Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 138 - 127: Suiyu Mountain

"A good thing?"

Zhang Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly:

"I’m a bit curious now."

He rose and left the quiet chamber, reaching the entrance of the cave mansion, casually casting a spell.

With a flicker of light, the magic ban Zhang Yao had set up was lifted, and the cave mansion door opened, revealing Li Chen Fairy, smiling brightly outside.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

"Please, Fairy."

After exchanging courtesies, Zhang Yao invited Li Chen Fairy into the cave mansion, and the two sat down as host and guest, with Zhang Yao asking:

"Fairy, the good thing you mentioned earlier isn’t just idle banter, is it?"

"Of course not."

Li Chen Fairy shook her head with a smile and explained:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you might not know, but pulling you into the Haihe Association comes with a reward—no less than ten thousand Contribution Points."

"I intend to split this amount in half with you, following the old rules of the association."

As she spoke, her lips curved slightly upward, shaking her head humorously:

"Well, does this qualify as a good thing?"

"Hahaha..."

Zhang Yao laughed heartily and spoke loudly:

"This is certainly a great thing."

"To be honest, I’ve been quite troubled over Contribution Points lately, Fairy’s actions are truly a timely help."

Contribution Points can be exchanged for items in the Treasure Vault’s list and can be directly converted to Spirit Stones, one point for one Spirit Stone.

However, Spirit Stones cannot be converted back into Contribution Points, a rule that applies not only to the Foundation Establishment members but also to many Qi Refining Cultivators.

Only Foundation Establishment members enjoy privileges allowing them to trade and transfer Contribution Points among themselves, whereas Qi Refining Cultivators are prohibited from trading.

After a brief chat, Li Chen Fairy reached for her waist and took out a Water Jade Token, indicating:

"Let’s not delay, let’s begin."

Zhang Yao agreed happily and took out his own Water Jade Token, handing it to Li Chen Fairy.

This Water Jade Token is the identity token for Haihe Association Foundation Establishment Stage members, a special treasure in itself, calming the mind, increasing magical power slightly, and facilitating the transfer of Contribution Points.

"Buzz!"

Li Chen Fairy cast several spells, transferring strands of light from her token to Zhang Yao’s.

Upon reclaiming his token, Zhang Yao discovered fifty additional light points within, with divine sense detecting feedback indicating a balance of five thousand Contribution Points.

Subsequently, Li Chen Fairy took her leave, and Zhang Yao escorted her out of the cave mansion.

"Farewell, Fairy."

......

In a blink of an eye, four or five years passed.

Having acquired the subsequent cultivation technique, Zhang Yao continued to peacefully cultivate within the Cangjiang Water Mansion.

The numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Haihe Association regularly held gatherings, with Zhang Yao participating many times, gradually integrating into the organization.

The exchange of cultivation experiences proved incredibly beneficial to Zhang Yao, making the ’Array Guided Spirit’ and ’Refining Spirit and Controlling Qi’ processes increasingly smooth, significantly accelerating his cultivation speed.

At the Haihe Association’s internal mini-trading meeting, he spent twenty thousand Spirit Stones to acquire a Flying Sword at the Early stage Spiritual Artifact Level, a treasure for both flight and combat, further enhancing his power.

Meanwhile:

News of an additional Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Haihe Association slowly spread throughout the Da Li Cultivation Realm, yet did not attract much attention.

The only impact was a slight amplification of Haihe Association’s influence, a greater share of interests in various places, and the increasingly assertive demeanor of Qi Refining Disciples compared to the past.

One day, five years later:

"Lord Qingxu."

While Zhang Yao was meditating in the cave mansion, the array at the entrance was triggered, followed by a clear voice:

"Lord Baihe is here to visit, does the Lord have a moment?"

"So it’s Lord Baihe, just a moment."

Zhang Yao replied, hurriedly leaving the quiet chamber, and welcomed Lord Baihe into the cave mansion.

"Lord Qingxu, here’s the deal..."

Once seated, Lord Baihe started straightforwardly:

"You’ve been a member of our Haihe Association for five years now, and your first assigned task has come."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yao’s expression shifted, though he had anticipated this, and he gestured promptly:

"Please speak, Lord."

Lord Baihe waved his sleeve, conjuring a screen of light from thin air, revealing a map:

"This is the map of the northern part of our Fang Continent."

"We have several Spirit Gold Ore Veins in Fang Continent, including higher-grade Black Jade and Taibai Pure Gold Ore Veins."

Lord Baihe pointed to a mountain range on the map, and said:

"Here lies ’Suiyu Mountain,’ the core of our interests in Fang Continent."

"The most precious Black Jade and Taibai Pure Gold Ore Veins are within Suiyu Mountain, and there must be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator stationed there long-term."

"For the past ten years, Daoist Brother Luo He has been stationed at Suiyu Mountain, and now his term is nearing its end. A new fellow cultivator is needed to replace him."

Understanding this, Zhang Yao said:

"I understand."

"I will prepare accordingly and depart immediately."

Task assignment is not mandatory and can be refused or negotiated.

However, Zhang Yao knows that being stationed at Suiyu Mountain is quite a lucrative position, with an annual bonus of five hundred Contribution Points during the tenure, and because the term lasts ten years, it’s equivalent to two rounds of task assignments.

Moreover, occasionally taking some refined minerals for personal use, as long as it’s not excessive, Lord Haihe won’t care much and won’t even ask.

Assigning this task to him is definitely a way to take care of newcomers.

"Lord, there’s no need to be in such a hurry."

Lord Baihe smiled and said:

"Friend Luo He’s term isn’t finished for another three months, so you can arrive at Suiyu Mountain before then and complete the handover with him."

"During this time, you can handle personal affairs and prepare for a long-term stationing. Once the handover is complete, unless there are special circumstances, you may not leave your post casually."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly and said:

"Alright, thank you for informing me, fellow Daoist."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhang Yao escorted Lord Baihe out of the cave abode, and he left the Cangjiang Water Mansion as well.

"Boom!"

A beam of escape light tore through the river’s surface, flying swiftly to the sky.

Zhang Yao oriented himself and turned the escape light towards Immortal Gate Island.

"Stationing at Suiyu Mountain requires ten years."

As he flew in the heavens, he contemplated privately:

"Although Suiyu Mountain doesn’t have external enemies, precautions must be taken against miner slave revolts, ore vein accidents, or theft and robbery of minerals, which constantly demand attention."

"Since I can’t devote myself entirely to cultivation, it just happens to be a good time to train in the Yellow Talisman Dao and Divine Soul Skill..."

The Divine Soul Skill, benefiting from his strong Divine Soul, doesn’t require much extra effort.

But the Yellow Talisman Dao is different.

Over the years, Zhang Yao has occasionally pondered and studied the Yellow Talisman Dao and found it to be a Foundation Establishment Dao Technique that integrates talisman, array, and Artifact Refining methods.

The so-called ’Foundation Establishment Dao Technique’ is a simplified version of Divine Communication Skill, like the Qinglian Song Zhang Yao knows, and generally has much greater power than normal high-level skills.

Most high-level skills have limitations in power and are no longer applicable after the Foundation Establishment stage. To compete with cultivators of the same stage, either Spiritual Artifact or Daoist Technique is relied on.

"Cultivating the Yellow Talisman Dao requires a lot of materials."

"However, once successfully cultivated, it will greatly enhance my strength; it’s not bad to succeed earlier."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao slightly increased the speed of his escape light.

A few hours later:

Zhang Yao arrived at Immortal Gate Island and went to the inner island to procure a large batch of materials, spending nearly thirty thousand Spirit Stones in total.

This batch of materials ranged from low to high, with hundreds of types, the highest being Second grade Spiritual Objects, more than enough to support his cultivation of the Yellow Talisman Daoist Skill.

......

Two months later.

Fang Continent, Suiyu Mountain.

Amidst majestic, towering mountains, several enormous mines are hidden.

A small city was built on top of a magnificent mountain, where escape lights flew back and forth like diligent little bees.

This little mountain city is a branch of the Haihe Association within Suiyu Mountain, inhabited by over a hundred Qi Refining Cultivators, all low-level members affiliated with the Haihe Association.

"Boom!"

A green escape light roared in, slicing through the sky, causing the cloud sea on both sides to churn.

"Hmm?"

In the branch city’s cave abode, a middle-aged cultivator suddenly opened his eyes:

"This aura... Fellow Daoist Qingxu has arrived!"

Luo He revealed a hint of a smile on his face.

Although he had been stationed at Suiyu Mountain, he still participated in the annual official meeting of the Haihe Association.

The Haihe Association is not large, having only ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators in total, and he had interacted with Zhang Yao several times, so they were somewhat acquainted.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu!"

He rose from the Quiet Chamber and went to the door to prepare a welcome, simultaneously extending his Divine Thought as a greeting.

"Daoist Brother Luo He!"

Zhang Yao slowly descended with his escape light, and a wave of water gleamed across his body as the Protective Array automatically opened a gap.

His escape light passed through the gap, landing at Luo He’s cave abode door, making a bowing gesture, and laughingly said:

"It’s been a year since we last met, and you still have the same vigor, Daoist Brother."

"Haha..."

Luo He stroked his beard, chuckled, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu came early, I thought you might come right on time in the last few days."

"Let’s go inside and talk."

He invited Zhang Yao into the cave abode, offered Spirit Tea and Spirit Fruit, and engaged in casual conversation.

Zhang Yao took advantage of the opportunity to ask about matters regarding Suiyu Mountain, and Luo He answered patiently and thoroughly.

"...Really? Miner slave revolts happen often here?"

Zhang Yao felt somewhat surprised.

"Indeed."

Luo He snorted coldly and said slowly:

"The mines in Suiyu Mountain gather over a thousand miner slaves, all of them cultivators, so naturally, they refuse to be obedient."

"Even though they know that revolting means almost certain death, they all harbor a hopeful mentality, trying every means to seize any opportunity, seeking out management vulnerabilities in the mines..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao was quite curious:

"Over a thousand miner slaves, all cultivators? Where did so many people come from?"

Luo He explained:

"The Black Jade Ore Vein and Taibai Refined Gold here can’t be mined by ordinary folks; only cultivators with magical power can manage."

"As for the origins of these miner slaves, a small portion were captured Evil Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and Tribulation Cultivators; as for the rest..."