In ancient times, cultivators acted without taboo or restraint. Slaughtering the living beings of an entire region to refine magical artifacts; razing mountains and boiling seas, incinerating forests and sinking continents; disregarding promises and going back on their word; murdering for treasures and driven solely by profit... all of this was the norm.
The underlying cause was that as a cultivator's cultivation realm advanced and their personal power continually grew, the restraints placed upon them became fewer and fewer.
A Soul Formation cultivator took a fancy to a rare treasure that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had obtained by chance. With effortless ease, the senior could slaughter the junior and claim the treasure as his own.
Under such circumstances, how many would choose to acquire the treasure through a "transaction"? By the same token, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator faced a "trade" proposed by a Soul Formation cultivator countless times stronger than himself, would he dare refuse? And if the other party broke the agreement or turned hostile without warning, what recourse did he have?
He could only swallow his grievances and even count himself lucky that the other party had spared his life. If the two parties to a transaction were on unequal footing, fairness was entirely out of the question.
Yet in today's Five Elders Association—and indeed across the entire Xuanhuang Realm—this state of affairs had been completely transformed.
It was all due to the existence of various contracts. The Divine Soul Contract signed when Five Elders Association cultivators indentured themselves; the commercial contracts Li Fan had used numerous times; the special golden contracts used to buy and sell cultivation techniques... This omnipresent, mysterious force was able to impose genuine constraints upon cultivators.
Even Dao Integration cultivators could not defy the power of a contract. Once signed, it had to be honored. Driven by contracts, order was established accordingly.
If the Heavenly Profound Mirror and Yanfa Jade were the foundation of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, then contracts were the lifeblood of the Five Elders Association.
Returning to Divine Soul Points: in essence, Divine Soul Points were a special kind of energy stored deep within the soul through the power of contracts.
Beyond their everyday use in transactions, they served another special purpose: spending Divine Soul Points to unlock the Immortal Sect Armory.
There, vast seas of cultivation methods, ancient texts, and treasures originating from ancient immortal sects were available for exchange at will.
Even more noteworthy was that within the Immortal Sect Armory existed true phantasms of numerous ancient sects.
The force that created these true phantasms was remarkably similar to that of the Fallen Immortal Realm. Within them, cultivators could roam through countless ancient sects that had long since gone extinct.
Within these sects remained the projections of many ancient cultivators. Most possessed no consciousness of their own, existing merely as empty husks.
Yet in actual combat, every gesture and strike carried power almost indistinguishable from a living person. Cultivators of the Five Elders Association could spend Divine Soul Points to spar repeatedly with these ancient cultivators and sharpen their combat prowess.
Moreover, within the Immortal Sect Armory, no injury would affect one's physical body in reality; it would only inflict minor, superficial wounds upon the soul.
Better yet, such soul injuries could also be healed by expending Divine Soul Points. Theoretically speaking, as long as one possessed enough Divine Soul Points, even a mortal who had only just begun cultivating could grow extraordinarily formidable through battle after battle.
Constrained by the Divine Soul Contract, the Five Elders Association had no need to deliberately suppress the combat prowess of ordinary cultivators like the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals did.
Of course, none of this came free; cultivators had to strive for it themselves.
At this moment, on the border of Wuding Province beside the White Mist Barrier, Lu Fan looked upon the various models of Puxian True Boats, his interest thoroughly piqued.
Unfortunately, because he was not a member of the Five Elders Association, he did not have a single Divine Soul Point to his name and could only gaze upon them longingly with intense envy.
Just then, a vendor came over to strike up a conversation: "You two fellow Daoists must be from the Alliance side and haven't joined our Five Elders Association yet, right?"
Hearing this, Lu Fan's expression shifted slightly.
He warily scanned his surroundings, lowered his voice, and nodded. "Indeed. May I ask how to address you, fellow Daoist? And how were you able to tell?"
The vendor led the two to his stall and said, "There's no need for the two of you to be so tense. I am Gu Binliang, and I make my living buying and reselling goods.
"As for how I could tell..." Gu Binliang smiled faintly. "Whether someone has signed a Divine Soul Contract gives off an entirely different impression. Furthermore, I happened to hear that a batch of Alliance cultivators was captured recently and is undergoing Admonition, which led to my guess."
Seeing Lu Fan's nervous look, Gu Binliang added, "In truth, the vast majority of our Five Elders Association members harbor no malice toward you Alliance cultivators. After all, plenty of cultivators captured in the past turned over a new leaf through Admonition, recognized reality, and eventually became members of our Five Elders Association.
"And those people are often far more loyal than ordinary members!"
Hearing this, Lu Fan's face darkened slightly.
Gu Binliang was skilled at reading people, so he immediately dropped the subject and asked instead, "Fellow Daoist, did you take an interest in a Puxian True Boat, only to find your pockets light and lack Divine Soul Points?"
"That is indeed the case," Lu Fan nodded.
"That doesn't matter. You may lack Divine Soul Points, but I assume you keep a stock of standard spirit stones on hand, fellow Daoist?" Gu Binliang said with a smile.
"I do have some," Lu Fan replied with pleasant surprise, though a flicker of doubt quickly crossed his face. "Does your Five Elders Association use standard spirit stones as well?"
"Haha, what a question, fellow Daoist. Since they are standard spirit stones, they were naturally minted jointly by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association and are recognized by both sides. However, ordinary cultivators in our Five Elders Association have little use for them, and converting them into Divine Soul Points is somewhat bothersome, so they won't accept them.
"For me, though, it makes no difference. As a true merchant, one still needs a considerable reserve of standard spirit stones as an intermediary currency," Gu Binliang explained.
"A true merchant..." Lu Fan instantly grasped what he meant.
"Then please fetch a Puxian True Boat for me, fellow Daoist."
With a broad wave of his hand, dozens of miniature flying boats instantly materialized before Lu Fan.
Gu Binliang even enthusiastically explained the differences between them. Before long, both parties concluded the transaction to their mutual satisfaction.
Just as Lu Fan was about to leave, Gu Binliang called out to stop him. "Fellow Daoist, do you have any idle items on you? Traveling through the territory of the Five Elders Association is terribly inconvenient without Divine Soul Points. I can trade Divine Soul Points for your goods."
As he spoke, he produced a humanoid statue whose features could not be clearly discerned.
"This is a Manifest Heavenly Venerable Statue, which can be used to store Divine Soul Points. Even if you aren't a member of the Five Elders Association, you can use it to trade with other cultivators."
Hearing this, Lu Fan was tempted.
He immediately began rummaging through his storage ring. Gu Binliang refused nothing, generously buying up whatever Lu Fan was willing to part with.
By the time the stored Divine Soul Points in the Manifest Heavenly Venerable Statue reached fifty thousand, Lu Fan could finally find nothing more he was willing to sell.
"If you ever need anything in the future, fellow Daoist, feel free to look me up again," Gu Binliang said with a beaming smile, handing over a communication talisman.
Chapter 503