Chinese toon tree, which is thousands of years old, is extremely tall. This small root is just a drop in the ocean compared to the main body, and its life-extending effect is extremely weak.

"How many spirit stones?"

Liu He was intrigued when he heard about the "life-prolonging" effect.

If we put this root into the ant nest and magnify it, and it can extend his lifespan by twenty or thirty years, it would be worthwhile to spend some spirit stones to buy it.

"Eighty spirit stones."

Zhao Qian gestured the number "eight" with his hand.

"How much? Eighty spirit stones. You're exaggerating by saying it will extend your life by three to five years. In reality, it will only extend your life by half a year at most, and it might not even last that long. It's not worth it at all."

Liu He shook his head as he spoke, putting down the roots of the ancient Chinese toon tree in his hand.

Eighty spirit stones are too expensive. If it's just about prolonging life, even with the amplifying ability of the ant nest, he wouldn't want to buy this root.

His future potential is very high, and this life extension effect is icing on the cake for him.