"What? Second-tier spiritual medicine is a controlled resource?"

These words gave Qi Ping a shock.

Previously, he hadn't paid attention to matters at the level of second-tier spiritual medicine due to his low strength.

When he needed it before, he directly sought out Meng Yan, a disciple of a Golden Core Elder, who never mentioned this.

"Can you explain to me in detail? How can one acquire second-tier spiritual medicine?"

"Of course, senior. However, my knowledge is limited, so please bear with me if I miss anything!"

Qi Ping nodded, signaling the steward to continue.

The steward cleared his throat and respectfully said:

"In the Qingtian Realm, all spirit veins are under the control of the Cyan Origin Sect, and second-tier spirit veins are tightly held by those within their own ranks."

"Because second-tier spirit veins are scarce and second-tier spiritual medicines have a long growth cycle, there isn't enough even for the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Cyan Origin Sect."

"Even within the sect, the purchase rights for second-tier spiritual medicine are given based on a quota per level. Very little flows to loose cultivators and families, and even less is seen for sale in shops."

"Places like Qingshi County may only see second-tier spiritual medicine for sale once every few years..."

Qi Ping listened in silence, his expression growing heavier throughout.

He hadn't expected the management of second-tier spiritual medicine to be so severe, with such scarce quantities, even within the Cyan Origin Sect where it was distributed based on level.

Although Qi Ping could understand why this was the case, it still left him quite frustrated knowing about it.

No wonder Golden Core Cultivators in the Qingtian Realm are so rare, with not enough spiritual medicine to go around. In the absence of certain spiritual medicines, relying solely on absorbing heaven and earth spiritual qi to reach a Golden Core might take five hundred years without even achieving Foundation Establishment Perfection.

The root cause of all this is the scarcity of spirit veins!

Now, with the Cyan Origin Sect controlling the spirit veins and second-tier spiritual medicines, the advancement pathway is naturally firmly in their grip.

Upon learning this, Qi Ping felt a bit of a headache.

Seeing Qi Ping's increasingly grim face, the steward grew nervous, afraid Qi Ping might explode with anger.

Fortunately, after a moment, Qi Ping spoke:

"Thank you for the information! I won't disturb you any further..."

"Take care, senior..."

After leaving, Qi Ping visited two more merchant guilds, only to receive the same result.

Thus, Qi Ping had no choice but to leave the Cyan Stone Marketplace and head to larger cities to seek second-tier spiritual medicine or second-tier spiritual medicine seeds.

...

"What a hassle!"

Qi Ping sighed helplessly.

He really hadn't expected second-tier spiritual medicine to be so rare that even having spirit stones couldn't secure it!

In the Qingtian Realm, second-tier spiritual medicine marks the beginning of scarce resources, tightly controlled by authorities.

As long as you control this, anyone wanting to break through must strive to join the Cyan Origin Sect and continuously fight to raise their level.

Even so, it only grants the qualification to purchase second-tier spiritual medicine; the necessary spirit stones are still required in full.

"Is this the class structure of the Immortal Cultivation Realm?"

"From an internal perspective, it's nearly unbreakable unless disrupted from the outside. Even with exceptional talent, the chances of standing out are incredibly slim with resources in the hands of the Cyan Origin Sect..."

The only consolation is the presence of external pressures, forcing the Cyan Origin Sect to make certain concessions and sacrifices to attract people and maintain its strength.

Otherwise, if only the Qingtian Realm existed, who knows what level of tyranny those controlling resources might reach?

At this moment, Qi Ping felt how difficult it truly is to stand out in the Immortal Cultivation Realm, regardless of one's talent.

"Good thing I chose the druid profession; otherwise, without the ability to cultivate resources myself, high talent would be worthless. With good luck, one might soar; without it, they'd end up frustrated and potentially a target for body snatching..."

No wonder the Mysterious Black Market remains strong for tens of thousands of years despite being incredibly dangerous and lucrative; in a world constrained by class, it becomes the only option.

However, at present, Qi Ping did not have plans to purchase spiritual seeds from the Mysterious Black Market.

Because Black Market Points are too hard-earned, basically risked with one's life, with the slightest misstep leading to death without a body to bury.

He must use Black Market Points wisely and effectively.

"The larger cities in the Qingtian Realm might offer some opportunity to find second-tier spiritual medicine or seeds!"

"If I can find one self-propagating spiritual medicine, I can continually cultivate it and have the Apothecary Bee make honey suitable for me and my animal companions with it and other Tier One spiritual medicines in my territory..."

Initially, Qi Ping had hoped to find more second-tier spiritual medicines for the Apothecary Bee to experiment with, creating explosive effect honey. Now, he just hopes to find a single self-propagating second-tier spiritual medicine.

Fortunately, there's the Apothecary Bee; otherwise, creating honey with different effects would be much too challenging given the limited types of spiritual medicines available.

...

"Let's check Celestial Water City first!"

After leaving the Cyan Stone Marketplace, Qi Ping decided to visit larger cities to see if he could find any suitable spiritual medicine.

Celestial Water City is a larger city near Qingshi County, with more prosperous trade.

But upon arriving there, Qi Ping was at a loss.

Based on the location shown on the map, Qi Ping found only a ruin in place of Celestial Water City, possibly destroyed in the recent war and now completely abandoned.

"Could there have been a Golden Core-level battle here? Can such a large city be reduced to ruins?"

"Never mind, onward to the next city!"

"Let's try Cangbi City next!"

But to Qi Ping's dismay, he visited three more cities from morning to night and ended up with not even a hair's worth of results.

All merchants basically reported that the recent war consumed all their stock of second-tier spiritual medicines, with none available even for their own use, let alone for sale.

...

At night, hiding in a forest, Qi Ping sighed in frustration as he recalled the day's events.

The difficulty of obtaining second-tier spiritual medicine was far greater than he had imagined!

"Let's search for one more day!"

"If nothing turns up, I'll have to purchase from the Mysterious Black Market or seek help from Brother Meng..."

Early the next day, Qi Ping set out for the nearby Li Tian City.

To Qi Ping's disappointment, this trip was also fruitless, so he went on to his next pre-planned destination, Chiyang City.

Just when Qi Ping thought he would again return empty-handed, the steward sitting opposite him spoke.

"The second-tier spiritual medicines were all consumed in past years; however, we do have two second-tier spiritual medicine seeds..."

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