The Mirror Master

Lu Bai took the five hundred taels of silver notes from Li Tianxing and tucked them into his robe, feeling pretty good.

He’d only gotten two hundred taels from looting over a dozen corpses.

Getting five hundred taels just from the bounty was a pleasant surprise.

The five hundred taels he had gotten back from Chen Tieshan were left at home for the Wang Family and Uncle Fu to use.

He was carrying one thousand two hundred taels, and with this additional five hundred, he now had one thousand seven hundred.

For an ordinary family, this amount of silver was enough to last a lifetime.

But for a Martial Artist, there were far too many things to spend money on.

Not to mention, some Spirit Pills and Magical Treasures were even more expensive.

He had heard from Li Yue’er before that Spirit Pills and Magical Treasures were almost exclusively traded using Spirit Stones.

And it took one hundred taels of gold to exchange for a single Low Grade Spirit Stone.

The various Tier One Low Grade Elixirs consumed by Inner Strength Realm Martial Artists and Qi Refining Stage Cultivators were priced between one and five Low Grade Spirit Stones.

If they were Middle Grade or Upper Grade, the price would multiply several times over!

The Treasure Artifacts used by Martial Artists and the Magical Treasures used by Cultivators were even more expensive than elixirs!

"Xiaolu."

Li Tianxing said, "Letting off steam at Bluestone Academy earlier might have felt good, but it wasn’t very wise.

I know you might be worried that some Tutors at the academy will deliberately make things difficult for you after that scene. You don’t need to worry about that.

Our Wu Dynasty reveres the martial path. The current sovereign welcomes talented and extraordinary individuals from all over, promoting them based on ability alone, not family background. As long as you display sufficient talent in the Martial Dao, you will absolutely not be overlooked in the Wu Dynasty."

Lu Bai was noncommittal.

Li Tianxing continued, "It is Bluestone Academy’s loss for missing out on you. So, I expect Dean Feng will probably come and ask you to return. When that happens, you should just go with the flow and continue your training at the academy.

And if worse comes to worst, should someone at the academy truly dare to hold a grudge and retaliate, you can come find me at the Government Office. I will back you up."

"Mm, I’ll think about it."

Lu Bai replied ambiguously.

He had no intention of staying at Bluestone Academy. The main reason was that training there was a complete waste of time.

Seeing that Lu Bai still seemed reluctant, Li Tianxing said earnestly, "Let me put it this way. Training at Bluestone Academy and receiving guidance from Tutors is only one aspect.

What’s more important is that Bluestone Academy is a Martial Arts Academy recognized by our dynasty. If you perform exceptionally at the academy, you can go on to train at the academy in Jingzhou Prefecture.

Many disciples from Jingzhou Academy are directly assigned official posts of some sort in the Court after they graduate. The major sects and factions also fight over them.

If you perform well enough, you might even be selected by the Wu Dynasty’s Three Departments. In the future, you could even get the chance to pursue advanced studies at the Royal City Academy."

"The Three Departments?"

Lu Bai asked.

Li Tianxing explained, "The Wu Dynasty has three exceptionally special organizations. They hold extremely high status, operate independently of the Court, and answer directly to the sovereign. They are the Demon-slaying Bureau, the Demon Suppression Bureau, and the Evil Extermination Bureau."

Lu Bai had heard of the Evil Extermination Bureau before; they specialized in dealing with the Wu Dynasty’s Ghostly Creatures and malevolent spirits.

They only had branches at the state and county levels. Further down, a place like Liuxi Town didn’t have an Evil Extermination Bureau.

After Li Tianxing’s explanation, Lu Bai more or less understood.

The academies in Bluestone County, Jingzhou Prefecture, and finally the Royal City Academy formed a channel for selecting talented individuals.

Bluestone Academy was like the first stepping stone.

Li Tianxing said, "If you can secure an official post in the Court, you at least won’t have to worry about your daily expenses, and you might even have some savings.

If you manage to enter one of the Three Departments, not only will you receive several types of standard-issue Treasure Artifacts from the Court, but you will also get a regular monthly stipend of elixirs, various cultivation resources, and even Talismans!"

’That does sound pretty good.’

Lu Bai then asked, "What’s a Talisman?"

"We Martial Artists cultivate Blood Qi and can’t use Storage Pouches. But we often need to trade with Spirit Stones. One or two is fine, but hundreds or thousands of them are inconvenient to carry."

Li Tianxing said, "Talismans are a type of currency, interchangeable with Spirit Stones, promoted by the major Vassal States and Dominator Countries. They’re similar to silver notes, only they are refined by powerful Cultivators in service to the Court using special Runes.

Our Great Martial Talismans can be exchanged for Spirit Stones at any major bank in the Wu Dynasty, or they can be used for direct transactions."

Lu Bai nodded.

For Cultivators, Spirit Stones were not just currency but also a cultivation resource.

But for Martial Artists, Spirit Stones were almost exclusively currency.

As Lu Bai’s understanding of the Martial Dao and Cultivation grew, he gradually began to notice some of the Martial Dao’s weaknesses.

Even Qi Refiners could have Storage Pouches.

But Martial Artists, who condensed Blood Qi and lacked Magical Power, couldn’t use them.

’If I get the chance in the future, I should test my Spirit Root. If the conditions are right, it would be best to try Cultivation.’

Lu Bai pondered for a moment before asking, "Lord Li, is there anywhere in Bluestone City where I can find a High Grade Inner Power Heart Method?"

"Profound Tier is possible. As for Earth Tier and Celestial Tier Cultivation Techniques, those are hard to find."

Li Tianxing shook his head slightly.

Lu Bai asked, "Aren’t there auction houses or places like that?"

’Those things should be standard.’

"There is. Every half a month, an Underground Bazaar opens in the rear courtyard of the Drunken Flower Tower."

Li Tianxing said, "When the time comes, all sorts of people, Martial Artists and Cultivators from around Bluestone County, will gather there. There are all kinds of stalls selling everything imaginable, but most of it is fake. If you go, you have to be careful. I’ve been swindled there myself.

Speaking of which, Li Tianxing was still a little angry. "There’s a casino there with an Old Gambling Ghost at the entrance. He’s a hopeless addict. Stay far away from him. He’s the biggest swindler of them all!"

Lu Bai chuckled inwardly.

’Looks like Li Tianxing got scammed pretty badly.’

Li Tianxing took a breath and continued, "Of course, there are some genuine items too, though they might have questionable origins and are being disposed of there.

The Drunken Flower House does occasionally auction some Profound Tier Cultivation Techniques, but you have to get lucky, and the prices are extremely high."

"Are there any Earth Tier or Celestial Tier Cultivation Techniques?"

Lu Bai asked again.

"They have appeared a few times."

Li Tianxing said, "However, once you get to the level of an Earth Tier Technique, the price is even more astonishing.

As for Celestial Tier Techniques, they’re priceless. The cost depends entirely on what the seller demands. Moreover, almost no Celestial Tier Techniques are ever circulated. Even if one is auctioned, they only auction the time to view it."

"Auctioning the viewing time?"

Lu Bai looked puzzled.

Li Tianxing explained, "It means the seller sets a price, but the buyer can’t purchase the Celestial Tier Technique outright. They can only buy the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to view it.

If you want to extend the time, say for an hour or two, the price is even higher."

Lu Bai’s heart skipped a beat.

Li Tianxing continued, "Cultivating a Celestial Tier Technique is incredibly difficult. Forget the time it takes for one incense stick to burn; even if you had the manual and trained for a year or two, you might not achieve anything.

What’s more, without a famous master to guide you, practicing blindly can easily lead to cultivation deviation."

Lu Bai clicked his tongue, his mind racing.

’That doesn’t seem to be an obstacle for me.

With the help of the Ancient Mirror, forget one incense stick’s worth of time, a quarter of that would be enough.’

Lu Bai asked, "Has the Drunken Flower House ever auctioned a Celestial Tier Technique?"

"I’ve heard of it happening a few times."

Li Tianxing said, "But it’s a matter of luck."

Lu Bai asked again, "When is the next Drunken Flower House auction?"

Li Tianxing calculated for a moment in his head and said, "In three days."

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