Cultivation begins with earning spirit stones

Chapter 67 An Encounter

Zhang Lin withdrew his gaze and led Yu Youwei into a small alley.

Deep in the alley, there is an inconspicuous inn called Yunlai Inn.

This is the house he stayed at three months ago.

The inn is small, but it's quiet.

The shopkeeper was still the same round-faced, slightly chubby middle-aged man, with a cultivation level at the early stage of Qi Refining.

When he saw Zhang Lin come in, he was taken aback at first, then put on a smile and went to greet him.

"Young Master Zhang, you've arrived. Same room as always?"

"Two rooms," Zhang Lin said, placing a silver ingot on the counter. "Adjacent rooms."

The shopkeeper quickly took the money, handed over the keys, and lowered his voice, saying, "Young master, the Zhou family has come to inquire about you several times in the past two months..."

"Understood." Zhang Lin's expression remained unchanged as he took the keys and turned to go upstairs.

Yu Youwei followed behind him, her steps light, but her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

After going upstairs, Zhang Lin opened the doors to two adjacent rooms and handed one of the keys to Yu Youwei.

"You stay in this room, I stay next door. Knock on the door if you need anything."

Yu Youwei took the key and pushed the door open to enter.

Zhang Lin also went into his room and closed the door.

Once everything was in order, he sat down at the table and took out a storage bag from his pocket.

The low-grade storage bag that was seized from the man in black robes.

He had already checked the contents of the bag, and he didn't really need the storage bag itself.

He already has a high-quality storage bag that has enough space and more functions.

Yu Youwei, on the other hand, had nothing of value, not even a storage bag.

Zhang Lin got up, walked to the next room, and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

The door opened quickly, and Yu Youwei stood in the doorway, her expression aloof.

"Young Master Zhang, what is it?"

Zhang Lin handed over the low-grade storage bag.

"for you."

Yu Youwei was taken aback, her gaze falling on the storage bag.

In the cultivation world, a low-grade storage bag can cost thousands of spirit stones.

She was penniless and had to buy her clothes on the spot; she had never seen anything like this before.

"This..." Yu Youwei did not accept it. "It's too valuable, I can't accept it."

"Take it." Zhang Lin shoved the storage bag into her hand. "You don't even have a storage bag. If you join the Danxia Sect, people will laugh at you."

Yu Youwei held the storage bag in her hand, remaining silent for a long time.

The bag was warm and smooth, with faint fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from it, resonating with the true energy within her body.

"Thank you." Her voice was soft, with a hint of gentleness that was barely perceptible.

"No need." Zhang Lin turned around and went back to his room.

Yu Youwei stood at the door, looking at the closed door next door, then looked down at the storage bag in her hand.

She pressed the storage bag to her chest, took a deep breath, turned around and went back to her room, gently closing the door behind her.

-------

As the sun rose higher, more and more pedestrians appeared on the street.

Zhang Lin meditated in his room for an hour, completing his daily task of expanding his dantian, and then got up and went out.

He knocked on Yu Youwei's door.

"Miss Fish, would you like to go for a walk?"

The door opened, and Yu Youwei came out.

She changed into a light blue dress, and her hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, making her look neat and tidy.

The black storage bag tied around her waist complemented the color of her dress perfectly.

Zhang Lin looked her up and down and nodded slightly.

"Let's go."

The two went downstairs and left the inn.

The streets of Qingxuan City were teeming with people.

Zhang Lin led Yu Youwei around the city, pointing out the location of the Danxia Sect's branch altar and the market area.

"The guide will depart from the Danxia Sect branch altar tomorrow," Zhang Lin said, pointing to the three-story pavilion in the east of the city. "We'll wait there then."

Yu Youwei nodded and memorized the location.

"That's Tianbao Pavilion over there, the largest spirit stone trading company in the world, owned by the Ye family, one of the five great clans." Zhang Lin then pointed to another place in the east of the city. "If you have any good stuff to sell in the future, you can go to Tianbao Pavilion."

Yu Youwei followed his finger and saw the three-story pavilion with upturned eaves and corners. In front of the door, two stone lions each held a high-grade spirit stone in their mouths, their spiritual light faintly emanating from them.

"The five major surnames..." she murmured to herself, "When I was in Chuzhou, I only heard of their names, but I never saw them."

"You'll see him someday," Zhang Lin said calmly.

Around noon, Zhang Lin led Yu Youwei into a teahouse in the city.

The teahouse is named Qingxinju. It is a three-story building with upturned eaves and two large red lanterns hanging in front of the door.

The first floor is the lobby, where casual patrons can drink tea and listen to storytelling, while the second and third floors are private rooms for monks to have quiet conversations and discuss matters.

Zhang Lin chose a seat by the window on the first floor, ordered a pot of tea and two plates of snacks.

Yu Youwei sat opposite him, her gaze sweeping across the teahouse, taking in all the cultivators around her.

There were twenty or thirty people sitting in the main hall, mostly independent cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. They gathered in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

"Have you heard? The Danxia Sect is selecting over a hundred outer disciples this time at its branch altars across various continents!"

"Over a hundred people? That's too many! In previous years, it was only twenty or thirty people."

"I heard that the outer sect of the upper sect is weak and urgently needs to replenish its ranks with fresh blood. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Alas, it's a pity we missed the alchemy gathering; we can only wait here."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Let's wait for the guide to arrive. What if one of the elders sees my extraordinary potential and takes me to Yunmeng Continent as well?"

"Dream on, with your looks, even I wouldn't be interested."

"Go away, don't dampen my spirits."

As Zhang Lin listened to the conversation, he picked up his teacup and slowly sipped his tea.

Yu Youwei overheard this and whispered, "Is what they're saying true?"

"Half true, half false." Zhang Lin put down his teacup. "The outer sect of Danxia Sect is indeed empty, but the selection process has its own rules. Not just anyone can enter. These people are just hoping for a lucky break."

Yu Youwei nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Two people walked in at the entrance of the teahouse.

One was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in brocade robes and jade belt, with an extraordinary demeanor and perfected cultivation.

One was an elderly man over fifty years old, wearing a gray robe and cloth shoes, with a thin face, three long wisps of beard, and a cultivation level of late-stage Qi Refining.

Lin Yizhi. Chen Boyuan.

Zhang Lin's eyes flickered slightly.

He recognized both of them. Lin Yizhi was a member of the Lin family in Qingxuan City, and the one who explained the third level of Foundation Establishment to him in the teahouse that day was this person.

Chen Boyuan was a rogue cultivator who won third place in the alchemy competition. He was an honest and straightforward person, which left a good impression on Zhang Lin.

As soon as the two entered the room, they saw Zhang Lin by the window.

Chen Boyuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over, clasping his hands in greeting, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, we meet again!"

His voice was loud and clear, drawing the attention of many people in the lobby.

Zhang Lin rose and returned the greeting: "Fellow Daoist Chen, how have you been?"

"Excellent, excellent!" Chen Boyuan laughed heartily, patting Zhang Lin on the shoulder. "Two months have passed, and you look even better, fellow Daoist, your cultivation has improved considerably!"

Zhang Lin smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

Lin Yizhi also walked over, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Your brilliance at the Dharma Assembly seems like yesterday; I admire you greatly. May I ask if you would mind?"

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you're too kind. Please have a seat." Zhang Lin returned the greeting and pointed to the remaining seat.

Chen Boyuan was slightly taken aback when he saw Yu Youwei sitting opposite him. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he smiled and said, "And this is...?"

"My fellow townsman, Yu Youwei," Zhang Lin introduced, "is coming with me to the Danxia Sect to participate in the entrance examination."

Chen Boyuan quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "So it's Miss Yu, my apologies for not recognizing you."

Yu Youwei stood up and nodded slightly: "Hello, Senior Chen."

(Thanks to Baozi for the generous donation.)