World of Cultivation

The loss of all ling power, souls being torn out, ling power reversing, and being poisoned... ...

The lightest would be serious bodily harm, the most severe would be the destruction of the soul. If one was processing something that was far beyond their abilities, the dangers would increase several times over.

Yao beasts needed cultivators to kill them, and those ling grasses and medicine that had lived for hundreds and thousands of years, would they let others kill them easily? All beings in the world naturally had their own defenses. Those weak looking entities, the viciousness and dangers contained in their weak bodies could easily kill a person.

Zuo Mo might frequently do some risky things, but at the core, he was an extremely cautious person. It was only when he didn’t have enough assets and he had no choice that he took these risks. The lowest level cultivators, if they didn’t bet with their life, what could they bet with?

But right now, his needs and the other’s offer hadn’t reached the point that needed him to risk so much.

“I’m sorry, I’m very busy right now.” Zuo Mo said expressionlessly.

“Brother Zuo.” Suddenly, a slightly familiar voice came from behind him. Zuo Mo stilled and turned around. Sometime unknown to him, a white-clothed male was standing behind him. His features seemed slightly familiar, where had he seen them?

Huh, wasn’t this Lin Qian? Zuo Mo quickly remembered where he had seen this person, especially when there were not many that were as handsome as this.

The rich young master, the fat sheep? This guy hadn’t left?

“Lin Qian, you haven’t left yet?” Zuo Mo had a pretty good impression of this handsome guy. Meeting him again, he was quite happy.

“Haha, the Sword Test Conference is such an interesting event. If I left, and didn’t see Brother Zuo’s spectacular performance, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.” Lin Qian smiled as he said, his tone warm and humble, subtly closing the distance between the two.

Zuo Mo was slightly embarrassed by Lin Qian’s words, and said, “I was just lucky.” Lin Qian’s knowledge far exceeded him. His little tricks were slightly clever, but that depended on who he was using them on.

However, his zombie face could not blush.

“Luck is a kind of strength.” Lin Qian laughed as he stated in a forthright manner. He turned towards the black gauze hat-wearing Su, and said with a slight smile, “Didn’t think I would meet Su Shimei here. Please send my greetings to Wen Zhenren.”

“Who are you?” Su’s voice was cold, a flash of ice streaking through her eyes behind the black gauze. The light robes billowed as though she was going to attack at any moment. Suddenly being called out by name by a stranger, she was shocked and angry. The expressions of the surrounding shopkeepers changed.

Zuo Mo felt the temperature around him drop and was shocked. Su, who had been already mysterious in his eyes, became even more powerful and mysterious.

Lin Qian was not affected at all, smiling, and stating, “Shimei has never seen me before and naturally would not recognize me.”

He didn’t seem to want to keep going with the question. He smiled at Zuo Mo, saying, “Brother Zuo, why are you not interested in Su Shimei’s suggestion? According to my knowledge, other than the prizes, for the first ten people, if they are local disciples, there are also other benefits.”

“Other benefits?” Zuo Mo stilled and scratched his head, “How come I haven’t heard of this?”

“Ha ha, destiny cannot be revealed.” Lin Qian smiled.

“Even with the greatest benefits, one needs to be alive to enjoy it.” Zuo Mo shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. He could barely manage to process the fourth-grade cold magnet, but to carve formations onto the sword billets and to use Dying Flowing Moon in the process, it was far beyond of his abilities. The two of them had met before, and Zuo Mo was much more casual.

Lin Qian liked Zuo Mo’s casual attitude as well. Hearing this, he laughed, “Brother Zuo is not confident?”

As Zuo Mo and Lin Qian talked, Su maintained her silence. She wasn’t dumb and could see that Lin Qian was helping her. From that, it could be seen that Lin Qian did not have ill intentions.

Zuo Mo snickered, “No way about it. I’m only in zhuji. If I’m in ningmai, if you come find me, as long as the price is right, there’s no problem.”

The black gauze of Su’s hat rippled. When Zuo Mo was in ningmai, how long did she have to wait? There were too many uncertainties in cultivation. No one could guarantee that they would reach a certain stage in an amount of time. In the process of cultivation, there were way too many strange occurrences that even the greatest geniuses could not avoid.

“So Brother Zuo is worried about this problem. I actually know a way that might solve it.” Lin Qian said in a heavy voice.

“Let’s hear it.” Zuo Mo said. Lin Qian might have vast amounts of knowledge, but the problem of cultivation was not something that could be solved easily.

“Brother Zuo’s spirit is exceptionally strong. Why don’t you consider a double-chained Four Turn Fire formation?”

Lin Qian’s words were like a streak of lightning that crossed the sky. It was like someone had cast a paralysis spell on him. He was struck dumb.

“Double-chained Four Turn Fire formation... ... double-chained Four Turn Fire formation... ...”

Zuo Mo’s eyes were unfocused like he was going crazy as he muttered to himself. He dropped to the floor, a few jingshi in his hands as he started to set up a formation on the ground.

Lin Qian waved his hand at one of the shopkeepers who instantly understood and closed the doors to the store. Su started with slight shock at Lin Qian but maintained her silence. She knew that Zuo Mo was in the middle of an epiphany. Epiphanies were states that could only be encountered through luck but never through skill. If it was interrupted, it was hard for the person to regain that wonderful state.

Lin Qian suddenly beckoned with his hand at Su and turned to walk to another room.

Su hesitated for a beat but still followed.

When Su walked into the room, the light in the room suddenly flashed, and the sounds from the outside instantly disappeared. She was very shocked. The cultivation of the person in front of her was unfathomably deep.

“Su Shimei, don’t worry. This is just a sound blocking jinzhi.” Lin Qian smiled as he said, “Is shimei still suspicious about my identity?” Finishing, he took out a jade pendant, “Does Shimei recognize this item?”

Su’s gaze landed on the jade pendant in Lin Qian’s hands, and her body trembled. She could not maintain her composure, “A Heart Lake Pendant!”

Lin Qian smiled and generously handed the jade pendant in his hands to Su.

Su took over the jade pendant. The little lake on the jade pendant was like a living entity, constantly changing. Occasionally, the wind would cause ripples, or the surface would be as smooth as a mirror. Feeling the familiar presences coming from the jade pendant as well as the jinzhi unique to her sect, she instantly knew that the jade pendant in her hand was the token of the sect, a Heart Lake Pendant!

But, she had never heard of another elder in the sect that still had a disciple. Yet this Heart Lake Pendant was real! Those that possessed a Heart Lake Pendant were all core elders of the sect. Her master had one. But even the best disciples of the sect, her and Gu Rong Ping, did not have a Heart Lake Pendant. The sect had a rule, seeing the jade pendant was as seeing the zhenren.

Su bowed, and made a greeting again, “Shishu!”

“Shimei is polite.” Lin Qian returned the greeting and said, “Shimei and I are about the same age. It’s better for us to refer to each other this way. I have not returned to the sect, so there is no basis to call me Shishu.”

Su didn’t know what to say and kept her silence. She was still in the middle of a deep shock. From when Lin Shixiong had appeared until now, she still was not able to see Shixiong’s true power. The more hidden it was, the more awed she was. This meant that Lin Shixiong’s strength was at least two levels above her.

She wondered which elder had raised such a terrifying person!

She suddenly felt lucky that Lin Shixiong was a disciple of her sect!

The shopkeepers saw the light flashing outside the room, and perceptively moved their eyes away.

When Zuo Mo opened his eyes, Su and Lin Qian entered his vision.

“Congratulations, Brother Zuo!” Lin Qian smiled and said, “After today, Brother Zuo’s road to wealth has become even wider.”

Zuo Mo, who had just gathered his thoughts, was happy when he heard Lin Qian’s words. He raised his hands in a greeting, “I have to thank Brother Lin. Without Brother Lin’s guidance, I wouldn’t have thought about this method at all.”

“This is Brother Zuo’s own skill. I just said some things, and hadn’t thought that Brother Zuo could really make them into reality. I’m very shocked.” Lin Qian smiled as he shook his head.

Zuo Mo didn’t say anymore. He lowered his head as he savored the wonderful state he had been in. It was very hard for him to describe the state he had been in. At the same time, he found it hard to remember what he had realized, but he felt that a little thin paper window had been broken. Many places that he hadn’t noticed before, and were ambiguous were now evident.

This feeling was really too great!

He stood there, slowly savoring it. It was only when his mind had calmed down that he raised his head again.

At this time, he suddenly found that, without him noticing, it had been more than four hours. Looking at the jingshi fragments on the ground, he was slightly embarrassed. He had experimented with formations in someone else’s store and actually hadn’t been thrown out. This store was really easy going. When he glanced past the shut door to the store, he was slightly shocked. Then he saw Lin Qian wave a hand for the shopkeeper to open the door, and he understood.

He became even more curious about Lin Qian’s origins.

From the words that Lin Qian said, he knew that this fat sheep definitely had a high background, but looking at it now, it was much stronger than he had imagined. Looking at the respectful demeanor the shopkeepers had towards Lin Qian, Zuo Mo couldn’t help but speculate. Was Lin Qian the owner of the Hundred Treasure Flying Pavilion? But the first time that he had encountered Lin Qian, Lin Qian hadn’t appeared to have ever come to Dong Fu.

Noticing Zuo Mo’s gaze, Lin Qian smiled easily and said, “Does Brother Zuo have some chance now at forging? If Brother Zuo agrees, this Five Colored Pagoda can be considered one part of the payment for Brother Zuo. Other than what Shimei has promised Brother Zuo, I can add some more. In the future if Brother Zuo comes here, every purchase will be twenty percent off. How about it, is Brother Zuo satisfied now?”

Very rich benefits! Disregarding the value of the Five Colored Pagoda, just this twenty percent off was extremely valuable.

Just as everyone thought that these were enough to move Zuo Mo, Zuo Mo shook his head.

“Oh, If Brother Zuo has some other request, please state it.” Lin Qian made a gesture of request.

“I’ll take the job.” Zuo Mo surprised everyone once again, “’As to payment, Brother Lin just paid it right now.”

Just as everyone was dazed, Zuo Mo pointed at the Five Colored Pagoda, “I’ll buy the Five Colored Pagoda.”

Finishing, he took out a heap of jingshi.

Everyone’s faces changed simultaneously. Of low cultivation, with a face of a zombie, Zuo Mo suddenly became honest and good in their eyes. Behind the gauze, a strange expression came onto Su’s face. The Zuo Mo in front of her was like another person compared to what she knew before.

At this time, nothing could be seen of Zuo Mo’s wretchedness or greed.

Was this the guy’s true personality? As expected, Master was not wrong. You could not judge a person by their appearance.

Just as she was pondering it, she suddenly heard Zuo Mo hurriedly add with heartache.

“Remember the discount!”

Translator Ramblings: In case people get confused, there are both levels and stages. For example, lianqi, zhuji, jindan etc are stages. Each stage has levels. For example, Zuo Mo had to go through the levels of lianqi at the beginning of the story.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I’ll think about it and see if anything further in the story will alter the definition.