A wobbly, snake-like waist, and a messy bird's nest of hair.
Oh my heavens, it’s Huang Guiren!
The most unlucky person in the Sect!
“Waiting for a rabbit by a stump!” Huang Guiren said smugly, “No matter how fast you run, you still have to come home. You’ll do this mortgage business whether you want to or not.”
Wang Dahei’s face darkened. “Trying to play dirty, aren’t you? Our Gold Vault is under Elder Bi’s control. Playing dirty? I’m afraid you won’t get past Elder Bi. If you try to force a sale, Elder Bi might invite you to the Jail to calculate how many gold coins you’re worth.”
The rapid-fire words were indeed effective; Huang Guiren immediately softened upon hearing them and stepped aside.
“Stay away from the Gold Vault. There are anti-thief Formations all over the inside and outside. If you step on the wrong one and turn to ash, don’t blame anyone else,” Wang Dahei threatened.
Leaving Huang Guiren standing like a wooden chicken, Qian Duoduo and his Senior Brother returned to the Gold Vault hall.
The Gold Vault was swept clean.
The Senior Brothers were lined up neatly.
In everyone’s eyes, two large words were written: “How was it?”
“Sigh.” The Senior Brother sighed and shook his head.
“Sigh.” Qian Duoduo shook his head and also sighed.
Yi Xiaoyun couldn’t help but ask, “What happened? No one borrowed money?”
Bai Machi immediately retorted, “Don’t jinx it. It’s clearly that too many people borrowed money.”
“Your Lie flat life is over,” Wang Dahei continued with a bitter face. “Starting tomorrow, you will be busy from morning till night, and you will have the chance to live a life of eating seven dishes and eight bowls.”
“Oh!” The Senior Brothers cheered.
…
The lending business took off, exceeding everyone’s expectations, including Qian Duoduo’s.
In less than three days, all 100,000 gold coins Elder Bi had saved were lent out.
The Senior Brother was right; money is blood. There were far more mosquitoes in the Five Immortal Mountains wanting to suck blood than they had imagined. There were far more people willing to gamble on their future than they had imagined.
Among the seven people who borrowed money, four were at Qi Condensation third level, and three were at Qi Condensation sixth level.
All were Cultivators stuck just before advancing, needing only a final push.
With items worth 200,000 in hand, Qian Duoduo and his companions were not afraid of these seven defaulting.
The interest income was 2,000 gold coins, and Qian Duoduo received half of it.
With 1,000 gold coins deposited into his token, Qian Duoduo immediately felt elated.
He was a small rich man!
Having this much money for the first time, Qian Duoduo wished he could exchange it all for gold coins, arrange them one by one, and stick them on the wall by his bed, so that every breath he took would be filled with the scent of money.
He also wished he could exchange it all for chicken legs and pile them up. When he slept, his hands would rest on the pile of chicken legs. This way, happiness could enter his dreams.
But Qian Duoduo thought again, now he was an Immortal Cultivator, not a Mortal from the village, and only then did these instinctive thoughts slowly dissipate.
After a hurried dinner, even eating chicken legs and drinking chicken soup didn't feel as good anymore. He closed his door, sat on his meditation cushion, and began to Cultivate!
Moving treasure chests and patrolling the Immortal Mountains were all for this moment.
He inserted his token, moved his finger, and Qian Duoduo adjusted the rate to fifty gold coins per hour.
This was five times the previous amount! Rich people dared to spend lavishly.
Immediately, the Spiritual Qi in his Spiritual Platform flowed into Qian Duoduo’s Spiritual Vein like tiny snakes.
Liu Boli emerged from the Golden Toad, shaking his head as he watched. “This device has its advantages, but even more disadvantages. The advantage is fast upgrading, the disadvantage is an unstable Foundation.”
He tried to sit on the Spiritual Platform himself, but it seemed his soul body couldn't use it. These past few days, Liu Boli had been a bit anxious, thinking about how to start Qian Duoduo's Artifact Refining journey. But this matter couldn't be forced; forcing it would have negative effects. He could wait for an opportunity.
“How is the Foundation unstable?” Qian Duoduo asked indifferently.
“If you could continuously absorb Spiritual Qi and constantly upgrade, then the highest Cultivators would only be pigs, because they eat the most. Or elephants, because they can hold the most. However, they are not the Dominators of the Immortal Cultivation World. If the Spiritual Vein doesn’t have corresponding strength, increasing Spiritual Qi is equivalent to seeking death. The Dao of Immortal Cultivation emphasizes quality even more than quantity.”
Liu Boli’s words made some sense.
“Then how should I ‘zheng’ it?” Some of Qian Duoduo’s words were in his village dialect.
Liu Boli had to hear the word “zheng” many times before he understood it.
In Qian Duoduo’s village, “zheng” could replace “gan” (do), “chi” (eat), or “da” (hit).
Having entered the Immortal Cultivation World, this local accent couldn’t be changed, so what could he do?
“When you have time, go to Qilin Pavilion and find a good Cultivation Technique.”
Qian Duoduo nodded, remembering Liu Boli’s guidance. His Spiritual Awareness turned inward, focusing on expanding his Spiritual Vein.
The Golden Light Technique’s third-level Cultivation Technique was twice as complex as the second level.
“If I master this, how powerful will it be?” Qian Duoduo was full of anticipation, cultivating diligently and staying awake all night.
In the early morning, he pushed open his door and saw Lei Jiashu, his back to Qian Duoduo, standing in the courtyard.
Qian Duoduo rubbed his eyes, feeling as if he had become a bit wider, especially around his buttocks.
With the Gold Vault’s business improving, the Senior Brother added extra dishes for everyone every day.
“Senior Brother Eight, have you gotten fat?” Qian Duoduo’s words made Lei Jiashu jump.
“Fat where? How is that possible? I’m the thinnest.” Lei Jiashu’s face was as red as the morning glow in the sky. “Hey, Junior Brother, you’re the one who got fatter. You gained at least three catties overnight, as if you were inflated.”
“Really?” Qian Duoduo reached out and pinched his own face. Oh! It felt greasy to the touch; his face really had become wider and thicker.
Thanks to Liu Boli’s auspicious words, a night of luxurious Spiritual Qi was indeed a Sharp Weapon for fattening.
After greeting the Senior Brother, Qian Duoduo headed straight for Qilin Pavilion.
In Jin Buhuan’s memory, Refining Spirit Sect Disciples had one opportunity to enter Qilin Pavilion to select a Cultivation Technique when they advanced from miscellaneous duties to Outer Sect, and again when they advanced from Outer Sect to Inner Sect.
Jin Buhuan hadn’t found a suitable Cultivation Technique when he entered the Inner Sect.
This opportunity had never been used.
Returning to Qilin Pavilion, perhaps because he had been beaten there before, Qian Duoduo felt this place was mysteriously intimidating.
Before coming, Liu Boli told Qian Duoduo that some places in the Refining Spirit Sect were guarded by Cultivators above the Golden Core stage, and he couldn't make a sound or come out. Qilin Pavilion was one of them. The selection of Cultivation Techniques required Qian Duoduo to judge for himself.
He bowed his head as he passed through the main gate. A Formation scanned Qian Duoduo’s body, then allowed him to pass.
Entering the circular building, there was a long corridor. At the beginning of the corridor, there was a table. Behind the table sat a large, stout middle-aged man. Relying on Jin Buhuan’s memory, Qian Duoduo knew he was Elder Qiao of the Sect.
“He probably sits all day, that’s why he’s so fat,” Qian Duoduo thought to himself, but his face was exceptionally cautious, and he respectfully saluted, “Elder.” Perhaps it was he who activated the Formation that turned him and the Senior Brother into rolling gourds.
“Token.” Elder Qiao pointed to the corner of the table.
Qian Duoduo placed his token on it. The token flashed, and the man nodded.
Feeling a weight lift from his heart, Qian Duoduo quickly took his token and walked inside.
“Jin Buhuan, your Cultivation is not yet at the fourth level, so you can only be on the first floor. Are you sure you want to use this opportunity to choose a Cultivation Technique?” Elder Qiao reminded him from behind.
“Mm.” Qian Duoduo nodded in agreement, feeling that while Elder Qiao’s temper was a bit volatile, he wasn’t bad.
The first floor of Qilin Pavilion was much larger than the first floor of the Gold Vault, with rows upon rows of shelves. On the shelves were rows of silk books and Jade Slips. Each silk book and Jade Slip had a beam of light projected onto it, making it convenient for Disciples to browse and choose. Next to the shelves, there were also chairs for people to sit and carefully examine and ponder.
The Dao of Cultivation is mainly divided into three paths: Body Refining, Soul Refining, and Qi Refining.
Over hundreds of thousands of years of development, wise and powerful individuals have created numerous Cultivation Techniques and schools.
In Qilin Pavilion, there were over a thousand types of Cultivation Techniques, of which more than seven hundred were for Qi Refining. Judging by their names, each Cultivation Technique seemed incredibly powerful: “Record of the Primordial Divine Emperor,” “Six Paths of Reincarnation Sutra,” “Nine Swords Art,” “Yin and Yang Transformation,” “Yellow Court Five Organs Skill,” “Dao of the Heavenly Cycle Elixir,” “Purple Law of the Heavenly Stele”…
Qian Duoduo picked up a silk book. On its cover were written the words “Demon Prison Profound Embryo Sutra.”
This name was too fierce; every character had a significant origin. Regardless of whether one could Cultivate it or not, the name alone was enough to scare people.
But Qian Duoduo didn’t like the character “demon,” so he put the silk book down.
Qian Duoduo pressed a Jade Slip to his forehead. The Jade Slip recorded the first volume of “Immortal Divine Skill.” “If I master this skill, will I be Immortal even if people hit me?”
He read it again and again, pressing a deep imprint onto his forehead, but he realized that wasn't the case. If he didn't Cultivate to the highest level, he would still be destroyed.
He wandered around Qilin Pavilion, choosing and re-choosing, not knowing how many Jade Slips he read or how many silk books he flipped through. For a time, Qian Duoduo became numb to Immortal arts.
He found that having too many choices wasn’t necessarily a good thing. How wonderful it would be if there was only one silk book, only one Cultivation Technique here.
Suddenly, on a shelf in a corner, in the most inconspicuous spot, lay a somewhat tattered silk book with five large characters on it: “Eternal Wealth and Nobility Skill.”
Qian Duoduo’s eyes widened, and his heart was filled with joy. Regardless of the Cultivation Technique itself, this name perfectly suited his taste.