Transmigrating to the Qi Cultivation Path, I became an outdated Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Immortal Master, this is Cave No. 7 of the B section of Tongyuanfang."

In the eastern section of Tongyuanfang in the city center of Yuanxia Immortal City, Lu Tong led He Sheng to the address that Feng Lingzi had reported that day.

He Sheng looked around the cave dwelling in front of him. It didn't have any of the so-called immortal atmosphere. At least from the outside, it looked like an ordinary two-courtyard house with blue bricks and gray tiles, simple and elegant.

Fortunately, He Sheng had already inquired beforehand and found out that most of the so-called cave dwellings rented out in Yuanxia Immortal City were actually just ordinary courtyards. Only a small part of the interior, built on the spiritual vein, could be called a cave dwelling.

He Sheng stood in front of the door, unsure of how to pay his respects. He couldn't very well shout it out, could he?

Lu Tong seemed to sense He Sheng's predicament and pointed to a bell hanging in front of the door that emitted a faint spiritual light, saying:

"Master, this item is called the Phonograph. If you wish to visit the owner of this place, you only need to use the method of transmitting sound secretly to send your voice into this Phonograph."

If the master is inside the cave, he will immediately hear the sound of the phonograph and then check the situation;

Even if the cave owner is not present, the recording bell will retain the sound until the owner returns.

Such a magical artifact exists?

He Sheng took a second look with great interest.

Lu Tong knew quite a bit, saying that the phonograph bell was a set of magical artifacts. The bells hanging in front of the door were the smaller bells, while the mother bell was kept in the owner's hand. Only the mother bell could obtain the sound from the phonograph.

Because of its strong secrecy, this ritual implement has always sold very well.

Lu Tong was able to know these things naturally through his uncle, who worked at the Sitong Chamber of Commerce.

He Sheng then used a secret telepathic technique to speak to the phonograph:

"Xiang Yue, a rogue cultivator, has come to pay his respects at the invitation of fellow Daoist Feng Lingzi."

After recording the message, He Sheng asked Lu Tong about the rental price of the cave dwelling.

Lu Tong, however, knew the answer perfectly and replied:

"The second-tier spiritual vein cave dwellings rented out in the Immortal City are divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D. The lowest grade, the D-class cave dwelling, costs eight hundred low-grade spirit stones a year."

A cave dwelling of this grade B would cost 1,500 spirit stones per year.

The "Class A" category requires over three thousand spirit stones, and the spots are extremely limited...

Lu Tong then explained the differences between the different levels of cave dwellings.

For example, the Ding-character cave dwelling is actually a small courtyard. The courtyard is built on the edge of the spiritual vein, and only a few quiet rooms inside are on the spiritual vein.

The environment is rather complicated, and generally only Foundation Establishment cultivators who have very little capital will rent it.

Starting from the "B" grade, all are independent courtyards, differing only in size and location within the spiritual vein, which relates to the concentration and abundance of spiritual energy, thus affecting the speed of cultivation.

After He Sheng understood, he wondered if he should rent a cave dwelling to solidify his identity as a rogue cultivator named Xiang Yue.

"I need to gather all kinds of information through the Nanshan Association, so naturally I need to solidify the identity of the rogue cultivator Xiang Yue."

Anyway, with the phonograph, it only pops up once every three to five months, and the recording can be easily fixed.

"The rest of the time he's supposed to be buried in rigorous training and weapon crafting, cultivating the persona of a reclusive weapon crafting master?"

As He Sheng was pondering this, the inner door of the cave creaked open from the inside.

Feng Lingzi greeted him with a smile. Today he was wearing a Taoist robe with cloud patterns and his face was glowing.

"Since our last parting, I have been eagerly awaiting your return, and I am finally pleased to welcome you back."

Feng Lingzi spoke with such warmth, as if she were meeting an old friend of many years.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, you're too kind." He Sheng cupped his hands in greeting and returned the smile. "I hope you will forgive any inconvenience caused."

"Not at all, please! Please come inside for a chat!" Feng Lingzi stepped aside to make way and gestured for them to enter.

He Sheng did not refuse. He gave Lu Tong a few spirit stones and sent a telepathic message asking him to help find a suitable Class C cave dwelling. Then he followed Feng Lingzi into the cave dwelling.

Passing through the moon gate of the outer courtyard, the scenery inside suddenly opens up.

Although this No. 7 cave dwelling (character number B) is not as luxurious as those with the character number A, it is superior in its ingenious layout.

A spring flows through the courtyard, with artificial hills scattered among the trees and pavilions. Several maids dressed in light gauze carry incense burners or fruit platters, moving among the flowers and trees, making this grotto look like a fairyland.

He Sheng scanned the area with his divine sense and had already made up his mind.

"It seems that Feng Lingzi is not a hermit, but rather enjoys life quite a bit."

For a rogue cultivator to possess such leisurely and refined tastes, it seems Nanshan is no ordinary person.

Feng Lingzi led He Sheng into the main hall.

The main hall was also built in an antique style, with beams and pillars made of thousand-year-old submerged wood, which can be considered a high-grade spiritual material, revealing a touch of understated luxury.

After the two were seated as host and guest, and the maids served them spiritual fruits and tea, Feng Lingzi dismissed his attendants and then asked with a smile:

"I have been thinking of you often since you left last time, fellow Daoist."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xiang has come today because he has decided to join my Nanshan Society?"

He Sheng picked up his teacup, took a sip of the spiritual tea, and said calmly:

"I cannot refuse Fellow Daoist Feng's kind invitation, but I am new here and would like to see what the rules of the Nanshan Association are before making a decision."

Upon hearing this, Feng Lingzi was not annoyed, and patiently explained the purpose of the gathering to He Sheng.

"This gathering held by our Nanshan Society is of a very high standard. Fellow Daoist, do you know why?"

He Sheng had no idea, he only said:

"I humbly request your guidance, fellow Daoist."

"The main purpose of this gathering is to make preliminary allocations for valuable items to be auctioned at next year's auction."

He Sheng frowned slightly, puzzled, and put down his teacup, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Feng, this auction was organized by True Person Tianwu, and the items don't belong to the Nanshan Association, so how can you talk about distribution?"

Feng Lingzi smiled and said:

"Fellow Daoist, you've misunderstood. This allocation is not the same as that allocation."

As she spoke, Feng Lingzi sighed and said:

"I told Fellow Daoist Xiang last time that we rogue cultivators have never had much status and suffer from being exploited by various forces. If we don't unite and fight each other, drive up prices, and waste resources, what hope is there for the Great Dao?"

Therefore, the purpose of our Nanshan Association is to unite everyone. This gathering is to pre-determine the distribution of some valuable auction items. Once it is agreed upon, we will help each other and must not compete with each other anymore..."

Feng Lingzi's words were righteous and awe-inspiring, and He Sheng understood them well. To put it bluntly, it was about reducing internal friction among independent cultivators and uniting against external threats.

The idea is good, but who will ultimately benefit?

He Sheng suppressed his doubts and listened as Feng Lingzi continued:

"Since the items to be discussed at this auction are precious items such as Golden Core cultivators and Golden Core spiritual objects, most of the invited attendees are late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, with a few powerful and experienced mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Fellow Daoist, now you should understand the sincerity with which I invited you to this gathering, shouldn't you?"

He Sheng nodded, exchanged pleasantries with Feng Lingzi, and then the man continued his introduction.

As Feng Lingzi continued to explain the nature and operation of the Nanshan Society, He Sheng gradually understood why this person was so enthusiastic about recruiting him into the society.

This is because the Nanshan Association stipulates that cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage can directly join the association as formal members. They can not only participate in high-level gatherings such as those in a few days, but also have the same voting rights as senior members when discussing the ownership of valuable auction items.

"The various measures taken by the Nanshan Association seem relatively fair."

According to Feng Lingzi, the allocation of valuable auction items at tomorrow's high-level gathering will be based on seniority. For example, the leader of the Nanshan Association will be the first to state what he wants.

However, it's not enough to just mention it; it only counts if no one objects or competes for it.

Furthermore, if two or more members are interested in a particular valuable item, the winner will be determined by who receives the most votes.

Under this mechanism, every vote is crucial, after all, the late stage of Foundation Establishment is not something that comes easily.

"Feng Lingzi is so enthusiastic, she obviously wants my vote."

It seems this person has designs on a certain valuable item for the auction two years from now.

He Sheng did not dislike Feng Lingzi's actions and became even more interested in the Nanshan Society.

Through this in-depth conversation, He Sheng also learned that Feng Lingzi held a rather high position in the Nanshan Society, and according to Feng Lingzi himself, he could sit in the third seat.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know that our Nanshan Society has a traditional activity during our gatherings?"

Towards the end of the conversation, Feng Lingzi mentioned that the Nanshan Society also has an internal exchange session at each gathering.

This exchange is quite interesting; it says you can only exchange with those below you.

"The leader has a rare treasure called the Treasure Light Basin. No matter what kind of spiritual object it is, it will emit light when placed in the basin. Gray is the least valuable and red is the most valuable, which illustrates the rarity and preciousness of spiritual objects."

Tomorrow's gathering is of a high level, and each member must bring out a spiritual item worth at least five thousand spirit stones to exchange with others.

If you are determined to join, as a new member you will have the priority to exchange one item for another.

At this point, Feng Lingzi lowered her voice mysteriously, just like last time, and said:

"As far as I know, there should be quite a few good things at tomorrow's exchange meeting."

Fellow Daoist, do you know what sinking water is?

Is the fruit of enlightenment known?

Do you know about Tianrui Refined Gold?

He Sheng didn't know much about sinking water and Tianrui refined gold, and Piao Ge didn't have much of an impression of them either, but when he heard the words "Tongwu Fruit", he couldn't help but be excited.