Chapter 311: Drinking and Talking

Since there was no such thing as a storage bag at that time, it was naturally inconvenient to carry these spirit stones with you.

After putting all the gifts sent by everyone back into the cave, Gu Dan carefully calculated his current worth.

The ten spirit stones obtained from the International Chamber of Commerce, the seventy-two spirit stones obtained from the three-year salary of the Law Enforcement Hall, the fifteen spirit stones just distributed at the internal meeting of the Law Enforcement Hall, and the gifts from many colleagues in the Law Enforcement Hall, a total of one hundred and three spirit stones were collected!

All added together, it’s exactly two hundred spirit stones.

But it was not without consumption. He had gone out to get spirit wine several times, spending five spirit stones. There was also the contract signed with Ning Fang - even if he joined the Law Enforcement Hall, he still had to pay him not a penny less, and another twenty-four spirit stones had to be deducted.

"So, now my total worth is 171 spirit stones. If I stay in the mortal level area, I will have to work hard for at least 17 years."

Gu Dan smacked his lips slightly.

What did he do in the past three years? Nothing, he just practiced silently.

But just because of the difference in position and the change in identity, even if he did nothing, his harvest would be extremely rich, so rich that those people in the mortal area could only look up to him after working themselves to death - and this did not even include the cave that he received for free!

If this is really taken into account, people in the ordinary areas may not be able to achieve it even if they work hard for their entire lives.

This is the benefit of having a system!

Of course, the reason why he was able to save such a huge fortune was because of the "welcome gift" given to newcomers within the Law Enforcement Hall.

It is the same spiritual stone, and the purchasing power is the same, but for a cultivator in the late stage of Qi training and a cultivator who has just embarked on the path of cultivation, the meaning it represents is absolutely different! The first pot of gold is the most difficult.

The Law Enforcement Hall gives newcomers a welcome gift by letting the rich help the poor. This not only solves the urgent needs of the monks, but also makes them return home, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

It’s a pity that this method only works in a very small circle, and those ordinary cultivators can only be used as cattle and horses and nourishment to support the operation of the Immortal House.

If you can't escape from the cage, there is no difference between the fairyland and the human world.

Gu Dan shook his head and got rid of the messy thoughts in his mind. He did not have the reckless love like Mo Qiu, nor did he have the paranoia of Qin Lisheng who would not look back once he made up his mind. In his opinion, it is important for people to know themselves.

It's not impossible to rely on the help of others to change your situation, but it's not realistic.

The reason why those saints, wise men, and great men who are talked about so often are so impressive and whose names are still remembered by people thousands of years later is precisely because they are extremely rare.

If people do not save themselves, but only expect some hero to raise his hand or hope that good luck will come to them when the world is blessed, then it is only natural that they will be degraded to dust.

"I suddenly became rich, and I feel a lot of emotions."

Looking at the spiritual stones piled up like a small mountain in the cave, Gu Dan shrugged slightly, "If I keep them, they will continue to depreciate. I have to spend them."

As the strength of monks grows stronger, more and more artificial spirit stones are produced. Sooner or later, the day will come when the standard spirit stones can no longer hold on.

The biggest problem facing this small "world of cultivating immortals" nowadays is that the productivity is far from enough.

Martial arts and magical skills can be solved through archaeological methods, but without magical medicines, monsters and spiritual materials, you can't dig out a pile of junk and treat it as treasure, right?

Among the six immortal workshops today, the strongest one, the Fire Workshop, can barely produce a mid-grade spiritual weapon - for cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage, it is a bit out of reach, and the price is unimaginable. It can be said that it completely exceeds its true value.

Who makes it so rare and valuable? But for a foundation-building cultivator, even a mid-grade spiritual weapon is useless. There is not much difference between using it and not using it. The increase in combat power can only be considered average.

Everyone still has a good time to practice, who has nothing to do to study combat power? When developing rapidly, all problems are not problems. Only when there is no more room for improvement will people start to think of various ways to enhance their own strength.

The way of immortality has only been around for less than a hundred years, and it has not yet become truly stagnant. It is now the time to forge ahead courageously. There is no need to fight any magic, so how can there be any huge expenses?

There are few places to spend flowers when you want to!

"However, it is the middle stage of Qi training after all. Orthodox cultivators will begin to truly delve into several immortal techniques during this period, so I naturally cannot fall behind."

Gu Dan touched his chin and thought about it.

The spiritual energy of a cultivator in the early stage of Qi training is weak, and it will dry up after using magic just a few times, and its durability is extremely poor.

Only when one reaches the middle stage of Qi training can he perform some magical arts with more powerful destructive power, which is enough to sustain for a long time, and his combat power is already quite good.

Of course, Gu Dan was also very interested in immortal arts, but he didn't need to pursue those highly lethal immortal arts, which were simply beyond the reach of a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi training. Even if he really learned them, they might not be as powerful as his punch.

What he really needs to master are some auxiliary magic techniques. If he really wants lethal magic techniques, it will not be too late to pursue them after he has established his foundation.

He did what he thought. Gu Dan walked out of the cave and ran directly to the trading area at the prefecture level.

This is where monks set up their own stalls, but there are very few people, and most of what they can display are some classics and rare treasures that are of little use.

Gu Dan walked to a stall, looked at the several classics displayed there, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Immobilization Technique", "Soul-Calming Roar", "Heavenly Fairy". "Is this Taoist friend interested in fairy arts?"

Seeing the customer coming, the man immediately asked.

"No."

After just a glance, Gu Dan turned and left.

"Hey, hey, hey, fellow Daoist, don't go! The magic arts here are cheap and in large quantities. One only costs one spirit stone! Don't go, don't go. Five spirit sands will do! How about three?"

No matter how the stall owner behind him tried to try to keep him, Gu Dan left without even looking back.

Looking at the stalls one by one, there were innumerable martial arts techniques such as "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Soul-Destroying Art", "Yin and Yang Creation Art", "Heaven and Earth Patrolling Art", and "Eternal Golden Body". Gu Dan almost thought that he had accidentally entered the dojo of some ancient great power, where the main theme was the spirit of swallowing mountains and rivers.

Even for the slightly more restrained immortal arts, the names were more fancy than one another, and there were also some that were just trying to plagiarize others. For example, he had seen "Nanming Lihuo Burning Heaven Art", "Sun and Moon Condensing Heart Sutra", and "The Art of Immortality and Health Preservation". Even if someone really came from the Immortal Court, they probably wouldn't be able to brag like that.

It's not just a mixed bag, it's simply a mess! The name is really deafening and fascinating! For example, the book "The Art of Immortality and Health Preservation", Gu Dan glanced at it and found that it was actually just a method of spiritual energy circulation to nourish the body.

The problem is that spiritual energy can nourish itself, and this health-preserving technique can only make it a little faster. How dare it bring the word "immortality" to it?

Even if this thing was given away for free, Gu Dan wouldn't dare to really use it to practice! The key point is not just that one stall was named like this, but that all the free trade zones here have names that are exaggerated to the extreme.

When asked about the origins of these magic arts, they would often say that they dug up some kind of immortal cave and obtained it after going through untold hardships. When asked about the price, it was 100 spirit stones . It is hard to imagine that this group of people can really cheat fools by setting up a stall.

After taking a look around, Gu Dan can only describe it in four words: eye-opening!

Not to mention looking for an immortal art that you like, and then collecting some classics related to Qigong practitioners, even if you can treat an immortal art that is not represented by a storybook as a treasure, you will make a profit if you don't buy it.

In desperation, Gu Dan could only find Lu Yu and tell him about his predicament.

"Haha, you want to buy magic, and you dare to go to the trading area?"

Seeing Gu Dan's rather depressed look, Lu Yu laughed and said, "That group of people just picked up a vernacular novel from the roadside and dared to boast that it was written by an immortal and narrated the truth of the great Dao. They even wanted to brag about it as a world-famous treasure that was created by the heavens at the beginning of the world."

"Please help me, Brother Lu."

Gu Dan was quite helpless. Those people had too many tricks up their sleeves. Even if there was a little bit of genuine stuff among them, no one would dare to believe that they were made by themselves.

"If you really want to buy immortal arts, the Immortal Square has its own Lingzhen Hall. You can go to Lingzhen Hall to buy them. They are honest and trustworthy, and they are all verified immortal arts."

Lu Yu said immediately.

"Doesn't Lingzhen Hall grow spiritual rice and other things?"

Gu Dan was surprised, as he really knew nothing about this.

"Not really. Lingzhen Hall is not only responsible for spiritual rice and other things, but also for how to cultivate spiritual plants, spiritual medicines, and even various martial arts secrets. There is no less money to be made in it than in our Law Enforcement Hall.

The only things that outsiders can access are the lowest-grade spiritual rice and other items. Don’t underestimate Lingzhen Hall.”

Lu Yu warned: "There are five foundation-building monks in Ningfang. In addition to the hall master and the master of the square, there are three of them sitting in Lingzhen Hall. You can imagine their importance."

Lingzhentang's main goal is production, so it is not well-known to the outside world. Unless there is a major success, few people know its inside story.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Although the Law Enforcement Hall has a great reputation, when it comes to its worth, it is likely to be beaten by the Lingzhen Hall.

Matters such as the refining of flying boats are currently being researched by branches under Lingzhen Hall. It can be said to be a huge monster shrouding the interior of the Immortal Square, but the time has not yet come and it has not been further subdivided.

The things that most monks really come into contact with are matters like collecting taxes, which makes the reputation of Lingzhen Hall quite dim.

"I see."

Gu Dan nodded slightly and asked, "I wonder if there is any way to buy some books about ancient times? I am bored with my daily practice, so I always need some entertainment."

"Then you've asked the wrong person. You should ask Zhuang Sheng."

Lu Yu shrugged and said, "Before you came, he was the one who could find free time in the entire Law Enforcement Hall. Now you are better than him, and you have similar hobbies."

Lu Yu looked quite strange. Why did all of them come to the Law Enforcement Hall to retire?

"Thank you, Brother Lu. I'll treat you to a drink some other day!"

Gu Dan waved goodbye.

He ran to Lingzhen Hall and bought two jars of spiritual wine, which was called Chijiang. It was the spiritual wine that Lu Yu invited him to drink in the past.

This wine is brewed from genuine spiritual rice and refined using Lingzhen Hall's unique and secret techniques. It tastes so strong that even a master would get drunk if he drank too much.

The most important thing is that this wine can also help people to practice spiritual cultivation. Although its effect is actually very ordinary, it is quite remarkable at this time.

So of course, the price is amazing.

Two jars of spirit wine cost Gu Dan six full spirit stones!

If it were an ordinary cultivator, he probably wouldn't even be willing to drink a sip throughout the year.

However, Zhuang Sheng was one of his "younger generations" after all, and he had something to ask for, so Gu Dan naturally would not be petty.

"Fellow Taoist Zhuang Sheng, Kong Zhai is visiting."

When they arrived at the door of Zhuang Sheng’s cave, Gu Dan called out.

Soon, the door of the cave opened and Zhuang Sheng walked out. When he saw the two jars of spiritual wine in Gu Dan's hands, his eyes lit up.

"I have long heard of Daoist Fellow Kong Zhai's great name. Today we have many distinguished guests. Please come in, come in quickly!"

Zhuang Sheng, with a smile on his face, invited Gu Dan to take a seat.

The furnishings in the cave are very simple, with only a tea table, two chairs, a futon and a bed. Apart from that, there are many bookshelves filled with books and the scent of ink lingering in the air.

Back in the Xia Dynasty, Zhuang Sheng stayed in the Xia Dynasty's Sutra Library and read books all day long. Unexpectedly, after coming to the Buzhou Mountains, he still did not give up this hobby.

"I am bothering you, Fellow Daoist Zhuang, today because I heard that you are well-read and have extraordinary knowledge, far beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Gu Dan put down the two jars of Chijiang and said seriously, "It just so happens that I am also quite interested in the ancient Taoism, but I am so limited in knowledge that I don't know where to start. I have come to ask for advice from Taoist Zhuang. I hope Taoist Zhuang will be generous in giving me some advice."

"The Way of the Ancients?"

There was a hint of strangeness in Zhuang Sheng's eyes. Not many people could cultivate immortality and still be interested in the ancient ways. "The ancient ways are also numerous. Which one are you interested in, Fellow Daoist Kong?"

"Qi Refiner!"

Gu Dan finally said.

"Qi Refiner?"

Zhuang Sheng smiled and said, "If that's the case, I do have some research. But if I really want to talk about this, it's a long story, I'm afraid it will take three days and three nights to finish."

"No problem, we monks just have longer lives."

Gu Dan pointed at the two jars of spiritual wine and said, "I would like to have a candlelit night chat with Taoist Zhuang and talk about ancient times over wine."

"Good, good, good! Fellow Daoist Kong is very much what I want."

Zhuang Sheng said, "Please wait a moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Sheng stood up and walked towards the rows of bookshelves, picking out books one after another as if they were treasures.

In a short while, two piles of books, as tall as a person, were placed in front of Gu Dan.

Gu Dan, who was just about to have a candlelit night chat, twitched his lips slightly, "What is this?"

"These are myths and legends from various places, all of which are related to ancient times. If we want to talk about Qigong practitioners, we have to talk about witches, and if we want to talk about witches, we have to talk about myths and legends. This is a matter of one thing affecting the whole body, and we cannot start from one side, otherwise it will be like copying a cat and a tiger, but end up being a dog."

When Zhuang Sheng mentioned this, his face was full of spirit. "It is so difficult to find the thread with one person's strength! Since Fellow Daoist Kong is interested, I will tell you everything I know."

(End of this chapter)