Immortal Creation.

Chapter 686 Making Money
When Shen Xi and Su Ling found Ning Zhuo, the latter was standing in front of the counter at one of the halls of the Internal Affairs Department, talking quietly with a cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo," Shen Xi greeted softly.

Ning Zhuo turned around, revealing a smile, showing no trace of the gloom that had been driven away: "Ah, it's Shen and Su. I didn't expect to meet you two here again."

Then, he took the initiative to introduce the cultivator behind the counter: "This is Fellow Daoist Cao Gui. I had a very pleasant conversation with him."

"If you two wish to rent this cave dwelling, his abilities should satisfy you."

Shen Xi smiled and nodded to Cao Gui, then looked at Ning Zhuo: "I came here today to see you, Fellow Daoist Ning. Please step aside and let's talk."

"Oh?" Ning Zhuo was slightly surprised.

The three of them immediately left the Inner Affairs Hall and stood under the shade of a tree outside the hall to talk.

Shen Xi said that he had heard about Ning Zhuo's experience and specially sent him some information.

Ning Zhuo took the jade slip handed to him by Shen Xi and scanned it with his divine sense, finding that it was all about Yu Heye.

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, staring at Shen Xi with a scrutinizing gaze.

Shen Xi's actions surprised Ning Zhuo.

Previously, Shen Xi's act of kindness was not considered excessive, but now that he is taking the initiative to help, there must be an underlying reason.

In the past, Ning Zhuo might have chosen to feign compliance, patiently observing the situation. But now, having experienced the war between the two kingdoms and the adventure in the White Paper Immortal City, he has unknowingly cultivated a fearless and heroic spirit within himself.

He stared into Shen Xi's eyes and asked directly, "Fellow Daoist Shen, we've only just met, why are you paying so much attention to me and helping me like this? What is your purpose?"

Shen Xi was slightly taken aback, not expecting Ning Zhuo to be so direct.

Su Lingkou felt offended and immediately snorted coldly: "Ning Zhuo, your attitude is rather ungrateful."

"My cousin thinks highly of you and wants to promote you, but you doubt us. Humph, you don't think we're trying to take advantage of you, do you?"

Just as she was about to continue speaking, Shen Xi gently patted her shoulder.

Su Lingkou immediately shut up.

Shen Xi realized what was happening and looked at Ning Zhuo with admiration: "Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, you speak frankly, so I will speak frankly as well."

He explained his intentions, saying that he valued the coincidence of arriving in the same batch as Ning Zhuo, and that he noticed Ning Zhuo had companions who appeared to be true disciples of the Myriad Manifestations Sect. He also speculated that Ning Zhuo possessed exceptional strength and wanted to share a room with him to cooperate in dealing with the Flying Cloud Tournament.

The Flying Cloud Conference was just held and was not on this scale. Its original intention was simply to concentrate efforts and get the entire sect to cooperate in clearing up the backlog of sect tasks.

Ordinary super powers might not have so many sect missions. But the Myriad Manifestations Sect is different. It is too large in scale, with too many outposts in various places. Its sphere of influence not only covers the entire Flying Cloud Kingdom, but also extends its reach to neighboring countries.

The White Paper Immortal City is a vivid example; the Myriad Manifestations Sect had long had a presence there.

When the Lord of Baizhi City was in danger of losing his immortal city, he used this base to ask the Myriad Manifestations Sect for help and received strong reinforcements from a group of cultivators including Meng Yaoyin and Wen Ruanyu.

The damp, murky swamp served as a buffer zone between the two cultivation kingdoms. However, the White Paper City Lord sought aid not from the Northern Wind Kingdom, nor from the Flying Cloud Kingdom.

Seeking aid from any cultivation kingdom represents a powerful political statement. If White Paper Immortal City aligns itself with the Northern Wind Kingdom, it risks being suppressed by the Flying Cloud Kingdom. Conversely, the opposite is also true.

This is also one of the advantages of a super sect.

Dealing with a nation can easily touch on various sensitive nerves, making it difficult to get anything done. However, cooperating with a super sect like the Myriad Manifestations Sect is a completely different matter.

The influence of a super sect can extend to many cultivation kingdoms.

Some cultivation kingdoms even hope that these super sects will establish bases within their borders. This would not only increase their national strength but also help with resource extraction and stimulate development in certain regions.

There are also those who use super sects as bridges to reach private cooperation with other cultivation nations, or change their stance, resolve conflicts, and establish alliances, etc.

In terms of true combat power, the cultivation kingdom is undoubtedly the most formidable. This organizational structure controls national, official, and military strength. This method of utilizing power is extremely efficient, capable of gathering forces beyond one's level and mobilizing the power of heaven and earth, the wondrous workings of destiny, and the might of ghosts and gods.

This is a golden age of cultivation!

Super sects, alliances, families, and other organizations fill the gaps between cultivation kingdoms, together forming a stable cultivation society that has been established through long-term competition.

Su Ling said, "We have joined forces with two other prodigies to form a faction. My cousin recommended you, but because you backed down and moved away from Shiquan Cave, one of the prodigies was very dissatisfied."

Shen Xi explained, "The so-called 'mountain strongholds' are actually a customary rule of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, not a sect regulation, and are not included in the intelligence we jointly purchased."

"Everyone agrees that only a force that can control a mountain and bring all the caves on that mountain under its control can be considered to have a foothold, be qualified to participate in the competition, and be worthy of service."

"Looking at it from another angle, the same applies to the eight main peaks."

Ning Zhuo smiled and said, "I see."

Previously, he didn't understand the implication of co-renting. But this morning, after talking with Cao Gui, he understood that co-renting didn't mean jointly renting a cave dwelling, or renting multiple cave dwellings, taking advantage of each other's strengths and weaknesses, and sharing the costs.

After all, each cave has its advantages. Some caves are rich in spiritual energy, while others possess earth fire, which can be used for alchemy, qi cultivation, and so on.

Ning Zhuo extended goodwill to Shen Xi.

Shen Xi's idea of ​​sharing a room was actually an invitation to Ning Zhuo to join him as a temporary team to deal with the Flying Cloud Conference.

This piqued Ning Zhuo's interest.

He descended from Huoshi Mountain and traveled the world, wanting to see, hear, experience, and exchange ideas with others as much as possible.

It would be great to collaborate with Shen Xi on the same mountain, exchanging ideas and discussing ideas.

"But not now," Ning Zhuo thought to himself.

Even if he knew the implication beforehand, he would have chosen to postpone it for the time being.

On one hand, his most important and urgent matter is to acquire Meng Yaoyin's inheritance. Who knows when the Great Serpent Scythe will make its move?
On the other hand, he also needed to assess whether Shen Xi was suitable for communication and exchange. Many things that appear to be opportunities are actually traps. Ning Zhuo had seen too many examples of this since childhood.

Don't forget, he assisted Sun Lingtong in building a small empire—controlling the black market in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for a long time. The various events that occurred in the black market greatly enriched Ning Zhuo's life experience.

Ning Zhuo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am deeply grateful for Fellow Daoist Shen's kind intentions. If I could learn from a prodigy like Fellow Daoist Shen, it would surely be of great benefit."

Su Lingkou was finally satisfied with Ning Zhuo's attitude, and snorted coldly: "It's good that you know."

"But now, you have to deal with Yu Heye."

"Your decision to back down has drawn strong opposition from Situ Xing. Now we have detailed information for you. Please be sure to show some toughness, at least demonstrate your courage."

"If you dare not and even back down, you will disappoint us greatly."

A sharp glint flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes.

From Su Lingkou's words, he sensed Situ Xing's strength and also realized Shen Xi's intention in recruiting him: to enrich his own power and gain more advantages in the power struggle within the faction.

He wasn't opposed to it at all.

"Being able to be used proves that you have value. Everything in this world is about you using me and me using you, everyone using each other."

Ning Zhuo took out another jade slip from his storage belt and handed it to Shen Xi.

Shen Xi glanced at it and found that the contents of the jade slip were similar to those he had given to Ning Zhuo, all concerning Yu Heye. Shen Xi was both surprised and delighted: "So, Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo has long harbored the intention to retaliate."

Ning Zhuo sighed, "I'm new here and I'm worried that Yu Heye has connections. It would be unwise to go against him. So, I'll investigate his background first."

Su Lingkou chuckled lightly: "Don't worry about that. This person has never been recognized as a Golden Core disciple of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, which clearly means he has no connections."

"In fact, he majored in the Reverse Five Elements Demonic Art and once mistakenly killed a beloved disciple of a high-ranking member of Chongzhen Peak. He was not well-liked."

This point is listed in the intelligence.

Ning Zhuo sighed again: "To be honest, even if I knew this, I wouldn't really want to go against this person. Why bother?"

"The other party is a peak Golden Core cultivator, and he even gave me ten mid-grade spirit stones."

"I just need to spend a little time changing my cave."

Shen Xi: "Now that Fellow Daoist Ning knows our purpose, what are your plans?"

Ning Zhuo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It is my honor to be so highly regarded by Fellow Daoist Shen. Of course, I must regain some face and strive for opportunities to exchange and learn from Fellow Daoist Shen more."

Su Ling asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

Ning Zhuo: "Please allow me to think about it."

He then looked thoughtful and said, "Perhaps I will have to trouble Fellow Daoist Shen to help me again."

Shen Xi: "Oh, but please speak freely."

Ning Zhuo smiled and said, "I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Shen to lend me some spirit stones."

"Borrow money?" Su Lingkou immediately showed a cautious expression.

"How much?" Shen Xi asked.

Ning Zhuo rubbed his fingers together: "I don't know either, I only know... the more the better."

Su Ling frowned: "This money can't be lent out casually. There should at least be a reason for it, right?"

Ning Zhuo looked at Shen Xi with a serious expression: "How to use it, I'll keep that a secret. I wonder what Fellow Daoist Shen's meaning is?"

Shen Xi suddenly realized that this was a test given to him by Ning Zhuo.

Friendships are based on mutual selection.

Ning Zhuo's attitude made Shen Xi secretly think more highly of him. He hesitated, but the testing look in Ning Zhuo's eyes suddenly stirred an impulse within him.

Shen Xi gritted his teeth and took out a storage bag woven with coins from his pocket: "Use the spirit stones here as you like!"

He tossed the storage bag to Ning Zhuo, and Su Lingkou, who was standing next to him, immediately widened her eyes, revealing a clear look of surprise.

Ning Zhuo probed with his divine sense and found that the place was full of mid-grade spirit stones, about three thousand in total.

"I don't know if it'll be enough," Ning Zhuo muttered deliberately, hefting the storage bag in his hand.

Shen Xi's eye twitched slightly.

Su Lingkou then communicated telepathically, her emotions running high: "Cousin, why did you give him the money pouch your mother gave you?"

"The spirit stones here represent almost all of your wealth."

Shen Xi already felt regret, but since he had already sat down, and as a member of a prominent family, he couldn't be petty enough to back out at any moment. So he could only use his divine sense to comfort his cousin.

Ning Zhuo didn't feel much.

The money he initially invested in establishing the Qingjiao Army was far more than what's in this bag.

Back then, he would bet without hesitation, but now the amount of money is too small for him to care about.

He turned to face the counter and looked at the cultivator Cao Gui behind it: "Please buy all the cultivators who have had the same experience as me. I want to find out their latest situation."

"As you can see, I have plenty of money." Ning Zhuo said, deliberately waving the gold thread bag in his hand.

Cao Gui checked the information and said, "These people only have general information. The information you want is only which cave dwelling they have rented. I can't provide more comprehensive details. I suggest you go to the Trade Hall, make your request in person, and give them some more time to gather the information."

"Okay, okay." Ning Zhuo nodded.

He casually took out a handful of mid-grade spirit stones from his gold-threaded pouch and placed them directly on the counter: "Fellow Daoist Cao, please consider the matter from before. This is the deposit."

"If you don't want to participate in this, you can return the deposit to me."

When Cao Gui saw the large spirit stone placed on the table, he was stunned for a moment.

"Hey, wait a minute..." He reached out to call Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo had already turned around and left the Internal Affairs Hall without looking back, leaving behind the words: "Fellow Daoist Cao, please think it over carefully. There's no rush, I still need to go to the Trade Hall."

Shen Xi and Su Lingkou followed Ning Zhuo and left the Inner Affairs Hall.

Su Lingkou asked curiously what Ning Zhuo and Cao Gui had discussed before.
Ning Zhuo did not explain: "Fellow Daoist Shen Su, time is tight, so I will not entertain you two any longer. I need to take care of my business first. Once things have progressed to a certain point, I will come back to find you two to witness it with my own eyes."

"After all, this money has to be used for something, it won't be spent in a haphazard way."

Shen Xi smiled and said, "Okay."

Ning Zhuo clasped his hands in a fist salute, then stepped onto a cloud and left.

Su Ling stamped her foot on the spot: "Oh dear, are we just going to let him go like this? Such a large sum of money! If it were me, I wouldn't participate in the Flying Cloud Conference at all, I would just take the money and run away. The world is so big, where are we even going to find him if he hides in one place?"

Shen Xi also had the same worries, but since his cousin had spoken, he couldn't doubt her anymore.

Instead, he suppressed his worries and calmly reassured her, "Don't be anxious, just wait and see what happens."

Ning Zhuofei sent them a message that evening.

This is much earlier than Shen Xi had expected.

When Shen Xi and Su Lingkou arrived at Ning Zhuo's side, they found that Ning Zhuo had already gathered a group of cultivators.

There were more than twenty cultivators, most of whom were in the Qi Refining stage, with at least two or three being Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ning Zhuo said, "I know that you all came here to participate in the Flying Cloud Conference, but you are all short of money and have not rented a cave dwelling."

"Now, I'm going to give you a chance to make money."

“I will provide the principal. You only need to share half of the spirit stones you earn with me.”

Shen Xi was stunned.

Su Lingkou's eyes widened, and after realizing what she had just heard, she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly. She suddenly realized that this seemed, perhaps, almost certainly could make money.

(End of this chapter)