[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-235":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270243,4432,"Chapter 235: Wealth as the Path to Cultivation: Condensing Qi into the Primordial Core","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-235",235,"\u003Cp>“Little Liu, what brings you here today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui looked at Liu Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in Qinghe, Liu Tong had frequently visited Li Rui; their relationship was fairly good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief, I’ve finally got some free time and wanted to invite you for a drink at Zui Xian Pavilion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui held a favorable impression of Liu Tong—his talent was solid, his mind sharp, and crucially, he wasn’t afraid to humble himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A good young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui chuckled lightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brat, keep your dirty tricks to yourself—I won’t do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong panicked: “No, Chief!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui narrowed his eyes at Liu Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Caught the little brat by the tail.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in Qinghe, Liu Tong had often come to visit him, but in the past two months he hadn’t shown up once; as far as Li Rui knew, Huaqing Sect had received official approval for trade, and Liu Tong was also engaged in commerce with Wu Country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, out of nowhere, with no festival or occasion, he shows up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: no one visits the Three Jewels without a purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui guessed, it was almost certainly about the trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heaven’s Alliance’s trade activities weren’t hidden—and couldn’t be hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of heavily laden carts, stuffed with goods, mixed with weapons—even if both sides had been bribed, you couldn’t be so foolish as to openly sell them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others might not know they were selling weapons, but the Heaven’s Alliance had a thousand mouths; word of such big profits couldn’t be kept secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since Liu Tong was a longtime member of the Heaven’s Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong must have heard the rumors about the Heaven’s Alliance’s trade and came here because of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong hurriedly said: “Chief, I’m here only for myself, no connection to Huaqing Sect—just let me join you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been in the Heaven’s Alliance for so many years; he had plenty of acquaintances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d heard:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The profits from this trade run by the Heaven’s Alliance were no less than what Huaqing Sect made on a single trip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, his heart burned with desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing trade for Huaqing Sect was just fulfilling your duty—no mistakes, but no glory either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d come to Qinghe carrying his father-in-law’s expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t accomplish something useful for his father-in-law, it would be a waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What counted as useful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Information that brought profit—or direct profit itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Connecting his father-in-law directly with the Heaven’s Alliance was undoubtedly a good idea; in all of Huaqing Sect, only he could pull it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why he’d rushed over to find Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui looked at Liu Tong with a half-smile: “If it were just you, given our friendship, I’d just give you a share.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thoughts exposed, Liu Tong grew uneasy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A wife follows her husband’s fate—I and my father-in-law are one family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui rolled his eyes: “Get lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his patron was Jiang Lin, the top Elder of Huaqing Sect, matters were matters—he was in the weapons business, and the fewer people who knew, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within the Heaven’s Alliance, only the Alliance Master and a few Vice Masters were cleared to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And apart from Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian, no one else knew the full picture—precisely to minimize the risk of leaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he possibly bring Liu Tong’s father-in-law, a Huaqing Sect Elder, into this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong saw at once that he had no chance; he couldn’t hide his disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Liu Tong’s dejected expression, Li Rui said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Liu, do you remember what I told you before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong looked up, blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Stay in Qinghe for ten years, and you’ll reap rewards.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, he recalled Zhou Shulin, Liang He, and the time he’d drunk with Li Rui at Zui Xian Pavilion, when Li Rui had said those words to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew things couldn’t be rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ten years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was only in his twenties—he couldn’t possibly wait another ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he returned with merit, his beautiful bride would be middle-aged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew whose wife she’d be by then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But, Chief… I really can’t wait anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui looked at Liu Tong’s pained face and sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, a life too smooth in one’s early years isn’t a blessing—Liu Tong had been too fortunate in Qinghe and in Huaqing Sect, rising swiftly on petty cleverness, but now that he’d hit a hard wall, he’d lost his composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d endured fifty—he still had to endure now, didn’t he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply lacked the patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then keep enduring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Liu Tong left the Trade Office disappointed; Li Rui wasn’t a living Buddha—he couldn’t fulfill everyone’s dreams, and he himself was a clay Buddha Suishikenengluoruhezhong .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heaven’s Alliance’s second trade run proceeded quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To outsiders,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it seemed the Heaven’s Alliance merely dealt in herbs and minerals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month later, Huang Chui and Fei Laosan returned with vast wealth; the Heaven’s Alliance was now dripping with riches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>half a year passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think carefully—if you help me uncover what the Heaven’s Alliance is selling, I’ll get you into the Inner Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stern-faced old man stared at Liu Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Jiang Haitao, the chief Elder of Huaqing Sect’s Qinghe branch and Jiang Lin’s cousin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong looked at Jiang Haitao, his eyes flickering with conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he’d been suddenly summoned by this Elder, wondering what it was about—then he heard these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jiang family was powerful; as a Jiang Elder, Jiang Haitao could easily make someone an Inner Sect disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Inner Sect disciple!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant more resources, true core status in Huaqing Sect—even Han Qin had only just become one today; if he entered the Inner Sect, it would be a meteoric rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong’s heart burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he became an Inner Sect disciple, he wouldn’t need to keep stressing over marrying into a family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder Jiang, the Heaven’s Alliance is my former sect—it’s where my loved ones are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Haitao narrowed his eyes slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll add a fifth-grade elixir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong grinned: “Elder Jiang, I’ll get it done for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how compliant this young disciple was, Jiang Haitao nodded in satisfaction: “Go. Don’t disappoint me—or you know what happens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Liu Tong leave,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Haitao sneered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Rui.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really think killing one of my Jiang family members lets you walk free?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t send Liu Tong to investigate the Heaven’s Alliance for its trade profits—Huaqing Sect was a major sect; it didn’t care about such petty gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real reason was Li Rui’s killing of Jiang Baichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Baichuan hadn’t died by Li Rui’s hand, but everything stemmed from Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t kill the Sect Master, could he not kill a sixth-rank official?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ding had approached him many times; if Jiang Lin was the Jiang family’s face, the one who upheld their prestige, Jiang Ding was the one who truly managed their affairs—he dared not offend him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let him die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Haitao’s eyes flashed with cold light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many ways to kill a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to get your own hands dirty—such crude methods were beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heaven’s Alliance’s sudden wealth from trade\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was obviously suspicious; with a mole digging carefully, they’d find the truth—and then use the rules to kill Li Rui. “Ants dare meddle in Jiang family affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Dongcheng of Qinghe County, a two-court house had stood vacant for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at midnight, no lamps were lit; the place was pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only moonlight allowed faint visibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, Master Jiang, it’s all taken care of.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He stood respectfully to one side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, you may go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui waved his hand and said to Jiang Linxian beside him: “Master Jiang, the goods sent via canal should reach Jingcheng soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm. I trust your handling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+ Shu _ Ba\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Linxian nodded, hands clasped behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui watched as the mountain of elixirs once piled in the room vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clicked his tongue in admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Linxian had sent all the profits allocated to the merchants to Jingcheng—even his own share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He claimed he’d make up the difference gradually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was true vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to starve himself than let his elder brother suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was only possible because Jiang Linxian’s personal wealth was vast enough to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, send all future goods straight to Jingcheng. I’ll settle my share once every three years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui felt intense envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once every three years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant he had no shortage of funds at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Jiang Linxian walked toward the door and vanished into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked over to Liang He outside: “Bring the men back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Linxian’s affairs must not be revealed to anyone; before Jiang arrived, Li Rui had already cleared the guards from the house, and only now, after the deed was done, did he recall them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He immediately ran out of the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, he returned with Deputy Leader Tang Sheng standing at the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui bowed to Tang Sheng: “Deputy Leader Tang, I entrust this place to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Sheng chuckled: “Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deputy leader of such stature willingly guarding the gate showed how seriously Li Rui took this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After personally arranging everything,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui finally departed, strolling back to his own house in Anning Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you’re back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao and Yang Yong looked up as Li Rui pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tiezhu lived at the forge, Liang He had gone to the Heaven and Earth Alliance; the house had returned to its former quiet emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui had dinner with the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked a few laps around the courtyard before returning to his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As usual, he circled his Qi through a full Great Cycle, then took a wooden box the size of a human head from a nearby cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the lid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An exotic fragrance surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the large wooden box lay dozens of elixirs—mostly sixth-rank, with seven or eight fifth-rank elixirs among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These elixirs, of course, came from the merchant trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Grand Leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, wasn’t it reasonable for him to enjoy a little early?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his strength were insufficient, no amount of money given to his subordinates could be kept safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Rui felt no guilt whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the elixirs in the wooden box, Li Rui swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money really is wonderful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he relied on himself alone, even with the Spirit Eye, he could never have gathered so many high-rank elixirs in just a few months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder many hands make light work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, I prove the Dao through wealth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui took one sixth-rank elixir from the large box and swallowed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Xuanqi within his dantian became lively; the true qi, already filling the entire dantian, grew denser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui, expressionless, shoved two more elixirs into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the elixirs entered his belly, the Xuanqi blazed with purple-gold light; faint purple radiance could even be seen through his clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not enough—again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he swallowed three sixth-rank elixirs at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the Xuanqi in his dantian boiled like raging water, swelling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Break through!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s gaze burned hot; within his dantian, the Xuanqi now churned like an ocean of clouds, surging violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the large wooden box was nearly empty, with only seven fifth-rank elixirs resting quietly at the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui felt no regret—he grabbed two fifth-rank elixirs and shoved them into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cheeks bulged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed with a gulp; the two elixirs ignited like sparks, fully igniting the Xuanqi in his dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xuanqi exploded outward from his dantian, surging through every limb and vein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui groaned in pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Press on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he grabbed two more elixirs and stuffed them into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xuanqi reached its peak; his entire body glowed with noble purple-gold radiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui carefully sensed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused briefly, then swallowed two more fifth-rank elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The medicinal effects of the two elixirs were instantly squeezed dry by his Wu Bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brilliant light flashed in Li Rui’s eyes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Condense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xuanqi, swollen to the brink of bursting, receded like a tide, retreating entirely back into his dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint boom echoed in Li Rui’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if something had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked into his dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the previously gaseous Xuanqi began to solidify; the Xuan-forms and dragon-shapes formed from the Xuanqi became more distinct, adorned with mysterious, intricate patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if carved by divine hands—no mortal artisan could replicate such depth, radiating an aura of profound mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When true qi solidifies, it becomes true essence—the root of Qi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui couldn’t help but let out a soft cry:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Achieved!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2161,"2026-06-19T22:01:11.003Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4a8e2197fe61925d9c4d723162a9226871ba5764d3dcc697d5d254fd5a1872a3","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-236","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-234",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]