Cultivation: Starting with Farming in the Spiritual Pivot Grotto

Chapter 16: A World of Deception and Reality, A Hidden Gem

"Haha, that's how it should be!"

"A month ago, the Taoist priest bid on a rare item, only to find himself targeted. In the end, he gritted his teeth and paid 60% more, which infuriated him!"

"To see such a despicable person suffer such a setback is truly gratifying and exhilarating. Let's raise a toast..."

In an instant, a circle of people cleared out around the cultivator who had raised the price, pointing and whispering, their words filled with mockery.

"Clang!" With a bang, Zhu Wushi deliberately announced loudly, "Fifty-one taels of moon toad coins, deal!"

Such price gouging may allow Qianjinge to earn more money, but it is something Qianjinge dislikes.

Why?

Damaging reputation!

Seeing this, Li Ya breathed a sigh of relief. This guy won the bid but didn't have the money to pay, so the Five Prison Bracelet would be returned and auctioned again.

At this moment, the servant brought the Five Prisons Bracelet to the cultivator.

"I...I didn't..."

Before he could even utter the last coin, two strongmen from both sides stepped in, covering his mouth and sealing his inner energy.

"No, you do!"

"Let's have a proper talk about this."

As he spoke, he dragged them into another dark room heavily guarded by soldiers.

The timid servant outside changed his demeanor as soon as he entered the dark room.

"Yellow cabinet, this junk has been brought."

From the shadows, Huang Dan slowly peeked out, his words filled with confusion.

"Tell me properly, do you have any money or not, and why are you making things difficult for that distinguished guest?"

"If you have the money to pay, we don't mind risking being reprimanded by our superiors to give you a beating."

"If you just think that making things difficult for my God of Wealth is a fun way to relieve your boredom, I'll let you experience something even more interesting later."

"These strongmen behind us have never experienced what it's like to be a cultivator..."

Before Huang Dan could finish speaking, the rogue cultivator's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. His true energy was sealed, and at this moment he was not even as good as an ordinary person. Thick yellow water stains spread out.

Huang Dan's eyes showed disgust, and he quickly waved his hand: "Take him away and treat him well."

He then personally carried the tray and, with the Five Prison Bracelet in hand, knocked on Li Ya's private room.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what happened just now was truly the fault of Qianjin Pavilion. That young friend has already given up on the Five Prisons Bracelet. I wonder if you still like it?"

Li Ya had already prepared to bid again, but he really didn't expect Huang Dan to be able to do this.

"Fellow Daoist Huang is so kind!" Li Ya couldn't help but exclaim.

"It's alright, it's alright. After this round of filming, we'll need a half-day break. Mr. Huang, you can show your Taoist friends some fun."

Huang Dan leaned closer and whispered something.

"Are there any female cultivators on the lower levels who are well-versed in the principles of Yin and Yang? There are a few who appear to be highly skilled. I've already made arrangements. I wonder if you...?"

"Thank you for your trouble. I am devoted to the Dao and have no interest in women." Li Ya said this through gritted teeth, completely against his will.

After settling the payment, he and Huang Dan agreed to stroll around Qianjin Pavilion together during the break.

Now that I have the Five Prisons Bracelet, even if I don't acquire a Sumeru Dharma artifact later, this trip will not have been in vain.

"These demonic cultivators have such peculiar tastes. A perfectly good magical artifact would be better made into a plain circle than painted with demons and monsters."

"Isn't it uncomfortable to wear on your wrist?"

Fangcun Snail didn't hesitate to eat it just because it was a demonic artifact, and not long after, it was gone.

After a crisp sound, there was no flash of inspiration as I had imagined; only a pile of rubble appeared before my eyes.

Several pills emitting a pungent and acrid smell, a pitch-black skeleton, and a long, black banner depicting a scene from purgatory.

There was nothing else besides that.

"This isn't right. How come there's just this little bit of junk? It doesn't look like anything valuable at all."

Could it be that these Five Prisons Bracelets have other restrictions in place, and that breaking them would destroy the contents inside?

He brought the Five Prisons Bracelet closer: "No, I could be mistaken. Ling Shu would never be mistaken. There must be some key points that I haven't discovered yet."

Fangcunluo then felt another wave of hunger.

Li Ya suddenly understood the situation; what was the point of agonizing over it?

A short while later, a soft "click" sounded.

Countless coins appeared out of thin air. Even though Li Ya was agile, he was almost hit by the surging money. In the end, the money piled up into a small mountain and reached the beam of the private room.

There were red copper coins, moon toad coins, and even a gourd coin worth one tael. This wasn't too strange.

What's puzzling is that it also contains some non-official coins from the Central Continent, the Spirit Conch Coins from the islands of the East Sea, the wooden tokens from the Ten Thousand Mountains in the south, and the sword coins from the Sword Pavilion in the northwest.

All the money on the ground was gathered into the Ling Shu Cave.

Looking at the expanding Ling Shu Cave Heaven, Li Ya suddenly realized.

These Five Prison Bracelets actually divided the space into several parts.

The outermost area was a small space where junk was piled up, a place that ordinary cultivators could reach, which served as a concealment.

The rest were all obscured by profound forbidden techniques. If it weren't for the Fangcun Snail that could bypass the forbidden techniques and directly point to the Sumeru Stone.

Even the cultivators of Qianjin Pavilion who frequently break the restrictions can only see the outermost pile of rubble and can hardly detect the hidden world inside.

The second space is several times larger than the first.

"Even with so many copper coins, their value can't compare to the floating bag. I reckon there's more than one hidden space here!"

After the copper coins were collected and cleaned, a wooden box was left on the ground.

The moment the wooden box was opened, Li Ya's pupils contracted, his heart filled with horror.

"This is an identity jade tablet!"

The box was full of jade discs that reflected the identities of people of all kinds, and there was also a stack of detailed experiences corresponding to the jade discs.

"What respectable person would have so many personal protective artifacts?"

This is like catching a thief in a past life and finding a large amount of readily convertible currency and dozens of passports in his residence.

"Don't give me that damned scheme of immortals and demons infiltrating each other. Let me cultivate in peace and quiet."

As the third layer of space broke open, a rich and mellow fragrance of elixir immediately filled the private room.

A fine sandalwood stand with star-patterned lacquer was placed steadily on the ground. The stand had five tiers, each filled with jade vases, numbering about a hundred.

Each jade bottle is lustrous and exquisitely crafted. The wooden shelf also has a medicine list, which is categorized and clearly shows the name and grade of the pills.

Li Ya's breathing was no longer rapid, and for a moment his whole body felt a little cold.

Hundreds of jade bottles, dozens of kinds of pills, from low to high quality, covering everything from cultivation to healing, with complete categories and ample quantity.

It's enough to drive any Qi Refining cultivator crazy.

With such a feat, how could the original owner of the Five Prisons Bracelet have been easily captured? What intricate details and hidden threads lie behind this?

"Could it be a desperate measure to survive? This demonic cultivator who smuggled himself in is most likely a spy, but somehow the information was leaked, and fearing being wiped out, he used up all his resources for a comeback..."

"No, no, that doesn't make sense. What if this thing was confiscated and stored in the Yunfu Sect's warehouse instead of being handed over to the Qianjin Pavilion? How could the spy have obtained it?"

There were so many complexities involved that Li Ya couldn't figure them out no matter how hard he tried.

The more you examine this matter, the less plausible it becomes.

"Those powerful figures wouldn't be so idle as to set up a trap for a lowly servant like me. Once it's in my hands, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't take it away. If they don't even have that much guts, what's the point of me, Li Ya, cultivating immortality or proving the Dao?"

Li Ya didn't dwell on his thoughts for long before carefully putting away the pills.

The fourth space contained only a jade slip, bound by exquisite chains.

The jade slip contained the inscription "The Twelve Yuan Chen Great Strength Bone Demon's Self-Sacrifice Scripture." Upon seeing it, Li Ya's body immediately froze.

His once clear eyes were now clouded with a thin mist, his gaze unfocused and wandering, making it difficult for him to concentrate.

A layer of black light emanated from the "Twelve Yuan Chen Great Bone Demon Abandoning Body Scripture" in his hand, enveloping Li Ya's entire body.

He couldn't help but shudder. Just by looking at the number of characters in the technique, he knew it was no ordinary technique. Who would put so much effort into naming a low-level technique?

"It is said that demonic cultivation techniques are effective quickly and are a rare shortcut. If I can't make it in Central Continent, I can take these techniques to Southern Wilderness Continent."

With all four layers of space destroyed, Fang Cunluo felt a growing sense of fullness, yet his movements did not cease.

"Is this not the last space? This little devil is really cunning."

Li Ya had completely disregarded the auction outside and was focused entirely on this.

The stalemate lasted for more than half an hour.

"Ding ding!"

The Five Prisons Bracelet suddenly broke in two, completely shattered.

Inside the private room, a piece of pure silver shimmered, interspersed with tiny specks of starlight.

A metal pellet, roughly the size of a longan, floated silently in the air.

A golden silk scroll floated into his hand, and upon closer inspection, he nearly choked.

"Mu Canghai, the Discipline Elder of the Qingcheng Sword Sect..."

"The True Lineage of Canxia Mountain—Murong Duo..."

"Elder of Zhenlong Temple—Master Xuantong..."

……

These names are all pivotal figures in the sects of the Southern Central Continent. How can this be explained? How could such a list be found on a demonic artifact?

"Is this an inside man? Or perhaps the target we're about to eliminate..."

Li Ya had no idea what was going on, but he silently folded the silk scroll and put it into the Ling Shu Cave.

After a long while, Li Ya slowly came to his senses.

"So what? If all else fails, I'll hide in the Ling Shu Cave Heaven and find a secluded corner to hide in."

He reached out to catch the metal bullet, which was surrounded by a faint, cool aura and exuded a chilling sharpness.

"Could this be some kind of magical artifact?"

Li Ya channeled a wisp of true energy into it, and the bullet immediately began to shimmer with starlight.

A chilling aura traveled up his arm and straight to his mind.