time flies.
In the blink of an eye, more than three months have passed and it is already late autumn.
Relying on the flame nutrients collected by the Chengde Chamber of Commerce, Lu Zhong successfully advanced the Jinyang insect fire again. The color of the flame was much darker than before, giving it some soul-forging effects again.
The mottled and impure true essence can finally be calcined and purified.
However, Lu Zhong's cultivation speed has not fully recovered. Most of his time is spent on calcining the impurities of the true essence. After excluding the training time, he spends the rest of the time meditating on the Flame-making Technique.
The speed of cultivation is still as slow as a turtle crawling.
What is lacking this time is not the elixir, but the means to purify the true essence.
That’s how spiritual practice is, you never know which one of the unexpected or tomorrow will come first.
"Fortunately, I still have two hundred years to live, and I can cultivate to the false elixir realm slowly. At least it will be much better than those of my colleagues whose cultivation has stagnated." Lu Zhong thought in his heart, and then moved the body into his body. The golden sun insect fire was drawn out and began to calcine the impurities in the true essence.
He deliberately controlled the power of the spiritual fire so as not to burn the couch beneath him.
He picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the newly arrived Beijiang iced tea.
It felt like taking a sip of ice water in the middle of summer, and billows of ice energy burst out from the mouth. My whole body felt so comfortable that I had never felt before, and I couldn't help but moan.
"It's great! It's just that this iced tea is too expensive. It costs one hundred spirit stones per piece. Three pieces in a cup is three hundred spirit stones."
I heard that in northern Xinjiang, this kind of iced tea is ordinary spirit tea.
When it is transported to Nanman via the East China Sea route, its value will be a hundred times higher.
Lu Zhong took another sip, added the sweet and sour spiritual fruit, and then added the green henling dew, and it immediately became a cup of strong fruit tea.
It tastes better this way.
After drinking a cup of tea, he gathered the Jinyang Insect Fire back into his body and stood up from the recliner.
There is an exchange meeting in Dongbulu today.
The exchange meeting was initiated by the disciple of Zhenren Dongbu, and those who could participate were all monks in the late stage of foundation building. It was said that a lot of good things would appear, so Lu Zhong was going to go and have a look. It was both a boring pastime and a chance to try his luck. Maybe he could really What's the gain?
I went out and got on the carriage, and soon arrived at Dongbulu.
This place is as low-key and simple as before.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, I haven't seen you for a long time. Come and invite me inside!" Jiang Mengsun cupped his hands and said with a smile. He is the disciple of Zhenren Dongbu. Now he has cultivated in the False Alchemy Realm. He is still greeting guests at the door, which makes people feel good.
"I've met fellow Daoist Jiang!" Lu Zhong returned the greeting with a smile on his face.
Enter a main hall with Jiang Mengsun.
On the left and right sides of the hall, two rows of eucalyptus tables have been set up, with Lingcha and Lingguo placed on them. Many monks have already taken their seats, and there are maids waiting beside them to pour tea and water at any time.
Thanks to the improved status of Lintao Pavilion and Chengde Chamber of Commerce, many people are particularly optimistic about Lu Zhong, a monk who has no worries about cultivation resources and a bright future. They believe that this person can try to form an elixir at least once in a hundred years, and he may also be able to do so in the future. Become a true Jindan.
So they all stood up from their seats and saluted Lu Zhong.
"I've met Fellow Daoist Lu."
"I've met Fellow Daoist Lu!"
Lu Zhong returned the favor one by one. He didn't like this kind of occasion, but he still had to give necessary face to others. To cultivate immortality, one must also be humane and worldly, otherwise he would inexplicably attract enemies.
Sit in the third seat from the left in the hall.
Immediately, a maid came closer and wanted to serve him personally.
The person who can participate in an exchange meeting of this level is naturally not an ordinary maid.
For example, this person has the third level of Qi Refining cultivation, and is really good-looking, with an average appearance for female cultivators.
You're welcome, I touched it twice.
too skinny!
Lu Zhong thought she had no meat, so after pouring the tea, he waved his hand for the woman to leave.
This move almost made the other party cry.
It can be seen from the active greetings from many monks in the palace that the senior she serves has a high status. If she can become his concubine, her future can be said to be very secure.
What exactly did I fail to do well? I clearly wanted to have a good figure and good looks, but my senior didn't take a fancy to me...
The maid couldn't help but begin to doubt herself.
Lu Zhong noticed this and couldn't help shaking his head secretly.
Ignoring the other party, he poured himself a glass of wine.
Compared with iced tea, although the spiritual tea provided by the exchange meeting has stronger spiritual energy, it lacks the refreshing feeling of iced spiritual energy stimulating the meridians, so it tastes a bit bland.
Simply, he began to look at everyone in the hall.
Those sitting near the palace gate don't need to watch, they are basically just making up for the numbers.
The first person on the left is a young man from Danmo wearing the uniform of a Changchun Valley disciple and a sapphire crown. His aura is no less than that of Lu Zhong. There is a golden tripod embroidered on his collar.
"Jin Ding? It seems that he is a true disciple..." Lu Zhong thought to himself that Jiang Mengsun was so proud that he could even invite such a person.
His eyes moved to the first person opposite, a Confucian scholar with a thin face.
This person's cultivation level is equally profound, not much worse than that of Changchun Valley Zhenzhuan. Lu Zhong has met a Confucian scholar before. He is a direct descendant of the Jindan family, and his status is equally noble.
Further down, there is a pair of Taoist couples next to each other.
They are a big man in black with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a woman who looks like an old lady. The two of them look quite good, and they look very close. They are talking and laughing there, but their aura is slightly smaller than that of Lu Zhong. Low, I think the strength is not as good as him.
The sound of footsteps came, and someone was already taking a seat in the second seat from the left.
But she was a female cultivator in feathered clothes. Her appearance could only be described as shabby. Perhaps because of this, she had a thick layer of powder on her face. She noticed Lu Zhong's gaze and snorted coldly.
She didn't say anything, she just glanced over and landed on the Changchun Valley True Master in front of her.
Seeing that the other party was ignoring her, the female cultivator's face turned ugly and she glared at Lu Zhong fiercely.
"It's true that ugly people often cause mischief!" Lu Zhong laughed secretly in his heart.
If there is a chance later, he doesn't mind teaching the other party a lesson.
Lu Zhong immediately withdrew his gaze and waited for the exchange meeting to begin.
At the same time, I was thinking about what I should give in exchange.
One piece of silver essence and three pieces of iron essence will be reserved for refining the natal magic weapon in the future. They cannot be exchanged unless necessary.
As for the elixir in the bag and the refined liquid of creation, he also has no intention of taking it out. The former was collected with great difficulty and cannot be taken advantage of by others. The latter involves the secret method of the liquid of creation. If someone who knows the goods sees it, It might cause big trouble, so I can't take it out.
After thinking about it, Lu Zhong took out an elixir, which was as red as jade in color.
It was obtained from Hai Li. Apart from those pills suitable for pill-forming monks to improve their cultivation, this "Little Soul-Benefiting Pill" is the most valuable.
The effect, of course, is to strengthen the soul, which only takes effect once.
There were originally three pills. Lu Zhong took one himself and gave one to Yu Feng'er.
The effect after taking it can only be said to be average.
Especially for himself, the increase in the strength of the soul is not obvious. It only increases the distance of the release of the consciousness by three inches.
Having said that, Xiao Yihun Pill is still worth a lot of money.
If you get it for consignment at the auction, the starting price is at least 30,000 to 50,000 spirit stones.
Not long after, the hall was filled with people.
At this time, Jiang Mengsun had already sat down at the main seat, and there was a beautiful female cultivator with an elegant posture next to him. Compared with the one next to Lu Zhong, she could be described as a deadbeat chicken and a white swan.
Changchun Gu Zhenzhuan, who was originally looking intently, now frequently looked at this beautiful female cultivator.
This made the female cultivator in feathers beside her become very jealous and looked at the beautiful female cultivator with hostility. Unexpectedly, the latter's attention was completely focused on Jiang Mengsun and he paid no attention to this woman's intentions.
Lu Zhong looked at this scene and thought that today was really not in vain.
Jiang Mengsun, who was in the center of the vortex, coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, and then looked at everyone.
"Thank you to the eighteen comrades present. Jiang is deeply honored that you can participate in this Dongbulu exchange meeting! I won't say more. According to the old rules, let's start with the one near the palace gate. The fellow Taoist starts by introducing what he is going to exchange, and then quotes his ideal price, whether it is in exchange for spiritual stones or required spiritual objects, the deal can be concluded if both parties agree."
After Jiang Mengsun said these words, he nodded to the monk at the end of the right row with a smile.
This man is a skinny old man, with the appearance of an expert with an immortal air. He is raising and lowering his hands to the maid in his arms. When he sees everyone turning their attention to him, he pulls out his hands with a calm expression and takes out a precious item from his arms. A jade bottle said with a reluctant expression:
"The Yanyan Dragon and Tiger Pill is suitable for improving cultivation in the later stages of foundation building, especially fire-based exercises. It has the best effect. The side effect is the self-generated fire in the body, which needs hard work to kill or find ways to resolve. There are three pills in the bottle. I want to use it. Add nine thousand spirit stones to it and exchange it for a high-grade wood spirit stone."
Many monks here were moved when they heard that it was a pill that could improve their cultivation.
But high-grade spiritual stones are rare, let alone specific wood spiritual stones.
"Fellow Daoist Dragon, can I use a medium-grade spiritual stone instead?" Someone said with a hint of luck, not wanting to miss it.
"Sorry, I only want high-grade spiritual stones." The old man surnamed Long shook his head.
Seeing that no one was coming up, Lu Zhong stood up and said, "I have a high-grade wood spirit stone, but fellow Taoist Dragon must exchange it for this bottle of Yanyan Dragon and Tiger Pill, plus one hundred and ten medium-grade spirit stones." , otherwise this transaction will be too much of a loss for me, please understand Brother Daoist Long!"
High-grade spiritual stones contain a huge amount of spiritual energy. They can only be produced by large-scale spiritual stone veins, and the quantity is very rare.
The exchange ratio for mid-grade spiritual stones is often one to one hundred and twenty-three.
Hearing this, the old man surnamed Long hesitated for a moment, but agreed to the exchange.
"Haha, congratulations to Fellow Daoist Lu for coming out on top!" Jiang Mengsun raised his glass.
"It's all thanks to Taoist friend Tuo Jiang." Lu Zhong said with a smile.
When he returned to his seat, the next monk stood up.
They are five 300-year-old elixirs that can be refined into elixirs that increase cultivation. The asking price is three thousand spirit stones.
Lu Zhong got the Yanyan Dragon and Tiger Pill and couldn't get involved anymore.
After a while, the elixir was bought by the Confucian scholar opposite.
The monks below took out things one by one, whether they were rare elixirs that were rarely seen outside, or precious spiritual materials that were old, or rare spiritual mines that had just been excavated. Only exchanges at this level could be done At the meeting, they will appear in large numbers.
Lu Zhong took action as soon as he had the chance and got two more bottles of elixirs to improve his cultivation, plus a pair of the main ingredients of the grass spirit elixir.
When it's his turn, take out the small soul-benefiting pill.
As expected, the appearance of this elixir caused an uproar among the monks in the temple.
Even the people sitting in the front seat, including Jiang Mengsun and the beautiful female cultivator in the main seat, all cast surprised glances. It seemed that this kind of elixir to enhance the soul was very rare, and any cultivator who was aspiring to the immortal path would use it. Try to buy it.
In fact, if Xiao Yihun Dan could only be taken once, Lu Zhong would not sell it.
Seeing everyone looking at him with fiery eyes, some people couldn't even hide their desire, hoping that he would offer a price soon.
Lu Zhong smiled, stood up and said:
"Needless to say, the value of this little soul benefiting pill, but I don't want to exchange it for pills or spiritual objects. Instead, I want to exchange information from everyone. If the information provided can satisfy Lu, it will not only be this. A small soul-boosting pill, I will give you a generous gift later!"
"What's the news? I can't even exchange it for a spiritual weapon?"
The first person to speak was the true disciple of Changchun Valley. As he spoke, he took out a small earth-yellow seal, which was a low-grade spiritual weapon.
In terms of value, it is still above Xiao Yihun Dan.
"Sorry! I'm not short of spiritual weapons." Lu Zhong shook his head and refused.
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the venue was once again surprised. He dared to say that there was no shortage of spiritual weapons. The master of Lintao Pavilion had at least both offensive and defensive spiritual weapons. Many people couldn't help but think more highly of Lu Zhong.
"What I need is information about the whereabouts of Yang Fire. At least it must be a powerful Yang Fire recorded on the Spiritual Fire List. If you know the whereabouts of such spiritual fire, you might as well share it with me." Lu Zhong said slowly.
There are a thousand spiritual fires on the spiritual fire list, but any spiritual fire that can leave a name on it is a rare treasure in the world, which can be encountered but cannot be sought.
Only this level of Yang Fire can satisfy his soul-forging needs.
Jiang Mengsun was thoughtful after hearing this, but did not speak immediately.
Underneath, the Confucian scholar and the Changchun Valley True Master were both deep in thought, as if they were weighing something.
Monks of their status have access to information that is unparalleled by ordinary people. They naturally know the whereabouts of the powerful Yang Huo that Lu Zhong seeks, but for them to reveal the information, the price will not be low at all, and it is not an ordinary person. Spiritual beings are satisfied, and they are more willing to treat this news as an investment to win over allies.
At this moment, he was weighing in his mind whether Lu Zhong was worthy of their friendship.
There was a flash of light in the Confucian scholar's eyes. He looked at Lu Zhong carefully and shook his head slightly.
The real energy is mottled and impure, and the aura is also slightly empty.
He didn't think that such a person could successfully form an elixir.
Immediately his expression returned to normal and he continued to sip tea.
On the other side, Changchun Gu Zhenzhuan also ended his observation. After much hesitation, he decided to give up. He also believed that Lu Zhong was not worth his investment.
Both of their actions were seen by Lu Zhong.
It would be a lie to say that he was not disappointed. The status of these two people was extraordinary. If they were unwilling to trade, he might really have to leave empty-handed this time. However, this did not affect his mood and he continued to drink tea and wait.
At this time, a voice came from the opposite side.
But it was the man in black among the pair of Taoists who spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, since no one is willing to exchange it, why don't you convert your little Soul-Blissing Pill into spiritual stones and sell them to me? I'm willing to offer you 50,000 spiritual stones!"
After saying these words, the man in black looked proud.
Unexpectedly, he was immediately reprimanded.
It was the Confucian scholar. He didn't even look at the man. Instead, he looked at Jiang Mengsun, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, you didn't keep strict control this time. Why did you let in such a villain who loves to take advantage? What if this happens again next time?" Things happen. If you say it first, I will not come to participate in the future. "
Jiang Mengsun's face naturally turned ugly when he heard this.
He glared at the man in black. The man in black was his clan brother. He wanted to take this opportunity to bring him into the upper class circles, but he never thought that he would only be embarrassed. If he didn't handle it well, he would be affected as well.
The purpose of his exchange meeting is to raise his hopes, not to make profits from it.
Jiang Mengsun's lips moved slightly and he sent a message to the man in black.
After hearing this, the latter's expression changed drastically, he quickly stood up and apologized to the Confucian scholar and Lu Zhong successively.
Later, he took his Taoist companion with him and excused himself to leave.
After this episode, the atmosphere that had just heated up cooled down again.
Just when Lu Zhong thought his trip was in vain, Jiang Mengsun suddenly spoke.
"I know the whereabouts of a wisp of Purple Nether Fire. This fire ranks 953 on the list of spiritual fires. It is a type that is extremely yin and generates yang. But if Fellow Daoist Lu wants to exchange information about this whereabouts, he must add For other things, just a small soul-benefiting pill is not enough!"
Lu Zhong's heart moved and he gave a new increase.
Added an ingot of iron essence.
Jiang Mengsun thought for a moment and agreed to the exchange.
Iron essence is hard to come by. It requires refining a large amount of spiritual iron with pill fire to remove the waste and retain the essence. A small piece can be extracted. One ingot of iron essence plus a small soul-benefiting pill is enough to exchange for the Yanghuo news he knows.
"Oh, if it wasn't for that bastard, why would I have to pay such a price?" Jiang Mengsun sighed in his heart.
If you don't know others well, you will be the one who suffers.
After this incident, in order to maintain his position in the circle, he could only reluctantly sell the whereabouts of Ziyou Jihuo to prove that Jiang Mengsun was strong enough to be on par with others in the circle.
At this time, Lu Zhong had already sent a message to Jiang Mengsun, saying:
"I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Jiang to tell me the whereabouts of Ziyou Jihuo."
Purple Nether Extreme Fire, the Yang Fire born in the land of death.
This fire was transformed from the cold bone ice flame. Its original attributes were from yin to cold, but after the transformation, it became a pure yang fire. Even if it ranks low on the spiritual fire list, it is still rare to find.
If he could really get this fire, his current problems would be solved.
The only trouble is that this fire is definitely not easy to obtain.
Otherwise, Jiang Meng and Sunda can collect it themselves instead of keeping it to benefit others.
Sure enough, Jiang Mengsun mentioned a location. Ziyou Jihuo was in a famous dangerous place in the Changchun Territory - the Huagu Abyss. This abyss is located in the northern part of the Changchun Territory, on the outskirts of the Great Forest Sea in the north.
The Great Forest Sea in the north is the gap between the Southern Barbarian Cultivation World and the Hantian Plateau.
The environment is so dangerous that it can no longer be described as barren mountains and rivers. The forest is not only filled with poisonous miasma that can cause harm to monks, but there are also a large number of highly toxic monsters and poisonous insects that breed in it. It is said that there are high-level monsters deep in the forest sea. Poisonous insects are so infested that even the great monks of Nascent Soul dare not take risks rashly.
As for Hua Gu Yuan, the danger level is still higher than that outside Lin Hai.
"If Fellow Daoist Lu wants to go, you'd better be fully prepared, otherwise..." Jiang Mengsun reminded, but did not continue.
Those who can cultivate to the late stage of foundation building are not idiots.
Of course, except for his clan brother.
Jiang Mengsun felt angry when he thought of him.
You must know that this Ziyou Jihuo was originally reserved for himself.
On Lu Zhong's side, after hearing the whereabouts of Ziyou Jihuo, he decided to trade with Jiang Mengsun and gave the Xiao Yihun Pill and an ingot of iron essence as agreed.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
The exchange will continue.
The following people brought out a lot of good things, including a spiritual weapon shuttle. However, the exchange conditions were too harsh. Lu Zhong stopped thinking about it as soon as he heard it and focused his attention on Ziyou Jihuo.
I started thinking about what I should prepare for this trip.
And, how to enter the Huagu Abyss.
To be cautious, Lu Zhong prepared to collect intelligence and make sufficient preparations before setting off.
"By the way, the Chamber of Commerce seems to be purchasing materials from Hua Guyuan. Maybe I should ask about the situation. Maybe I can get some help..."
He decided to go back and ask Yu Feng'er.
…
In the courtyard, Yu Feng'er was resting.
Suddenly the body was suspended in the air.
When she came to her senses, she was already in Lu Zhong's arms.
"How is the current situation at the Chamber of Commerce?"
"Well, business has improved a lot recently. With my husband's ship here, the sales volume of goods has also improved a lot. Many large chambers of commerce have begun to place orders with us. It is expected that the spiritual stones earned this year will increase by one percent compared to the year before. Twenty percent." Yu Feng'er buried her head in Lu Zhong's arms and said.
If this trend continues, as long as no accidents occur, the survival of the Chengde Chamber of Commerce will not be a problem. As for whether it can develop into a large chamber of commerce, it is another question. After all, the standard for a large chamber of commerce is to be involved in East China Sea trade, which means that it must at least be able to build a fleet.
Thinking of this, Yu Feng'er couldn't help but become worried.
"Husband, please promise me here and don't take risks to explore the route, okay?"
"How do you say this? Okay, okay, I promise you!" Lu Zhong touched her head and smiled.
Although he got a sea chart from Haili, Lu Zhong really had no idea of exploring. You have to know that he has a moving order that is suspected to lead to the West. Instead of traveling millions of miles to the East China Sea to purchase goods, it is better to go directly Buying and selling is easy through the teleportation array.
The benefits obtained from changing hands once are definitely no less than traveling on the East China Sea route.
"By the way, I remember that there was business involving Hua Guyuan in the Chamber of Commerce. What is the situation there?" Lu Zhong thought of the acquisition of Ziyou Extreme Fire, which was related to his future path and must be completed as soon as possible.
"Hua Gu Abyss? That's a dangerous place..." Yu Feng'er felt her heart rise again when she heard that Lu Zhong was going there, but she also knew that Lu Zhong wouldn't wander around without any trouble, and her husband could do nothing. The type that squats at home and keeps practicing.
So she began to tell everything she knew.
The formation of Huaguguyuan is said to be related to the human race's expansion into the Southern Barbarians.
In the past, the land of Southern Barbarians was the territory of demonic beasts. It is said that demon cultivators once established a kingdom called "Demon Court". However, the ancient cultivator led an army of monks who inherited the inheritance from the fairy world and destroyed the inheritance. From then on, there is no longer a demon court in the world. .
It is said that the two sides fought hundreds of large and small battles in Nanman.
Huaguguyuan is the site of a great battle.
It is said that there are no less than a million corpses of monsters buried inside, which is why it creates an abyss of death.
The business of the Chengde Chamber of Commerce in Huaguyuan is mainly to collect a kind of spiritual object called "Demon Bone Dust", which is the result of long-term erosion of demon bones by the death air. It can be used in the quenching step when refining weapons, and can effectively improve the quality of weapons. Due to the finished quality of the magic weapon, this item is widely welcomed by weapon refiners.
This route was previously opened by Yu Chengde. Later, the Chamber of Commerce changed its business direction and began to try to open up the East China Sea route and gradually fell into disuse. Later, Yu Feng'er regained the power of the Chamber of Commerce and picked it up again.
"If my husband really wants to go, I can set up a supply depot in the forest. In this way, the 'Ten Thousand Tree Poison Miasma' will not be a fear. Once you reach Huagu Abyss, you can travel unimpeded. As for Huagu Abyss, you can also make some preparations in advance." Yu Feng'er looked up at Lu Zhongdao. She decided to use most of the power of the Chengde Chamber of Commerce to list the northern Dalinhai as the development direction.
Lu Zhong thought for a while and agreed to this approach.
The laid-out supply station is not for one-time use. After he completes his exploration of Huaguyuan, it can also be opened to casual cultivators who make a living by collecting herbs. At that time, whether it is to purchase elixirs from them or sell necessary supplies at high prices , are all profitable transactions.
"Sure enough, it's better to lean against the big tree to enjoy the shade!" Lu Zhong thought silently.
It would be impossible for ordinary monks, even family or sect monks, to mobilize so much manpower and material resources, just to satisfy their own personal goals, unless they were at the top with great power.
But now, he enjoys the treatment that only the head of a sect or the head of a great cultivating immortal family can have.
I have to say, this feels really good!
When others went to get the Purple Nether Fire, just how to reach the Bone Abyss was a big problem, but he could wait for the supply station to be laid out and follow the team all the way, maybe sitting on the beast cart drinking tea and holding his arms. People from China and the United States can easily reach it.
When we reach Huaguguyuan, we can also establish an advance base.
If you can’t get it once, try a few more times!
After all, I can get the Purple Nether Fire.
