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Many cultivators came and went in front of the entrance, suggesting that such a sizable shop likely conducted fair business; otherwise, it wouldn\'t attract such a bustling crowd.

Yang Ji planned to first go inside to check out some general knowledge books to understand the basic situation of various aspects of this world.

After pondering for a moment, he walked in.

Immediately, a slender and lovely girl, full of warm smiles, greeted him with extreme enthusiasm.

She politely led him up to the loft, all the while smiling and saying, "Sir, may I ask what you need? Our Myriad Treasures Tower has Medicine Pills, Magic Artifacts, Talismans, Spiritual Medicines, and all kinds of precious materials."

Yang Ji slightly smiled as a response, his gaze lightly sweeping over the lobby.

The first-floor hall was brightly lit and spacious, with carved beams and painted rafters. There were incense burners in the corners, emitting fragrant smoke. The walls were adorned with various precious calligraphy and paintings, creating an environment that was elegant and comfortable—an utterly different feeling compared to the garish appearance of new money.

Several counters were arranged inside the hall; behind them were many rare items for sale, with a number of female attendants guiding the cultivators to look and make purchases.

Yang Ji briefly assessed the layout of the place, then turned to the girl and asked:

"Do you have general knowledge books here?"

"Yes!"

"Take me to see them."

"Right this way, sir."

The girl led Yang Ji to a counter at the very back of the hall.

On the big chair behind the counter lounged an elder. He was dressed in luxurious clothing, had a plump build, a mustache, and beady eyes that immediately brought to mind the crafty merchants seen in TV dramas.

"Elder Jin, a guest has come to look through the general knowledge books!" the girl respectfully said to the elder.

The luxuriously dressed elder, who was engrossed in a book titled "How to Be Rich in All Four Quarters of the Land", occasionally sipped tea placed nearby, quite at ease.

"Mhm, go ahead!" Without looking up from his book, he responded casually.

While others stood, he lay there with tea served beside him. Such arrogance and comfort made it clear to Yang Ji that this elder must hold no low stature.

Looking over the books neatly arranged under various categories inside the counter, he mused:

"There\'s no need for Spirit Stones to look through the books, right?"

Upon hearing this, a [humorous] expression flashed across the girl\'s forehead. However, as always, she remained composed and said warmly, "Sir, as long as you do not take the books away, there\'s no need for Spirit Stones to read them." She ended with a sweet smile, playfully adding, "But if you wear them out, you\'ll have to pay for them!"

Yang Ji kept a calm demeanor, yet couldn\'t help feeling a bit embarrassed.

If he were fabulously wealthy, why would he enter the city like a bumpkin, cautious and fearful of being charged even for sitting down?

However, upon hearing that browsing was free of charge, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Yang Ji\'s words, the elder holding the book was also taken aback, discretely lowering the book to sneak a peek at him.

Yang Ji quickly regained his composure, selecting a geography book from inside the counter and began to look through it.

Half an incense stick later, after perusing and subtly questioning the girl,

Yang Ji learned that the vast sea he had seen earlier was the "Endless Sea".

He was currently located to the east of the Endless Sea in the "Thousand-Islands Sea Area", and the island he was on was Nanfeng Island.

Within this Thousand-Islands Sea Area, there were numerous solitary cultivators, quite a few cultivating families, and additionally three major sects, namely Nanyuan Sect, Canglan Sect, and Changqing Gate.

It also detailed the benefits of joining a sect.

Such as, receiving a monthly cultivation stipend, Nascent Soul True Monarchs lecturing, the Foundation Building Method, the cultivation method of the Nine-Pattern Golden Pill, advanced Medicine Pills not sold outside the sect, Great Divine Power techniques, Dao Sect quota spots, and so forth.

Upon reading this, Yang Ji\'s eyes lit up.

There were indeed sects!

If one didn\'t join a sect in the world of cultivation, how could one have access to advanced cultivation techniques, resources, and divine skills? Joining a sect was the best choice.

Yang Ji felt a surge of excitement.

But before he could rejoice for long, the joy in his heart quickly faded away.

He discovered that the three major sects actually did not recruit disciples with lower-grade Spiritual Roots, which was a blatant form of discrimination that left him indignant.

Yet soon after, his expression firmed and hope reignited in his heart as he noticed a term, External Affairs Disciple.

The only hope for someone with lower-grade Spiritual Roots to join a sect was to become an External Affairs Disciple.

But becoming an External Affairs Disciple was difficult; one needed to reach the Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation to qualify.

Upon seeing this, Yang Ji inwardly scoffed.

The sects were clearly showing they did not wish to cultivate disciples with lower-grade Spiritual Roots, preferring to pick those who had already proved their potential.

However, once one passed the assessment, the sect would immediately provide the Foundation Building Method and a place to establish one\'s foundation.

If successful in Foundation Establishment, one would be promoted to an External Affairs Elder, with their status soaring dramatically.

Reading this, Yang Ji finally found some consolation, as this was a victory for those with lower-grade Roots.

However, what he read next stirred his emotions once again.

The three major sects recruited disciples in two phases.

They recruited disciples with medium-grade Roots or higher once every five years, while the recruitment for External Affairs Disciples happened every fifty years, taking into account the difficulties faced by those with lower-grade Roots.

Forty years had already passed since the last recruitment of External Affairs Disciples, meaning if he missed his chance in ten years, he would have to wait another fifty years.

By that time, he would be seventy-eight years old, and his end would not be far away. If he could not obtain the Foundation Building Method within the remaining time, he would likely follow in his late master\'s footsteps.

But how could he be content with that?

"Ten years! How many decades does one have in the prime of life? One must seize the opportunity and take the plunge."

Yang Ji made up his mind and resolved in his heart.

He took a few breaths and quickly regained his composure, continuing to flip through the books.

The last few pages of the book in his hands didn\'t contain much information, only mentioning the Immortal Cultivation Continent tens of thousands of miles east of the Thousand-Islands Sea Area.

There were many Dao Sects, Mahayana cultivators, and even the Nine Tribulations Loose Immortals who stood at the pinnacle of the entire cultivation world.

Although not much was described, the word "Immortal" in Loose Immortals was enough to make people yearn for it.

Yang Ji\'s heart couldn\'t help but pound with excitement. Immortal… wasn\'t that what he was pursuing?

...

Having finished the book, Yang Ji had a certain understanding of the world\'s geography and had a clear plan in his mind.

He put down the book in his hand and soon began to read other common knowledge books.

He also read about Spirit Stones, the currency of the cultivation world.

Superior Spirit Stones were very rarely seen in the marketplace because the Spiritual Energy they contained was extremely pure and they had many uses, such as powering the Sect Protection Array, the Spirit Gathering Array during breakthroughs, or for rapid recovery of Spiritual Power during combat, and so on.

What normally circulated were Low-grade Spirit Stones, Middle-grade Spirit Stones, and Superior Spirit Stones.

One Superior Spirit Stone could be exchanged for a hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones, or ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

This was the theoretical exchange value, but practically no one would make such an exchange as the Spiritual Energy contained in the Low-grade Spirit Stones was too impure, and it was not worth it.

After that, Yang Ji read several other books.

He roughly understood the basic value of Medicine Pills, Spiritual Medicines, Magic Artifacts, and some materials, among other things.

Additionally, he gained a certain awareness of Secret Realms, islands, Demonic Beasts, and the eighteen dangers of the Endless Sea, among other hazards.

After all this reading, Yang Ji finally had a comprehensive basic understanding of the cultivation world.

Just when he was about to thank the girl and leave, the well-dressed elder called out to him with a smile, "Young friend, please wait a moment," while signaling to the girl to leave first.

Yang Ji was called by him and, like the girl before him, addressed him, "Elder Jin!"

"Young friend, you must have just started your adventures," said the elder with a smile.

Feeling the scrutiny of his experienced gaze, Yang Ji knew he couldn\'t deceive him and replied, "Yes, I have just left my family to gain some experience."

In an instant, a slight change in the elder\'s demeanor revealed his thoughts above his head [Family? Nonsense, what kind of third-rate family doesn\'t even know these common things? Say it straight, you\'re an independent cultivator], but on the surface, he continued with a smile:

"Ah, so you are a scion of a family, my apologies."

"Young friend, you must be out to prove your abilities. It so happens that in three days, a merchant vessel from Myriad Treasures Tower will be setting out to sea. If you\'re interested, how about you come along as a guard?"

The elder said with a squint, "As for compensation, well, I sense you are at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. How does fifty Spirit Stones sound?"

Above the elder\'s head, the word [Greedy] flashed momentarily. If Yang Ji hadn\'t read those books earlier, he might have been fooled. He subtly smiled and replied:

"Elder Jin, isn\'t fifty Spirit Stones a bit too little? Normally, a sea voyage would last three to five days at the very least, requiring at least three hundred Spirit Stones."

"This is your first adventure, young friend? You lack experience, so fifty Spirit Stones is already quite generous, considering your cultivation level is quite decent," the elder said with a smile, with the words [You\'re so poor, you\'re still bargaining?] above his head.

Huh? Yang Ji was momentarily speechless; the accusation of poverty struck a nerve.

Seeing his silence, the word [Gotcha] appeared above the elder\'s head as he continued with a smile:

"As it\'s your first time adventuring, following our merchant vessel will allow you to interact with other cultivators, gaining some experience."

"You mustn\'t be in a rush to venture into the sea on your own. While the Sinkstone, Spiritual Medicines, Demonic Beasts, and ore of the Thousand-Islands Sea Area are indeed tempting, the waters are deep, and you might find it difficult to cope, young friend."

The elder adopted a paternal tone.

Indeed, through his readings, Yang Ji had learned that cultivators in the Thousand-Islands Sea Area usually earned Spirit Stones through sea adventures.

They would seek out delicious Spirit Fish, Spiritual Medicines, ore, and other exotic items in the sea,

Additionally, they could hunt Demonic Beasts for materials and Demon Cores.

But as the elder said, venturing out to sea was risky, and for someone like Yang Ji who had never ventured out to sea, the risks were everywhere.

Seeing Yang Ji\'s silence, the elder smiled, and the word [Machiavellian] appeared above his head as he said:

"Fifty Spirit Stones, though not many, will be worthwhile as you\'ll learn from the experience with our merchant ship. The value of this cannot be measured."

The elder\'s words, like those of a coquettish maiden, truly gripped his heart. The experience was priceless, and it was exactly what Yang Ji lacked at the moment.

The risks of a single sea voyage were not great, mainly involving guarding against pirates and operating the ship\'s Formation in unison during severe storms.

At this moment, agreeing to join the voyage meant earning his first pot of gold, and the first pot of gold was especially hard to earn.

Yang Ji was internally convinced but kept a composed smile and said, "Elder Jin, fifty Spirit Stones is still too few. If you make it a hundred, I\'ll agree."

"Alas, it cannot be more than fifty Spirit Stones. If you are unwilling, you may go," the elder sighed, waving his hand.

Such a wily old fox, he has hit my soft spot.

Yang Ji was inwardly indignant, but for his first pot of gold, he was willing to bite the bullet and smiled lightly:

"I\'m honored by your high regard, Elder Jin. Since you are so sincere in your invitation, I shall accept."

This kid, can he outplay me? The elder looked at him in surprise and also smiled:

"Good, very good! Then come early in three days, and we\'ll set out to sea together."

"Thank you," Yang Ji bowed ceremoniously and turned to leave, tears of frustration in his eyes.

"Ah, it\'s just too easy to manipulate a greenhorn who has just left the nest. I\'ve saved over two hundred Spirit Stones, bringing me one step closer to being rich and powerful," the elder sighed as he looked at Yang Ji\'s retreating figure, a lonely triumph on his face.