Chapter 586: Ink Gate (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Chapter 586: Ink Gate (Seeking Monthly Votes)
“When you go out, be sure to inform; when you return, show yourself. . . ”
“In the morning, reflect; in the evening, settle. . . ”
Inside the Li family’s private school, a group of young students swayed their heads as they read aloud.
Fang Xi held a book in his hand, occasionally correcting a few pronunciations.
For him, such matters were naturally very easy.
And by now, his every word and action had completely integrated into the customs of this Sunset Plains, showing not the slightest difference.
After the many young students finished reading their textbooks, Fang Xi rolled up the book, holding it in his right hand, occasionally tapping his left palm: “Living in this world, one must have some aspirations. Today, let’s talk about each of your aspirations. . . Li Yuanding, you go first. ”
A little chubby boy stood up. His cheeks were round, and he wore a square headscarf. He said in a childish voice: “Instructor. . . when this student grows up, I want to be like my father, marry three wives, have eight children. . . and have wine and meat with every meal! ”
The classroom was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
“Sit down. Li Yuanchu, and you? ”
Fang Xi then asked another young student.
Li Yuanchu was thin and small, with dark skin. He stood up, his tone, however, was somewhat firm: “I want. . . to become a martial artist, to achieve Martial Arts Foundation Establishment in the future, then accomplish True Dan. . . and then enter the path of immortality! ”
This was almost the standard answer for most children.
In the Earthly Immortal World, whether one could cultivate immortality also depended on one’s spiritual root aptitude.
Children of the Li family with spiritual root aptitude were all treasures; Fang Xi usually couldn’t even see them.
Those who could come to the private school to study were all ‘failures’ who couldn’t pass the spiritual root detection test, not even reaching a low-grade spiritual root.
After they grew up, besides managing the Li family’s properties and living a mediocre life as mortals, if they still wanted to defy fate and change their destiny, the only path was to practice martial arts!
Martial arts in the Earthly Immortal World had developed to a considerable height, even more developed and perfected than the path of Martial Immortals.
Mortal children, starting from around ten years old, could begin to identify acupoints and meridians and practice internal martial arts techniques. This was called the Post-natal Realm!
The Post-natal Realm had ten levels in total. After cultivating to the peak of the tenth Post-natal level, if one could break through the bottleneck, one would become a Pre-natal Master of Martial Arts Foundation Establishment!
And Pre-natal Masters could, in this Feiri City, hold high-level positions such as captain of guards or city patrol officer.
If a Pre-natal Master cultivated to the absolute peak and finally condensed a ‘Martial Dao True Dan,’ they would be a True Dan Realm Master. When combined with ‘martial artifacts’ specifically refined by cultivators, their destructive power was no less than that of ordinary Core Formation cultivators. However, in terms of lifespan, they were far inferior to cultivators.
Fang Xi felt that if a Martial Dao True Dan Master in this Earthly Immortal World was equipped with martial artifacts, then the Martial Immortals of Da Liang would basically be no match.
And if Martial Dao True Dan was cultivated to the extreme, if one could then obtain a few legendary heavenly materials and earthly treasures, or a ‘Martial Cultivation Pill’ refined by cultivators, one could transform their essence blood and vital energy, giving birth to spiritual roots!
Although the quality of the spiritual root completely depended on one’s character and the grade of the treasures used, at the very least, it would be a low-grade spiritual root, allowing one to enter the path of cultivation!
It was said that such masters who ‘entered the Dao through martial arts,’ although they needed to start from Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment from scratch, they could, like those with Heaven-grade spiritual roots, relatively easily cultivate to the Core Formation realm!
Therefore, mortals in the Earthly Immortal World also held a portion of power and could contend against ordinary immortal cultivation sects.
Of course, ‘ordinary immortal cultivation sects’ specifically referred to those below Soul Transformation.
If it was a sect with a Soul Transformation Venerable overseeing it, then even the emperors of mortal kingdoms had to show respect and offer annual tribute.
After a class ended, Fang Xi began to tidy his desk, and sighed helplessly in his heart: ‘Mortals are born in the morning and die in the evening. . . what they see is only what’s before their eyes. Even in ‘Feiri City’ where I am, there’s only a rough map of the established kingdom. Not even the grand geography of the Sunset Plains is clear. . . ’
But he restrained himself, neither arrogant nor impatient, quietly waiting for the opportune moment.
That moment was not far off.
After tidying up the classroom and his desk, he walked out of the private school to visit Old Man Huang.
“Haha, Instructor Fang, your lessons are easy to understand. The young students all like you very much. ”
Old Man Huang chuckled: “The master of the house specifically instructed to give an extra ten percent remuneration this month. ”
“Please, Mr. Huang, convey my thanks to the Li family. . . ”
Fang Xi cupped his hands in a respectful salute and received a money pouch from Old Man Huang. Inside were some oddly shaped copper knife-coins, which also had a circular hole at the end for hemp string to pass through.
He walked out of the private school and strolled idly along the commercial street of Feiri City.
By now, he had completely adapted to these local customs and practices, even feeling a sense of familiarity.
Dong! Dong!
Suddenly, a series of gong sounds startled Fang Xi awake.
He followed the crowd of onlookers to a notice board near the city gate tower.
He saw a large man in a black robe wearing an official uniform, holding a copper gong in his hand and striking it vigorously.
Beside him, several bright yellow proclamations were posted.
“All you elders and fellow townsfolk. . . The City Lord’s Mansion has again raised the exchange rate for spirit stones! If your ancestors left you some blessings, you definitely can’t miss this opportunity. . . That’s shimmering golden knife-coins, and large mansions, and fertile land! ”
Watching the official loudly and hoarsely promote it, quite a few people were indeed moved. Fang Xi found this scene rather amusing as well.
The human cultivators in the Earthly Immortal World still primarily used spirit stones as currency.
Moreover, he had secretly observed that there was no difference between low-grade spirit stones in the Earthly Immortal World and those in the Southern Desolate.
‘It’s just that the City Lord’s Mansion suddenly acting like this seems a bit suspicious. . . ’
Fang Xi thought to himself, but didn’t pay it much mind. He went to ‘Old Liang’s Tavern’ and bought three portions of ‘Yellow Millet Wine,’ bought a few catties of braised meat, and then returned to the Li family.
Old Man Huang’s residence.
This old man had no children in his old age and only had a simple desire for good food and drink. He especially loved drinking ‘Yellow Millet Wine. ’
Seeing Fang Xi come over with wine and meat, a smile immediately appeared on his face: “Instructor Fang, you’re too thoughtful. . . ”
“Not at all, not at all. For me to be able to teach in the Li family and gain protection, I owe it all to your recommendation, Elder Huang. . . ”
The two found a stone table in the courtyard, poured out the Yellow Millet Wine, tore open the oiled paper wrapping the braised meat, and began to feast heartily.
After three rounds of wine, seeing Old Man Huang’s nose start to turn red, Fang Xi secretly smiled, knowing the time was ripe. He casually asked, “It seems the City Lord’s Mansion is buying spirit stones at a high price these days. I wonder what’s happened? ”
Although he could have chosen to use soul-searching on the old man across from him, since he had set a goal for himself to spend several years learning and integrating into this world, and to refrain from using magical arts and divine abilities as much as possible, Fang Xi wouldn’t easily break this rule.
What’s more, with his knowledge and abilities, even without using magic, these mortals had no secrets they could keep.
“*Burp*. . . Not just the government! Our Li family, the Zhang family, the Divine Intention Sect. . . anyone with connections is privately buying up spirit stones. Instructor Fang, you’re widely knowledgeable. If you have any spirit stones on hand, you absolutely must not miss this excellent opportunity! ”
Old Man Huang burped and said with a grin.
“Oh? ”
Fang Xi’s eyes lit up: “It seems there’s something good happening, related to cultivators? Otherwise, why would spirit stones be needed? Could it be that the immortal envoys who test spiritual roots are coming again, and will hold a small trade fair or something similar? ”
Cultivators possessed many good things; each of them was something mortals could yearn for but never obtain.
Whether it was spirit talismans with various effects, or spirit pills that could cure all ailments and prolong life. . . they would definitely be wildly sought after by these aristocratic families.
“Not bad, you’re quite clever. But you’re still a little off. . . ”
Old Man Huang’s face showed a smug smile. He lowered his voice: “Anyway, this matter will spread soon enough, so it’s the same if you know in advance. . . In three months, the ‘Ink Gate’s’ Organ City will arrive in Ding Country to conduct trade! That’s a grand event rarely seen in a century! As long as enough spirit stones are prepared, even mortals will be able to enter the Organ City then, and trade for various wonders of the cultivation world. ”
Fang Xi had also heard of the name ‘Ink Gate,’ knowing it was a powerful immortal cultivation sect.
As for the sect’s strength, whether their ancestor was a Soul Transformation or Return to Void cultivator, he was completely unaware.
Hearing this now, he couldn’t help but be startled: “Organ City? Could it be that this city can actually move? ”
He muttered to himself: ‘Isn’t this just a mobile cultivation city? Cultivators in the Earthly Immortal World really know how to have fun. . . No, strictly speaking, they’re just a traveling merchant’s caravan, like peddlers shouting their wares while moving through streets. . . ’
In an instant, he had some conjectures about the Ink Gate’s strength.
Truly powerful immortal cultivation sects might not necessarily need to trade with mortal kingdoms. . .
“Of course it can move! That Ink Gate Organ City is incredibly magnificent. . . Unfortunately, this old man has never seen it, so this time I must properly broaden my horizons. ”
Old Man Huang said: “And this ‘Ink Gate’ is far stronger than any ‘Stream Sword Sect’ or ‘Bright Jade Sect’! The family head has hidden two nephews with excellent spiritual root aptitude. Last time the immortal envoys came, he wasn’t willing to let them go with them. They were just waiting for this opportune moment to see if they could join the Ink Gate. . . ”
After the old man finished speaking, he drank another cup of Yellow Millet Wine, and actually slumped onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.
Fortunately, the weather wasn’t cold now, so it wasn’t easy to catch a cold sleeping outside.
Fang Xi stood up, stretched, and went to the Li family’s library.
The two martial arts masters guarding the pavilion stood tall and straight as pines, their eyes gleaming with sharp light. Seeing Fang Xi approach, they were slightly startled, but did not stop him.
The Li family’s library was divided into two buildings, one open and one hidden. The open one mostly contained various travelogues, miscellaneous books, agricultural texts, medical books, and some rudimentary martial arts.
Members of the Li family, guest elders. . . could browse freely.
As for the hidden one, what it treasured were at least Pre-natal martial arts. It was said to also contain True Dan martial arts and immortal cultivation techniques. Even within the Li family, only a handful of individuals approved by the family head could enter.
“Once every century. . . ”
“The Ink Gate Organ City. . . ”
With a clear goal, searching became simpler.
Fang Xi browsed several bookshelves. Before long, he had several pamphlets in his hand.
“ ‘History of Feiri City’, ‘Li Ming’s Travels’, ‘Unnamed Log’. . . ”
Fang Xi first opened ‘History of Feiri City’. Looking at the records from a century ago, he fell into thought.
Immediately after, he turned to a certain page in ‘Li Ming’s Travels’. This Li Ming was an ancestor of the Li family, who had also cultivated to the Pre-natal Realm of Martial Arts Foundation Establishment. He enjoyed traveling, and his travelogue recorded an experience in a certain year when he encountered the Organ City in another place. . .
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