66: Ready to go

“It seems that to stay here and Cultivate for a long time, I must find a way to earn Spirit Stones.”

After understanding the general rules of the entire market, Gu Chang immediately realized how important his Talisman drawing method was.

Along the way, he had seen not only shops specializing in selling Talismans but also various vendors selling them.

In other words, Talismans are common consumables for Cultivators, useful not only in combat but also in daily life.

The Talismans on those stalls were diverse and varied; if he could master them, he would certainly not lack a source of income.

After understanding these key points, Gu Chang began to inquire about the situation of the entire Qing Ling Market.

In general, Qing Ling Market is a Cultivator market belonging to the Meng Family, but it also contains shops from various Cultivator Families, and a large number of Loose Cultivators also live here.

The survival methods of ordinary Loose Cultivators in Qing Ling Market are roughly divided into three categories: the first is to rent Spirit Fields for cultivation, and then exchange the harvested Spirit Rice and other crops for Spirit Stones and other resources for Cultivation.

The advantage of this survival method is safety; it doesn't require fighting others, risking hunting Yao Beasts, or exploring Immortal Caves.

The disadvantage is that the income is relatively low; not only does half of the harvest need to be paid as rent, but his own portion also needs to be used to exchange for resources for daily Cultivation.

If one relies solely on farming, most Cultivators would find it difficult to reach the Qi Refining Late Stage in their lifetime; their daily hard work would merely be for others to exploit.

The second category is mastering a certain Cultivation skill, such as Talisman drawing, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formation, etc. As long as one can specialize in one of these, it can meet their survival needs, and with more effort, Cultivation resources can also be met.

The advantage of this survival method is obvious: as long as one masters a skill, they will be more popular wherever they go. The disadvantage is that it is not easy to get started, even harder to master, and achieving success is even more difficult.

Some even wasted a lot of time on the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, leading to their own Realm falling behind, ultimately failing to Breakthrough in their Cultivation skills and instead dying of old age.

The third category is leaving the market to venture outside, whether it's hunting Yao Beasts, exploring ancient ruins, or picking Spirit Medicine, all of which can yield a good amount of Spirit Stones.

However, this survival method is undoubtedly the most dangerous; the Cultivators who die the most are often in this category.

After learning this information, Gu Chang became even more determined to continue down the path of Talismans.

Even if his talent was not very good, relying on the time difference of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, he could still make rapid progress in a short time in reality.

Therefore, after making his decision, Gu Chang went directly to the management office of Qing Ling Market to rent an Immortal Cave.

“The Qing Ling Market is divided into four Ranks: A, B, C, and D. The higher the Rank, the more abundant the Spiritual Qi. Which Rank do you want?”

Facing the inquiry from the Meng Family Cultivator responsible for managing Immortal Cave rentals, Gu Chang naturally chose the lowest Rank D.

Because the most expensive Rank A would cost at least a hundred Spirit Stones per month, which would be thousands of Spirit Stones a year—just thinking about it was a terrifying number.

The lowest Rank D Immortal Cave, on the other hand, only required ten Spirit Stones per month, which was just right for Gu Chang, who was now even poorer.

“Rank D!”

“Okay, pick one. Any green-lit one can be chosen.”

The other party was not surprised, directly took out a market map, and then said to Gu Chang.

“Okay, then I choose this place.”

Gu Chang looked around and then chose a relatively secluded location.

Then, after paying the Spirit Stones, Gu Chang received a waist token for the Immortal Cave and left the place.

“Now I really only have three Spirit Stones left. If I can't quickly improve my Talisman drawing ability in the next month, then I'm afraid I'll have to go outside the market to make a living.”

Walking on the streets of the market, Gu Chang felt a pang of frustration; the feeling of poverty from his days as an ordinary fisherman once again washed over him.

Fortunately, the Spirit Stones spent this time were not in vain; Gu Chang found his Immortal Cave and immediately nodded in satisfaction.

The entire Immortal Cave was not large, with only three small rooms and a small courtyard, but it was definitely enough for him.

In fact, if requirements were not high, one could completely rent the same Immortal Cave with others, which would undoubtedly save a lot.

Unfortunately, Gu Chang had no acquaintances here and didn't quite trust other strangers.

After a simple tidying, Gu Chang eagerly began to devote himself to Cultivation.

Immediately, the abundant Spiritual Qi, far surpassing the mortal world, surged into his body, making him so comfortable he almost wanted to groan.

After two hours of continuous Cultivation, Gu Chang stopped, then ate some barbarian beef jerky and began to draw Talismans.

Currently, his success rate was around 30%. If he were to sell Talismans with this success rate, he wouldn't even make back his capital.

To truly make money, he needed to increase his success rate to at least 50%, otherwise, the more he invested, the more he would lose.

He continued like this until nightfall, and then Gu Chang entered the Reincarnation World again.

Compared to before, the valley camp looked different; many brick and stone buildings stood within it, even forming streets, alleys, and a market.

Even outside the valley stronghold, land and houses were laid out, making anyone who saw it exclaim at the beautiful mountain and wilderness scenery.

The population of the entire Da Wu Mountain had increased significantly, making it more and more prosperous.

The reason, of course, was that the situation outside had changed again; the Xuan King's army and the two other rebel kings fought and suffered a great defeat, and then the barbarian tribes from outside the pass took advantage of the chaos to move south, burning, killing, and plundering, committing all sorts of evil.

More than a decade of continuous warfare had already greatly depleted the Origin Qi outside; some places were even desolate, truly a tragic scene of a chaotic era's end.

In contrast, Da Wu Mountain, under Gu Chang's protection, grew more and more prosperous. Although life in the mountains was difficult, there was always a way to survive, while outside, there truly was no way to survive.

“The Xuan King suffered heavy losses this time, not only losing the territory he previously occupied but also completely damaging his Origin Qi. Several great generals were killed, and the elite army was severely wounded. It will probably be difficult for him to rise again.”

“The situation of the other two rebel kings is also not good; they also neglected the governance of their territories, leading to continuous unrest everywhere. Who knows how many common people have fled into the mountains and wilderness.”

“Adding to that, the barbarian army is now moving south. Under internal and external threats, the entire Zhao Country is probably in danger of falling!”

“At that time, the land will be trampled by foreign races, wives and daughters will be ravaged by foreign races, and the destruction of the country and race will not be far off!”

In the main hall, Gu Chang sat in the main seat, with his strategists, generals, and trusted aides below him.

At this moment, a strategist nicknamed Suan Tianji, named Cai Ziyuan, came before Gu Chang and tearfully recounted.

“So? What do you want me to do?”

Gu Chang was perfectly clear about his intentions, but the questions that needed to be asked still had to be spoken.

“I respectfully invite my Lord to lead the army out of the mountains, expel the barbarians, pacify the four directions, sweep across the world, and restore the rivers and mountains, bringing peace and tranquility to this land!”

Suan Tianji heard this, immediately clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Gu Chang, then spoke to him with powerful conviction.

“We respectfully invite our Lord to lead the army out of the mountains!”

“Please, Lord, lead the army out of the mountains! We will go through fire and water for you, not shrinking from a myriad deaths!”

“…”

Following closely, the other strategists, generals, and trusted aides also rose and bowed, urging Gu Chang.

“It seems you are already prepared.”

Gu Chang was not surprised by this situation, after all, he had been accumulating strength ever since he entered Da Wu Mountain.

“Tell me your detailed plan. I don't like merely attacking cities and seizing territories. What I need is how to govern, how to restore, and how to establish roots!”

“If you don't even understand this point, then don't bring up this matter again in the future.”

However, Gu Chang also intended to test them now. If this group of people couldn't even figure out what was important, then even if he was invincible, what he would ultimately get would be betrayal and chaos.

“Yes! We already have a plan!”

“Over the past ten years, we have, according to our Lord's command, focused on developing technology, agriculture, and people's livelihoods, promoting education, governing scholarship, training elite soldiers, and nurturing capable and virtuous individuals.”

“Currently, six or seven out of ten common people in the mountains can read and count, and three out of ten can write and calculate, understanding government decrees.”

“…”

Regarding Gu Chang's inquiry, Suan Tianji was clearly well-prepared and immediately reported various achievements to Gu Chang.

Simply put, Gu Chang now has talent under his command, and a lot of it; there are thirty to forty thousand people who can write and calculate.

Various technologies are also available; metallurgy, forging, planting, and breeding are considered top-notch in this era.

Elite soldiers and good generals are also not lacking under his command, and they are fully equipped with weapons, have ample logistics, and everyone is literate and understands commands. With this as the basic backbone, if Gu Chang wants to expand his army, he can expand it tenfold in a short time!