Chapter 259: The Hardship of Seeking Gold

Inside the secret chamber, True Person Suo Huan’s robes fluttered, and his amiable smile resembled a mask affixed to his face, remaining unchanged even during action.

“Thank you, fellow Daoist.”

Looking at True Person Miaoyin, Suo Huan’s mind flashed back to his meeting with the “True Lord of Colorful Brocade” overseas, a trace of undeniable gloom crossing his face.

‘Negotiating with a tiger for its skin… there’s no other way!’

‘After all, I am an outsider cultivator, without a True Lord as backing; to seek gold, I must obtain the tacit approval of various True Lords to have even a sliver of hope.’

‘From this perspective, I must thank Chong Guang. If he hadn’t exposed that late-stage Golden Core True Lord, I fear I wouldn’t have found even the slightest opportunity until death. Now, at least the True Lords of the Sacred Sect permit me to verify the “Long Flowing Water,” even willing to personally refine a Stabilizing Sea Pearl for me.’

Thinking of this, no trace of joy appeared on Suo Huan’s face.

As an outsider cultivator, seeking gold was undoubtedly several times more difficult than for Chong Guang, requiring at least three conditions to have a slim chance.

First was the ritual to attract the fruit position.

‘”Long Flowing Water” signifies endlessness and ceaseless flow; using the “Stabilizing Sea Pearl” to embody its meaning should attract the gaze of the fruit position.’

This was the first condition.

Secondly, his “Spiritual Ruins Blessed Land” was not yet complete; it must be fully perfected through Qi collection to meet the minimum standard for transforming into a cave heaven.

Lastly, the status.

“My current strength, strictly speaking, is only that of a Great True Person, comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet not reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment—this is my innate flaw!”

Suo Huan felt bitter in his heart; although the realm he came from wasn’t small, it had only condensed a prototype of the fruit position, strictly speaking, even inferior to the current “Ten Thousand Martial Realm.” Otherwise, it wouldn’t have become a battleground for the struggle for the Dao, and as a cultivator from that realm, his cultivation was inherently lacking.

The strongest was only the late Foundation Establishment stage!

Unless he reincarnated and cultivated anew, he could never reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in this life, let alone refine the gold nature—what could he use to support the blessed land?

Three difficult hurdles, each harder than the last.

‘But my lifespan is also nearing its end; everyone from the “Huanxu Realm” is dead! Only I remain—if I die too, the “Huanxu Realm” will truly be extinct!’

Thinking of this, Suo Huan’s previously hesitant gaze immediately became resolute; he had nothing to lose, after all, if he didn’t break through to the Golden Core, he would die; if he did, there was a chance to survive—what was there to fear? Without any backing, if he didn’t fight, what path remained?

With this in mind, Suo Huan immediately began arrangements.

True Person Miaoyin’s “Void Heaven Mirror” was directly borrowed by him, and the formation was casually modified; soon, the mirror’s surface once again displayed a brilliant light.

“Amitabha.”

Within the radiant light appeared a bald-headed figure—a benevolent old monk. Upon seeing this, Suo Huan skillfully bent down and respectfully saluted.

“This humble one greets the Supreme One of Great Strength.”

The old monk was also a Great True Person of the Pure Land, named “Great Strength,” one of the most hopeful to ascend to the Bodhisattva position within the Pure Land.

As soon as the Supreme One of Great Strength appeared, he looked directly at Suo Huan: “Has the benefactor made up his mind?”

“I have.”

Suo Huan decisively said, “This humble one wishes to verify the ‘Long Flowing Water.’ If I can ascend to the position of True Lord in the future, I am willing to merge the cave heaven and fruit position into the Pure Land!”

There was no way to forcibly seize the fruit position.

Suo Huan was well aware of this; after all, an ordinary realm having one fruit position was already remarkable, yet this broken place had thirty!

What’s the point of playing anymore?

Moreover, there was a Nascent Soul Dao Master above; Suo Huan couldn’t comprehend that realm, only knowing that if he forcibly seized the fruit position, he would be killed immediately.

Therefore, Suo Huan had long planned for this.

‘Seizing the fruit position is merely to revive the “Huanxu Realm” within my cave heaven; afterward, I can return it, and merging into the Pure Land is a good choice.’

‘As for the drawbacks of cultivating in the Pure Land, at the Bodhisattva level, there is still some autonomy; for someone like me, it’s not much trouble. As long as I can seek gold and ascend, future troubles can be dealt with later. If I can’t even seek gold, worrying about the future is meaningless!’

Thinking of this, Suo Huan continued to bow:

“I earnestly request the master to act, to have the Bodhisattva establish a temple within this humble one’s ‘Spiritual Ruins Blessed Land,’ to bless it with great Buddhist power, aiding in its swift completion.”

He was voluntarily giving others leverage.

Allowing the Pure Land to leave a mark within the “Spiritual Ruins Blessed Land” so that the Pure Land could trust him, helping to perfect the blessed land without worrying about him reneging.

As expected, the Supreme One of Great Strength showed a satisfied expression upon hearing this:

“Buddha means enlightenment.”

“The benefactor has an enlightened heart and will surely become a Buddha.”

After speaking, the Supreme One of Great Strength took out a thick scripture, with seven golden characters on the cover: “The Fundamental Sutra of Mahayana True Enlightenment”!

“This sutra was personally transcribed by the Bodhisattva with great power; each word is a gem, blessed by the fruit position. The benefactor only needs to send this sutra into the blessed land and consume it through the Qi collection method; the blessed land will naturally be perfected. However, I wonder how the benefactor plans to seek gold? Perhaps we can assist you.”

“That won’t trouble the master.”

Suo Huan shook his head; the method of seeking gold involved his very foundation, and he naturally couldn’t reveal it, lest someone exploit a weakness.

Seeing this, the Supreme One of Great Strength didn’t inquire further, merely chanting a Buddhist verse.

Soon, the radiant light faded.

However, Suo Huan didn’t stop; instead, he switched the formation’s patterns, and after a moment, the precious mirror lit up again, this time displaying another figure.

This person wore official robes, draped in a bright red cloak, and donned a crown, clearly dressed as a Dao Court official, appearing solemn and dignified. Above his head, the radiant light intertwined with tadpole-like talismanic script, finally forming the title “Minister of Military Affairs of the Capital,” making him appear even more mystical.

“This humble one greets the Minister.”

Suo Huan bowed again, even switching to the official Dao Court etiquette, his movements practiced.

The so-called “Minister of Military Affairs of the Capital” was a second-rank official position in the Dao Court, also a Great True Person; strictly speaking, his strength was even inferior to Suo Huan’s.

However, at this moment, as Suo Huan bowed, neither party felt anything amiss.

The “Minister” looked indifferent, smiling: “Contacting me proactively—seems you’ve finally come around and are willing to join our dynasty?”

“I’ve come around.”

Suo Huan said without hesitation: “I only ask His Majesty to bestow upon me a first-rank title to aid in my quest for gold. After success, I am willing to guard the border seas for the Dao Court forever!”

“Good, good, good.”

Upon hearing this, the “Minister of Military Affairs of the Capital” immediately showed a satisfied expression: “Since you’re sincere, I will present your request to His Majesty.”

“Thank you, Minister.”

Suo Huan bowed again, then skillfully took out a storage pouch and transmitted it through the “Void Heaven Mirror”: “This contains spiritual materials I obtained overseas. This humble one lacks the discernment to judge their quality; I ask the Minister to evaluate them for me, as a favor.”

“You, you—don’t do this next time!”

The “Minister of Military Affairs of the Capital” laughed heartily, openly accepting the storage pouch, then disconnected from the precious mirror, the radiant light gradually dissipating.

After completing all this, Suo Huan finally straightened up.

He stood tall, as if to straighten the waist he had bent during the previous bows, a trace of genuine joy finally appearing in his eyes.

This was true delight.

For him, wearing a smile had long become a habit, not representing his true emotions; only the thoughts in his eyes reflected his genuine feelings.

‘There’s hope…!’

“Long Flowing Water” made the Pure Land, Dao Court, and Sacred Sect no longer oppose his quest for gold, also giving him the opportunity to negotiate benefits from all three.

‘The Sacred Sect provides the Stabilizing Sea Pearl, embodying the “Long Flowing Water”; the Pure Land helps perfect the blessed land, making it complete; the Dao Court bestows an official title, allowing me to compensate for innate deficiencies and achieve peak Foundation Establishment cultivation—in this way, I finally have a slim hope of seeking gold!’

Thinking of this, Suo Huan could hardly suppress his joy.

For this, he even borrowed True Person Miaoyin’s assistance to come to the “Ten Thousand Martial Realm,” an outer realm, ensuring that the karma of his three-way negotiation wouldn’t be calculated.

At this point, the only flaw…

Thinking of this, Suo Huan finally turned his head to look at…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep