Exchange

This kid knows what's what.

Zhou Yi silently gave them a nod of approval. He did not care what the two truly thought.

Coercion and temptation—nine times out of ten, they did not win genuine loyalty.

"The Kunlun Sect's thirty-six Outer Sect Ultimate Arts cannot be given away for nothing."

"Registered Disciples may learn one ultimate art for free; that is already a gift. To learn others, you must first contribute to the sect before you can exchange for them."

Zhou Yi had not founded the Kunlun Sect out of overflowing kindness, intending to distribute martial arts manuals wholesale for the benefit of all.

The thirty-six martial arts were merely common jianghu techniques in the Other Realm, but on Blue Star, where Spiritual Energy Revival had begun only three years ago, they were unique True Inheritance arts.

When Gu Yu heard that contributions were needed to exchange for them, much of his suspicion instead faded. He firmly believed there was no free lunch in this world, only sweet bait.

Exchanging contributions for ultimate arts allowed him to know what the Kunlun Sect wanted, which put his mind more at ease.

"Elder, please tell us how we can obtain contributions."

"Tangible martial arts and secret techniques, intangible intelligence and hidden secrets, as well as all kinds of spiritual pills, wondrous medicines, Spirit Stones, Spirit Ore—anything useful to the sect can be exchanged for contributions."

This was Zhou Yi's true goal: using the Gateway to Myriad Wonders to travel through countless worlds and obtain cultivation methods, then trading those methods for cultivation resources on Blue Star.

Unlike his countless Other Selves in other worlds, who could act recklessly as they pleased, even dying without consequence—

His True Self was unique across all worlds. If he died, he would truly be dead.

There might be a place of reincarnation between heaven and earth, but after reincarnation and rebirth, with all memories gone and one's personality transformed, would I still be myself?

After returning to Blue Star, Zhou Yi had set the tone of developing steadily and cautiously. However, steady development did not mean leaving everything to fate. It simply meant not personally entering the fray, instead gathering cultivation resources from behind the scenes.

The Great Dao was contested.

First, his True Self's aptitude was extremely poor and required immense resources for cultivation.

Second, if the Gateway to Myriad Wonders wanted to travel through countless worlds more quickly, it needed to consume Spiritual Objects. Otherwise, each search through the worlds would take three years.

Zhou Yi's True Self did not have the lifespan to wait through one set of three years after another.

"Elder, can this be exchanged for contributions?"

After discussing it with Jiang Xiaozhai, Gu Yu took a bead from his backpack.

It was the size of a broad bean and earthy yellow in color.

"Xiaozhai and I encountered a Wild Boar Demon harming people. After we killed it, we found this in its dantian. It should be the legendary Demon Core, right?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "It is indeed a Demon Core. However, that boar demon was too weak. Ten Demon Cores can be exchanged for one ultimate art."

Ten Demon Cores meant killing at least ten demons, and not every demon possessed a Demon Core.

After awakening, the demon race all possessed innate spells. For example, the wolf demon in Jincheng could spit Wind Blades that could easily cleave through gold and jade. It was extremely dangerous.

Innate spells were only the first difficulty. The second was that, three years into Spiritual Energy Revival, demons were scarce. Who knew how long it would take just to find them?

When Zhou Yi named that price, he still wore a handsome smile, but his heart had become utterly black.

Still, that only highlighted the value of Kunlun's ultimate arts.

Blue Star's cultivators were still in the exploratory stage. The Kunlun Sect's cultivation methods were the only ones of their kind in the world.

"Ten..."

Gu Yu did not know the value of cultivation methods. Even if it was expensive, he could only endure it. Gritting his teeth, he took a wooden box from his backpack.

The moment he opened it, a rich fruity fragrance spread through the air.

Inside was a round, fiery red spiritual fruit the size of a cherry, with golden patterns growing across its surface.

"This unknown fruit is the only one left. How many Demon Cores can it be worth?"

Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai had traveled the world, exploring places rich in spiritual energy. Over two years, they had found quite a few good things.

Demon Cores and spiritual fruits were only two of them.

The instant Zhou Yi saw the spiritual fruit, he nearly failed to resist snatching it away. He forcibly maintained his image as an expert and slowly reached out to take it.

"You two have truly been fortunate."

Following the Gateway to Myriad Wonders' description, Zhou Yi read it word for word. "Crimson Flame Fruit grows in extremely hot and arid lands. It flowers for one day, withers the next, and bears fruit on the third day. If it is not picked, it will burn together with the plant after one day, turning into ashes."

"Elder, you are indeed knowledgeable. The Crimson Flame Fruit plant really did burn itself into ashes."

Gu Yu trusted the Kunlun Sect a little more. Taking out the Crimson Flame Fruit had also been an attempt to test the depth of the sect's inheritance.

Sure enough, it was unfathomable. It had recognized the Crimson Flame Fruit with ease.

"The Crimson Flame Fruit is not high-grade, but it is rare. I'll count it as ninety contributions. Together with the Demon Core, that makes exactly one hundred. One ultimate art costs exactly one hundred contributions."

After Zhou Yi spoke, he flipped his palm, and the Crimson Flame Fruit and Demon Core vanished. Once something had left his hands, there was absolutely no taking it back.

After discussing it, Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai decided to exchange for a Body Protection Method.

They already had movement techniques and palm techniques, as well as lightning-and-fire arts for long-range attacks. What they lacked was a Body Protection Method.

Neither of them asked whether disciples could pass cultivation methods to one another. Since the elder had not specifically said they could not, they took it as tacit permission.

By their calculation, they had even gained an extra cultivation method. Future exchanges would indirectly be half-price as well. They only hoped the sect would not lose too much.

"For Body Protection Methods, Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt are orthodox body-tempering arts. Iron Head Skill, Iron Arm, Iron Leg Skill, Bell Striking Skill, and Cave Gold Finger respectively temper the head, Hand and Foot Techniques, shoulders, and fingers. The choice is yours."

Zhou Yi turned to Jiang Xiaozhai. "Don't worry. The sect's cultivation methods have long since been improved. Even if female disciples cultivate Iron Shirt, their figures will not become misshapen."

Zhou Yi's words were an indirect admission that the two could pass cultivation methods to each other.

The so-called improved cultivation method was pure fabrication. Jiang Xiaozhai possessed a lightning spiritual body and was tempered by spiritual energy every day, so even cultivating Golden Bell Shield would not affect her figure.

"We choose Golden Bell Shield."

Just as Zhou Yi expected, Golden Bell Shield sounded like it was of a higher rank than the other options.

Zhou Yi taught them the Body Tempering Formula for Golden Bell Shield, along with various prohibited matters, and included a Golden Bell Stance.

The Golden Bell Stance was no worse than the Primordial Chaos Stance. It merely lacked an Internal Refinement Art, so it could not connect inner and outer cultivation to generate Internal Qi.

After another half day, Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai's Stance Training had begun to look convincing.

Zhou Yi was not worried that the two would damage their muscles and bones. Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy would naturally temper their bodies and would never leave hidden injuries. It had to be said that the two were truly favored by heaven and earth.

"Meeting is fate, and parting is fate. From this day onward, you two are disciples of Kunlun. Do not rely on your ultimate arts to commit evil, or This Elder will surely show no mercy."

"Elder, where can we find you in the future? How about adding each other on WeChat?"

"For the next few years, I will remain at Peach Blossom Mountain. Just come find me there."

Zhou Yi would never add them on WeChat. In fact, in his identity as Chixiao, he would not touch anything connected to the internet. Exposing even a little would mean exposing everything.

Before leaving, Jiang Xiaozhai could not resist asking, "Can the Kunlun Sect truly cultivate immortality and seek the Dao, attaining eternal life?"

"Whether one can attain eternal life, I do not know. The patriarch exhausted his thousand-year lifespan and could only cast off his mortal shell and reincarnate."

Zhou Yi sighed. "Perhaps the path of cultivation can only allow one to live a little longer!"

An air of ancient desolation and lonely uncertainty toward the Great Dao emerged vividly.

Only after confirming that Gu Yu and Jiang Xiaozhai had left—

Zhou Yi could no longer maintain his image. He hurriedly took out the spiritual fruit and Demon Core.

"A huge haul! What a huge haul!"

The Demon Core's spiritual energy was violent, so the Gateway to Myriad Wonders directly absorbed it, converting it into one hundred points of Origin.

The Crimson Flame Fruit was a spiritual fruit of heaven and earth. Even mortals could consume it, much less Zhou Yi, who was already close to attaining a Flawless Physical Body.

In Yan Chixia's world, this single spiritual fruit could be exchanged not merely for three jianghu martial arts, but for thirty—or even three hundred.

Some old fellows trapped at the Peak of Houtian had aged bodies and frail meridians. They did not dare use Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to temper their bodies and advance to Innate Grandmaster.

The gentle spiritual energy contained within the spiritual fruit was practically their life-saving medicine and a divine elixir for extending life.

"Cross-World Trade truly yields enormous profits. Calling it a business with endless returns would not be an exaggeration!"