Anti-fraud manual for the cultivation world

A month ago, Zheng Xiaodong and Meng Ting joined the sect, and in the past month they have begun to learn the "Love in the Mortal World Skill" from Hong Lin.

The two immediately sensed the difference between "new disciples" and "livestock".

When they were livestock, they received the best guidance except for the [Common Path Demon Codex]. Their movement and sword techniques were just haphazardly learned. But being apprentices is completely different. As soon as they started learning the [Love in the Mortal World Skill], Hong Lin simultaneously guided them to learn fist, palm, and lightness skills... She also taught them how to use mental techniques to assist external skills and maximize their power.

We must lay a solid foundation for all-round development from the very beginning.

Seeing Li Gu and Zhang Yi discussing what secret manual they were learning, the two couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Those two really have it tough; they have to rely entirely on themselves."

At this moment, Zhang Yi had already opened the manual of "He Feng Sword", and Li Gu also came over to look at it together.

This manual is divided into several chapters. The first chapter is prepared for people in the Body Refining and Qi Refining stages. It mainly focuses on the changes in moves, countering and breaking moves, and using sword moves to restrain enemies. To put it bluntly, it is the same as the style of martial arts novels. When practiced to the extreme, it is roughly equivalent to the Tai Chi Sword Technique in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber or the Xuan Tie Sword Technique in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

However, starting from the second chapter, swordsmanship is prepared for those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage and have officially entered the threshold of cultivation. Here, the importance of sword moves becomes less, and it becomes more like "magic" than martial arts. The main focus is on using spiritual energy or divine sense to control flying swords and magical artifacts, so that the swords can fly out and hurt people, which is roughly equivalent to the "Heaven and Earth Mind-Controlled Explosive Sword" in Gundam OG.

The third chapter is for those with cultivation levels above Golden Core. At this point, they no longer need to control real flying swords or magical artifacts. They can use their own spiritual energy to transform into flying swords and simultaneously command tens of thousands of spiritual energy flying swords. Alternatively, they can condense their spiritual energy into giant swords that are several meters long and wide to injure their enemies. At this level, it is roughly equivalent to powerful moves like the Myriad Swords Technique and Heavenly Sword in "The Legend of Shushan".

Li Gu had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and Zhang Yi had recently absorbed the cultivation of Zheng Xiaodong and two other disciples of the Demonic Sect, and had also entered the Foundation Establishment stage. The two of them just glanced at the first chapter and moved on, without needing to study it seriously.

Both of them have to start from the second chapter!

The first hurdle to learning this chapter is to possess a "flying sword artifact".

"This is troublesome. Where are we going to get the magic artifacts?" Zhang Yi frowned slightly.

Meng Ting blinked her big eyes: "Wait a minute, I'll go ask Senior Sister Hong."

After saying that, she ran off and disappeared. A little while later, she returned, grinning, and said, "I found out. When disciples who have entered the mortal world reach the Foundation Establishment stage, the imperial court will provide them with a magic weapon, or they can choose any item they like. The imperial court will provide craftsmen and auxiliary materials to help the disciples forge it into a magic weapon. They can choose whatever they want."

She turned to Li Gu with a hint of anticipation: "Senior Brother Li, on my birthday, could you just give me something? I'll use it to refine magical artifacts once I've reached Foundation Establishment."

Everyone: "..."

Look, this is the welfare and benefits of core members of the system.

Li Gu covered his face: "Junior Sister's question wasn't entirely unfounded. At least we learned one thing: the imperial court has craftsmen who can forge magical artifacts and possesses a sufficient supply of auxiliary materials. We're not newly initiated disciples who have entered the mortal world, so we can't enjoy these for free, but we're constables, essentially external employees of the imperial court. Being half on their side, we should at least get a 50% discount. I don't think it'll be too expensive. Every rogue cultivator in the martial world has a flying magical artifact, so it's clear that ordinary rogue cultivators can afford this. If we work hard, we should be able to afford it too."

Zhang Yi nodded: "That's right! Let's go ask Cai Xinzi."

----

A few minutes later, Li Gu and Zhang Yi returned to the Six Doors.

Inside the Six Doors, all was quiet; there wasn't a single person there. Cai Xinzi sat there with a gloomy expression, holding a government gazette in her hand, but her gaze was not focused on the newspaper at all; it was clearly in a state of distraction, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Li Gu deliberately made his footsteps loud so that Cai Xinzi would come to her senses. She glanced around and saw that it was Li Gu and Zhang Yi who had entered. She immediately put away her gloomy face and put on a smiling face: "Oh, you two are back!"

Ever since she learned that Li Gu and Zhang Yi's "family members" were disciples who had entered the mortal world, Cai Xinzi's attitude towards the two completely changed. She never mentioned attendance again and always had a smile on her face towards them.

Li Gu asked curiously, "Why aren't there any people in the yamen?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Xinzi's mood returned to reality, and she sighed: "Alas! The Demonic Sect is causing trouble. Just now, the Demonic Sect went to a neutral slum near the Southern Gate and searched for someone from house to house. They also fought with the rogue cultivators hiding there, causing chaos and disorder."

"Some rogue cultivators exposed their tracks when they escaped from that area, and were then targeted by their enemies, so they started fighting with their enemies."

"The Justice Alliance has gone mad again and started clashing with the Demonic Sect. Although they haven't started a full-scale war, they've already started hurling insults at each other. Who knows when they'll actually start fighting?"

Cai Xinzi spread her hands and said, "All the constables here have gone out to maintain order."

Li Gu and Zhang Yi exchanged a glance, thinking: Why has this gotten so big?

"Let's not talk about such trivial matters. I have something important I'd like to discuss with you two." Cai Xinzi shamelessly leaned closer: "It's about... my cousin Cai Xinlan. He's been working as a cook in the kitchen for several years now, always conscientious and diligent, and has never made a mistake. I'd like to ask you two to put in a good word for him with Lord Hong, and see if he can get a promotion..."

Li Gu immediately thought of the cook. A little over a month ago, when the Demonic Sect scouts inquired about the four new arrivals, the cook had lied for them, saying Meng Ting had been there for five days. At the time, the system alerted him that "Cai Xinlan is lying," but he hadn't paid attention to the name. Now, hearing Cai Xinzi say this, he realized the two names were very similar, differing by only one character—they were actually cousins. (For those who have forgotten, please see Chapter 41.)

It seems that Cai Xinlan was able to get into the government office as a cook back then because Cai Xinzi used her connections.

Li Gu was a little curious: "Isn't a cook just someone who cooks? Is there room for promotion?"

Cai Xinzi smiled and said, "Brother Li, you don't know this, but a cook can be promoted to head chef. At that time, you won't have to cook yourself anymore. You'll only be responsible for supervising and managing the other cooks' cooking and arranging the distribution of ingredients. You can get more wages and food pay, and the gangs that supply the food will also give you some kickbacks. My cousin is just an ordinary person. If he can reach this position, he will be considered to have achieved great success. He has no other desires in this life."

Li Gu: "..."

The workplace is truly a place that makes one sigh.