Chapter 42: Polite Refusal
Lin Jiang completely gave up the identity of Jiang Lin. As long as he didn't go to Duobao Pavilion anymore, it was fine. He threw away all the tokens related to Duobao Pavilion and no longer kept in touch with his previous friends.
Shi Tong had died, and now no one knew this identity anymore. Lin Jiang decided to live as Lin Yu for another twenty years, and then he would change again. If he couldn't stay in Yunzhong City anymore, he would find another place. He now had the basic ability to protect himself. Both Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao had reached the second level. Even if he encountered someone at the Building Foundation Period, he could still escape safely.
"Friend Lin, why aren't you going fishing?"
Two months later, when Liu Yuan came to buy a spiritual talisman, she said to Lin Jiang.
"Just play fishing for a while. Don't get addicted. Take a break for now and go again later."
Lin Jiang said. He didn't sell most of the fish he caught, and he couldn't eat them all himself. They were made into dried fish. He had accumulated over ten thousand kilograms, enough for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao to eat for a while. He would figure out what to do after they finished eating.
Of course, the most important thing was that he had already caught the big fish, Shi Tong. Fishing was no longer that important.
"Really envy you, Taoist Friend Lin"
Liu Yuan said, fishing is fun to Lin Jiang, but for their family, it is necessary for survival. It's not just for fun, and Liu Yuan also envies Lin Jiang for that.
"Being an independent cultivator is not easy. Liu Fairy, don't think that I have it easy. I am also quite sad and poor."
Lin Jiang quickly plays the poor card, because showing off wealth has made him a target twice. He needs to be more low-key in the future.
It's nice to cry and pretend to be poor for no reason.
"Taoist Friend Lin is right. Being an independent cultivator is not easy. So, Taoist Friend Lin, are you interested in becoming a relative of my Liu family?"
Liu Hui, who was nearby, overheard and walked over to Lin Jiang.
"Becoming a relative?"
"Yes, my younger sister Liu Yuan is 27 years old this year, with a cultivation level of the sixth layer of Qi Refining and a four Spiritual Root talent. Although her talent for cultivation isn't very good, she is very diligent and helps me in my daily life..."
"Brother, what did you say?"
When Liu Yuan heard this, she quickly interrupted Liu Hui's words, her face immediately turned red, and she was so embarrassed that she stomped her feet.
"Go sell the fish first. I will talk to Taoist Friend Lin. You are getting older. If you don't get married soon, you might not be able to find a husband."
"I don't want to get married. I want to cultivate and live a long life."
"Living a long life? In this Yunzhong City, there are very few cultivators who can reach the golden core stage. What are you thinking?"
Liu Hui shook his head. It was impossible for someone with four spiritual roots to achieve immortality, even in the Building Foundation Period. In fact, people with four spiritual roots in the Building Foundation Period are extremely rare. Perhaps only some big clans can afford to cultivate one or two individuals with four spiritual roots in the Building Foundation Period. For ordinary people, reaching the Qi Refining Period is the limit.
Liu Yuan heard this and immediately looked sad. Having average talent was the biggest obstacle for a cultivator. With the same elixir, someone with good talent could absorb 70-80% of its effects, while someone with poor talent could only absorb 20-30%. It was difficult to compare oneself with others, especially when lower-level cultivators were also lacking money and couldn't afford many elixirs.
"Taoist Friend Lin, what do you think? Our Liu family is actually not poor. More than thirty of us are part of the Trident Fish Gang. With our support, you won't have any trouble selling your spiritual talismans. We will find a way to help you build a foundation."
"Taoist Friend Liu, I possess the talent of Five Spiritual Roots."
Lin Jiang smiled and said, "Even without their help, I have no trouble selling my spiritual talismans. I just need good talent, without any other excuses."
"Five Spiritual Roots？"
Liu Hui was dumbfounded for a moment. He found it hard to believe that Lin Jiang, who looked quite young, was already at the eighth level of Qi Refining cultivation, and also skilled in talisman techniques. In his opinion, this would require at least Three Spiritual Roots.
Only then would it be worth marrying his sister to this person because he wanted to find another helper for the Liu family, someone in the Building Foundation Period, who might be able to protect their family for a hundred years.
"Yes, it is indeed Five Spiritual Roots. So there's no need to mention this matter again. Thank you, Taoist Friend Liu, for your kindness."
"I was impolite."
Liu Hui breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Lin Jiang would agree. If out of a hundred building foundation periods there might be three or five with three spiritual roots, then the probability of having five spiritual roots was almost zero. He didn't want his sister to marry someone with no future.
Lin Jiang smiled and said no more. Liu Hui quickly returned to his own stall.
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Star Gathering Tower is another top-notch business in Yunzhong City, on par with Duobao Pavilion. They are competitors with similar scopes of business.
Duobao Pavilion is backed by Cloud Sword Sect, while Star Gathering Tower is backed by Zhonghang Sect. Since Shi Tong's incident, Lin Jiang has not visited Duobao Pavilion.
But Lin Jiang doesn't trust other businesses either, so he can only buy and sell items at Star Gathering Tower. Duobao Pavilion lost a valuable customer like Lin Jiang. After all, customers like Lin Jiang are considered precious. Over the years, Lin Jiang's transactions at Duobao Pavilion have already surpassed two hundred thousand. Just a single Green Rock Pill costs over one hundred thousand.
Star Gathering Tower also has a similar consumer loyalty program. The more points accumulated, the higher the privileges and discounts. Lin Jiang managed to reach the initial VIP level within half a year, making him eligible to attend the communication meetings held by Star Gathering Tower.
However, the communication meetings for Qi Refining Period are not as attractive to Lin Jiang, so he rarely attends. His main purpose is to buy high-quality items, such as the Spirit Gathering Pill and Energy Nourishing Pill that he uses for cultivation.
Each time, he quickly completes his purchases in the same generous manner as before. After coming home, Lin Jiang takes out dried fish jerky to amuse Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao.
After advancing, Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao have become even larger in size and can no longer stand on Lin Jiang's shoulders.
"Go."
Lin Jiang throws the jerky and Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao jump up to compete for it. Since the house is too small for them to fly, they walk on the ground with a distinctive, carefree stride, showcasing their true "Shadiao" nature.
After playing with Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, Lin Jiang took out a long sword and began practicing the One Sword Flying Immortal technique. He has been practicing this secret technique for many years, but he hasn't been able to master it. Recently, he has been making some progress, so Lin Jiang decided to invest more time into it.
After practicing for two hours, Lin Jiang finally stopped and returned home. He could feel the strong spiritual energy in his house. Ever since defeating Shi Tong, Lin Jiang added some spirit stones to the Spirit Gathering Formation, reaching a daily total of thirty.
This level of consumption is manageable for Lin Jiang for now. He hopes to reach the Building Foundation Period as soon as possible. In the cultivation world, they say that the Building Foundation Period is when true cultivation begins. The Qi Refining Period is not much different from being an ordinary person.
This can be justified because during the Building Foundation Period, a cultivator's body undergoes tremendous changes from the inside out. For example, in the Building Foundation Period, one can almost give up sleep completely, while in the Qi Refining Period, sleep is still necessary.
Another example is food. Even if one in the Building Foundation Period stops eating entirely, their body will not starve, but this is not possible in the Qi Refining Period.
Another important aspect is the strength of the soul. Compared to the Qi Refining Period, there is a qualitative change in the Building Foundation Period. From the perspective of ordinary people, the Building Foundation Period and ordinary people are like two different species.
Moreover, from a practical standpoint, the Building Foundation Period and the Qi Refining Period are at different levels. There are many cultivators in the Qi Refining Period in Yunzhong City, just like rice, but there are relatively few in the Building Foundation Period. Naturally, their status is higher, and they have the qualifications for many things that Qi Refining Period cultivators cannot participate in.
The most important point is that the strength in the Building Foundation Period is much stronger. Lin Jiang is a person who lacks a sense of security, so he needs immense power to give him that sense of security, which the Qi Refining Period cannot provide.
Because of these reasons, Lin Jiang has changed his previous passive attitude and has become more proactive in his cultivation. If there was a model worker selection, Lin Jiang believes he would definitely be chosen.
