Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 276 A Day in the Life of a Rogue Cultivator
Seeing Chen Ming and Zhang Jun's bewildered expressions, the man smiled and said:
"The ones wearing the same blue uniform as me are the instructors in the Zangdao Building. We are responsible for all matters here, including order, security, and answering questions."

Chen Ming and Zhang Jun suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.

After entering the main gate, you will arrive at the second courtyard.

Here you can see that the ground is paved with blue bricks, and fine copper wires, as thin as hair, are embedded between the brick seams, forming an invisible dust removal array.

Regardless of wind or rain, the area in front of the door remains clean and new.

Even a fallen leaf will slide into the stone troughs on both sides on its own. Thirty-six pine trees are planted on both sides, with branches as straight as a ruler and needles trimmed to the same length, as if measured with ink lines.

In the center of the courtyard stood a large, blue stone, upon which was inscribed another couplet in large characters:
"The Way is spread throughout the world, without sparing a single word."

"The Dharma benefits all beings, regardless of social status or mortal origin."

To their surprise, there were more than twenty people lingering there, all of whom, like the people outside, seemed to be pacing back and forth, deep in thought.

At this moment, the two were eager to see the true face of the Taoist scriptures hidden in the building, so they continued to walk quickly forward and this time arrived at the third courtyard.

The things that appeared in this courtyard finally made the two of them gasp in surprise, and the most core content of the Hidden Dao Tower was finally revealed to them.

It turns out that there was a magnificent and imposing pavilion in this courtyard.

The plaque in the center of the pavilion reads "All Under Heaven Participate".

Below the plaque is a stone tablet about three meters high, with a row of large characters carved in a vigorous and elegant style:
As Heaven moves forward, a gentleman should constantly strive to improve himself!
I wish that all living beings under heaven, whether immortals or mortals, would be born equal, and that everyone could be like a dragon!

Upon seeing this line of large characters, Chen Ming and Zhang Jun felt the hairs on their bodies stand on end. An indescribable emotion and excitement filled their chests, constantly reverberating and surging, making it difficult for them to calm down for a long time.

Chen Ming couldn't help but whisper:

"I wonder who wrote this line of text. What courage and magnanimity!!"

Zhang Jun gently nudged him and gestured towards the lower left corner with his lips.

Chen Ming looked directly at it and found that there was a seal engraved there, with the two characters "Republic" clearly visible on it.

He suddenly remembered that the reign title of the Great Qian Dynasty was "Republic"! He gasped in shock and immediately realized that this person was undoubtedly the Qian Emperor.

At the same time, the two also noticed that the largest group of people, about thirty in total, were gathered around the stone tablet, seemingly deep in thought.

To the right of this stone tablet is a tall white jade screen called the Merit List, which also uses inscription technology.

When the two entered, the list was still filled with densely packed names, a list of people who contributed to the construction of the Hidden Dao Tower, which looked to be at least several hundred people.

But after a few seconds, the large list gradually disappeared, and then individual names appeared one by one.

It also includes a biographical description of this person and their specific contributions to the Zangdao Tower.

Chen Ming and Zhang Jun couldn't help but stop and take a closer look. They discovered that the list included both the ordinary craftsmen who designed the Hidden Dao Tower and a Foundation Establishment cultivator who generously donated more than a dozen secret scrolls.
The two then continued walking into the pavilion, and after passing through the carved door in front of them, they froze in place for several seconds:

In the very center of the pavilion, a bronze armillary sphere with intricate and elaborate inscriptions slowly rotated, refracting the sunlight into countless fine golden lines, reflecting a vast illusion!

As you can see, there are eight enormous illusory pavilions arranged in the shape of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), presented to visitors in the form of a sand table.

Daoge (Qian position)
One hundred and thirteen jade slips containing cultivation techniques floated in the air, each covered by a glass dome with a brief introduction in golden seal script. If a cultivator reached out and touched one, a phantom demonstration of the technique would appear inside the dome, accompanied by annotations from cultivators throughout history.

Secret Pavilion (Kan Position)
Two hundred and forty-eight kinds of supernatural powers are engraved on the black iron plate, which stands like a forest of screens. A light touch of the fingertip will bring up a world of light and shadow - you can see thunder splitting mountains or ice freezing thousands of miles. The power of the supernatural powers is so realistic that you feel as if you are there, but it cannot harm the viewer in the slightest.

Dan Ge (resignation)
Eighty-four elixir formulas, carved from spirit wood, are displayed on a cold jade shelf. Pointing to a particular book, a phantom elixir furnace descends from the top of the shelf, automatically demonstrating the refining process, with the fragrance of the medicine emanating from the furnace even through the phantom.

Qige (Zhen position)
Ninety-six scrolls of weapon crafting diagrams were spread out like long scrolls, suspended on the magnetic platform. As the cultivators focused their attention, the magical artifact components in the diagrams disassembled and reassembled on their own, and even the sparks and crackling sounds of the materials being smelted could be clearly heard.

Planting Pavilion (Southeast Position)
Twenty-six books on spiritual plants were displayed in loose-leaf format, the pages of which were actually dried leaves of the spiritual plants, each emitting a corresponding medicinal fragrance. Outside the pavilion was a glass greenhouse, where the spiritual herbs were planted precisely according to the descriptions in the books.

Mine Pavilion (Gen Position)
Thirteen mineral vein maps are laid out on an obsidian table. When unfolded, they reveal illusory mountain and river images, and the marked areas automatically shimmer with the aura of mineral deposits. Mineral specimens are displayed on the side of the table. With a light touch of a fingertip, inscriptions such as melting point and spiritual properties appear on the specimens.

Shi Ge (Kun position)
One thousand four hundred and fifty-eight volumes of unofficial histories floated in the trajectory of stars; cultivators only needed to think of them, and the corresponding introductions of the required texts would appear.

Such a magnificent and grand scene made Chen Ming and Zhang Jun feel that the trip was truly worthwhile.

Meanwhile, the two also noticed that around the inscribed armillary sphere, against the wall, there were rows of small, exquisite examination rooms, resembling those used during scientific expeditions, which did not interfere with each other.

Upon entering, I found the interior to be very clean and simple.

After you sit down, a simplified version of the table of contents will pop up on the table as an illusion.

Clearly, this is a special diversion method adopted to avoid overcrowding in this area.

Zhang Jun was rather impatient and had long coveted a mental cultivation manual called "The Theory of Qi Guiding from the Great Void." After looking around, he approached an instructor:
"Excuse me, how can I borrow this book?"

The instructor instructed:
"Look, next to all the books and jade slips, there is a prominent number. For example, the number of the book you are looking for is: Jia Yi Bai Ling San."

"Just remember this number and tell me. The books are free to borrow, but to ensure their integrity and proper care, you'll need to give me your residency permit, and then I'll go get the books for you."

"When you return the books, I will check that they are not soiled or torn, and then I will return the residence permit to you."

Zhang Jun suddenly realized:
Thank you very much.

Then he handed over the residence permit:

"Then please."

The instructor nodded, turned and went into the room next door, and quickly brought the books back to Zhang Jun.

To Zhang Jun's utter astonishment, the cultivation manual he had been longing for actually appeared to be a printed book!
It is at least 90% new, with large format white cotton paper, spacious layout, ten lines per half page, and twenty characters per line.

The handwriting is not particularly good; each stroke is stiff, yet it is extremely easy to read. The characters are large, like coins, making them easy to read aloud.

The cover was made of blue cloth bound in thread, with the book title on it, and the spine was glued together with rice paste, making it as stiff as a board.

After a few seconds, Zhang Juncai gave a wry smile:
He had been worried that the books he wanted would be borrowed by others beforehand, but now it seems that even if a hundred or a thousand people want to borrow the book at the same time, Zangdaolou has a way to meet their requests simultaneously.

However, a complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Zhang Jun's heart:

It's like the goddess you've been dreaming of, longing for day and night, someone high above you, only to find out she's a street performer, someone you can get for free without paying.
Seeing Zhang Jun's expression, the instructor smiled directly, because he had seen too many people with that expression.

Then he said to Zhang Jun:

"Is this your first time visiting the Zangdao Tower?"

Zhang Jun nodded and said:
"Yes."

Then he instructed:
"This is where the general catalog of the Library is located. Once you have successfully borrowed the books, do not linger here. I will now lead you to the designated reading area."

Zhang Jun waited for Chen Ming, and the two of them took the borrowed books to the adjacent reading area. They found that it was very spacious and bright, covering at least twenty acres.

The walls were entirely made of blue bricks, without any painted decorations. The beams and pillars were all made of plain wood, with mortise and tenon joints fitting together perfectly without a single iron nail. The floor was paved with three-foot square dark stone slabs, and overhead, lamps burned brightly.

There were at least several hundred low elm wood tables in the hall, each spaced two feet apart, arranged in rows and columns.

On the pillars and walls are signs that read "No loud noise," "Speak quietly," and "Violators will be expelled."

The entire reading area felt simple, clean, and well-organized.

The instructor then led the two around the area and discovered that there were even demonstration areas, cultivation areas, dining halls, rest halls, and so on. It was a place with all kinds of facilities.

What surprised the two the most was the training area, which was built against a mountain.

The excavation revealed a dense array of caves, numbering at least a thousand. Each cave was two meters high and four meters deep, filled with abundant spiritual energy—several times stronger than the cultivation conditions in their homes.

According to the teachings, this place was created by a powerful being using supreme divine abilities to draw a spiritual vein from the vicinity of Leiheze. Furthermore, the Great Qian Empire had to add a large amount of spirit stones to it every day to create such a blessed land.

Each person has three hours of free cultivation time each day. If they want to use the remaining time, they need to pay money, but they only need to pay the God of Wealth Silver Dollars, which is a very cheap price in their eyes.

After wandering around for so long, the two suddenly realized that this place was more like a huge academy with clear rules and strict discipline!
Zhang Jun then plunged headlong into the manual, and he was soon pleasantly surprised to find that it had been revised, with annotations added to some of the more obscure and difficult-to-understand sentences.

Furthermore, there is a clear indication next to it that this annotation is from a certain school of thought or a certain person, which solves Zhang Jun's big problem.

After all, in order to keep secrets, Taoist scriptures at that time would include many obscure and difficult-to-understand euphemisms. For example, "Red Dragon Soaking Yellow Sprouts" means that the truth is that the menstrual blood of a young girl (not a young woman) was soaked in sulfur that had been refined. Who would have thought of this without a master's instruction?

Therefore, Zhang Jun was pleasantly surprised to find that after practicing the techniques described in the book, he was showing signs of a breakthrough.

However, he then realized that he was extremely hungry, and looking at the sky, he saw that the sun was already setting.

Zhang Jun was well aware that this was a normal phenomenon when seeking the Dao. He glanced at Chen Ming beside him and found that his friend was still engrossed in the book, so he went directly to the dining hall next door for a meal.

Zhang Jun had been to the dining hall before under the guidance of his instructor, but he had only memorized the way and taken a cursory look.

Moreover, it wasn't mealtime at the time, and there were very few people in the dining hall. But when Zhang Jun came over, it was different. He felt that the place was bustling with noise and people, and there were more than a dozen chefs lined up at the front window.

Moreover, there were some inscriptions on the wall next to him that he hadn't noticed before.

The fireworks in the world touch the hearts of mortals.

The bustling streets and alleys, when gathered together, are a vibrant tapestry of life; when laid out, they reveal the essence of humanity.

Slowly simmering the wind and flowers, gently stewing the snow and moon, all the delicacies of the world are nothing more than a bowl of happiness.

Zhang Junchu thought these sentences were nothing special, but at this moment, smelling the aroma of food and looking at the bustling diners, he suddenly felt very warm.

Zhang Jun then looked around and found that the most popular area in the food section was the "set meal area," where you could get a set meal for as little as five coins (equivalent to five RMB). It consisted of a main dish with one meat dish and two vegetable dishes.

Staple foods include: rice, porridge, steamed buns, and twisted rolls.
Meat dishes include: Taizhou salted duck eggs (two per serving, cut into four slices), Liaodong golden shrimp with cucumber, deep-fried pork ribs, steamed chicken with wine, spicy and sour pork kidneys, boiled pork belly, and steamed fish.

Vegetarian dishes include: cucumber salad, vegetarian stew with clear broth, five-flavor steamed noodles, mung bean noodles (45), stir-fried bamboo shoots, garlic and vinegar soup (bean product soup), pickled bitter vegetable roots, cold dandelion salad, and seaweed (agar).

Meanwhile, there was also free soup and pickled vegetables on the side, and the tableware was also very clean wooden plates and bamboo chopsticks.

If the bid is eight coins, the set meal will consist of a staple food plus two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes.

The ten-coin set meal consisted of a staple food plus three meat dishes and four vegetable dishes.

Not only that, there was another novel way for Zhang Jun: twenty coins could buy you unlimited food, and you could eat whatever you wanted until you were full.

However, waste is not allowed. If more than five coins' worth of food remain on the plate, a fine of one hundred coins will be imposed.

Looking at the people queuing in the set meal area, Zhang Jun felt a bit disdainful:

You are supposed to be cultivators, yet you're queuing up here to eat something that costs five coins. Aren't you afraid of disgracing yourselves as cultivators?
Zhang Jun then noticed that next to the set meal area was the stir-fry area, with at least a dozen windows, each indicating the cuisine and displaying a menu.

Of course, the prices will be different; any dish will start at a single silver dollar.

As Zhang Jun was looking around, he saw a waiter serving food, which happened to be his hometown dish: sweet and sour braised fish with noodles.

The enticing aroma instantly stirred up Zhang Jun's homesickness, and he immediately joined the queue. When it was his turn to order, he was served by a pretty young woman.
What would you like to eat, sir?

Zhang Jun immediately said:
"Give me a sweet and sour braised fish with noodles, eight pieces of fried fish, a bucket chicken, and hot and sour soup."

The girl smiled and said:

"If the guest is alone and has a normal appetite, then ordering is a bit too much. Our sweet and sour braised fish with noodles is a three-way dish: the fish head is used to make tofu soup, the fish scales are coated in batter and fried, and there is also a dish of pickled cabbage and fish offal."

Zhang Jun was immediately impressed. After all, other restaurants would love for you to order a large feast by yourself, as long as they can make money, who cares if you can finish it?
So he said:

"Okay, then let's have the sweet and sour braised fish with noodles and the fried eight pieces."

After I paid, the girl handed me a small bamboo tag that read "Number Seventeen".
"Please find a place to sit down, place the bamboo sign on the table, and we will serve your food."

Soon, Zhang Jun, who was starving, began to wolf down his hometown delicacies, enjoying the pleasure of carbohydrates and cholesterol mixed together.

When he was about 80% full, he suddenly saw Chen Ming carrying a steaming bamboo steamer (for steaming xiaolongbao) and walking over with a smile:

"You didn't even invite me to dinner!"

Zhang Jundao:
"I was worried that seeing you so engrossed in it would hinder your enlightenment."

Speaking of this, Chen Ming couldn't help but sigh deeply:
"Even though I only watched for half a day today, I've realized how many detours we've taken in our decades of cultivating immortality!"

"Putting everything else aside, just take the Millet Pearl as an example. We've been wrong for a full thirty years. This thing has absolutely nothing to do with rice."

Zhang Jun listened in silence for a moment and then said:
"The construction of this Daoist Repository by the Great Qian Emperor is truly a blessing to all cultivators in the world. Putting aside everything else, just the addition of annotations to the Daoist scriptures alone is enough to make all independent cultivators grateful."

After hearing this, Chen Ming nodded vigorously from the bottom of his heart.

Then he suddenly remembered something and excitedly pushed the bamboo tray in front of him toward Zhang Jun:
"By the way, what do you think this is?"

Before Zhang Jun even opened it, he smelled a peculiar yet familiar fragrance and exclaimed in surprise:
"What...could this be..."

Then he couldn't wait to open it and was shocked to find something lying flat inside, about the size of a pigeon egg.

This thing looks somewhat similar to a steamed potato with the skin on.

However, after Zhang Jun peeled off the outer skin, he found that the exposed flesh inside was golden and looked very delicate and soft.

Zhang Jun decisively picked it up and swallowed it in one gulp, then excitedly said:

"It really is Golden Essence! One pill is equivalent to three months of my breathing and circulation skills. Where did you get it?"

Chen Ming gestured to the side with his chin:
"Right over there."

Zhang Jun was somewhat taken aback:

"Over there? Isn't that the dining hall where we eat?"

Chen Mingdao:
"Correct."

Zhang Jun stood up in disbelief and walked over, only to find a sign hanging in the area next to him that read "Spiritual Food Area".

Moreover, it wasn't the head chef cooking here anymore; instead, several Taoist priests were sitting behind the counter, with a sign hanging beside them that clearly read:

"Today's auspicious object."

"Golden Essence: Replenishes the middle qi and enhances cultivation."

"Forget-Worry Rice Wine: Made from millet and spirit rice, and boiled with rootless water, it has the effect of clearing blockages in the meridians."

"Contraindications: Avoid eating raw ginger and persimmons within three days after drinking this beverage."

"Jade Locust Flower Buns: The filling is made from the flowers of a locust tree demon with three hundred years of cultivation, and flour made from three-year-old millet. Eating them can replenish energy, suppress distracting thoughts, and enhance comprehension."

"Contraindications: Avoid sexual intercourse with women/men/using your left/right hand after consumption, otherwise you will deplete your kidney essence."

"Tiger Bone Soup: A soup made from the tail of a hundred-year-old demon tiger, possessing extremely strong nourishing power to replenish bodily deficiencies, but caution should be exercised as those with weak constitutions should not consume it." (Sold Out)
Upon seeing these edible spiritual items for cultivation, Zhang Jun was utterly shocked:

"They're even selling such good stuff here! And it looks like they're supplying it every day?"

Chen Ming hurriedly whispered:
"I just inquired and found out that there are many unclaimed spiritual veins and mountain gates in the empire. In order not to waste resources, these places are being used to grow spiritual herbs in large quantities."

After hearing what he said, Zhang Jun immediately realized what was going on.

When the Great Qian Dynasty was first established, it was regarded as a thorn in the side by the immortal sects and was almost universally opposed by them.

Therefore, after successfully establishing its kingdom, it would certainly need to take the time to deal with those dissenting or out-of-touch immortal sects within its borders.

Therefore, spiritual veins and mountain gates are scarce resources in other places, but they are not lacking in the Great Qian Kingdom. After all, it was founded on the foundation of mortals, and the powerful force of inscription literature is used to resist cultivators.

Zhang Jun smacked his lips and couldn't help but say:
"I'm still not full. How about we buy some more good stuff here? These things cost spirit stones, right?"

Chen Mingdao:
“Spirit stones are fine, or even silver coins from the God of Wealth.”

Zhang Jun was overjoyed upon hearing this:
"Any silver coin with the God of Wealth in mind will do?"

However, upon closer inspection of the price tag next to it, he immediately gasped in shock:
"So expensive?"

Chen Ming sighed and said:
"To be honest, this price is really not expensive. Can you buy these good things for the same price anywhere else?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and said with a wry smile:
"No, let alone the same price, this is not something that can be bought with a common item like a God of Wealth silver coin."

Then his eyes suddenly lit up:
"By the way, why don't we buy more and then resell them?"

Chen Ming smiled wryly:
"Do you think I haven't thought about this? These items are limited to a certain number for each person, and there are Foundation Establishment cultivators with the Heavenly Eye supervising you. They can roughly see your cultivation level, so they will only sell you items that are suitable for your cultivation level."

***
The two then plunged headlong into the sea of ​​books.
For them, this Hidden Path Pavilion was no longer an ordinary place, but a sacred site!

At this moment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the two of them as working day and night without rest.

Ironically, the facilities in this place are quite comprehensive:
There is a dedicated borrowing area for books.
There's a dedicated practice area for those who have gained insights.
If you get hungry, there's a canteen that's open 24 hours a day.

When you get tired of watching TV, there are dormitories where you can rest at any time, and they also provide services such as bathing, massage, sauna, pedicure, and back scrubbing.

Another point that is extremely valuable to independent cultivators is safety!
There's no need to face the dangers of murder, robbery, bullying, or threats.

However, happy times are always short-lived, and soon the two will face a harsh reality—they are out of money.

Actually, the two of them brought a large sum of money with them when they arrived here, but the expenses here are also huge.

For example, the spiritual items sold at the dining hall are limited in quantity every day. If you see something that suits you and you can buy it with God of Wealth silver coins, how can you resist?
Girls don't have to order, but it's a limited, rare item.

So, the two of them began to subconsciously save money, and now they are regulars queuing at the "five-cent set meal" window in the canteen.

Sigh, everyone eventually becomes the very thing they once mocked.

That day, they had naturally joined the queue for the five-copper-coin set meal area, chatting and exchanging their recent cultivation insights. Suddenly, Chen Ming's eyes widened, and he said to the person next to him:
"Oh my, isn't this Brother Wu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun looked over and discovered a familiar face in the long queue next door. Who else could it be but Wu Qilang?

He was thwarted when he entered the city, and then angrily jumped ship and left, seemingly saying he would never come back.
Upon encountering an old friend in a foreign land, Wu Qilang's face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment, but he reacted quickly:

"Ahaha, so it's you two. After we parted ways that day, I was originally going back to my hometown, but then I received a letter from a friend saying that he had gone mad from practicing qi cultivation and was desperately begging me to buy him a medicine here to save his life."

Chen Ming also had extremely high emotional intelligence, and immediately said:
"Brother Wu is truly a man of great righteousness; I admire him greatly!"

After quickly changing the subject of that awkward conversation, the three of them ordered a five-cent set meal and then sat down at a table to eat.

After a few words of casual conversation, a long line of women holding red wooden signs suddenly walked in through the door. Each of them was dignified and accompanied by two instructors.

Out of curiosity, the group looked closely at the contents of the wooden sign and were immediately shocked.

(End of this chapter)