Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 294 [A Lively Event] (6600 words)

Chapter 288 [A Lively Event] (6600)

"In this world, all opportunistic or shortcut-taking methods will ultimately come at a price."

Chen Yan recalled something a philosophy teacher had said when he was in school.

This kind of principle is something everyone knows; everyone has seen similar sentences to some extent.

There's a saying: "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

A more poetic way of saying it is that "every gift of fate comes with a hidden price tag."

Everyone understands its meaning; everyone has heard of it.

However, human nature always harbors a sense of wishful thinking, always thinking, "What if..."

Anyone would fantasize about taking shortcuts or getting an advantage if they encountered such an opportunity.

Before the Ghost Clan was established and the cultivation techniques created by the powerful beings of the Ghost Clan were made public, all the sects and families in the realm had this mentality, even those powerful beings!

Even those venerable saints who came here specifically for this purpose could hardly be said to not harbor such hopes in their hearts.

A cultivation method that allows one to directly comprehend the Dao of Heaven from scratch?!

How amazing that would be, completely overturning the previous system of cultivation in the realm!

However, when the old ancestor of the ghost clan revealed the cultivation method and explained some of its secrets on the spot...

Everyone present, including the Great Celestial Venerable and those Venerable Saints, had to accept one thing:
There's no such thing as a free lunch. And shortcuts always come at a high price!

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Many people believe that the inherent flaws in the Ghost Clan's martial arts techniques can be overcome.

As for the bloodline issue, we can simply intermarry with the demon race more often—at least we're all human!
The secret rituals for starting cultivation can also be approached through appeasement, by cultivating good relations with the demon race and taking advantage of their initiation ceremonies for new cultivators.

These issues can all be resolved to some extent.

However, this set of techniques has a huge flaw!

The sage who created the law, who was also the ancestor of the ghost clan, revealed the answer to the mystery in front of everyone.

This cultivation method requires sacrificing a portion of one's soul at the very beginning, offering it to the Heavenly Dao in exchange for its acceptance.

The direct consequence is that practitioners who follow this path will be in a state of "incomplete soul" from the very beginning.

A fragmented soul can lead to a series of consequences on one's subsequent path of cultivation.

The first side effect is that, due to the incompleteness of the soul, the cultivator's mental consciousness will be much weaker than that of other cultivators who cultivate normally.

In other words, starting from the second stage of cultivation, when cultivators begin to cultivate their primordial spirit and strengthen their divine sense, their abilities will be greatly diminished.

Then, because of this, a second side effect will occur.

The second side effect is that when cultivating the primordial spirit and training the divine sense from the second realm onwards, one is born with deficiencies due to the incompleteness of the soul.

So, when facing the first great tribulation in the third realm, the difficulty of advancing to the Celestial Realm increases exponentially!
Because their primordial spirit is not strong enough, they will find it very difficult to overcome the great tribulation they face when breaking through to the Celestial Realm!
Even the lucky ones, or those with exceptional talent, whose original soul power was extremely strong, still had enough resources to cultivate their primordial spirit, hone their divine sense, and advance to the Celestial Realm even after sacrificing a portion of their soul...

Even if such lucky individuals emerge, they will find that the real difficulties have only just begun!
After the Celestial Realm, the Golden Body Realm and the Primordial Spirit Realm—the second tier of the entire cultivation system—will all become nightmare mode difficulty for Ghost Clan cultivators!
Because the second stage of cultivation mainly involves cultivating the primordial spirit!

Even if a Ghost Clan cultivator advances to the Celestial Realm and enters the second stage, every step from then on is many times more difficult than for cultivators practicing through the normal system!
To put it bluntly, the cultivation model of the Ghost Clan allows one to comprehend the Dao of Heaven from the very beginning.

The stages of entering the inner chamber, returning to the origin, and ascending to the platform are all much faster and smoother than those in the traditional cultivation system.

At the same time, their combat power is also much stronger!
It can even crush cultivators of the same level!

It's even possible to challenge opponents of higher levels! Note, not just those in different realms, but those of higher levels!

The Ascending Stage Realm belongs to the first tier, while the Celestial Realm belongs to the second tier!

The ability to slay celestial beings upon ascending the platform is utterly absurd in the previous cultivation system of the realms!
Just like a frail toddler who can kill a strong man wielding a sharp weapon with his bare hands!

All the cultivation techniques of the Ghost Clan can achieve this!
but……

All the shortcuts and advantages gained in the first stage... are all returned once you enter the second stage!

Even more!

For the Ghost Clan, the difficulty of breaking through to the second stage of the Celestial Realm is much higher than in the normal system!
After the second stage, every step will be more difficult!

After sacrificing a portion of one's soul, the innate defects will become increasingly apparent after the middle stage of cultivation.

This immediately caused all the aristocratic families and sects to lose more than half of their interest in this cultivation technique.

Of course, I'm still interested.

Everyone could see that this set of cultivation techniques for the Ghost Clan actually followed the "instant combat power" route.

By using a shortcut, the Ghost Clan can produce a large number of powerful first-tier cultivators in a short period of time. With these first-tier cultivators, they can even challenge second-tier cultivators.

To gain initial strength at the cost of sacrificing future potential.

This set of techniques actually has some value for aristocratic families and sects!

Originally, although the realm was a cultivation civilization, it was rare for someone to cultivate to the Celestial Realm.

The vast majority of cultivators never progress beyond the first stage in their entire lives.

Those who can break through to the Celestial Realm and enter the second stage are all chosen ones of heaven, geniuses among geniuses.

Therefore, whether or not one can break through to the Celestial Realm, and whether or not the second stage goes smoothly, is actually of no concern to the vast majority of cultivators.

Among the aristocratic families and sects, those truly talented individuals with the potential to reach the Celestial Realm or higher are certainly not allowed to cultivate this kind of technique—these extraordinary talents are carefully nurtured by the sects and aristocratic families, who will be of great use in the future.

This kind of cultivation method, which sacrifices the future for early-game combat power, can actually be used to cultivate a group of...

Cannon fodder! Suicide squad!
Even if it means sacrificing future potential and the ceiling for future development...

Using this method, a group of cultivators at the third realm with combat power comparable to the Celestial Realm can significantly boost the strength of any sect or family in a short period of time!

A Celestial Realm expert like Gu Qingyi would be considered a master even in the realms of other realms! (A Celestial Realm expert like Gu Qingyi could even serve as the commander of a fortified town!)
If this method could be used to cultivate a group of cultivators at the third realm whose combat power was comparable to that of the Celestial Realm...

However, the Ghost Clan Ancestor publicly announced another flaw in this cultivation technique:
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To cultivate the techniques of the Ghost Clan, one must first have talent for cultivation—this is something everyone agrees on. Mortals without talent will fail to cultivate anything, no matter what they choose.

So-called talent is the affinity with the primordial energy of heaven and earth—you have to be able to sense the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Compared to ordinary people, those with cultivation talent are already a minority in the population—or more accurately, an “extremely small minority”!
The Ghost Clan's techniques will need to undergo another round of elimination targeting this "very small minority"!
The attrition rate is over 50%!
The Ghost Clan Ancestor explained: This kind of elimination is disgusting.

First of all, this elimination process seems quite random.

In a secret ritual, who can pass and who will be eliminated?

The answer is: I don't know.

It all depends on the whims of Heaven!

Traditional spiritual practice depends on talent.

Those with talent, pass. Those with little talent, are eliminated!

However, this kind of secret ritual is more like a bridge that can be forcibly created to communicate with the Heavenly Dao.

A portion of one's soul is sacrificed to the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao's final reward to that person truly depends entirely on the Heavenly Dao's own whim.

Even a very common situation is:

For example, there are one hundred people participating in a secret ritual.

If you look at all the people who passed and those who were eliminated at the end, you'll find an absurd phenomenon.

It's quite possible that someone with mediocre talent passed the secret technique.

One of the more talented individuals was eliminated.

An ordinary person with mediocre talent in cultivation, even if he originally cultivated the whole path, might only be able to reach the first or second realm at most, but he just happened to exceed it!

Someone with outstanding talent, who originally had the potential to cultivate to the third realm and even try to break through the threshold of the Celestial Realm, was eliminated in the secret ritual!

Besides the fact that the selection criteria for those who pass the test are random...

The pass rate is also very random.

The Ghost Clan Ancestor said that after trying many times, the situation was as follows:

The pass rate was as high as 40% at its peak!
At its lowest point, it was less than 10%!
The pass rate has absolutely nothing to do with the number of candidates participating in each arcane ritual, or talent!

It's purely random!

Often, you might find dozens of talented people, but only one or two will pass the test.

You might find a hundred people with poor talent, but suddenly forty of them will pass your tests.

What are the standards and conditions by which Heaven selects people? Regarding this, the Ghost Clan Ancestor stated:

I don't know either!

At first, no one believed him.

You created this technique! How could you not know?
But when faced with the doubts, the old ancestor of the ghost clan did not hesitate and made a straightforward oath to the Heavenly Dao!

I swear to the heavens that I truly do not know!
Then, the entire room fell silent.

Several sages and venerable beings were present, as well as a Great Celestial Venerable. The Ghost Clan Ancestor's oath to the Heavenly Dao was impossible to falsify; even if he did, it would not be able to deceive so many sages and venerable beings, much less the Great Celestial Venerable.

Even though this random passing standard is disgusting, the interest of aristocratic families and sects has only decreased again—some interest still remains.

Let it be random. At worst, we can use a large number of samples to try and increase the probability!

However, the second drawback of the practice method dispelled the idea of ​​various schools trying to use quantity to test and make mistakes.

[Anyone who is eliminated after a secret ritual has little hope of returning to the normal cultivation system.]

Because the souls sacrificed in the ritual will not be returned.

Once it's sacrificed, it's sacrificed; Heaven won't give it back to you.

Those who fail are also incomplete in spirit.

A fragmented soul... If you want to go back to the normal cultivation path, it's not impossible for a fragmented soul to follow the ordinary cultivation route.

Getting started shouldn't be a problem.

But starting from the second realm, one must cultivate the primordial spirit! With a fragmented soul, it's estimated that the greatest achievement in this life will stop at the second realm.

Moreover, because his soul is incomplete, he is a weakling in the second realm!
Not to mention compared to the second realm of the Ghost Clan cultivators, even compared to the second realm cultivators of the normal cultivation system, they are weaklings!
Your soul is incomplete, your primordial spirit weak, and your divine consciousness feeble. A normal second-realm cultivator could easily beat you to a pulp!

After summarizing all these situations, the various sects and families in the realm finally came to a conclusion.

A secret ritual is like gathering a group of people, sacrificing a part of their souls, assembling them together, and then inviting the Heavenly Dao to feast.

After eating and drinking his fill, Tiandao wiped his mouth clean. Before leaving, he casually grabbed a handful of money, not counting it, not knowing how much it was, it all depended on his mood.

Then, he would scatter the offerings as payment for the sacrificed souls.

When a handful of money is thrown out, who gets hit is entirely a matter of luck. And those unlucky souls who don't get any money also lose a part of their souls for nothing.

They will not receive any benefit or compensation whatsoever.

It's... pure gambling!
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This caused all the sects to abandon the idea of ​​"using quantity to gamble on probability".

While a mediocre talent may not be of high value, this "low value" is relative to a genius.

It's not a cabbage from the field!

Those who are eliminated are basically rendered useless.

The value of the Ghost Clan's cultivation method was once again reduced in the estimates of various parties.

The remaining value isn't negligible, it's just...

It might be possible to send some people with extremely low cultivation talent, who are not highly regarded by their own families, to the Ghost Clan for trial and error.

If it doesn't work, so be it. If it does work, consider it a pleasant surprise.

Waste utilization?

At this moment, the patriarch of the Ghost Clan announced something:
From then on, the demon race held a secret ritual every three years!
Each secret ritual will reserve one hundred slots for non-gender members in addition to the Ghost Clan members.

From major sects and aristocratic families to cultivation clans or local powerful families, and even low-level rogue cultivators...

We welcome anyone who comes! As long as the person you send has demon blood.

Of course, the number of places is limited, since it only happens once every three years, with one hundred places available each time.

So, you guys... go ahead and bid!

·
Even today, Chen Yan still feels deep admiration when he recalls what that old ghost clan ancestor did back then!

The cultivation methods of the Ghost Clan may have significant flaws.

But in fact, the Ghost Clan was the most suitable for them, which was originally the mountain tribe of the Southern Frontier.

Mountain tribes were originally poor, backward, and lacked resources for cultivation.

It was extremely difficult for a cultivator to emerge from among the mountain people.

The proportion of cultivators is far, far lower than that of other races!

Therefore, the mountain people in southern Xinjiang have long been the most vulnerable group, suffering from oppression, exploitation and bullying.

The cultivation technique created by that ghost clan ancestor, although sacrificing future development potential and upper limit, can enable the mountain people to become strong quickly.

Furthermore, with the cultivation techniques at their core, they brought together the originally scattered mountain tribes, forming a unified "Ghost Clan."

At last……

Each time, one hundred spots are offered, and these are used as bait to sell to various powerful families and sects...

To create a long-term and sustainable way for the Ghost Clan to make money!

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Chen Yan had learned that over the years, the minimum price for the Ghost Clan's "Secret Ritual" slots had remained around 500,000 coins per slot, with slight fluctuations.

Is it worth 500,000 for one spot?

Hard to say.

If you are eliminated, it's all for nothing, a complete loss.

But what if it actually works?
Is a cultivator who embarks on the path of cultivation of the ghost race worth 500,000?

It was barely worth it.

Those are ghost race cultivators who can crush ordinary cultivators of the same realm and challenge other cultivators across realms!

and……

If this cultivator were to accidentally reach the third realm!

That means possessing combat power comparable to the Celestial Realm!

Spend 500,000 to gamble on a combat power comparable to the Celestial Realm.

Ordinary people certainly can't afford to gamble.

Aristocratic families and sects, on the other hand, will not hesitate to place several bets!
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In other words, each time there are 100 slots, the Ghost Clan can get a direct income of about 50 million coins!
Furthermore, in order to maintain this long-term cooperation with the Ghost Clan, various aristocratic families and sects must also maintain good relations with the Ghost Clan.

You need to marry into the demon race, introduce their bloodline, or buy a spot from them...

These benefits, which come and go, are all potential.

With good relationships, the Ghost Clan can exchange and collude with various aristocratic families and sects for various resources and benefits.

It can provide the originally closed, weak, and backward demon race with countless channels for blood transfusion.

The income of 50 million coins each time can also be spent on the construction of the Ghost Clan's own tribe.

This sage is worthy of being the supreme ruler of the ghost race, and also worthy of the offerings of the entire ghost race!
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The next morning, Chen Yan woke up from his meditation, got up, stretched his body in the room, and changed into a new set of clothes.

The room contains an array that not only provides abundant vital energy but also functions to remove dust and regulate temperature.

As soon as Chen Yan opened the door, he saw Niu Bufan, the half-ghost servant he had chosen yesterday, waiting at the door.

This guy has dark skin and looks quite old, but if you look closely, you can see that he still has a youthful air about him, so he's actually not that old.

As soon as Chen Yan opened the door, Niu Bufan quickly stepped forward to greet him, addressing him as "Master," and then took the initiative to fetch water for Chen Yan to wash up.

After Chen Yan finished washing up, this guy ran out and came back with a plate of food.

The breakfast is a round, greenish-brown pancake, similar to some kind of flatbread.

Chen Yan picked up a piece and glanced at it. It seemed to be some kind of green leaf chopped up, mixed with flour, then spread into a pancake and fried in oil.

It smells of fried food, which makes it very appetizing.

Taking a bite, it tastes sweet, probably because it's been mixed with honey or some other condiment.

Upon closer chewing, it reveals a refreshing fragrance of green leaves, with a slightly bittersweet aftertaste, reminiscent of the aroma of a certain Chinese medicinal herb.

"What is this?" Chen Yan asked casually.

Niu Bufan carefully poured Chen Yan a bowl of hot tea before lowering his hand and saying, "Reporting to Master, this is a cake made from bitter hemp leaves."

Chop up fresh bitter lettuce leaves and mix them in.

Bitter hemp leaves are a specialty of southern Xinjiang. They have the effect of nourishing the spirit and dispelling dampness.

"Our area is mountainous and very humid, so this is a very common food in southern Xinjiang."

Chen Yan nodded: "It tastes good."

After eating two pieces, he put down his food and looked at Niu Bufan: "Tell me, is there anything interesting to see these past two days?"

Niu Bufan paused for a moment, then thought seriously for a moment: "This humble servant does not know what kind of excitement Master wishes to see..."

Chen Yan sighed: "Tell me, is there anything interesting happening in this Sifang Tower?"

Niu Bufan pondered for a moment and said, "The Sifanglou is full of shops doing business. According to custom, the first day of each ten-day period is a small market, and all the shops and businesses will open to welcome customers for trading. However, the small market usually sells and trades ordinary goods that are common on the main roads."

On the fifth day of each ten-day period, the main market will be open, and the market hall of the Sifang Building will be open to the public.

Each merchant would send one or two of their most valuable items to the city hall for auction. Unlike the smaller markets, which were open to everyone, participants in the main market needed an invitation from any merchant within the Four Directions Building to enter.

After a pause, Niu Bufan said, "Judging by the dates, tomorrow is the big market day."

Chen Yan smiled but didn't say anything.

An auction?

Well, isn't this the standard plot template for a cultivation world?

Anyone who has read cultivation novels knows that whenever an auction is mentioned in the plot, something is bound to happen.

"No way! I'm not interested!"

Chen Yan shook his head: "I don't have much money in my pocket. Going to the auction to watch the excitement is just a waste of time. What's the point of watching others spend money like water on things?"

Niu Bufan smiled憨厚ly: "I didn't really know much about these things, but I heard that the market is going to be very lively and many people will be coming."

"why?"

"The Ghost Clan's Heaven-Striking Ceremony is in a month. I heard that a sect is going to release five spots for the ceremony and put them up for sale. So, many people will be bidding for these five spots."

Chen Yan's expression then changed slightly.

The Heaven-Striking Ceremony—actually a secret ritual for the Ghost Clan's cultivation, now its official name.

However... this kind of auction has little to do with Chen Yan, since he can't afford it anyway.

Even if he could afford it, he couldn't possibly abandon his cultivation and start all over again on the Ghost Clan's cultivation path.

"Why would that sect sell its five spots?"

"I don't know, but I overheard the other staff members chatting in the building. They're saying that some sect has recently encountered some difficulties and needs to raise money to purchase goods in the Southern Frontier. In order to raise the money, they have no choice but to sell their spots..."

Chen Yan smiled, but secretly shook his head in his heart.

A sect that can have five slots is definitely not an ordinary sect or family.

How could such a powerful and prestigious family be short of money?

"Isn't there any other excitement to watch? Otherwise, this City of No Return is too boring." Chen Yan shook his head.

Niu Bufan said in a low voice, "In previous years, it would have been quite lively. But now that the fighting between the south and east of the city is fierce, some of the lively events that used to be held may not be able to happen this year."

As he spoke, a hint of regret appeared on his face.

"Oh, then tell me first, what interesting and lively things happened in this city in previous years?"

Niu Bufan hesitated for a moment, his eyes seeming to yearn for it, and said in a low voice, "In previous years at this time of year, the Ghost Clan territory in the south of the city would hold a festival, and the mountain tribes would... would come out to hold a marriage contest."

"A marriage proposal event?" Chen Yan's eyes lit up.

“Master is from outside and doesn’t know the situation here…” Niu Bufan seemed to smile, his tone carrying a hint of pride: “Girls from the Ghost Clan are very sought after. Even the scions of sects and aristocratic families from other clans will participate in the marriage recruitment event. If they can marry one or two Ghost Clan girls, they will receive rewards and gifts from their families.”

Chen Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately understood that this was probably the method used by various aristocratic families and sects to integrate the bloodline of the Ghost Clan.

He became somewhat interested: "How does this marriage selection process work?"

"That's hard to say." Niu Bufan smiled. "Women of our Ghost Clan are fiery and generally don't behave like those from outside clans and families. We have more freedom in raising children here and don't restrict their nature as much."

Choosing a husband is also based on the woman's own wishes.

Some girls love handsome young men, some love wealth, some like eloquent men, and some like talented and handsome men. Basically, the conditions are set by the families, and those who want to marry into a family have to use their own methods.

Good heavens, this is People's Square in Shanghai!
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(End of this chapter)