Chapter 309 - 297: The Spirit Stone Standard
Chapter 309: Chapter 297: The Spirit Stone Standard
’A female cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm?’
Zhao Lin shook his head as he looked on. He couldn’t believe such a good thing was possible. Besides, even if it were true and not some hoax, Dao companions with such a vast difference in cultivation would never be able to get along.
In the Cultivation Realm, there were dual Cultivation Techniques that were highly beneficial for breaking through to new realms, but this was only on the condition that both parties were at the same cultivation level. To cross a realm—let alone two—would render even the best Cultivation Technique useless.
Though he was dismissive of the marriage notice, it stirred some long-buried thoughts within him.
Since transmigrating, he had never once considered marriage. But now that the great path to longevity was within his grasp, perhaps it was time to think about it.
The path of cultivation was long. Having a Dao companion was surely better than being all alone. Cultivating by oneself was just too lonely.
However, marriages in the Cultivation Realm were also a matter of being well-matched. The innate talents of both parties couldn’t be too far apart. Otherwise, if one broke through to new realms early on while the other stagnated, the relationship would be difficult to sustain.
"Does anyone want to apply? You can go now!"
Zhou Hongfang and the two elders had been silent the whole time. It was Zhou Hongfang who suddenly spoke up.
The disciples immediately fell silent and hurried to follow. Before leaving, that Senior Brother Wang shot another reluctant glance at the notice.
Shangyuan County was situated in the Northern Territory of the Western Ox Continent, at the junction of three provinces. Thanks to its prime location, passing cultivators often stopped to rest in its marketplace.
Besides Chenghua Sect disciples, many cultivators from other sects and some Loose Cultivators came and went.
The marketplace wasn’t just for trading items like medicinal pills, magic artifacts, talismans, and cultivation manuals. It also boasted an auction house that sold valuable goods on the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of every month. Of course, it was also fully equipped with restaurants, inns, and other establishments where cultivators could eat, drink, and rest.
As the disciples walked, they looked around, their eyes filled with curiosity.
’This marketplace is a lot like the markets from my past life,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’The only difference is that everything for sale is related to cultivation.’
"We’ll rest at this inn tonight."
Zhou Hongfang led the group to the front of an inn called Full Moon Building, then turned and spoke.
"You can wander around nearby for a while, but you must be back before the lamps are lit."
"Yes, Dean!"
Of course, the disciples didn’t want to rest early. Taking advantage of the time before dark, they formed groups and began to wander around the marketplace.
"This area is all inns and restaurants. Let’s go to the east district, it’s livelier over there."
Dong Lingcheng led Zhao Lin, Li Sancai, Tong Mu, and Zhu Cong down the street, occasionally introducing the shops and the various items for sale.
He wasn’t planning on buying anything; his main purpose was to let Zhao Lin and the others broaden their horizons.
The five of them had been in the same group last time during the locust extermination on Jue Ming Mountain. They had grown close, so they naturally stuck together this time as well.
"Senior Brother Dong, you’ve been here before, haven’t you?"
Seeing Dong Lingcheng’s familiarity with the place, Zhao Lin couldn’t help but ask.
"A few times. The jade slips and Low Grade talismans here are quite famous. I’ve bought some in the past."
Dong Lingcheng explained, "As for everything else, it’s cheaper to buy it back in the county seat."
"Senior Brother Dong, what are Spirit Coins?"
Zhu Cong suddenly asked, pointing at a notice in front of a shop.
Everyone turned to look and saw the notice read: "Low Grade Clear Heart Talisman, five Yuan Spirit Coins each."
"Spirit Coins are the currency of the Cultivation Realm, and they can be used just like Spirit Stones. Since you all come from the mortal realm, that should be an easy concept for you to grasp."
Dong Lingcheng explained, and as he spoke, he pulled out a few silver-colored coins from his robes.
Zhao Lin knew that Spirit Coins existed, but this was the first time he had seen one. He also asked for one to hold and examine.
The Spirit Coin was about an inch in diameter, slightly larger than a copper coin. The front was engraved with the character for "Five," and below it were the name of the Chenghua Sect and the year and month of its minting.
The back was carved with a complex and exquisite Dao pattern shaped like a peony, which was the emblem of the Chenghua Sect.
This "Dao Pattern" was a kind of miniaturized Array Pattern, a mark specially cast onto the Spirit Coin during its forging.
While the coins themselves could be forged, the Dao Pattern could not. A cultivator only needed to inject a trace of Spiritual Power into the coin, and a corresponding imprint would form in their sea of consciousness, making it easy to verify its authenticity.
Spirit Stones were the universal currency, but they had two major drawbacks. It was because of these flaws that Spirit Coins were created.
First, Spirit Stones are considerable in both size and weight. A single Spirit Stone weighs several pounds, so thirty of them would be over a hundred pounds. Carrying large quantities of Spirit Stones is an enormous burden for cultivators.
Second, some items in the Cultivation Realm cost less than a single Spirit Stone. When using Spirit Stones for transactions, it was often impossible to get "change."
Spirit Coins solved these two problems very well. They were light and easy to carry, with face values ranging from one, two, five... all the way up to one hundred.
The Chenghua Sect issued large quantities of Spirit Coins, their value pegged to Spirit Stones at an exchange rate of ten Spirit Coins to one Spirit Stone. To draw an analogy, the relationship between Spirit Stones and Spirit Coins is like that between Gold and Silver Notes in the mortal world. It’s essentially a "Spirit Stone standard."
Zhao Lin had learned from books that the Chenghua Sect’s Spirit Coins had always been relatively stable, with the only major over-issuance occurring during a great war a thousand years ago.
At that time, although the official exchange rate was forcibly set at ten Yuan Spirit Coins for one Spirit Stone, it was actually impossible to exchange them at that rate. At the peak of the Spirit Stone shortage, it took over three hundred Yuan Spirit Coins to exchange for one, and the monetary system was on the verge of collapse.
After the war, the Spirit Coin slowly recovered. It has been quite stable to this day, circulating not only within the sect but also being accepted by many neighboring sects.
As Zhao Lin listened and watched, he committed the prices of various items to memory. ’This might be useful later,’ he thought.
The five of them wandered around until dusk before returning to the inn to rest.
The inn’s conditions were rather average; four people to a room.
Zhao Lin asked an attendant and found out they were staying in a standard room, which cost thirty Yuan Spirit Coins per night.
The standard rooms had no Spiritual Qi channeled into them, so the cultivation effect was average. The superior rooms had dense Spiritual Qi, but their prices were all over one hundred Yuan Spirit Coins.
After resting for a night, the group from the Spirit Dao Institute left the marketplace at dawn, boarded the Spiritual Vessel, and set off once more.
After flying for half a day, they entered the territory of Juyan Province.
Zhou Hongfang took out a spell talisman from his robes, injected a stream of Spiritual Power into it, and the talisman immediately transformed into a streak of light, flying forward with a WHOOSH before disappearing into the clouds.
About an hour later, the Spiritual Vessel flew into a mountain range lush with vegetation, gradually slowed down, and finally stopped before a mist-shrouded valley.
"We’ve arrived at Dongyang County!"
As Zhao Lin stepped off the Spiritual Vessel, he immediately felt a wave of warm air wash over him. The temperature was at least five degrees higher than in Han Chi County, as if they had traveled from spring to early summer.
Unlike the small mortal worlds, most places in the Cultivation Realm did not have distinct seasons; the climate remained constant throughout the year.
"Dean Zhou, Elder Nie, Elder Wu, we meet again!"
An old man with glossy black hair and a face the color of golden paper was already waiting at the entrance to the valley, accompanied by two middle-aged cultivators.
"Ah, it’s Elder Liao. It’s been a year, but you’re as distinguished as ever!"
Zhou Hongfang and the other two also responded politely.