Chapter 741: Buying and Selling Souls (National Day Monthly Ticket Bonus Completed!)
At the bottom of the well were narrow stone steps. The two followed them down to an underground cave.
The underground cave is not big, with many stalactites hanging from the top, some of which are covered with glowing mosses, making it even more eerie.
There were a few figures, some standing in the shadows of the corners, some sitting on randomly placed stone blocks, all far apart from each other, talking in low voices, their voices particularly unclear in this underground place.
The cave is dark, and the light and shadows flicker, casting human figures on the rugged stone walls, like ghosts in a shadow play.
Yu Heye took Sun Lingtong and walked straight to a corner of the cave.
There, a figure wearing a loose gray robe and a hood that almost covered his face, sat cross-legged on a flat boulder. There was no stall in front of him, and he sat there like a stone statue.
Yu Heye and Sun Lingtong stopped in front of him.
Yu Heye whispered, "Are there any goods?"
The gray-robed monk did not nod, and the space around him distorted slightly, revealing several floating gray-white pottery jars.
"The goods are all here." he said.
Yu Heye turned his head slightly and glanced at Sun Lingtong beside him.
Sun Lingtong had naturally disguised herself, and her height and body shape were no different from those of an adult.
He immediately activated his spiritual sense and probed into the ash jar.
There is at least one soul in every ash jar.
Hundreds of Qi Refining-level souls gathered in a minimal ash jar. Most of these souls were just vague, human-shaped balls of light, dim in color, like gray mist. They unconsciously squirmed and collided within the container, emitting silent screams, their faces distorted, filled with instinctive fear and pain.
Most ash jars contain souls in the foundation-building stage.
Their forms are much more solid than those in the Qi Refining Stage, and their facial features and even clothing characteristics can be clearly identified.
The colors are mostly pale or light blue, and the expressions are either angry, desperate, or numb.
They struck the container's walls with increasing frequency, their spirits fluctuating violently, leaving afterimages within. Some seemed to still retain a faint glimmer of consciousness, their eyes staring blankly outward.
There is only one soul in the Jindan stage.
It was sealed in the largest ash jar, its soul almost solidified, emitting a faint but clear spiritual pressure. It was as red as fire, obviously practicing some kind of fire-attributed technique in its lifetime.
The resentment contained in the eyes of the Jindan-level soul was so strong that even Sun Lingtong was secretly shocked.
It was almost motionless, secretly gathering strength, clearly trying to break free and regain its freedom. However, it was more strategic and patient than the souls at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining levels.
Sun Lingtong observed for a moment and nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, I want all of these."
The gray-robed monk was slightly stunned.
Yu Heye beside him was also surprised. He did not expect that this transaction would be much bigger than he had imagined.
Gray-robed monk: "Are you sure?"
Sun Lingtong directly took out a ghost dao golden pill and handed it to the other party: "Test it yourself, if you take more, you will lose less."
Sun Lingtong acted like a wealthy man.
The gray-robed monk gasped inwardly, startled and perplexed. "Where does this person come from? I'm just selling the souls of Jindan monks. And this person actually took out a Jindan!"
He slowly reached out, took the Ghost Dao Golden Pill, checked it and confirmed that it was correct. When he looked up at Sun Lingtong again, his attitude had changed drastically compared to before.
He clasped his hands together and said, "I have yet to ask your name, sir?"
Sun Lingtong smiled slightly: "You can just call me Old Sun."
Sun Lingtong's disguise was that of a middle-aged man. Even if someone saw through his thief's disguise and saw that he was actually a young boy, they would be puzzled. After all, this image was very different from the title "Old Sun".
This is exactly Sun Lingtong's cunning style - mixed with truth and falsehood, making it difficult for people to figure out what he is doing.
The gray-robed monk respectfully addressed him, "Master Sun."
Sun Lingtong nodded slightly, frowning slightly, and then asked directly: "Are these souls... really all people who have committed heinous crimes and deserve to die?"
The gray-robed monk laughed heartily. "Master Sun, you're worrying too much. We wouldn't dare accept or sell a person unless he's guilty enough to be killed, or to be shattered into pieces."
"The Wanxiang Sect is a reputable and upright sect. If we were to sell innocent souls here, we would be courting death!"
"Only a fool would do this kind of business for such a small profit and at the risk of being beheaded!"
Sun Lingtong was silent for a moment, accepting this statement. His eyes wandered over the struggling soul containers. He suddenly asked, "Are there any... souls of Confucian cultivators?"
"Confucian cultivator?" The gray-robed monk's eyebrows seemed to twitch beneath his hood, and his gaze lingered on Sun Lingtong again. He was silent for a few breaths, as if reviewing his inventory.
He hesitated, and finally uttered a word: "Yes."
Then he said, "And... the quality is excellent."
"Oh?" Sun Lingtong's eyes lit up.
It is quite rare for a Confucian practitioner to turn to the path of magic, because Confucianism, as a school of practice, is inherently shaped by its own thoughts and values.
Confucianism emphasizes benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, and the number of people who turn to evil ways is far less than that of Taoism and Buddhism.
Sun Lingtong came for Ning Zhuo, carrying Ning Zhuo's wishes.
Ning Zhuo now diligently cultivates Confucian magic, his academic prowess skyrocketing. He knows full well how crucial academic prowess is for him to absorb the strengths of others and ultimately master the art of mechanical engineering. Naturally, he has a stronger desire for Confucian spiritual cultivation.
But Sun Ning and the others knew that demonic Confucian cultivators were indeed quite rare, so their expectations were very low.
Therefore, when Sun Lingtong received the affirmative response from the gray-robed monk, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
"How much is it?" Sun Lingtong asked immediately.
He had already made up his mind that he would get it even if the other party offered a high premium.
Sun Lingtong was extremely familiar with Ning Zhuo's cultivation. The two of them never hid anything from each other in this regard. Therefore, Sun Lingtong was very clear that the significance and help of the Confucian soul to Ning Zhuo was extremely great!
The gray-robed monk was silent for a moment before speaking, "This person... is somewhat special. I'm not sure if I can obtain his soul and sell it to you."
Sun Lingtong frowned: "What's the reason?"
At this point, he added: "The price is negotiable."
The gray-robed monk didn't immediately respond to the price, but instead turned his gaze to Yu Heye standing beside him. "Actually, if I were to tell you the truth, many of my fellow disciples in the Wanxiang Sect know this person. He's quite famous. His name is... Qin De."
"Qin De?!" Yu Heye obviously knew this name, and a look of realization and fear appeared on his face. "It's him! The shame of Confucianism."
This time, Sun Lingtong's face was full of confusion.
Yu Heye explained in a low voice, "This person violated a taboo. It caused a huge uproar back then, but the higher-ups have been suppressing it with all their might. Intelligence purchased by normal people is naturally vetted, and this person's information will not be recorded."
Sun Lingtong suddenly became curious and carefully asked about the man's origins.
"The Great Sage Thief's Scripture?" When he heard it for the first time, especially when he heard the name of the magic Confucian practice, his heart actually beat faster a few times, and an idea was triggered, making him shudder.
Sun Lingtong suddenly realized, "This technique seems extremely important to me?!"
He concealed his surprise and quickly reviewed Qin De's information in his mind.
Qin Deben was a young Confucian scholar with a bright future. He was well-versed in all Confucian classics, and was extremely knowledgeable and talented.
But perhaps it was precisely because he read so many classics that he created his own martial arts technique, called "The Great Thief's Scripture of the Saint."
This technique connects saints and great thieves. The higher the personal conduct and merits of the cultivator, the stronger his stealing skills will be, and they can be greatly improved!
This martial art is too evil and it is likely to turn all Confucian practitioners into thieves.
The thoughts about Qin De revealed in "The Great Thief Scripture" made the Confucian group headed by Duanmu Zhang believe that Qin De had become corrupt, his thoughts were twisted, and he had read too much and become possessed by the devil!
Therefore, after exhortation, persuasion, coercion and other means failed, Duanmu Zhang and others could only explain to the sect, defeat Qin De and imprison him.
Qin De has been imprisoned in Yun Prison for more than 30 years.
The gray-robed monk recounted how Qin De had committed several major thefts after developing his technique. This man was truly a sinner of grave proportions.
But Sun Lingtong had a new worry: "There are many Confucian cultivators in the Wanxiang Sect, and they are very united. What do they think of Qin De?"
The gray-robed monk chuckled, "Don't worry about that. Qin De is deeply possessed by the devil and is beyond redemption. The Confucian community completely gave up on him more than a decade ago."
"They even proposed several times to destroy Qin De, to nip this evil ideology in the bud and prevent it from contaminating Confucian orthodoxy."
"If you can eliminate Qin De, I think it will actually arouse the gratitude of the Confucianists."
At this point, the gray-robed monk had already thought it through and officially made his offer: "According to the market price, a soul at the peak of the Golden Core stage would be sold for 300,000 mid-grade spirit stones."
"The Confucian cultivation characteristics are rare and hard to come by in the market. I'll increase the price by 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones."
"Plus, this cultivator is imprisoned in the Cloud Prison, and the cost of arranging matters will be considerable. I will charge you a total of 400,000 mid-grade spirit stones."
Yu Heye's pupils shrank slightly.
He was also a Jindan cultivator, and this number was undoubtedly too much for him.
If it were him, he would never spend such a large amount of spirit stones just to buy a Jindan-level soul.
But Sun Lingtong smiled lightly: "I bought it. This is the deposit."
He took out another ghost golden elixir.
The gray-robed monk suddenly felt awe-inspiring, thinking to himself, "Two consecutive golden cores, this person is reminding me that he is not easy to mess with! I must make a deal, otherwise I will end up like the Golden Core Master..."
He took the golden elixir and said, "Then please wait for a while, Elder Sun, and listen to our good news."
Sun Lingtong nodded: "We can't delay intentionally. If a month or two goes by and we still don't see the goods, how are we going to settle the bill? After all, we need them urgently."
The gray-robed monk smiled confidently: "Don't worry, Qin De has long been forgotten and has been imprisoned in the cloud prison. It is very reasonable that he could not survive and died suddenly."
"I've been doing business here for so many years. Fellow Daoist Yu Heye knows that I've always been honest and trustworthy, and reputation is my top priority!"
"I can get it for you in a week at most."
Seeing the grey-robed monk so confident, Sun Lingtong felt more confident: "Okay, in that case, let's sign the contract."
The gray-robed monk nodded without hesitation. This was as it should be. He was truly confident in this aspect. He had done this kind of business countless times and was very familiar with it.
Punish evil in the hall.
The space within the array.
Central stone platform.
The old monk looked at Ning Zhuo with satisfaction: "I have one last question."
Ning Zhuo extended his hand: "Please ask the questions, senior. I will answer everything I know, and it must come from the bottom of my heart."
In his dantian on the sea of consciousness, the Buddha's Heart Demon Seal is shining brightly.
The old monk's voice suddenly became deep, as if carrying a tremendous force, pressing down on Ning Zhuo: "Third question: In the struggle for the great Dao, calamity is inescapable. If one day comes, you will be required to sacrifice your flesh and blood, and burn out your soul and true essence, in order to stop the monstrous demonic calamity and save billions of lives from destruction..."
"And after this act, your name, your way, and every trace of your existence may be tainted by the devil, spurned and misunderstood by the world, and you will be forever plunged into endless darkness, with no hope of recovery... Are you willing to go?"
Silence.
After this question, the air on the stone platform seemed to freeze.
The high-ranking monks of Zhuxie Hall stared at Ning Zhuo expressionlessly, not missing any slight change in his expression.
Ning Zhuo frowned, lowered his head, looked at the stone bricks under his feet, and fell into deep thought.
The monks of Zhuxie Hall were secretly expecting something, and as time passed silently, they gradually became nervous.
The three questions of Zhuxietang are a hidden assessment link, only for the best candidates in the first round of Xingyun test.
Among those who answered the questions, the vast majority were able to pass the first two questions, and very few were able to pass the third question.
This is because the third question is indeed too harsh.
Sacrificing one's life to death is already heroic, let alone bearing eternal infamy?
For the sake of justice in the world, do you really have to sacrifice yourself to such an extent?
Why do people pursue justice?
"It doesn't matter, just speak from the heart." The old monk looked at Ning Zhuo for a long time without answering, but still couldn't help but reminded him.
He was worried that Ning Zhuo was lying and would be detected.
In that case, Ning Zhue would be eliminated directly and completely, and the entire Zhuxie Hall would be permanently closed to him, with no possibility of him being hired again.
But they didn't know that Ning Zhuo was not thinking about this matter, but about his own situation.
Ning Zhuo already had a clear perception: "I have my Buddha Heart Demon Seal to protect me, so my true heart cannot be detected."
"I naturally know how to answer and pass smoothly."
"But this way, I will most likely get first place."
First place...
This will be the first place in the third Xingyun test.
In this way, Ning Zhuo will be the first to obtain the qualifications and be able to replace his wooden sign with a stone sign before most people.
He will stand out in this first round of Xingyun trials and become a rookie alongside Situ Xing and others!
Although Ning Zhuo had previously passed Che Zhuzi's Xingyun test and achieved good results, Che Zhuzi did not acknowledge Ning Zhuo's first-place result.
Che Zhuzi also wanted to use this reward to attract more people to participate in his Xingyun trial, so naturally he would not announce it in advance.
The Xingyun test can be held in multiple rounds, but the first place is awarded only once.
There are many branches of Zhuxie Hall, but if Ning Zhuo is awarded the first place this time, then although such Xingyun trials can still be held, the honor of the second place can no longer be given.
Ning Zhuo stood at a crossroads of choice.
Should we be patient and keep a low profile like in Huoshi Xiancheng?
Or should I give up the opportunity in front of me, but take the first place later, but it won’t be Situ Xing’s first round, so I can take the middle way?
Or should you seize the opportunity before you, be the first to collect three first places, be crowned with honor, stride forward with your head held high?
(End of this chapter)
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