Promise!

Chapter 230, Yin God

As long as the bottom line is not touched, Zhuang Jin is easy-going, has a sense of propriety and boundaries, and is a pleasant person to be around. She was recognized by most people in Cen Zhanshan's small circle on the first try and was initially accepted into the group.

During the casual conversation, Zhuang Jin listened attentively and observed, gaining much useful information.

In the late afternoon, the group finally dispersed, agreeing to meet again on the first and fifteenth of each month.

The established strategy of "keeping a low profile and biding one's time" has thus been further advanced.

……

Just as Zhuang Jin received the invitation and accepted it, Ji Tongxiu was also having a gathering with her close friends at Tianyi Fang.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Ji Tongxiu's close friends all come from second-rate or higher families in the city, so their status is not bad, and their appearance and temperament are also above average.

The other three women today include Jin Qiaohua, a concubine's daughter from a Xiantian family, and Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai, who are both legitimate daughters from first- or second-tier families.

"Last month I went to the Starry Night Banquet at the Star-Picking Tower. Just as Sister Jin said, it was absolutely dreamlike. Being on the ninth floor of the Star-Picking Tower, with starlight streaming down, it felt like being in a galaxy..."

"It's truly enviable. Sister Wei's family is a first-rate family, and Sister Jin is even more so, from a family with innate talents. These days, it's probably just Sister Ji and me who haven't been to the Starry Sky Banquet. By the way, Sister Jin's dress today is really beautiful!"

"These are clothes from the seventh floor of Tianyi Workshop, worth 1,888 contribution points."

Jin Qiaohua spoke with a hint of pride, and seeing the amazed and envious looks on Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai's faces, she felt pleased with herself and then compared herself to them, saying, "What am I? Yu Linglong, the manager of Tongfu Inn, is the real expert!"

"I heard that Manager Yu only wears custom-made clothes from the seventh floor or above of Tianyi Workshop. In winter, she wears furs from exotic beasts at the Five Viscera Realm, and in summer, she wears silk garments woven from silkworms at the Five Viscera Realm. She never wears the same clothes twice in all four seasons. The fruits and vegetables she eats are from the seventh floor or above of Baiguo Workshop and Qianshu Workshop. Even her bathwater is made of Heaven and Earth Essence Liquid... Such luxury is far beyond what even the wife of a Xiantian Venerable can match. It shows how profound her background is."

"In my opinion, how much a person can possess in their lifetime is determined from birth!"

She seemed to be implying something, glancing at Ji Tongxiu as if suddenly remembering something, and said, "For the past six months, every time I've invited you, Sister Ji has refused, saying she doesn't have time. Today we were planning to go to the seventh floor of Tianyi Fang, but unexpectedly, Sister Ji suddenly accepted the invitation... Oh dear, my single-use certificate only allows me to bring two people in at a time, what should I do?"

Among the women, Ji Tongxiu stands out the most in terms of appearance, temperament, and ability. Because of this, Jin Qiaohua has a subtle grudge against her and has often ostracized and targeted her in the past.

"No need, I can do it myself." Ji Tongxiu said, taking out the Xuan Snake Token secondary card.

She remained silent until she spoke, and then her words were astonishing. She took out the Xuan Snake Token secondary card, which immediately stunned Jin Qiaohua, Wei Qinghui, and Miao Yuchai. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

"This is really... a secondary card of the Xuan Snake Token?! Did Sister Ji steal it or find it? We can't let her misuse it, or it could be a catastrophe!" Jin Qiaohua blurted out.

Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai, after their initial shock, also came to their senses and spoke up for Ji Tongxiu.

"Sister Jin is confused. How can you say such nonsense? The Xuan Snake Token secondary card requires the assistance and authentication of a Primordial Venerable to be activated and used."

"Yes, Sister Jin was just saying the other day that Sister Ji... no, Sister Ji met that Venerable Zhuang who was recently promoted, and also said... now that Sister Ji has obtained the Xuan Snake Token secondary card, her wedding is approaching? Congratulations."

"It's not appropriate to say too much about the wedding date. I'm just a favored friend of Mr. Meng Zhuang, who gave me a supplementary card. It's nothing."

Ji Tongxiu spoke casually, but Jin Qiaohua's expression changed as she listened, and her smile became forced.

Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai glanced over secretly, their gazes both showing some strangeness.

Previously, Jin Qiaohua had told them that even if Ji Tongxiu followed that newly promoted Innate Venerable, he would only be a novelty for a short time. However, now that the Xuan Snake Token was being given as a secondary card, this statement was instantly proven false.

—Even if we take a step back and say that someone can give us a secondary card for the Xuan Snake Token, then even if it's just a plaything, it's not an ordinary plaything. Its status is far higher than that of Jin Qiaohua, a concubine's daughter from a Xiantian family.

Next, Ji Tongxiu became the center of the group, with Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai offering many flattering and ingratiating words. This made Jin Qiaohua, who felt neglected, dig her nails into her flesh.

Upon arriving at the seventh floor of Tianyi Fang, while strolling around, a sky-blue, wide-sleeved, belted dress caught the attention of several women.

Jin Qiaohua asked the price first. After learning the price of 3999 contribution points, she hesitated for a moment. If she really wanted to buy it, not to mention the family ration for this month, she would have to tighten her belt for next month as well. But in order to save face, she gritted her teeth and decided to buy it anyway.

When she was about to pay, she learned that it was a new limited edition with a points requirement, and her points level was not high enough.

— In places like the seventh floor and above of Tianyifang, you can also find a broker to buy a one-time voucher to enter. This way, you will accumulate points for each purchase, and some popular items will only be sold to you after you have accumulated a certain number of points.

Jin Qiaohua's face turned ugly, but she forced herself to save face: "I think this dress would also suit Sister Ji, so let's give it to her!"

In her mind, although Ji Tongxiu had the Xuan Snake Token secondary card and was eligible to purchase it, Zhuang Jin had just been promoted, so how many contribution points could he give her? It was highly likely that she couldn't afford it.

"Thank you for your kind offer. Please swipe your card!"

Ji Tongxiu presented the Xuan Snake-level token secondary card.

The female owner of the shop immediately became much more respectful, stopped mentioning points, and offered a 20% discount on card payments. After receiving payment, she led them into the back room where they could choose from a wide selection of limited edition items. She even said that if they were not satisfied, the master chef on the ninth floor could customize something for them.

Such differential treatment was so humiliating that Jin Qiaohua had to excuse herself and leave, citing feeling unwell.

"She really doesn't know her place! She still thinks it's the old days and calls Sister Ji 'little sister'!"

"Who can disagree? Sister Jin not only lost face, but also her dignity... I was just thinking that the dress she wore earlier looked a bit like a monkey wearing a crown, while Sister Ji looked much better in it!"

After Jin Qiaohua left, Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai showered her with compliments, engaging in a barrage of flattery and criticism.

"There's no need to say that."

Ji Tongxiu listened with a faint smile on his face. Looking at Jin Qiaohua's hurried and rather disheveled figure, he felt a sense of pride, but also a bit bored.

She suddenly remembered that last night, when her younger sister Ji Tongxiao saw her Xuan Snake Token secondary card, the other party had a hesitant and complicated expression. While feeling a pang of sadness, she also felt a sense of unethical superiority.

In this world, compared to men showing off and slapping each other in the face, women's scheming and infighting have never been lacking. Compared to close girlfriends or sisters at home, they may not necessarily be "afraid that you are not doing well", but they will definitely be "afraid that you are doing better than her".

Next, Ji Tongxiu bought a lot of clothes, some of which were a bit daring and revealing and could not be worn in public, but could be worn privately... Because she spent more than 20,000 contribution points, she received a lot of free gifts.

She gave Wei Qinghui and Miao Yuchai a few gifts, which made the two women very happy.

—While Ji Tongxiu is indeed financially well-off now, she's not foolishly generous enough to spend her contribution points on these 'close female friends.' At most, she'll offer them inexpensive free gifts as a way to please her and make her happy. The two women were already satisfied with the gifts they received. These were gifts from the seventh floor of Tianyi Fang, bearing the Tianyi Fang logo. Especially these high-end gifts, which normally couldn't be bought with contribution points, would be a source of great pride if accidentally shown to their other female friends.

After Ji Tongxiu left, the female shopkeeper personally saw him off at Tianyifang. This was a very important customer. Even the wives of ordinary Xiantian Venerables wouldn't be so generous, as they would be picky. But Ji Tongxiu was different; his sales alone were equivalent to the sales of ten days or half a month on average.

……

In the following days, Zhuang Jin's efforts in training the purple kangaroo gradually yielded results.

Another piece of good news is that, according to Ning Tongxuan's map, during a recent hunt in a dangerous area of ​​the Funiu Mountains, a rare beast at the Five Viscera Realm was found. Its core was extracted to complete the upgrade mission and advance to the Two-Patterned Mystic Serpent Token.

Every sip and every bite determines the future. This adds another recommendation spot for Bailu Martial Academy, and the promise made to Ning Tongxuan can also be fulfilled. On the first day of the ninth month, Zhuang Jin personally escorted Ji Tongxiu's younger brother and that Ning family junior over.

The White Deer Martial Academy is located in the second ring of the state city. It is a joint public martial arts academy established by the Suspended Heaven Bureau and the three major families. The reason it is named "White Deer" is that on the day of its founding, the three major families and the state government joined forces to hunt a Vajra Realm beast, the White Deer, in the Funiu Mountains.

This martial arts academy is the only top-tier martial arts academy in Cangzhou. It covers a vast area and has an imposing presence. Among its instructors are many innate martial artists, which gave Zhuang Jin a slight shock.

However, Bailu Martial Academy only offers introductory martial arts training, and its rigorous graduation examination only allows one to be listed on the Hidden Dragon List (without being on the Hidden Dragon List, one's status as a graduate of Bailu Martial Academy is not recognized). The Hidden Dragon List is said to offer a sliver of hope for those with innate talent, but it truly is only a sliver of hope, as evidenced by the fact that only one innate martial artist emerges in the state capital every few years on average.

If this place were when Zhuang Jin first transmigrated, it would have been a good place, but now it's completely useless.

Getting back to the main point, after upgrading to the second-level Black Serpent Token, various privileges will increase, such as: two Black Serpent Certificates per month, an additional three-ring shop, an additional secondary card, and so on.

With increased income, Zhuang Jin's basic cultivation and realm accumulation, including the consumption of various exotic beast meats, only cost him 20-30% of his income. He raised his food, drink, and daily expenses to the top level and gave Ji Tongxiu 50,000 contribution points as pocket money every month. Even with all this, he still had a lot left over.

He was also aware that, in order to put certain people at ease, he did not accumulate any savings, and spent most of the remaining money on the Ascension Pavilion.

On this day, Zhuang Jin came with people from his inner circle. Hong Baoshu had something to do, Feng Qingyin and Leng Kui never participated in such activities because of their past experiences, and Cen Zhanshan was old and needed to conserve his energy, so he went with He Zhaoyi, Min Zhongmin and Bi Boyi.

He Zhaoyi has some peculiar hobbies; he likes to take care of other people's wives and daughters, and he lives on the seventh floor. Because of this, Leng Kui and He Zhaoyi don't have a very good relationship.

Min Chung-min stayed on the eighth floor, reminiscing about the goddess of his generation.

Zhuang Jin and Bi Boyi went up to the ninth floor together. Bi Boyi ordered the tofu fairy, Yu Yuxian. Only then did Zhuang Jin realize that the tofu fairy's "one person, two times" was actually made by her.

"I wonder what choice Brother Zhuang will make?"

"Me? I want to fight... cough cough, I want to negotiate two."

"Brother Zhuang, you are truly a romantic!"

Bi Boyi's gaze was genuinely filled with admiration and envy. Two first-class women from the ninth level of the Ascension Pavilion were equivalent to two Xuan Snake Certificates and 200,000 contribution points, which was a considerable resource for a Xiantian martial artist.

Many innate venerables have this kind of savings, but they are reluctant to part with it. How could they have the same magnanimity as Zhuang Jin, who "spends a thousand pieces of gold but can get it back again"? This made Zhuang Jin sigh deeply.

On the ninth floor of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, Chu Jing came over that night and ran into Miao Yunzhen.

The two women entered together. Chu Jing glanced at Miao Yunzhen, her competitive spirit ignited: "Young Master Zhuang, shall we put on a 'Goddess Detective's Scheme to Catch the Flower Thief' or a 'Healer's Successor's Kind Rescue of a Little Beggar'? Or perhaps, the two of us can rehearse a joint performance with you?"

"Great idea! Let's go with this joint production!"

Zhuang Jin clapped his hands and laughed. He hadn't expected there to be combo skills and multi-person situational dramas here. It was indeed more interesting to chat like this!
The night spent chatting by candlelight needs no further elaboration.

……

That very night, Zhuang Jin arrived in the state capital. It was already March. In the Xuantian Division, located in the center of the state capital's inner ring, a secret report was generated.

[Serial Number: 287]

Name: Zhuang Jin

Age: 27

[Current Realm: Third Level of Innate True Qi Realm]

[Technique (Threat Level): Lower Level]

(The cultivation technique is the Black Fiend Technique, the first version created by the immortals. Its potential is extremely limited, and it is almost impossible to break through to the Yin God Realm above the Innate Realm. It is difficult to conceive offspring, and it is almost impossible to continue the bloodline.)

Reference Material 1: According to the statistical sample analysis of the Great Qian Dynasty over eight hundred years, the probability of breaking through to the Yin God Realm with a normal Five Elements Mutation Technique is one in thirty to forty million, the probability of breaking through with a Five Elements version Technique is one in a hundred million, and the probability of breaking through with the Black Fiend Technique is one in a hundred billion.

Reference Material 2: In the past, when facing a major threat, enticing them to cultivate the Black Fiend Technique was one of the alternative strategies, and there has been no failure to date.
[Qualification (Threat Level): C+]

(The target has extremely high aptitude. Considering the age at which he can break through to the Innate Realm, his normal rating should be Upper B. However, due to the nature of his cultivation method, his rating has been downgraded. It is judged that he has a certain possibility of breaking through to the Innate Qi Realm, but it is almost impossible for him to break through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm.)

[Mental State (Threat Level): Lower]

(Upon arriving in the city, I was overwhelmed by its prosperity and wandered around for over a month without showing any obvious inclination to pursue a higher level of martial arts.)

After obtaining the Xuan Snake Token, he used the voucher and overdrafted his contribution points that very night to select Chu Jing, a woman in the Ascension Pavilion. The following month, after earning a large number of contribution points and being promoted, he selected two first-class women at once.
Based on current observations, the target has no intention of accumulating certificates or contribution points; aside from normal cultivation accumulation, 90% of the remaining balance is devoted to enjoyment.
Excessive caution, bordering on timidity; surveillance showed that during their entry into the Funiu Mountains, they never approached the Second Perilous Zone.
[Tendency (Threat Level): Under]

(In any public or private setting, he did not show any hostility or antagonism towards the court or aristocratic families. Because it could satisfy his desires, he privately expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the current rule system. In the past three months, he mentioned Shangguan Yunchang, the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, three times in his speech, which may indicate that he had feelings for her.)
Weaknesses: 1. Lustful. 2. Timid.

[Specific feasible measures: 1. Shangguan Yunchang personally tries to win him over (crossed out); 2. Threaten him with Ji Tongxiu; 3. Threaten him with the three ladies of Diannan Prefecture. (Analysis and judgment: The target is lustful but unlikely to be loyal; the latter two measures are uncertain in their effectiveness. Also, this person is petty and vindictive; unless absolutely necessary, measures 2 and 3 are strongly discouraged.)]

[Overall Rating (Threat Level): Medium (Independently reviewed by personnel from three-party networks, verified through a triple process)]

(Note: A comprehensive rating of Grade A represents a huge threat. The state government and the three major families will regard it as a hypothetical enemy, pay close attention to it, report it daily, take the initiative to make arrangements, and dig pits in a targeted manner. When the threat level reaches Grade A or above, we will take direct action even at the cost of damaging public credibility and violating the rules.)
A Grade B overall rating indicates a significant threat, and we will pay close attention to this situation, do our utmost to plant spies, and provide monthly reports. The three major families will take advantage of the situation to dig traps for us.
A Category C overall rating indicates a relatively small threat, but requires normal level of attention. An undercover agent can be planted, and a report will be submitted every three months.

A Grade D overall rating indicates that the product is essentially harmless; reports are updated every six months.
This comprehensive rating is not fixed and cannot be changed once it is set; it is dynamically adjusted. In addition to the regular report rating, there is also an emergency report. For example, if the target shows hostility towards the three major families, it will jump from level D to level B in an instant. If the target’s behavior is inconsistent and there is a tendency to disguise, the threat level will also be increased significantly in an instant.

[Approval: Verification passed. Continue monitoring as a Level D threat, with a rating update every six months!]

……

(End of this chapter)