Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 324 The Initial Establishment of the Immortal Alliance's Base
Zhang Chengdao replied, "Xunmu is a spiritual tree of heaven and earth. If you approach it, circulate your spiritual power, and feel it with your heart, you will be able to communicate with it."

Logically speaking, only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage who can control their divine sense, or cultivators at the Core Formation stage or above who have opened their spiritual palace, can truly communicate with the intelligent flower and tree spirits.

However, Xunmu is a divine tree, which is much more advanced than ordinary flower and tree spirits. As long as one is a cultivator who can control spiritual power, Xunmu can sense him and then communicate with him.

Of course, this method of communication is purely an effort in the search for wood—after all, the cultivators are too weak, there's no other way!
After listening to his master's words, Shi Yizhi squatted down with some doubt, circulated his spiritual power, and pressed it against the rough branch of Xunmu.

As a tree, Xunmu probably doesn't have a bad temper when it wakes up.

At least besides Shi Yizhi, Chang Pingan and He Shilie also excitedly tried it out. Despite being disturbed many times, Xunmu still said in a good-natured manner: "Pruning branches is like cutting human nails. It won't hurt, as long as you don't cut the main trunk."

Actually, even if you cut the main trunk, it doesn't matter. According to Xunmu's "popular science" explanation, to truly harm a tree, you need to cut at least the core or peel off the entire bark. That's as terrible as pulling out a human's fingernails.

However, the trunk is more like the body of a tree; if you slash at it with a sword or knife, even if you don't die, it's still uncomfortable.

“There’s no need to worry,” Zhang Chengdao and the other two squatted on the ground and examined the Xunmu tree for a while before saying, “Even if you use all your strength, you probably won’t be able to hurt this Xunmu tree.”

What a joke!
The wood is a sacred tree!

In mythology, it's associated with the Jianmu tree!

No, it's actually even more powerful than Jianmu, because Xunmu is essentially more like the "World Tree" concept. However, there is no concept of "World Tree" in Eastern mythology. The description of "its branches reaching for thousands of miles, reaching the clouds, casting its shade over the four corners of the earth, and covering the abyss below" is actually very close to the "World Tree".

Such a divine tree, let alone Shi Yizhi and He Shilie who had just drawn Qi into their bodies, even Chang Ping'an... well, even ten Chang Ping'ans, couldn't break through its defenses.

Zhang Chengdao's words made Shi Yizhi, who still had some youthful impetuosity, quite unconvinced. He couldn't help but ask, "Then what about you, Master? Can you damage this divine tree?"

Zhang Chengdao was taken aback by the question. He glanced at Shi Yizhi indifferently, but did not answer directly. Instead, he urged, "Why would I want to harm it for no reason? You guys should hurry up and straighten these branches!"

Chang Ping'an and He Shilie immediately cupped their hands and replied, "Disciples obey."

Shi Yizhi opened his mouth, wanting to ask again, but after glancing left at his serious senior brother and right at the solemn He Shilie, he finally followed suit and bowed as well: "Disciple obeys."

Then, the three of them used their respective skills, taking turns using swords, knives, and axes, and with the help of spiritual power, they quickly carved out a flat area from the thickest branch.

The exposed branches are dark brown, and strangely, although it is a tree, it has no tree veins, but is a very pure dark brown.

The leveled branches actually have a slight slope, since the branches branching off from the main trunk of the tree all grow upwards. After the tree was moved, the angle was no longer so steep. After everyone finished tidying it up, it looked much gentler. At least as a plaza, it wouldn't be so steep that your feet would be tilted when standing on it.

So Zhang Chengdao brought out the main hall of the fake Taihe Hall again.

The majestic hall slowly rotated in the air and landed lightly on the "ground," making everyone feel their feet sway.

The golden glazed tiles, vermilion pillars and walls, and white jade-carved steps and railings, while seemingly luxurious, appear perfectly integrated when placed on the trees.

Especially since, at some point, a large white cloud drifted in from among the trees, and the scattered cloud clusters slowly wandered among the branches, making the hall truly resemble a celestial abode.

No, since the Immortal Alliance is called the Immortal Alliance, isn't it the place where immortals reside?

Even though they had seen it once, this scene still left them speechless and mesmerized.

With the main hall in place, Zhang Chengdao modified several buildings, such as the Ancestral Hall, for use in the offices. For example, he changed them all to have uniform golden glazed tiles and red walls, so that they would match the style of the main hall better.

However, Zhang Chengdao was too lazy to make any changes to the residential area. Instead, he simply chose a building that matched the style of the "treehouse" as the "single dormitory" for the rotating residents, namely the [Qiyin Yinyi Pavilion].

The initial version of this thing was called "Biyilou". In the original game, it was actually a functional building that was not related to resource collection. As the name suggests, it was a place for villagers to be matched up, to act as a "player matchmaker" and make villagers marry each other, so that new villagers (children) could be born.

【Qiyin Yinyi Pavilion】is a skin for 【Biyi Tower】, which was "updated" after Zhang Chengdao's cheat code was upgraded. I haven't used it yet, so I'm just creating it this time to see how it goes. Anyway, the raw materials required are not many, just the same as the initial version of 【Biyi Tower】: 200 units of white planks, 100 units of limestone blocks, 80 units of thatch, and 50 units of bamboo strips. Compared to 【Stone Tile House】, which requires a whopping 1000 units of camphor planks, 300 units of marble blocks, 600 units of tiles, and 400 units of glutinous rice mortar, it couldn't be more cost-effective. More importantly, this new skin 【Qiyin Yinyi Pavilion】 looks much prettier than 【Stone Tile House】!

Although there are only eleven rotating members at the moment, including Chang Ping'an, the non-rotating leader of the Immortal Alliance, Zhang Chengdao still managed to create thirty [Qiyin Yinyi Pavilions] in one go, and also set up a [Crane Pond Reflecting the Moon Lantern] and a [Inviting the Moon Pavilion], a building he had recently drawn.

A building that has no practical function besides being aesthetically pleasing, it's perfect to place it next to the "Crane Pond Reflecting the Moon Lantern" as a decoration for the residential area.

In front of the residential area, closest to the main road, a banquet hall was built.

As a new building that appeared after the cheat code update, Zhang Chengdao also had some impression of the original game. The [Banquet Building] was a decorative building that was not very useful. However, in reality, such a building with its own kitchen and outdoor tables and chairs is perfect as a "canteen".

Especially since the Immortal Alliance doesn't have many members yet, these tables and chairs are more than enough, unlike back in the White Stone Immortal Sect when they had to set up enough tables and chairs outside the [restaurant] and [teahouse] to accommodate all the disciples.

Finally, after the three of them had leveled the third branch, Zhang Chengdao placed three [Wanhu Pavilions], which were the new skins that appeared after the [Granary] update, as storage buildings. He then brushed off the non-existent dust from his body and said:
"Well, consider these houses as a donation from our White Stone Immortal Sect to the Immortal Alliance. If you need anything else, you can figure it out yourselves, either by finding someone to build them or by studying the art of weapon crafting and making them yourselves. I won't interfere, so don't feel resentful!"

Children always have to grow up; you can't always be their babysitter.

Even if Chang Ping'an and Shi Yizhi are still young, there is still Heshilie Tudi!
Zhang Chengdao glanced at Heshilie's suddenly thick and bushy beard and muttered to himself: "The Mohe people really have a lot of body hair. They managed to make a young man in his twenties look like he's forty!"
In short, it's definitely not because there weren't suitable buildings in his cheat code's building panel!
Upon hearing Zhang Chengdao's words, Chang Ping'an was already flushed with excitement.

He was both grateful and ashamed, and stammered, "This disciple's cultivation is low and I am not up to the task. I am not even proficient in weapon crafting. Master has gone to so much trouble for me. I am already extremely grateful. How could I dare to ask for anything more, let alone talk about fairness!"

He Shilie and Shi Yizhi also looked ashamed. If their cultivation level were higher, or if they had learned the art of weapon crafting, they wouldn't have to trouble their master/sect leader with everything.

……

A few days later, the teleportation array plaza of the White Stone Immortal Sect was bustling with activity.

Several cultivators from the Immortal Sect, who were on duty one after another, arrived at the White Stone Immortal Sect. However, most of them had low cultivation levels and were unable to fly on the wind, let alone reach Xunmu.

You can't really climb a tree, can you?

It's not that it's impossible, it's just that it doesn't look good!

Therefore, Chang Ping'an, who had the highest cultivation level, specially borrowed his master's "Somersault Cloud" and asked his master to use the "Somersault Cloud" to take everyone to Xunmu. Only then was the Immortal Alliance officially put on the right track.

At least now, Tang Yinxiang can lead people to set up the teleportation array, so she won't have to be in such a mess and have to ask others for help when traveling up and down in the future.

The cultivators on duty were all quite excited as they flew into the sky for the first time.

In the past, people were said to be cultivating immortality. Even if they achieved a high level of cultivation, they felt that they were much stronger than ordinary martial artists and could do things that martial artists could not do, such as condensing water and controlling fire. However, people did not have a deeper understanding of "cultivating immortality" or "immortal".

In fact, the complete and rich concept of "immortal" arose from the explosive growth of literature and art in the world before Zhang Chengdao's transmigration, as modern industrial society developed.

Just like in the past, whether it was the famous "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods" or the even earlier "In Search of the Supernatural", the understanding of gods and immortals was always limited by the times and the limitations of the social productivity at that time.

For example, in "Journey to the West," the description of a powerful character often comes down to the weight of the weapon they wield.

Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang weighs 13,500 jin, while Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing are slightly weaker, and their Shangbao Xunjinba (Nine-Toothed Rake) and Demon-Subduing Staff each weigh 5,048 jin.

In addition, Red Boy's Fire-Tipped Spear was also mentioned as being "worth a thousand pieces of gold".

In ancient times, people's understanding of the "power" of gods was limited to their ability to move mountains and fill seas, which meant they were very strong. This reflects the imagination of an agrarian civilization.

The truly ethereal concept of "immortals," including fantasies of flying on swords, is a concept that has gradually evolved in modern society. However, this world of martial arts and cultivation does indeed have martial artists, and people's imaginations of martial artists have already reached a certain level, so naturally, the idea of ​​"immortals" has never been considered.

The main problem is that the technology tree people imagine doesn't go in this direction. They only imagine how powerful Grandmasters are, instead of imagining that there are "gods" above Grandmasters.

The Qin King Temple belief is an exception, and it is because Qin King He Yu himself was an outsider who deliberately left behind the Qin King belief, which led to the existence of a relatively small number of "gods" among the people.

Therefore, the feeling of being surrounded by smoke and clouds, standing above the clouds, is truly beyond everyone's comprehension.

Even if you read the descriptions in the "White Stone Immortal Book" countless times in private, it is still not as good as your own personal experience.

That's why, as soon as they landed on the square in front of the Immortal Alliance Hall, someone exclaimed, "I wonder when I will be able to cultivate to the level of Immortal Zhang, who can move mountains and fill seas, and ride the clouds and mist!"

Someone chimed in, "That's no easy feat. Zhang Xianren's cultivation level is probably what's known as a 'Golden Immortal,' or at least he must have attained immortality through enlightenment!"

The group consisted of cultivators at the Qi Refining stage. They might have some concept of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation beyond Qi Refining, but they had absolutely no idea about things like Deity Transformation, Void Refinement, or Body Integration. They didn't know how strong these things were, nor did they understand the gaps between them. Therefore, when they talked about Loose Immortals and Golden Immortals after ascension, it was as if they were talking about Nascent Souls or Out-of-Body Formation, which sounded rather naive.

After chatting for a while, everyone went into the main hall to discuss the affairs of the Immortal Alliance.

Tang Yinxiang took the lead in presenting the "Immortal Alliance Money System" drafted by the Tianji Sect.

In "A Guide to Immortal Alliance Coinage", she proposed two solutions. One was to use jade containing spiritual energy as a base to forge "spiritual jade coins" of different grades. The other was to use the method of refining artifacts to refine "spiritual coins" from minerals with spiritual energy.

In addition, she also initially set the exchange rate with ordinary gold and silver, which took into account the estimated value of one thousand taels of gold for the Mountain-Carrying Warrior. One standard high-grade spirit jade coin or spirit coin is roughly equivalent to one hundred taels of gold. Below that, there are medium-grade and low-grade coins, each with its own exchange rate.

The details of this design still need to be refined, but the overall design is already very detailed. Even the patterns and designs of the coins have some different "design drafts", making them look very exquisite.

Subsequently, under Qu Zhiweng's guidance, Fang Tang produced the "Draft of the Immortal Alliance Rules". Although it only roughly stipulated the rights and obligations of alliance members, prohibited infighting among fellow disciples, required responses to alliance summons, and outlined the general procedures for dispute resolution, it was at least a beginning.

However, the most pressing matter was the construction of the teleportation array. Tang Yinxiang only had time to explain the "Immortal Alliance Money System" to give everyone a general idea before she hurriedly led her disciples to set up the teleportation array based on everyone's opinions.

Inside the main hall, the remaining members immediately began a heated discussion about the Immortal Alliance's rules, primarily concerning the obligations and benefits of the alliance members' factions. Opinions varied, and secondly, the rotation period for those on duty was debated. The Taiyue Sword Sect believed it should be annual to prevent corruption. However, the Baifu Sect and Tang Sect, among others, argued for at least three years, or even five years, for changing leaders after only a year, just as they were beginning to take charge of the alliance's affairs, which they felt was detrimental to the alliance's development…

After arguing all morning until their throats were dry, they called to each other and summoned Tang Yinxiang and her companion, who were still setting up the teleportation array. With Chang Ping'an leading them, they headed to the [Banquet Pavilion].

As they walked, Chang Ping'an said, "The Immortal Alliance is newly established, and we are really short-handed. We need to discuss with a few fellow Daoists how to select people to do odd jobs within the Immortal Alliance. For example, we should also arrange cooks, helpers, and cleaning staff for this [Banquet Hall].

Tang Yinxiang took the initiative to say, "What the Alliance Leader said is very true. In my opinion, these people should be selected individually, and should not be selected from the various sects and forces within the Immortal Alliance."

The unspoken meaning is clear to everyone: it's to prevent the eyes and ears of various factions from openly and legitimately infiltrating the group.

Of course, it's also because the Tianji Sect behind Tang Yinxiang is short-handed. If they were to select these menial workers and laborers from various sects and forces, the Tianji Sect would be one of the most disadvantaged.

(End of this chapter)