A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Based on the current capacity of the Candlefire Ruins, it could receive at most five hundred visitors per day.

At that rate, they could earn five thousand Spirit Stones every day.

That would be one hundred fifty thousand a month.

After deducting necessary costs, the net profit would be fifty thousand a month.

For a Sect, a net income of fifty thousand Spirit Stones per month would be more than enough to support a Golden Core Master.

Leaving the long queues at the Candlefire Ruins, Lü Zhong arrived at the Bidao Market.

After the incident with the Poisonous Flood Dragon, large parts of the Workshop Market had been damaged. The harbor district, in particular, was razed to the ground. Consequently, the entire market was leveled and rebuilt, now occupying nearly ten times its original area. The internal layout was now more detailed and rational. In addition to the original harbor and commercial districts, multiple new Workshop Districts were added to meet the growing demand for processing Spiritual Objects.

If this continued, the highly promising Bidao Market might even have the chance to develop into an Immortal City.

’The prerequisite is... that I succeed in my Nascent Soul Formation!’ Lü Zhong thought.

Otherwise, no matter how well it developed, he would just be doing the hard work for someone else’s benefit.

Walking down the bustling central avenue, illuminated by magical Spirit Lamps, he saw a sea of people all around. Shops lined both sides of the street, their colorful signs glowing, and the sound of haggling rose and fell. It suddenly gave Lü Zhong the feeling of strolling through a shopping street in his past life.

’This feeling isn’t half bad!’ Lü Zhong chuckled to himself.

Eating as he walked, he soon arrived at Bidao Hall.

Besides being the Workshop Market’s administrative office, this place also served as the Bidao Exchange, an institution he had established by modeling it after the stock exchanges of his previous life. It specialized in the external trade of Bihai’s Spiritual Objects.

At that moment, on the Array’s light screen, streams of information refreshed like a waterfall.

For cultivators with extremely powerful vision, reading a hundred lines at a glance was an easy feat, so this refresh rate was nothing to them. In fact, some cultivators who had practiced the Spiritual Eye Skill even requested that the screen refresh faster so they could find the information they wanted more quickly.

Time is money.

With the great war on the continent raging, the prices of various Spiritual Objects were starting to skyrocket, especially items like Spirit Rice, Talisman Grass, and low-level spiritual medicine, whose prices changed daily.

Being just one step ahead of others could mean a profit of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Watching the scene, Lü Zhong thought, ’If I didn’t have to conceal the destination of my goods, I would sell everything to the Western Border Alliance. That’s the real way to make money. A single round trip could earn hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones.’

’A pity...’ he mused silently.

The True Monarch’s threat hung over him like a sword. If discovered, he would surely be killed.

Lü Zhong couldn’t afford to take that gamble, nor did he need to.

His current income was already enough for him to attempt Nascent Soul Formation. There was no need to take unnecessary risks and put himself in danger for Spirit Stones he didn’t need.

Afterward, he took a stroll through the Bidao Auction House and Bidao Harbor.

Everywhere he looked, there was a scene of prosperity.

...

After returning from the Bidao Market, Lü Zhong prepared to go check on Jiuying. The more it ate, the faster it grew. After breaking through to Tier Two a while ago, it had even grown an additional head and possessed many divine and wondrous qualities.

But as soon as he landed, he received a report.

Master Yuu Hong of Changchun Valley was here to see him!

”I understand. Have her wait in Bihai Hall. I’ll be there shortly,” Lü Zhong said with a wave of his hand. He had already guessed the purpose of Master Yuu Hong’s visit.

He was ninety-nine percent sure she was here to have the embargo lifted.

Because the two factions were on bad terms, all trade of materials between them had ceased. While Changchun Valley was boycotting the Bihai Sect, the Bidao Exchange had also stopped serving cultivators from the Changchun Domain.

With the war machine running at full tilt, a shortage of basic raw materials was unacceptable.

Talisman Making required Talisman Grass, and Alchemy required low-level spiritual medicine.

It wasn’t that the Changchun Domain couldn’t produce enough raw materials to meet its own needs. Rather, the problem was that the Daoist Sect’s side could purchase supplies in massive quantities from Bihai. If Changchun Valley didn’t intervene, they would undoubtedly fall behind in terms of material supply.

For the two evenly matched sides, even the slightest advantage had to be fought for with all their might.

After all, sometimes it only takes one last straw to break the camel’s back.

He turned and made his way to Bihai Hall, where Yuu Hong was already waiting.

Lü Zhong, who had an extremely poor impression of Changchun Valley, couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries this time. Without a single word of small talk, he sat down commandingly and got straight to the point:

”What business does your esteemed Sect have with me?”

”I have come on the orders of my master and Elder Qingding to establish friendly relations between our two Sects, fellow Daoist,” Yuu Hong said with a light smile, stating her purpose.

She then took out a jade tablet and placed it gently on the table.

”A Spirit Communication Jade Contract! You’re certainly willing to spend a fortune.” Lü Zhong recognized the tablet at a glance. A look of surprise crossed his face as he couldn’t help but size up Yuu Hong.

A Spirit Contract of this level was worth one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Any contract signed on a Spirit Communication Jade Contract had to be obeyed, even by a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Otherwise, they would suffer a backlash according to its terms. It was the highest level of Spirit Contract in the Cultivation Realm.

He read the terms; they were the most common clauses for a peace treaty.

There were certainly loopholes, but they were all well-known. If one side exploited a loophole, the other could take countermeasures.

Judging by this show of sincerity, Changchun Valley was truly determined to succeed this time.

”What do you think, fellow Daoist? My master and Elder Qingding have already signed the Spirit Contract. I’m sure you can verify their authenticity. Furthermore, the Spirit Communication Jade Contract is overseen by the Celestial Dao; any clauses not written with sincere intent cannot be recorded. This should dispel any lingering doubts you may have.”

Yuu Hong then recited the contents of the contract.

For example, from the day the contract was signed, the two Sects would cease all hostile actions.

To this end, Changchun Valley would lift its boycott of the Bihai Sect. In turn, the Bihai Sect could not prohibit the transport of materials to the Changchun Domain and must immediately lift the restrictions at the Bidao Exchange.

Additionally, there were clauses regarding the True Spirit Sect.

If the True Spirit Sect joined the war, the contract would become void immediately.

The contract’s term was fifty years!

Lü Zhong mulled over the treaty’s contents, feeling a flicker of interest. ’Although Changchun Valley offered a great deal of compensation, I don’t care about any of it. What I’m really after is the fifty years of peace. That’s a long enough period of stability for me to develop and attempt my breakthrough to Nascent Soul Formation.’

However, he didn’t agree immediately.

He planned to let Yuu Hong wait for a while.

Given how quickly Shuini gathered information, he might hear from her in a day or two.

It wouldn’t be too late to weigh the pros and cons then and decide whether to sign.

Putting other things aside, he and his master were now a community of shared interests; if one prospered, both prospered. No matter what decision he made, he had to first consider the impact on the True Spirit Sect.

Citing the need for time to consider, Lü Zhong arranged for Yuu Hong to stay in the Bidao Market.

...

In the time that followed, Lü Zhong didn’t just wait idly. Using the Transmission Array Chain that led directly to the Outer Sea near Changchun Immortal City, he sent an Incarnation into the city to gather intelligence. Even if it was only surface-level news, it would still provide some useful points for consideration.

And he did manage to find something out.

It turned out that on the main battlefield, Changchun Valley had suffered a series of defeats because Wanmu True Monarch had not yet recovered from his injuries. They were now at a disadvantage.

No wonder Changchun Valley was in such a hurry to sign the treaty.

Based on the current situation, they were probably in desperate need of the Spiritual Objects produced by Bihai to compensate for their losses on the front lines.

...

’For the sake of a balance of power, I really have to set aside our past grievances and sign this treaty with Changchun Valley. Otherwise, once Changchun Valley is defeated, the Daoist Sect will become an unstoppable force. Even the True Spirit Sect will be swallowed up!’ After reviewing his Incarnation’s memories, Lü Zhong secretly made his decision.

Around noon, a secret message arrived from Shuini.

Just like Lü Zhong, Shuini also believed it was necessary to sign. At the same time, she provided a great deal of confidential information that only Nascent Soul True Monarchs would have access to.

This further solidified Lü Zhong’s judgment.

After some negotiation, Lü Zhong, seeing that Changchun Valley was in a weak position and that he held the upper hand, demanded some extra compensation.

It was a small way of venting his frustration.

As for ending the feud? That was naturally impossible!

Both sides were tacitly aware of this.

Just as Changchun Valley would not let go of a prize like the Bihai Sect, Lü Zhong would not forget his past humiliation. Sooner or later, he would pay them back with interest.

A war between the two Sects was inevitable!