Chapter 152: Theory of Taoist Soldiers, the First Free Cultivator in Jiang Country

“Finally, it’s all complete.”

Stepping out from the sixth shop, Lu Changsheng let out a soft breath.

He had purchased the Earth Fire Stone at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

However, after asking at several shops, none of them had Seven-Colored Copper.

Fortunately, his luck was good, and he spent two thousand spirit stones at this shop, allowing him to gather the last material needed to forge the Seven Luminaries Heart Lamp.

“Once I return to Green Bamboo Mountain and condense the Seven Luminaries Heart Lamp, I can forge this Natal Spiritual Artifact!”

After gathering all the necessary materials, Lu Changsheng was in a great mood.

After all, it would have been too frustrating if he was missing just one material and couldn’t buy it.

“Now that I’ve broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I also need to buy some pills suitable for increasing cultivation for Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself.

If you want to cultivate quickly, taking pills is essential.

If he relied on his own cultivation, it would take eight or nine years to break through from the first level of Foundation Establishment to the second level.

But as long as he had enough pills, and with the assistance of the Seven Luminaries Heart Lamp to refine the pill toxins and purify his mana, he estimated that two or three years would be enough to reach the second level of Foundation Establishment.

Immediately, Lu Changsheng went to the time-honored ‘Pill Cauldron Pavilion’ to inquire about pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Senior, our shop has Qi Harmonizing Pills and Yuan Nourishing Pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage.”

“However, the Yuan Nourishing Pills are currently sold out, leaving only one bottle of Qi Harmonizing Pills.”

“If Senior needs them, you can pay a deposit, and we can notify you when our shop restocks.”

The shop assistant, hearing Lu Changsheng inquire about Foundation Establishment pills, immediately said respectfully.

“Only one bottle of Qi Harmonizing Pills, huh.”

Lu Changsheng was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

But he also knew that second-order pills, like second-order talismans, were not sold in large quantities in most shops.

Unless he knew a second-order alchemist.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to purchase them in large quantities.

“How many spirit stones is the Qi Harmonizing Pill? Do you have any pills to increase cultivation for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators?”

Lu Changsheng continued to ask.

“Senior, the Qi Harmonizing Pill is one thousand two hundred spirit stones.”

“For pills to increase cultivation for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, our shop currently has Qi Refining Powder, Qi Nourishing Pills, and Qi Gathering Pills.”

After quoting the price, the shop assistant took out a jade booklet and introduced the various pills suitable for late-stage Qi Refining to Lu Changsheng.

These pills also provided some help to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

For example, Qi Refining Powder could increase the speed of refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Qi Nourishing Pills could nourish the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and accelerate the flow of spiritual energy within the body.

However, relatively speaking, these pills had a very general effect on Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In addition to the Qi Harmonizing Pill, Lu Changsheng also purchased the only remaining three bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills and one bottle of Qi Gathering Pills in the shop.

In total, he spent two thousand two hundred spirit stones.

Just as Lu Changsheng finished paying the spirit stones and was about to leave.

“Xiao Yu, has that customer who reserved the ‘Three Yang Pill’ not come yet?”

“Shopkeeper, that customer has not come. Three days ago, I also asked Xiao Wu to contact the address the customer left, but we still couldn’t reach them.”

The shopkeeper came downstairs and asked an employee.

“Three Yang Pill?”

Lu Changsheng paused upon hearing this conversation.

He knew about this pill.

A second-order spiritual pill.

Taking its meaning from ‘Three Yangs Bring Good Fortune’.

After taking it, it could not only increase cultivation and save several years of hard work.

It could also eliminate hidden ailments and potential problems within the cultivator’s body, like the warm sun shining everywhere.

Therefore, it also had some miraculous effects for Qi Refining Perfected cultivators advancing to Foundation Establishment.

It was even jokingly called the ‘Little Foundation Establishment Pill’.

Lu Changsheng knew about this Three Yang Pill because he had originally planned to prepare one for himself.

However, this pill was considered a relatively precious second-order pill.

He had run to several shops but couldn’t buy it back then.

Hearing this conversation now, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but have the intention to buy it.

He was in the Foundation Establishment stage and didn’t need it.

But he could buy it and give it to his wife, Lu Miaoge.

Lu Miaoge’s cultivation was still at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

It was estimated that it would take another two or three years before she could break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

By then, Lu Miaoge would be forty years old.

Although at this age, she could cultivate to Qi Refining Perfected before the age of sixty and attempt Foundation Establishment.

The older she got, the harder it would be to attempt Foundation Establishment.

He naturally hoped that his wife would cultivate to Qi Refining Perfected sooner.

Moreover, although Lu Miaoge had recovered from the assassination back then, it was hard to say whether there were any hidden problems.

Having a Three Yang Pill would not only increase her cultivation but also eliminate hidden problems in her body, giving Lu Miaoge more hope when attempting Foundation Establishment.

“Shopkeeper, since the original owner hasn’t come to pick up the pill, is this Three Yang Pill still for sale?”

“If you are willing to sell it, what is the price?”

Lu Changsheng looked at the shopkeeper and asked with cupped hands.

The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

But he immediately heard a voice transmission from the shop assistant, saying that Lu Changsheng had just spent more than two thousand spirit stones and was likely a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He immediately said with a smile: “If Fellow Daoist wants it, our shop is naturally willing to sell it.”

“The price of this Three Yang Pill is three thousand eight hundred spirit stones.”

The shopkeeper said.

“Alright, I’ll take this Three Yang Pill.”

Lu Changsheng nodded directly upon hearing this.

This price was not cheap, but it wasn’t very expensive either.

After all, the prices of large shops were always a bit more expensive.

Moreover, the prices of precious pills would fluctuate to a certain extent.

“Shopkeeper, I don’t have enough spirit stones on me. Can I use talismans to offset the price?”

Lu Changsheng took out three talismans and asked.

He didn’t know exactly how many spirit stones he had on him.

But it was roughly in the range of three to four thousand.

In this situation, he naturally had to keep some spirit stones for later use.

“Second-order low-grade talismans?”

As the shopkeeper of this Pill Cauldron Pavilion, he naturally had extraordinary eyesight.

After taking the talismans and looking at them twice, he said politely: “Second-order talismans can naturally be used to offset the price, but our shop can only offset them at 60% of the market price.”

“Okay, 60% it is.”

Lu Changsheng nodded slightly upon hearing this and agreed to the offset price.

It was impossible for him to run to the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce again at this time to ask if they still accepted talismans.

Immediately, he took out ten second-order talismans, offsetting two thousand five hundred spirit stones, and paid another one thousand three hundred spirit stones.

“I wonder when I’ll be able to draw a second-order alchemy skill.”

“Otherwise, second-order pills are not only difficult to buy but also expensive. I work so hard to earn money, and it’s all being spent on this.”

After putting away the Three Yang Pill and walking out of the shop, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but think to himself.

His current talismans had a 20x profit margin.

As one of the four main arts of cultivation, alchemy would only have higher profits than talisman-making.

It wasn’t just about making money. He also wanted to have alchemy skills so that he wouldn’t have to worry about pills.

“Not just alchemy, formations are also needed.”

“To establish my own family, there must be someone in the clan who understands formations.”

“Otherwise, if the formations in a family are all done by others, we wouldn’t know if there are any loopholes or flaws.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself.

He felt that the road to establishing his own family was still long and arduous.

“I’ll find another bookstore to ask about Dao Soldiers, and that’ll be about it.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t think too much about it.

He prepared to find a bookstore to learn about Dao Soldiers.

After wandering around, Lu Changsheng saw a ‘Myriad Dharma Bookstore’.

Seeing that it was a shop selling cultivation techniques and books.

He immediately walked in and asked if they had any books on Dao Soldiers.

“Dao Soldiers?”

“I wonder what aspect of Dao Soldiers Fellow Daoist wants to know about?”

The shop owner asked with some surprise upon hearing Lu Changsheng’s intention.

“Regarding Dao Soldiers, I’ve only heard a thing or two and have some interest, so I want to learn more about them in detail.”

“Any books on this topic will do.”

Lu Changsheng said.

“Regarding information on Dao Soldiers, not many people in the cultivation world know about it, and there are very few books on this topic.”

“It just so happens that I know a little about Dao Soldiers. If Fellow Daoist is willing to pay a tea fee of one hundred spirit stones, I am willing to clear up your doubts and give a simple introduction.”

The shop owner said with a smile.

People like them who ran bookstores not only sold cultivation techniques and books.

They also knew a lot about the many things in the cultivation world.

“If Fellow Daoist can clear up my doubts, I am naturally willing to offer this tea fee of one hundred spirit stones.”

Lu Changsheng took out fifty spirit stones and said.

When he was in Nine Dragons Market, he knew that the monopoly on high-end knowledge in this world was very serious.

The lack of relevant books on Dao Soldiers also showed that this thing was relatively advanced and few people knew about it.

So the tea fee of one hundred spirit stones was not very high.

Some shops that sold news and information might charge several thousand or tens of thousands of spirit stones for a single piece of information.

“Fellow Daoist is straightforward.”

The shop owner smiled upon seeing this.

He invited Lu Changsheng to sit down to the side, poured a cup of spiritual tea, and began to talk about information on Dao Soldiers.

“Actually, Dao Soldier is just a general term.”

“Puppets, demon beasts, Yin corpses, ghost soldiers, tool spirits, and even cultivators can all be called some kind of Dao Soldier.”

“However, those called Dao Soldiers are mostly of the same kind and have a certain number, like soldiers in the mortal world.”

“And Dao Soldiers can be roughly divided into three types: Raising Soldiers, Refining Soldiers, and Law Soldiers.”

The shop owner picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said: “The first type, Raising Soldiers, is as the name suggests, raising people or demon beasts into Dao Soldiers.”

“However, this Raising Soldiers is not ordinary cultivation, but using some kind of cultivation technique, secret technique, or soldier training method to raise cultivators and demon beasts into Dao Soldiers.”

“So that the Dao Soldiers not only have cultivation and mana, able to fight and kill enemies, but also able to arrange troops.”

“Many formations don’t need people to control them, but most powerful formations still require a large number of people to preside over and control them.”

“At this time, the role of Dao Soldiers is reflected.”

“I have heard that some profound methods of Raising Soldiers can raise Dao Soldiers that can not only form large formations but also allow the large formations to bless themselves, increasing cultivation and strength.”

The shop owner drank some tea and slowly introduced.

“People can also be raised into Dao Soldiers?”

Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

“Haha, all things have spirits. What’s so strange about us humans being raised into Dao Soldiers?”

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The shopkeeper smiled and finished his tea in one gulp.

He continued, “Whether in the secular world or the cultivation world, there are those who train assassins. Fellow Daoist, you can understand this as a type of domesticated Dao soldier.”

“However, most Dao soldier training involves hundreds or thousands of individuals, often taking decades or centuries to cultivate a force.”

“Therefore, few forces will raise people as Dao soldiers.”

The shopkeeper picked up the teapot and poured another cup of tea.

“Why?” Lu Changsheng asked.

“Because raising a Dao soldier not only consumes time and energy but also a lot of resources. Only major forces have the ability to raise Dao soldiers.”

“Turning people into Dao soldiers is, firstly, against the will of heaven. Secondly, it requires too many resources. In the end, the Dao soldier is formed, but the person’s lifespan is too short.”

“Compared to humans, demon beasts not only have longer lifespans but also consume fewer resources, making them perfect for raising soldiers.”

“So, if one wants to raise Dao soldiers, most forces would definitely choose to raise demon beasts instead of humans.”

The shopkeeper said, filling Lu Changsheng’s cup with tea.

“I see.”

Lu Changsheng understood upon hearing this.

He now had a general understanding of raising Dao soldiers.

It involves using some kind of cultivation technique to train people or demon beasts into a type of assassin.

These assassins not only have high combat power but can also form formations, making them extraordinary in combat, killing enemies, or other tasks.

“May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what about refining soldiers and magic soldiers?”

Lu Changsheng took a sip of tea and continued to ask.

“Refining soldiers refers to certain special puppets, the spirits of magical treasures, or some techniques of raising corpses and ghosts—Dao soldiers artificially refined are collectively called refining soldiers.”

“Magic soldiers are mostly magical treasures that can store and nurture Dao soldiers.”

“For example, in the Demonic Path, there is an extremely famous magical treasure called the Myriad Souls Banner. After killing people and demon beasts, it can refine their souls into the banner, turning them into vengeful ghosts.”

“This is what is called a magic soldier.”

“Most people refer to Dao soldiers as those who are raised. However, cultivators and forces capable of raising Dao soldiers are rare in the cultivation world, which is why so few people know about Dao soldiers.”

The shopkeeper sipped his tea and said with a smile.

“Raising soldiers? Refining soldiers? Magic soldiers?”

Lu Changsheng nodded thoughtfully upon hearing about the three types of Dao soldiers.

He now had a general concept of Dao soldiers.

“In that case, which type of Dao soldier does my Golden Armor Bean Soldier belong to?”

Lu Changsheng felt that his Golden Armor Bean Soldiers did not seem to fit the three types of Dao soldiers the shopkeeper mentioned.

They were somewhat like raised soldiers but also somewhat like magic soldiers.

He remembered that the system described the Golden Armor Bean Soldiers as spiritual plant-type Dao soldiers.

He felt that they should lean towards the raised soldier aspect.

However, he didn’t dwell on it.

The shopkeeper was only a Qi Refining peak cultivator.

His understanding of Dao soldiers was likely limited and not entirely comprehensive.

Moreover, rewards drawn from the system could not be measured by common sense.

“May I ask, Fellow Daoist, which forces in our Jiang Country’s cultivation world possess Dao soldiers?”

Lu Changsheng continued to ask.

“Among the four great immortal sects of our Jiang Country, the Spirit Control Sect is famous for taming spirit beasts, so they definitely have raised Dao soldiers in their sect.”

“However, whether the Heavenly Sword Sect, Azure Cloud Sect, or Sunset Glow Sect have Dao soldiers, I do not know.”

“Qingluan Zhenren of Qingluan Immortal City, one of the three great immortal cities of our Jiang Country, has raised a Qingluan Dao soldier force.”

“Legend has it that two hundred years ago, Qingluan Zhenren relied on five hundred Qingluan Dao soldiers to shock Jiang Country and establish Qingluan Immortal City, thus earning the title of the number one rogue cultivator in our Jiang Country.”

The shopkeeper said.

“Qingluan Zhenren, Qingluan Dao soldiers.”

Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

He naturally knew about Qingluan Immortal City and had heard of Qingluan Zhenren’s great reputation.

However, he did not know that this Qingluan Zhenren had actually become famous and established Qingluan Immortal City by relying on a Dao soldier force.

“That’s right. Legend has it that Qingluan Zhenren was only in the early stage of Core Formation back then, but he was able to directly confront the late stage of Core Formation with five hundred Qingluan Dao soldiers.”

The shopkeeper said, a look of longing and respect in his eyes as he spoke of Qingluan Zhenren.

As a rogue cultivator with no background, Qingluan Zhenren condensed a Golden Core.

Furthermore, he established Qingluan Immortal City, this holy land for rogue cultivators, at the border between Jiang Country and Yue Country, naturally being worshiped by many rogue cultivators and setting him as a goal to strive for.

“As expected, those who can become famous in the cultivation world, especially rogue cultivators, are all templates of the chosen ones.”

Lu Changsheng also felt that this Qingluan Zhenren was very powerful upon hearing this.

He was currently in the early stage of Foundation Establishment and felt that he could barely confront the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

The difference in strength between Core Formation stages would only be greater.

This Qingluan Zhenren was able to confront the late stage of Core Formation in the early stage of Core Formation.

“However, Qingluan Zhenren’s Qingluan Dao soldiers are top-tier Dao soldiers among many Dao soldiers.”

“As far as I know, the Xu family of Beast Control, one of the three great cultivation families in our Jiang Country, has also raised a Water Snake Dao soldier force and a Fire Crow Dao soldier force, but they are far inferior to Qingluan Zhenren’s Qingluan Dao soldiers.”

The shopkeeper continued to introduce Dao soldiers.

“The Xu family of Beast Control, Water Snake Dao soldiers, Fire Crow Dao soldiers.”

Lu Changsheng nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He had heard of this Xu family of Beast Control.

One of the three great cultivation families of Jiang Country.

With a Golden Core Zhenren presiding over it, it was a true cultivation family.

It was completely incomparable to small cultivation families like the Lu family of Green Bamboo and the Chen family of Red Leaf Valley.

He didn’t expect that this family not only had a Golden Core ancestor presiding over it but also cultivated Dao soldiers.

However, he noticed that the shopkeeper was only talking about raised Dao soldiers.

There were no refining soldiers or magic soldiers.

Immediately, Lu Changsheng asked about refining soldiers and magic soldiers.

“Dao soldiers are already rare and difficult to cultivate.”

“Compared to raising soldiers, refining soldiers are more often associated with the evil path, so they are naturally rare in our Jiang Country.”

“Hundreds of years ago, the Yue Country’s royal family, which bordered our Jiang Country, secretly launched a series of great wars in order to screen out a group of seasoned veterans from the battlefield to refine a type of Dao soldier.”

“After the major immortal sects of Yue Country learned of this, they directly slaughtered the Yue Country’s royal family.”

“As for magic soldiers, they are even rarer.”

“Apart from the famous Myriad Souls Banner of the Demonic Path, I have heard that the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect of Jin Country has a treasure called the Myriad Ghosts Blood Pool, which is irrigated with the blood of ten thousand spirits and can nurture a type of Dao soldier.”

The shopkeeper said, drinking another cup of tea.

After speaking, he said to Lu Changsheng, “Fellow Daoist, that’s all I know about Dao soldiers.”

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your explanation, which has broadened my horizons.”

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands upon hearing this.

He handed the remaining fifty spirit stones for the tea and left.

“These Dao soldiers sound really good.”

“If I could draw a magical treasure that can nurture Dao soldiers, I might be able to cultivate a Dao soldier force.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself.

After understanding the three types of Dao soldiers, he felt that magic soldiers were the best.

Whether it was raising soldiers or refining soldiers, they were too difficult in terms of time and energy.

Only magic soldiers could be stored and nurtured with magical treasures.

It was also the most likely way for him to directly obtain them through the system lottery.

Without thinking further, Lu Changsheng found an inn, changed his appearance and outfit, and left Azure Cloud Square City directly.

“Quite clever, knowing to disguise himself.”

“But daring to steal a woman from me, Meng Yibai, you must pay the price.”

Just at the entrance of the square city, on the second floor of a high platform.

A vigorous young man in his twenties stood up with a sense of feeling, looked outside, and a golden hamster appeared in his hand, pointing to Lu Changsheng, who had just walked out of the square city in the crowd.

Lu Changsheng did not ride the Iron Feather Eagle when he walked out of the square city.

Nor did he drive a flying magic weapon.

Instead, he tried to fly in the air.

After all, the biggest feature of Qi Refining breaking through Foundation Establishment is that you can fly directly in the air without the aid of flying magic weapons.

Now that he had broken through Foundation Establishment, he naturally had to try and experience it.

Lu Changsheng moved his mind, and the whole person naturally rose into the air and flew in the air.

There were many monks coming in and out next to Qingyun Square City.

Seeing Lu Changsheng flying in the air, they all avoided him, showing envy and respect.

Even in a large square city like Qingyun Square City, there are many Qi Refining monks.

Seeing a monk flying in the air, they naturally knew that he was a Foundation Establishment monk, and they dared not touch him.

After all, if this Foundation Establishment monk was in a bad mood and felt that they were in the way, they would have nowhere to cry even if they were slapped to death.

“The reason why Qi Refining period cannot fly is because the spiritual power is not enough to support the body, and they can only use flying magic weapons.”

“But after breaking through Foundation Establishment, the whole person is reborn, shedding the mortal womb, and the spiritual energy in the body is transformed into mana, which is more than ten times more powerful, so that the body can rise into the air and fly in the air.”

Lu Changsheng tried flying in the air and had a general understanding of the principle.

Immediately, he fell from the air, released the Iron Feather Eagle, and flew towards Green Bamboo Mountain.

Even Foundation Establishment monks can fly in the air, but they cannot fly long distances and will have a certain consumption.

So it still depends on mounts or magic weapons to travel.

At the same time.

Meng Yibai walked out of Qingyun Square City and released a palm-sized golden hamster from the spirit beast bag.

“Which direction did he go in?”

He fed a pill and said lightly.

“Jiji”

The golden hamster took a bite of the pill and immediately pointed in one direction.