Chapter 140 The Function of the Mountain Gate Token (asking for monthly tickets)

Listening to what his master said, Liu Jianan fell into memories.

Recalling last year.

Liu Jianan got answers to all the unreasonable things that happened to him after he went to the sect.

First, on the day of initiation, several elders rushed to accept me as a disciple.

At that time, he still thought that he had a very high talent for cultivation, so high that these elders directly sabotaged each other in front of him in order to accept him as a disciple.

In the end, it was the head of the sect who stepped forward and asked the elders to use the ancient method of drawing lots to decide who would accept him as a disciple. In the end, his master won the draw.

Looking at his master's excited expression at that time, he was still thinking that it was because his talent was too amazing, and his master was crying because he felt that there was someone to succeed him.

But after a year of practice, Liu Jianan became confused again.

Compared with several other brothers who joined the sect in the same year, although his cultivation is higher than these brothers, it is only limited.

The most important thing is that these fellow disciples do not have any special treatment from the master. They can only get one bottle of Qi Condensing Pill a month, but the master gives them two extra bottles every month, ensuring that they can get a Qi Condensing Pill every day.

With this conversion, there is no difference between my talent and that of my fellow apprentices.

What did my master and elders see in me that made them rush to accept me as their disciple? This was one of my puzzles.

Another doubt comes from the eldest senior brother Zhang Kaijia.

Half a year after he had joined the sect, he met his senior brother who had returned from outside. However, the senior brother treated him badly at first.

It is said that this was because other fellow disciples reported to the eldest brother that the elders gave them special treatment and that the sect leader was training them to be the successor to the sect leader.

The eldest senior brother was recognized by the entire sect as the next generation successor to the sect leader, and he was threatening his position.

Liu Jianan felt a little aggrieved because he had no idea about the position of headmaster. He was thinking about finding an opportunity to explain to his senior brother, but he didn't expect that his senior brother would take the initiative to find him.

Gentle breeze, drizzle, spring breeze, earnest teachings...

Liu Jianan felt it all from his senior brother. It was as if he had become a completely different person. Not only did he love him very much, but if other senior brothers said something bad about him, he would scold them severely after finding out.

Not sure if it was his illusion, but Liu Jianan had a feeling that the senior brother seemed to be trying to curry favor with him.

At this moment, he finally got answers to the questions that confused him in the sect.

It was not because of his own high talent in cultivation, nor was it because of the relationship between his father and the headmaster. The root cause of these unreasonable situations all came from his father's disciple.

He is at the level of a mid-stage foundation building warrior, but his actual combat power is enough to kill a late-stage foundation building warrior.

He is also a very powerful alchemist who can even refine foundation-building pills.

Therefore, the elders including the eldest senior brother treated me so well not because of my talent, but because I had a powerful senior brother.

Going further back, the reason why the leader and his father were so close brothers was also solved.

…

…

The second day of the first lunar month.

"Why, you still can't figure it out?"

Seeing Liu Jianan standing in the yard staring at the plum blossoms in a daze, Chu Ning walked over with a smile.

"Brother Chu, I... I just feel a little awkward. I thought my master and my senior brother really loved me, but..."

Liu Jianan felt really awkward these past few days. It turned out that the reason why his master and senior brother were so nice to him was not because they loved him, but because of Brother Chu.

Chu Ning patted Liu Jian'an on the shoulder. This kid was getting too obsessed with something.

"When you were born, there were no monks in this country. Everyone practiced martial arts. There were martial arts schools in many places. Those who wanted to practice martial arts could pay money to learn martial arts. If they were successful, they could worship the master of the martial arts school as their master. Do you think this kind of master-disciple relationship is reliable?"

Liu Jianan pondered, thinking about the question raised by Chu Ning.

"It should be reliable, because there are many people who come to the martial arts hall to learn martial arts, but the one who is chosen by the hall master is because of his martial arts talent, and then he is accepted as a disciple, which makes him different from other members of the hall."

"So what does the museum owner want?" Chu Ning asked with a smile.

"It's to ensure there is a successor." Liu Jianan answered without thinking.

"Because those with high martial arts talent are valued and accepted as disciples, while those with low martial arts talent can only practice for a few years before leaving. As you said, they hope that there will be successors and that their disciples will be able to succeed them in the future and provide for their retirement."

"No one in this world would be nice to another person for no reason, unless they are blood relatives, so whether you value talent or background, it's essentially the same."

Chu Ning knew what Liu Jianan was stuck in. He felt that the kindness of his master and other elders in the sect was not pure, but had some purpose.

But there is no such thing as a pure master-disciple relationship in this world. Accepting talented disciples already has a clear purpose, which is essentially the same as accepting disciples with backgrounds.

"Take me and my teacher for example. When I first entered the school, my teacher did not accept me as a disciple. Instead, he waited for me to pass the three-month test. Later, my teacher found that I had a good talent in martial arts. In addition, my character satisfied my teacher and I thought I had the potential to become a martial arts master. That's why he accepted me as a disciple."

Chu Ning used himself as an example and looked at Liu Jianan: "If I had the same idea as you do now, then I wouldn't need to be too grateful to the teacher, because the teacher didn't accept me as a disciple the first time he saw me."

Liu Jianan showed a thoughtful look on his face. After a while, he suddenly realized: "Brother Chu, I understand what you mean. No matter what, the master is the master."

"Let's judge by deeds, not by heart." Chu Ning nodded. "For a disciple without a background, a master is betting on the disciple's future. When facing a disciple with a background, a master's heart may not be so pure, but that does not affect the relationship between you two."

"As long as the master has fulfilled his responsibilities as a master, taught you and trained you, that is enough. It is unrealistic to ask the master to be kind to two people who are not related by blood and have just met each other without asking for anything in return."

"Thank you, Brother Chu. I understand."

After being enlightened, Liu Jian'an's expression relaxed. Chu Ning smiled and said, "So, in order to deepen the relationship between you and your disciple, you should send a message to your master and ask him to prepare the materials for refining the foundation-building pill and come to Raozhou."

"Thank you, Brother Chu." Liu Jianan was delighted.

…

…

After convincing Ji'an, Chu Ning said goodbye to his teacher and returned to Daning County.

At the gate of the courtyard, Ji Banyan stood there with an upright posture.

"Come yesterday?"

"Well, I came to Master's house yesterday, but you were not at home. I went back to town at night and came here again early this morning."

"Come in."

Chu Ning sat down on a rattan chair in the yard, and Ji Banyan stood respectfully in front of him.

"On the path of cultivation, what are you pursuing?"

Ji had never thought that his master would ask this question for half a year. Isn't cultivation the pursuit of becoming stronger and stronger? Seeing his disciple's puzzled expression, Chu Ning reminded him: "If it were someone else, I wouldn't ask this question, but you are different from others. I can tell that you are not practicing for the pursuit of so-called immortality."

For more than ten years, in order to wait for a master like me, I, as a disciple, have been delayed. This shows that the goals I pursue in my heart are different.

"Disciple...I can't really explain what I'm pursuing."

After a while, Ji Banyan answered truthfully.

When he first entered school, he practiced martial arts hard, just wanting to give his mother a good life. Later, he became a martial artist, and his life became much better. It seemed that he... really had nothing to pursue anymore.

Even in his original idea, it would be nice to stay in town with his mother for the rest of his life.

He had never thought about building a foundation or living for hundreds of years.

"I'm giving you a suggestion. Go out for a walk instead of staying in Daning County. Only by going out can you know what you want."

Chu Ning knew that his disciple was now somewhat confused about the goal of his cultivation.

Becoming stronger is the common pursuit of every practitioner.

But the reasons for becoming stronger are different for different practitioners.

The reason for becoming stronger represents determination and motivation, which you need to understand on your own.

Just like he himself came this way.

He first practiced martial arts hard in order to become a martial artist. After becoming a martial artist, he changed his destiny and stepped out of the bottom. If it weren't for Huang Zhongtai's thing, I'm afraid he would not be able to build a foundation, let alone reach the late stage of Qi Condensation.

Those who live forever are the most likely to lose their pursuits.

Because it has achieved the goal that many people pursue throughout their lives.

But what happened to Huang Zhongtai sounded a wake-up call for him. Even if you have a long life, you may not be able to maintain it without the strength to go with it.

It's like a rich second-generation who inherits billions of dollars from his family. He doesn't need to struggle like ordinary people and can spend all his money on wine and women all his life.

But there is a prerequisite for a life of debauchery and drinking, and that is that society is stable and everyone abides by the rules and order.

But the reality is that when one does not have the strength to match it, wealth will be targeted by a pack of wolves or even hungry tigers, and taken away by trickery. The smart ones will give up most of their wealth and become small rich men. Otherwise, their wealth may be divided up and they may even be gone.

The so-called orderly world in the previous life was like this, not to mention this world of monks with strict hierarchy.

Many times, we are prone to unexpected disasters.

It might just be a battle between two Nascent Soul powerhouses, and the person would be killed instantly.

The purpose of Chu Ning's practice is to control his own destiny.

"Okay, I'll listen to Master." Ji Banyan nodded in agreement.

…

…

Midsummer has passed.

Chu Ning also stayed in Daning County for half a year, during which time he refined three foundation-building pills.

Li An brought two sets of materials for Foundation Establishment Pills. It wasn't that he was greedy and wanted two pills, but he didn't have that many spirit stones on him. So according to the rules, if he didn't have enough spirit stones, he would have to double the materials.

In addition to the two sets of materials provided by Li Ang, Chu Ning added another set of materials on his own.

Three foundation-building pills were refined, two of good quality and one of ordinary quality.

Chu Ning gave one of the high-quality foundation-building pills to Li An, and gave the remaining high-quality foundation-building pill to Chen Jingwu.

Back then, he was able to escape from the siege arranged by Huang Zhongtai, and his master's wife's elder brother also helped a lot. Now he is repaying the favor.

There is also a foundation-building pill, which Chu Ning has as a backup.

The reason why Chu Ning didn't refine the pills for his teacher and mistress was not because he ran out of materials. Thanks to the raid on the Wenjin Sect's treasury, he was able to refine three more foundation-building pills.

It was the teacher and his wife who refused.

In the teacher's words, he and his wife are quite satisfied with their current life and there is no need to disrupt it in order to build a foundation.

Even if the foundation is laid, what is the point of living a few more decades?

And if you want to live long, you have to struggle, working hard from the early stage of foundation building to the late stage of foundation building.

If I'm lucky enough to form a pill, it will be a new round of struggle.

Instead of repeating this over and over again, it’s better to live a leisurely life.

Listening to the teacher's words, Chu Ning thought that it really made sense. The teacher had already grasped the essence of lying down.

As long as I don't make progress, no one can force me to do it.

"Your master's wife and I have already discussed it. After Ji'an goes to Shangyun Sect, we will go out to travel and see the scenery of various states."

This is what the teacher said after the first month of the year when Chu Ning proposed to refine the foundation-building pill for him.

For this purpose, Chu Ning prepared several magic weapons for his teacher. With these magic weapons, as long as the teacher does not encounter a strong foundation-building expert, his life will not be in danger.

Three days ago, Chu Ning sent his teacher and his wife out of the city.

"Chu Ning, I actually feel that there is another reason why your teacher didn't build his foundation, and it may have something to do with you."

At the city gate, watching the teacher and his mistress disappear, Lao Hei said something in Chu Ning's mind.

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"Well, I know what the teacher is worried about."

Even Lao Hei could see it, so how could Chu Ning not see the clues? The teacher was afraid of dragging himself down.

Cultivating immortality is all about competition.

Compete with others for opportunities.

As long as you keep fighting, you will have enemies. Sometimes, even if you don’t actively make enemies, some enemies will appear passively.

The teacher was afraid that his enemies would come and threaten him with his life.

Ji'an's joining the Shangyun Sect was not publicized, and not many people knew about it. If anyone really had an enemy, they would only focus on their teacher.

Now that the teacher and his wife have left without telling anyone where they are going, his enemies can no longer threaten him.

Just a few days after seeing off the teacher and his mistress, Chu Ning once again saw off Ji Banyan.

In the past six months, he has broken through to the middle stage of Qi Condensation, and is qualified to walk in the Liang Dynasty.

In the past six months, Chu Ning also gave him three magic weapons, one for defense, one for attack, and one for escape.

"When you fully understand the purpose of your cultivation, come back and find me as your master."

Sent a teacher and a disciple.

Chu Ning spent the rest of his life in Daning County very leisurely. A few months ago, he even tried carving symbols.

There was a secret book on carving talismans in Fu Shichun's storage bag, but after three months, Chu Ning decided to give up.

Although he had an excellent talent in alchemy, he had no talent at all in carving symbols.

The secret mirror did not give any hint about the talisman.

It took him three months to draw a few talismans for use in the early stages of Qi Condensation, and he was only able to do this thanks to his powerful consciousness and spiritual power.

Even if he had a long life, he didn't want to waste his time carving symbols.

"Lao Hei, now that things in Liang Dynasty have been dealt with, it's time to go to Sun Moon Mountain."

Chu Ning decided to leave Liang Dynasty.

Before leaving, he went to Jin's house and drank with Jin Le. As a result, Jin Le drank too much and insisted on dragging Chu Ning to wash his feet.

Chu Ning naturally would not refuse such a warm invitation from his friend.

Sometimes, the friendship between men starts with washing feet, and they are committed to deepening their friendship through this process.

Before leaving, Chu Ning left a few bottles of elixirs for the brother and sister Jin Buhuan and Jin Buyao. With these elixirs, the two siblings would be treated like the outer disciples of the current sect.

After bidding farewell to Jin Le, Chu Ning went to the capital city. Without disturbing Zhu Zhenying, he directly disappeared into the teleportation array.

Using the teleportation array could save several months of time getting to Sun Moon Mountain.

Chu Ning transformed himself into Yao Qihua and stepped onto the teleportation array. The only regret of this trip to Liang Dynasty was that he did not meet Zhao Qin.

…

…

The teleportation array shone brightly, and the next moment, Chu Ning appeared in the cave on the cliff.

After walking out of the mountains, Chu Ning frowned, because in just a quarter of an hour, more than a dozen flying spiritual weapons flew over his head.

In the Hundred Cities area, the activity range of the Foundation Establishment cultivators is actually roughly fixed, and they all move around within the range of a few cities.

"These foundation-building cultivators are all heading towards Wenjin City. Could it be that the opportunity at Wenjin Peak has not yet begun?"

Chu Ning was a little curious, and after thinking for a while he headed towards the nearest Juque City, which was the first city he saw when he first came to the Hundred Cities area.

At first, because the ancient tomb of a powerful Jindan master was discovered outside Juque City, they chose to go around the city and stay away from it, but now there is no need to worry too much.

First of all, Juque City and Wenjin City are separated by four cities in a straight line. If Wenjin City is compared to the first ring, then Juque City is in the fifth ring.

There were cultivators guarding the gate of Juque City, but when Chu Ning walked in, these cultivators hurriedly watched Chu Ning go in respectfully.

The status of the Foundation Establishment cultivators is still very high in the Hundred Cities area.

The scale of Juque City is much smaller than Wenjin City. There is no distinction between inner and outer cities. Ordinary people and monks live together. The whole city is governed by an alliance of several forces.

If you want to get information, the best place to go is the brothel.

Chu Ning went directly to the brothel in Juque City in broad daylight. Although the brothels in Juque City did not receive many customers during the day, it was because everyone was a cultivator, had status, and had to maintain some dignity.

But the brothels in Juque City opened their doors to Chu Ning. How could they dare to turn away a foundation-building boss who wanted to come in and spend money?

Accompanied by several good-looking female cultivators, Chu Ning tasted the fine wine while casually asking, "I have been in seclusion for a while. Is there any major event in the Hundred Cities area recently?"

After hearing Chu Ning's words, several female cultivators immediately understood what was going on. This senior had been in seclusion for a long time, and in addition to needing physical and mental comfort, he also wanted to understand some major events of the time.

"Senior, if we talk about big things, the biggest thing in the entire Baicheng area right now is that Wenjin Mountain has dried up. Many Jindan masters and foundation-building masters have gone to Wenjin City."

A female cultivator in blue handed Chu Ning a grape and then told him what had happened recently.

Although the realms of these female cultivators are not high, most of them are in the middle stage of Qi Condensation, but they know a lot of information.

Men cannot control their mouths in front of women in order to brag about themselves, especially when it comes to so-called big things, they will reveal some so-called "you know" unspeakable secrets. This is similar for both monks and ordinary people.

After hearing what the blue-clothed female cultivator said, Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged, but he was a little shocked in his heart. He did not expect things to deteriorate to this extent.

The eldest senior brother chose to disband the Wenjin Sect, but the disciples of the Wenjin Sect still encountered trouble.

I don't know who revealed this opportunity, but the closer a person is to the mountain, the greater the probability of getting it.

This resulted in many disciples of the Wenjin Sect who remained in Wenjin City being targeted by the Foundation Establishment cultivators who came to compete for opportunities.

After all, no one has more contact with Wen Jinshan than the disciples of Wen Jin Sect.

Chu Ning was certain that there must be an alliance of loose cultivators behind this.

Five of the foundation-building cultivators who remained in Wenjin City had been assassinated, and the remaining outer disciples who were in the late Qi Condensation stage had also been controlled.

If it were just this, it would be nothing. Chu Ning had no feelings for the other disciples of Wenjin Sect. What made him uncomfortable was the matter about his senior brother Gu Fanzhou.

The eldest senior brother who had left like him returned to Wenjin City to save those disciples of Wenjin Sect who were left in Wenjin City and were under control.

But what was unexpected was that a Jindan strongman did not care about the sect leader behind the eldest senior brother and directly took down the eldest senior brother.

This is the information Chu Ning learned from the female cultivator in blue.

"For Jindan masters, what they are pursuing is the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Is there no reason for them to take action?"

Chu Ning frowned. That Jindan expert was willing to offend the sect master, who was in the late Jindan stage, and attack the eldest senior brother. There must be other reasons.

It is impossible to get the answer from the female nuns in brothels.

Half an hour later, Chu Ning walked out of the brothel and was silent for a moment. In the end, he did not go towards the Sun and Moon Mountain, but went in another direction.

Seven days later.

Outside the Giant City.

Xu Ruobing flew out of the city on a sword, but stopped shortly after she left the city because she heard a divine voice in her ear.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, please come down and have a chat."

Xu Ruobing glanced at the forest below, his beautiful eyes showing a thoughtful look, and the next moment he fell downwards.

In an open space in the forest, Chu Ning looked at Xu Ruobing, who was still wearing new clothes, and asked with a smile, "Where are you going, Brother Xu?"

"Go ask Jin Cheng, ask if the spiritual energy of the mountain is about to become stable, and it is almost time to enter the mountain."

"Fellow Daoist Xu is also going to compete for this opportunity?"

Chu Ning was a little curious. With Xu Ruobing's identity, there was no need for her to take the risk of entering Jinshan. The family would definitely arrange the path for her to form a golden elixir.

"Of course, if I give up this opportunity, I will have to wait at least several decades to achieve Dan. I have to fight for it day and night on the road of cultivation."

Chu Ning understood the meaning of Xu Ruobing's words. This woman had far-reaching ambitions and was not content with just forming a pill.

The earlier you form the Dan, the greater the possibility of forming the Yuanying later.

"Brother Chu came to see me, I guess there's something going on."

Xu Ruobing looked at Chu Ning, and Chu Ning muttered in his heart, "Women are so fickle. She called herself Ruobing in front of others, but now she becomes me."

"To be honest, I want to know why a Jindan strongman would attack my senior brother?"

Chu Ning waited outside the Juling City for several days just to wait for Xu Ruobing so that he could find out the inside story.

There was no surprise on Xu Ruobing's face. The moment Chu Ning appeared, she guessed why he came.

"There are rumors outside that Brother Gu has a token of the mountain gate."

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What is the mountain gate token?"

"The token of Rushan Sect represents the opportunity to enter the Nascent Soul stage."

(End of this chapter)