Immortal Road.

Chapter 258 Old Friends
Along the way, the flying boat traveled from the west through the central part of Lu State, crossing countless mountains, rivers and plains.

Occasionally, you can see below, where there are academies everywhere and the sound of chanting is like waves.

The villages are scattered around and the smoke from cooking is rising.

From time to time, magnificent cities would appear, with bustling traffic and people, and you could vaguely see a famous Confucian monk wandering around and appearing in them.

The people of the Lujiang League on the boat had no intention of practicing. They were just enjoying the beauty of the mountains and rivers, and talking about the cultivators below. It seemed that they were experiencing the spiritual training in the world.

When these monks came to the mortal world, some of them assisted in solving cases in government offices, some fertilized the fields and brought rain, some educated mortals in private schools, and some punished evildoers and eradicated traitors on the roadside.

When practicing Taoism, one should exercise in moderation, tighten and loosen at the same time, and take both the inside and the outside into consideration.

After all, there are only a few geniuses in this world. In every realm on the road to cultivating immortals, if you want to break through the barriers, you not only need to accumulate enough strength, but also need the help of luck and state of mind.

Your state of mind is related to whether you can successfully break through the bottleneck, perfectly break through the realm, and maximize your potential.

This is also the important reason why righteous monks discuss "merit".

The more "merit" you accumulate, the clearer your mind will be; the more "karma" you accumulate, the more turbid your mind will be.

Doing good things all the time will certainly make you feel better than fighting and killing people all the time. This is a simple and easy to understand truth.

It’s just that Lin Shan has never experienced the tempering of the heart in the mortal world, so he doesn’t need to waste time in the early stage. He can just make rapid progress by strengthening the panel.

What's more, he was originally born a mortal and grew up in the Lin family of Qinghe County in the southern border of the Song Dynasty. He even had more than 20 years of experience in his previous life. It's not like he has not experienced worldly life.

It’s just that “merit” is rather subjective. There is no exact quantification for how many good deeds you do and how much merit you gain. No one knows whether they have enough merit.

So when it comes to your state of mind, whether you feel at ease is also an unknown factor. Whether you have the confidence to break through the bottleneck depends entirely on the individual.

Therefore, the method of tempering one's mind in the secular world may be useful, but it may also be a waste of time and may not necessarily bring real gains.

The state of mind is a mysterious thing. It is not impossible to make up for it when you really encounter a problem. After all, there is no point in worrying about it now because you don’t know where to start.

He had not experienced the "merit" of raising animals, but some people on the ship had.

The ancestor of the Yang family stood at the bow of the boat, overlooking the vast rivers and lakes passing by below, and could not help but feel a myriad of emotions and full of melancholy.

"Back then, I was a bastard of the Yang family in Luzhong. I traveled in the mortal world for decades, slaying demons and monsters, redressing grievances for the people, and longed to be a free and easy immortal in the mortal world."

"When I reached middle age, I had wasted my best years and was still stuck in the Qi training stage. I had no female cultivators to favor me, no family elders to cultivate me, no resources to support me, and I was down and out. It was hard for me to continue my cultivation."

"I had no choice but to sell the property left by my deceased elders and relatives in exchange for the qualification to study at Yunchuan Academy. There, I met four close friends and began the most passionate and generous years of my life."

The Yang family ancestor turned his gaze toward the sky, recalling distant memories.

"The four people are Rong Jin and his cousin from the Dai family in western Lu, an outer disciple from the Zhenyue sect in northern Lu, and a student from eastern Lu. They became brothers because they share similar interests."

"At that time, the five of us were all unknown people, with low cultivation and no achievements. However, we gathered together to talk about everything under the sun, from ancient times to the present, with the spirit of scholars, and expressed our views with great vigor!"

"Later, I relied on the experience I had gained in my youth to cultivate my mind and finally made great progress. I broke through the Golden Core Stage and took charge of the Yang Family."

"Ancestor Rongjin and his younger brother also broke through the Jindan stage and became the leader of the Dai family. The other two partners also achieved success. They became the Grand Elder of Zhenyue Sect in northern Shandong and the Master of Xuchan Cave in eastern Shandong."

"Logically speaking, good friends back then had achieved great things, so they should have been close to each other and helped each other throughout their lives."

The ancestor of the Yang family shook his head, lamenting that fate was hard to defy.

"But after gaining strength and power, the Yang family and the Dai family inevitably became enemies due to their positions. The good brothers of the past became enemies. Even if the other two old friends wanted to reconcile, it was too far away. They could only watch us become strangers."

"Unfortunately, a hundred years have passed in a hurry. The Dai family has been destroyed, and my two brothers have also passed away. Their souls have returned to heaven and earth, leaving the human world!"

"It's really unpredictable, fate plays tricks on us."

As the Yang family ancestor recalled the past, he thought of the sad things, covered his face with his sleeves, and shed a few crocodile tears.

Lin Shan and the hundreds of monks behind him looked at each other, and listened to him reciting the almanac that was hundreds of years old in silence.

However, the Yang family patriarch continued to talk about the main point.

"Although the two brothers of the Dai family have passed away, Yang still has two brothers who are still alive and well. Although I haven't had time to visit them for many years, we have always kept in touch through letters, and our friendship remains strong!"

"They are the ones I mentioned earlier, the Great Elder of the Zhenyue Sect in northern Shandong and the Master of Xuchan Cave who is a Jindan-stage cultivator in eastern Shandong. They are both older than me and their time is probably coming to an end. In order to prolong their lifespans, they will all join the trip to the forbidden area on the cliff."

"So, when we get to Jiangning City, I will take you to meet my two old friends first. By then, we will have more people and greater strength, and it will be much safer to act together."

After hearing this, everyone respectfully agreed and flattered the ancestor of the Yang family, praising him for his wide social connections and his ability to plan strategically.

After hearing this, Lin Shan also reacted suddenly.

Yup!

The ancestor of the Yang family has lived for so many years, how could he not have a few good friends?

How can he have the confidence to go to the forbidden area on the cliff with just me, an early Jindan stage cultivator, and a bunch of burdens in the foundation-building and Qi-training stages!
You have to know that the ancestor of the Yang family is different from Lin Shan. Putting aside their own strength, let's just talk about the forces behind them.

If the Yang family lost its ancestor, it would definitely fall from the throne of the mining giant and even be in danger of being besieged and divided.

But if the Xun Ancient Sect lost Lin Shan, it still had the Black Skull Demon Lord and Master Zhankong to guard the house, so that little bit of foundation was not worth anyone else's effort.

So from the perspective of "worries", Lin Shan is obviously more free and easy. The ancestor of the Yang family is carrying a lot of things and cannot afford to make any mistakes, so he must pay more attention to safety on this trip.

If he has other foreign aid, then it makes sense, at least there is an extra layer of protection.

And from what he said, they have been friends for hundreds of years and are sworn brothers, so this is more reliable.

Of course, brothers are brothers. The two brothers of the Dai family were killed by the ancestor of the Yang family himself.
But that's because of their stance. It's okay to be a little wary of others, but there's nothing wrong with allies relying on each other and temporarily banding together for warmth.

It was a pleasant surprise that the Yang family patriarch could attract two foreign players.

Lin Shan raised the question at the right time:

"Alliance leader, I wonder what the cultivation levels of your two old friends are?"

The Yang family patriarch smiled proudly: "Like me, both are in the late Jindan stage!"

"What?!!!"

Lin Shan was shocked.

This time he was determined to go to the forbidden area on the cliff of the Swallowing Star Mountains to look for the reed jade stalactites in preparation for his jade liquid body refining.

But the difficulty of reality hit him hard again!
Not counting the Yang family ancestor who is in the late Jindan stage, his two old brothers who are about to die are also in the late Jindan stage?
How many old monsters would be blown up in one trip to the forbidden area of ​​the cliff? How fierce would the competition be at that time?
Lin Shan himself is only in the early stage of Soul Pill. After a battle with the guardian Qiu of Jiuyou Sect, he has a rough understanding of his own combat power, which should be stronger than that of an ordinary early stage Golden Core.

I don’t know if I can compete with a middle-stage Jindan, but if I meet an old-time master like the Yang family’s ancestor who is in the late Jindan stage, I will most likely be no match for him.

Because these people have reached the pinnacle in the Jindan stage, and if they do not move up to the Yuanying stage, they can basically sweep the world. When they were young, most of them were famous geniuses who were well-known in the region.

Each of them has more than one magic weapon, and they must have some minor magical powers and spells, which are far beyond the reach of ordinary Jindan stage cultivators.

Otherwise, how can they maintain their status as a giant family and a first-class force?

Lin Shan felt a bit of pressure, not only because the Yang family ancestor had external support, but also because the two were old brothers who had known each other for many years. Their relationship might be even closer than that of his ally.

When the treasure is really divided up, will you still be able to get your share?
But then again, the ancestor of the Yang family had made preparations in advance, so if he followed the old hand on this trip, at least if he didn't encounter any treasures in the early stages, just from the perspective of crossing dangerous areas, his safety would be greatly increased.

The hundreds of monks from the Lujiang League also thought so. The safer they were to follow a group of big guys, the better. Once they got in, whether they could eat meat and drink soup depended entirely on their own luck and ability.

On the flying boat, everyone had different thoughts. Lin Shan looked at the scenery below and his thoughts drifted away.

……

In less than half a month, the flying boat passed through the central part of Lu and arrived in the northeastern region.

An ancient and majestic city appeared before our eyes.

"Jiangning City".

In the distance, the rolling outlines of the Star-Swallowing Mountains are vaguely visible, a wild and vast atmosphere blows in the face, and even the sounds of geese and eagles can be heard.

This fairy city was built at the foot of the Star-Swallowing Mountains. It is a convenient place for traveling monks to rest and replenish supplies before entering the mountains, and also for selling various mountain products and animal corpses after leaving the mountains. Its main businesses are consumable supplies, repairing magic tools, recycling materials, etc.

As a mining giant in the cultivation world of Lu State, the Yang family has industries scattered across the country, and they also have ore recycling stores in Jiangning City.

The ancestor of the Yang family collected the flying boat, led Lin Shan and hundreds of people from the Lujiang League into the Immortal City, gave a brief introduction, and then took them to the Yang family's industrial attic.

Along the way, businesses on both sides of the street were basically frequented by monks, and the prosperity was more than twice that of Wangyue City.

You can often hear all kinds of bargaining and noisy sounds, as well as the pungent smell of blood. Those are the remains of monsters that the monks brought back from the mountains. They disassemble them and pick out the various bits and pieces, and then bargain with the vendors to sell them.

Similarly, consumables such as "Rejuvenating Pills", "Rejuvenating Talismans", "Hemostatic Powder", and "Detoxification Pills" sold here are several times more expensive than outside. Doing business here is really profitable, but the corresponding stalls and store rents should not be cheap either.

The monks of Lujiang League are relatively frugal. They had brought enough consumables from their hometown in western Shandong before coming here, so they had no desire to buy anything when they arrived here.

In the Yang family's ore recovery attic, many cultivators came in and out. It seemed that the mining giant's reputation was still quite solid. Many independent cultivators who picked up ore would come here for identification as soon as possible, and expect an official price to be given.

Then, after comparing it with small families outside, decide whether to sell it to the Yang family.

After Lin Shan went in and took a look, he saw even more people in the hall, queuing up to be appraised and recycled. He was very jealous of the transaction volume here and couldn't help but speak out in envy.

"The leader's family has a strong foundation. They make a fortune just in Jiangning City. They are really the envy of others!"

The Yang family patriarch waved his hand modestly and led Lin Shan and others upstairs.

“Master Lin, there is no need to be envious. Your future achievements will not be inferior to mine. You still have plenty of time to lead the Xun Gu Sect to grow. I think one day you will be able to reach the scale of the Yang Family.”

Lin Shan saw that he didn't look fake and seemed to really think so, so he didn't say anything but nodded silently.

After the Yang family's ancestor arranged accommodation for everyone, he hurried out to visit friends.

Everyone took a rest to relieve the fatigue of the journey. They knew that from now on, they just had to wait quietly for the opportunity to enter the mountain.

……

Three days later, the ancestor of the Yang family returned.

He found Lin Shan and said he would take him to a place to meet some like-minded people who had gathered together on this trip.

Lin Shan was also very excited, but also a little nervous. He had just become a real person, and his largest circle of peers was in the Lujiang League. He didn't know many unfamiliar Jindan real people.

The two walked along several busy streets in Jiangning City and stopped at a garden in the north of the city.

"Lotus Fragrance Garden".

Outside the garden, there are red bricks and green tiles, carved railings and jade bricks. In the garden, you can see several towering ancient cypresses and singing orioles.

There are three or five Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the door, and it seems that ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

However, when they saw the Yang family ancestor and Lin Shan coming and learned that they were Jindan stage masters, they respectfully made way for them and invited them into the garden.

There is a winding path under your feet, and the bamboo forest is dense. It takes about several hundred steps to walk.

The view ahead suddenly became clear, and one could hear the sound of flowing springs, the faint sound of a pipa, and the voices of a group of people talking and laughing.

What comes into view is a lotus pond of more than ten acres in size, with a circle of lotus leaves stretching out by the edge of the pond, flowers blooming on the water, dragonflies dancing, and rippling water.

The pavilions and towers around are exquisite and delicate. There are nine winding corridors on the pool connecting several small pavilions in the water. There are also dozens of stone platforms of different sizes suspended in the pool.

There were monks gathered in a circle in every place in the pavilion, some were chatting and laughing, some were strolling in the garden admiring the lotus, and some were leaning against the railing alone, or sitting cross-legged on the stone platform in the pond with their eyes closed, actually secretly paying attention to the news from other people.

There were a large number of monks gathered around the outer pool, but they obviously did not dare to make loud noises, for fear of disturbing the masters in the pool and causing displeasure.

Lin Shan used his senses to discover that in this Lotus Fragrance Garden, those outside were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, while those who could enter the lotus pond were all Golden Core cultivators.

There were hundreds of cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage, wearing different attire and coming from different sects. They were communicating with each other beside the pool, with cautious looks on their faces.

There are as many as twenty to thirty people in the Jindan stage in the pool!
As for his specific cultivation level, he did not dare to use his spiritual sense to scan openly. That would be considered rude and would be disliked or even hated by everyone. He naturally knew this etiquette.

The Yang family ancestor whispered softly, "The border of Lu State is not small. Just in the Lujiang River Basin area, there are two of us from the Lujiang League. The Lujiang River Basin occupies half of the area of ​​western Lu. There are at least four or five Jindan Zhenren from western Lu."

"Of course, there are also Jindan Zhenren from other regions who are planning to go to the Cliff Forbidden Land. There are about 20 to 30 of them in total. This time, everyone is meeting here to exchange information and make final preparations before going in."

"I brought you here so that you can get to know the powerful characters, especially the tough ones, so that you can have a better idea of ​​what to do if you meet them again in the future."

"Secondly, I want to take you to meet my two old friends, the Great Elder of the Zhenyue Sect in northern Shandong and the Master of Xuchan Cave, a Jindan-stage cultivator in eastern Shandong. I will go with you later and we can take care of each other."

Lin Shan nodded: "That's right, please introduce me to the alliance leader."

The ancestor of the Yang family looked around and found a small building in the pond on the right. Two figures were waving and smiling at them. He then took Lin Shan onto the corridor and walked towards them.

(End of this chapter)