In the cultivation world, spirit stones were money.
You couldn't eat them, nor could you drink them. Though they contained vast amounts of spiritual energy, they were riddled with impurities.
Unless driven to the brink of life and death, no cultivator dared absorb it directly.
Typically, large factions used them to power formations or drive massive magical treasures.
Supposedly, the legendary supreme-grade spirit stones had spiritual energy refined to an immaculate purity, which cultivators could absorb directly.
However, such divine things were completely beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.
Supreme-grade spirit stones aside, ordinary spirit stones could indeed serve as common currency due to their scarcity.
Furthermore, the authority to issue this currency was largely concentrated in the hands of the major sects.
The logic was simple: the stronger a sect was, the better the spirit veins it could claim.
And spirit stones were produced from all kinds of spirit veins.
Currency, back on Earth, had no intrinsic value in itself.
It was rather an expression of a nation's credit, which was forged from the union of formidable national strength and abundant resources.
When a nation's credit collapsed, its currency was nothing more than a pile of waste paper.
In this cultivation world, the principle was much the same.
The sects were simply too dominant, so when they designated "spirit stones" as the standard settlement for cultivation resources, ordinary cultivators had no choice but to accept it.
Not only did they have to accept it, but they also had to fight with everything they had to earn enough of them.
The conflict between the Great River Gang and the Mountain Breaker Gang was over the resources in the mountains, and those resources were nothing less than spirit stone after spirit stone.
Right now, inside the Great River Gang, Gang Leader Wang Haichao looked weary as he saw off a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"We've finally settled it."
"As long as we win the death matches the day after tomorrow and secure the channels and resources in the mountains, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance has promised to hand over the water transport routes of the other four market towns to us."
Standing below him was none other than the Great River Gang's second-in-command, Gao Tingyuan.
Hearing this, Gao Tingyuan could not help but feel a surge of intense excitement.
Just a single water transport route here at Dahe Market already brought the Great River Gang overflowing profits, enough to sustain the daily cultivation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Wang Haichao.
If they seized the water transport rights for four more market towns, how much would the Great River Gang make?
It could supply at least one or two more Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Seeing how thrilled he was, Wang Haichao frowned almost imperceptibly, though a smile quickly returned to his face.
"Xiao Gao, you've followed me for so long. It hasn't been easy for you."
"Once we secure the transport rights for those four water routes, I will do everything I can to buy you a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Gao Tingyuan was overjoyed and bowed deeply at once.
"I will serve you to my dying breath, Boss!"
Wang Haichao twitched the corner of his mouth. Leaving the subject aside, he shifted topics.
"How about it? Are you confident about the death matches the day after tomorrow?"
The roster of eighteen fighters for the Dao Discussion Platform death matches had already been submitted.
However, the matchup order remained strictly confidential.
In other words, Gao Tingyuan might face one of the Seven Tigers of Mountain Breaker, or he might run into one of the Two Blades.
With life and death on the line, Gao Tingyuan's joy faded, replaced by gravity.
"As long as I don't run into Broken Blade Xu Renke, I won't lose!"
Wang Haichao was well aware of this.
Xiao Gao was formidable, especially on rivers and waterways, earning him the moniker "River-Muddying Dragon."
But the Dao Discussion Platform was an enclosed, restricted setting. If he encountered Xu Renke, he would likely be defeated.
"Are you certain you can handle the others?" Wang Haichao asked.
Gao Tingyuan said confidently, "Among the other eight, of the Seven Tigers of Mountain Breaker, only Heart-Devouring Tiger and Descending Tiger have real skill, but I fear neither. Sickly Tiger used to be formidable, but once his path was severed, he surrendered to hedonism. I surpassed him years ago."
"What about Jade-Severing Tiger?"
"Haha, just a green brat."
"No. I mean the previous Jade-Severing Tiger."
Gao Tingyuan froze. "He's back?"
Seeing his reaction, Wang Haichao shook his head. "It seems you aren't so sure. Still, no need to worry. Out of nine people, the odds of you meeting him aren't high, and I've arranged others as well."
Hearing the words "arranged others," Gao Tingyuan's expression darkened.
Originally, within the Great River Gang, he was the second-strongest expert after Gang Leader Wang Haichao.
Yet recently, several late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators had appeared out of nowhere, each exceedingly powerful, posing a grave threat to his standing.
*They're probably men secretly provided by the Lianyun Merchant Alliance. I just hope that once the death matches are over, they'll get lost and go back wherever they came from,* Gao Tingyuan thought.
Suddenly!
Wang Haichao's expression shifted slightly. He shot to his feet and snatched out with a hand.
Yet he grabbed empty air.
*Whoosh!*
With a piercing whistle, a gleaming little sword impaled itself right before his desk.
Upon the small sword, a yellow talisman spontaneously ignited without any wind, followed by a chilled, stern voice:
"Keep your men in line. Do not cause trouble in the inner city."
It was a flying sword messenger unique to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, far superior to ordinary voice-transmission talismans.
The color drained from Wang Haichao's face, leaving it pale as snow.
He slowly raised his head, glaring at Gao Tingyuan.
"You sent people into the inner city?"
Gao Tingyuan was terrified as well.
The speed of that small sword had been horrifyingly fast.
If it had been meant to kill him, it wouldn't have taken the slightest effort.
After all, even Wang Haichao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator caught off guard, had failed to catch it.
It was obvious that the person who dispatched this flying sword message was at least at Foundation Establishment.
He forced a wretched smile and stammered, "Boss, I only sent two men to look into Luo Chen—the one connected to my brother's death."
"Useless trash who can't do anything right!"
Wang Haichao cursed, then fumed, "Didn't I say not to stir up trouble before this whole business is over?"
Gao Tingyuan dared not speak, merely keeping his head lowered.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Haichao knew he still needed the man's strength for the matches. Reining in his fury, he said, "I will say this once more: until the Core Formation Master of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect leaves, you are not to make trouble in the inner city. Restrain yourselves in the outer city as well."
"Understood, Boss!"
"Get out, and prepare well for the death matches."
After Gao Tingyuan left, Wang Haichao massaged his temples.
Then, from his storage bag, he drew out a roster.
"This fellow's ambition is growing bigger and bigger. Keeping him around later might become a nuisance..."
...
Stepping off the large vessel, Gao Tingyuan's face was as dark as the bottom of a wok.
Just as Duan Sanfu approached him, Gao Tingyuan swung his backhand across his face.
"Where's Shouhou?"
Dazed by the blow, Duan Sanfu answered instinctively, "Still in the inner city, keeping an eye on that kid."
"Are you sure he hasn't been exposed?"
"He... he shouldn't be! Besides, even if he is exposed, it's not like..."
*Smack!*
Another slap landed.
"Useless trash who can't do anything right."
Gao Tingyuan stormed off in a rage, leaving Duan Sanfu frozen in place, a symmetrical pair of bright red handprints burning on his cheeks.
...
Two days later, all twenty to thirty thousand cultivators in Dahe Market were on the move.
Setting aside their work, they headed toward the inner city.
Today was the grand opening ceremony of the Dao Discussion Platform, undeniably a top-tier spectacle in the area.
Whether one could sneak into Fallen Phoenix Mountain to watch or not, simply taking in the atmosphere from up close was worthwhile.
Furthermore, word had it that the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had set up betting stalls in the inner city, opening betting pools for the bloody eighteen-man matches between the two gangs.
The minimum wager was one spirit stone, with no upper limit.
Even the poorest cultivator could scrape together a spirit stone or two.
If one couldn't watch, placing a bet on the outcome could still count as taking part in the grand event!
Years from now, it would make for fine conversation over drinks.
Meanwhile, in the quadrangle courtyard house in the north of the city, Murong Qinglian had risen early to prepare the outfit for her husband, Qin Liangchen.
In the yard, Bai Meiling and Feng Xia were somewhat crestfallen.
They wouldn't be able to go in person; the city was bound to be packed with people today, making it a prime day for Hundred Herbs Hall to do business.
As mere hired hands, they couldn't get away.
Accompanied by Murong Qinglian, Qin Liangchen stepped out, dressed in a brand-new robe.
"Brother Qin, you have to win!"
"Old Qin, may victory be yours from the start, and return safely!"
Qin Liangchen laughed heartily. "Will do! When I return, I'll host a banquet so we can all feast together."
Just as he laughed, the door to the reverse-facing room across the yard suddenly swung open.
Clad in gray robes, with a wooden hairpin securing his long hair so it draped neatly down his back, a young man stepped out.
Qin Liangchen's eyes lit up. "Little Luo, your cultivation broke through?"
"It's all thanks to the bowl of tiger bone soup Sister-in-law brought over. I was only basking in your light, Brother Qin."
Luo Chen smiled faintly, the spiritual aura of Qi Refinement Layer 5 faintly rippling around him.
Just moments ago, his cultivation progress bar had broken past one hundred, advancing from Qi Refinement Layer 4 to Qi Refinement Layer 5.
What he said was the truth.
Over the past two days, he had taken three Qi-Nourishing Pills in total, gaining three points of progress.
Circulating the Eternal Spring Art had gained him a fair amount of spiritual energy as well.
Yet what finally triggered the qualitative breakthrough was that small bowl of tiger bone soup.
Beyond bolstering his qi and blood, it had contained a substantial amount of spiritual energy.
Refining it over these two days had ultimately brought him to full completion!
Qin Liangchen clapped Luo Chen on the shoulder and roared with laughter. "Good! Good! Your breakthrough is a wonderful omen, perfect for boosting my spirits! Today, I shall crush my opponent!"
Chapter 57