Seeking Immortality In The Cultivation World

In the evening, Ji Ning, who had been sitting still all day, suddenly smelled a fragrance and immediately opened his eyes.

He sniffed hard again.

"The freshest white-eyed bear meat, Xia Lan grass, Lingxi horn powder, tongue-jumping, schisandra..."

"Unfortunately, it lacks the most exciting Man Tian Hong, which is a bit disappointing!"

He swallowed the saliva that had secreted at some point, rolled his eyes, and got up to tidy up his clothes. Feeling satisfied with his appearance, he pushed open the door.

Walking from the corridor on the side of the front and back floors to the front yard, he saw Lin Xiu and his wives sitting by the clear spring water.

In the middle of the three people was a strange long hollow iron box, with red glowing charcoal inside, and a row of meat chunks skewered on top, roasting.

The wafting blue smoke was exactly the source of the fragrance he had smelled.

"This way of eating is quite fresh!"

Ji Ning swallowed a mouthful of saliva and couldn't help but praise.

Lin Xiu, who had his back to him, took out some seasonings and sprinkled them evenly on the skewers.

"Xue'er, fan it gently with the fan, or it will burn."

Then he turned around and smiled at Ji Ning.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, are you here to collect the rent? I planned to send it to you yesterday, but I didn't dare to disturb you when I saw the defensive formation you set up."

Ji Ning opened his mouth and cursed himself for being foolish. He didn't expect that one of his daily habits would make him eat a tasteless fasting pill again.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Rent and such, actually, it's not urgent..."

Then, he quickly glanced at the skewer box.

"This is white-eyed bear meat, right? Fine cuisine emphasizes color, fragrance, and taste. The fragrance is good, but the color..."

Lin Xiu suddenly realized something and handed him the rent. Then he turned around and picked up a skewer and handed it to Ji Ning.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Ji to also have a research interest in food. Why not taste it?"

Ji Ning elegantly accepted it.

Then, he fiercely swallowed half of the skewer, closed his eyes, and chewed.

"As for the taste, it's average. The roasted meat has all the flavors it should have, but... I came out in a hurry and didn't bring the 'Man Tian Hong' and other seasonings, what a pity."

Lin Xiu smiled and took out a white porcelain bottle from his storage bag. He turned around and sprinkled some red powder on a portion of the roasted skewers.

"Xue'er, Wen'er, don't touch the portion I sprinkled!"

He then picked a skewer that looked good and handed it to Ji Ning, who was stunned.

"The color is there, but I don't know if you dare to eat it?"

Ji Ning stared with wide eyes, looking at the red skewer in front of him without moving.

"The powder just now was ground from the fire pill of a dual-headed fire snake, right? Aren't you afraid of being poisoned to death?"

Lin Xiu took a bite without hesitation, showing a look of enjoyment.

"I was tormented by the fire poison of a second-order four-eyed venomous lizard for nearly twenty years. Although it has been cleared now, I have developed a certain resistance to fire poison. It's been a long time since I tasted this flavor. Do you want to try it?"

Looking at the gazes from Lin Xiu's wives, Ji Ning's long-standing competitive spirit was ignited.

"Heh, it's just the poison of a first-order monster. Why should I be afraid?"

He walked over, picked up three skewers, and ate them without hesitation.

Wow?

Not bad!

In addition to the original taste of the skewers, there was a spicy burning sensation that constantly stimulated his taste buds, making the taste more layered and more exciting than adding "Man Tian Hong".

His eyes became brighter and watery.

"Do you have any fine wine?"

Lin Xiu felt goosebumps all over his body when he saw Ji Ning's gaze.

It was one thing for a grown man to walk in a timid manner, but why were his eyes so captivating?

Intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at the other's Adam's apple and took out a jar of wine.

"Fellow Daoist Ji not only has extraordinary courage but also has a deep understanding of the art of fine cuisine. With these skewers and fine wine, the taste is even better than before. Please!"

He gestured for Ji Ning to join his own dinner party, eating skewers and drinking alcohol.

Alcohol is the best way to bring people closer together. In the intentional situation created by Lin Xiu, Ji Ning seemed to let go of his arrogance and began to talk freely.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, I've heard a little about your situation from Sister Hua. Isn't it just a conflict with your grandfather at home? Coming out to relax and experience life under Purple Cloud Peak isn't a bad idea. Consider it a form of cultivation."

Ji Ning boldly downed a bowl of wine.

"That's exactly my intention. I haven't stepped out of Purple Cloud Peak at all. How can we cultivators hide under our ancestors' wings for our whole lives? We naturally need to experience life and death firsthand. That's the only way our cultivation will be worthwhile! I don't know anything about the situation down the mountain, so I ask Brother Lin for guidance."

He burped after taking a sip of wine.

"However, I don't know anything about the situation down the mountain, so I ask Brother Lin for guidance. For example, you mentioned the 'Thousand Calamities Sect' causing trouble. Why did you find it funny?"

Lin Xiu swirled his wine glass and asked in return, "Do you know what the biggest advantage of Purple Cloud Sect in the Thousand Despair Mountains is?"

"Of course, it's the abundant spiritual stones and mineral resources."

"Correct, it's the spiritual stones! Before I came here, a first-grade middle-tier talisman in the outside world would only cost one spiritual stone. But why is it so expensive here?"

"Because there's no shortage of spiritual stones here?"

Lin Xiu shook his head.

"You're only half right. This is called regional inflation. The four major markets of the Thousand Despair Peak are almost isolated from the outside world, forming a small, distorted... spiritual stone currency ecosystem. This is extremely rare in other places, but with the support of the abundant spiritual stone production, we don't feel that it's expensive. Let's take the middle-tier talisman as an example. It has never dropped below ten spiritual stones in the market."

He mentioned several professional terms from another world, unexpectedly, Ji Ning understood them.

"What about the other half?"

"The other half is simple. It's the extreme cruelty here that far surpasses the sects in the outside world! If we Independent Cultivators don't frequently hunt and kill demonic beasts and take on development tasks from Purple Cloud Sect to earn spiritual stones, not only will it be difficult to maintain our survival, but it will also be difficult to improve our cultivation. And in order to ensure safety during the tasks, we inevitably consume a large amount of elixirs, Law Weapons, and talismans. Demand determines market prices!"

"Demand determines market..."

After hearing this, Ji Ning nodded to Lin Xiu.

"Brother Lin is insightful!"

They clinked their glasses and continued to ask, "I wonder if Brother Lin has any insights on the participation of the Great Zhou Sect in the development of the Thousand Despair Mountains?"

Lin Xiu sighed.

"It's just one of the results of the game between the high-levels of the two countries!"

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple. Originally, the two countries were at a similar level, and although there were occasional disputes, they were within a controllable range. But once one of the countries suddenly becomes wealthy, what will the other country think?"

Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

"Fear, followed by pressure, and finally negotiation!"

Lin Xiu shrugged.

"That's right. They probably don't want to go to war. No matter who wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. They can only make limited compromises. Obviously, Great Xia took a step back. However, I don't think this is the result that the Great Zhou Sect wants. It seems like they have some other tricks up their sleeves..."

Ji Ning narrowed his eyes, a hint of unknown excitement flashed across his face!

But Lin Xiu shook his head, lost in his own thoughts.

"But who cares? I'm just a Qi Refining fourth-layer Independent Cultivator. I can't think about these things. As long as I save enough money for a boat ticket to leave this place, I'll just leave without a care. What does it matter if the world is in chaos?"

Ji Ning raised his cup and smiled.

"That's right, why worry about things beyond our control?"

After discussing some miscellaneous matters, they bid farewell and returned to the backyard.

Lin Xiu watched his figure leave and couldn't help but want to slap himself.

"Alcohol is not a good thing. That was close!"

This person is not an Independent Cultivator. He is from Purple Cloud Sect. If he says something wrong, it would be asking for trouble.

He shook his head and focused on his own cultivation.

Qin Yawen, who couldn't resist her appetite, passed out after just one drink. She collapsed on a stone bench by the spiritual spring, a trace of sparkling saliva flowing from the corner of her mouth.

It's no wonder, this jar of wine isn't meant for someone at the Qi Refining initial stage.

The intoxicating beauty made Lin Xiu temporarily forget his loose tongue.

He carried her and placed her on a soft couch in the second-floor study, taking a deep breath.

He began to analyze Ji Ning as a person.