Immortality begins with inheriting the myriad arts of cultivation.

Chapter 4 Zhang Tie

"Would you be interested in becoming a guest retainer of my Azure Dragon Mountain?"

Upon hearing Li Ping's words, Meng Qingyi's eyes lit up: "Fellow Daoist Li, to be honest, the reason I came here today is precisely for this matter. With your Foundation Establishment cultivation, becoming a guest elder of my Azure Dragon Mountain will not only grant you a second-tier cave dwelling for free, but also allow you to choose a major cultivation technique from the Azure Dragon Mountain Transmission Pavilion for free. In the future, you will also receive a certain number of spirit stones every year."

More than ten days ago, when the Foundation Establishment phenomenon dissipated, she had already investigated Li Ping.

I know he has a clean background and doesn't like to cause trouble; he's just focused on spiritual cultivation.

She naturally felt a good impression of such a cultivator, and bringing him into Qinglong Mountain would also add to the mountain's strength.

Li Ping's eyes showed satisfaction when he heard these conditions.

A second-tier cave dwelling, if rented entirely, would cost several dozen spirit stones a year. Renting it for a hundred years would be equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Moreover, a high-level cultivation technique costs at least several hundred spirit stones.

If he could obtain both the cave dwelling and the cultivation techniques for free, it would undoubtedly alleviate his financial burden considerably.

After thinking for a moment, he hesitated and said, "Actually, if it weren't for my master establishing the Immortal City, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to establish my foundation. That's why I have great respect for the Azure Dragon Mountain lineage. However... my strength is too weak, and I don't know if I can fulfill the duties of a guest elder."

The unspoken meaning was that they wanted to inquire about the specifics of the guest advisor position.

For example, is the workload heavy? Is the work dangerous? Is there overtime pay?

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Li. As a guest elder of this city, aside from having to complete some Immortal City tasks every now and then, you are free to arrange your own time. Moreover, after completing the tasks, the Immortal City will also reward you with corresponding spirit stones." Fairy Meng chuckled. "In addition, since you are at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the Immortal City will not assign you any tasks that are beyond your capabilities."

"Speaking of constraints, there is one: once you become a guest retainer of this city, if you want to leave, you must serve for a full sixty years; otherwise, you will have to compensate ten times the cost of the free cultivation techniques and cave dwelling you received..."

Li Ping nodded: "Is that so?"

These constraints are normal. After all, the Immortal City has put in a lot of effort to attract guest elders, so it's impossible for them to support him for nothing.

He didn't really care about the mandatory missions in the Immortal City.

He has a lineage tree, and he is destined to achieve great success in many cultivation techniques in the future. Becoming a second-tier talisman maker and a second-tier alchemist is foreseeable.

The mandatory mission that the Immortal City will assign him will definitely be production-related, and there won't be any danger.

The only thing that made him hesitate was the sixty-year term of service. After all, he had only lived for about forty years in this life, but now he had to sign a sixty-year contract of servitude all at once.

However, according to the information Li Ping had learned, the conditions of the Immortal City were not excessive. Among the various kingdoms of the Western Wilderness, only the Fenglan Immortal City could be considered a paradise for rogue cultivators.

The sects in the surrounding countries prefer to train their own cultivators from a young age. For independent cultivators like Li Ping, the requirements to join are much stricter than those in the Immortal City.

As for cultivation families, they are even more closed off; he could not join them unless he was willing to become a son-in-law.

The sects of Yan and Liang, located in the northern part of the Western Wilderness, are quite willing to accept independent cultivators. However, these two kingdoms border the grasslands and have been engaged in fierce battles with the Turkic cultivators on the grasslands for years. It's too dangerous; Li Ping wouldn't go even if he had to become a son-in-law.

"Fine, sixty years it is!"

Li Ping sighed inwardly before speaking, "Fairy Meng, I need to consider this. I will give you an answer within ten days, is that alright?"

In fact, Li Ping had already decided to join the Qinglong Mountain lineage and serve as a guest elder in the Immortal City.

The reason for considering this is simply to take this time to verify the truth of what Meng Qingyi said through other channels, and to make a final confirmation.

Fairy Meng had anticipated Li Ping's reaction. She smiled and said, "It's perfectly fine for you to consider this carefully, fellow Daoist. You might as well inquire about it. The treatment of guest elders in our Azure Dragon Mountain lineage is the most generous among the surrounding countries."

……

After bidding farewell to Meng Qingyi, Li Ping headed towards the outer city.

The rent for a second-tier cave dwelling was too expensive. His usual residence was actually in the outer city, and he only rented a second-tier cave dwelling this time in order to establish his foundation.

In the outer city, at a leather shop in Wuyi Lane, Li Ping had just stepped outside when he heard voices of conversation coming from inside.

Judging from their voices, the people chatting were a young man and an old man.

The young man's voice seemed somewhat absent-minded: "I wonder if my elder brother succeeded in establishing his foundation in the inner city."

Upon hearing this, the old man's voice was quite disdainful: "That kid surnamed Li does have some ability, but Foundation Establishment is not so easy."

"He swindled so many spirit stones; if he fails to establish his foundation, he'll probably just sneak away from the immortal city and disappear without a trace. Even if he does manage to succeed in establishing his foundation, he probably won't bother with you anymore."

"Only a fool like you would believe his nonsense."

The old man, still indignant, said, "It makes me so angry! How could I have taken in such a foolish disciple? You were tricked into making a vow by that brat Li, and over the past twenty years I've given him four or five hundred spirit stones. That many spirit stones would have been enough to buy a second-tier leatherworking master's inheritance! And now it's all gone down the drain!"

"Master, my elder brother wouldn't lie to me!" the young man retorted, disagreeing with the old man's words.

"This foolish apprentice, he's driving me crazy!" The old man's voice was full of disappointment and frustration.

……

"Cough cough..."

Li Ping listened for a while, coughed twice, and stepped into the leather shop.

His coughing startled two figures in the center of the shop who were busy dissecting the monster's hide.

The two figures were a tall, white-haired old man and a young man with a kind and honest look in his eyes, but with bright and piercing eyes.

Seeing the two looking over, Li Ping no longer concealed his aura, and his Foundation Establishment stage spiritual pressure was clearly displayed in front of them.

The tall, white-haired old man, upon seeing Li Ping and sensing his presence, stared in disbelief: "Young Li, you…"

He was halfway through his sentence when he met Li Ping's smiling gaze. His lips moved, but he couldn't say the rest of his words, and a very complicated expression appeared on his face.

His attitude finally became respectful, and he clearly addressed him as "Senior".

The old man was older than Li Ping and had previously called him "li xiaozi" (li zi, meaning young man Li).

But now that Li Ping has become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there is a world of difference between the two in terms of status and strength, and he no longer dares to underestimate Li Ping.

On the contrary, the honest-looking young man beside him looked at Li Ping with a joyful expression: "Big brother, you have become a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Unlike his master, he didn't feel that Li Ping was any different now than before.

The eldest brother is still the same eldest brother.