The first thing Aksai did after his battle in the barren land was to sort through the artifacts and other cultivation resources he had obtained from his attackers.
He kept what he needed and discreetly sold the rest in the markets of White Mountain City, carefully protecting his identity.
Aksai earned about 800 spirit stones from selling the items he had taken from the seven Spirit Refining Perfectionists he had defeated. He decided to spend them immediately to secure accommodation within the city.
He paid 500 spirit stones to rent a simple villa with a courtyard in White Mountain’s outer zone for five years.
Over the next few weeks, Aksai gathered information about various aspects of the city and browsed through the markets to acquire the crucial cultivation resources he needed.
He spent his remaining time practicing his alchemy arts and studying Array Formations. He also bought various 2nd-order inheritances related to talisman crafting, artifact forging, and more.
Soon, he fell into a routine, completing his tasks in a low-key manner while solidifying his foundation as a Spirit Refining Perfectionist in various aspects.
Whenever Aksai needed immediate money, he’d take out cultivation resources from the Everwood farm and sell them in the city’s markets. He’d auction off some of the rare materials he had harvested with the Everwood farm’s help.
Aksai also sold Flesh Pumpkins as authentic demon beast meat in the city. The Flesh Pumpkins were his own creations, and these plants didn’t exist outside the Everwood farm. As such, he had no fear of selling what he called “vegan meat” as genuine demon beast meat.
Selling Flesh Pumpkins as demon beast meat was a profitable deal for Aksai. It was because the White Mountain City had a huge market for it.
Unlike the hunting parties of Spirit cultivators who risked their lives in the Great Duya Forest, Aksai could literally pluck the demon beast meat off some vines from the comfort of his Everwood farm.
The Spirit farmer didn’t need to go anywhere, didn’t need to form parties with other Spirit cultivators, and didn’t even need to visit the untamed lands to get his hands on demon beast meat. He basically skipped all the difficulty levels and decided to earn pure profits like a true capitalist.
Of course, Aksai knew he could attract trouble if other Spirit cultivators discovered someone could grow demon beast meat on his farm. As such, he refrained from flooding the market with his vegan meat produce. Selling the right quality at the right time, using the right intervals. He also made sure to sell the meat using alternate identities to avoid raising suspicions.
With his martial arts and body cultivation technique, it was very easy for Aksai to assume alternate identities. Although he couldn’t trick the city’s administration with his altered identity, he could surely trick individual buyers inside the city with his skills, which prevented many troubles.
Aksai was very cautious in dealing with these affairs. He took his time establishing himself in the city, spreading his roots like a tree with the ability to reach deep into the ground.
Aksai’s growth in White Mountain City was like watching a time-lapse video of a plant growing on a windowsill. Just like the plant, his growth was focused on solidifying his foundation instead of being flashy.
Steadiness was oddly attractive.
***
Aksai sat in the corner of his rented villa, flipping through the pages of an alchemy book.
He was meticulously studying the ingredients needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill, a powerful elixir essential for his breakthrough to the next stage of cultivation.
Although the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill was rare, it was relatively easy to obtain in the White Mountain City provided one had enough spirit stones to spend.
Aksai had no plans to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill from auction events. Firstly, these pills were very rare. So their buyout price was through the roof every time they appeared in the auction events.
Most of the top-quality Foundation Building Pills were already obtained by the Big Five sects. They were the ones who managed the isolated dimension collectively, which was used to cultivate the raw ingredients needed for the pill. As such, the five big sects naturally had a huge advantage when it came to the acquisition of the pills.
Most of the Foundation Establishment Pills that ended up in the open market were of low quality or subpar quality at best. And even then, they were not easy to obtain for the drifting Spirit cultivators not associated with the big five sects.
Aksai didn’t want to fall into the rat race of obtaining the Foundation Building Pill. He neither wanted to pay an exorbitant amount of spirit stones to obtain the pill nor wanted to attract the attention of other forces on himself by actually winning the pill on a bid.
Aksai had the Everwood farm for himself that produced various top-quality cultivation resources. He could use accumulated wealth from his ownership of an island to get the resources he didn’t have on him. Lastly, he had neural link fabric that raised the chances of his pill formation experiments tremendously.
This was the reason why Aksai had spent so much time acquiring the skill sets in various fields associated with Spirit cultivation. By combining his attainments in various fields, it was not impossible for Aksai to produce a good quality set of Foundation Establishment Pills for himself.
Aksai was obviously going to take much more time than Nuya to establish his foundation. However, by creating the Foundation Establishment Pill himself, he would be also polishing his alchemy skills that were bound to be useful for himself in the future.
As such, Aksai paid very close attention to the manual related to the Foundation Establishment Pill that he had obtained from a trusted source in the city.
“Let’s see what we have here,” he muttered to himself, scanning the list of rare herbs.
2nd Order Hundred-Year-Old Crimson Ginseng
First on the list was the Hundred-Year-Old Crimson Ginseng. This vibrant red ginseng, resembling a miniature human figure, was renowned for its potent life force energy.
“This one’s essential for enhancing vitality and absorbing spirit essence,” Aksai noted. “It stabilizes the foundation during the breakthrough process.”
He recalled the last time he saw a Crimson Ginseng at an auction. It fetched an astronomical price, but he was confident he could find it in the bustling markets or intermittent auction events of White Mountain City.
2nd Order Two-Hundred-Year-Old Silver Jade Ganoderma Lucidum
Next was the Two-Hundred-Year-Old Silver Jade Ganoderma Lucidum. This rare fungus, with its silvery sheen and jade-like texture, emitted a faint, ethereal glow in the dark.
“Known for its purity and ability to cleanse meridians,” Aksai read aloud. “It’s crucial for removing impurities and ensuring a smooth transition into the Foundation Establishment realm.”
Three-Hundred-Year-Old Moonlight Lavender
Then came the Three-Hundred-Year-Old Moonlight Lavender. It only bloomed under moonlight, with soft lavender petals and a calming fragrance.
“This one’s for calming the mind and spirit. Apart from being used in the formation of the pill, it can also be used separately. I need this to avoid any deviation during the breakthrough.”
Three-Hundred-Year-Old Earth Dragon Root
He moved on to the Three-Hundred-Year-Old Earth Dragon Root, a tough and fibrous root resembling a dragon.
“Strengthens the body’s structure,” Aksai noted. “I’ll need this to withstand the immense energies during the breakthrough.”
Two-Hundred-Year-Old Golden Sunflower Seeds
Next on the list were the Two-Hundred-Year-Old Golden Sunflower Seeds. These seeds came from a rare sunflower that bloomed once every fifty years, storing immense solar energy.
“A burst of yang energy to balance the yin from other herbs. Harmony within the body is crucial. Can I use this herb to make progress in my body cultivation path? I wonder. Then again, I don’t have the cultivation technique for the 2nd body cultivation realm. So let’s keep that aside for now and focus on the Spirit cultivation path for now,” Aksai concluded as he moved on to reading about the next cultivation resource on the list.
Hundred-Year-Old Frost Lotus Petals
Aksai’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Hundred-Year-Old Frost Lotus Petals. Found in icy regions, these crystalline petals were cold to the touch.
“Perfect for cooling and soothing the body’s internal energies. They can be used as Base Building Objects inside a special Yantra at the time of the breakthrough. Useful if you don’t want any heat backlash during the process. And these lotuses are grown here in the White Mountain City atop the greenhouses of the White Mountain.”
2nd-order Three-Hundred-Year-Old Phoenix Feather Fern
The Three-Hundred-Year-Old Phoenix Feather Fern was next, with its fiery red and orange fronds said to be blessed by a phoenix.
“Infuses the pill with rebirth energy. Helps rejuvenate and transform Spirit essence pathways and dantian. A must-have.”
Starfall Crystal
Ancient Sage Leaf
Void Lotus Seeds
Earthcore Lava Stone
…
…
…
Two-Hundred-Year-Old Spirit Willow Bark
Finally, he reached the Two-Hundred-Year-Old Spirit Willow Bark, harvested from the ancient Spirit Willow tree with a soft silver sheen.
“This enhances the flow of spirit essence within the body. Ensures effective channeling and control of increased energy levels.”
Aksai closed the book with a sense of determination. He had a clear understanding of what he needed. Now, it was time to gather these rare herbs.
He strolled through the bustling markets of White Mountain City, blending in with the crowd. The city’s markets were famed for their variety of cultivation resources, and Aksai was confident he could find what he needed.
After a few hours of browsing and negotiating, Aksai had managed to find a few of the herbs that he didn’t have before. He still needed the rarest ones, which would likely require him to visit a high-end auction house like the Jade Pavilion.
Back in his villa, Aksai organized his purchases and made a list of what he still needed.
“Alright, next stop, the Jade Pavilion Auction House,” he said to himself, a determined glint in his eye.
Aksai had heard that the Jade Pavilion Auction House was used to organize an annual auction event specially targeted at auctioning off raw ingredients needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill as well as some Base Building Items. It was supposed to take place in a few weeks.
“I guess I have obtained all that I could from the open market. It’s time for me to wait for the auction events.”
With his plan set, Aksai prepared for the upcoming auctions, ready to secure the remaining rare herbs needed for his Foundation Establishment Pill.