Chapter 35

A pillar of energy shot up into the sky, reaching a height of three feet.

Seventh Brother furrowed his brows, his whole body trembling, drenched in sweat. He was breaking through a bottleneck.

Each realm has its first, fourth, seventh, and tenth levels, which are bottlenecks, corresponding to the initial, middle, late, and great perfection stages. Each time one advances to a new stage, their strength surges dramatically.

Luo Li watched Seventh Brother, silently praying for him, "Succeed, Seventh Brother!"

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Seventh Brother let out a loud roar: "Pass through a myriad of flowers, not a single leaf sticks to the body!"

His entire body's aura was no longer obstructed, soaring into the sky. The joints of his body crackled as he entered the fourth level, advancing to the middle stage of the Qi Cultivation realm.

Seeing this, the surrounding people immediately applauded. From this point on, Seventh Brother was no longer the same.

Like Seventh Brother, many in the grand hall were in the same situation, but some succeeded and some failed. After the last person finished breaking through, the sect leader Fang Ruolei nodded and said:

"The path of cultivation is rugged and full of obstacles. Do not be overly delighted by temporary success or disheartened by temporary failure. Everything is just beginning, and the road lies ahead. The road is long and arduous, but I will seek high and low!"

"Alright, the gratitude banquet is over. Pass through a myriad of flowers, not a single leaf sticks to the body!"

All the disciples stood up, bowing in unison: "Thank you, Sect Leader, for your protection. Pass through a myriad of flowers, not a single leaf sticks to the body!"

Sect Leader Fang Ruolei left, and the crowd dispersed, returning to their respective courtyards to continue their cultivation.

The next day, news came that Seventh Brother had been chosen by the sect leader during yesterday's gratitude banquet and was directly promoted to the inner sect to cultivate, becoming an inner sect disciple.

The news spread, and the Tuo She Courtyard was in an uproar. Only by becoming an inner sect disciple, worshipping the ancestral hall, and receiving the supreme techniques could one truly be considered a Lingdie Sect disciple, with boundless prospects.

Everyone came to see Seventh Brother off, and thus he left. In the days to come, his figure appeared before the Ziyang Cliff.

After Seventh Brother left, the sect distributed benefits, and Luo Li received four spirit stones and four Qi Cultivation pills.

There were always people waiting for such a moment. Some people in the world are cunning. They had seen Luo Li helping others everywhere in the past few days, and many thought he was a simpleton. As soon as the benefits were distributed, they came to borrow money from Luo Li.

They said it was borrowing, but it was actually borrowing without returning. "Since you like doing good deeds, why don't you give us your things? We'll do good deeds for you, and it will be a favor to you!"

Seeing these senior brothers coming to borrow spirit stones and pills, Luo Li smiled and took out a contract, saying:

"Sure, sure, as long as you sign the contract, I'll lend you whatever you want!"

The person borrowing the money, upon seeing the contract, which had nine clauses and thirteen interest points, and was a sect contract, with the sect pursuing the debt if it wasn't repaid, immediately turned pale. This kid isn't a fool; signing this contract would be the real fool.

Thus, they left with green faces, cursing loudly outside.

Some people are like this, thinking it's natural for them to borrow money, and if you don't lend it, you're a great sinner. When you ask them to repay the debt, it's a complete offense. Not only do they not repay, but they also curse and say all sorts of things!

Luo Li didn't care at all. He was just like this! No matter what they said, whether they were happy or disliked him, he ignored it all and did what he wanted to do in an orderly manner.

Time continued. During the day, Luo Li either helped others or worked. Slaughtering the iron-armored tapirs almost became his full-time job. This thing was hard to kill, and letting Luo Li do it made everyone else more relaxed.

Luo Li slaughtered the iron-armored tapirs to gain merit. Even if he didn't kill them, they would die anyway, so it was better to let them die painlessly. In the evening, he absorbed the essence of the spirit stones, cultivating calmly and steadily, replenishing the true qi in his dantian.

Luo Li began his cultivation journey in the Lingdie Sect, gradually becoming familiar with the Tuo She Courtyard, understanding the Lingdie Sect, and integrating into the cultivation world!

Time passed bit by bit, and Luo Li continued to do the same day after day. People gradually adapted, and all their thoughts gradually disappeared. Luo Li was just such a person, so warm-hearted, so kind. Whether they doubted or were grateful, they eventually adapted to him, silently and without a sound.

As time passed, Yongchuan gradually changed his view of Luo Li and became closer to him.

In the work over these days, Luo Li gradually found a way to make money.

There's a saying: "Rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the sea to eat the sea." The way for the Jingxiang Kitchen disciples to make money is to secretly plant two acres of spirit fields, sell some spirit grains, and for the Caizhi Hall disciples, it's to buy the defective products from the hall at a low price and then sell them to outside cultivators, making a profit from the difference.

But for Luo Li, who was in the Tuo She Courtyard, he could only rely on the Tuo She Courtyard!

However, over the years, the ways to make money in the Tuo She Courtyard, either were controlled by others or discovered by the sect, and the loopholes were patched, leaving no good way to make money.

But there's a saying: "Heaven does not abandon people." Finally, Luo Li found that in the Tuo She Courtyard, when the spirit beasts were sent for slaughter and dissection, there were often accidents, and some of the fur was damaged, making it unusable for manufacturing materials. In the end, it could only be discarded as waste.

Luo Li, upon discovering this, immediately sensed that this was a way to make money. He began collecting these damaged furs, spending almost nothing, and others even thanked him for helping dispose of the waste.

But how could these furs be turned into spirit stones? Luo Li began to look for a way. At this time, the benefits of being a third-class disciple came into play. Luo Li went to the outer sect's scripture hall to read books and find a way to make money.

There are golden houses in books!

Whenever he had free time, Luo Li would borrow a camel beast and go to the outer sect's main courtyard, enter the scripture hall, and start reading books to find a way to make money.

While looking for a way to make money, Luo Li also gained a deeper understanding of the various past events and rumors of the cultivation world through the books in the scripture hall.

In the scripture hall, there were also secret techniques and manuals, but to learn them, one needed to spend spirit stones. Luo Li was only at the first level of Qi Cultivation, and buying them would be useless, so he didn't learn those secret techniques and manuals. He only read various records and notes.

Flipping through book after book, searching book after book, could the discarded furs be used to make magic robes? No, the spirit energy was too scattered, and they couldn't be used!

Could they be used to refine pills? This is fur, and it's even more impossible!

What to do? Gradually, Luo Li found a use for these furs: to make talisman paper!

Talismans are one of the sixteen arts of cultivation, from the Reversion to Emptiness realm to the Qi Cultivation realm, there are talismans that can be used. They can be said to be suitable for all ages and essential for daily life.

But to draw a talisman, one must have talisman paper, the foundation of the foundation. A pack of fifty ordinary talisman papers is worth one spirit stone.

This talisman paper is not just any paper. It must be made from paper with spirit energy and refined using special methods to be considered talisman paper.

However, Luo Li found that it didn't have to be paper. Fur, spirit wood, metal, jade, even bones, could be used to make talismans. In ancient times, there was no talisman paper, and fur was used to make talismans. Even now, the higher the level of the talisman, the more special the material needed.

Seeing this, Luo Li's eyes lit up. He continued to search and, after three days, finally found a method to make talisman paper from fur in a travelogue left by Lanchang Daoist. He let out a long breath; this was his way to make money!

Action is better than words. Luo Li immediately returned to the Tuo She Courtyard and began to make talisman paper from the furs according to the method.

Collecting furs, washing and softening them, removing the fur with salt, infusing them with spirit energy, grinding them into a paste...

Luo Li began to study continuously, finally summarizing twelve steps to make the furs into talisman paper.

Each piece of fur was one foot square, white and smooth, with a soft texture and evenly distributed spirit energy. Although it was a bit thicker and less attractive than ordinary talisman paper, it worked perfectly.

Luo Li invited a senior brother who knew how to draw talismans to test it. The conclusion was that it was no different from ordinary talisman paper. Coincidentally, Old Sha was going to the Tianzhu Sect market to buy spirit pills. Luo Li took out a hundred pieces of fur talisman paper and asked him to help sell them to see how it would go.

In the Lingdie Sect, Luo Li had been around for a long time and knew that ordinary disciples would go to the Tianzhu Sect market to buy spirit pills, magic weapons, and other items. The market there was several times larger than the Lingdie Sect's and was a central trading place for cultivators from the entire Tianzhu Five Islands.

Soon, Old Sha returned, happily telling Luo Li:

"Luo Li, the talisman paper you asked me to sell really had buyers, but they said this fur talisman paper is rare, and its effect is unknown. They offered one spirit stone for a hundred talisman papers. Do you want to sell it?"

Luo Li couldn't help but frown. It was too low, too low. The effect was the same, but they only offered half the price, which was too unfair!

Old Sha saw Luo Li's thoughts and said:

"Alas, there's nothing we can do. I went to many merchants, and they all said this thing hasn't been tested. It's not a talisman, and once its effect is known, if there's a problem, losing some money is nothing, but the reputation will be ruined.

One spirit stone for one spirit stone, then. It's not much profit, but it's hard work!"

Luo Li said, "No, they're too low!"

Suddenly, Luo Li had an idea and said, "Right, Old Sha, what did you say? It's not a talisman, and its effect will be known once it's used!

Old Sha, what are the prices of talismans in the market?"

Old Sha said, "Talismans, low-grade talismans for the Qi Cultivation realm, three for one spirit stone, mid-grade talismans, one for one spirit stone, high-grade talismans, one for three spirit stones!"

Luo Li slapped his thigh and said:

"This is easy. We'll make these talisman papers into talismans. Our own talisman paper, a cost-free business, and we'll earn even more spirit stones!"

Old Sha was stunned when he heard this and then said:

"Difficult, difficult, difficult!

Drawing talismans is not that simple. First, you need the ability to make talismans. To make talismans, you need to at least reach the second level of Qi Cultivation, where you can project spirit energy outward, which is necessary to make talismans.

Second, you need the tools to make talismans. You have the talisman paper, but you also need a talisman brush, which is a magic weapon, and spirit ink, a grinding stone, all of which require spirit stones. It's too difficult!

Finally, you need to master the technique of making talismans, one of the sixteen arts of cultivation. Only inner sect disciples are taught this. There are manuals to buy and learn, but it costs hundreds of spirit stones to buy one. Learning this skill is too difficult.

Luo Li just smiled and didn't say anything. As long as there's a goal, there's a direction to move forward, and all that's left is to work hard.