ATPnovel Chapter 2013: Year Changes, Seeking an Audience!
Chapter 2013: Year Changes, Seeking an Audience!
Upon hearing this...
Old Wang raised his hand to touch the tip of his nose, then waved with a smile.
His tone carried a hint of wistfulness:
"It was just a lucky glimpse into the Dao of talisman making; it doesn't count as a true breakthrough."
My current output is barely enough to cover my daily cultivation expenses.
The prospect of accumulating spirit stones to break through to the Golden Core stage remains a distant dream.
That's quite true.
Old Sun sighed softly, glanced at the weary-looking cultivators hurrying along the street, and continued, "..."
"People only see that large immortal cities have rich and abundant spiritual energy, and the cultivation speed is far superior to that of small and medium-sized immortal cities. They are eager to settle down in these cities."
But they had no idea just how difficult it was to cultivate in a top-tier city like Xuanfeng Immortal City.
"Living in the Immortal City is no easy feat."
Old Wang looked up and sighed deeply, feeling a profound sense of unease.
"If the cost of food, clothing, housing, transportation, array rentals, and cultivation resources in large cities could be reduced to the level of medium or even small immortal cities, all the independent cultivators in the world would flock to large cities."
By then, the spiritual energy of the great cities will be completely depleted, and the cities' carrying capacity will be completely overloaded. No matter how many immortal cities there are, they won't be enough for cultivators to fight over.
The two were chatting away, each taking turns talking, when...
Old Sun, with his sharp eyes, suddenly noticed something. His gaze pierced through the crowded streets and landed on a slender, youthful figure across the street. He quickly reached out and nudged Old Wang's arm.
"Old Wang, look over there, isn't that Old Li's grandson?"
Old Wang immediately followed the gaze, stared intently for a moment, and then looked on in surprise:
"It really is him!"
I remember this child has three spiritual roots, a balanced constitution, and a calm temperament; he is a truly promising candidate for foundation building.
In a few more years, the foundation will be successfully laid.
Old Li can now enjoy a peaceful and comfortable retirement, and calmly pass on his mantle to his grandson.
As soon as the two finished speaking,
Old Qian, who had been silently eavesdropping at the next stall, frowned slightly. He stepped forward, lowered his voice, and interrupted the two with a tone of regret and sorrow:
"Old Wang, Old Sun, you two are so engrossed in your stall that you're oblivious to what's going on outside. You probably don't know that Old Li passed away a month ago."
"what?!"
Two exclamations rang out simultaneously; Old Wang and Old Sun's expressions changed drastically, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"impossible!
Old Li's cultivation was stable at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he was in good health, and had more than twenty years left before his lifespan ended.
How could someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly perish?
Old Qian shook his head, his eyes filled with regret, and slowly revealed the truth:
"In the end, it's all for his grandson."
He wanted to accumulate more cultivation spirit stones for his descendants and pave the way for his grandson's foundation.
That's why Old Li disregarded his own safety and volunteered to join the sea-hunting team, venturing into the treacherous, endless sea to hunt monsters for reward.
"On that sea voyage to hunt demons, a group of eight set out together, but when the fleet returned a month later, only three had returned alive."
And they were all seriously injured.
The demon-hunting captain even had his arm torn off by a demon beast while covering his comrades, barely surviving with severe injuries.
Old Li, however, remained forever in the endless sea.
"Afterwards, the survivors recounted the incident: their group ventured deep into the outer sea and unfortunately encountered a terrifying late-stage second-tier Thunderwind Beast."
The dual cultivation of wind and thunder is extremely fast, and its combined offense and defense makes it difficult to contend with.
The whole team fought desperately, but in the end they still couldn't protect Lao Li.
In the end, Old Li perished in the belly of the monster, his body never to be found.
As soon as he finished speaking,
A moment of silence fell over the scene, and all three Foundation Establishment cultivators were filled with emotion.
As fellow cultivators from the bottom rungs of society, they understand best the hardships their fellow practitioners face in trying to survive.
At this moment, Old Sun suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the other side of the street, his brows furrowed:
"Look, Old Li's grandson has gone into that pavilion across the street."
All eyes turned to the young man as he stepped into a two-story pavilion with an ancient-looking entrance, strict security, and two Foundation Establishment cultivators who were always on duty at the entrance.
"It's the Spirit Source Pavilion!"
Old Wang recognized the attic sign at a glance, then looked puzzled.
"I remember it clearly; the threshold for storing and withdrawing spirit stones at Lingyuan Pavilion is extremely high."
For private storage of spirit stones, the minimum deposit amount is one hundred low-grade spirit stones.
He's just a junior in the Qi Refining stage, relying entirely on Old Li's support. Where would he get so many spirit stones?
“He didn’t have it himself, but his grandfather, Old Li, did.”
Old Qian succinctly pointed it out, then offered a calm explanation.
"Have you forgotten Lingyuan Pavilion's most considerate rule?"
The spirit stone deposit account supports bloodline inheritance. No complicated procedures are required; all spirit stones in the account can be directly transferred simply by verifying the bloodline.
In my opinion, this child has come to inherit Old Li's life savings, which he had entrusted to this place before his death.
"I see, it was my oversight."
Old Sun suddenly realized, and then smiled at Old Wang.
"Speaking of Lingyuan Pavilion, I'm reminded of an old story..."
Do you remember the boastful bet you made in public when Lingyuan Pavilion first opened?
Old Wang's face stiffened, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It's all in the past, why bring it up again?"
"I must explain in detail!" Old Sun immediately became interested, joking with a smile.
"When Lingyuan Pavilion first landed in Xuanfeng Immortal City, no one knew its true nature."
You insist that this is a scam run by illegal forces to steal the spirit stones that we independent cultivators have painstakingly accumulated.
They even made a bet with me, saying that the person who ran off with the money in this attic would definitely do so within six months.
However, several years have passed, and Lingyuan Pavilion has always operated smoothly and orderly, without a single accounting error.
Not a single negative rumor has been spread.
"Does your face hurt?"
Old Wang looked even more embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, looking at Old Qian:
"Judging from your tone, do you perhaps know the true origins of Lingyuan Pavilion?"
We only knew that this place was a safe and convenient place to store spirit stones, but we never figured out its underlying mechanisms.
The other two also turned to look, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Old Qian glanced around, lowered his voice to avoid being overheard, and slowly revealed the inside story of the industry:
"I happen to know a fellow Daoist who works at Lingyuan Pavilion, and I've heard some inside information about him."
The Lingyuan Pavilion, which is scattered throughout various immortal cities, is by no means a private trading company.
Instead, it belongs to the Cultivator Association, the supreme power in the entire cultivation world.
"It is an official trading company directly under the Lingyuan Hall, which controls all cultivation resources in the world."
The entire process was personally overseen and coordinated by the Lord of Lingyuan Hall.
It should be noted that both the Palace Master and the Deputy Palace Master are semi-saint level experts, holding high positions and wielding immense power.
The president of the monks' association was also overseeing things from above.
No one in the entire cultivation world dared to provoke him.
With this remark,
Old Wang and Old Sun both gasped in shock, their last shred of worry vanishing completely.
Old Qian continued:
"Now all the large immortal cities along the endless sea have been equipped with branches of the Lingyuan Pavilion."
According to the association's latest plan, all medium and small-sized immortal cities will open branches within the next year.
Even inland immortal cities that were previously relatively lacking in spiritual energy will be fully covered.
"Is that really true?" Old Sun quickly asked.
"It's absolutely true, not just a rumor." Old Qian nodded firmly.
"The news has already spread throughout Zhenhai Immortal City."
However, our Xuanfeng Immortal City branch has only been open for a short time, and the news has not yet spread completely.
With the Cultivator Association as its backer, Lingyuan Pavilion could never abscond with the funds.
Upon hearing this, Old Wang felt completely relieved and sincerely sighed:
"If one truly has such a top-tier backer..."
For us independent cultivators without any sect or faction, the Lingyuan Pavilion is truly a godsend.
"Yes."
Old Qian wholeheartedly agreed, his eyes filled with genuine approval.
"We independent cultivators have no sect to rely on, no sect-specific contribution points, and all our possessions must be carried with us at all times."
In the past, every time I went out of the city to hunt monsters or explore secret realms, I had to be on guard against evil cultivators robbing me along the way, and I was always worried day and night.
"The moment the Spirit Source Pavilion came into existence, I immediately deposited all the spirit stones I possessed in my lifetime into it."
"It doesn't matter if my descendants don't have spiritual roots and can't embark on the path of cultivation."
As long as the bloodline continues, a hundred years from now...
If my descendants possess spiritual roots, they will be able to directly inherit all the cultivation I have accumulated throughout my life, sparing them the hardship of starting from scratch.
As soon as he finished speaking,
Old Sun's eyes suddenly flashed, recalling recent rumors, and he added:
"Speaking of heretical practitioners, I recall a strange incident."
Recently, the once rampant plundering gangs of evil cultivators in the mountains and coastal waters outside the city have quietly disappeared for a long time.
There have been almost no more reports of lone cultivators being robbed or murdered.
"I've also noticed that."
Old Wang nodded in agreement.
Old Qian sneered upon hearing this, his words revealing the true nature of the matter:
"In the end, it all comes down to nothing more than interests."
The evil cultivators take risks and risk their lives to plunder, their true intention being to covet the spirit stones and treasures in the storage bags of us rogue cultivators.
Nowadays, 90% of independent cultivators have deposited their wealth into the Spirit Source Pavilion.
He only carried a small amount of spirit stones for daily expenses, as there was no profit to be gained from robbing.
Even heretical practitioners need to cultivate themselves.
They also need to purchase elixirs and magical artifacts to enhance their strength.
Without sufficient incentives, who would be willing to risk being killed by the association's enforcement team to take action?
With no profit to be made, heretical practitioners naturally disappear.
Ultimately, Lingyuan Pavilion protected not only the belongings of us rogue cultivators,
Furthermore, it invisibly eradicated the evil cultivators who posed a threat to the entire area surrounding the immortal city.
"Makes sense!"
"..."
While they were chatting...
In Zhenhai Immortal City, at the headquarters of the Cultivator Association, the tightly closed doors of a magnificent palace slowly opened.
Rumbling--
Accompanied by a long, resonant sound of metal vibrating, it slowly moved to both sides.
Pure and rich spiritual energy emanated from within the gate, spreading out of the main hall on the wind and engulfing the entire surrounding plaza.
This attracted many low-level cultivators passing by to stop and pay their respects.
A tall and straight figure, with an aura that was extremely restrained and without any outward fluctuation of cultivation, slowly stepped out from the deep hall.
This person appears to be middle-aged, with calm and ordinary features.
But any cultivator who looked at him felt a deep sense of awe from the very depths of their soul.
It was impossible to discern the true extent of his cultivation.
The newcomer was none other than the Lord of the Spirit Source Hall, who held the reins of the Cultivator Association's finances and oversaw the flow of spiritual energy across the entire region.
Standing outside the main hall, the Lord of Lingyuan Hall raised his eyes and gazed into the distance. His indifferent gaze was like a cold star looking down on the mortal world, slowly sweeping over the bustling association square below and passing over the rows of functional halls.
final!
His gaze precisely locked onto the direction of the forbidden area behind him.
He gazed at the immense, heavy barrier of light that obscured the sky deep within the forbidden area, and sighed inwardly.
A full century has passed since the association's president, Cheng Buzheng, went into seclusion for further study.
For cultivators of their level, a hundred years is but a fleeting moment.
Thinking of this.
He couldn't help but sigh softly and said:
"I wonder when the president will finally break through his seclusion!"
When I emerge from seclusion again, will my cultivation have broken through to a new level?
"never mind!
There's no point in dwelling on the president's seclusion now.
The Lord of Lingyuan Palace pulled his wandering thoughts back, his mind quickly filled with another worry.
The most important thing right now is...
This is not to speculate on when the guild leader will emerge from seclusion, but to prepare a summary report for the Lingyuan Hall, which takes place once every ten years.
Thinking back to that performance review ten years ago...
A fleeting hint of worry crossed his eyes, and his face tightened slightly.
During his last performance review, he tried to save time by simply listing dry and uninteresting revenue figures, without any detailed business layout or future plans, and was perfunctory throughout.
Ultimately, he was publicly refuted by the guild leader's puppet avatar and given a severe scolding.
It became a laughing stock among the other major palace masters for a long time.
The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds!
This decade-long report must not repeat the same mistakes.
This worry lingered in his eyes.
However, as the master of a palace, his mind had already been tempered and refined countless times.
Their negative emotions come very quickly and dissipate even faster.
In the blink of an eye,
He calmed himself down, and his expression returned to calm and composed.
That's it.
Even if there are still omissions in this report, the worst that can happen is that the president will publicly reprimand and scold me.
Having served as the head of the Lingyuan Hall for many years, his position was solid, and he had never engaged in any act of seeking personal gain or neglecting his duties.
The president would certainly not remove him from his position as temple master simply because of a single mistake in his performance review.
After making up my mind and putting aside all my concerns...
Without the slightest hesitation, the Lord of Lingyuan Palace strode steadily toward the forbidden area behind the Cultivator Association, his robes fluttering in the wind.
They passed through layers of guards and crossed three zones of restricted areas.
After about half an incense stick's time,
A magnificent palace, enveloped in a sky full of seven-colored spiritual light and covered with eighty-one defensive and deadly restrictions, came into his view.
This is where the guild leader is in seclusion, overseeing operations.
The spiritual energy near the main hall was so dense it was almost liquefied, with wisps of spiritual mist floating in the air.
The oppressive aura of the restriction spread in all directions.
Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to approach rashly, the restriction would automatically deter and repel them.
Walk to the light screen in the main hall...
The Lord of Lingyuan Palace subconsciously paused slightly, restrained his aura, and became even more respectful.
This is the core of the association's forbidden area, where no disrespect or negligence is tolerated.
After calming down,
He then stepped forward and stopped in front of the thick, spiritual light barrier that separated the inside from the outside.
With a flick of his wrist, a spiritual light flashed at his fingertips, and a fiery red communication talisman, engraved with flame-like patterns, instantly appeared between his fingers.
The talisman paper bore the unique identity mark of the Spirit Source Palace.
This is enough to prove the identity of the person who came.
Therefore, it will naturally not trigger the forbidden killing formation.
He made no unnecessary movements.
The Lord of Lingyuan Palace simply flicked his fingertips.
call out--
The crimson communication talisman transformed into an extremely condensed crimson stream of light, piercing through the thick spiritual mist before it and penetrating the defensive light barrier that separated the inside from the outside without any hindrance. It then plunged straight into the depths of the main hall, conveying its request for an audience.
Outside the hall, all was quiet.
Only the low hum of the slowly circulating restrictions echoed in my ears.
...(End of this chapter)