Turns Out I'm a Blank Slate

Situ Mingyue handed Zhang Yang two thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones and huffed, "Now you should be satisfied, right?"

Zhang Yang happily put away the two thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones. These were different from the Spirit Stones last time. Those had belonged to the sect; these were money from selling his house, so naturally they belonged to him.

Even Azure Cloud Master had been so troubled by his Golden Core. If he did not get hold of more resources, it would probably be difficult to achieve any results in cultivation.

With these Spirit Stones, he ought to make some progress no matter what.

"Junior Sister, the house is yours from now on." Zhang Yang said with a chuckle. "Come, let me explain the user manual for this house. Don't worry. Since I've taken your money, I'll definitely guarantee the after-sales service.

This courtyard is indeed covered in rune patterns.

But you know that rune patterns exposed to heaven and earth require maintenance. If the rune patterns fall into disrepair and erupt into chaos, that would be extremely bad.

Conservatively speaking, if these rune patterns went berserk, they could tear a Golden Core cultivator to pieces.

So, when you live here in the future, you must be especially careful. Be sure to maintain the rune patterns. You absolutely must not slack off."

Situ Mingyue's face instantly stiffened.

Wasn't she living atop the Ghost Gate? And she did not even know when the Ghost Gate would open.

"How are you not afraid of living in such a dangerous place?" Situ Mingyue asked through gritted teeth.

Zhang Yang blinked. "Because I know rune patterns. Didn't I just tell you? I drew all these rune patterns myself. Since I drew them, of course I know when they'll become unstable!"

"You sold me the courtyard, so you're responsible for fixing it!" Situ Mingyue finally caught on. "You just mentioned after-sales service too. You have to make sure the after-sales service is properly handled."

As the daughter of a major merchant guild, she quickly understood these new business terms.

Zhang Yang said with a smile, "Since I mentioned after-sales service, I'll definitely take responsibility. I roughly estimated that it will need maintenance about once every three months. I'll come repair it after three months. However, you'll have to provide the materials for drawing the rune patterns—cinnabar, demon beast Spirit Blood, and the like. Oh, and engraving rune patterns also consumes a great deal of spiritual energy and mental strength. At the very least, you should give me some compensation."

Situ Mingyue said fiercely, "Tell me. How many Spirit Stones?"

He really would not let go once he got hold of her Spirit Stones. She had never been this annoyed before.

"Not much, not much. One hundred Spirit Stones will do." Zhang Yang replied with a smile.

"Oh?" Situ Mingyue was quite surprised. She had thought Zhang Yang was going to fleece her!

One hundred Spirit Stones every three months—what was that?

Zhang Yang said solemnly, "I am an upright and honorable man. Engraving rune patterns is extremely laborious; you'll understand when the time comes. Charging you one hundred Spirit Stones is not excessive at all. All right, Junior Sister, get some good rest. Gather at the main hall tomorrow morning, and then I'll take you to choose a cultivation technique."

Situ Mingyue watched Zhang Yang fly away, unable to understand what kind of person Zhang Yang truly was.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang flew to Brushstroke Peak.

The moment Hualingzi saw Zhang Yang, he thought of the Chaos Golden Core matter and asked oddly, "Why have you come?"

"Martial Uncle, I'll have to stay here for the next few days. My little courtyard was snatched away by Junior Sister." Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Also, I need to cultivate here for a while. Please arrange a cultivation room for me, Martial Uncle. I need to use Spirit Stones."

"No problem!"

A brush appeared in Hualingzi's hand. In an instant, he drew restrictions all over the room, then said to Zhang Yang, "Use as many Spirit Stones as you wish. Not a trace of spiritual energy will escape."

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

Zhang Yang tossed out fifty of the Mid-grade Spirit Stones he had just received. Vast amounts of spiritual energy dispersed from the Spirit Stones, and the spiritual energy in the room immediately became several times denser than that between heaven and earth, still continuing to increase.

He sat within his Spirit Sea and began absorbing spiritual energy with all his might, washing and tempering that Golden Core again and again.

Yet in his inner sight, the center of the Golden Core remained utterly empty, like a black hole. No matter how much spiritual energy tempered it, it remained unmoved.

Zhang Yang paid it no mind and continued absorbing spiritual energy, tempering the Golden Core.

Gradually, Zhang Yang noticed something unusual.

Though the inside of the Golden Core was still empty, the Golden Core's "shell" had grown thicker! And the size of the Golden Core had not changed at all.

Didn't that mean that if he kept filling it from the outside, he could eventually fill the Golden Core's interior?

Over the course of one night, all fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones were exhausted.

In his inner sight, the shell of the Golden Core had not thickened by much.

Zhang Yang sucked in a cold breath. How many Spirit Stones would it take to fill it?

Zhang Yang emerged from the cultivation room and saw Hualingzi standing guard outside. He sighed, "Martial Uncle, cultivation really isn't easy!"

Hualingzi's brow twitched. He truly wanted to say: You formed a Golden Core in just one year, and you have the nerve to say cultivation is not easy?

He said meaningfully, "Encountering setbacks on the path of cultivation is nothing. There will always be a solution."

Zhang Yang scratched his head. "Martial Uncle, what exactly is going on with my Golden Core?"

Hualingzi froze for a moment, then said meaningfully, "Zhang Yang, Golden Cores are divided into three grades. The best First-grade Golden Core is the Primordial Golden Core—your master has a Primordial Golden Core. Next is the second-grade Great Dao Golden Core. When I formed my Golden Core, there was a brush inside it, so I chose to cultivate talismans. The worst is the third-grade Blank Golden Core, which has nothing inside it."

He deliberately did not introduce the Chaos Golden Core to Zhang Yang, and even deliberately distorted the meaning of the Blank Golden Core.

The matters tied to the Chaos Golden Core were too significant. Zhang Yang had to remain hidden.

"So I have the worst Blank Golden Core!" Zhang Yang muttered. "It really is quite fitting. No wonder breaking through is so difficult!"

Hualingzi patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder and comforted him earnestly. "It's all right. No matter what kind of Golden Core you have, you are still my martial nephew, and I will always look after you. Do not lose heart on the road of cultivation. So what if it merely consumes more resources? What does it matter? If you ever need your Martial Uncle in the future, just speak up."

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!" Zhang Yang said gratefully.

After a pause, he said with a smile, "Martial Uncle, I need your help with something right now."

Hualingzi looked at Zhang Yang strangely, unsure what Zhang Yang wanted his help with.

Besides, this brat knew he had a "Blank Golden Core," yet he did not react at all?

He had no idea that Zhang Yang had already experienced worldly splendor and only wanted to cultivate immortality.

Even with a "Blank Golden Core," he had still ultimately stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation, hadn't he?

Besides, he had already found a solution, so what was there to be discouraged about?

Therefore, making money was what truly mattered now.

And making money meant revitalizing Azure Cloud Sect, which involved those eighty-seven geniuses.

"I would like to ask Martial Uncle to give a lecture to those who have just entered the sect, on the Foundation Establishment Realm." Zhang Yang looked earnestly at Hualingzi. "Actually, it won't just be you, Martial Uncle. The other Martial Uncles, and perhaps even Master, may need to give public lectures as well. Once they have truly achieved Foundation Establishment and determined their future paths, they can then decide whether to enter the tutelage of you Martial Uncles."

Since they had been accepted into the sect, they certainly had to be nurtured, regardless of what those eighty-seven geniuses were thinking.

And during the process of nurturing them, he intended to turn those geniuses' hearts around.

"No problem!" Hualingzi agreed.