Chapter 903: Mid-Primordial Spirit Realm |
Since obtaining this stone tablet rewarded by the Dali Dynasty, Meng Zhang had been staying at the Grand Lion Ridge for a long time.
Although after careful inspection, the stone tablet turned out to be just a Third Rank communication magic tool with no issues or hidden traps inside.
However, as a precaution, Meng Zhang still placed it on the Grand Lion Ridge instead of within Taiyi Sect's important area, Hundred Grass Slope.
After all, the Grand Lion Ridge had a Third Rank spirit vein capable of powering this communication magic tool.
Taiyi Sect's important areas were heavily guarded and secretive, and the spirit vein was the foundation of the sect. It was best not to place such an outsider's magic tool there.
During this time, Meng Zhang received various pieces of information from the stone tablet and also discovered some business opportunities.
The Dali Dynasty's officials had always been purchasing spirit grain and spiritual herbs at relatively high prices.
Moreover, they strongly encouraged major cultivation forces within the dynasty to develop spirit fields and establish medicinal gardens.
The Dali Dynasty would often provide high-quality spirit grain and herbal seeds at preferential prices. They even offered loans at extremely low interest rates to encourage cultivation.
Of course, cultivating high-grade spirit grain also depleted the spiritual energy of the land.
As one of the few Primordial Spirit level sects in the Jiuqu Province, Taiyi Sect had limited supplies of spirit grain for its disciples and couldn't provide an open supply.
Most of the time, disciples relied on practicing and meditating, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate.
Meng Zhang had not only read the current government notices but also spent a lot of time reading past ones.
Occasionally, when the Dali Dynasty needed a large amount of spirit grain, they even used military merit as a reward.
Meng Zhang secretly took note of this matter.
Although he didn't know why the Dali Dynasty needed so much spirit grain, it provided him with a new way to earn military merit.
The problem was that the Dali Dynasty was too far from Jiuqu Province, making transportation somewhat difficult.
Within the Dali Dynasty, military merit was a valuable currency that could be exchanged for many rare spiritual items.
In the past Jiuqu League, medicinal pills and spiritual items that supported core formation were extremely scarce and often hard to purchase. As for pills and herbs that could assist in breaking through to the Primordial Spirit realm, they almost never appeared on the market.
The Dali Dynasty's treasury was incredibly rich, with many Fourth Rank items available. Even pills and spiritual items that could assist in breaking through to the Primordial Spirit realm were abundant.
Meng Zhang's senior disciple, Niu Dawei, and the sect's elder, Yang Xueyi, had already completed their Gold Cores and were about to break through to the Primordial Spirit realm.
Originally, Meng Zhang had considered using military merit to exchange for some useful items. However, his military merit was not enough, and they had already closed their doors for secluded cultivation, so he had temporarily abandoned the idea.
Of course, Taiyi Sect would certainly have more disciples preparing to break through to the Primordial Spirit realm in the future, so they had to find a way to obtain more of these auxiliary items.
Meng Zhang's biggest concern now was that the Dali Dynasty's treasury had too many good items, and he desired many of them. However, his military merit was too limited and far from sufficient.
If it weren't for Meng Zhang prioritizing breaking through to the mid-Primordial Spirit realm as the most urgent matter and not willing to spend too much time and energy on other things, he would have already started considering how to obtain military merit on a large scale.
In addition to communicating with the Dali Dynasty's local area, this stone tablet could also communicate with Jiuqu City, the provincial capital of the Jiuqu Province.
The communication was with important institutions within the Jiuqu Province, including the Governor's Mansion.
During the previous secret demon incident, Meng Zhang played a crucial role in easily resolving it without causing any harm or losses.
If he hadn't seen through You Hongzhi's actions and let him continue hiding in the Jiuqu Province, who knew how many people would have fallen victim to his schemes.
Even You Hongzhi, after growing stronger, might have initiated a demonic calamity, which was not an impossible scenario.
Zhang Wei, the Governor, was well aware of this and valued Meng Zhang greatly.
Especially since he believed that Meng Zhang had inherited Taiyi Sect's powerful means of exorcising demons, making him highly useful.
Governor Zhang Wei's appreciation of Meng Zhang also improved the relationship between Wen Dong True Monarch and Meng Zhang.
From time to time, Wen Dong True Monarch would use the communication stone tablet to relay important information to Meng Zhang.
Even Governor Zhang Wei occasionally had interactions with Meng Zhang.
Through Zhang Wei's mouth, Meng Zhang learned a lot of hidden information.
Within the Cultivation World, there had always been forces secretly resisting the Holy Land Sect.
As the rulers of the Cultivation World, Holy Land Sect held the majority of resources and were the biggest beneficiaries.
There were those dissatisfied with the current situation, ambitious individuals wanting to replace the Holy Land Sect, and those with grudges against them...
Despite Holy Land Sect's dominance and invincibility, there were forces that opposed them in secret.However, the cultivators resisting its rule have never ceased to exist.
Regarding the tragedy of Taiyi Sect being annihilated by Viewing Heaven Pavilion in the past, many people in the Dali Dynasty felt regretful.
In the eyes of high-ranking individuals like Zhang Wei, Taiyi Sect was not only a fellow daoist but also a comrade-in-arms.
It was just that they died before their achievements were realized.
Although the Dali Dynasty appears to be suppressed by the Purple Yang Holy Sect now, the Purple Yang Holy Sect has always been unable to truly harm the Dali Dynasty.
Zhang Wei even hinted to Meng Zhang that the Dali Dynasty had powerful backers.
The struggle between the Dali Dynasty and the Purple Yang Holy Sect involved the disputes between great powers.
Although Meng Zhang didn't fully believe Zhang Wei's words, he felt somewhat relieved.
As long as what he said was true, the Dali Dynasty wouldn't face the threat of being annihilated by the Purple Yang Holy Sect in the short term.
As a newly established sect, Taiyi Sect would enjoy a long period of stability.
Faced with the relentless pressure from external big merchant families, the small group formed by the local cultivation forces was obviously unreliable.
For Taiyi Sect to survive, besides self-improvement, they needed to find a strong support.
Since Zhang Wei valued Meng Zhang, it was natural for Meng Zhang to hold onto this strong support.
Four Seas Commercial Firm used to be one of the leading businesses in the Jiuqu League, and its commercial strength was extremely rare in the surrounding areas.
Yet, such a large firm was easily divided by those external big merchant families.
The small group formed by You Hongzhi naturally disintegrated after his incident.
Although Zhang Wei was willing to protect the local cultivation forces, the fact that they had secret dealings with Extraterritorial Invaders and were caught red-handed could not be ignored.
In order to avoid criticism, Zhang Wei still had to punish them to some extent.
The members of the merchant convoy who were caught on the spot were subject to heavy fines; these punishments were unavoidable.
With Four Seas Commercial Firm swallowed by the external big merchant families and the small group punished, one disappeared while another emerged. The powerful outsiders became even more arrogant.
If it weren't for concerns about Governor Zhang Wei's attitude, they would have likely started sweeping away the local cultivation forces long ago.
At least for a short time, these disciplined local cultivation forces would refrain from trading with the Extraterritorial Invaders.
Furthermore, due to You Hongzhi's incident, their surface interactions became much less frequent.
Taiyi Sect had not participated in the small group and was not implicated in the matter.
When Four Seas Commercial Firm was taken over by the external big merchant families, Taiyi Sect also seized some advantages.
Taiyi Sect would naturally not interfere with the industry of Four Seas Commercial Firm.
However, among the members of Four Seas Commercial Firm, there were many outstanding cultivators, especially several excellent business talents.
Due to You Hongzhi's involvement, many members of Four Seas Commercial Firm were imprisoned.
Those who were lucky enough to escape imprisonment still lost their jobs and became displaced.
Taiyi Sect began to actively recruit these members of Four Seas Commercial Firm.
Meng Zhang even used his relationship with Wen Dong True Monarch and paid a considerable price to rescue many of them from the prison.
The group of external big merchant families known as the Great Trade Alliance cultivated their own talents and wouldn't trust outsiders. Moreover, due to their disdain for the local grassroots, they wouldn't compete with Meng Zhang for these talents.
Although the invasion of the external big merchant families had significantly reduced Taiyi Sect's income, it was still one of the few Primordial Spirit level sects in the Jiuqu Province, which made it very attractive to the former members of Four Seas Commercial Firm. Not to mention that Taiyi Sect had saved their lives by rescuing them from prison.
Of course, with such a large number of cultivators being recruited, An Moran's Secret Hall was quite busy conducting the necessary screening procedures.
Taiyi Sect possessed vast territories in the Demon Wind Gobi and the Deadly Sea of Sand, especially in the Demon Wind Gobi, where a large portion remained undeveloped.
The most lacking resource in Taiyi Sect was various manpower for development.
After discovering the almost endless demand of the Dali Dynasty for spirit grain and spiritual herbs, Meng Zhang increased the efforts to develop the territories, vigorously creating spirit fields and establishing medicinal gardens.
It took a long time for the medicinal herbs in the gardens to mature and produce results, typically over a hundred years.
However, once the spirit fields were cultivated, they could yield spirit grain within a few years.
As a result, many suitable lands in the Demon Wind Gobi began to be extensively developed.
Faced with the oppression from external big merchant families, the local cultivation forces in the Jiuqu Province were going through difficult times.Only Taiyi Sect, under the capable management of Meng Zhang, was not greatly affected.
In addition, since Delicate WaterSpirit General was dispatched to Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, it had also brought great surprises to Meng Zhang.
When Meng Zhang seized the foundation of Maple Leaf Mountain City, it was only to leave a retreat for Taiyi Sect.
After Delicate WaterSpirit General took full control of Maple Leaf Mountain City, it skillfully expanded its influence and continuously extended its power in that area.
Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle was a much more prosperous place than the Jiuqu League.
After conquering the Jiuqu League, the Dali Dynasty either faced pressure from the Purple Yang Holy Sect or was busy digesting spoils, which led to them halting their expansion and not taking action against Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle.
The foundation of Maple Leaf Mountain City was located on the edge of the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle. Although it seemed inconspicuous, it had great development potential.
Wearing the skin of Maple Leaf Mountain City, Delicate WaterSpirit General gradually expanded its influence while vigorously developing commerce and trading with the local forces of Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle.
Many spiritual pills, talismans, and other goods that couldn't compete with the external big merchant families in the Jiuqu Province became popular here, earning Taiyi Sect a considerable amount of spirit stones.
In addition, Maple Leaf Mountain City purchased many local specialties from Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle and gradually transported them back to the sect.
In this way, Taiyi Sect had a secret trade channel unknown to others.
The only limitation on this trade channel was the Mother-Child Transmission Disc connecting the two places. Each transmission required the consumption of Void Nether Stones.
Void Nether Stones were not produced in the Jiuqu Province.
Besides purchasing some from Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, Taiyi Sect had to deal with the external big merchant families from the Dali Dynasty to obtain them.
Fortunately, although their relationship was bad, both sides were willing to do business as long as the payment was made in spirit stones. Taiyi Sect was able to buy the required Void Nether Stones at a high price.
While handling sect affairs, Meng Zhang was also slowly accumulating strength and making up for his deficiencies.
After the senior disciple Niu Dawei broke through to the Primordial Spirit stage and closed his cultivation, Meng Zhang had to spend more energy on sect matters.
Fortunately, there was the Elder Council in the sect, and various halls could handle their respective responsibilities, enough to maintain the daily operation of the sect.
When the opportunity to break through the bottleneck arrived, Meng Zhang didn't hesitate to abandon everything and enter closed-door cultivation.
Although there was a bottleneck between the early and mid-stages of the Primordial Spirit realm, breaking through was still difficult. However, there was no essential difference between these two realms.
The conditions for breakthrough didn't sound difficult, mainly involving strengthening the Primordial Spirit and comprehending the Grand Dao.
Of course, not all cultivators in the early Primordial Spirit stage could break through to the mid-stage.
Insufficient proficiency in cultivation techniques, weak foundations, inadequate accumulation, not strong enough Primordial Spirit, and inadequate comprehension of the Grand Dao could all hinder the breakthrough.
Especially the comprehension of the Grand Dao, which was crucial and had no shortcuts.
Many cultivators in the early Primordial Spirit stage failed to break through to the mid-stage even until the end of their lifespan.
However, for Meng Zhang, these were not problems.
He had been reciting scriptures and studying the Dao, surpassing many cultivators in the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm in his comprehension of the Grand Dao.
As for all aspects of accumulation, after so many years of hard cultivation, he was more than sufficient.
During his closed-door cultivation, Meng Zhang experienced various visions in his mind, heard the sounds of the Grand Dao, and even witnessed the phenomenon of Yin and Yang transforming above his head.
This situation lasted for almost two years before finally disappearing.
At this moment, Meng Zhang naturally broke through the bottleneck, and his cultivation base entered the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm.
With a higher cultivation base, Meng Zhang's strength greatly improved, and his life level underwent another transformation, granting him more abilities.
However, Meng Zhang would also face a new problem.
Cultivators in the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm could no longer benefit from absorbing and refining the Nine Heavens Refined Essence. They now needed to cultivate with pure jade inspiration.
As far as Meng Zhang knew, the only place producing pure jade inspiration was the vast and dangerous extraterritorial void.
Fortunately, he still had some pure jade inspiration obtained earlier, which was enough to stabilize his cultivation base in the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm.
After breaking through to the mid-stage of the Primordial Spirit realm, Meng Zhang temporarily put aside future cultivation and focused on stabilizing his current cultivation base, familiarizing himself with the new enhanced strength.
Another three years passed before Meng Zhang consolidated his mid-stage Primordial Spirit cultivation base and left the place of seclusion.
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