SWNOVELXO Chapter 217: Heavenly Spirit Race
Every hunting trip, Uncle Lie would leave the tribe at a great distance, carrying a multitude of Beast Bones back and forth, which was not realistic.
Therefore, most of the time, he could only bring back the skeleton of some powerful Savage Beasts, and only occasionally could he forge a Rune Soldier.
This was not a situation unique to the Wangshan Tribe, almost all tribes were like this, thus the number of Rune Soldiers was not considered high.
Especially consumables like bows and arrows were extremely precious.
Now, Chu Zheng had brought back Spirit Mines, and instantly, Uncle Lie smelled the enormous benefits that could not be ignored.
He didn't waste time and immediately gathered young and strong men in the tribe, following Chu Zheng to leave the tribe once again to start mining the Spirit Mines.
Even though a cold wave was approaching, he no longer planned to go hunting, as long as there were enough Rune Soldiers, they could exchange Blood Food, Spiritual Medicine, and other resources with other tribes.
Compared to fighting with Savage Beasts, mining was undoubtedly much safer and the returns were much higher.
As one vein after another was depleted, a large amount of raw ore was transported back to the tribe, where a group of Totem Cultivators possessing Spiritual Fire transformed it into Rune Soldiers.
Although the quality of the Spirit Mines was not high and the strength of the forged Rune Soldiers was limited, they were already sufficient for some ordinary cultivators.
In a few months' time, the veins within ten thousand miles had already been largely depleted, raw ores piled up like mountains, and thousands of Rune Soldiers stacked together, overflowing with Spiritual Light.
"Uncle Lie, time for your medicine."
Chu Zheng was holding a bowl of medicinal soup, bringing it to Uncle Lie.
During these past few months, through the daily delivery of medicine, he had silently repaired Uncle Lie's internal injuries using the panel.
Uncle Lie took the bowl of medicine, drank it all down in one gulp and couldn't help sighing:
"The witch's medical skills have advanced again."
Uncle Lie didn't know about all that Chu Zheng had done; he thought it was the witch's doing.
He was very aware of his own body's condition, knowing that without this daily dose of medicinal soup, he couldn't have healed or even would have prematurely aged and began to decline.
This was equivalent to having his life restored.
Uncle Lie went out for a walk, inspecting the whole tribe, and upon seeing that the stockpile of Rune Soldiers was now sufficiently ample, he took Chu Zheng alone and boarded a Ming Sculpture, taking many Rune Soldiers, and left the Wangshan Tribe, heading southwest.
"Uncle Lie, where are we going?"
Chu Zheng was puzzled.
"The market."
Uncle Lie replied casually, his eyes also showing some excitement:
"There, you can see treasures you wouldn't find near the tribe, and even the remains of Savage Beasts from the ocean."
Wangshan Tribe is surrounded by the Barren Domain and far from the vast ocean. Many cultivators live and die without ever seeing the sea.
...
...
Before a cold wave arrives, many tribal communities gather for a grand meeting to exchange what they have in order to ensure their own survival.
After all, given their various environments, some areas are rampant with Savage Beasts, abundant in Blood Food but lacking Spiritual Medicine; the smaller the tribe, the scarcer these resources.
Uncle Lie and Chu Zheng traveled for nearly half a month and entered into the Great Desert.
A sprawling complex of buildings covering thousands of miles came into Chu Zheng's sight.
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These buildings, mostly grand halls built from Green Stone, were now bustling and teeming with people.
Shadows of various kinds of people and tamed Savage Beasts and fierce birds ascended and descended from time to time.
Chu Zheng's eyes gleamed with curiosity as Uncle Lie had told him a lot about the market along the way.
This market had a very long history, existing already tens of thousands of years ago.
It exists solely for trading and not for cultivators to live and reproduce, and when the cold wave comes, it will be covered with ice and snow, left devoid of life to avoid attracting powerful Savage Beasts.
In the case of poor communication methods, a market that has been established will not easily shift its location.
Because any change in location could decrease the survival chances of small tribes or even lead to their total destruction.
Each time the market is open, it lasts for a long time, until the first snow of the cold wave falls, and only then does the crowd that has gathered gradually disperse.
Everyone who attends the market is a peak force from various tribes, and Chu Zheng casually saw that few cultivators were below the Third Order, with only the occasional child younger than ten years old appearing.
After settling the Ming Sculpture outside the city, Uncle Lie took Chu Zheng, walked through the bustling streets, found an empty spot, laid down Beast Skin, and displayed the newly forged Rune Soldiers. He made his moves cautiously, clearly having many concerns.
Before Uncle Lie could even speak, some Totem Cultivators had already gathered around.
"So many Rune Soldiers? Could it be your tribe was attacked by a Savage Beast?"
Seeing the thousands of Rune Soldiers, the first response of many cultivators was that their tribe had encountered Savage Beasts, resulting in many casualties, hence freeing up so many Rune Soldiers.
Chu Zheng sat silently to the side, his eyes always vigilant and constantly scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, a figure approached Uncle Lie; this person was not wearing Beast Skin but rather brocade clothing, appearing somewhat thin.
Only cultivators from the larger tribes would pursue appearance; from just his clothes, this person's identity was clearly extraordinary.
[Bai Zhong (Fifth Order): Cultivator from the Heavenly Spirit Race, possessing Innate Divine Abilities: Binding Technique, Shape Concealment, Water Control.]