Chapter 10: Trust

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“To be precise, this jade token can exempt you from two years of labor if you join the Immortal Ascension Pavilion!”

As expected, the Immortal Ascension Pavilion was not a good place. Jiang Li silently cursed in his heart. He did not say anything as he listened to Yan Hong’s explanation.

“Fu Zhong told me that the Immortal Ascension Assembly also has age restrictions. The age requirement is to be below sixteen.”

“Every year, the children sent by the Immortal Ascension Pavilion are between 13 and 14 years old.”

“If the faction behind them does not pay a price or have the ability to exchange for this jade token, they will be forced to stay in the Immortal Ascension Pavilion and work for two years. They will only be able to participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly after two years.”

“As for disciples with medium-grade and above spiritual roots, the Immortal Ascension Pavilion would not dare to fool other sects. They are also afraid that these people will take revenge on them when they become stronger. Therefore, in our case, it doesn’t matter whether we have this jade token or not.”

“However, disciples with low-grade and inferior-grade spiritual roots and no family background who don’t even have the ability to exchange for a jade token won’t be noticed by so many people. They will waste two years working in various places arranged by the Immortal Ascension Pavilion.”

“Some of them will choose to join the Immortal Ascension Pavilion after being brainwashed with ideas and continue to work for the organization. The others will also be trained to be lowly slaves during their two years as laborers. After joining other sects, they will be easier to manage and use.”

“Accepting gold, silver, and money from the mortal world can further stabilize the Immortal Ascension Pavilion’s control over the Great Mountain Region’s mortal world. After two years of wasted cultivation, low-grade cultivators with low-grade spiritual roots are even more hardworking and easy to control. This is in line with the interests of the other sects and the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. Therefore, this tradition has been passed down.”

After a pause, Yan Hong looked at Jiang Li seriously and said: “Brother, I have an idea that requires your help!”

Jiang Li laughed heartily as he reached into his robes and pulled out a cloth bag, placing it in Yan Hong’s hands. Inside were three Immortal Ascension Pavilion jade tokens and eight spirit stones.

Jiang Li believed in Yan Hong. Simply because of the Pear Blossom Frost that the latter gave him when he was in deep trouble, even if he pocketed these eight spirit stones, Jiang Li would not say anything, he would just end their relationship.

However, if Yan Hong did not lie to him, the trust between them would deepen.

This was very important. After all, one had to form a team in order to level up when playing games. If one could really succeed in seeking immortality alone, how could there be any cultivation world? Would it not be better if everyone meditated silently in that case?

Therefore, Jiang Li also needed friends, and friends from the mortal world were like the brothers he met in school in his previous life. They were the most sincere and trustworthy.

Therefore, Jiang Li took out the spirit stones without any hesitation.

“You want to take away some of the soon-to-be laborers and form your own group, right? As long as there’s a way to ensure their loyalty, I’ll support you.”

“Don’t be fooled by the number of people surrounding those guys. There aren’t many who can be trusted.”

Jiang Li pointed at the four groups that were already chatting happily. If they were to find an empty table to sit at, the situation would definitely not be worse than theirs. However, there was not much meaning in that.

After all, in the upcoming Immortal Ascension Assembly, would those supporters give up the sect that was most suitable for them because of this group? Impossible.

“Hehe, I knew you would understand me.”

“I’ve already asked around. In the cultivation world, there is a kind of contract that cannot be broken after signing. The cheapest one only costs five spirit stones each.”

“Furthermore, in many large sects, outer sect disciples would also receive a monthly allowance of spirit stones for the first few years. Even the lowest grade disciple would receive a monthly allowance of one spirit stone.”

“When the time comes, we can earn dozens of times more even if we just take back this month’s allowance! You can consider these as your share. We’ll split the profits 50-50!”

The more Yan Hong spoke, the more excited he became. He took out two spirit stones and a jade token, adding ten spirit stones and three jade tokens.

It seemed like Jiang Li had suffered a huge loss when they split the profits 50-50. However, Yan Hong was the one who handled the rest of the operations. He was the one who enjoyed the fruits of others’ labor.

Yan Hong thought for a moment, then took out four spirit stones and gave Jiang Li a look that seemed to say ‘watch me’.

He picked up a glass of hard liquor from the dining table beside him and walked over with a smile. The four tables of people had already formed a circle.

He went up to toast them, talking and laughing. All sorts of compliments that he had never heard of were thrown at those of his age. After drinking cup after cup of wine, the atmosphere quickly became harmonious with most people.

Jiang Li seemed to have seen the figure of those top salesmen in his previous life at the table. Coupled with his round face, he looked just like Fu Zhong.

“Why do I feel that you’re not here to cultivate? You’re here to earn money in the cultivation world, right?”

A short while later, Yan Hong returned with a bright smile on his face. He was holding a bulging pocket in his hand. It was obvious that he had gained a lot.

“Haha, Brother, you’re wrong. What’s so bad about earning money? Who said that earning money doesn’t mean one can’t cultivate? Scholars are poor while martial artists are rich, and cultivating is even more expensive with the expenditure of spirit stones. I just feel that only with enough spirit stones can one cultivate to the end!”

“But don’t worry brother, you saved my life before!”

Yan Hong was referring to the time when he was attacked by a Scaled Demon. He seemed to have drank a little too much earlier and was suddenly a little agitated when he spoke.

“Don’t… don’t say that you’re returning a favor to me. It’s a piece of cake for me to help you, but I can see that you trust me.”

He patted the pocket containing the spirit stones and jade tokens. He was very touched by Jiang Li’s trust in him.

“However, you nearly lost your life when you saved me.”

He placed his hand on Jiang Li’s left shoulder, as if he could still feel the scars inside through his clothes.

The tragedy of the attack that day had obviously touched him greatly.

“If you hadn’t come, I would have been eaten by those damned Scaled Demons!”

“I, Yan Hong, will say this today. No matter how much money I earn in the future, half of it will be yours!”

After he finished speaking, he raised a wine cup towards Jiang Li once more.

Yan Hong was indeed smart, but no matter what, he was only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child. In his previous life, this was the age where he was most impulsive and yearned for brotherhood.

There was no way to repay a life-saving favor. That sounded familiar, right? Wasn’t this a popular saying in this era?

Jiang Li smiled as well. He raised his wine cup, and the two of them clinked it together before downing it in one go.

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

“F*ck! Can’t you be a little more polite?”

After saying that, both of them laughed. Yan Hong took the things in his arms and ran out to look for Fu Zhong.

In their team, the result of the spiritual root test was nineteen people with medium-grade spiritual roots and five people with high-grade spiritual roots. In other words, these twenty-four people did not need the Immortal Ascension Pavilion jade token.

Apart from Jiang Li and Yan Hong, there were also seven people who were originally commoners without jade tokens. Yan Hong used four spirit stones to exchange for the remaining fifteen jade tokens.

Of course, the four spirit stones were only given to the four disciples with high-grade spiritual root aptitudes.

Yan Hong also had a high-grade spiritual root and had spirit stones to offer. Those extra jade tokens were of no use to them. Yan Hong had something to ask of them, so they had to give him some face and help him out, right?