41: Chapter 41 Peeping into the Mysterious World in the Cave

"Hand over your identity token; the total is five thousand contribution points."

Before Steward Lu had even finished speaking, his withered palm was already impatiently extended in front of Yun Song.

Yun Song did not hesitate in the slightest; his fingertips lightly touched the surface of the token as he first handed over his own identity token.

There was still a balance of contribution points remaining, so he took out the token left behind by the Man in Bamboo Hat and used it to make up the remaining amount.

After the transaction was completed, Yun Song looked at the items before him and found himself in a dilemma.

Yellowed ancient books, Medicinal Pills in porcelain bottles, and scattered silver ingots were piled into a small mountain; how to carry all these things away had become the immediate problem.

Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon Steward Lu's waist.

That simple, ancient-looking cloth pouch was unremarkable, yet it seemed capable of holding everything.

He looked at Steward Lu with great anticipation, pointed at the pouch, and asked: "Can this kind of Storage Pouch be exchanged for?"

Steward Lu was stunned for a moment, then revealed a helpless, bitter smile and slowly shook his head.

"They exist, but as a mere mortal, you are fundamentally unable to control such an item."

Seeing Yun Song at a loss, Steward Lu was quite considerate and found a piece of thick, coarse cloth.

With skillful movements, he carefully wrapped up the bigu pills, spiritual talismans, books, and other items.

Finally, he tucked the wooden handle of the mining hoe behind Yun Song's neck, allowing him to carry the bundle with both hands.

Before leaving, Yun Song walked over to the mission wall.

The wall was densely hung with mission slips: "Abyss Exploration," "Yao Beast Extermination," "Wanted: Red Gold"... Each one spoke of the opportunities and dangers of the Cultivation world.

After watching for a moment, he walked out of the Contribution Hall's main gate, slowed his pace, and vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

When he arrived at the Tianhua Sect gate, it was already late; the setting sun had dyed the horizon orange-red, and the afterglow filtered through the branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadows.

After greeting the gate-guarding Disciple, he suddenly turned around and ducked into the pine forest nearby.

Following the winding path, Yun Song arrived at a cave on the outskirts of The Mine, carefully crawled inside, and vigilantly observed his surroundings with his eyes.

Carrying the exchanged items, he was terrified of encountering a Cultivator who might rob him, and he calculated in his heart.

If someone made a move, he would immediately flee into the depths of The Mine.

The terrain there was complex, he was familiar with the path, and with Steward Wu presiding over it, he should be able to stay safe.

In reality, this was completely overthinking it.

What he had exchanged were merely ordinary items that simply wouldn't catch the eye of a Cultivator; his current worry was nothing more than a fool's anxiety.

When bored, he took out the "tianhua miscellany" to read.

This miscellany was not simple; it was the personal notes and insights of the Tianhua Sect's founding Old Ancestor, carrying the Old Ancestor's expectations for the Sect, and passed down from generation to generation until today.

Opening the pages, the scroll of the Xuan Kingdom's Cultivation world slowly unfolded. The opening chapter introduced the situation in the Xuan Kingdom.

Five top-tier Sects stood like a tripod; the Tianhua Sect dominated the north, the Haotian Sect firmly held the south, the Zhenmo Sect sat in the east, the Shenyin Sect remained hidden in the west, and the Xuanwu Sect was located in the center.

The five major Sects had deep foundations and comparable strength, together controlling the landscape of the Xuan Kingdom's Cultivation world.

The book detailed the division of Cultivation Realms, with the Qi Refinement Stage having eleven levels, forming the foundation of Cultivation.

After that came Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refining, Body Integration, and Mahayana, all the way until Undergoing Tribulation.

Each major Realm was further divided into three stages: Early Stage, Middle Stage, and Late Stage; the higher the Realm, the stronger the power, and it was difficult for low-level Cultivators to gauge the true strength of high-level Cultivators.

And Cultivation achievements did not rely solely on the duration of Cultivation, but more on talent, Comprehension Ability, and Opportunity.

Regarding Spiritual Roots, the book also contained records, varying from person to person, divided into five types.

The Five-Element Spiritual Root was extremely rare and could Cultivate all-attribute Cultivation Techniques, but the consumption of Cultivation resources was enormous, and it required maintaining a balance of spiritual power.

Four-Spiritual Roots could Cultivate four types of elemental Spells, with slightly reduced resource consumption and decent combat power.

Three-Spiritual Roots could unlock the Cultivation of three types of elemental Spells, with lower resource consumption than the previous two.

Two-Spiritual Roots focused on two types of elemental Spells, with low resource consumption, and possessed formidable combat power in specific Domains.

One-Spiritual Root could only Cultivate one type of attribute, with streamlined resource consumption, and fast upgrade speed in the Early Stage, but when facing multi-Spiritual Root Cultivators, the combat power was slightly inferior.