Chapter 79
He looked at Han Qi, whose expression remained complicated, and a hint of confusion crossed his face.
Ever since he heard that Zheng Fa received one hundred talismans and two pieces of spirit ink every month, Han Qi had been acting strangely.
It seemed he thought this extra reward was too generous.
“Zheng Shidi, you probably don’t really understand what I mean when I say spirit materials are expensive,” Han Qi explained, as if he knew what Zheng Fa wanted to ask.
Zheng Fa nodded.
“At our Jiu Shan Sect, a piece of spirit ink costs at least one spirit stone, and one hundred talismans are about the same—also one spirit stone.”
Zheng Fa calculated quickly in his mind. The materials he received each month were worth three spirit stones—three times his monthly salary.
“How much is one spirit stone worth in gold?” Zheng Fa asked.
“The purchasing price at the Bureau of Civil Affairs is two hundred taels of gold for one spirit stone…”
Zheng Fa did the math in his head.
The things he received each month were worth about four spirit stones, or eight hundred taels of gold.
Was he really this wealthy?
“The Bureau of Civil Affairs is fooling idiots! Two hundred taels of gold is a price from a thousand years ago! Nowadays, whether you can exchange for a piece at four hundred gold depends on luck!” Han Qi scoffed.
“Is it really that expensive?”
Coming from a poor background, Zheng Fa admitted he was shocked by the prices.
“It’s only going to get more expensive! Spirit stones have always been in short supply in the market,” Han Qi explained. “Any slightly higher-end spirit materials or treasures can almost only be purchased with spirit stones. Gold is merely a desperate choice for us low-level cultivators due to the scarcity of spirit stones.”
Zheng Fa understood and realized Han Qi’s point.
The prices in the immortal sect seemed to reflect a dual currency system—
The sect probably used to trade solely with spirit stones, but as the spiritual energy declined, the production of spirit stones became limited, leading to a shortage of currency in the market, which forced the use of gold as a substitute.
But spirit materials were also in short supply—wasn’t that just unfortunate?
Thus, the prices of spirit stones and spirit materials soared together, while the sect’s disciples’ ability to afford them was of no concern to anyone.
Currently, high-end spirit materials in the sect still only recognized spirit stones.
The things that could be bought with gold were limited, and as spirit stones became scarcer, the exchange rate between the two became increasingly absurd.
...
The Scripture Pavilion was not far from the Bureau of Civil Affairs, and the two arrived after walking for a short while.
This place was simpler than Zheng Fa had imagined—it was a three-story small building, neither tall nor luxurious, and rather gray.
However, there were quite a few people coming and going.
“Take out your nameplate,” Han Qi instructed Zheng Fa. “With the outer sect disciple’s nameplate, you can receive a free Qi refining technique.”
Zheng Fa perked up and followed Han Qi into the small building.
At the entrance on the first floor, there was a wooden table, behind which sat a ten-year-old boy. When he saw the two enter, he greeted them warmly.
“New disciples?” He stepped out from behind the table and said, “Here to collect your techniques?”
“Yes,” Zheng Fa replied.
“I can tell at a glance that you, Shidi, have exceptional talent and excellent roots. If you get a good technique, you’ll surely become a pillar of our Jiu Shan Sect in the future!”
The senior brother looked at Zheng Fa with admiration in his eyes.
“You flatter me…”
Zheng Fa felt as if this person was looking at him like a fat sheep.
“However…” The senior brother frowned, as if worried for Zheng Fa. “Our Jiu Shan Sect has an abundance of techniques, but if you can’t find a suitable one, it might affect your path!”
“So what do you mean?”
“I’ve been working here in the Scripture Pavilion for over three years, and I know the characteristics of the techniques inside like the back of my hand… As long as you’re willing to befriend me, I can definitely help you find the most suitable technique!”
“…” Zheng Fa glanced at Han Qi, who was staring at a white cloud in the sky outside, as if the shape of the cloud was filled with the essence of the Dao, suddenly enlightening him.
Got it, the usual routine!
“So how much is this friendship worth?”
“Fifty taels of gold.”
“Pfft!” Before Zheng Fa could respond, Han Qi, who had just been contemplating, jumped up. “Do you have any sense of honor? Fifty taels, and you can say that out loud?”
“…Who is this?”
“Like I’ve never worked in the Scripture Pavilion! It used to be only ten taels, and now you want fifty? I thought I was being greedy asking for fifteen, but it turns out there’s someone even greedier!”
Zheng Fa shot him a glance.
“Oh, so you’re a senior brother!” Once he said that, the boy at the Scripture Pavilion understood, and the smile on his face faded. “Ten taels is old news. You know how the prices are now!”
“Alright, we’ll choose for ourselves!”
Han Qi waved his hand and directly pulled Zheng Fa into the Scripture Pavilion.
“Thanks, Senior Brother Han.”
Zheng Fa realized that this person didn’t want to offend anyone—until the other party made such an outrageous demand.
“Senior Sister Zhang asked me to look after you. How could I let you suffer this kind of loss?” Han Qi snorted. “These newcomers are too greedy, ruining the rules! The atmosphere in the sect is getting worse by the day!”
“?”
Wait… isn’t this atmosphere partly your fault?
To Zheng Fa’s surprise, the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion was filled with paper books instead of jade scrolls—he quickly understood that people like him couldn’t access jade scrolls.
The talisman foundation method and spirit mountain method given to him by the Jiu Shan Patriarch were recorded in jade scrolls.
He had tried them, but there was no reaction.
“What’s your spirit root?”
“Fire and wood dual spirit roots.”
“Then come over here.” Han Qi led him to a row of bookshelves and said, “Qi refining techniques, aside from special spirit roots, are generally five-element techniques. You have fire and wood dual spirit roots, and wood nourishes fire, which is considered high quality among dual spirit roots. It’s best to cultivate a fire-based Qi refining method.”
“Do you have any recommendations, Senior Brother?”
“Our Jiu Shan Sect has many fire-based techniques; it depends on what type you want.” Han Qi seemed genuinely familiar with the Scripture Pavilion. “The best for alchemy is the ‘Yan Yang Jue,’ the best for weapon forging is the ‘Huo Lian Zhen Jing,’ and the best for combat is the ‘Zhen Huo Lian Mo Fa,’ which has the greatest power and is chosen by many…”
He rambled off five or six titles, leaving Zheng Fa feeling dizzy.
“Senior Brother, I don’t care about power… Is there one that’s quick and safe to practice?”
“…”
Han Qi stared at him in silence.
“What’s wrong?”
“...Your personality is worlds apart from Senior Sister Zhang’s.” Han Qi looked puzzled. “How could she possibly take a liking to you?”
Zheng Fa understood; he was indirectly calling him cowardly.
“...Is there?”
“‘Chi Xiao Jue’!”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment, picked up the few books Han Qi had mentioned earlier, and found that he had indeed been very detailed.
These fire attribute techniques each had their own characteristics.
Only the ‘Chi Xiao Jue’ was the most balanced among fire-based techniques. While it didn’t have any extra bonuses, it stood out for having a low chance of going berserk.
The cultivation speed was also above average.
“This one will do!”
Zheng Fa happily tucked the ‘Chi Xiao Jue’ away.
He rummaged through his pocket, took out ten pieces of gold, and handed them to Han Qi.
“What’s this?”
“Usual practice!”
“You really are a likable Shidi!” Han Qi snatched the ten taels of gold. “I have to admit, Senior Sister Zhang has good taste!”
---
Chapter 90: Law Body
After securing the ‘Chi Xiao Jue,’ Zheng Fa asked Han Qi, “Senior Brother, how much does it cost to select another technique?”
The Jiu Shan Patriarch had told him he needed to master a pure Yang body refining technique to cultivate the Qing Yang Dao Body.
“That’s hard to say.” Han Qi frowned. “What kind of technique do you need?”
“One that can be practiced before foundation establishment, a pure Yang body refining technique.”
“There are many options; most body refining methods are pure Yang.” Han Qi nodded. “It’ll cost dozens of spirit stones.”
“...So expensive?”
This price exceeded Zheng Fa’s expectations; he thought the cost of technique manuals would be low.
“This is still on the low side! A few hundred years ago, you couldn’t buy these techniques for less than a hundred spirit stones!”
“What about Senior Sister Zhang’s…”
“‘Zhang Zhenren Lun Fu’? That’s Senior Sister Zhang’s intention.”
“Ah?”
“It’s a classic on the hundred crafts of cultivation, which is much cheaper than technique manuals. One requires the consumption of spirit stones to learn, while the other can earn spirit stones, so the difference is huge.” Han Qi explained. “Moreover, Senior Sister Zhang stipulated that ‘Zhang Zhenren Lun Fu’ can only be sold for eight taels of gold.”
“What about you guys?”
Zheng Fa recalled their earlier pricing of ten taels of gold.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“…”
Zheng Fa could roughly understand why the prices of technique manuals had dropped significantly; what was lacking now was not techniques, but spirit materials.
It was clear that the sect had strict control over spiritual energy, spirit materials, and spirit stones, while being relatively lenient with techniques—this small building was clearly not valued.
But he didn’t have dozens of spirit stones!
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