Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 453 Zhenwu Peak's Business Slump

"It's really sad."

He shook his head slightly, somewhat puzzled. His Zhenwu Peak had also opened a loan business, yet very few disciples came to apply for loans.

Could it be that the number of Zhenwu Peak disciples recruited in recent years has been somewhat small?

I need to talk to Master Bi Yuan and the others about it. It wouldn't hurt to relax the restrictions on entering the peak a little. After all, they are all from the Yuanmo Sect. It doesn't matter if their character and morality are a little corrupt. The main thing is to get the lending business going.

Unfortunately, if these disciples borrow too much, even if they cultivate to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining with all their might, the little spirit stones they earn in the end will probably not even be enough to repay the interest.

Having cultivated along the way, he naturally believed that he truly had a chance to establish his foundation.

Little did they know that in the eyes of the Foundation Establishment True Persons of the Yuanshi Sect, they were nothing more than walking spirit stone mines.

Looking at the Qi Refining disciples hurrying around inside the pass, Xu Yunfan shook his head inwardly.

The Yuanshi Sect has thirty-six peaks, and each lineage has a fixed number of descendants.

The Cold Marrow Peak specializes in the Nine Nether Profound Ice, the Soul Refining Peak focuses on the Soul Devouring Secret Technique, and the Blood Fiend Peak is dedicated to the Blood Refining Dao.

Each vein has a fixed number of foundational positions.

Those who cultivate the Tao, who wouldn't want to go further, supported by the Dharma lineage, to aid their cultivation?

In this way, it will naturally branch out and flourish.

In order to expand their own lineage, which of the Foundation Establishment True Persons on each peak is not desperately opening their mountain gates and recruiting disciples on a large scale?
The Ice Soul True Man of Cold Marrow Peak has over a hundred disciples under his command.

The ruthless old monster of Refining Soul Peak is even more outrageous. Including the menial disciples, there are probably nearly two thousand people who freeload under his tutelage.

The sect's resources are limited.

Spiritual veins and blessed lands, elixirs and magical artifacts, secret cultivation techniques—aren't all of these in short supply?

Those elders are very shrewd; they recruited people first and then made their own decisions.

Anyway, registered disciples don't take up a formal quota, so they just get rid of them by giving a few low-quality spirit stones every month.

Are there truly exceptionally talented individuals? Then set up a "True Inheritance Trial" and make the disciples fight tooth and nail for it.

As for those with mediocre qualifications...
Xu Yunfan's gaze swept over several Qi Refining disciples who were moving Yin Sha Stones at the foot of the wall.

Their hands were wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, yet they gritted their teeth and persevered.

Most of these people were "discarded pawns" eliminated from various peaks and sent to this Cold Crow Pass to do hard labor.

"The path of cultivation is narrow, and the single-plank bridge is treacherous."

He sighed softly.

Within the Yuanshi Sect, 99% of the disciples are destined to become stepping stones for others on their path to immortality.

One in ten thousand can achieve such a feat as he did by using martial arts to enter the Dao and ultimately establish a solid foundation.

The night wind howled, carrying with it the mournful cries from the depths of the River Styx.

Xu Yunfan suddenly felt that compared to the ruthless loan contracts of the Yuanshi Sect, the Yin energy of Hanya Pass seemed much gentler.

In a place where he is the only Foundation Establishment cultivator, his will is the will of Heaven.

They can live if you want them to live, they can die if you want them to die...

It's just a matter of throwing a few more corpses into the River Styx.

He suddenly remembered the meaningful words of his senior brother Baiyue before he left: "Although Hanya Pass is dangerous, it is also a good place to make some money."

In retrospect, this statement proved to be true.

Those Qi Refining disciples would probably be willing to offer up their life essence and blood just to survive.

Suddenly, he noticed an inconspicuous old monk in the corner.

The man looked like he was on his deathbed.

The old cultivator seemed to sense something, looked up at Xu Yunfan and forced a fawning smile, his teeth were all pitch black, and bowed to the ground, not daring to move an inch.

"I have met you in person!" Xu Yunfan's heart stirred slightly; he was in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Unfortunately, his lifespan was nearing its end, and his spirit was withering away.

Without a great opportunity, this life will come to an end.

Xu Yunfan's gaze swept over the old cultivator without lingering for a moment.

A hint of relief flashed across the old monk's wrinkled face, and his hunched back relaxed imperceptibly.

Within the Yuanshi Sect, the greatest favor a rootless and powerless outer sect cultivator like him could receive was often the indifference of those in power. If those Foundation Establishment cultivators took an interest in you...

Whether they covet a magical artifact you possess or covet the vital essence you've cultivated for so many years, that's when disaster truly strikes.

For an old cultivator like this, who has been immersed in the Yuanshi Sect for too long, if Xu Yunfan were to nod slightly, the other party would probably not be able to sleep well for months. So he simply couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to him.

The old cultivator's cloudy eyes shifted slightly as he caught a glimpse of several Qi Refining disciples collecting Yin Sha by the River Styx.

The trembling, fearful look on those young people reminded him of himself sixty years ago.

If he hadn't been so conspicuous back then, attracting the attention of a Foundation Establishment master, he wouldn't have ended up having to destroy his own foundation to avoid disaster.

"Ignoring it is the best way to deal with it."

The old monk murmured to himself.

His hands, covered in age spots, unconsciously touched the dull storage bag at his waist.

Inside were thirty-seven spirit stones he had secretly saved up over the years, all of which he planned to use to bribe the gatekeeper and transfer him away from Cold Crow Pass.

When the time comes, go to the mortal world and marry a few wives, so that your bloodline can be propagated and spread. In the future, there may be a true person who can be guided out of the cycle of reincarnation and embark on the path of cultivation again.

A chilling wind swirled across the city walls, carrying with it a few pieces of withered bones from the banks of the River Styx.

Xu Yunfan had already turned and left, his black robes fluttering in the wind.

The old monk watched the departing figure, a rare sense of peace appearing on his wrinkled face.

In the Yuanshi Sect, a sect that devours people without spitting out the bones, all the outer sect cultivators who have lived to his age understand one principle.

Being forgotten by a Foundation Establishment cultivator is sometimes the greatest blessing.

Xu Yunfan didn't linger. He entered Hanya Pass intending to find the former garrison commander to hand over official business, but as soon as he stepped into the threshold of the central hall, he saw a gray shadow hurriedly pass by the side door.

The figure was so fast it almost left afterimages, as if a demon was lurking behind him, demanding his life.

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow, naturally able to discern the other party's aura.

The previous garrison commander, Li Wei, was a Foundation Establishment True Person under the influence of another True Lord.

"Master Li, please wait! What brings you in such a hurry?"

Xu Yunfan called out loudly.

The man paused slightly but did not turn around. He simply tossed out a message from afar: "Master Xu has just taken office. All matters concerning Han Ya Pass are contained in the jade slip on your desk! This Master, uh, has urgent business at home and must take his leave now!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the vast night.

Xu Yunfan stared at the fleeting streak of light, somewhat bewildered, but it seemed that something was amiss.

Could it be that I've left him with a mess?

The former official ran faster than a startled rabbit, which reminded him of the rumors circulating about Hanya Pass. It was said that the shortest ten-year tenure of any of the previous garrison commanders was before he resigned and left.

This Li Wei is known within the Yuanshi Sect for his unwavering character. Even so, it took him twenty years to finally gain the True Lord's approval.

He arrived in a great hurry.

"It seems this job is more troublesome than I imagined."

He glanced around the hall and saw the guards from Cold Crow Pass, all looking at the new garrison commander with slightly tense expressions.

(End of this chapter)