In ancient times, cultivators acted without restrictions.
They slaughtered entire regions of living beings to refine magical tools; they destroyed mountains, boiled seas, burned forests, and sank lands; they broke promises, acted deceitfully, robbed, and killed purely for profit…
Such behaviors were commonplace.
The reason for this lay in the fact that as a cultivator’s realm increased and their strength grew, the fewer restrictions they faced.
For instance, a Soul Transformation cultivator might covet a rare treasure that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had obtained by chance. It would be incredibly easy for them to kill the Foundation Establishment cultivator and claim the treasure for themselves. In such cases, how many would opt to obtain the treasure through “trade”?
Similarly, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator is confronted by a Soul Transformation cultivator, who is exponentially stronger than them, would they dare refuse a “trade”? If the Soul Transformation cultivator were to break their promise, there would be nothing the weaker party could do except swallow their anger, and perhaps even be thankful that their life was spared.
When the two parties are so unequal, fairness in trade cannot even be discussed.
However, within the Five Elders Association, and throughout the entire Xuanhuang Realm, this dynamic has changed completely.
This is due to the existence of various contracts.
These omnipresent mysterious powers truly restrain cultivators.
Even cultivators at the Dao Integration stage cannot defy the power of these contracts. Once signed, they must be obeyed.
Under the drive of these contracts, order has been established.
If the “Tianxuan Mirror” and the “Law Derivation Jade” form the foundation of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, then “contracts” are the lifeblood of the Five Elders Association.
Now, let’s talk about ‘Soul Points’. Soul Points are essentially a special form of energy hidden deep within the soul, sustained by the power of contracts.
Besides being used for everyday transactions, Soul Points have a special purpose: they can be spent to access the “Immortal Sect’s Martial Vault”.
In this vault, you can exchange for a vast array of ancient cultivation methods, texts, and treasures, which originated from ancient immortal sects.
What’s even more noteworthy is that within the vault, there are authentic recreations of ancient sects from the distant past.
These real-life recreations are created by a force similar to the “Fallen Immortal Realm”. Here, cultivators can explore and visit many ancient sects that have long since perished. These sects also contain the images of many ancient cultivators. Though most of these figures lack their original consciousness, they still possess bodies. In combat, their every move carries power nearly identical to that of a real person.
Cultivators of the Five Elders Association can consume Soul Points to spar repeatedly with these ancient figures, enhancing their own combat abilities. In the ‘Immortal Sect’s Martial Vault’, any injuries sustained will not affect the physical body in reality, only causing minor soul injuries. The beauty of it is that these soul injuries can also be healed by spending Soul Points.
In theory, if someone had enough Soul Points, even a mortal who has just started cultivating could become incredibly powerful after participating in many such battles.
Thanks to the binding power of the Soul Contracts, the Five Elders Association doesn’t need to suppress the combat strength of ordinary cultivators, unlike the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Of course, none of this comes for free—it’s up to the cultivator to earn it.
At the border of Wuding Prefecture, near the White Mist Barrier, Lu Fan gazed longingly at the various ‘Samantabhadra True Boats’. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a member of the Five Elders Association and had no Soul Points, so he could only look on with envy.
At that moment, a vendor approached and struck up a conversation: “Fellow Daoists, you must be from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and haven’t joined our Five Elders Association yet, right?”
Lu Fan’s face changed slightly upon hearing this. He scanned his surroundings cautiously, lowered his voice, and nodded: “That’s right. How should I address you, and how did you figure that out?”
The vendor led the two to his stall and said, “No need to be so nervous. I’m Gu Binliang, and I specialize in trading.”
“As for how I knew…” Gu Binliang smiled slightly, “The feeling is entirely different between those who have and haven’t signed a “Soul Contract”. And I recently heard that a batch of Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators was captured and is being ‘converted.’ That’s why I made this guess.”
Seeing Lu Fan still tense, Gu Binliang continued, “In fact, most members of the Five Elders Association don’t harbor any ill will toward you Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators. After all, there have been plenty of cases where captured cultivators were ‘converted,’ had a change of heart, saw the reality of things, and eventually became members of our Five Elders Association.”
“And these individuals are often more loyal than ordinary members!”
Lu Fan’s expression turned sour upon hearing this.
Gu Binliang, an expert at reading people, immediately changed the subject: “Are you perhaps interested in a Samantabhadra True Boat but frustrated by the lack of Soul Points?”
“That’s correct,” Lu Fan admitted.
“That’s not a problem. While you may not have Soul Points, surely you have some standard spirit stones on hand, right?” Gu Binliang said with a smile.
“I do have some,” Lu Fan said with a trace of excitement, but a moment later, confusion flickered across his face. “Does the Five Elders Association also accept these spirit stones?”
Gu Binliang chuckled. “Since they are standardized spirit stones, they are jointly produced by both the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association. However, most Five Elders Association cultivators don’t use them, as converting them to Soul Points is a bit troublesome. So they don’t accept them.”
“But for me, it doesn’t matter. As a true businessman, I need a fair amount of these spirit stones for transactions,” Gu Binliang explained.
“A true businessman…” Lu Fan immediately understood Gu Binliang’s meaning. “Then, please get me a Samantabhadra True Boat.”
With a wave of Gu Binliang’s hand, dozens of miniature flying boats appeared before Lu Fan.
He enthusiastically explained the differences between them.
Before long, the two completed a smooth transaction.
Just as Lu Fan was about to leave, Gu Binliang stopped him: “Do you happen to have any items lying around? In the Five Elders Association’s territory, lacking Soul Points can be quite inconvenient. I can exchange Soul Points with you.”
As he spoke, Gu Binliang pulled out a small, indistinct figurine.
“This is an ‘Manifested Worldly Heavenly Sovereign Statue’ It can store Soul Points, and even if you’re not a member of the Five Elders Association, you can use it to trade with other cultivators.”
Lu Fan was intrigued.
He began rummaging through his storage ring. Gu Binliang was willing to buy anything Lu Fan offered for sale.
When the Manifested Worldly Heavenly Sovereign Statue had accumulated fifty thousand Soul Points, Lu Fan finally ran out of things he was willing to part with.
“If you need anything in the future, feel free to find me,” Gu Binliang said with a cheerful smile, handing over a communication talisman.