Having been given a second chance at life, I choose to join the Demonic Sect!

After being released by Nangong Yan, Cao Meng still felt that among all his subordinates, Shishi was the most capable!

As for Hong Qi and Jin Ning'er, those two traitors, don't expect them to act on their own initiative unless I give them orders.

Moreover, even if I give the order, these two traitors might not necessarily obey.

After Cao Meng gestured for Shi Shi to put away the Azure Rain Divine Sword, he smiled at Nangong Yan and said:
"Grandmaster, I'm a bit broke lately. Do you think you could help me out?"

Cao Meng only has two or three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones on him right now, and he's too embarrassed to go out and meet people.

Have you heard what people say?
Two or three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones is equivalent to twenty or thirty million low-grade spirit stones.

To put it bluntly, even some Nascent Soul stage cultivators might feel a little pained taking out all those spirit stones at once.

"You bastard, don't pretend to be poor here. You've plundered the resources of Jinfo Temple and made a lot of money from your many businesses."

Although Nangong Yan didn't know exactly how much wealth Cao Meng possessed, she estimated that Cao Meng's assets were at least a hundred billion low-grade spirit stones!

"Grandmaster, do you think I don't need spirit stones for cultivation?"

"After deducting my master's share and the costs from the businesses I manage, I only get less than half the profit!"

"And what about the transactions I did at the Corpse Yin Sect? Did they not charge me? I still have a huge debt to pay back from the Corpse Yin Sect!"

Cao Meng felt upset. Why did everyone think he was very rich?

I'm actually very poor.
"You scoundrel, you gave the business to that traitor Duanmu Fei, why didn't you give it to me?"

"Now that we're out of spirit stones, why are you thinking of asking me, your grandmaster, to help with the poverty alleviation?"

Cao Meng's words only fueled Nangong Yan's anger.

This bastard has never shown any respect to his grandmaster, and he even used a fake method of refining immortal secrets to fool him.

Now you want me to help people with poverty alleviation? Is there such a good thing?

If it weren't for the fact that this bastard had decent potential, I would have slapped him to death long ago.

"Grandmaster, are you different from Master and the others?"

Cao Meng was speechless. Could Nangong Yan compare to the female demon and the great fairy?

The female demon and the great fairy are insiders, while Nangong Yan is an outsider!
"It is indeed different, after all, your filial piety has changed, you bastard."

That rebellious daughter of Consort Duanmu is shameless; she actually got involved with a scoundrel like you!

After understanding Cao Meng's meaning, Nangong Yan rolled her eyes at him.

He thought to himself that it was fortunate that the affair between that bastard and his traitorous disciple Duanmu Fei had not been exposed.

If it gets exposed, it won't just be the master and disciple who will lose face, but I, as their master and grandmaster, will also lose face!

"Grandmaster, for just ten million mid-grade spirit stones, I will tell you the method for refining the Immortal Inquiry Machine, and I guarantee you will be able to refine it!"

Cao Meng thought to himself that Nangong Yan was, after all, a Void Refinement stage elder, so ten million mid-grade spirit stones shouldn't be much for her.

If the other party offers ten million mid-grade spirit stones, I wouldn't mind granting them some authority, since they can't steal my business anyway.

"Ten million mid-grade spirit stones, you bastard, you really dare to ask for that much!"

Nangong Yan immediately flew into a rage. Ten million mid-grade spirit stones were indeed not much to her, but the problem was that her spirit stones didn't come from thin air.

"Ten million mid-grade spirit stones are needed to sell one million Immortal Inquiry Machines to break even, and that's without even considering the cost of labor and materials."

Nangong Yan felt that even if she learned how to refine the Immortal Inquiry Machine, it would still take a considerable amount of time to refine one million Immortal Inquiry Machines to break even.

"I think 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones is about right!"

Nangong Yan quoted her desired price: 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones!
Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones, no more, no less, a win-win situation for everyone!

"You scoundrel, when it's your turn to be filial, I don't want that kind of distorted filial piety!"

In order to make Cao Meng submit, Nangong Yan even resorted to moral blackmail.

If Cao Meng does not agree to this price, then he is unfilial and lacks respect for his grandmaster!
Upon hearing Nangong Yan's offer, Cao Meng immediately lay back in his recliner, turned over, and faced away from Nangong Yan.

"You bastard, what do you mean?"

Nangong Yan immediately flew into a rage. Her grandmaster was standing right there, and this bastard was curled up on a recliner sleeping, with his back to her.

Does this bastard even know what respect is, what it means to honor one's teacher?

"Go to sleep!"

Even when Nangong Yan lost her temper, Cao Meng remained lying on the recliner with his back to her.

"Grandmaster, although I, Cao Meng, am very poor, I will never bow down for ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"

Cao Meng is no longer the same Cao Meng he once was. Now, Cao Meng has seen the world, so why would he care about 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones?

What can you do with just 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones?
"Grandmaster, for the sake of seniority, I'll bribe you with nine million mid-grade spirit stones!"

Cao Meng felt he had already done more than enough by offering a 10% discount.

"One hundred thousand!"

Nangong Yan gritted her teeth and added a little more to Cao Meng's plate.

It wasn't that she was heartbroken about the spirit stones, but rather that she felt very uncomfortable that an elder would actually yield to a junior.

"Eight million and nine hundred thousand!"

"Two hundred thousand!"

"..."

"five million!"

Cao Meng and Nangong Yan bargained all the way down to five million mid-grade spirit stones.

"Grandmaster, this is my last low price!"

Five million mid-grade spirit stones was Cao Meng's bottom line. Five million mid-grade spirit stones were only enough for him to advance two minor realms. If it were any less, it would really be pointless!

"Okay, I'll give it to you!"

When Nangong Yan thought about the possibility that she might not be able to refine the Immortal Inquiry Mechanism one day, and that her fellow disciples in the Hehuan Sect might expose her, she gritted her teeth and agreed.

Nangong Yan thought that as long as she obtained the method for refining the Immortal Inquiry Machine, she would refine it on a large scale and recoup her investment.

"You bastard, I'm warning you, if you dare to try to fool me with fake refining methods again, you're dead!"

Just after Nangong Yan threatened Cao Meng, she took out 50,000 five-colored spirit stones!
"It's actually a high-grade spirit stone!"

Cao Meng was startled when he saw the five-colored spirit stone!
A spirit stone of one color is a low-grade spirit stone, three colors are mid-grade, five colors are high-grade, seven colors are top-grade, and nine colors are immortal-grade!

A single five-colored high-grade spirit stone is worth one hundred mid-grade spirit stones and ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!

Within the Hehuan Sect, only those who have reached the Refinement Void stage, or even the Half-Step Refinement Void stage, can receive a supply of high-grade spirit stones.

High-grade spirit stones contain a purity of spiritual energy far exceeding that of mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones, which is of great benefit to cultivators in the Void Refinement stage!

Does Nangong Yan not have any mid-grade spirit stones?
Do not!
Of course she had some, and she herself didn't even have enough high-grade spirit stones, so she often used mid-grade spirit stones to cultivate!
She gave Cao Meng high-grade spirit stones for his own good.

She estimated that Cao Meng's cultivation speed was so fast that the spiritual energy in his body must be mixed and not refined or purified.

High-grade spirit stones have fewer impurities, which is beneficial to this bastard.

"You damned bastard! Keep the high-grade spirit stones for your own use, don't exchange them again just to attract more customers to Four Symbols City!"

When Cao Meng exchanged mid-grade spirit stones to attract customers to Four Symbols City, Nangong Yan was so angry she almost wanted to beat him up. To prevent Cao Meng from doing something foolish again, she gave him some special instructions.

"You damned thing! Even if that rebellious disciple Duanmu Fei comes to you for it, don't give it to her!"

Nangong Yan was a little scared. Cao Meng had fallen for someone's honey trap and then gave those high-grade spirit stones to another Nascent Soul stage girl!
Duanmu Fei: Master, love doesn't disappear, it just moves on, right?

Nangong Yan, you're pushing me down the path of becoming a traitor!

When Cao Meng received 50,000 high-grade spirit stones, a system notification sounded in his mind:

"Ding! High-grade spirit stone detected. Spirit stone exchange function enabled. Attribute panel updated!"

Host: Cao Meng!
Cultivation level: Sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage! (Each level up in the Nascent Soul stage costs 25000 high-grade spirit stones!)

Physique: Ten-Day Sacred Body (Fourfold Yang) (One million high-grade spirit stones are required to upgrade!)

Innate Metal Body (Great Completion) (One million high-grade spirit stones, can be upgraded!)

Occupation: Rank 5 Weapon Refiner (100% success rate for Rank 5 Spiritual Weapons)
(500,000 high-grade spirit stones, upgrade possible!)

First-Class Spiritual Cuisine Master (100% success rate for first-tier spiritual cuisine)
(One high-grade spirit stone is needed for an upgrade!)

Balance: 52300 high-grade spirit stones! (Low-grade spirit stones will be automatically converted to high-grade spirit stones at a ratio of 10000:1)
Spirit Stone Exchange Function: The host can freely exchange between low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade spirit stones.

(Exchange ratio 10000:100:1)

"Hahaha!"

Cao Meng was overjoyed to see that his attribute panel had been updated and that he had gained the ability to exchange spirit stones!
Previously, I could exchange for mid-grade spirit stones, which was enough to overwhelm the other four cities of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon.

Now that I can exchange for high-grade spirit stones, I can drag those Void Refinement stage elders down with me.

"Stop grinning like an idiot and hand over the formula right now!"

Seeing Cao Meng grinning foolishly, Nangong Yan frowned and kicked him in the butt.

That bastard! If he dares to cheat and mess with me again, I'll make sure he knows why the flowers are so red!

"Grandmaster, don't you know the refining method?"

"Just follow that method to refine the Immortal Inquiry Machine, just like you saw it before!"

While Cao Meng was dismissing Nangong Yan, he had already secretly used the absolute authority of the Inquiry of Immortals to authorize Nangong Yan.

"You bastard, do you really think I'm an idiot?"

Nangong Yan's fiery temper flared up immediately, and she raised her jade fist to punch Cao Meng.

"Whoo~"

Cao Meng exhaled a breath of solar true energy, which condensed in the air into a strange, grotesque symbol.

"Grandmaster, once you absorb this True Qi talisman, you can refine the Immortal Inquiry Technique using the previous method!"

Cao Meng couldn't explain the matter of absolute authority regarding the Immortal Insight to an outsider like Nangong Yan, so he could only use his solar true energy to condense a strange talisman to fool her.

Anyway, I've secretly connected with the system and authorized Nangong Yan, so she won't be able to find out anything.

"Really?"

Nangong Yan looked at the true qi talisman in front of her with some doubt.

"I promise!"

Cao Meng raised his little hand to assure her that he had already authorized Nangong Yan, and if she still couldn't refine the Immortal Inquiry Machine, then...

Then there is only one truth: Nangong Yan is a weapon-refining idiot, an idiot who can't even refine a first-grade spiritual weapon!
"You bastard, if you dare to lie to me, you're dead!"

Nangong Yan inhaled Cao Meng's breath, feeling a warm sensation in her body. She then uttered a harsh threat before entering the cabin.

She's going to try and refine the Immortal Inquiry Machine, if it still explodes.

I guarantee that that bastard will know the weight of the words "respect for teachers and the way of the master"!
……

After Nangong Yan left, Jin Ning'er turned her gaze to Cao Meng:
"Cao Meng, the vaporized talisman you just spat out was just a very ordinary breath of solar true energy, nothing more!"

Jin Ning'er thought to herself, "This trick of Cao Cao can only fool Nangong Yan, he won't fool me."

The true energy of the sun isn't just something Cao Cao possesses; I can do it too!

"Jin Ning'er, your cultivation level is still too low; you don't understand the mysteries involved!"

Although Jin Ning'er exposed him, Cao Meng still hasn't admitted anything.

After all, if he admitted it, and Nangong Yan found out that the other party had inhaled his breath and had been teased by him, she would definitely fly into a rage!

"You're only at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, while I'm at the half-step sixth level. My cultivation is higher than yours!"

It's important to know that half-step to the sixth rank corresponds to half-step to the Void Refinement stage.

Jin Ning'er just couldn't understand how Cao Cao could have the nerve to say that his cultivation level was low.

Cao Cao's cultivation level is clearly lower than mine.

Cao Meng: Young master, I can pin a half-step Void Refinement cultivator to the ground and hammer him hard!
"Cao Meng, and I am the Three-Legged Golden Crow, the spirit of the sun, the power of the sun. Don't try to fool me!"

Speaking of the power of the sun, Jin Ning'er dares to say that the Golden Crow Clan is the strongest in all the heavens, because the ancestor of the Golden Crow Clan was a divine beast born from the power of the sun!
"That's right, you are the three-legged golden crow of the sun spirit, but you are not pure-blooded, you are mixed-blooded!"

"Whee!"

Hong Qi, who was watching the drama unfold, chuckled as she betrayed Jin Ning'er. Cao Cao was her enemy, and so was Jin Ning'er, that three-legged crow.

She can't deal with Cao Cao now, so how can she deal with this three-legged crow?
"You vixen, you want a beating, don't you?"

Jin Ning'er was furious when Hong Qi exposed her shortcomings.

"Who's afraid of you!"

Hong Qi is now a late-stage fifth-order demon beast, only two minor realms lower than Jin Ning'er, so she is not afraid of Jin Ning'er.

"Young master, I'm going to sleep. You two better be quiet, or I'll teach you a lesson!"

Cao Meng loudly reprimanded Hong Qi and Jin Ning'er. He naturally couldn't let these two fight amongst themselves, after all, these two women were his number one and number two mounts.

If these two end up badly injured, who will I ride when they fight?

After scolding Hong Qi and Jin Ning'er, Cao Meng lay on a recliner, enjoying a sunbath and his usual afternoon nap.

"Cao Meng, I want to take a nap too!"

As soon as Shishi finished speaking, without waiting for Cao Meng's agreement, she lay down on the recliner and snuggled into Cao Meng's arms!
Brave Shishi, unafraid of difficulties!
Shishi didn't want to be friends with Cao Meng; she wanted to have a better relationship with him.

Cao Meng held Shishi tightly, feeling very uncomfortable. Did this girl not know how alluring she was?
Cao Meng hasn't touched Shi Shi for so long, partly because of Wen Bing inside her body; he's afraid that Wen Bing will be completely resurrected one day!
Secondly, he felt guilty. He felt that Shishi's intelligence was like that of an underage girl, and there were some things she didn't understand!

If I were to incite a minor to do something wrong, I might get struck by lightning!
And so, Cao Meng obediently held Shishi and enjoyed sunbathing.

Seeing that Cao Meng and Shi Shi were taking a nap, Hong Qi felt sleepy too, so she transformed into a little fox and jumped into Shi Shi's arms.

Suddenly, Jin Ning'er was all alone and didn't know what to do.

Just then, Cao Meng snapped his fingers, and a reclining chair appeared in front of Jin Ning'er.

Jin Ning'er glanced at Cao Meng, hesitated for a moment, and then lay down on her recliner for a nap.

The three of them slept in one recliner, while I slept alone. They should be the ones envying me! (End of Chapter)