Chapter 118
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Chapter 118: Spending Money
Five Elements Sect
Lin Jiang finally left Qingyang Mountain. He stayed there for twenty years and has been in the Five Elements Sect for twenty-three years. He claims to be thirty-eight years old, but his true age is two hundred and forty-three years.
His cultivation has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining again, thanks to the Plastic Bone Pill. This has made Lin Jiang’s progress much faster than before. He expected to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining at the age of forty-five.
According to the general path of disciples in the Five Elements Sect, reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining means it’s time to prepare for Building Foundation.
In the Five Elements Sect, there are generally three ways to obtain the Building Foundation Pill. The first way is through luck, by being accepted as a disciple by the senior members of the sect, who will provide the Building Foundation Pill. However, this situation is very rare. It only happens to those genius disciples who have been noticed by the top members of the sect, or those who have close relatives in the sect.
The second way is by participating in the sect’s grand competition. The outer disciples hold this competition every three years, and anyone at or above the later stage of Qi Refining can participate. The top three winners receive the Building Foundation Pill as a reward and are promoted to the inner disciples.
However, not everyone can achieve this. The outer disciples of the Five Elements Sect number in the tens of thousands, and there are only several thousand people at the later stage of Qi Refining. It’s not easy to break into the top three among such a crowd. Additionally, this matter attracts a lot of attention. Lin Jiang gave up on this idea early on.
The third way is to exchange them with Merit Points. Every year, the Five Elements Sect releases a certain number of Building Foundation Pills, which can be exchanged by disciples using Merit Points. The required Merit Points range from twenty thousand to forty thousand.
The reason why it varies is that it’s not just about having more Merit Points. The sect needs to comprehensively evaluate your talents, comprehension, age, and many other factors.
Yue Qing told Lin Jiang that this method of obtaining Building Foundation Pills requires a very high demand, and the younger, the better. If you are over thirty-five years old, there is almost no hope. After Lin Jiang inquired from various sources, he confirmed that this statement is true.
But Lin Jiang still wanted to make an effort because it aligned with his personal goals and the choice of most ordinary disciples. Moreover, there is no time limit for earning Merit Points, and he was accumulating them for the preparation after building his foundation. The Five Spirit Manual is not cheap either.
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"Senior Brother Xiao, this is Senior Brother Zhang."
On this day, a Five Elements Sect disciple with a pointed mouth and puffy cheeks brought Lin Jiang to meet another seemingly fierce Five Elements Sect disciple.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang."
"No need for excessive politeness. Let’s get straight to the point. Are the spirit stones ready?"
"They’re ready."
Seeing that the other party wasn’t interested in small talk, Lin Jiang didn’t say much either. He directly took out a spirit stone and Senior Brother Zhang counted it before putting it into a storage bag.
Afterwards, the two of them went to the Internal Affairs Hall to complete a mission. The mission was to chase and kill a disciple who had been discovered by the sect for corruption. However, this person boldly killed the disciple who was investigating him and was now wanted by the sect. In the end, he was slain by Senior Brother Zhang.
This mission was worth one thousand Merit Points given by the sect. It doesn’t matter how many people you kill, they still give you one thousand points. If there are more people, the points are divided among them, so there is a loophole. For example, right now, even though Lin Jiang didn’t actually participate in this mission, as long as Senior Brother Zhang puts his name on it, Lin Jiang can get some Merit Points for free. Of course, in the private sector, you have to pay for it.
After a while, Lin Jiang’s Identity Jade Disc showed an additional three hundred Merit Points. It normally takes him three years of working in the fields to earn that amount, but now he spent a spirit stone and it only took less than twenty minutes.
Senior Brother Zhang was very cold-hearted. After the transaction was completed, he left without even looking back, even more ruthless than when Lin Jiang was in Spring Coming Tower.
"Senior Brother Xiao，Senior Brother Xiao"
"Junior Brother Hou, I won’t forget your kindness."
As soon as Senior Brother Zhang left, the disciple with a sharp face came over again, looking very pleasing to Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang threw a spirit stone at him.
This person is called Hou Zun, a famous "skin dealer" among the outer disciples. His business is very complex. Brushing Merit Points like today is just one of his businesses. He also does things like finding reliable alchemists, drawing talismans, and so on. If someone wants to become a dao companion with a certain female disciple, that’s possible too, of course, it depends on whether the other party has such a need.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xiao. I wish Senior Brother Xiao immortality."
"Don’t just say thank me. I need a lot of Merit Points. If you need help in the future, feel free to come find me."
"Yes, yes, I will definitely look for Senior Brother Xiao. Senior Brother Xiao is my savior."
"Alright, I’m leaving now."
Lin Jiang waved his hand and left directly.
After a moment, Lin Jiang met with a seemingly simple-minded disciple. This person was also one of the middlemen, but his business was limited to Talisman Hall only.
Within the Five Elements Sect, for those who have a talent for drawing symbols and want to learn this craft, most of them will work in Talisman Hall. Talisman Hall assigns them tasks every month, such as drawing a certain number of symbols of a specific style. Upon completion, they will receive certain rewards.
However, not everyone can complete these tasks. Drawing symbols has a success rate. For ordinary Talisman Makers, unless they have been practicing at the same level for decades, who can guarantee a hundred percent success? And Talisman Hall is in a hurry, so outsourcing has emerged.
In reality, disciples of Talisman Hall can also buy talismans from outside, but this creates new problems. Firstly, if they buy spiritual talismans, it is very likely that the styles will differ from those of Talisman Hall. Once the Masters of Talisman Hall find out, they won’t punish you, as long as you have spiritual talismans to show. However, it will leave a bad impression on the Masters and affect future development.
Secondly, buying talismans from outside requires spending spirit stones. Many people don’t even have any spirit stones. If they have spirit stones, they use them to buy elixirs or upgrade their equipment. On the other hand, internal transactions can be made using Merit Points. They earn Merit Points by completing tasks for Talisman Hall, and they usually have some leftover.
"Brother Xiao, this is Brother Zhao."
"Hello, Brother Zhao."
"Brother Xiao, the spiritual talisman is ready to be drawn."
"It’s done. Brother Zhao, take a look."
Lin Jiang took out a stack of spiritual talismans and carefully studied them. His face showed great surprise.
"Brother Xiao, you are so talented. The style of this symbol is exactly like mine. Even I can hardly recognize it."
"As long as Brother Zhao is satisfied."
"I’m in a hurry to complete a task, Brother Xiao. Let’s catch up later. I’m leaving now."
Brother Zhao hurriedly left, leaving behind Lin Jiang and the simple-minded disciple.
"Senior Brother Xiao, come to the Internal Affairs Hall tomorrow. There will be a task to deliver, it’s already completed."
"Okay, I trust you."
Lin Jiang nodded, they had worked together before, so he trusted him.
Like Lin Jiang and Talisman Hall’s cooperation, they didn’t directly exchange Merit Points. They needed a third party to guarantee it. These intermediaries were the messengers, so they emphasized their reputation. If they broke their agreement, no one would trust them again.
After finishing his work, Lin Jiang returned to his living quarters. After leaving Qingyang Mountain, he went back to sharing a small courtyard with three other disciples.
Outer disciples didn’t have the qualifications to have their own dwelling. They either left the sect and lived elsewhere, or shared accommodations with others. The advantage was that this kind of residence was free of charge.
"I earned eighteen thousand Merit Points, and it cost me nearly twenty thousand spirit stones. Regular disciples don’t have this kind of financial strength."
Lin Jiang looked at the Merit Points on his Identity Jade Disc. He had been farming for twenty years and only earned two thousand Merit Points, but by spending money, he had earned sixteen thousand in less than half a year.
So Lin Jiang remembered what Zheng Yi had said before, that hard work couldn’t make one rich, only enough to live a decent life. This principle applied in any world.
"When I accumulate more than 20,000 points, I will apply for a Building Foundation Pill. It’s almost certain that I will fail, but then I can use it as an excuse to leave the sect and seek opportunities in Medicine City. I will buy an expensive Building Foundation Pill there, rebuild my foundation, and after the reconstruction, one Building Foundation Pill should be enough. If not, then I’ll need two."
Lin Jiang made a plan. He spent decades and made many arrangements, all for a cultivation method that suited him. This made Lin Jiang feel particularly amazed.
It’s really frustrating to compare people. He took Cao Ying to Zhonghang Sect, and because Cao Ying is exceptionally talented, everything is readily available to her – the care of the sect, cultivation techniques, spiritual stones, and medicinal pills. Meanwhile, he had to put in so much effort.
Lin Jiang had plenty of time to experiment, but for ordinary people, they only have a few chances to try and make mistakes. If they make a mistake, then it’s a mistake, and they have to wait for the next lifetime.
That’s why the sect becomes stronger and stronger, while independent cultivators remain independent cultivators, just seen as easy targets by the sect.
"Perhaps I have been an independent cultivator for too long, my heart has become wild and unable to truly connect with Five Elements Sect, unable to have a real sense of belonging."
Lin Jiang thought about Five Elements Sect again. In the past twenty years, he had lived a good life. Compared to those independent cultivators he encountered when he was selling goods in Yunzhong City, his life now was like heaven to them.
In Five Elements Sect, you can go to Chuangong Hall to listen to classes about cultivation problems. Accommodation and meals are free, and safety is guaranteed. Compared to independent cultivators who live from hand to mouth, life is simply amazing.
But even so, Lin Jiang still doesn’t feel a sense of belonging. He has been an independent cultivator for over a hundred years, and he has no family ties to bind him to Five Elements Sect. Thus, it’s impossible for him to feel a sense of belonging.
"Never mind, never mind, let’s go once we obtain the technique."
In the end, Lin Jiang sighed. Once he obtained the technique, he would find a way to leave the Five Elements Sect and return to being an independent cultivator. He acknowledged his connection to the sect, but in time, centuries later, if he became powerful and the sect weakened, he would return to show his gratitude.
However, looking at the current situation, this probability is extremely low. The three major sects in Yun State have been strong for thousands of years, always producing talented individuals, and have never declined. At least, there are no signs of it now.
Of course, there are no sects that remain strong forever. With Lin Jiang’s lifespan, he will certainly witness the day when they weaken.