Chapter 23: The First Earning in the Cultivation World

Another year passed quickly.

They lived on the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountain Range under the open sky. The seasons passed slowly.

They no longer dared to scavenge bones. Their cultivation had improved somewhat in the past year, but they were still stuck at the third level of Qi Refinement. They had another Immortal Point to the Essence of All Things and even cultivated another hundred-year old herb.

They searched the outskirts of the mountain range for spirit herbs everyday, but they still avoided going deeper into the mountains. Demons, beasts and disciples of small sects ran amok in these deeper regions.

With another year came another Ascension Summit.

Chen Xun and the black ox arrived on schedule.

Now, when they saw the items displayed on the stalls once again, they didn't display their former pumpkin' attitude and even showed a bit of pompous scorn.

They brought the hundred-year old medicinal herb to sell, but they were met with humiliation, and people scolded them. They said that their brains were too rotten for cultivation.

"For heaven's sake! Are you looking down on us? Perhaps your mortal family all died and you went stupid with grief!"

"Moo!"

The duo loitered around the valley, bickering with people left and right. Their attitude was still hafty.

The three days after the valley opened for vagabonds went by, and it was once again time for the ten great sects to show off. Chen Xun shouted a few times along with the crowd and was at least able to call out a few names this time.

During the next seven days, Chen Xun and the black ox continued their analysis, scribbling in their little booklet. The black ox provided additional input from time to time.

When it was time for everyone to leave yet again, the duo were the first to rush out. They ran with astonishing speed. They didn't even wait for the ten great sects to depart before they dashed away.

In the face of absolute speed, it seemed that even plots and schemes were a step behind.

...

Time passed in the mountains very quickly, and another five years passed in this manner. Certainly within those years, a calamity befell the wild beasts of the Ningyun Mountain Range.

Finally, their Qi Refinement stage had reached the fourth level.

They had added all their Immortal Points to the Essence of All Things, hoping that one day, they could cultivate precious herbs on a whim.

Their current points were as follows: Strength: 21, Speed: 21, Defense: 0, Spiritual Energy: 0, Essense of all Things: 15

In this year's Ascension Conference, Chen Xun and the big black ox arrived on time, once again. The valley felt like home to them and they beamed with happiness. However, besides the pots and pans hanging on the sides of the ox, they carried many booklets when they went into the valley.

Chen Xun's reputation soared and he received the nickname "The Ascension's Miser." He had a black ox that followed him around, and you could see him loiter around the stalls, his eyes shining, but he would never buy anything. No one knew his name, making him quite mysterious.

However, his mind didn't seem to function all too well. He always wore a black cloth on his head that turned him into a bandit. It made you wonder if he would turn out to be a Bandit Immortal in the future.

Word spread among the vendors regarding this man, and many warned them to stay alert when he's around. He often lingered near but never produced a single spirit stone. It was probable he was scouting for something.

However, these were just idle chatter among the bored cultivators. Nobody paid any real attention to Chen Xun and simply treated him as a fool.

Every year, new faces would appear, driven by their desire for immortality.

"Brothers, this is the result of my years of painstaking effort. It contains the details of the trials of all the major sects." Chen Xun bowed slightly and smiled. He then continued promoting. "I guarantee that your success rate in entering a sect will skyrocket with this!"

"Oh?" Several vagabonds stopped to take a look, intrigued. "May we take a look?"

However, when they saw the ferocious-looking bandit mask Chen Xun wore, they were all startled. _This individual was clearly not a good person!_ They thought.

"Of course, if you're satisfied, you can pay later."

Chen Xun smiled, noticing that these people looked unfamiliar. They seemed to have come specifically for the Ascension Immortal Conference trials, which increased the likelihood of selling the booklets.

" Brother Zhang, this seems really good," one of the vagabond's eyes glittered. He showed the booklet to the two people beside him. "It even mentions the type of disciples the Ten Great Sects are looking to recruit."

"Indeed, but we don't know if it's true or not." The other two nodded.

If it was true, that would be incredible.

"Rest assured, I'm here every year. If you have any questions, just find me." Chen Xun patted his chest and said earnestly, "It's only one low-grade spirit stone. It's a safe purchase, and even if it only increases your chances by one percent, isn't that still a gain?"

"Agreed!" A man exclaimed, his eyes not leaving the booklet. "This friend is straightforward and honest. I'll buy it!"

"Brother, you have a keen eye. I'm sure this year you'll find success." Chen Xun flattered with a smile, happily accepting the low-grade spirit stone. A_ good acquisition_, he thought.

"Alright, I'll accept your encouraging words."

The man smiled, finding Chen Xun quite eloquent. The spirit stone seemed well spent.

"Goodbye, three brothers!"

"Moo!"

A man shouted, and an animal bellowed at the group as they left with smiles on their faces. They had finally made their first ever spirit stone.

"Old ox, let's go!"

"Moo moo!"

Chen Xun was filled with ambition. They hadn't robbed these spirit stones and had earned them legitimately.

The black ox was so excited it was almost in tears. It kept nudging Chen Xun. They had really done it, and Chen Xun held the ox's head with one hand. Nobody knew how much effort they had put into this.

"This senior brother over there, I could recognize your outstanding talents with a single glance. If I'm not mistaken, you have come to grace these trials with your extraordinary presence."

"Huh? What brings you here, friend?"

A young man who had been walking ahead stopped in place and turned around, his expression surprised then turned into one of annoyance. He seemed to find it a pain that his amazing presence has given him away so easily.

Chen Xun slightly squinted his eyes, sizing up the man. "But, brother, there seems to be something crucial you're lacking."

The young man seemingly also sizing him up. Though the man infront of him was hiding his appearance with a headscarf, his intelligent gaze betrayed him. Coupled with the black ox behind him, carrying pots and pans, an air of intelligence surrounding it, this person was obviously... different from others.

"Please, friend, speak directly." The young man was quite courteous.

Chen Xun reached behind and pulled out three booklets. With one hand, he unfolded them and said solemnly, "If you aspire to achieve immortality, you must first read these booklets!"

"Ah?!" The young man was taken aback, but he still reached out and took them. "These... Could these be the legendary—"

"_Hehe._ the secrets of the trials of the Ten Great Sects are all in these booklets. It all depends on whether Brother recognizes their value or not." Chen Xun said calmly.

He had become quite shrewd over the past few years, and he could now tell who had had spirit stones and who didn't.

The young man wiped away the sweat forming on his forehead and opened the booklets one by one to check them out. They turned out to be full of practical information and weren't full of speculation, per say.

"Friend, this must cost quite a few spirit stones."

"Just one low-grade spirit stone."

"No, that's too little."

The young man shook his head suddenly, causing Chen Xun's expression to change; he seemed to have miscalculated.

"I think this deserves at least two." The young man was serious and took out the spirit stones from his storage bag.

"Brother, you don't have to. It's a fixed price." Chen Xun frowned. He didn't like inflating prices unnecessarily. "Just one."

"Two."

"One."

"You're not giving me face (1), friend?" The young man's demeanor suddenly turned stern, and he seemed to turn into a different person..

Chen Xun was taken aback and quickly changed his tone, "Alright, two. Brother is truly exceptional."

After hearing this, the young man's expression returned to his casual one, a smile tugging at his lips. "Friend, you're also no ordinary person. I really like this booklet. I'll take it."

"Take care, big brother." Chen Xun called out, a little scared.

A moment ago, he felt the immense power within the man's body, several times his own. Moreover, the man even had the legendary storage bag. He must have quite the background, and Chen Xun decided it was best to give in.

"Moo~" The big black ox nudged Chen Xun. Why was he so shocked?

"It's okay, old ox. Keep selling the booklets."

"Moo!"

They continued to promote their booklets. Some said these were fake goods and left with a sneer. Chen Xun didn't get angry; it was normal.

However, their earnings for the day were quite satisfying. They had sold fifty booklets and now had fifty-one low-grade spirit stones in hand.

~~

1. https://www.china-mike.com/chinese-culture/cult-of-face/#:~:text=The%20Chinese%20concept%20of%20"face,actions%20may%20"give%20face".