Chapter 158

"Yes, the resources we pay them in tribute every year, when converted, amount to nearly twenty percent of the Lu Clan's annual income. So, Benefactor, please just accept it and don't mind that it's too little," Lu Jinglong replied.

"Twenty percent every year, and with such a big incident at Cold Star Valley, they didn't even show their faces?" Xia Daoming was both surprised and disgusted by the Spirit Ba Dao Men's behavior of taking money without doing anything.

This was ruining the industry's atmosphere and breaking the rules!

"It can't be said they didn't do anything; at least with the Spirit Ba Dao Men there, the Xie Clan still didn't dare to directly intervene in the Cold Star Valley affair. As for the struggle between us and the Yan Clan, whoever wins or loses depends on their own abilities.

If our Lu Clan wins, the Spirit Ba Dao Men will benefit more; if we lose, it's not much of a loss for them anyway, since it's not their people dying, and even like today's Yan Clan, if the Lu Clan is defeated miserably, they can take the opportunity to directly incorporate and annex us," Lu Jinglong said with a bitter smile.

Xia Daoming was stunned for a good while after hearing this, and then he followed with a bitter smile: "It seems it's the same everywhere; the secular world is like this, and the Cultivation World is the same.

In the end, your Lu Clan is just their chess piece; you fight to the death, and in the end, they sit in the back watching, needing to do nothing, yet they are guaranteed to profit without losing."

"Yes, but once I become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I will have some qualifications to negotiate with the Spirit Ba Dao Men. After enduring for a period, if a few more outstanding ones can emerge among the Lu Clan's disciples, we probably won't need to pay tribute to the Spirit Ba Dao Men in the future.

Of course, it's different with you, Benefactor; even if my Lu Clan becomes a Foundation Establishment clan, what should be given to you will never be less." Speaking to the end, Lu Jinglong hurriedly added a sentence.

"No kindness can last for generations; what can truly last is each other's interests. Of course, my cultivation also requires resources, and I cannot help your Lu Clan for nothing.

So, let's do this: the Cold Star Valley side will also be calculated at twenty percent. When one day your Lu Clan truly rises, this contract will be canceled. At that time, if your Lu Clan still remembers the kindness, we can just interact more and help each other out," Xia Daoming thought for a moment and said.

The study fell silent.

After a long time, Lu Jinglong bowed deeply to Xia Daoming again and said with a solemn face: "As for the affairs of future generations, I truly cannot control them after I pass away. However, as long as I, Lu Jinglong, am still here for a day, the Lu Clan will follow your orders, Benefactor!"

Xia Daoming stared at Lu Jinglong for a long time, then suddenly laughed freely: "Since that's the case, I will not decline! But in the future, Patriarch, you should call me Grandmaster Xia or just call me by my name; calling me Benefactor all the time is a bit distant."

"In the future, the few clan elders and I will call you Young Master, and the others will call you Master Xia," Lu Jinglong said.

"As you wish!" Xia Daoming smiled noncommittally and then said: "By the way, Old Lu, do you know where one can buy the introductory cultivation techniques of the three major sects, preferably the Qingyuan Sect?"

Since there is a cheap younger sister in the Qingyuan Sect, if I learn the Qingyuan Sect's techniques, it might be easier to join a sect in the future.

Moreover, compared to other major sects, Qingzhou, where the Qingyuan Sect is located, is closer to Mangzhou, making it convenient to travel back and forth.

Uh!

Old Lu?

Seeing Seeing Lu Ziying was stunned; for a moment, she really found it hard to accept that the once high-and-mighty, noble-status Patriarch had been downgraded by her Martial Uncle to Old Lu.

"Why does Young Master ask for the Qingyuan Sect's introductory techniques? Could it be that Young Master wants to switch to cultivating immortality?" Lu Jinglong said in surprise, not bothering to dwell on the title Old Lu.

The Young Master didn't call him by his name directly and even specially added the word 'Old', which was already giving him a lot of face.

"Didn't you say that Martial Dao reaches its end at the Grandmaster level, but the Immortal Dao has no limits? I must definitely seek another way out," Xia Daoming said.

"Currently, your Martial Dao has indeed reached its end, but with your age and Martial Dao talent, Young Master, you can continue to improve a bit, and it's not impossible to truly rival Foundation Establishment cultivators.

When you are a little older, Young Master, you can eat spirit rice every day and occasionally eat some spirit pills and medicine that replenish blood and vitality to stabilize your blood energy and strength. In this way, even at the age of sixty or seventy, you should still be able to rival Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But at your age, Young Master, if you switch to cultivating immortality, even if you find and buy Enlightenment Pills, it is too late to start; even if you cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refinement, how much benefit will it be to you? Instead, it will waste energy and delay your progress in Martial Dao," Lu Jinglong thought for a moment and analyzed earnestly one by one.

Last time in the cave, Xia Daoming displayed great power and killed Yan Qingxian and his nephew one after another; although he only showed the tenth-rank realm, Lu Jinglong had thought about it seriously afterward and believed that Xia Daoming must already be a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

He just used some special technique or means to hide his realm.

Because when he first met Xia Daoming, with his discernment, he had actually misjudged him, thinking Xia Daoming was only an eighth-rank Great Martial Master.

It can be seen that Xia Daoming's means of hiding his cultivation realm are extremely brilliant.

Of course, the real reason Lu Jinglong determined that Xia Daoming was already a twelfth-rank Grandmaster was Xia Daoming's terrifying strength.

One blade and one spear could change into dragons and tigers, could kill from more than ten zhang away, and had astonishing power; furthermore, he killed two cultivators at the Qi Refinement perfection realm one after another alone, which even among Martial Arts Grandmasters is something few can do.

To say that Xia Daoming's true realm is a tenth-rank Martial Arts Grandmaster, Lu Jinglong wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death!

Therefore, Lu Jinglong's words were all analyzed from the perspective that Xia Daoming is a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Of course, if he knew that Xia Daoming was really only tenth-rank, and still had room for improvement at the tenth-rank realm, he would probably be even more determined to persuade Xia Daoming to focus on Martial Dao and not switch to cultivating immortality.

"It doesn't matter if the start is late; at worst, I'll just take more pills later!" Xia Daoming said dismissively.

"Uh!" Lu Jinglong was speechless; he felt this conversation couldn't go on.

Who doesn't know that taking pills can quickly improve cultivation, but the problem is that pills require spirit stones!

Especially spirit pills that can quickly improve cultivation; any one of them requires a large number of spirit stones.

Speaking of which, he, Lu Jinglong, had started cultivating immortality since he was young, his talent was not bad, and he hadn't taken few pills, yet he was already one hundred and twenty-eight years old and still stuck at the Qi Refinement realm; if it weren't for this blessing in disguise and obtaining a piece of Dark Nether Ice Stone Marrow, he would still be a Qi Refinement cultivator even if he died.

You are already old and only now restarting to cultivate immortality; even if your talent is passable, even if you take more pills, is it possible to reach Foundation Establishment?

"Just tell me, where can I buy the Qingyuan Sect's introductory techniques?" Xia Daoming saw Lu Jinglong's stunned face and brought up the old topic again.

"Is Young Master truly determined to walk the path of immortality?" Lu Jinglong asked instead of answering.

"That's right," Xia Daoming nodded.

"Since Young Master's mind is made up, I won't persuade you anymore. As for the introductory techniques, why should you look far away, Young Master? If you want them, my Lu Clan has them," Lu Jinglong said.

"Can your Lu Clan's 'Mysterious Rock Returning Origin Art' be cultivated to the Core Formation realm?" Xia Daoming asked.

Lu Jinglong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "No, it only goes up to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Then forget it," Xia Daoming shook his head and said.

Uh!

Lu Jinglong was dumbfounded.

Starting to walk the path of immortality only after becoming an adult, being able to cultivate to the Qi Refinement perfection realm would already be quite remarkable, yet the person doesn't even look down on techniques that only go up to the Foundation Establishment stage!

How high-minded and far-reaching must one be!

Lu Sanxia was also dumbfounded.

Only Seeing Seeing Lu Ziying looked at Xia Daoming with increasing worship.

Martial Uncle is Martial Uncle; his ambitions are high, his vision is deep, and his determination is firm, far from what I can compare to. It's a pity I have already cultivated the 'Mysterious Rock Returning Origin Art' and can only wait until I reach Foundation Establishment in the future to find a way to find the subsequent Core Formation method.

"The techniques of the three major sects are not dared to be sold openly in any market in the Great Ming Kingdom; if you really want to buy them, you can only try your luck in the black market, and the price will be extremely high," after a long while, Lu Jinglong said helplessly.

"How high will it be?" Xia Daoming asked.

"I don't know either; I estimate it might take tens of thousands of spirit stones, so, Young Master, why not just settle for it and use my Lu Clan's 'Mysterious Rock Returning Origin Art' to get started!" Lu Jinglong replied; speaking to the end, there were truly all kinds of tastes churning in his heart.

Since when did the Lu Clan's techniques become so worthless that they have to beg others to settle for learning them.

However, there is no other way; who made him the savior of the entire Lu Clan, and he still has to rely on him to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill next, which is equivalent to saving the entire Lu Clan again.

"Forget it; it's not that I can't afford tens of thousands of spirit stones, the key is that I have to be able to buy them," Xia Daoming waved his hand without hesitation.

Lu Jinglong inexplicably felt that these words were very heart-piercing!

"By the way, do you know where there are Enlightenment Pills for sale? I've already looked in the Stone Pillar Forest and the Tianqing Market, but I couldn't find any," Xia Daoming turned to ask about Enlightenment Pills.

"Not many people in the Ten Thousand Snail Immortal Mountain area are willing to take out a large amount of spirit stones to buy pills for enlightenment. When you go to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Young Master, you can buy a few Enlightenment Pills along the way; the markets opened by the three major sects must have them," Lu Jinglong replied.

"A few?" Xia Daoming was slightly stunned; he hadn't told Lu Jinglong that he had several people here who needed to be enlightened again.

"Enlightenment is not something that can be successful in one go, so you must definitely prepare a few more portions, Young Master," Lu Jinglong explained.

"That old Daoist has misled me!"

Originally, Xia Daoming had made a fortune this time and was very wealthy, but upon hearing this, he discovered that this budget was far different from what the old Daoist had said, and suddenly his funds became tight, and his eyes even started to turn green when looking at the Dark Nether Ice Stone Marrow in Lu Jinglong's hand.

"By the way, I heard that if Martial Dao is cultivated to the twelfth-rank Grandmaster level, there is a chance to forcibly open the eight extraordinary meridians, thereby stepping into the path of immortality; is the credibility of this matter high?" Soon Xia Daoming changed the subject.

There is no other way; since his funds are tight, if it really doesn't work, he can only work harder and save his own share.

"There is indeed such a method; when Martial Dao is cultivated to the limit, when the acquired blood energy and strength reach a certain level, one can use acquired power to open the innate meridians, thereby stepping into the path of immortality; some people have walked this path," Lu Jinglong was slightly stunned and soon replied.

"Then is there any difference between this method and taking Enlightenment Pills?" Xia Daoming couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised upon hearing this.

(End of chapter)