Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

The one-eyed old man raised his cloudy eyes and glanced at him, then said hoarsely, "Fifty spirit stones, no bargaining."

"This shield... seems to have lost its spirit." Fu Shaoping weighed it in his hand and said deliberately.

"Take it or leave it." The old man waved his hand impatiently. "It was dug out of an ancient tomb in the wilderness, that's the price."

An ancient tomb? Fu Shaoping's heart stirred slightly, and he sensed it carefully again. Although the remnant of the contract was faint, its structure was exceptionally complex and stable, exuding an ancient aura, and it certainly didn't seem to be a modern artifact. Perhaps, when this shield was intact, it was an extraordinary contract-based defensive magic weapon? Even though it's damaged now, if it can be nurtured and activated with the power of his own contract, it might be able to restore some of its power.

"Thirty spirit stones," Fu Shaoping countered.

"Forty is the lowest," the old man said firmly.

Fu Shaoping said no more, took out forty spirit stones and handed them to the old man, then put the gray shield into his storage bag. In any case, this shield was worth studying.

After leaving his stall, Fu Shaoping wandered around the market, using his remaining spirit stones to buy some simple maps and intelligence jade slips about the Twilight Wasteland and the Cloud Dream Swamp. Just as he was about to leave the free trade area and head to the center of the market to rent a quiet room to rest, he suddenly heard a commotion and shouts coming from ahead.

Several burly cultivators, dressed in uniform leather armor with wolf head patterns embroidered on their chests, were seen surrounding a stall, shoving the stall owner—a pale-faced young rogue cultivator who appeared to be only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"Kid! You dare to set up a stall on our 'Wild Wolf Gang's' territory without paying protection money? You're asking for trouble!" The leader, a burly man with a scar on his face at the eighth level of Qi Refining, grinned maliciously and grabbed at several pieces of decent-quality ore on the stall.

The young rogue cultivator was both anxious and angry, and tried to stop him: "I...I'm new here, I don't know the rules..."

"Don't know? Now I'll show you!" Another member of the Wild Wolf Gang raised his foot to kick the stall owner.

The surrounding crowd quickly moved away, daring not to speak out despite their anger. The Wild Wolf Gang was one of the local tyrants in Muyun Village. The gang leader was said to have the cultivation level of the early Foundation Establishment stage. He had gathered a group of desperados who specialized in bullying weak and rogue cultivators, extorting protection money, and even secretly engaging in robbery.

Fu Shaoping frowned slightly. He didn't want to cause trouble and turned to leave. This kind of thing was too common in Muyun Village; he couldn't handle it all.

Just as he turned around, the young rogue cultivator who had been shoved stumbled, and something fell from his arms and rolled to the ground.

It was a stone shard about half the size of a palm, with irregular edges, completely black, and covered with fine cracks. The moment the stone shard hit the ground, in Fu Shaoping's sea of ​​consciousness, the black iron shard obtained from the secret vault of Tianque City, and the inheritance of the "Netherworld Contract Book," simultaneously resonated with an extremely clear and intense pulse!
This resonance was several times more intense than when I sensed the "Military Oath" at the Black Wind Gobi altar! It was as if they were core components of the same origin and from the same source!

Fu Shaoping stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on the black stone slab.

The members of the Wild Wolf Gang were also drawn to the stone fragment. The scarred-faced man picked it up casually, weighed it in his hand, and sneered, "What kind of junk is this? It's all black and grime. You think you can use this to pay protection money?" With that, he prepared to throw it away.

"Wait!" Fu Shaoping suddenly spoke, his voice calm.

The scarred-faced man and his men all looked over. Seeing that it was a young, unfamiliar cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining (Fu Shaoping did not conceal his cultivation level), their eyes were filled with scrutiny and a hint of disdain.

"What? You want to stand up for him?" The scarred-faced man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

“No.” Fu Shaoping shook his head, pointing to the black stone fragment in his hand. “I’m a little interested in this. How much protection money does this fellow Daoist owe you? I’ll pay it for him, and this stone is mine, how about it?”

The scarred-faced man paused for a moment, looked at the unremarkable stone in his hand, then at Fu Shaoping, his eyes darting around before he chuckled and said, "Kid, you're pretty savvy. Protection money? Not much, just one hundred spirit stones! Plus, since you interrupted our collection efforts, we'll add fifty 'soothing fee,' making it one hundred and fifty spirit stones in total! Here, take this broken stone!"

A series of low gasps came from the surrounding area. This was clearly extortion! The protection fee for an ordinary stall was at most ten or twenty spirit stones.

The young rogue cultivator was also stunned, his eyes filled with surprise and confusion as he looked at Fu Shaoping.

Fu Shaoping's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of murderous intent stirred within him. The Wild Wolf Gang was ruthless and insatiable. However, he was currently in poor condition and not suited for a direct confrontation, and besides, that black stone shard was of paramount importance to him.

He silently counted the spirit stones on his person; after his shopping spree, he had less than two hundred left. He took out a bag containing one hundred and fifty spirit stones and tossed it to the scarred-faced man.

The scarred-faced man took the bag, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm the number, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He casually tossed the black stone fragments to Fu Shaoping: "You know what's good for you! Let's go!" With that, he led his men away.

The young rogue cultivator quickly bowed to Fu Shaoping: "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist! But that stone..."

Fu Shaoping waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more. He quickly put away the black stone fragment and said in a low voice, "This place is not safe to stay for long. You should leave as soon as possible." After saying that, he turned around and quickly blended into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

The young rogue cultivator looked in the direction where Fu Shaoping disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions. After hesitating for a moment, he also hurriedly packed up his stall and left.

Fu Shaoping did not return to the market center, but went directly out of Muyun Market. He found a secluded cave in the nearby mountains and forests, set up a protective barrier, and then eagerly took out the black stone piece.

The stone shard was icy cold to the touch, heavier than the iron shard obtained from the Heavenly Palace City's secret vault. It was riddled with cracks, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch. Yet, under the perception of the "Contract Identification Technique," the stone shard contained an indescribable, profound, and abyss-like aura of contractual origin! It shared the same source as the "Military Oath Contract" on the black iron shard, the Netherworld Contract in the *Netherworld Contract Book*, and even the cursed contract in the gray jade slip, but it was far more ancient and more fundamental!
He placed the two black fragments together. In an instant, both fragments trembled slightly, and a faint, eerie light seemed to flow through the cracks on their surfaces, creating a strong attraction and resonance between them! They wanted to approach and fit together like magnets, but because too many parts were missing, they could not truly connect.

"Indeed, they are from the same origin! And it is very likely a fragment of some core inheritance or token of the Xuanqi Sect!" Fu Shaoping was excited. The iron piece in the Tianque City secret vault carried part of the "Military Oath" and battlefield intent, while this stone piece seemed to contain deeper information about the fundamental rules of the contract.

He attempted to slowly infuse a wisp of pure soul power into the black stone shard. Boom!
It was as if a door sealed for eternity had been opened! A vast, ancient torrent of thoughts, filled with endless covenant principles and sorrowful sighs, surged into Fu Shaoping's sea of ​​consciousness like a burst dam!

It's no longer just fragmented battlefield scenes, but a more fundamental kind of "information":
The essence of a contract is an "agreement," an "exchange," a "binding," and even more so, a manifestation of "cause and effect" and "rules."

—Fragment of the general outline of the core inheritance of the Xuanqi Sect, *Xuanqi Zhenjie*: Contracts are divided into three levels: "Human Contract," "Earth Contract," and "Heaven Contract." Humans contract with humans, earth contracts with spirits, and heaven contracts with the Dao! By governing all contracts, one can reach the supreme!
However, the scene shifts to betrayal, curses, a rain of blood, the collapse of traditions, and the devastating backlash and karmic debts caused by the "Deceitful Blood Pact"...

Finally, a cold, majestic thought, filled with endless regret and warning, appeared: "The Qizong lineage can only be inherited by those with great perseverance, great wisdom, and a profound understanding of cause and effect. Those who obtain my incomplete writings in later generations, be careful! Be careful! Do not follow in the footsteps of Youmingzi!"

The torrent of information abruptly stopped. Fu Shaoping's head throbbed with pain, his face turned deathly pale, his consciousness felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his soul power was almost completely drained. But this shockwave of information also instantly elevated his understanding of the "contract" to a whole new level!

He finally understood that the "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract" and the "Book of the Netherworld Contract" were merely the tip of the iceberg of the Mysterious Contract Sect's vast inheritance system! The true core was the Great Dao of the Three Contracts of "Man, Earth, and Heaven"! And the Netherworld Child had perhaps strayed from the "Evil Contract" and the "Curse Contract" within the "Man Contract" and attempted to touch the forbidden realm of the "Heaven Contract" (the Blood Contract of Deceit), which led to his utter destruction!

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!" Fu Shaoping murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with shock and understanding. The value of this black stone fragment was immeasurable! It was not only a token, but also a key, pointing him to the true direction of the path of contracts! Although the information was incomplete, the direction was right, and the path would be easier to follow!
At the same time, he felt immense pressure. The destruction of the Xuanqi Sect seemed to involve enormous karma and betrayal. He himself carried fragments of its legacy; would he be drawn into it in the future? The warning, "Be careful! Be careful!" still echoed in his ears.

But things had come to this point, and there was no turning back. The way of the contract had become the foundation of his path.

He carefully kept the two black fragments close to his body, storing them separately from the gray jade slip. These three items were his greatest secret and reliance.

After taking the medicine and meditating for a full day and night, Fu Shaoping barely recovered. Although his soul power had not fully recovered, his realm seemed to have become more stable due to this impact, and his understanding of the contract had been completely transformed.

"I can't stay in Muyun Village any longer," Fu Shaoping thought. The Wild Wolf Gang might notice him, and that black stone fragment might cause trouble. He had to leave as soon as possible.

He packed his bags, confirmed his direction, and set off again, heading straight for the depths of the desolate wilderness.

On the desolate plains, the sky was high and the land vast, with sandstorms rising intermittently. Fu Shaoping dared not be careless, remaining vigilant at all times. He tried to integrate his newly comprehended concept of contracts into his daily life. When traveling, he used the "Contract Identification Technique" to establish an extremely weak, temporary "land contract" connection with the ground beneath his feet, making his steps more stable and his perception of ground vibrations more acute; when resting, he tried to establish a one-sided "temporary spirit-borrowing contract" with the surrounding small-scale spiritual energy, using himself as a base, to accelerate the absorption efficiency of spiritual energy (the effect was weak but better than nothing).

These attempts were merely scratching the surface, yet they made him even more adept at using the power of contracts.

Five days later, he ventured hundreds of miles into the wilderness. That evening, as he was searching for a place to camp among a cluster of weathered rock pillars, his "Spell of Perception" suddenly detected a violent explosion of spiritual energy and shouts of battle coming from several miles ahead, mixed with the familiar yet repulsive aura of the Wild Wolf Gang cultivators!

Fu Shaoping frowned, immediately concealed his aura, climbed up a tall rock pillar, and strained his eyes to look.

In the distance, on a relatively flat sandy area, two groups of people were engaged in a fierce battle.

One side consisted of seven or eight cultivators from the Wild Wolf Gang, led by none other than the scarred-faced giant who had extorted him from Muyun Village that day! They were besieging another group of people.

The group being besieged consisted of four cultivators, three men and one woman. Two of them wore standard leather armor and appeared to be guards from a small merchant caravan, with cultivation levels around the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. The other two were an old man and a young girl. The old man had white hair and beard, and his aura was weak, indicating he was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but he was tightly gripping a formation flag, barely supporting a shaky protective light shield. The young girl was about sixteen years old, with a cultivation level of only the fourth level of Qi Refining. Her face was pale, and she was hiding behind the old man, tightly clutching a rather heavy-looking iron box in her arms.

Several corpses were already lying on the ground; judging from their clothing, some were from the Wild Wolf Gang, while others were guards from a caravan.

"Old bastards! Hand over 'that thing' and I'll spare your lives!" The scarred-faced man grinned as he relentlessly attacked the protective light shield.

"Don't even think about it! This is a family heirloom, how could it fall into the hands of thieves like you!" The old man coughed up blood, gritting his teeth and persisting, but the light barrier was already flickering.

The girl's eyes were filled with tears as she tightly clutched the iron box, her expression one of utter despair.

Fu Shaoping's gaze fell on the iron box in the girl's arms. He vaguely sensed through the "Contract Identification Technique" that there seemed to be some kind of contract fluctuation related to "sealing" and "protection" inside the iron box. Although it was weak, the structure was exquisite.

The Wild Wolf Gang was clearly not after some valuables; they were after this iron box. For them to mobilize such a large force, even going so far as to launch an ambush deep in the wilderness, the contents of this iron box must be extraordinary.

Fu Shaoping didn't want to get involved, but he had a grudge against the Wild Wolf Gang (for extortion), and judging from the old and young men, they probably wouldn't last much longer.

Should we leave quietly, or...?

His gaze swept across the battlefield. The Wild Wolf Gang, including Scarface, had six members remaining: two at the eighth level of Qi Refining, three at the seventh level, and one at the sixth level (standing guard in the distance). The two caravan guards, though fighting desperately, were already heavily wounded, and the old man was at his last gasp.

If I were to take action myself, along with those two guards, we might be able to repel the Wild Wolf Gang. But the risk would be considerable.

Just then, the old man seemed to be unable to hold on any longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, the light of the array flag in his hand dimmed completely, and the protective light shield shattered!

"Haha! Prepare to die!" The scarred-faced man laughed wildly, swinging his sword at the old man!
The girl let out a desperate scream.

Just as the blade was about to strike, a gray shadow flashed out from behind a rock pillar on the side like a ghost. It was incredibly fast and cut into the battlefield in the blink of an eye, blocking the old man's path!
"Clang!" (End of Chapter)