Chapter 522: Chapter 522 Formal Contact
Feng Jun spent an entire afternoon transferring the energy from two mostly used “Interdiate Spirit Stones” into the Stone Ring.
The number of energy points replenished this ti was equivalent to about three standard Spirit Stones.
Originally, he wanted to charge up to around twenty pieces, aiming to at least be able to kill an Interdiate Level Cultivator in the out-of-earth phase.
But when he began charging it, he reconsidered—should he really encounter such an expert, exiting the mobile dinsion and charging at that mont wouldn’t be too late, considering ti didn’t pass in that realm.
After all, the reason he did not want to charge too many energy points was that he had the idea of engaging in interdinsional trade of living creatures.
By now, he had achieved so success in doing business across both realms, but who would consider money in excess?
...
Even Cultivators had to consider the four essential elents of “wealth, companion, law, and land.”
After finishing the charging process, he adjusted his state and entered the mobile dinsion once again.
The first thing he did upon reaching the mobile dinsion was to summon Tian Yangni, hoping he could cut the gathered Jade into flat stones—there was no choice, Earthlings didn’t want to do such tasks, so he had to entrust it to people from this realm.
Tian Yangni happily accepted the task and, with a bit of bootlicking, reported that there had been an increase in visitors with unknown origins recently, asking whether they should collaborate with the Yu Family, Chen Family, Mi Family, and other clans for another large-scale background check.
“Discuss it with Chen Junsheng,” Feng Jun casually instructed.
The Chen Junsheng he spoke of was actually Chen Junwei, the true identity of Chen Junsheng—sothing others hadn’t seen through.
Regardless, it was more than sufficient for an Innate Expert to handle such minor issues.
Having given this task, Feng Jun took Mi Yunshan with him to practice the Falling Thunder Technique in the mountains.
Actually, he really wanted to mine Spirit Stones, as he had used over sixty “Interdiate Spirit Stones” in continuous use of the Heaven-Swallowing Formation on the Earth Plane, and his reserves had dwindled to below one hundred, fueling a strong desire to replenish his stockpile.
But there was that sa reason—soon soone was coming to trade Storage Talismans, and a large number of Interdiate Spirit Stones awaited extraction beneath Mount Zhige, likely surpassing a thousand pieces; he didn’t want the visitor to discover this at all.
Disciples from the sa sect should have so sense of camaraderie, but faced with a massive wealth, even blood relationships might not be reliable, let alone a slight sense of camaraderie.
That “Jie Chaoqun” simply because of his greed for the Spirit Gathering Array, disregarded any potential powerful background Feng Jun might have and brashly made his move, so Feng Jun didn’t hold much expectation for the moral integrity of cultivators from this realm.
Over the course of two days, he checked all the pits he had recently dug and, finding no residual Spiritual Energy, he finally felt at ease.
That day, as the Divine Doctor was “boom, boom, booming” in the mountains, Yu Changqing’s voice ca through the walkie-talkie informing that her elder brothers had arrived.
Elder brothers? Indeed, three disciples from the Wuyou Platform arrived, all within the Qi Refinent Realm—two n and one woman. The one with the highest cultivation was at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, nad Pan Renjie; the disciple at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer was called Wang Botai; and the only female disciple nad Shangguan Yunjin was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
Seeing such a combination, Feng Jun heaved a sigh of relief internally—it was manageable as long as they were all within the Qi Refinent stage.
In fact, three Qi Refinent stage cultivators, especially those of interdiate to high-rank, were still quite formidable for Feng Jun. It could even be more difficult to deal with than a single out-of-earth phase cultivator—as the saying goes, “One cannot fend off four hands with two.”
If the one being surrounded didn’t have overwhelming power, just a bit of coordination from the opponents would force him into a headlong retreat.
However, for Feng Jun, if he couldn’t beat his opponents, running away was relatively easy—he had entered the path of cultivation through martial arts and was able to hover for a short period even at the Qi Refinent stage.
Feng Jun greeted the three and invited them into the living room, ordering Mi Yunshan to serve tea to the guests.
This was considered a rather formal reception. Pan Renjie was a sowhat mature-looking young man, actually forty-eight years old—Feng Jun had no trouble finding out such information.
However, he didn’t talk much, and there was hardly any expression on his face, sitting there silent and inconspicuous.
The most active one was Shangguan Yunjin. She greeted Feng Jun with a bow and a smile, “My apologies, Elder Brother Pan’s journey in the Mortal World aims to accumulate insights for breaking through his realm, thus he seldom speaks.”
“Understood,” Feng Jun nodded and glanced at Pan Renjie again. “To attempt ascension before reaching fifty, the Wuyou Platform disciples are indeed exceptional. Congratulations are in order.”
Pan Renjie’s mouth twitched slightly, almost losing his composure to that remark: Damn it, are you guessing, or do you really know?
Yu Changqing was only an alternate disciple and had no right to speak among Qi Refinent disciples. However, as the interdiary, she hastily intervened, “Elder Brother Pan, Daoist Feng is quite proficient in divination.”
“Hmm,” Pan Renjie nodded, forcing a smile without saying more.
Wang Botai, noting the tea Mi Yunshan poured, uttered in curiosity, “Such complicated thods only to serve common tea from the mundane world… Is there a particular reason for that?”
Mi Yunshan used the Kung Fu Tea technique, which Feng Jun had taught her, and even the tea leaves were Tieguanyin sourced from the Earth Realm—there hadn’t been much ti for Master Feng to indulge in this on the Earth Plane, but on the mobile dinsion, with people to serve him, he was quite happy to enjoy.
For cultivators of this realm, however, tea without even a trace of spiritual energy carried little significance, especially when it was brewed with such solemnity, prompting Wang Botai’s confusion.
Feng Jun chuckled softly, “The so-called grandeur fades away, leaving behind only the bare essence; the technique is intricate only because I cannot fully return to simplicity.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Brother Pan’s eyes glead, and he gave a gentle nod, thinking to himself that this person indeed had an extraordinary manner of speaking.
He walked among the Mortal World, accumulating insights from the dust of life, in hopes of one day breaking through and rising above it.
This ti, his arrival was to act as the guardian for two junior disciples, and moreover, the master had said that the host here had a unique interest, which might very well be an opportunity for him too.
Wang Botai, however, blinked in bewildernt and inquired, “If we go by what fellow Daoist says, once we return to true simplicity, wouldn’t we be left with only plain water to drink?”
Feng Jun looked at him, “Plain water is actually quite delicious. A flower signifies a world, a leaf a universe; what’s abundant or scarce is up to the individual, and who knows the sweet and bitter but oneself? How can water ever be plain? It’s just that… drinking only plain water can make the cultivation journey sowhat monotonous…”
Wang Botai shook his head, “Fellow Daoist’s words are profound, but I’m afraid I don’t quite grasp their aning.”
Unable to hold back, Pan Renjie chid in. He was a cultivator who had gained insight through experiences in the Mortal World, not one who cultivated in silence, “Botai, just listen. Whatever you comprehend is your own fortune.”
Then, he looked at Feng Jun, “Junior Sister Yu said, fellow Daoist is a senior who has transcended worldly concerns, and the Inspector claid that fellow Daoist is at the Third Level of Qi Refinent. My observations suggest you are at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, yet your insights seem close to transcendence… How could fellow Daoist instruct ?”
Yu Changqing was only an alternate disciple, and the fact that he could refer to her as “Junior Sister” showed that he was quite down-to-earth.
Feng Jun looked at him with a half-smile, “Think about it yourself, for in the ways of this world, no one can truly teach you.”
Elder Brother Pan blinked thoughtfully and nodded, choosing to remain silent.
But Wang Botai spoke again, “Fellow Daoist is aware of Wuyou Platform, but what’s the story behind ‘When the flowers scatter, I chance upon you once more’?”
“I don’t know the story behind it,” Feng Jun replied indifferently, “That’s how my master taught .”
Wang Botai’s eyes shone once again, “May I ask for the honored title of fellow Daoist’s master?”
Feng Jun smiled again, “Why need there be a past acquaintance to et?”
Shangguan Yunjin spoke up, “Fellow Daoist walks the Mortal World amidst dust and chaos, yet has transcended ordinary people for company… May I ask why?”
You must be at least in the Qi Refinent Realm by now. Staying in the Mortal Realm and leveling an ‘alt’ isn’t quite done this way, is it?
With a wry smile, Feng Jun spread his hands, “Could I ask the three fellow Daoists to appoint a spokesperson? I have not yet mastered the divine skill of ‘multitasking’.”
Pan Renjie closed his eyes, indicating that he would stay silent, and Wang Botai also gave an awkward smile and a respectful gesture, “I’ve been presumptuous.”
In truth, the main communicator among the three was Shangguan Yunjin, a 36-year-old at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. She had a good private relationship with Yu Changqing, a relationship that was both that of a ntor and a friend, and even a bit sisterly.
Shangguan Yunjin also gave a courteous gesture, “We siblings are just curious. It’s rare to et a fellow Daoist from another region, and we an no offense… If we have offended you, please be magnanimous.”
In the community of cultivators, there were many who were pure-hearted. Their pursuit was the Great Dao of heaven and earth, and those with particularly high aptitude did not need to spend much ti worrying about resources.
This was a bit like the ivory tower of higher education on Earth Realm, where competition certainly exists—be it student councils, scholarships, paper authorships, study-abroad spots—and it can get intense, with underhanded tactics sotis being downright despicable, to the point of so crushing others through family background and connections.
However, fundantally, it had a asuring stick, and that was the progress of one’s cultivation level.
Cultivators with exceptionally high aptitude or great fortune only needed to focus on advancing their level. Once their cultivation increased, they’d beco a solid pillar for their sect, and during this period, the nurous trivial matters would surely be handled by others.
It’s not that there were no malicious individuals among cultivators, but many focused their attention on cultivation. With fewer encounters and issues, they were relatively simple at heart.
Therefore, Shangguan Yunjin’s apology was perfectly reasonable.
“There’s no question of offense,” Feng Jun replied with a smile, “Just treat as a cultivator at the Third Level of Qi Refinent, and we can trade fairly.”
Who could take him for a re Third Level Qi Refiner? Pan Renjie, a High-Rank expert at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, might not discern it if the other concealed his aura, but if the other party wanted to exaggerate his cultivation level, Pan Renjie would not be fooled.
Thus, he continued to keep his eyes closed, staying silent.
“These Inspectors always skimp on their duties,” Shangguan Yunjin muttered under her breath, as if chastising a negligent security guard who lets advertisers into the residential area, “This… the trade must be guaranteed, of course. I’ve brought Storage Talismans.”
As she spoke, she took out a thick stack of Storage Talismans from the pouch hanging at her elbow, and with a smile said, “Forty Storage Talismans, ten for Mortals and thirty for Cultivators. Please count them, fellow Daoist.”
Thanks to his cultivation of Telekinesis, Feng Jun had an exceptionally condensed Divine Sense, and a simple sweep told him the count was correct.
Just at that mont, Pan Renjie quietly opened his eyes, “Hmm?”
(Updated, calling for monthly votes.)
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