Purple Mist Dao Master-Chapter 834 - 541: Gotta Pay More!

Tan Valley Realm.

Black Hawk Territory.

Eight Phases Realm.

...

The Great Yan Court commands seven King Cities.

All the sects possessing King Cities total ten.

Altogether seventeen King City Realms.

Among them, some are like Yan Chuan's Tan Valley Realm, Wushan City's Wushan Realm, and Snow Eagle Sect's Snow Eagle Realm, with post-disaster populations of less than ten million.

But there are also larger ones—

Yuanzhou Territory of the court still boasts nearly seventy million people despite the heavy casualties of 'Heavenly Calamity' and 'Beast Tide'.

The Black Hawk Sect's Black Hawk Territory, Eight Phases Mountain's Eight Phases Realm, and others have post-disaster populations of over twenty million.

Seventeen King City Realms plus Yan Chuan's Tan Valley Realm had a pre-disaster population close to seven hundred million, coupled with the four hundred million citizens of the Fifteen States of Great Yan, hence Yan Chuan's 'One Hundred Million Martial Arts Lecturing Plan'.

After the Heavenly Calamity, the total population of all major King City Realms is only four hundred million.

Seems like it's dwindled.

But in this period when everyone focuses on martial arts, driven by life-and-death urgency, Yan Chuan's martial arts lectures can yield tenfold results—

Four hundred million?

No, no, no!

It's four billion!

...

Lecturing martial arts is easy, but earning money is hard. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Early August.

Yan Chuan lectures in Eight Phases Realm, repaying the personal favors of borrowed Array Masters while pondering ways to earn money.

"The 'Heavenly Ladder City Martial Arts Lecturing Monthly Subscription' was originally a stable and steadily improving income source, but the 'Heavenly Ladder' is shattered, that's hopeless."

"Wei Buqun and others have mingled in the Mountain and Sea Realm for years; their networks combined with my 'Mutual Teaching and Learning' originally could bring quick money or even develop stable clientele to earn Primordial Pills stably. But after the Heavenly Change, various Divine Generals throughout regions face precarious positions, many Loose Cultivators are exploited by major cities, struggling even with 'rent' and 'protection fees', their resources depleted; where would they have spare funds to seek my guidance?"

"The raw stone market of Golden Talisman City has been swept by me once already; using the 'Third-Rank Five Elements Ring' and 'Fourth Rank Wind Thunder Sword', I targeted raw stones of corresponding attributes. If I switch to other exotic treasures, I can sense raw stones of other attributes and sweep it again. Finding raw stones worth thousands of Primordial Pills wouldn't be hard. However, Golden Talisman City survived the Heavenly Calamity but was destroyed in the 'Beast Tide'. Golden Talisman City was demolished, seized by the Beast Tide, and mines everywhere have been slaughtered empty or completely wrecked."

Heavenly Ladder.

Connections.

Raw stones.

Yan Chuan's formerly biggest three income routes are all cut or blocked.

Yan Chuan sincerely struggles.

This sudden loss of income source at least lets him feel the 'midlife crisis' of his past life.

No job!

No income!

Yet a family is crying for food, many places waiting for money, it's deadly.

"Cultivating 'Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield', processing 'Fire Bud Crystal', exhausting Heart Fire requires resources; Innate Fifteenth Layer needs refining 16 Fire Bud Crystals to reach Innate Sixteenth Layer, at least 160 Primordial Pills."

"Improving cultivation needs resources; Innate Sixth Layer cultivation consumes 220 Primordial Pills. During that time, spending lavishly was unburdened as earning was easy; now aiming to complete Innate Seventh Layer cultivation within a month, even with Four Realms Peak 'Washing Marrow Scripture' support, requires at least 300 Primordial Pills."

The former 160 is half a month.

The latter 300 is a month.

Summing up, in August, Yan Chuan needs at least 620 Primordial Pills to sustain his rapid cultivation and fast advancement trend.

And on Yan Chuan—

"97.45 Primordial Pills!"

July's income source entirely relied on liquidating raw stone inventory, with that batch of raw stones valued at 1060 Primordial Pills; in June it was sold for 104 Primordial Pills, in July for 330 Primordial Pills, now Yan Chuan has remaining raw stones value only 660 Primordial Pills, just enough for August's Innate Seventh Layer cultivation.

"Lack of money!"

"Lack of money!"

Yan Chuan feels desperate; he thinks of Wang Zhengyi!

...

From the first to the tenth of August, Yan Chuan lectures in Eight Phases Realm.

Post-disaster, the ten cities in Eight Phases Realm have a total population of 23 million; Yan Chuan lectures martial arts, Mutual Teaching and Learning, although feedback isn't as unexpectedly fruitful as from Sheng Xuan, it's similar to the Black Hawk Territory.

'Washing Marrow Scripture'.

'Wave Riding Micro Steps'.

'72 Transformations'.

'Ksitigarbha Heavenly Dragon Roar'.

"Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield."

Yan Chuan's main cultivation of the Five Gates True Skills is progressing.

Although these true skills are self-created by Yan Chuan, apart from the initial parts, the majority of them are more like 'derivations'. Take, for example, the later layers of "Dragon Elephant Wisdom", which no one in history has ever mastered, yet it was still created. Or the seventh layer of "Qiankun Great Shifting", which even the creator couldn't complete, and even contains errors, yet it was still developed.

Clearly, one doesn't necessarily have to master the skills to create them; derivations and conjectures also work.

"Creating skills can rely on imagination."

"But cultivation must be grounded and solid."

Yan Chuan is now diligently pondering and cultivating each true skill.

True skills are easy to cultivate.

But this statement only applies to lower-grade true skills, especially the initial parts. Upon first entering the Fifth Realm, where the level roughly equates to the Peak of Eighth Realm Absolute Skill; beyond this point, the difficulty of cultivating even lower-grade true skills surges, not to mention that Yan Chuan, with an opportunity gained from Sheng Xuan, significantly advanced "Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield" to the Sixth Realm. Further cultivation becomes much harder, purely relying on one's self without reaching the Sixth Grade becomes nearly impossible, not progressing even in ten years is likely.

Yet Yan Chuan has "Mutual Teaching and Learning", teaching martial arts to 2300 people in the Eight Phases Realm, where everyone is eager to learn martial arts, yielding tenfold feedback, equivalent to giving martial arts lectures to 230 million people. The attainment of "Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield" advances slowly yet steadily, gradually approaching the Sixth Realm Middle Stage.

"Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield" is only a lower-grade true skill, relatively easy to cultivate.

In the future—

A Mid-grade True Skill: "72 Transformations" and "Ksitigarbha Heavenly Dragon Roar".

A High-Grade True Skill: "Wave Riding Micro Steps".

And even a Strange True Skill: "Washing Marrow Scripture".

These four true skills increase in difficulty one after another, making it very tough to achieve great progress and breakthrough like from 'Early Stage' to 'Middle Stage' to 'Late Stage' to 'Peak'. However, for example, in the Mid Fifth Realm of "Wave Riding Micro Steps", each time Yan Chuan lectures, even if it only increases his skill level by 1, it reflects a small step forward in actual performance.

It's unquantifiable.

This kind of progress is not about simply adding a few more Sword Qi beyond the limit of 1176 Sword Qi in "Sword Net", nor is it about noticeably reducing the preparation time for "Sword Net", but rather it's an unspeakable, indescribable smoothness and fluidity. If there were a device that could precisely measure the power of moves down to the single digits, it would precisely show that while the number of Sword Qi when performing "Sword Net" hasn't changed, and the preparation time remains inconsistent, the power subtly increases. Perhaps the array coordination improves, or something else, but whatever it is, Yan Chuan advances with each martial arts lecture, not as notably as from Early Stage to Middle Stage, and even without skill level increase, but it just feels like progress.

This constant feeling of progress and achievement is truly intoxicating.

Yan Chuan enjoys it thoroughly.

He can continue teaching like this until reaching the Sixth Grade, becoming a War God, even an Overlord.

However, many moves in true skills are linked with cultivation, such as utilizing the Ren and Du Meridians within the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which only a Fifth-Rank Divine General can practice in real combat. Forcing these experiences without being in that realm results in minimal gains at best, and could require ten or a hundred times the effort for any reward.

Thus, while studying true skills, cultivation is equally crucial.

Speaking of cultivation, one inevitably considers the Primordial Pill—

"Under normal circumstances, with my expertise and attainment in 'Washing Marrow Scripture', 300 Primordial Pills should be sufficient to complete the cultivation of Innate Seventh Layer within a month."

"But I can do it faster."

"Washing Marrow Scripture" is a Strange True Skill, although only at the Four Realms Peak, its cultivation efficiency is tremendously high. With sufficient Primordial Pills and resources, let alone a month, even half a month, or ten days, the current attainment of "Washing Marrow Scripture" could achieve it.

Want to go faster?

It's possible!

Yan Chuan has the foundation for this.

The prerequisite is—

"More funds required!"

...

Yan Chuan's income source is currently cut off, with only the operation of Tan Valley Realm remaining. Yet, within Tan Valley Realm, Beast Tides wreak havoc, and developing resources within it faces numerous obstacles, making short-term profitability very difficult.

Tan Valley Realm is a stock full of potential, requiring long-term holding and operation to yield greater future returns.

But surprises often come unexpectedly.

On the tenth day of August, the final day of Yan Chuan's martial arts lecture in the Eight Phases Realm, Xin Zhuang, one of the Eight Great Vajra of Eight Phases Mountain, brought seven full wooden boxes with a joyous expression: "City Lord Yan! Great news!"

"What is the good news?" Yan Chuan, worried about money, couldn't share the joy.

Xin Zhuang pointed at the seven boxes, laughing: "These were just sent by the court to Eight Phases Mountain. Other King City Realms received them as well; Tan Valley Realm is no exception. City Lord Yan will see them upon return. I brought them to deliver the good news first."

Sent by the court?

All King City Realms received them?

So it's related to the King City.

Xin Zhuang's excitement suggested benefits to the King City Realm, and that Tan Valley Realm could benefit too, piquing Yan Chuan's interest.

"City Lord Yan, please take a look." Xin Zhuang ordered the boxes opened, revealing them to be filled with books.

Was the court bestowing true skills?

That was Yan Chuan's first thought.

But it wasn't—

"These seven boxes contain records of all low-rank Ruin Beasts that have emerged in Mo Yin Continent so far, detailing how each part of these beasts should be handled and preserved, along with the unified purchase prices from 'Great Yan Trading Company'," Xin Zhuang explained excitedly: "Heavenly Change! Beast Tides! They are both calamities and opportunities. In the vast Mo Yin Continent, many extraordinarily talented individuals discovered in just a month that Ruin Beasts are treasures. Through certain methods, they can be refined into Elixir Pills, surprise weapons, talismans, array materials, and more. Almost every Ruin Beast has value, turning the fight against Beast Tides and slaying Ruin Beasts from mere loss and expenditure into something with equal or even greater returns!"

Xin Zhuang was thrilled.

Yan Chuan wasn't immune either: "Is it possible to sell Ruin Beast materials for money?"

Excited, Yan Chuan quickly picked up a scroll to read. The scroll described fifteen types of Ruin Beasts, detailing how to handle each part of them, how to preserve them, and the purchase prices from 'Great Yan Trading Company'—

...