Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 122 – Techniques and Sects.

Zhengfu Chao returned with the reception girl and received a catalog of goods he could purchase. However, after looking at the goods on the list, he erased any thought of trying to buy a Foundation Establishment item.

All items of the Foundation Establishment Realm required low-rank Spirit Stones, the currency of cultivators. If he used them as currency, one Spirit Stone was worth ten Silver Taels, but if he wanted to buy them, it would cost 12 Silver Taels.

According to a rough calculation, his 450 Silver Taels were worth about 10,800 Silver Coins in purchasing power, about five years of a laborer's work in Gerhart's world.

However, it was only worth 37.5 Spirit Stones, barely enough to purchase a few low-grade Foundation Establishment items. He could not buy a Foundation Establishment technique that was flawed or broken with that amount and could only acquire some of the cheapest goods.

Luckily, Qi Refinement goods were aplenty and available at a cheap price. Perhaps as a means to promote cultivation or as a tool to control the population, these techniques were available for 1-10 Silver Taels.

"Do you have anything related to Chaos or Yang?" Zhengfu Chao asked the reception girl.

"Chaos? I never heard of something like that. But there is the famous Nine Yang Bundle if you have a Pure Yang Physique. There are nine chapters in total, each corresponding to a cultivation realm. We have the first three Chapters in our Blue Luan Association for sale." The reception girl answered.

"Nine Yang Bundle?" Zhengfu Chao looked down and found the item.

It costs 90 Silver Taels for a Cultivation Technique, Body Forging Technique, Sword Skill, Archery Skill, Palm Skill, Finger Skill, Punching Skill, Kicking Skill, Defensive Skill, and Movement Skill. All are complete and at the Qi Refinement Stage. Each technique costs 10 Silver Taels individually and would save 10 Silver Taels on the purchase.

"Is the Nine Yang name a reference to some physique?" Zhengfu Chao curiously asked.

"Yes. Aside from the Pure Yang Body, there are the more powerful Three Yang Sun Body, Six Yang Indomitable Body, and Nine Yang True Body. These are all renowned physiques in the cultivation world, but the Pure Yang Sun Body is the strongest Yang physique in these parts." The girl answered, giving Zhengfu Chao a strange look.

"Is he testing me? He doesn't even know that much?" The girl thought, confused at Zhengfu Chao's ignorance.

"Well... It might be best not to mention I have a Twelve Yang Tyrant Overlord Body." Zhengfu Chao thought.

"Oh, and do you happen to have a spatial bag?" Zhengfu Chao asked.

"Yes. A Qi Refinement Spatial Bag costs ten Silver Taels, while a Foundation Establishment Bag costs 20 low-level Spirit Stones." The girl answered.

"But I doubt they would interest you." She added in her mind.

"Oh, I only need a Qi Refinement Spatial Bag." Zhengfu Chao lightly smiled.

"He is trying to play pig to eat tiger!" The girl exclaimed in her mind.

In truth, Zhengfu Chao thought it was better to conjure things with a spatial bag than out of thin air and avoid suspicion, not to get the jump on people. With his current strength, he didn't need a surprise attack. He could slap them to death.

With cultivation techniques and skills, Zhengfu Chao turned his attention to the auxiliary section. They included supplementary techniques and side professions(Or at least their introductions).

Side Professions:

• Apothecaries - Those who make pills.
• Beast Tamer - Those who tame monsters as combat pets.
• Physician - Those who specialize in diagnosing and treating other cultivators.
• Formation Master - Those who create formations.
• Blacksmiths - Those who make weapons and equipment for cultivators.
• Seer - Those who can divine the future through signs.
• Poison Master - Those who use poison to kill their enemies or as medicine to counter poison.
• Gourmet - Specialized cooks who make extraordinary dishes for cultivators.
• Tunists - Singers and musicians who soothe others, confuse, or even kill.
• Dancer - Similar to Tunists, but uses movements and dancing to charm others.
• Teacher - Those who pass on the Dao, helping students.
• Etc.

Zhengfu Chao bought an introduction book for ten Silver Taels, depicting all the side professions in more detail.

He then looked at the supplementary techniques, including Soul Techniques, Cultivation support techniques, and last resort techniques.

After deliberation, he chose one Soul Technique, a Support Technique, and two last-resort techniques.

Soul Technique - Nine-Floor Soul Pagoda - First Floor. Costs: 10 Silver Taels.

Last Resort Technique - Blood Boiling. Costs: 5 Silver Taels.

Last Resort Escape Technique - Blood Escape. Costs: 5 Silver Taels.

Support Cultivation Technique - Nine Heavens Yin Yang Dual Cultivation Technique - First Heaven. Costs: 10 Silver Taels.

He bought the Nine-Floor Soul Pagoda since he feared soul techniques(They sounded weird). He purchased two Last Resort techniques for self-protection(Just in case he needed that extra oomph). As for the Dual Cultivation Technique- He bought it since it sounded pretty fun.

"The Nine Heavens Yin Yang Dual Cultivation Technique is righteous and for Dao Partners to exchange Yin and Yang energies, helping improve one another on the Dao path. It isn't like the Demonic techniques that use men or women as cultivation furnaces. It also purifies the energy of both partners, helping overcome cultivation bottlenecks. You can share the technique with your partner." The girl said with a hint of a blush.

"Is he teasing me? Is he hinting he wants me as a Dao Partner?" The girl fantasized.

Unfortunately for her, Zhengfu Chao didn't even put her on his radar. Even if he did, it would be for a casual fling, not something permanent.

He also bought a Qi Refinement Spatial Bag. The damn thing was expensive, costing 100 Silver Taels. To make it, one needed to use a low-level Spirit Stone and several ingredients, and there was a chance of failure, wasting the ingredients. If he thought about it like this, it sounded reasonable. That was especially so when he looked at the Foundation Establishment Bag that costs 1,000 Spirit Stones!

All the other cultivation equipment was expensive compared to the cultivation techniques. But it did make sense if one thought about it. These techniques were unlikely to be top secrets, and they only needed to record and sell knowledge, not spend years and many resources honing side professions. There were other items and equipment he wanted to buy, but they were all expensive! Although he could buy them, he would be broke. And he didn't need them anyway.

Instead, what he lacked was information.

"Do you also sell information?" Zhengfu Chao asked the girl.

"Yes, of course, Sir. But only news. We also don't sell anything that could harm others. For that, you might want to try the black market." The girl explained.

"Who and where are the prominent sects in this area?" Zhengfu Chao asked.

"That information costs five Silver Taels, Sir. If you also want a map, that is an additional five Silver Taels." The girl said.

"Done." Zhengfu Chao nodded.

The girl took a map from under her desk and put it on the table, opened it, and started pointing at seven prominent landmarks.

"The closest Sect is the Furious Sword Sect, a Righteous Sect of male Sword Cultivators. They are renowned for their righteous fury, only matched by their short tempers. It is due to their cultivation technique having a side effect of increasing anger, but its power is without doubt, and their character is true. Although they are mostly safe to interact with, keep in mind to keep a serious attitude and not touch or wrong them, or they might attack you.

A bit further away is the White Jade Sect, a large righteous sect. They are the most generic of the seven sects, without any specialization. They have seven peaks, each having its own master with a side profession, and they have relatively pleasant attitudes. Although mostly trustworthy, they are cultivators and should not be carelessly trusted.

Over here is the Blue Luan Sect, the backer of the Blue Luan Association. We are an all-female sect and a branch of a more powerful Sect, the Blue Phoenix Sect. We are a righteous sect that focuses more on feminine cultivation techniques and side professions. This Servant Girl is Yuan Bao, an Inner Disciple of the Blue Luan sect, so if Sir meets any of my junior and senior sisters, please be friendly with them. We are also known as prime Dao Partners." The girl, Yuan Bao, said with a wink.

"Oh. Sure." Zhengfu Chao nonchalantly nodded, catching the hint but ignoring it.

Yuan Bao was slightly disappointed but continued pointing at the other four sects.

"This sect is an all-male Buddhist Sect, Vajrapani Golden Body Sect. They are body forgers who use lightning to forge their bodies and are mighty warriors. However, don't be fooled when they say they want peace or call you alms giver, and some of them are as rogueish and shameless as loose cultivators. They also don't have any celibate practices, so they tend to be very- straightforward when searching for a Dao Partner." Yuan Bao said with an uncomfortable look. 

"It makes sense if they are desperate for women." Zhengfu Chao nodded in understanding.

And then, Yuan Bao pointed at three sects with a hint of disgust.

"This sect is Black Demon Sect, a Demonic Sect that uses unorthodox cultivation techniques to advance. These techniques often impact one's personality, making them more unscrupulous and evil. Be careful when encountering them.

The Poison Gu Sect is a Demonic Sect of Gu cultivators, bugs tamed and raised through unusual means. Some Gu are tame and peaceful, but many are used for evil means, raised through blood sacrifices or worse. They are the strangest and most evil of the three Demonic Sects and are known to be especially vengeful and cruel, so avoid fighting them if possible.

Last and least is the Tantric Pleasure Sect, a perverted sect of shameless sluts with a majority of females who expose themselves and use men or women as cultivation furnaces. While a righteous Dual Cultivation Technique helps both sides and is mutually pleasurable, the ones that get used as furnaces are sucked dry, and the experience is excruciatingly painful. Although they practice the fastest, have low requirements, and their practice is enjoyable, which is their selling point, it also makes their energy the most impure and weakest in the same realm. Some of them also hide in brothels, preying on cultivators by making them addicted, only taking enough so that it would only make you sluggish but not feel the pain, and continuous interactions can lower your cultivation level, so be wary of that, Sir." Yuan Bao warned.

"Thank you for the warning." Zhengfu Chao gratefully said. "Do you know when is the White Jade Sect recruiting?"

"Eh? I will give this one for free. The White Jade Sect finished recruitment last month and recruits only once half a year. That means you must wait for five months." Yuan Bao replied with a strange look.

"Aren't you a Core Disciple? Why are you interested in that? Did I make a wrong judgment, and he is a loose cultivator who cultivated under a rock?" Yuan Bao was confused, nearly hitting the mark.

The questions Zhengfu Chao asked were so common that almost any cultivator knew about them. It nearly sounded like he wanted to join one of these sects.

"No, perhaps he isn't from these parts. Maybe he is one of those who travel to other regions to cultivate themselves. Yes, that must be it!" Yuan Bao convinced herself, straying away from the truth.

"Oh, I see. What about the other sects?" Zhengfu Chao asked.

"The Blue Luan sect recruits next month, but they don't accept males. As for the Furious Sword Sect and Vajrapani Golden Body Sect, they recruit in three and four months, respectively." Yuan Bao answered.

"You didn't mention the Demonic Sects." Zhengfu Chao curiously asked.

"They- Don't recruit in the usual way. Partially, they have villages under them where they take talented children while the rest are tenant farmers and slaves. However, they occasionally scout for talents outside the sect, and those who approach them can join after a period of screening. For example, the Tantric Pleasure Sect searches brothels for recruits or, more often than not, cultivation furnaces. Sect members of various sects also sometimes find talented individuals and bring them to their sect, but that is rare. In the Blue Luan Association, the managers of three-floor pagodas also occasionally recruit gifted girls in the cities they are in, but that requires much talent and isn't a reliable method to join a sect." Yuan Bao explained.

"I see. Thank you for the information." Zhengfu Chao asked.

"Certainly, Sir. After deducting 240 Silver Taels, I owe you 210 Silver Taels. Would you like them in Magic Stones or cash?" Yuan Bao asked.

"Hm... Give me ten Magic Stones and the rest in cash, please." Zhengfu Chao requested.

Zhengfu Chao then packed up his things, including ten low-level Spirit Stones, five Golden Taels(Golden Tael = 16 Silver Taels), and ten Silver Taels, and left the pagoda under Yuan Bao's disappointed look.

Zhengfu Chao then looked around before finding a tailor shop. An hour later, he exited the shop, now back in his full 2.2m height, wearing silk garments and better-quality shoes. He spent a Gold Tael for two sets(One reserve.).

And so, he found himself outside, the sky darkening, wondering where to eat and spend the night.

"Hm. Maybe I should find a restaurant and ask about the best inn." Zhengfu Chao muttered.

Just then-

"Hello, Sir. Are you new in town?" A gentle voice sounded from beside him.

Looking to the side, Zhengfu Chao saw a beautiful woman with good assets wearing light makeup, a colorful dress that accentuated her curves while not revealing skin, and silky gathered hair with an ornamental blue jade flower. Her eyes were soft and moist, and her cherry lips contrasted her delicate white face.

"Is she an entertainer?" Zhengfu Chao wondered.

"Yes, I am. I am looking for a place to eat and stay for the night." Zhengfu Chao nodded.

"Our Gentle Lotus Pavilion has quality food, lodging, and entertainment. This humble woman is certain you will enjoy yourself, Sir. Of course, that is if Sir is not on a tight budget." The woman smiled.

"Oho? How much for a night?" Zhengfu Chao got interested.

"For common stay, it is a Silver Tael. But Sir would require at least a Gold Tael for our better services." The woman said.

"Oh? It is about four to six times as much as a regular Inn for the typical visit, while their best services are at about a third of the best services at the Silver Silk Lounge in Gerhart's world. They must have high standards." Zhengfu Chao thought.

Since he wasn't feeling too stingy about such a small sum and it was getting late, he decided to splurge a bit since he was new here. (And he got used to luxury in Gerhart's world.)

"Okay. Please lead the way, miss." Zhengfu Chao politely smiled.

"Certainly, Sir. Please, follow me." The woman slowly bowed and led Zhengfu Chao.

Zhengfu Chao didn't notice the greedy glint in the woman's eyes.

"Judging from his clothes and Spatial Bag, he should be an Outer Disciple or Loose Cultivator with some money. He doesn't seem to have high cultivation, yet having a good physique that is likely rich in Yang Energy, and he still has his Virgin Yang. A perfect first prey for my junior sister." The woman's smile widened.