Chapter 64

Without money, one cannot take a single step!

After entering Donglin City, Lin Xun deeply understood the meaning of this saying.

Clothing, food, shelter, and travel all require money, and as a cultivator, expenses far exceed the imagination of ordinary people.

For example, when it comes to eating, ordinary people just need something to eat, but cultivators are different. To maintain the purity of their bodies, they must use spirit grains, spirit vegetables, and the flesh of fierce beasts as ingredients, and the prices of spirit grains and vegetables are shockingly expensive.

Even cultivators from wealthy families, in order to constantly hone and refine their cultivation, exclusively consume spirit medicines and spirit pills to replenish their bodies. Such treasures are far beyond the means of ordinary cultivators.

In addition, the clothes worn by cultivators, the mounts they ride, the battle equipment they use, and the cultivation techniques they need all require a substantial financial investment.

Why does the saying "poor scholars, rich warriors" circulate in the world?

It means that only the wealthy children of rich families can worry-free focus on cultivating martial arts.

However, for the poor, even if they have the aptitude for cultivation, it is like a skilled housewife without rice to cook. Due to the lack of various cultivation resources, they are destined to not progress far in their cultivation path.

Why does the annual "Prefecture Examination" held by the empire attract many cultivators to participate? Why do many cultivators from humble backgrounds see the "Prefecture Examination" as an opportunity to leap from a fish to a dragon?

It is because as long as they pass the Prefecture Examination, these cultivators from humble backgrounds can gain the favor of many chambers of commerce, clans, and noble families, who will take them under their wing and provide them with cultivation resources.

Everything is for cultivation, but without financial support, cultivation is impossible.

In the seven days since entering Donglin City, Lin Xun often went out, not for any other reason, but to quickly familiarize himself and integrate into the imperial city.

It was also during these seven days that Lin Xun deeply realized the importance of money.

Donglin City is different from the Qingyang Tribe. In terms of prosperity, the Qingyang Tribe cannot compare. The city is filled with unimaginable cultivation resources, but obtaining these resources is extremely difficult.

Especially for Lin Xun, this was his first time entering a city. He wanted to settle in this densely populated, strong, and complex place, which was even more challenging.

Earning money!

This was the top priority!

This was Lin Xun's current thought. Only by earning enough money could he and Xia Zhi move to a new living environment, obtain more cultivation resources, and better survive in the Ziyao Empire.

...

In front of the desk, Lin Xun suddenly sighed softly.

Xia Zhi looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Xun closed the book in his hand and shook his head, "Nothing."

The book was called "The Geography of the Ziyao Empire," which he had just bought from Li's Bookshop tonight. It was a book about the mountains, rivers, and geography of the Ziyao Empire.

Lin Xun originally intended to find out where the mine prison he had lived in was located, but in the end, he could only find the location of the "Three Thousand Great Mountains." To the south was the "Turbulent Wasteland," the stronghold of the Ziyao Empire's mortal enemy, the Dark King Court.

Lin Xun still remembered that when he was pushed into a deep, unfathomable mine tunnel by Mr. Lu, he lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he was already inside the Three Thousand Great Mountains.

This made him suspect that the mine prison he had lived in was likely located somewhere within the Three Thousand Great Mountains.

Unfortunately, the Three Thousand Great Mountains were too vast, with endless mountains. Even "The Geography of the Ziyao Empire" did not provide a detailed description.

However, this book was not bad. It made Lin Xun finally understand that the continent he was on was called "Cangtu Continent," which was vast and boundless.

The Ziyao Empire was merely one of the known countries on the "Cangtu Continent."

"Are you still thinking about moving?" Xia Zhi suddenly frowned and asked.

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xun casually responded and opened another book called "The Basics of Cultivation." As the name suggests, it described knowledge about cultivation. Although the content was simple, the structure was rigorous.

The book was divided into five parts based on the five major realms of "True Martial," "Spirit Qi," "Spirit Sea," "Cave Heaven," and "Derivative Wheel," each part detailing the respective realm.

For example, the nine levels of the True Martial realm, from the first level "Qi Induction" to the last level "Spirit Transformation," were all explained.

However, these were theoretical knowledge, not actual cultivation insights. They only allowed readers to understand what each realm was like, what changes could be achieved upon reaching it, and what specific signs of advancement were.

Although the content was shallow, Lin Xun found it fascinating. He understood cultivation, but what he lacked was a grasp of cultivation theory.

"I don't need to move, I like it here." Xia Zhi picked up a book called "The Official History of the Empire" and flipped through it.

Lin Xun looked up and gave Xia Zhi a surprised look, "You like it here?"

Xia Zhi didn't even look up, "Here, I can fight at any time, which is very rare. If we move out, there will be no one to fight, and it will be too boring."

As she said this, she also looked up and seriously looked at Lin Xun, "Do you know what my biggest feeling was during the days in Feiyun Village?"

Lin Xun smiled bitterly, roughly guessing what Xia Zhi was going to say.

Sure enough, Xia Zhi said the next moment, "It was boredom. I have analyzed my strength and determined a fact: without fighting, my strength will gradually weaken."

Lin Xun was slightly startled and focused his gaze, "So, only by constantly fighting will your strength not weaken?"

Xia Zhi nodded, "Not only that, only by fighting can I become stronger. I don't need cultivation, I don't need techniques; I only need fighting."

Lin Xun was stunned. He suddenly realized a problem: he had always subconsciously treated Xia Zhi as a five or six-year-old girl, always trying to protect her. Although he already knew that Xia Zhi was different from other children, he had never seriously thought about what Xia Zhi really needed!

At such a young age, she could easily kill a "Wu Henshui" with True Martial Eighth Level cultivation, could live in a deep forest filled with fierce beasts, and even her own combat strength was far inferior to hers.

So, what did she really need?

Lin Xun had never thought about it before. He only knew that Xia Zhi liked to eat and sleep, living a simple and carefree life. But after hearing Xia Zhi's words, Lin Xun finally understood that Xia Zhi had her own path of cultivation, her own thoughts, and her own required way of life!

Lin Xun pondered for a long time and said, "I understand." Then he scratched his head and said, "But, fighting means killing. Do you know what that means?"

Xia Zhi nodded, "I only kill enemies."

Lin Xun smiled bitterly, "But we don't have many enemies."

Xia Zhi countered, "Really?"

Lin Xun thought for a moment and fell silent. Did he really have no enemies?

Of course not!

The enemy who dug out his innate spirit veins, the hand that destroyed the mine prison and left Mr. Lu's fate unknown, could all be considered enemies.

But for the current Lin Xun, resolving these grudges seemed too distant.

"Your enemy seems to be a Wuman Warrior." Lin Xun suddenly remembered that the first time he met Xia Zhi, she was being pursued by a Spirit Sea realm Wuman Warrior.

"I remember him. After I become stronger, I will personally kill him." Xia Zhi's expression was calm, and her voice was also calm, as if for her, this was something that had to be done.

"Fighting... fighting..." Lin Xun was momentarily hesitant. Xia Zhi needed fighting, but he currently had no way to help her.

"You don't need to worry. I like fighting, but it doesn't mean I can't survive without it." Xia Zhi said seriously.

Lin Xun let out a long breath and smiled, "That's good."

Xia Zhi no longer paid attention to him but raised the "Official History of the Empire" in her hand, pointing to a paragraph on the last page, and said, "I fight to become stronger, while this person was born for fighting. That's the difference between us."

Lin Xun was curious and took a look. The paragraph read: "I was born with the destiny of heaven and earth, living for battle. My honor in this life shall be built upon the blood of my enemies!

If I die, I will be buried on the battlefield, with the bones of my enemies as my coffin, my head resting on a mountain of corpses, my body lying in a sea of blood, facing the sky, and sleeping with the earth. Only then can I be without regret!"

— Iron Blood King Ning Buge of the Ziyao Empire.

A few words made Lin Xun's blood boil, and a surge of fighting spirit rose in his chest. He couldn't help but praise, "The Iron Blood King's spirit is as grand as the sun and moon, and as mighty as the ages!"

As he said this, he looked at Xia Zhi, who was sitting quietly on the side, and thoughtfully said, "You are indeed different."

Xia Zhi's lips curled into a faint smile, and for a moment, the room seemed to glow with a dazzling light.

Fortunately, the smile disappeared quickly.

But even so, Lin Xun couldn't help but remind her, "Xia Zhi, don't show yourself in public in the future."

At just five or six years old, such beauty was already too much. If someone saw her, it would surely cause many unforeseen troubles.

Xia Zhi raised her little face and seriously nodded.

Lin Xun smiled, said no more, and turned to sit at the desk, taking out a calligraphy brush, a swallow-winged knife, and a dish of finished spirit ink.

The calligraphy brush was made from the leg bone of an "Iron Beak Mountain Pheasant," slender and straight, with a faint dark purple color. The brush was heavy and simple, with a sharp tip as thin as a cicada's wing, gleaming with a piercing cold light, which Lin Xun named "Purple Pheasant."

The swallow-winged knife was bought by Lin Xun from a weapon shop in the city tonight. It was made entirely of the spirit material "Cloud Mist Steel." Since it had no spirit patterns engraved, it could only be considered an ordinary weapon.

The dish of spirit ink was "Crimson Fire Spirit Ink," one of the widely circulated spirit inks on the market, capable of engraving over a dozen basic fire attribute spirit patterns.

What Lin Xun was going to do now was to engrave a "Burst Flame Spirit Pattern" on the swallow-winged knife, transforming it from an ordinary weapon into a spirit weapon!

And this was one of the most effective ways Lin Xun could think of to earn money!

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PS: Thank you to Ming Meizhi, Yaunbaotu, and Teng Xiao for your support. Although we have fallen to fourth place in the monthly vote, it's not the end of the month yet. I will work hard to update, and at the end of the month, I will do my best to have a big burst. I also ask for your support with votes. Thank you in advance.