Normally, the higher a cultivator's cultivation realm, the longer their lifespan.
Every immortal cultivator above the Golden Core stage was a living fossil, easily capable of watching dynasties rise and fall and seas turn into mulberry fields. They were genuine old antiques themselves.
In such an environment, Lu Yan had never imagined that a cultivator would counterfeit goods and sell fake ancient texts.
After a moment's thought, Lu Yan immediately understood. He Dongsheng had seen that his cultivation was low and was trying to fool him under the pretense of selling an ancient tome.
Even the stall owner beside him might have made deals with He Dongsheng long ago.
A single artificially aged book with nothing to do with cultivation—let alone ten Spirit Stones, He Dongsheng could earn a fortune even if he sold it for one.
The consecutive encounters with artificial female cultivators and counterfeit cultivators made Lu Yan realize that the place he was in was not a proper cultivation world at all.
It was just that he had previously been an ordinary person. The level of people he had come into contact with had been too low, so he had known nothing about this.
However, Lu Yan did not rush to expose him. He Dongsheng was, after all, a Mid-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Having just arrived at Azure Valley Market, provoking such a well-informed cultivator on a whim would not be a good thing for Lu Yan.
Casually tossing out a soundproof talisman to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping, Lu Yan half-crouched and took the book from He Dongsheng's hand. He casually flipped through the pages and said with a chuckle:
"I'd like to make a deal with Fellow Daoist He."
"What deal?" He Dongsheng glanced at the soundproof talisman without showing it, rather curious.
Lu Yan waved the Heavenly Dao Treatise in his hand and said:
"You give me this book, and I'll tell you how to conceal the smell of tea on these sheets of paper."
He Dongsheng narrowed his eyes at that, and the smile vanished from his face.
By mentioning the smell of tea, Lu Yan had clearly realized that the book had been artificially aged. He simply had not exposed it on the spot.
After carefully sizing Lu Yan up for a long while, He Dongsheng suddenly broke into a smile:
"Fine!"
Before being exposed, this book might have been worth one or two Spirit Stones with his sales pitch. But once exposed, it would be worthless.
Compared to a book that was already useless, He Dongsheng was more curious about the method Lu Yan had mentioned.
Waving the Heavenly Dao Treatise in his hand, Lu Yan said lightly:
"Find a sealed room, light a candle, and smoke the book for several days. Paper made this way won't have any obvious peculiar smell. Even if it retains a smoky scent, that's far more reasonable than the smell of tea that has seeped into the paper."
He Dongsheng immediately looked astonished.
Lu Yan did not stop speaking and continued:
"Still, merely aging paper is too crude.
"If you truly want to earn Spirit Stones, you can find some bronze implements, carve a few words on them, and then artificially age them.
"Mix vinegar into saltwater and soak the bronze implement in it for three days. After taking it out, put a chunk of rust into the saltwater. Once the saltwater has turned rusty, immerse the implement in it again, then leave it under the scorching sun for three days. After that, take the bronze implement out and let it dry.
"Bronze implements made this way can pass for the real thing. As long as your methods are more sophisticated, you'll earn more than ten times what you make from these tattered books!"
If the smoke-aging method had merely surprised He Dongsheng, then Lu Yan's method of aging bronze had left him utterly shaken, as if it had opened the gates to a whole new world.
After a long while, He Dongsheng bowed to Lu Yan with a face full of shame:
"Fellow Daoist is truly brilliant!"
"I actually tried to show off these paltry tricks in front of you. I was truly like an axe being displayed before Lu Ban."
Lu Yan smiled calmly.
Aging paper and aging bronze were techniques anyone could find with a casual search in the Urban Version. They were hardly secrets. Even Lu Yan himself had merely remembered them from watching short videos.
But in the Xianxia Version, the transmission of knowledge through master-and-disciple lineages had caused information to be extremely closed off. Even cultivators like He Dongsheng, who specialized in selling counterfeits, might not know such things.
Lu Yan waved the Heavenly Dao Treatise in his hand and asked, "The Heavenly Dao Blessing you mentioned just now—could it have come from this book?"
In truth, Lu Yan was very interested in the Heavenly Dao Blessing He Dongsheng had mentioned earlier.
Although it was not entirely accurate, it faintly aligned with the changes brought about by the Version Update in certain respects. This had surprised Lu Yan greatly.
If not for that, Lu Yan would have left the moment he discovered that He Dongsheng was trying to trick him into buying a fake book. He would never have stayed around to chat.
He Dongsheng coughed dryly. After receiving the counterfeiting techniques from Lu Yan, he naturally felt embarrassed about hiding the truth, though his expression was somewhat awkward as he spoke:
"Since Fellow Daoist already knows the truth, I won't hide it from you."
"Whenever a new customer comes to me, I deliberately steer the conversation toward the Heavenly Dao as soon as we start talking. I bring up various seemingly profound and mysterious pieces of information about the Heavenly Dao to attract their attention, then recommend the Heavenly Dao Treatise to them.
"Then I have a friend deliberately haggle the price down to around two Spirit Stones. After all that, nine times out of ten I can sell it. That's how the Heavenly Dao Treatise became my best-selling book."
"As for the Heavenly Dao Treatise itself, it can indeed be considered an ancient book in a certain sense, but it was written by a madman from a mortal dynasty several hundred years ago.
"It looks like an exposition of the Heavenly Dao's supreme principles, but it mixes in a great deal of crooked heresy that cannot be verified at all. Even a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator once read it and denounced it as utter nonsense."
By the time Lu Yan heard this, his brows had drawn together, and most of his interest in the Heavenly Dao Treatise had dissipated.
Still, it had been a book he got for free. Lu Yan casually stuffed it back into his Storage Bag.
After a brief exchange, He Dongsheng cupped his hands toward Lu Yan:
"I haven't yet asked your honored name, Fellow Daoist."
Lu Yan returned the gesture. "Lu Yan."
"Fellow Daoist Lu, I will surely remember your guidance today.
"Although my cultivation isn't high, I know a thing or two about rumors circulating through the market and news from the sects. If Fellow Daoist Lu has anything you'd like to know, just ask. I'll tell you everything I know!"
He Dongsheng thumped his chest as he made the guarantee.
Lu Yan wore a smile on the surface, but in his heart he knew that He Dongsheng's words were merely polite formalities.
How could a cultivator who specialized in artificially aging and counterfeiting goods show genuine sincerity after only a few sentences? If the time came to swindle him, He Dongsheng would certainly do so as usual. He just would not make it as obvious as he had this time.
Still, He Dongsheng had indeed given Lu Yan a channel through which to gather information. The Version Update would last only three months, and Lu Yan had far too much to do. He could not afford to waste even the slightest bit of time.
"Coincidentally, there's something I'd like to investigate. I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist He about it."
He Dongsheng immediately waved his hand grandly. "Ask away!"
"I wonder if Fellow Daoist He knows of a Demonic Path Sect that specializes in cultivating Karma."
He Dongsheng froze, and an indescribably strange look filled his eyes as he stared at Lu Yan.
"Is Fellow Daoist Lu asking about the Red Lotus Demonic Sect?"
"Please tell me more, Fellow Daoist He."
He Dongsheng sat back down at his stall. While rummaging through miscellaneous books, he began explaining:
"The Red Lotus Demonic Sect is considered one of the newer sects among the Demonic Path. It has existed for only a few thousand years, but it is still one of the many great upper sects of the Demonic Path.
"However, the Red Lotus Demonic Sect is not very well known in our Southern Border. Aside from the distance, that also has to do with the Red Lotus Demonic Sect's reputation."
"Among the internal wars of the various Demonic Path sects, the Red Lotus Demonic Sect's cultivation method for Karma can be said to be renowned throughout the Demonic Path.
"Most Demonic Path Cultivators are burdened with grievous sins, so the Red Lotus Demonic Sect's method of cultivating Karma is their greatest counter. It can even allow them to kill enemies above their cultivation level.
"But in conflicts with the Righteous Sects, the Red Lotus Demonic Sect's Karma cultivation method struggles to restrain Righteous Path cultivators. Instead, it is countered by certain profound righteous arts and Buddhist divine abilities. Its cultivators are often chased around with their heads in their hands by cultivators from the various sects, leaving them with nothing but their cultivation to bully others.
"Over time, the Red Lotus Demonic Sect became the laughingstock of both the Righteous and Demonic Paths."
Lu Yan blinked, and a sentence nearly slipped out.
Did the cultivation world have an inner-war god too?
Before you continue