CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114: CITY MARKET (REQUEST FOR MONTHLY TICKETS)

"The difference between the ’Myriad Swords Sect’ and the ’Shenxiao Dao Sect’ is like heaven and earth."

The light of a firefly cannot be compared to the brilliance of a bright moon.

They simply cannot afford to offend the ’Shenxiao Dao Sect’.

It is definitely unwise to neglect their distinguished guests.

That is why they gritted their teeth and kept the ’Large Spirit Gathering Array’ open, ensuring the people of the Shenxiao Dao Sect had a comfortable living environment.

The cost of this was not low!

The ’Myriad Swords Sect’ is not strong, and their resources are not particularly abundant.

It can be said that Celestial Sword Master and the others felt like they were bleeding in their hearts!

On normal days, the entire Myriad Swords Sect has to be extremely frugal with their spirit stones.

The only ’Spirit Gathering Array’ they often activate is located at the sect’s core.

As for other places in the Myriad Swords Sect, the disciples can only rely on absorbing the heaven and earth’s spiritual energy.

This method is certainly not very effective for the cultivation of ordinary disciples.

But even if it’s ineffective, there’s no other way. After all, the Myriad Swords Sect doesn’t have enough resources.

The only consolation is that the disciples of the Myriad Swords Sect are primarily sword cultivators.

Each of them needs much less magical artifacts and elixirs than those magic cultivators.

The higher-ups of the ’Myriad Swords Sect’ only need to give a flying sword to a disciple, and that’s enough for them to become self-reliant.

As for resources?

Of course, they have to fight for them!

If they do not fight, how will they practice swordsmanship?

In terms of combat power alone, sword cultivators have a significant advantage among loose cultivators, small clans, and small sects.

That is how the Myriad Swords Sect has managed to survive in a resource-poor plain area.

This time, the ten or so disciples following the few sect leaders and elders in the Foundation Establishment Realm of the Myriad Swords Sect are the capable disciples the sect can put forward.

Each of them has at least the cultivation of the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, and three of them have even reached the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

It shows that the Myriad Swords Sect is not without merit.

And this is the general state of mid-sized sects on the Southern Heaven Continent.

Apart from a few mid-sized sects with excellent resource points, the situation of other forces is pretty much the same as that of the Myriad Swords Sect.

After everyone was settled, Celestial Sword Master asked the people of the Shenxiao Dao Sect to rest for a while and wait for the grand banquet in the evening to host these distinguished guests.

With no one from the Myriad Swords Sect around, Steward Liang gathered the disciples to have a meeting.

At the meeting, Steward Liang assigned tasks to each disciple. Naturally, Li Yunjing also received his task, which was to inspect the Myriad Swords Sect’s Spirit Fields and production situation.

He was responsible for tallying the area of the Myriad Swords Sect’s Spirit Fields and the stock of grains in the warehouses.

It was a minor task, and the inspection was not difficult.

It would not take long or require much effort from Li Yunjing.

However, in terms of profit, it was relatively minimal compared to others.

Grains like spirit valley are not particularly important resources among cultivators; they are considered basic rations for Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators.

Li Yunjing still had 100 pounds of spirit valley on him, but since he had money, he hadn’t eaten such things anymore.

With many ’Grain Avoidance Pills’ to consume, supplemented with ’Qi Replenishing Pills’ to restore his primordial energy and absorb the heaven and earth’s spiritual energy and the essence of sun and moon, the word ’hunger’ had long left him.

Therefore, it wasn’t easy for Li Yunjing to gain any advantage from the Myriad Swords Sect.

He was well aware of this.

Lv Ruoxi appeared quite close and amicable with him.

But it was all just for show; looking at the task she gave Li Yunjing made it clear.

The profits were still closely held by Lv Ruoxi’s own people.

The true substantial benefits lie in the aspects of pill, artifact, talisman, and array!

After the meeting ended, everyone tacitly chose their rooms.

Li Yunjing casually picked a secluded house.

He carefully checked the house and confirmed that no one had tampered with it before entering the bedroom to meditate and cultivate.

The spiritual energy here was very dense, as the large spirit-gathering array was always activated, comparable to the environment of the Eastern Mountain Area and Brocade Peak of the Shenxiao Dao Sect. If he didn’t cultivate here, wouldn’t that be a waste?

"Alas! It is really hard for small sects. To please the Shenxiao Dao Sect, they even have to put on a show of affluence. What’s the point?"

Li Yunjing shook his head slightly, feeling very fortunate that he joined the giant Shenxiao Dao Sect. If he had joined a small sect, he would have suffered so much.

In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, the strong get stronger, and that is the supreme logic.

The bigger you are and the stronger your martial power, the more resources you can seize. With resources, you can develop even better; it’s a perfect cycle.

To break this ecological pattern requires even greater combat power, a life-and-death struggle against the giants!

But how many geniuses from humble beginnings in small sects, small clans, and loose cultivators can rise against the odds and stand at the peak of cultivation?

For small sects, small clans, and loose cultivators, defeating a stronger opponent is like a mythical existence!

Li Yunjing’s feat of slaying a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Realm within the Shenxiao Dao Sect was widely praised and envied.

But if such a feat took place in a small force in the cultivation realm, no one would believe it—it would only be met with hysterical laughter, like, "What a load of bull!"

This is the gap!

The few peak experts of the Qi Cultivation Realm in the Myriad Swords Sect probably have limited combat power, likely at the level of the tribulation cultivator Li Yunjing had slain.

As Li Yunjing circulated the ’Five Thunders True Method’ once, the sun sank in the west, and darkness fell.

It was almost time for the welcoming feast. Celestial Sword Master, along with several elders and outstanding disciples of the Myriad Swords Sect, came to invite the people of the Shenxiao Dao Sect.

Responding to Steward Liang’s summons, Li Yunjing, Lv Ruoxi, and the others went to the banquet.

This time, to entertain the Shenxiao Dao Sect, the Myriad Swords Sect had invested heavily.

In the enormous palace, every table was filled with demon beast meat, spirit wine, spirit fruits, spirit tea, and various medicinal dishes.

All the items presented were at least high-tier first-grade!

Each person had a table, arranged in two rows, facing each other.

The Shenxiao Dao Sect disciples were seated on the right side, while the Myriad Swords Sect disciples took the left, starting from the Foundation Establishment leaders at the head tables down to the disciples at the rear.

Li Yunjing’s seat was naturally at the end of the hall.

After all, among the Shenxiao Dao Sect disciples, he was the only outer disciple.

Clad in his blue Daoist robe, he attracted the curious glances of many Myriad Swords Sect disciples.

It can be said that Lv Ruoxi attracted almost all the attention among the Shenxiao Dao Sect disciples, with Li Yunjing being the second.

No one knew why the Shenxiao Dao Sect sent an outer disciple.

In past accounting tasks, such a thing had never occurred!

Curiosity aside, no one from the Myriad Swords Sect dared to investigate deeply.

Before the banquet started, the prominent figures on both sides gave long speeches, which were entirely superfluous.

Li Yunjing listened drowsily, his eyelids growing heavy.

When the sound of clinking bowls and chopsticks began, Li Yunjing perked up and started eating and drinking heartily.

The delicacies on his table were worth hundreds of spirit stones!

He hadn’t had such fine food more than a few times over the past half-year.

He certainly wouldn’t let it go to waste.

The disciples of the Shenxiao Dao Sect ate with some decorum, whereas those from the Myriad Swords Sect devoured their food ravenously.

This sight caught the attention of the Shenxiao Dao Sect disciples, who clicked their tongues in wonder.

Were these people that desperate for food?

"Life in a small sect is indeed tough! Such a feast feels like a New Year celebration to them."

Li Yunjing chuckled, continuing to eat heartily.

After all, he was an outer disciple; he didn’t care about such things.

Eat when you should, drink when you should, and a full belly means no homesickness!

During the feast, some serious matters were discussed.

The main figures on both sides agreed to start the formal audit the next day.

One side wanted to get their share of the spoils quickly; the other wanted to send these uninvited guests away as soon as possible.

There was a mutual understanding on this point.

After the banquet dispersed, the Shenxiao Dao Sect disciples had just returned to their quarters when another steward, Steward Liu, gathered Li Yunjing and the disciples.

Steward Liu specifically instructed that they could now rest but were not allowed to leave the courtyard.

As for after the audit, once the task was completed, they could visit the Myriad Swords Sect’s market.

Steward Liu gave Li Yunjing a particular look while saying this, and Li Yunjing naturally understood the meaning behind it.

This made Li Yunjing smile bitterly and nod in agreement.

It can be said that in the group led by Lv Ruoxi, everyone was her own people, except for Li Yunjing, who was there just to make up the numbers and wanted to go out.

Both sides understood this, but Steward Liu couldn’t allow Li Yunjing to be too lax.

The necessary formal tasks had to be completed before he could tend to his own affairs.

Night fell, and without a word, Li Yunjing practiced the ’Five Thunders True Method’ throughout the night.

Early the next morning, the Shenxiao Dao Sect members gathered.

Soon, some disciples of the Myriad Swords Sect came to liaise with them.

A dark-skinned middle-aged man approached Li Yunjing.

This man did not have the appearance of a sword immortal; he looked more like a farmer.

"Brother Li, how may I address you?"

Li Yunjing asked curiously.

"Brother Li, I am Steward Deng Yanshi of the Spirit Plant Hall in the Myriad Swords Sect, responsible for this area. I have all the records of the Spirit Fields. Please follow me for the audit."

Deng Yanshi spoke submissively and respectfully.

"Alright! Then I’ll trouble Brother Deng."

Li Yunjing nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Soon, the two exited and walked along the city streets.

This small town housed both mortals and cultivators, and there were even some visiting cultivators seeking a living here.

Thus, a section of the city was dedicated as a market for cultivators.

This market was an extremely important economic source for the Myriad Swords Sect.

Li Yunjing’s lodging was in the best area; a short walk away was the bustling market street.

"Brother Li, that is our Myriad Swords Sect’s market. There are some good items for sale. Would you like to take a look?"

Seeing Li Yunjing glancing that way, Deng Yanshi smiled beside him.

"It won’t delay the main task, will it?"

Li Yunjing initially wanted to refuse but changed his mind and agreed.

As for Steward Liu’s reminder?

His audit was just of some trivial spirit valley, how significant could it be?

Li Yunjing believed that this man in front of him had certainly prepared.

He might as well spend more time on his personal matters.

"No delay! No delay! Our Myriad Swords Sect’s accounting is clear. Brother Li will understand the situation as soon as you see the records. It won’t waste any time!"

Deng Yanshi was delighted and quickly said, "As for inspecting the warehouses and Spirit Fields, we can do that tomorrow. They are fixed places; they won’t run away. A day earlier or later makes no difference!"