The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 239: The Young Elder

Li Lang stared blankly in response to the unknown boy’s question. It made him uncomfortable as a stranger looked straight at him without blinking or saying a word. Seeing the scene, Li Lang’s companion was about to step in when the man in question suddenly broke his silence.

“Elder Nong?!”

Hearing this, the boy frowned. He carefully regarded Li Lang’s face with an expression that said he was trying his best to rummage through his memories. After a brief moment, he wore an embarrassed expression as he clasped his fist in greeting.

“Apologies. I don’t seem to recognize you. May I ask who you are?”

“Um, it’s been some time, so it’s no surprise you don’t recognize me. My name is Li Lang. You once helped me when I was young, bringing me from Lingyu Town to Xiang Yang City. You also taught me about cultivation when I knew nothing about it!”

Upon explaining himself, Li Lang quickly glanced down as if he had made a mistake. He wasn’t sure if he should’ve blurted out those words in public. The young man before him was somewhat trustworthy and had a notable identity. He was an elder of the Clear Heart Sect! That meant he was a member of an orthodox sect.

Li Lang had a pleasant impression of the young elder. He was the one who had taught him the basics of cultivation. Throughout their interaction, Elder Nong had been nothing but kind, despite him being nothing more than a talentless mortal back then.

“Li Lang? The big-headed kid from way back? How can this be? You’ve reached the peak of Energy Gathering already?! But you only have grade one aptitude. What kind of fortuitous encounter did you have during the few years since then?”

For better or worse, Li Lang had maintained the habit of using his Wave Dampening Art. It was often useful to have others underestimate you. All it cost in exchange was the respect afforded to a Foundation Establishment Realm expert. If Elder Nong knew about his real cultivation, his eyes would surely pop out of their sockets.

Still, it had come as quite a shock to Elder Nong that the little boy he had helped on a whim had made such quick progress. Normally, by the time mortals with grade one aptitude reached the peak of the Energy Gathering Realm, they would be middle-aged. It was why all the sects never recruited them. The time and investment they needed to put into these untalented individuals until they were useful was more than they could bear. It was simply a losing investment.

“It’s a long—”

Elder Nong held up a hand and turned his sharp gaze behind Li Lang. It was directed at the lone Nightmoon Valley disciple, Zhu Yi. He took a moment to assess the people before him and knitted his brow.

“Li Lang, it seems you have some interesting people with you.”

The tone of the young boy quickly turned frigid. His previously relaxed demeanor disappeared without a trace.

“Elder Nong, as I was saying, it’s a long story. It’ll take some time to explain, but if you are willing to hear me out, then I’m more than happy to explain.”

“Hmm, very well, but first, let us move elsewhere. We’re blocking this good gentleman’s business.”

Their group was indeed still standing in front of the market stall, trading in cultivation techniques. The street vendor was graciously minding his own business, sitting on the mat with his wares, looking elsewhere. There were thousands of cultivators constantly coming and going throughout the entire market, so they were familiar with the minor incidents that could happen when members of the demonic path confronted members of the righteous sects. They naturally learned how to ignore them.

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Still, Li Lang’s group and Elder Nong tactfully agreed to move their conversation elsewhere.

The elder from the Clear Heart Sect quickly finished his transaction with the vendor before he walked further into the market alongside Li Lang’s group.

“We can talk as we take a look around. There isn’t much time left until the plaza closes. Here, take this and channel some Qi into it. It will allow us to converse discreetly.”

“Okay, that works.”

Li Lang was handed a small stone, and when he did as instructed, a voice sounded out directly in his mind. There was no learning curve. He could directly speak with the young elder without the need to verbalize anything. It was just like the AI chips he had once installed into his brain.

With Elder Nong temporarily joining their party, Li Lang explained the events that led him to live in the Demonic Cultivator Territory.

Li Lang didn’t have many qualms with explaining to those of the orthodox path. In fact, he wanted to proactively do so with as many parties as possible. As an orthodox cultivator himself, the resources in the territory of the righteous sects were invaluable to him. The more parties he could have a good relationship with, the better.

However, gaining opportunities to explain his side of the story was never easy. Trying to get the typical arrogant disciples of sects to understand his situation was even harder. That was why Li Lang welcomed this conversation with Elder Nong so much.

Compared to others, Elder Nong was also much more trustworthy. The risk of him revealing his secrets to the organizations of the Luminescent Realm was almost zero. That basically removed the worst-case scenario of someone relaying the information to demonic cultivators with malicious intentions. A group of weak orthodox cultivators was attractive enough to tempt many demonic cultivators, not just deviators.

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“I see.” Elder Nong’s words were accompanied by a sigh that was audible through their mental connection. “I can promise you I’ll keep your secret, but there isn’t much I can do to help you. As lofty as my title of an Elder is, in the end, I am simply a slightly more talented disciple within my sect. I don’t have the influence to help you conduct trade in our territory without the permission of the sect. I wouldn’t recommend talking to any sects either unless you have something of value to trade with. Otherwise, no sect would give you the time of day.”

“Wouldn’t going to them with something they want just be asking to get taken advantage of in our situation?”

“No. If you’re living in the Demonic Cultivator Territory, then there isn’t much they can do to you. I’m just saying you need to have something of lasting value before trying to approach them. Otherwise, they won’t take you seriously. They may even capture you for being a spy.”

“Hmm, well, I can understand how no sect would want to do business with a bunch of suspicious individuals coming out of their enemies’ territory. Our reputation would automatically start at the lowest point, and they wouldn’t trust us.”

Trust was the basis of all forms of cooperation, including business dealings. That was why businessmen cared so much about their reputation. Sects and organizations all cared about it as well. It was oftentimes a crucial prerequisite to getting onto the negotiation table.

“Maybe in the future, when I climb to a higher position, I will be able to help. But for now, sorry. There’s nothing much I can do.”

“No worries, Elder Nong. I’m just glad you’re so understanding of our situation and aren’t judging us harshly.”

Li Lang soon returned the stone to the elder, and they redirected their attention back to shopping around the plaza. The two spoke no further about these complicated topics and solely focused on finding rare items and good deals.

Sword Saint Isle was currently a gathering place for the greatest Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Violet Isle region. Li Lang naturally found numerous Earth-grade treasures up for trade. He may not possess any precious pills and artifacts of this level, but he did have a healthy sum of spirit crystals.

Li Lang had never slacked off with his money-making business. While they were still in Emberglow City, he hadn’t stopped producing pills and talismans. Those may be low-margin items, but the pure quantity he dealt with earned him more than most cultivators around him.

It was only when he had retreated into the Crucible that his business activities slowed down. He couldn’t purchase the materials as readily anymore, nor did he have a chance to sell anything.

That’s why Li Lang was spending like crazy now. He was determined to restock on raw materials and begin researching how to produce products of the Earth-grade instead of the Mortal-grade. It was vital to keeping his financials in the black.

Having achieved a breakthrough into a new realm, he knew his spending would only increase. With his disciples and companions taken into consideration, the expenses were going to rise almost exponentially.

It was time for him to work with Earth-grade materials.