An Immortal Lord Reincarnated
Origin-Nurturing Pills were naturally exceedingly precious. Unless they rendered outstanding service to the sect, each Purple Sword Sect disciple could obtain only one.
Ning Wanqiu knew Tang Yuan's temperament. Once he made up his mind, he would not easily change it, so she could only put the Origin-Nurturing Pill away.
Liao Chao sent Ning Wanqiu a voice transmission. "Junior Sister Ning, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. One of our sect's Spirit Veins on Nine Springs Mountain has repeatedly come under attack from devil sects in recent years.
"I heard Master reveal in private that those devil sects aren't after the Spirit Vein at all, but a treasure: the treasure of the Ghost Qi Sect, which was destroyed a thousand years ago.
"The Ghost Qi Sect's treasure should appear within the next ten to twenty years.
"The sect wants to train disciples whose Cultivation Methods can specifically counter Devil Cultivators, so Tang Yuan's aptitude really is too poor. He isn't suitable."
After frowning for a few breaths, Ning Wanqiu suddenly said happily, "The Purple Firmament Palace and our Purple Sword Sect are allies, and Senior Sister Lu Youyou of the Purple Firmament Palace and I are somewhat acquainted. She's also in charge of recruiting disciples for her sect this time. I'll put in a good word for you, and perhaps you can become a disciple of the Purple Firmament Palace.
"Even if you become an outer disciple of the Purple Firmament Palace, you'll have a chance to learn a fourth-grade Cultivation Method in the future.
"Tang Yuan, wait here. I'll be right back."
Without giving him a chance to object, Ning Wanqiu hurried west. Tang Yuan could only wait where he was, feeling a little awkward. Only by cultivating a fourth-grade Cultivation Method could one truly cultivate immortality.
"Heh, a man living off a woman.
"On the great path of immortal cultivation, it's better to rely on yourself." Liao Chao smiled disdainfully, then his eyes darted around and he said with feigned concern, "Tang Yuan, why don't you go to the Holy Cardamom Sect?
"In terms of strength, the Holy Cardamom Sect is slightly stronger than our Purple Sword Sect."
Tang Yuan snorted. "Fellow Daoist Liao, you must be joking. The Holy Cardamom Sect only accepts people with upper-grade Spirit Roots..."
"Don't say I never helped you." Liao Chao wore a mysterious expression. "The Holy Cardamom Sect accepts people with middle-grade Spirit Roots too, but they have to offer up two hundred Spirit Stones.
"Tang Yuan, don't tell me you don't even have two hundred Spirit Stones.
"Wealth, companions, methods and land-if you have none of the four, you'd best give up your obsession with seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao sooner rather than later..."
For just two hundred Spirit Stones, someone with a middle-grade Spirit Root could enter the Holy Cardamom Sect, one of the four strongest sects on the Mystic Spirit Continent?!
"Many thanks for your guidance, Fellow Daoist Liao..." Tang Yuan cupped his fists in salute and immediately ran east, without noticing Liao Chao's gloating smile...
Liao Chao had indeed been right. As soon as Tang Yuan produced two hundred Spirit Stones, Kou Cheng, a disciple of the Holy Cardamom Sect, gave him a disciple's waist token.
After listening to Kou Cheng's instructions, Tang Yuan headed west without stopping. He intended to tell Ning Wanqiu the good news as soon as possible, so she could share his happiness.
But when Ning Wanqiu learned that Tang Yuan had become a disciple of the Holy Cardamom Sect, she merely shook her head regretfully. "The Holy Cardamom Sect may not be a devil sect, but it's worse than one.
"Tang Yuan, before you go to the Holy Cardamom Sect, you'd better make arrangements for your wife and children. Have them flee as far away as possible..." ...
Since they needed to flee as far as possible, Tang Yuan decided to send his wife and children to the Dragon-Gazing Lake Desert at the western end of the Eastern Heaven Purple Mother Continent.
To escape the divinations of Purple Mansion True Persons, Tang Yuan followed Ning Wanqiu's advice: his whole family would take a spirit ship belonging to the Heavenly Sword Sect of the Mystic Spirit Continent to the Purple Mother Continent. A ticket cost six hundred Spirit Stones, however, whether the passenger was a cultivator or a mortal, old or young.
When Tang Yuan was nine, his father had accidentally fallen off a cliff and died while collecting flying squirrel droppings.
Tang Yuan's mother, his younger brother Tang Xiao's family of four, and Tang Yuan's own family of six needed eleven tickets. Buying them alone reduced the more than seven thousand Spirit Stones Tang Yuan had painstakingly saved over four years by selling Red Spirit Eels in the Demon Realm and Spiritual Qi and pills in the Human Realm to just over seven hundred.
On March thirteenth, year 4029 in the Human Realm, Tang Yuan's family finally reached Dangwu Village, at the northern edge of the Dragon-Gazing Lake Desert on the Eastern Heaven Purple Mother Continent.
After only a month in Dangwu Village, Tang Yuan took the Heavenly Sword Sect's spirit ship back to the Mystic Spirit Continent. He had to report to the Holy Cardamom Sect before June second.
Tang Yuan, who had only 108 Spirit Stones left, had not been a disciple of the Holy Cardamom Sect for long before he came to understand Ning Wanqiu's words deeply: the Holy Cardamom Sect might not be a devil sect, but it was worse than one.
Low-level disciples of the Holy Cardamom Sect not only received no monthly stipend from the sect, they also had to pay Spirit Stones to it every year. Eating, drinking, relieving oneself-everything cost money. In territory governed by the Holy Cardamom Sect, disciples had to give the sect a cut of any Demon Beasts they hunted or spirit herbs they obtained.
Most importantly, the sect would not distribute its Cultivation Methods until three years had passed.
Fortunately, the Holy Cardamom Sect was loosely managed and allowed its disciples to go out and "reap an autumn wind." After spending a little over a month at the sect's mountain gate, Tang Yuan flew to Golden Shell Island in early August to catch Red Spirit Eels.
He had no choice. Red Spirit Eels could only be caught from August through November each year, and selling them in the Demon Realm would bring in 1,600 Spirit Stones.
But a single round trip between the Mystic Spirit Continent and the Purple Mother Continent by spirit ship cost 1,400 Spirit Stones.
Tang Yuan could naturally make the journey slowly on his own flying shuttle, but a round trip would take nearly half a year. Besides, he was only at the Qi Refining First Layer. His cultivation was far too low for him to be roaming about.
From August through November each year, Tang Yuan caught Red Spirit Eels on Golden Shell Island to sell in the Demon Realm. During the first half of each month, he cultivated, refined pills, tempered Qi, and sold pills and Spiritual Qi. During the second half, he sold pills, took pills, and cultivated in the Demon Realm.
In the other months, Tang Yuan cultivated on Three Graves Mountain north of Dangwu Village on the Purple Mother Continent. There he could kill Demon Beasts and sell their beast cores, and he was also close enough to home to look after his wife and children...
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Tang Yuan was still at the Qi Refining First Layer, but he had learned who the enormous claw that had caught Xi Shanbao's sword aboard the spirit boat belonged to. It was also that being who had turned back time...
...The Human Realm, the second day of the second month, year 4032 of the new immortal calendar.
The Eastern Heaven Purple Mother Continent, Purple Moon Lake Cultivator Market, an oasis in the heart of the Dragon-Gazing Lake Desert.
Wearing a black ghost mask that covered half his face, Tang Yuan sent a voice transmission to the two senior brothers beside him, one fat and one thin. "Senior Brothers, our Holy Cardamom Sect is considered a devil sect here on the Purple Mother Continent.
"It really would be somewhat inconvenient for us to reap an autumn wind at an immortal-cultivating clan's market with a [Foundation Establishment] cultivator holding the fort.
"This Purple Moon Lake market allows cultivators from both the righteous and devil factions to enter.
"The vast majority of cultivators who come here are at the [Meridian Opening] realm. We can absolutely crush them, and even the market master is only at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer.
"The risk is relatively low if we reap an autumn wind and snatch treasures here."
"Junior Brother Tang Yuan, you've certainly thought this through.
"If we really can get some heavenly materials and spiritual treasures and exchange them for Spirit Stones when we return to the sect,
"the three of us can take out loans to buy Cultivation Method manuals.
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to let you look through the Blood Healing manual I bought on loan before.
"When we come across something good, watch for my signal.
"We have to act quickly. Grab it and run." The fat cultivator's eyes gleamed, and his face turned ruthless.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother." Tang Yuan cupped his fists in salute and thought to himself:
*I'm only at the Qi Refining First Layer, while those fat and thin bastards from my sect are at the Qi Refinement Third Layer and Qi Refining Second Layer, respectively.
*With the market master at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer holding the fort, I don't have to worry about those two killing me for my treasures.
*Most importantly, the [Earth Flood Dragon] in the [Mystic Spoon] can only use its divine skill if there are no cultivators at the [Foundation Establishment Realm] within fifteen li.
*Anyway, the Earth Flood Dragon has been saying it's hungry all the time lately, nagging me until I'm sick of it.
If those two dare use force against me, I can only go with the current and feed them to the Earth Flood Dragon.
Ever vigilant, Tang Yuan looked again at the wooden notice board in the market:
"To fellow Daoists of the righteous and devil factions, and those without a sect or faction: this market charges no entry fees or stall fees and takes no commission.
"Its sole purpose is to provide everyone with a place to trade goods and exchange information.
"Cultivation realms, from lowest to highest, are divided into:
"[Meridian Opening], [Qi Refinement], [Foundation Establishment], [Heavenly Gate], [Golden Core], and [Spirit Transformation].
"To ensure the safety of our fellow Daoists, this market is protected by a formation that permits entry only to fellow Daoists below the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Please trade at ease.
"We wish all fellow Daoists an early Foundation Establishment and a swift attainment of the Dao through the Golden Core.
"Friendly reminder: private fighting is strictly prohibited in this market. Violators will be fined ten Spirit Stones!"
The [Heavenly Gate] realm was the [Purple Mansion] realm, and the [Lodge Transformation] realm was also known as the [Spirit Transformation] realm. Different continents and regions simply used slightly different names for cultivation realms.
Although Tang Yuan and the other two had slowed their pace and lingered a few extra breaths at each stall,
the market had only about two hundred stalls in all. In just half an hour, the three had toured almost the entire market without finding anything that caught their eye.
Somewhat disappointed, Tang Yuan glanced around, and his eyes suddenly lit up. In an inconspicuous spot at a corner of the market, four cultivators had set up a tiny stall.
There was only a jade bottle on the table, beside a standing placard bearing several large characters: "Produce thirty Spirit Stones before viewing the goods."
Good heavens, you needed thirty Spirit Stones just to qualify to see the goods.
It seemed there was bound to be something good in that jade bottle.
Tang Yuan immediately quickened his steps and came to the stall, only to frown at once.
The small black spoon hanging around his neck had clearly stirred four times.
[One, two, three, four. One for each person.
[Four [Talisman Seeds], four [Talisman Seeds] that only an [Immortal Lord] can refine!
[All four of them have taken a [Talisman Seed] apiece. That's an extravagant hand indeed...
[Tang Yuan, let me tell you, those four may have remarkable backgrounds,] the Earth Flood Dragon in the black spoon beneath his shirt said by voice transmission.
Only cultivators at the [Spirit Transformation] realm could be called [Immortal Lords].
Mortals with a [Spirit Aperture] were called [Aperture Openers].
Only [Aperture Openers] could cultivate immortality. Tang Yuan had been able to learn immortal cultivation from Daoist Gou back then precisely because he was an [Aperture Opener].
Yet fewer than three in a thousand mortals were born [Aperture Openers].
For mortals who were not [Aperture Openers], there were only two ways to cultivate immortality. The first was to take a [Talisman Seed].
And those [Talisman Seeds] could only be refined by [Immortal Lords] at the [Spirit Transformation] realm.
Judging by their faces, the four before him seemed to be siblings.
For them to have obtained [Talisman Seeds], they must have had a great fortuitous opportunity and great fortune.
Could all four be reincarnations of split souls belonging to some [Immortal Lord] of High Antiquity?