Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 223: A Heavy Bets
"You do have some self-awareness!"

Having calmed his four subordinates down, Li Yunjing looked at Ma Xingyuan and made a teasing remark.

"hey-hey!"

Ma Xingyuan scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and asked tentatively, "Young Master Li, how can I advance to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm? My cultivation power is simply not enough to advance even a small realm!"

At this point, Ma Xingyuan looked at Li Yunjing expectantly, his meaning clear: whatever you say, you can protect me, even if it doesn't work out.

You can't ignore me now!
"hehe!"

Seeing Ma Xingyuan's pathetic state, Li Yunjing was so angry he laughed.

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan looked at the fat man with some envy!

The fat man's casual demeanor demonstrated just how close his relationship with Li Yunjing was.

If it were the four of them doing this, they would have greatly offended Young Master Li.

Such treatment almost makes him look like Li Yunjing's number one lackey.

The thought of "sour grapes" immediately surfaced in the minds of the four.

Li Yunjing ignored Ma Xingyuan and instead picked up his chopsticks, took a couple of bites of food, and tasted it.

Seeing Li Yunjing start eating, the others followed suit and began to enjoy the dishes.

Li Yunjing tried two dishes, and they tasted pretty good.

The culinary skills at "Ya Xiang Yuan" seem to have improved significantly.

Of course, it's far inferior to "Donghua Building".

However, compared to the first time Li Yunjing hosted a dinner here, it has already made great progress.

Li Yunjing glanced at the fat man and knew without asking that the rapid improvement in the quality of "Yaxiangyuan" must be related to the fat man's large appetite.

I reckon this fat guy goes to the kitchen every few days to teach those skilled chefs, helping them improve their cooking methods and raise their skill levels.

After tasting a few bites of the food, he noticed that Ma Xingyuan was becoming somewhat restless.

Li Yunjing smiled slightly and pushed the food dishes and bowls in front of him to the side.

Seeing this, Ma Xingyuan and the other four also became much more serious. They looked up at Li Yunjing, knowing that Young Master Li had something to say.

"Alright! You must succeed in this matter! Here are 50,000 low-grade spirit stones! This is my sponsorship for you!"

"Spend it all, don't save a single penny!"

"Whether it's purchasing pills to cultivate magical power, supernatural abilities or secret techniques suitable for you, or top-grade magical artifacts, it's all up to you!"

"But! I have only one request! You must achieve final victory!"

Li Yunjing spoke in a deep voice, and at the same time, with a flick of his sleeve, he revealed 50,000 low-grade spirit stones!

Looking at the mountain of spirit stones on the table, Ma Xingyuan, Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan were all green with envy.

The spirit stones, when stacked up, were almost as tall as two people, reaching straight to the top of the shed.

Such a small mountain of spiritual stones, piled up with spiritual stones, would make anyone who saw it feel breathless, their eyes red with envy, and they would find it hard to control themselves.

Cultivators are naturally susceptible to things that sparkle.

The cultivators' greed was no different from that of the dragons.

If this were in another place, or with another person, Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan would all have been tempted to snatch it.

Even disciples of major sects, when encountering such wealth in sparsely populated areas, would inevitably reveal their murderous intent.

Of course, here, on Li Yunjing's territory, no one dared to make a move. Everyone had to sit obediently, only able to watch and not take anything.

However, Su Guo and the other three also knew that this was for the participants. Their cultivation level exceeded the registration requirements, so they were not qualified to participate in the battle, and naturally, they were not qualified to receive this resource.

Li Yunjing looked at the five people with amusement, and expressed his understanding of the situation.

If he had seen a stranger displaying so much wealth before he advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he might have been tempted as well.

As his cultivation level improved and he gained more experience, Li Yunjing became increasingly able to control his greed and make his behavior more in line with his style of conduct.

Instead of being controlled by human instincts.

This is because the higher one's spiritual attainment, the more one can subdue one's inner demons.

Of course, the devil is always one step ahead of the saint!
The higher one's cultivation level, the more powerful one's inner demons become. The two complement each other, and maintaining a balance is the limit that a cultivator can achieve. To completely eliminate inner demons...

That means destroying half of one's own spirit and will.

Within the "Shenxiao Dao Sect," there are specific spiritual cultivation methods for cultivators beyond the Foundation Establishment stage, designed to strengthen their primordial spirit, enhance their cultivation, and suppress greed.

These are also some of the sect benefits for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If Li Yunjing is promoted to a true disciple, he will be taught a higher level of spiritual cultivation methods.

At this point, Li Yunjing only had an instinctive, subconscious deduction about cultivation after the Foundation Establishment stage, and did not know the specific direction and content of the next stage of cultivation.

These are the reasons why Li Yunjing did not change his identity.

Once he completes this mission and successfully advances to the rank of true disciple, even greater benefits await Li Yunjing.

And not just some everyday benefits.

"Okay! I'll give it my all!"

Looking at the pile of low-grade spirit stones, Ma Xingyuan found it hard to breathe. His expression kept changing, like a face changing, until finally it became extremely solemn, with an air of "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold, the hero is going to his death."

"Hehe! Here are five second-tier Five Elements Spirit Talismans for your protection."

Little did he know, the surprises weren't over yet. Li Yunjing then retrieved five more second-tier talismans from his storage ring.

Seeing the second-tier talisman gleaming with precious light on the table, Ma Xingyuan's confidence soared, and he loudly assured him, "Young Master Li! Don't worry! I'll definitely take first place this time!"

There is no reason to fail!

With 50,000 low-grade spirit stones, one can purchase the best "Qi-replenishing pills" to condense one's own magical power to its peak and break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm.

The remaining spirit stones could be used to purchase a powerful set of top-grade magical artifacts.

They might even have extra items to buy forbidden weapons to comprehensively enhance their combat power.

Now that we have five Five Elements Talismans, we can restrain the vast majority of cultivators' techniques, secret arts, and supernatural powers.

Ma Xingyuan really didn't know what reason he had for failing.

He rarely uttered such a confident statement.

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan nodded in agreement as they watched this scene. With so many good things, they felt they had a great chance of winning first place in the outer sect competition! This was something even a dog could accomplish by tying a pancake to its head!
Li Yunjing looked at Ma Xingyuan seriously, feeling that this fat man was somewhat unreliable.

Perhaps it's just my own subjective opinion?

One look at that comical smiling face and you realize Ma Xingyuan can't fight?
I've placed a big bet, you can't lose!
The thought of the upcoming outer sect competition made Li Yunjing uneasy.

What was given to Ma Xingyuan, Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan was a small fortune.

The real highlight was the benefits he gained by using Ma Xingyuan, this dark horse, to orchestrate his scheme.

That's a profit of several million spirit stones!

Last year, Li Yunjing gained some fame, so his dark horse status wasn't entirely unexpected.

Ma Xingyuan, on the other hand, was different; he was an unknown person.

They were assigned to logistical tasks and never participated in combat.

What kind of fighting power could someone like that have?
Once others investigate Ma Xingyuan's background, they will know that such a person has almost no combat power.

Let alone the top 64, they might not even make it past the first round.

Isn't someone like that easy to manipulate?
Who would believe that someone like Ma Xingyuan could make it to the end?
This is also one of the reasons why Li Yunjing chose Ma Xingyuan.

"Okay! I'll lend you this 'Heavenly Frost Sword' too! Remember to return it to me after you've accomplished your mission."

After thinking it over, Li Yunjing decided to place another bet. To ensure that everything went smoothly, he took out a spirit sword from his storage ring.

"Spiritual weapon!"

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan exclaimed almost simultaneously, their voices trembling slightly.

No one expected that Li Yunjing would go to such lengths to win first place in the outer sect competition!
This means you could win even if you replaced the pig with another one, right?
Thinking of this, Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan looked at Ma Xingyuan. Wasn't he just a fat pig?

The four of them were filled with regret!

If they had known that Li Yunjing would rise to prominence in a year, they would have suppressed their cultivation levels long ago and stopped trying to break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Who could receive such a large amount of resources for cultivation and not soar to great heights?
What does wasting a year matter?
Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan all suspected that Ma Xingyuan might be the first to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm before them!
In fact, Li Yunjing did indeed intend to cultivate Ma Xingyuan.

As a friend, Ma Xingyuan's qualifications are somewhat lacking, and his background is shallow.

If he cultivates step by step, Li Yunjing doubts whether Ma Xingyuan will have had the chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage when he reaches the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage!
Under such circumstances, as a friend, Li Yunjing thought of helping Ma Xingyuan as much as he could.

Of course, help is not unlimited!

This was basically the biggest help Li Yunjing could give Ma Xingyuan.

If Ma Xingyuan's future path remains unsuccessful, Li Yunjing will be unable to offer any further assistance.

Moreover, this time, providing assistance to Ma Xingyuan is a perfectly legitimate action.

After all, among the five people present, only Ma Xingyuan was qualified to participate in the outer sect competition.

The others couldn't say anything either.

When Ma Xingyuan emerges as a dark horse and wins first place in the outer sect competition, Li Yunjing will also receive many rewards.

Whether it's the reward for Ma Xingyuan's first place or the profits from the peripheral betting, Li Yunjing can earn at least several hundred thousand to a million low-grade spirit stones.

Overall, for Li Yunjing, this matter is more beneficial than harmful.

"Young Master Li! Just watch! This time, I'm definitely going to be number one!"

Ma Xingyuan, full of high spirits, came to Li Yunjing's side and stuffed all the good things on the table into his storage bag.

Seeing that Ma Xingyuan was still using the storage bag, Li Yunjing frowned and tossed him another "treasure pouch," saying casually, "Use this."

"Thank you very much, Young Master Li!"

Ma Xingyuan was overjoyed and quickly rummaged through his storage bag and put his belongings into the "treasure trove".

Everyone present was speechless at Ma Xingyuan's actions.

Ma Xingyuan carried five or six storage bags, most of which contained monster meat, fine wine, and top-quality ingredients. Apart from these, he had very few items related to cultivation.

"This guy is a real glutton!"

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, and Hou Boyan all had similar thoughts in their minds almost simultaneously.

Li Yunjing couldn't help but sigh.

Fatty, oh fatso!
All that fat on you didn't come for nothing!
Ma Xingyuan is not prone to weight gain!

It's all from what they eat!
After Ma Xingyuan carefully put these things away, Li Yunjing looked at the five people and instructed them: "During the outer sect competition, if I am unable to return from the border, you should go to Yu Yunyi of 'Chaoyang Peak'. She is my Daoist partner, and while I am away, you must follow her orders!"

"Yes, Young Master Li, we understand!"

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, Hou Boyan, and Ma Xingyuan all stood up and said in unison.

"Alright! Everyone, sit down! Now that we've finished discussing business, let's have a drink!"

Li Yunjing pointed to the five people, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Alright! Young Master Li, we'd like to toast you!"

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, Hou Boyan, and Ma Xingyuan were grateful for Li Yunjing's cultivation. They each filled their glasses with wine and toasted Li Yunjing.

"Yes! As long as we unite as one, things will only get better from now on! Keep up the good work..."

Li Yunjing and the others had a drink together, which boosted morale.

After the six finished discussing their business, they chatted about other things, including Li Yunjing introducing them to the "Star Moon Trading Company."

Inform these people that the "Star Moon Trading Company" in the "Red Sun Market" is their own shop, and that they plan to open more shops in the future.

Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, Hou Boyan, and Ma Xingyuan were all intelligent people. They immediately understood Li Yunjing's deeper meaning and expressed their willingness to do their best to assist the "Star Moon Trading Company" in its development and expansion.

With these people's assurances, Li Yunjing nodded with relief.

Despite the fact that everyone present was an inner or outer disciple, the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" brand was actually very effective in the Ming Dynasty.

As long as the Star Moon Trading Company is frequently protected by disciples of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, no one dares to target it.

Even shops run by Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't dare to openly bully "Star Moon Merchant Guild".

Li Yunjing was unwilling to put too much effort into the "Star Moon Merchant Guild." Like some important figures in the sect, he treated his merchant guild as a tool for earning resources.

No one wants to waste their precious time on business just for this tool.

Li Yunjing didn't have the energy to keep an eye on "Star Moon Trading Company" all the time, especially as the number of branches they opened increased, Li Yunjing couldn't keep up with them all the time.

(End of this chapter)