Chapter 7: The Marketplace

Since the Li family has already shaken off the control of the Beast Taming Sect, there is naturally no need to keep their sights set on selling raw materials and earning such meager profits.

After Li Zhirui voiced his thoughts, everyone present began to ponder the matter. They had to admit that they were very tempted by this proposal; after all, who wouldn't want to earn more spirit stones to allow the family to develop better?

However, they also had certain concerns about this, namely that the Li family did not possess any recipes for spirit food.

Just as alchemy requires pill formulas, artifact refining requires blueprints, and formations require formation patterns, spirit food also requires recipes. It is not something that can be made casually like a mortal cooking a meal.

Furthermore, obtaining a recipe is only the first step. Just like training an alchemist, one must have a spirit chef practice constantly to be able to produce a qualified spirit food.

In this process, a significant amount of spirit stones would inevitably be consumed. If successful, these costs could be recouped sooner or later, but the fear was that no one in the family had the talent for this.

As for where to get the recipes? Yunping Prefecture is not Bailang County, where many things were monopolized and prohibited by the Beast Taming Sect. The Li family could easily go to the marketplace to purchase spirit food recipes, then arrange for clansmen to study them, concentrating resources to cultivate them so they could become spirit chefs as quickly as possible.

Although the Li family has been passed down for over three hundred years and has some foundation, their development in cultivation techniques is very average. Apart from second-tier inheritances in beast taming, formations, and spirit planting, they only have first-tier inheritances in alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman making.

As for non-mainstream techniques like spirit cooking or puppetry, they have no inheritance at all.

Therefore, many high-ranking members had doubts, worried about investing a large number of spirit stones without seeing any signs of success.

"What do you all think of this idea?" Li Shiqing's words sparked a heated discussion among the group. Li Zhirui, the proposer, stood in the corner without saying a word.

Li Shiqing did not intervene, but once the supporting side gained the upper hand, he suddenly tapped the armrest, interrupting the dispute.

"Since more people support this, let's give it a try."

Li Shiqing's status was not just that of the patriarch; he was also the strongest in the family and the hero who saved it. So, as soon as he spoke, the opposition immediately shut their mouths.

"The task of going to the marketplace to purchase spirit food recipes will be left to Shiren and Zhirui." Li Shiqing looked at Li Zhirui with a smile and said, "You will be in charge of this matter."

Li Zhirui looked up in surprise. He truly had not expected Li Shiqing to entrust such an important matter to him! It even made Li Shiren, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, look like an accompanying assistant.

Others were also surprised by Li Shiqing's decision, but out of respect for his prestige, they found it difficult to object, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

"Zhirui will certainly not fail the family's high expectations!" Li Zhirui knew he couldn't refuse, so he simply didn't decline and accepted the task cleanly.

The subsequent discussions were all about trivial matters, so the meeting ended quickly.

After everyone dispersed, Li Zhirui went to Li Shiren's side and asked, "Uncle Ren, shall we go to the marketplace tomorrow?"

"Sure," Li Shiren readily agreed.

Given his personality, he wouldn't harbor any negative emotions just because he was a step below Li Zhirui in this matter; in fact, he even felt a bit of pride!

Because for all these years, Li Zhirui had been taught by him!

Now that Li Zhirui was successful and valued by Li Shiqing, he, as the cheap master and uncle, naturally felt a sense of reflected glory.

...

Returning to his newly built small courtyard, Li Zhirui first checked on the Cloud Fish. Finding that although they were still a bit listless, they were much better than yesterday, he finally set his mind at ease.

To ensure these two pairs of Cloud Fish could survive, Li Zhirui had specifically built the courtyard in the shade of the mountain, far away from the family's gathering place, and had even begged Li Shiren to help him set up a Cloud Mist Formation.

"The jade slip records that Cloud Fish mature in one year and reproduce no more than ten offspring at a time. So, to maintain a certain scale, it will take at least two years before we can enjoy them..."

Thinking of the delicious taste described in the classics, Li Zhirui felt restless. Fortunately, his self-control was decent; he managed to pull his gaze away and entered the quiet room to begin his daily cultivation.

—

Early the next morning, as soon as Li Zhirui arrived at the agreed location, Li Shiren appeared.

"Let's go." Li Shiren didn't waste words, directly releasing his spirit beast, the Jade-Beaked Eagle, and flew with Li Zhirui toward Yunqing Marketplace.

The Jade-Beaked Eagle, a second-tier spirit beast at the Foundation Establishment stage, was Li Shiren's only spirit beast.

Although it is said that those who cultivate the "Myriad Spirit Scripture" can contract a spirit beast every time they break through a major realm, and that it brings certain benefits to the cultivator, very few actually do so. Cultivating a spirit beast requires consuming a large amount of spiritual items, and since cultivators themselves struggle to obtain sufficient resources, how could they afford to cultivate a spirit beast?

As far as Li Zhirui knew, among the several Foundation Establishment cultivators born in the Li family over the past three hundred years, apart from a few ancestors, none had cultivated a second spirit beast.

The Jade-Beaked Eagle flew extremely fast, covering the two-hundred-mile journey in just a quarter of an hour.

"Good work." Li Shiren patted the Jade-Beaked Eagle and fed it a piece of dried spirit fish as a reward before putting it back into the spirit beast bag.

Li Zhirui stood to the side, watching the cultivators entering and exiting the marketplace gate, gaining a more accurate understanding of how bustling this place was.

Come to think of it, Li Zhirui hadn't seen much of the world, as none of the major marketplaces of the Beast Taming Sect were as lively or prosperous as Yunqing Marketplace.

"Uncle Ren, there are so many cultivators coming and going; if we really open a restaurant, we could definitely earn a lot of spirit stones!" Li Zhirui said with some excitement.

Li Shiren smiled and said, "The family doesn't even have recipes or spirit chefs yet, and you're already thinking about running a restaurant."

During their conversation, the two walked into the marketplace. What caught their eyes were various shops on both sides of the road, and by looking at the hanging signs, one could roughly tell what they sold.

After looking around, the two entered a shop called "Xuanfa Pavilion," which appeared to be selling cultivation techniques or various cultivation skills.

As soon as they entered, a cultivator in a long robe came up to greet them enthusiastically, saying, "What do you two distinguished guests need?"

"Do you have spirit food recipes?" Li Shiren asked.

The cultivator was stunned for a moment, perhaps not expecting anyone to buy such niche items, but his professional standard was high, and he immediately said, "Yes, my Xuanfa Pavilion has twenty-seven types of first-tier recipes and eight types of second-tier recipes."

As for higher-tier recipes, they were very rare items that this shop likely didn't have, and even if the Li family bought them, they would be useless.

"Bring out the first-tier recipes for us to see," Li Shiren said.

"Then please follow me." With that, he walked ahead to lead the way.

He brought them into a small room and served them a cup of clear tea before going to fetch the catalog and introduction for the spirit food recipes.

A moment later, he returned with a jade slip and smiled, "The items you two distinguished guests want are all here."