Hua Tianxiong carefully extracted a fully ripened Qingling Grass from the soil. He examined the eighteen yellow, mung-bean-sized fruits on the emerald plant, and with a gentle shake, the eighteen ripe fruits fell into his palm. Gazing at the spirit-rich Qingling Grass, Hua Tianxiong thought to himself that this single plant was worth fifty taels of silver.
After spending half a day harvesting all the mature First-grade Spiritual Herbs within the Star Domain Formula cauldron, Hua Tianxiong discovered he had harvested three types of mature herbs and over 320,000 herb seeds. Seeing these herbs and seeds, Hua Tianxiong finally let out a sigh of relief; it seemed he would no longer have to worry about money in the future.
Once the first batch of mature spiritual herbs was harvested, Hua Tianxiong sowed over 130,000 seeds, wasting not a single moment. Fortunately, performing this work inside the Star Domain Formula cauldron only required a single thought from him. If he had to go through the labor of traditional planting and harvesting, he would likely have died of exhaustion long ago.
However, due to excessive consumption of mental energy, Hua Tianxiong was left completely drained and foaming at the mouth after half a day. More importantly, the overexertion of his divine sense left him with a splitting headache, forcing him to spend three hours circulating the Star Domain Formula through a full cycle just to eliminate the fatigue brought on by the mental strain.
Despite the throbbing in his head, however, his mouth remained curled in a permanent grin. It took him quite a while to settle down and return to normal; after all, the Star Domain Formula cauldron was truly a miraculous artifact.
As the ceremony for the conferring of titles approached, Hua Tianxiong gradually reached the Peak Eighth-Rank Martial Disciple level, though he continued to use the Star Domain Formula cauldron to mask his cultivation as Peak First-Rank Martial Disciple. On the day before the ceremony, Hua Tianxiong moved all the refined iron stones from his storage bag into an empty warehouse at the Prince's Mansion and transferred the 30,000-plus mature spiritual herbs from the cauldron into his storage bag.
He slipped quietly out the back door of the Prince's Mansion, made his way to a deserted, secluded building, and donned a set of plain, discreet clothing he had prepared in advance. Wrapping himself tightly in a cloak, he emerged onto the bustling main street. He was sure no one would notice him; Hua Tianxiong had never forgotten the principle that holding a treasure is a crime that invites disaster.
Weaving chaotically through several streets, he quickly arrived at the Continent Chamber of Commerce. Hua Tianxiong approached the counter where he had bought the herb seeds last time. A new attendant, a beautiful woman, greeted him and asked cautiously, "Sir, how can I help you today?"
"How do you handle the acquisition of spiritual herbs?" Hua Tianxiong asked in a hoarse, lowered voice.
"What kind of herbs?" the attendant asked casually, as she dealt with such requests every day.
"These three types!"
As he spoke, Hua Tianxiong produced one Qingling Grass, one Silver-Leaf Flower, and one Blood Origin Grass from his storage bag.
"Hmm, Qingling Grass is fifty taels per plant, Silver-Leaf Grass is one hundred, and Blood Origin Grass is one hundred and fifty," the attendant replied expertly after a brief glance.
"Wait, hold on. These herbs contain more spiritual energy than the usual ones, and they are larger in size, too. I can take it upon myself to increase the purchase price by ten taels for each. Where did you collect these, sir? I have never seen such high-quality spiritual herbs before!" The attendant was so captivated by the herbs that she completely forgot industry etiquette. She hurriedly detained Hua Tianxiong and picked up the three herbs to examine them closely before speaking again.
"I don't think that is for you to ask," Hua Tianxiong said, his voice hardening slightly.
"Please forgive me, sir. I was in the wrong. I am so sorry, I am so sorry..." The attendant no longer dared to show any disrespect and apologized profusely.
"Very well. Be careful in the future; do not ask about things that don't concern you. Just because I, an old man, won't hold it against you doesn't mean everyone else will be so lenient. Send your manager over; I have a major deal to discuss with them." Feigning impatience, Hua Tianxiong spoke dismissively.
"Understood. I will certainly take your lesson to heart, senior. Please, follow me this way." With that, the attendant led him up to a VIP room on the second floor. She knocked on the door, and following a call to "come in," she escorted Hua Tianxiong inside.
Once inside, Hua Tianxiong was momentarily stunned by the decoration and layout of the VIP room. Fortunately, as a prince of the Great Qin Empire, he had seen his share of opulence, but he could not help but marvel internally that the Continent Chamber of Commerce’s VIP room was furnished even more luxuriously than the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.
"Is this your first time at my Continent Chamber of Commerce, senior?"
Following a charming, delicate voice, Hua Tianxiong noticed a beautiful woman. She appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a vibrant red gown. Her skin was as fair as curdled fat, and a cascade of dark hair fell over her shoulders. She possessed a peerless beauty that was truly captivating. She was slightly taller than Hua Tianxiong, and her tight-fitting gown could not conceal her devilish figure: her hips were shapely and firm, and her chest was high and statuesque, appearing as if it were about to burst forth from the fabric.