Immortal Road.

Chapter 194 Moon-Watching Fairy City
Five days later, Lin Shan was sitting on the Cloud-Falling Banner and floating slowly in the sky.

Ever since he escaped from the Demon Sect's headquarters that day, he has been heading westward non-stop, and now he has finally arrived at the Confucian sphere of influence in the State of Lu.

The most dangerous place is the safest place. As long as he escapes here, no one can prove that he is a demon. After all, he has not practiced magic, and he just came from the Song Kingdom in the south, so few people know him.

As for Huang Xianshi and others, he naturally didn't need to worry about them. Even if he wanted to, he didn't have the strength to worry about them. After all, the opponent of the Confucian School was a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage of the Demonic Dao. Huang Xianshi just got into it by mistake. It shouldn't be a problem for him to withdraw. Before leaving, he would definitely take Yan Hufa Luanchun and others with him.

What’s more, there are still eight or nine Nascent Soul cultivators in the three sects of the Demonic Path. Even if they are wiped out, a few of them will always be able to escape.

As for the younger brothers who had followed him all the way from the East China Sea, the summoning contracts in their souls were still lit, indicating that most of them were still alive. They should be with Master Huang Xianshi and Dharma Protector Yan, which was definitely safer than staying with him.

So Lin Shan had no plans to summon them for the time being.

What also worried him was the Green Lotus Fairy who the Black Lotus Sect wanted to resurrect.

Judging from the name, it seems to be related to the "Shadow of the Buddha" that was summoned by the Dharma King who protected the religion by mobilizing a huge amount of incense and vows. No one knows who this powerful person is and who even planned to resurrect after his death.

The title of "fairy" is very common in the world of cultivation. Any female cultivator can be called a fairy, no matter if she is in the Nascent Soul stage, Golden Elixir stage, or foundation building stage, it is definitely a casual title.

But the enhancement panel is not that casual. Since the description above clearly says "fairy", there is a high probability that it is really a fairy!

Immortality, what a distant yet great realm.

Refining the Void and merging with the Tao, detaching from the material and ascending, the mind has no birth and death, and the breath has no in and out. The heavy and turbid form is transformed into light and clear Qi, and the pure Yang body is full of magical powers.

By then the body will have become pure yang, the yang spirit will have been formed, and it will possess all kinds of supernatural powers.

The last time I heard of him was in the mirage of the Dirty Poison Canyon. The man called the Immortal Class Mighty One by the Black Skull Demon Lord led an army of hundreds of millions of monks. With a flick of his fingers, a spaceship millions of miles away in the starry sky was reduced to ashes.

There was also the first time when I went to an ancient temple in a deserted mountain in a carefree manner and stole the job of the Buddha from the fairy world. With just one look, he could see through all the worlds and peel off the void. His power was as great as an abyss and a prison, and he shocked the world.

And now that he was only in the foundation-building stage, he had already indirectly provoked the Buddha of the fairyland and the Green Lotus Fairy. Who knew how big a trouble he would get into in the future.

Especially since he had just stolen one-tenth of the incense and faith, he was afraid that the Black Lotus Sect's Nascent Soul Stage Dharma King would come to him in the future. Fortunately, he had reported the names of Master Xiongshan and Lay Buddhist Jinglian at the beginning. When the time comes, he can let them take the blame and share a lot of pressure.

Thinking of this, I felt relieved.

At present, I have a total of 170 points of ancient charm on me, so I can improve my cultivation. Breaking through the golden elixir stage as soon as possible will make me a high-level fighter in the cultivation world, and it will be much more convenient for me to travel around.

However, now that the Black Skull Demon Lord is bound by a new contract and is in the late stage of foundation building, it seems that we can relax the restrictions on him first, allowing him to recover to the Golden Core stage, which can also protect himself.

Lin Shan stroked his chin and pondered for a long time, the cloud-falling banner under his seat dragging him away slowly.
……

Half a month later, after asking around, Lin Shan found a fairy city.

Moon City.

The cultivation world of Lu State is different from that of the Song Dynasty. Although there is more or less resource monopoly, it is much more prosperous than that of the Song Dynasty.

Confucianism is respected here, headed by the two great Confucian families of Confucius and Mencius, supplemented by ten major Confucian academies, and below them are various large and small sects and cultivation families.

As long as the independent cultivators here can afford the spirit stones, they can enter the Confucian Academy to study, including the basic skills and spells. There will be special teachers to teach them the practice experience, even including the six arts of cultivation such as alchemy, refining, and talisman making.

After they graduate, they will enter various industries in the world of cultivation and provide grassroots talents for the cultivation world of Lu State.

If some independent cultivators are gifted or have outstanding comprehension, they may be recruited as disciples by the academy, which is equivalent to joining a large force, ensuring that every talented person will not be buried.

Some cultivation families have also had in-depth cooperation with certain academies, sending their own children to the academies to study, where they can receive instruction from famous teachers from an early age and then return to serve the family after graduation.

There are also some ambitious independent cultivators who leave the academy after completing their studies and go to the major immortal cities in the world of cultivation to look for opportunities, hoping to make a name for themselves.

Due to this enlightened model, the cultivation world of Lu State cultivated a large number of immortal cultivators. In addition, it bordered many countries nearby and had abundant trade and circulation resources, making the scene of Lu State even more glorious and prosperous.

Moreover, because it is located in a place where wars are fought on all sides and cultures from all sides converge here, all industries and sectors are booming. Many things seem to be extremely novel and sound incredible.

The fairy city here is equivalent to the market town in the Song Dynasty, but its scale is several times larger. The traffic volume of each fairy city is over tens of thousands all year round, and all fighting is prohibited.

Lin Shan arrived at Wangyue City. The gatekeepers at the city gate were all cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Ten spirit stones were required for each entry into the city. Registration also cost ten spirit stones, and the processing fee for the identity card also cost ten spirit stones.

"Processing fee? Why do I have to pay for the certificate wherever I go?"

He secretly complained a few words in anger and followed the crowd into Moon Watching City.

The streets on both sides are spacious and elegant, with rows of shops that are clean and tidy. The monks passing by are all in high spirits, and there is a bustling market in front.

Lin Shan walked into the downtown area, and before he had time to look around, he was surrounded by several monks.

"My fellow Taoist, I am the deacon of the building materials market in the cultivation world. This is my business card."

"Fellow Daoist, I am a salesman of fashionable vestments. This is my business card."

"Brother, I'm a leasing agent for Lingtian, this is my business card."

"Sir, I am the card promotion specialist for my brothel. This is my business card."

……

Lin Shan collected a bunch of small cards and finally got rid of this group of people. He flipped through them casually and found that they were all simple introductions, as if they were recruiting short-term temporary workers.

The last few cards were different. They had pictures of some borderline beauties and the address and contact information on them.

Lin Shan looked around vigilantly, threw away all the other cards, and kept only these few.

After walking down another street, I saw another busy market, which was even busier than the previous one. There were rows of tables, chairs and benches, and monks were sitting upright. From time to time, someone would come up with a piece of paper to have a conversation.

Kind of like an interview?

The cultivation world of Lu State is indeed extraordinary. Its customs are obviously different from those of the Song Dynasty. It seems that there is a more novel model that allows independent cultivators to display their expertise and stay in the fairy city.

Lin Shan couldn't help but walk forward and listen. He saw a young monk with fuzz on his lips walk up and sit in front of a middle-aged examiner. He handed over his resume and stammered as he introduced himself.

"Examiner, I am Ma Wentong, a graduate of Hongshan Zhenzhi Academy. I won the third place in the academy's weapon refining competition and designed two large-scale weapon refining inventions, namely the sect protection satellite and the magic energy flying boat."

The people around exclaimed in amazement after hearing this. Lin Shan was also greatly surprised. He did not expect that there were so many talented people in Lu State. An ordinary academy student picked out from the street would have such a level!
The middle-aged examiner frowned slightly, looked at his resume for a while, and said thoughtfully:

"Zhenzhi Academy is an ordinary school, and your competition is not the Lu Kingdom's Cultivation Competition. The gold content is not very high, and the magic weapon you invented is also a bit useless. It feels like a paper war. Whether it can be put into use remains to be discussed."

Ma Wentong immediately became anxious after hearing this: "My invention is highly regarded by the scholars in the academy. They believe that as long as there are enough starting spirit stones to invest in research and development, it can change the existing pattern of the cultivation world and usher in a new round of vigorous development!"

The middle-aged examiner still disagreed, twisting his beard and shaking his head: "The sect has a large array to protect the sect. What's the use of placing satellites outside except to get beaten? The flying boat is driven by spirit stones and has always been stable. Why do we need violent demonic energy to drive it?" Ma Wentong patiently explained his ideas and concepts:
"The sect protection formation is too rigid and can be easily tampered with by the enemy. During the recent war in the cultivation world of Lu State, wasn't the sect protection formation of the Demon Sect headquarters modified by our Confucian coalition forces to allow entry but not exit?

If we have a sect protection satellite, we can give early warning to prevent the enemy from sneaking in and causing damage, and it can also form a pincer attack with the sect protection formation to complement each other. I also have a detailed Starlink plan and launch cost report.

As for the flying boat's driving spirit stones, which have always been in short supply, why not use the new energy source of magic energy as a substitute? After the war just now, our Confucian sect captured so many magic monks, and let them provide us with magic energy to do hard labor, killing two birds with one stone."

Ma Wentong was talking there, and the people listening nearby nodded frequently, thinking that this guy's ideas were very insightful.

Lin Shan was even more dumbfounded!

I didn't expect that in the world of cultivation in Lu State, any casual cultivator who came out of any academy would have such knowledge and talent. The world is so big that there are all kinds of wonders. If I didn't go out of the Song Dynasty and travel around, I would really have always been a frog in the well.

At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh that he needed to open up his own thinking and not be confined to the old environment and system of the Song Dynasty's cultivation world.

As time goes by, the immortal civilization will surely develop step by step. How could it possibly remain stagnant?
With cultural exchanges and in-depth development, various magical instruments and treasures may be updated and iterated, but some stubborn old antiques are destined to be eliminated by the times!

The middle-aged examiner listened to Ma Wentong's explanation and pondered for a moment. Although this young man had a good imagination, his two refining inventions still had many limitations. The senior executives of his chamber of commerce would probably not invest spirit stones as the cost of trial and error was too high.

Later, Ma Wentong failed the interview and had to leave to look for the next stall in an effort to stay and work in Xiancheng.

When the students around saw this scene, they all felt uneasy and worried about their future.

Next, another student handed in his resume. This person had handsome features and exuded a scholarly air.

"My name is Meng Chuanjun, from the side branch of the Confucian family Meng. I have been good at making friends with people of all generations since I was a child. I have friends in major sects and cultivation families. I can coordinate contacts with many parties, open up trading markets, and expand business channels."

This young man named Meng Chuanjun was apparently born into a side branch of a Confucian family. He was not valued by his family, so he wanted to go out on his own and get a position with his connections and background to earn more resources for his future practice.

"Congratulations, classmate, and welcome to join our Chamber of Commerce."

The middle-aged examiner shook hands with Meng Chuanjun cordially without saying a word and directly accepted him under his command.

He didn't even ask any unnecessary questions, and was so straightforward that he was like two different people.

This is the background!
No matter in which world or era, it is an important stepping stone.

A stepping stone. As long as you have it, your starting point will be higher than others.

Even if you don't have wild creativity or solid skills in the six arts of cultivation, the influence of your family, your social circle and vision since childhood can bring you extraordinary convenience in the future.

The middle-aged examiner's consideration was also very simple. Meng Chuanjun had a wide range of friends and knew many young people in the Lu State's cultivation world. In the future, he could open up more channels for the Chamber of Commerce and provide some internal information of other forces. He was very suitable to be the Chamber of Commerce's mouthpiece and contact person.

The chambers of commerce in the world of cultivation naturally seek profit.

Afterwards, students from all walks of life took to the stage one after another. Lin Shan watched one interview after another, only to find that he could not fit into the system of Lu's cultivation world at all!
Because he had never been to any academy to practice, he was just a self-taught practitioner.

As for the "Wanliu Academy" previously compiled in the Demonic Sect's headquarters, even Dai Budong and Zhu Duiyou couldn't fool it, let alone the interview examiners from various chambers of commerce.

You should know that there are ten top academies in Lu State. The stronger ones have hermit ancestors in the Nascent Soul stage, and the weaker ones have Jindan stage masters in charge. Each of them has a name and a surname, which is equivalent to the "golden signboard" in the world of cultivation.

Without the endorsement of the academy, he lacked this stepping stone. He couldn't even pass the first round of preliminary screening in the prominent chambers of commerce and businesses in various industries, and had no chance to demonstrate his abilities at all.

A casual cultivator like him who has no "academic qualifications" can only work as a bricklayer in the Immortal City!

But then again.

If he can’t pass it, then he can’t pass it. Does he look like someone who is short of spirit stones?
It is impossible to work part-time, and it is impossible to work part-time in this life.

Not to mention the 200,000 spirit stones he got from Master Gui, he still had more than 100,000 left after spending them. Later, he used his identity as a cult envoy to cheat the Gongsun family out of 150,000 spirit stones. Add to that the inheritance given to him by the cultivators from all sides he killed along the way, and it adds up to more than 300,000 spirit stones!

Even if he lived in Wangyue Fairy City for his whole life, he wouldn't be able to spend even a fraction of the three hundred thousand!
"At this stage, it's time to rent a cave and practice peacefully for a while."

Lin Shan walked on the streets of Wangyue City, watching the various cultivators coming and going. It was a lively and peaceful scene, and a long-lost peace arose in his heart.

"Back in the Song Dynasty, I was a casual cultivator living in fear of losing my life. Later, I joined the Demon Sect and had to face the pressure of missionary performance. In the war between good and evil, there were many demons and masters. If I hadn't been smart enough, I really wouldn't have survived."

"I finally escaped from the Song Dynasty. I originally thought that I had come to the Black Lotus Sect headquarters in Lu State. With the support of Master Huang, a Nascent Soul Stage leader, I would have plenty of cultivation resources and ancient rhymes would be flowing into my account."

“As a result, Gu Yun gained a lot, but not only did his sect fail, but his backers also disappeared one after another, and he completely became a casual cultivator again.”

"It's fate that makes people tick. Things in the world are unpredictable."

Lin Shan sighed as he walked, while planning his next practice.

"First, I will use the spiritual fluid obtained from the spiritual vein tide to raise my cultivation to the peak of the middle stage of foundation building. Then, I will accept the baptism of star power body tempering and phantom spiritual fluid for a long time. I will use these three methods together to settle down!"

"As for the elixir that can break through the bottleneck of the middle stage of foundation building, we must also find a way to get one."

Now that we have lost the channel of the top sect, the Black Lotus Sect, it becomes a bit difficult to obtain precious realm-breaking elixirs like the "Purple Heart Pill".

Although the State of Lu was relatively open, that was only relative, and the necessary monopoly was naturally indispensable.

Hot-selling items like Foundation Establishment Pills might occasionally appear on the market, but as soon as they came out they were quickly snapped up by the well-informed local tyrants, leaving it completely unavailable to an outsider like him.

Without elixirs, his progress in cultivation would inevitably be slowed down. If he failed to break through, his cultivation might even regress. More importantly, the "Dao Mark", a product of failure in breaking through, would seriously hinder the difficulty of the subsequent realms.

The more “Dao Traces” accumulate, the harder it will be to break through to the next realm, until there is no way forward. At that time, your future of cultivation will be completely cut off, and no matter how powerful you are, there will be nothing you can do.

Many old monsters have been practicing for many years but have not made any progress, and it is for this reason.

Therefore, if you can pass the early stage such as the Foundation Establishment Stage in one go, it is best to do it in one go, instead of struggling repeatedly, leaving room for error and margin for the bottlenecks in the following levels.

Lin Shan had heard a lot of such advice from experience along the way, which was why he would rather spend his ancient rhyme to ensure that he was foolproof every time he made a breakthrough, rather than taking risks to bet on a low probability.

Who made him have such lofty ambitions and the aspiration to become an immortal?
Now comes the difficulty. Practicing to the peak of the middle stage of foundation building is not a problem, but where can I find the elixir to break through the bottleneck?
You can't just do the same as when you first tried to prepare the "low-end version of the Foundation Establishment Pill" and then strengthen it step by step, right?
Lin Shan counted on his fingers with a frown on his face. He had been strengthening the innate elixir all the way to the jade elixir of the Qi training period and the magic elixir of the foundation building period. If the chance of breakthrough was increased by less than 90%, he might have to continue strengthening it to the treasure elixir of the golden elixir period, just like the time in Donghai.

This series of events totals 56 points of ancient charm!
"With my current level of understanding, should I learn some alchemy?"

He is now busy improving his cultivation and learning formations, and adding the art of alchemy is really too much to handle.

At this time, the mini skeleton on the waist spoke. Although it didn't quite understand what the boy was counting on with his fingers, it could guess what Lin Shan was thinking about.

"Brother, if you want to break through to the middle stage of foundation building and intend to use the realm-breaking elixir as an aid, you might as well change your thinking. In fact, there is another way."

(End of this chapter)