“That’s right, it’s the Exquisite Skill Tower.”
Zhang Yinlong nodded and said, “The Exquisite Skill Tower is said to contain trials for the Hundred Arts of Cultivation. Inside, as long as you pass one trial, you’ll have the Opportunity to obtain a corresponding Legacy. The prerequisite is that you can pass; if you can’t, the consequences are said to be quite severe. Also, there are special professional Legacies inside.”
“Special professional Legacies.”
Zhuang Buzhou’s pupils narrowed, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
After reading “Hundred Questions on Cultivation,” he also had a great interest in professions. It wasn’t that one couldn’t Cultivate without a profession; the most orthodox profession was Cultivator, steadily improving one’s cultivation Realm, and wielding Divine Abilities in combat. This was a Mystic Mage, maximizing the potential of one’s Spiritual Root or even a cursed relic, no less inferior to any profession. There was also the Sword Cultivator, but a Sword Cultivator required their Spiritual Root or cursed relic to be a sword.
Many professions required corresponding conditions.
These were all a type of Aptitude; if you didn't possess it, you couldn’t step through their threshold.
Some special professions had even more stringent requirements, with very few people able to meet them.
“Indeed, many Spirit Masters who rushed to Qingyun City this time want to obtain professional Legacies from the Red Mansion. Even an incomplete professional Legacy is a visible Dao.”
Zhang Yinlong said slowly.
This point, anyone could know with a little inquiry. It wasn't a big secret. The prerequisite was having the ability to obtain sufficient benefits. Not everyone could gain benefits; those who lost their lives were never few.
“Brother Zhuang probably hasn’t chosen a profession yet. If there’s an Opportunity, he might be able to obtain one from the Red Mansion. But if there are other avenues, it’s best not to make a decision too quickly. Observing more might not be a bad thing.”
Zhang Yinlong said again, looking at Zhuang Buzhou, his words directly indicating that he had also become a Spirit Master, but might not have a professional Legacy. To truly determine one’s Dao, the Innate Realm was generally a stage of practice, where many Daos would be attempted, ultimately selecting the most suitable one. Or, simply following the path of a Mystic Mage, which was no less inferior to other Daos.
“Yes, thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhang.”
Zhuang Buzhou nodded his head. He had to accept this kindness. Then he said, “Actually, I don’t know much more about the Red Mansion than you do. I’ve only been in once, but I didn’t dare to step into any of the pavilions. I’m not clear about the situation inside, but I can confirm that the Red Mansion is extremely dangerous. Rushing in rashly could lead to death at any moment.”
“The Red Mansion itself is an unspeakable forbidden place. Every time it appears, it is inevitably accompanied by bloody storms. This is unavoidable. Opportunity and danger are inherently coexistent. However, I believe I can definitely obtain my Opportunity within it.”
Zhang Yinlong said with great confidence.
Where in the world isn't dangerous? Even drinking cool boiled water could cause one to choke to death.
If you're afraid of this and that, then don't do anything at all.
“That makes sense. If there’s an Opportunity, I’ll naturally go take a look.”
Zhuang Buzhou smiled and nodded, saying.
“Brother Zhuang, have you heard? Last night, something strange happened in our Qingyun City,” Zhang Jinbao suddenly said.
“It’s Liu Old Lord, who suddenly recovered from a serious illness and is full of vigor. According to the news, he was originally at the end of his Lifespan, and even funeral arrangements were being made. Our Family was already prepared to go attend the funeral. Unexpectedly, he suddenly recovered, and it seems there are no signs of his Lifespan ending; it’s as if he regained vitality. His Lifespan increased. Although Doctor Jiang didn’t reveal anything, from the current signs, he must have had a wondrous encounter and extended his Lifespan.”
Zhang Jinbao said with a grave expression.
In his words, the seriousness and envy were absolutely genuine.
To extend one's Lifespan, for anyone, was an unimaginable temptation.
Just this morning, the Zhang Family’s old master also set off for the Liu family to meet Liu Old Lord. Not just his Family, but the old masters from the other two major Families also set off. Their purpose was clear: to obtain specific information from Liu Old Lord.
Liu Old Lord was already at the end of his Lifespan, and their ages were not much different. They were all at a stage where they could pass away at any time.
If they could extend their Lifespan, it was a temptation no Family could resist.
“Also, some gamblers in the city became rich overnight, acquiring thousands of taels of silver. Do you know what they lost?”
Zhang Yinlong said with a solemn expression.
“Lost what?”
Zhuang Buzhou’s expression was normal, showing the curiosity of an ordinary person. In his heart, however, he knew very well that within this city, for these great Families, many things were never secrets. Moreover, he had not forbidden such dissemination in the Other Shore Space.
Knowing or not knowing didn’t matter much.
The prerequisite is that you need to find an invitation card to enter the Other Shore. Without an invitation card, no matter how much you know, you cannot enter.
In the Other Shore Space, what they saw was not their true appearance; his image in their minds would become blurry. In short, as long as he didn't say anything, no one could know his identity secret. On the contrary, spreading it this way might not be a bad thing.
Selling time for money, for the common people, was not a fearful thing; on the contrary, they would flock to it. For the powerful, time was important; for the common people, money was important.
Only with money could one survive.
Among ordinary people, nine out of ten would agree to exchange time for money.
Among the powerful, ten out of ten would agree to exchange money for time and Lifespan.
He wasn’t afraid of being known. Instead, once known, everyone would treat him with utmost respect and dare not act rashly.
Therefore, there was nothing wrong with this kind of thing spreading.
On the contrary, it could make the Spirit Masters in the city feel awe and apprehension, preventing them from acting rashly.
Lifespan was even more important to Spirit Masters.
“They lost time, they lost Lifespan.”
Zhang Jinbao’s eyes held both fear and anticipation, saying,
“Whether it’s true or false, there’s no way to know for sure. However, they did obtain money. Time cannot be probed; no one knows exactly how much. What was lost was future time, which had no impact on them personally. On the surface, in terms of vitality, no problems could be detected. However, Liu Old Lord recovering his vitality is clearly visible. Without accident, Liu Old Lord also entered the Other Shore and purchased time.”
Zhang Yinlong took a deep breath, a fervent glint in his eyes.
Time, it could actually be bought and sold.
Time was Lifespan!
In just one night, many Spirit Masters in the city already knew about this matter, though the extent of their understanding varied.
Was it a bizarre phenomenon, or a Spirit Master?
As of now, there was no definite conclusion.
The various Families were inquiring, and many Spirit Masters were also investigating.
They were constantly gathering various fragmented pieces of information.
“If time can be bought with money, then for Spirit Masters, it’s a tremendous blessing.”
Zhang Yinlong said with a fervent expression.
Similarly, how grand an existence would the Other Shore be, capable of trading and selling time? No one could estimate this. They speculated that the Other Shore and the Red Mansion should be existences of the same rank, belonging to the Realm of taboos.
“How do you mean?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked with interest.
“Spirit Masters are divided into two types: one is those who awaken their own Spiritual Root, and the other is those who contract a cursed relic and integrate it into themselves. The former, of course, is the orthodox Dao; progressing along it naturally offers hope for longevity. But the latter has hidden dangers. They cannot achieve longevity. Their Lifespan is much shorter than normal Cultivators. In the Innate Realm, they are similar, not much different, but once they reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, a huge disparity emerges. A normal Cultivator in the Innate Realm can obtain a hundred years of Lifespan, and the Foundation Establishment Realm can extend their Lifespan to two hundred years. However, those who become Spirit Masters through a cursed relic, even after promotion to the Foundation Establishment Realm, will not have any increase; their Lifespan remains the original hundred years. From beginning to end, no one has been an exception.”
Zhang Yinlong’s face showed a hint of solemnity.
He himself became a Spirit Master by virtue of a cursed relic. When he became a Spirit Master, he instinctively felt that his Lifespan had reached the normal maximum of one hundred years. He also had a feeling that the cursed relic was already connected to his Bloodline. While he was Cultivating, in essence, he was fundamentally refining the cursed relic. As the cursed relic grew stronger, he would become stronger. He possessed power, but at the cost of all his own cultivation. Once he died, everything would revert to the cursed relic, becoming nourishment to strengthen its Origin and even evolve.
This was a type of contract between a Spirit Master and a cursed relic.
The most fundamental curse that a cursed relic brought to a Spirit Master was not to attain longevity.
After a hundred years of life, they would turn to dust.
This was the ironclad cursed relic, and the flowing Spirit Master.
Of course, whether contracting a cursed relic and exchanging it for a spectacular life was a gain or a loss was up to the individual to weigh.
Now, the appearance of the Other Shore Space, where time could be purchased, instantly ignited a hope that many Spirit Masters previously lacked.
Could they, perhaps, use the Other Shore to attain longevity and extend their own lives?
This was an irresistible temptation.
To some extent, the Other Shore and the Red Mansion were definitely of equal importance, or perhaps even a notch higher.
This was one of the few known ways to increase Lifespan.
“Hmm, it seems that the appearance of this Other Shore truly is the Other Shore for us Spirit Masters. With the help of the Other Shore, perhaps we can attain longevity. Awakening a Spiritual Root is too difficult; I also became a Spirit Master and achieved promotion with the help of a cursed relic.”
Zhuang Buzhou said with a hint of emotion.
He had no intention of easily revealing his own Awakening. He would still claim to have become a Spirit Master through a cursed relic.
This was the common choice of the masses; those with Spiritual Roots were one in ten thousand.