Promise!

Chapter 242, The Round Table

The way Li Tingguan's small circle of people at the Innate Qi Realm gathered was by taking turns hosting. One person hosted for a turn. This time, the host was Xi Guiling, the next time it was Zong Dai, and the time after that it was Shen Tu Biao. Everyone contributed some good things, each did their part, and shared the fruits of their labor. They chatted and talked about everything under the sun while enjoying different kinds of food and drink.

This way, one can live a carefree, unrestrained, and extremely happy life.

Despite his seemingly idyllic days, Zhuang Jin did not slack off in his cultivation. Regardless of his realm or martial arts skills, his progress was steady and progressive.

In addition, he also found himself a hobby - the art of mechanisms. Thinking of the Qi-storing stone that Feng Qingyin used to disguise himself, he studied it and quickly replicated the technology. The Qi-storing stone can store innate true qi and qi, allowing others to temporarily activate and use his token. However, the innate true qi and qi stored in the Qi-storing stone will decay and have a time limit. It needs to be injected once every once in a while.

Using this principle, they also created wooden birds powered by qi, as well as wooden oxen and flowing horses.

Such achievements earned Zhuang Jin the title of 'Vessel Master'.

This path has great potential. After the wooden ox and flowing horse powered by qi, Zhuang Jin went further to try to store energy in the weapons so that they could explode beyond their limits at critical moments, and even create one-time innate qi bombs.

However, these two items are quite difficult, and progress has been somewhat slow.

……

Time flies like an arrow, and a year has passed in a flash. Gatherings, delicious food, gossip, chatting about the past and present, personal cultivation, researching mechanical arts... everything is extremely wonderful. The tense nerves gradually relax, making people seem to forget the Suspended Heaven Bureau and the three great families.

But just like a sunny day with coconut palms on a beach and sparkling water, beneath all this beautiful surface, the Celestial Bureau is like a wandering shadow that never goes far away.

At the end of that year, during a small-scale surge of vital energy, a martial artist of extraordinary potential from another circle, who had entered the Funiu Mountains, never returned and was confirmed dead.

—In the state capital, the number of martial artists at the Innate Qi Realm is much smaller than that at the Innate True Qi Realm. They are divided into several circles, but they occasionally visit each other. At least they know each other's names and pay more attention to each other, so it is relatively easy to see what happens to them.

This could be an accident, or it could be...

At the gathering that day, the seven members of the small circle chatted about gossip and anecdotes as usual, laughing and talking happily. However, Zhuang Jin could observe that the other six people were not very interested.

……

Three months passed quickly after this incident, and in the third month of the sixty-second year of the Qian Yuan era, two events occurred that had a significant impact on Zhuang Jin.

……

That day, after school at Bailu Martial Arts Academy, Ji Tongwei rushed back and shouted, "Teacher, has Xiao Zi come out yet?"

This kid has clearly grown a lot taller and has already reached the Qi Condensation Eightfold Path realm.

Ji Tongxiu followed behind. Compared to when they first met, two or three years had passed, but her appearance had not changed at all. In fact, her skin was even more delicate and better. She had also cultivated a unique temperament. In addition to her purity and heroic spirit, there was a unique charm that was captivating.

"Sir, it's still a light cocoon!" Ji Tongwei's face showed some disappointment.

Because Zhuang Jin wanted to find suitable natural treasures for refining attributes, he needed to improve the treasure-hunting ability of the Purple Kangaroo. Therefore, he had been intentionally allocating resources to it for more than a year. Two days ago, the Purple Kangaroo finally showed signs of breaking through the Five Organs Realm, forming a cocoon of strange light around its body and falling into a deep sleep.

"It seems that today will be the day when it will be accomplished."

Zhuang Jin looked over as she spoke.

As soon as he finished speaking, the cocoon of strange light that had formed around the purple kangaroo's body cracked and shattered in an instant, as the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) poured in like a tornado.

It wasn't until after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea that its radiance became subdued.

At this moment, the purple kangaroo's purple color became even more intense and pure, its fur had an indescribable texture, a lightning bolt-shaped vertical line appeared between its eyebrows, and the electric ball at the tip of its tail swelled up and became larger.

Wow!
Especially after the breakthrough, the uncontrollable momentum swept outwards like a prehistoric beast.

"Little Purple!" Ji Tongxiu called out. As the purple kangaroo called "Pika, Pika" over, her martial arts intuition gave her a frantic warning, and she subconsciously took two steps back.

After taming this guy, Zhuang Jin didn't need to use him on a daily basis, so he didn't take care of him much. If he really relied on him as his master, he would definitely go hungry for three days and nine meals a day. Usually, Ji Tongxiu took care of him.

Well, given the adorable appearance of the purple kangaroo, Ji Tongxiu truly treated it like a pet, personally bathing it every day, giving it extra pocket money to buy it snacks, and often taking it out shopping.

However, before, Ji Tongxiu was at the Fetal Breathing Realm, while the Purple Kangaroo was only at the Bone Forging Realm, so they were evenly matched. Now that this guy has broken through, it is difficult for her to look at him with the same eyes as before.

After all, a beast at the Five Viscera Realm is equivalent to a Xiantian martial artist, and its combat power is usually much stronger than that of a martial artist at the same level!
Ji Tongwei had been so eager to come here, and now, faced with the imposing presence of the purple kangaroo, his body trembled slightly from the start. It was already a sign of courage that he didn't collapse from fear.

Zhuang Jin grabbed the purple kangaroo by the ear and lifted it up, saying, "Let's go to the training ground and let me see what you've accomplished after your breakthrough."

"Pickup!"

The purple kangaroo stood three zhang away, looking at the group of dummies. It activated its supernatural power, and blue-purple lightning flashed on its body, shooting forward like tree branches. The tips of the lightning bolts turned into arrows and hit the target directly.

boom!
A wooden dummy was blown to pieces, and the last dummy, made of meteorite iron, was also blown away, leaving a dent in its chest.

Ji Tongxiu looked at this scene with a strange expression, knowing that he was now far from being able to defeat this pet.

"Wow!"

Ji Tongwei stared wide-eyed, feeling that not only himself, but even the innate master instructors in the martial arts academy couldn't beat the Purple Kangaroo.

This is to be expected. After all, the Purple Kangaroo ranks 357th on the list of exotic beasts of heaven and earth. Although its main ability is not in actual combat, its actual combat ability is not necessarily bad. At least it would be difficult for two or three martial artists of the same level of the first level of the Innate True Qi Realm to defeat it.

"Chirp chirp! Pikachu!"

The purple kangaroo hopped around twice, its little tail wagging proudly. It stretched out its two little paws and instinctively reached into its small pouch in front of it, only to find it empty. It immediately became unhappy.

"good."

Zhuang Jin watched as Ji Tongxiu and Ji Tongwei, the siblings, diligently fed the purple kangaroo purple bamboo seeds, but she didn't pay any attention and just nodded slightly.

This guy's moves look intimidating, and he's considered powerful even in the first level of the Innate True Qi Realm. However, at his level, they're just average. He values ​​his treasure-hunting ability more.

Just then, the doorman announced that guests had arrived. ...

The guest was Li Tingguan, the one who introduced Zhuang Jin to the Gangqi Realm. Zhuang Jin had his servants bring out some fine tea.

Li Tingguan sat down and said, "I see that Brother Zhuang is all alone, without a family. In this life, one should find someone who cares for you... I have a daughter, gentle and kind, with a beautiful face..."

"Um?!"

Zhuang Jin put down her teacup and looked at it, her expression changing slightly.

However, what changed his expression was not "I treat you as a friend, but you want to be my father-in-law," but rather the fact that the other party was secretly transmitting their voice during the conversation.

“Our tokens may be monitored by the Suspended Heaven Bureau. Brother Zhuang, let’s communicate telepathically and discuss some private matters.”

'Sure enough, it's not just me; other innate martial artists, once they reach a certain level, will also make discoveries and sense them.'

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, but replied outwardly, "Brother Li is joking. It's not like I'll call you Father-in-law and you'll call me Brother Zhuang, and we'll address each other differently. I'm naturally carefree and have no such intention; I don't want to be bound by such rules."

The two talked about the matter superficially, but secretly communicated through telepathy.

"I wonder what this secret matter you speak of, Brother Li?"

Li Tingguan did not speak directly, but instead asked via telepathy, "Brother Zhuang, what are your thoughts on the three great families and the Xuantian Division?"

"In the current state capital, this whole system, or rather the rules, is not bad if one is content with enjoying it. But for someone like me who cultivates the Black Fiend Technique, whose future is limited, this is just how it is."

Even though they avoided the token monitoring and discussed it in secret, Zhuang Jin still didn't reveal a single word.

"Well... Brother Zhuang's cultivation of the Black Fiend Technique poses a limited threat to the Suspended Heaven Division, that's true. However, if all those ambitious martial artists whom the Suspended Heaven Division considers thorns in their side were eliminated, would Brother Zhuang still be able to enjoy his current peace and tranquility?"

Li Tingguan paused for a moment, then transmitted his voice, "I will only say two things."

"Firstly, at the end of last year, that martial artist from another circle with extraordinary potential in the Gangqi Realm entered the Funiu Mountains and never returned. He was confirmed dead. Do you really think it was a coincidence, Brother Zhuang?"
Secondly, in the years of major primordial energy tides, those who entered the Funiu Mountains to search for treasure either died or were seriously injured. According to statistics, most of them were those with extremely high potential or those who were hostile to aristocratic families and state governments. Is this also a coincidence?
Brother Zhuang, this year is going to be another big year!

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin lowered his eyelids and simply said, "These are indeed some coincidences, but Brother Li, the Suspended Heaven Division is very powerful, what can we do?"

"Let me introduce you to an organization called the Round Table Meeting."

Li Tingguan transmitted his voice and said, "The Suspended Heaven Bureau restricts and blocks the circulation of high-end resources, and only releases them occasionally at auctions. The round table meeting I mentioned is for ten people at a time. They all wear masks and do not know each other during the gathering. They exchange resources and information and communicate what they have."

"Many high-end resources, such as Condensing Qi Pills, rare and precious materials for refining attributes, perfected beast cores of the Six Organs Realm, and various special secret techniques that accompany martial arts of the Qi Realm, may appear in this roundtable meeting."

It is precisely because the Xuantian Division blocks high-end resources and restricts their circulation that, under such circumstances, there is demand, which is why the Roundtable Meeting has emerged.

Zhuang Jin thought of his current strategy of "remaining steadfast and cultivating good relationships" and made a decision instantly. However, he pretended to be interested and hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I cultivate the Black Fiend Technique, which has limited prospects. I don't need those things, so I won't bother to learn about them."

“Brother Zhuang, this roundtable meeting I mentioned is not about overthrowing the Suspended Heaven Bureau or the aristocratic families. You can treat it as a normal channel for finding resources.”

Li Tingguan paused for a moment, then continued, "To be honest, Brother Zhuang, as far as I know, there are more than ten Innate Corpse Severing Realm martial artists, more than ten Innate Qi Strike Realm martial artists, and dozens of Innate True Qi Realm martial artists in the Round Table Meeting. Even if they are exposed, at most they will only question the mastermind, and it is impossible to eliminate them all."

Zhuang Jin was startled upon hearing this, knowing that Li Tingguan's words made sense, but still refused: "Brother Li, I really have no need. I usually go to the Ascension Pavilion and study mechanical devices, so I am short of money and have nothing good to exchange. There is no need."

As mentioned, he really didn't need the roundtable platform, so he wasn't willing to take any risks.

"That's all."

Seeing that Zhuang Jin was truly unwilling to make contact, Li Tingguan didn't say anything more, stopping short of saying, "However, please keep this a secret, Brother Zhuang."

"What did Brother Li just say?"

Zhuang Jin seemed to be suffering from senile amnesia, as if she had already forgotten what had just happened.

"Haha, good." Li Tingguan was very satisfied with Zhuang Jin's attitude.

Actually, he wasn't afraid of Zhuang Jin reporting him to the Xuantian Division. This channel didn't violate anything on the surface, and since it was a telepathic communication, it wouldn't leave any evidence. Given his status as a Xiantian Qi Realm expert, the Xuantian Division couldn't possibly arrest him and interrogate him.

However, it's better to avoid trouble. If the Xuantian Division and the three major families find out, this channel will likely be cut off under pressure. It was precisely because he had known Zhuang Jin for more than a year that he knew he was not the kind of person who would cause trouble for him that he made the recommendation today.

As Zhuang Jin saw Li Tingguan off, he suddenly thought of the Freemasons and the Tongmenghui from before, and looking at today's round table meeting, he felt that there were many mysteries involved.

He had absolutely no desire to get involved in such troublesome matters, and his attitude was very clear: stay away from trouble, watch from the sidelines, and remain unmoved.

'Instead of thinking about some roundtable discussion, I should focus on myself. I have already completed 70% of the accumulation for the first level of the Innate Qi Realm, and I expect to break through to the second level of the Qi Realm this October or November.'

"This year is a particularly auspicious year, with a major surge of vital energy at the end of the year. I've heard that during such a prosperous year, the Funiu Mountains are teeming with opportunities. My treasure-hunting rat has now broken through to the Five Internal Organs Realm, so the timing is perfect."

A sense of anticipation rose in Zhuang Jin's heart: 'Since my transmigration, I haven't really had any major opportunities. Even if we consider the theory of accumulated luck, shouldn't I have at least one major stroke of good fortune by now? Forget about anything useful for the Yin Spirit realm, there should at least be some rare and precious natural treasures with refined attributes, just to live up to my transmigrator status!'

……

In the subsequent gatherings, Zhuang Jin observed that among the seven people in the small circle, besides Li Tingguan, Zong Dai, Shen Tu Biao, Xi Guiling, and Cui Pangui had probably participated in the roundtable meetings. However, unlike the "one cook, one soldier" approach, Zong Dai and Shen Tu Biao were merely used as channels and tools, while Xi Guiling and Cui Pangui seemed to be more deeply involved.

Of the six people besides him, only Qin Douzhan made the same choice.

The difference between joining and not joining is actually quite obvious. It can be seen from the frequency of the audio transmissions during the gathering. Li Tingguan and his group of five may not be saying that they isolated Zhuang Jin and Qin Douzhan, but since they hadn't attended the roundtable meeting, they naturally had no common topics and found it difficult to talk about anything.

In this situation, Zhuang Jin and Qin Douzhan, two 'timid' individuals, sympathized with each other and huddled together for warmth, gradually becoming much closer.

Time flew by swiftly, seemingly calm on the surface but turbulent beneath. It was already July or August, and on November 27th of that year, Zhuang Jin finally completed the accumulation of the first level of the Innate Qi Realm.

……

(End of this chapter)