Longevity Begins With The Birth Of A Daughter At An Old Age

Chapter 22: Spirit Gathering Formation

After deducting the elixirs he consumed, Xu Mu's harvest in the past two months consisted of only six bottles of Jade Marrow Pill and twenty-five bottles of Qi Gathering Pill.

The reason for such a small amount was because he spent a lot of time improving his cultivation and practicing spells.

This was unavoidable; you can't have your cake and eat it too.

He sold six bottles of Jade Marrow Pill to the Song family's medicine shop, obtaining materials for ten Jade Marrow Pills and four medium-grade spirit stones.

At the same time, he received two important pieces of information from Su Qing. One was that the market was preparing to expand, and the slum area he was in might be included. The other was that the patrol team was preparing to expand, and the number of personnel might increase significantly.

He sold twenty-five bottles of Qi Gathering Pill to Tu the shopkeeper, obtaining materials for thirty Qi Gathering Pills and four hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones.

Recently, the price of elixirs not only did not rise, but also fell slightly, so the price was slightly lower than he expected.

However, with four medium-grade spirit stones and four hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones, his income still reached a new high.

With the spirit stones, Xu Mu's first priority was to go to the bookstore and buy the jade slip for the third-level Flame Control Technique, which cost him three medium-grade spirit stones.

Finally, he hurried to the magic tool shop, preparing to buy a magic sword.

Unexpectedly, after looking around, he wasn't very satisfied.

It wasn't because the price was too high!

Second-level attack magic tools, especially simple ones like flying swords, generally did not exceed three medium-grade spirit stones.

Even third-level ones were only six medium-grade spirit stones, which he could afford with his current worth.

The key issue was that the formations inscribed on these magic swords did not suit his preferences.

Formations like the Floating Formation, Traction Formation, Vajra Formation, and Possession Formation were necessary for normal magic swords, but they were completely useless to Xu Mu.

Because he didn't need to use mental control to attack enemies from a distance.

Instead, he planned to hold the magic sword directly, infuse it with spiritual energy, and attack up close.

A second-level attack magic sword could have at most twelve inscribed formations, and half of them were useless to him.

They were necessary for others, but for him, it was a bit of a waste.

"Can you custom-make magic tools here?"

"Of course! However, for now, we can only custom-make second-level magic tools. If you want a third-level one, you need to make an appointment in advance. As for fourth-level ones, we currently don't accept orders."

"How much does it cost?"

"That depends on what kind of magic tool Fellow Daoist wants to make, the formations that need to be inscribed, and if there are any special requirements."

"I want to custom-make a magic sword..."

Xu Mu briefly described his requirements.

The shop assistant who was responsible for receiving him looked astonished, thinking that he had misheard.

"Sir, are you saying that ten of the inscribed formations are for increasing attack power, and the other two are for inscribing formations that enhance the toughness of the sword body?"

"That's right!"

"..."

Is this Fellow Daoist planning to directly attack someone with the sword in his hand?

The shopkeeper looked him up and down, realizing that he did indeed seem more formidable than the average cultivator.

"Sir, your request is a bit unusual. I need to inform the shopkeeper!"

"Alright."

Xu Mu nodded.

The shopkeeper then went into the back room and soon called for a tall, bearded old man.

After some discussion, the old man agreed to help him make the sword, and they could add up to fourteen layers of the Sharp Gold Formation.

Because normal swords require coordination between various formations, the number of formations needs to be strictly controlled to avoid conflicts. However, Xu Mu's requested sword was relatively simple, greatly reducing the difficulty of engraving formations, so they could add two more layers.

However, because it was a custom order and his requirements were quite specific, the price was also significantly higher, requiring five medium-grade spirit stones.

And he needed to pay two medium-grade spirit stones as a deposit.

"When can I come to pick up the sword?"

"At the latest, one month!"

"Alright!"

Xu Mu paid the deposit, received the certificate from the other party, and left.

This shop was one of the largest artifact shops in the entire market, so there was no need to worry about its reputation.

Afterwards, he went to the Treasure Pavilion and spent twenty low-grade spirit stones to buy two hairpins, intending to give them to Lan Shijin and her daughter as a thank you for taking care of his daughter during this time.

Then he went to the market to replenish rice, meat, and bought a large amount of candy, preserved fruits, flour, meat, eggs, vegetables, candles, window decorations, and other miscellaneous items.

These were all things Ye Yingying had instructed him to buy for the festival.

At the same time, he also bought several feet of high-quality silk, intending to take it back to make new clothes for his wife and daughter.

Speaking of clothes, he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.

He had always said that once he had money, he would buy his wife a magic robe, but it had been delayed for so long and he hadn't even seen a trace of it.

Actually, a cheap magic robe would only cost thirty or forty low-grade spirit stones...

Forget it!

Maybe next time!

As he was about to leave, he unexpectedly ran into Jia An at the market.

The other party was buying spiritual rice.

Not the ordinary spiritual rice that cost one low-grade spirit stone for five catties, but the Xuanjing rice that cost ten low-grade spirit stones for one catty.

Even Xu Mu found it hard to bring himself to eat this kind of rice.

"I didn't expect this couple to be frugal most of the time, but quite generous during the festival!"

He had already planned to leave, but after thinking about it, he decided to buy a catty himself and bring it back for his wife to taste.

After returning home and putting away the things, Xu Mu headed towards Lan Shijin's house with the hairpins.

"Xu Fellow Daoist, you're too polite!"

After Lan Shijin put away the gift, she led Xu Mu to the main hall and poured two cups of tea.

"I have to thank Lan Fellow Daoist for taking care of my family and my daughter during this time!"

Xu Mu took a sip of tea and said.

Not drinking it, he wouldn't have known that the other party's tea-making skills were extraordinary, even better than those in teahouses.

"We are neighbors, helping each other is only natural. Besides, I quite like both of them, especially Xiaoling!"

Lan Shijin smiled softly, her mouth curved, as gentle as a drizzle, making people unconsciously want to get closer.

Today, Lan Shijin was not wearing that blue Daoist robe, but a loose white silk robe. Her hair was simply tied up, exuding a lazy and comfortable aura.

As for Leng Yue Ning, she did not show up.

The two chatted for a while, and Xu Mu explained his purpose.

"You want to set up a Spirit Gathering formation at home?"

Lan Shijin stared at Xu Mu, showing a hint of surprise.

Through their recent interactions, she knew that Xu Mu had a good income, but a Spirit Gathering formation was a money-burning thing. Even she was reluctant to set it up now.

"That's right! I wonder how many spirit stones it would require?" Xu Mu asked.

"The formation itself doesn't consume many spirit stones, but the key is that once the formation is activated, it cannot be stopped. It requires at least ten low-grade spirit stones every day. Are you sure you want to set it up?"

"..."

Ten low-grade spirit stones!

In other words, at least three hundred low-grade spirit stones are needed every month!

To be honest, this consumption was a bit beyond his expectations.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.

It seemed that he would have to increase the proportion of selling Jade Essence Pills in the future and reduce the production of Qi Gathering Pills.

By doing so, there might be some risks, but Xu Mu believed that with his current strength, he should be able to handle it.

"You really are a good father!" Seeing Xu Mu agree, Lan Shijin sighed with a smile.

"..."

Xu Mu was stunned for a moment, not understanding what she meant.

Lan Shijin seemed to have noticed his confusion and frowned, "Don't tell me you're setting up the Spirit Gathering formation not to help Xiaoling improve her aptitude? Children who grow up in a rich spiritual environment usually have better talents!"

"Uh?"

Actually, the main reason is for me to improve my cultivation.

And incidentally, to help my wife improve her cultivation!

As for my daughter...

"Cough cough! Lan Fellow Daoist is truly wise. You guessed it right away! If it weren't for my daughter, I wouldn't be willing to spend so many spirit stones!"

The arrangement of the Spirit Gathering formation is not too complicated. It only took Lan Shijin two days to set it up. The materials used in total cost just over fifty low-grade spirit stones, which is cheaper than the defensive formation he purchased.

Of course, Lan Shijin gave him a discount.

Otherwise, just hiring a formation master would cost a lot of spirit stones.

The entire Spirit Gathering formation covers the bedroom completely. The range is not very large, so it can only be considered a miniature Spirit Gathering formation.

After the arrangement was completed, Xu Mu immediately experienced the effect.

First, the environment.

Stepping into the Spirit Gathering formation from the outside is like stepping into a dust-free room from a polluted environment. Even without practicing meditation, every breath feels refreshing, as if the body and mind have been cleansed.

Without taking Qi Gathering Pills, the cultivation speed can increase by more than double. After taking the pills, it can increase directly to two times, almost three times.

Obviously, the more abundant the spiritual energy, the better the effect of using Qi Gathering Pills.

Little Ling'er, who is seven months old and can sit up and crawl, suddenly became sleepy when the Spirit Gathering formation was activated.

According to Lan Shijin, this is a normal phenomenon.

Babies have less adaptability than adults and need a long period of adaptation to changes in the environment. However, with adaptation to the environment, their talent will also make great progress.

In any case, Ling'er's talent in the future will definitely surpass Xu Mu and Ye Yingying.

Moreover, Xu Mu has already planned to start feeding her Jade Marrow Pills as soon as Ling'er can eat normally, laying a foundation from an early age.

He has made such rapid progress during this period, and the Jade Marrow Pills have played a significant role.

Moreover, unlike Qi Gathering Pills, Jade Marrow Pills can directly improve the cultivator's talent. It may not be noticeable once or twice, but in the long run, the benefits far exceed those of Qi Gathering Pills.

The only downside is that as Xu Mu consumes a large amount of Jade Marrow Pills, their effectiveness is gradually diminishing.

In the future, he will either have to switch to other pills or improve the quality of the Jade Marrow Pills.

However, to refine high-grade or top-grade Jade Marrow Pills, it requires a significant consumption of Luck points, and he is still undecided for the time being.

"I still need to increase the speed of acquiring Luck points!"

He thought about marrying multiple wives and concubines, and also thought about Lan Shijin.

She is a widow, I wonder...

Ahem!

It's better to wait until the end of this year and see the situation. If it's stable, then let Ye Yingying prepare for a second child, which is more practical.

Time passed, and it was time for the annual Spring Festival.

Every household was decorated with lights and colorful decorations, creating a lively atmosphere.

With Lan Shijin's suggestion, the two families celebrated the festival together.

During the meal, Xu Mu finally saw Leng Yue Ningxiao smile for the first time.

I have to say, she's quite beautiful!

(End of this chapter)