Chapter 226 Huang Xiaoliu’s Wonderful Journey
Huang Xiaoliu was born in Lanling County, under the city of Wangshu Prefecture. His ancestors were all tenant farmers, serving the spiritual fields of the Huang family, a powerful local Jindan family.
He was named Xiaoliu because he was the sixth eldest in the family. The whole family had been living a life of neither wealth nor starvation.
It wasn't until he was twelve years old that he showed his natural talent in spiritual practice for the first time.
So the family reduced their clothes and diet to support his practice. Huang Xiaoliu lived up to expectations and practiced hard for thirty years. Now his strength at the eighth level of Qi training is neither high nor low.
In their rural village, they were already among the top three masters.
Not long after he broke through to the later stages of Qi training, he was promoted to the local supervisor by the Huang family because of his clean financial status, and his status immediately changed.
So a typical example of the rise of a humble family appeared.
If nothing else happens, in another two generations, and if there are cultivation seeds in each generation in their family, then there will be a chance to cultivate foundation-building monks, and then add the name back to the Huang family tree, becoming a collateral clan member of the Jindan family. , and from then on he had his origin.
However, plans can never keep up with changes.
The beast tide is coming.
Similar to the situation in Autumn Wind City, the Huang family has to shrink its strength and retreat to the Spirit Vein Cave to compete with the local clan forces and the city lord's mansion against the impact of the beast tide.
His cultivation level is quite good, and he was selected by the Huang family, and he can also take three places to join the mountain protection formation.
However, he could not leave his entire family behind.
In order to support his cultivation, the two elder brothers had not yet gotten married when they were thirty years old, but the three elder sisters got married early because their husband's family had a few extra spiritual stones as a gift.
The resources for his initial cultivation were saved from the teeth of his family members, and every spiritual stone was soaked in the blood and sweat of his family members.
How could he turn a blind eye when the crisis came and put them in danger.
However, others spoke softly, and the three places given to him by the Huang family were already the limit.
He bid farewell to the Huang family, packed up his belongings with his entire family, and embarked on the road to escape.
However, the dangers on the road will not let them go just because they are poor people. Instead, the dangers will only target poor people like them.
Lanling County is only three hundred miles away from Wangshu Fucheng.
The three hundred miles of escape was soaked every inch with the blood of ordinary people.
This road is a carnival of tribulation.
In Huang Xiaoliu's opinion, sometimes people's hearts are more terrifying than the beast tide.
Ordinary people with all their belongings and new hope of survival struggled hard, but they became prey in the eyes of others.
Obviously everyone is at the bottom seeking survival, but it is our own people who are hurt the most.
Even if he is a monk at the eighth level of Qi training, he is not able to protect the entire family.
After decades of taking root and growing up, the Huang family is no longer a family of eight. The parents do not care about each other. When the elder sister gets married, she has her husband's family, and her husband's family also has its own relatives.
The same goes for my brother, and my sister-in-law's family is a big family.
There are nearly a hundred people involved in various relationships.
Most of these people are at the lowest level of practice and have given up.
After all, cultivation consumes a lot of resources. Without good enough qualifications, it is enough to have one or two levels of cultivation that can serve the crops in the field.
They also don't specialize in those lethal spiritual arts. If they have that kind of skill, it would be more practical to learn a few fists and kicks.
When these people encounter a robbery cultivator who specializes in robbing and killing monks, the end can be imagined.
Huang Xiaoliu watched helplessly as the team of hundreds of people was reduced in number along the way, leaving several bodies on the road almost every day.
Fortunately, those powerful tribulation cultivators look down on people like them.
Only those incompetent and weak tribulation cultivators hung around like hyenas, tearing off pieces of flesh from their bodies from time to time.
Fortunately, after approaching Fucheng, those robbery cultivators did not dare to show up at will.
Huang Xiaoliu went from anger at the beginning to silence later, and his heart gradually became exhausted.
What he can do is protect his closest family members.
He knew that other relatives were complaining about him and cursing him behind his back, but he could only pretend that he didn't hear anything.
He thought he could protect everyone, but found that he was so powerless.
He could only hold the spirit stone tightly, restore his mana as quickly as possible, and improve his cultivation level as much as possible.
He has never longed for power as much as he does now.
Ever since he broke through the late stage of Qi training and was promoted from a tenant farmer of the Huang family to a supervisor, he has not consciously slacked off in his practice.
After all, he has been practicing for so long, and now that his life at home is better, why can't he just enjoy it?
His practice has never been about the road to immortality. That kind of goal is too far away from him. He just wants to make his family's life better.
But now everything is telling him.
False prosperity and peace are just temporary illusions. When chaos approaches, the only thing that can protect you and your family is the power you control.
…
Today, the Huang family lives in the most remote slum in Fucheng, crowded together with other refugees. They don't even have a house and live in simple shacks.
Although there are still various problems in life, at least the dangers are greatly reduced.
As night fell, Huang Xiaoliu sat in front of the shack and kept vigil, while other family members had already fallen asleep from exhaustion huddled under the small shack.
He thought of the recent news circulating in the slums among the "high-level monks" who were at the peak of their Qi training. He stared at the burning bonfire in front of him and secretly made a decision.
Midnight comes.
There was a rustling sound in the shack.
Huang Xiaoliu's parents walked out together.
Huang Xiaoliu's parents are also monks, but their cultivation levels are not very high. One is at the second level of Qi training, and the other is at the third level of Qi training.
This was the level of cultivation that Huang Xiaoliu achieved after he became rich and found spiritual pills for his two elders to help them practice.
Because of their cultivation and the better times these years, both of them looked like middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, but their skin was darker.
"Liuzi, your mother and I will guard you in the middle of the night. You can go and rest first."
"Dad, Mom, I want to take a gamble."
Huang Xiaoliu made no move to get up, but threw a piece of dead wood into the bonfire. The flames rose high, reflecting his weathered face.
"Liuzi, you are now the mainstay of the family, and you have seen the most. Your mother and I have been cultivating fields all our lives, and we have never left the fifty miles surrounding the county.
You must have your own plans for what you want to do, and your mother and I will not interfere with you. "
Huang Xiaoliu's father said so.
His mother also added: "Mom, listen to your father."
"Mom and dad, please continue to rest. With my cultivation, it doesn't matter if I don't sleep for a few days. I will still be here to guard you in the second half of the night."
Huang Xiaoliu's eyes gradually became firmer, and his voice had an undeniable firmness.
Early the next morning, Huang Xiaoliu walked into the bustling inner city with most of the spiritual stones that the Huang family had accumulated in recent years.
…
"Datonghui!"
Huang Xiaoliu looked up at the gilded plaque and read out the name unconsciously.
According to rumors, this Datong Association was founded by an ancient Taoist cultivator who was warm-hearted and had great love. The motto of the association was "I am for everyone, and everyone is for me". It also received strong support from the Lord of the Palace.
Within two months of his appearance in Wangshu Mansion, he had already funded several foundation-building monks to break through to the golden elixir realm, and a dozen Qi-training monks to break through to the foundation-building realm, most of whom were casual cultivators.
And he came here to find hope.
"Fellow Taoist, are you also here to participate in the Great Love Project?"
A delicate-looking female monk, wearing a cheongsam uniform that highlighted her figure, appeared in front of Huang Xiaoliu, with a decent smile on her face.
It was the lobby reception of Datong Club.
Facing the waitress, Huang Xiaoliu, who had been dealing with Tiandi all his life, his heart beat wildly and he felt ashamed.
"Yes, it is."
The so-called big love project is to save spiritual stones to participate in the lottery, and use small things to make a big difference.
Of course, even if you win, you have to pay it back.
But everyone took it for granted, and even felt grateful.
Who doesn't like people these days who can borrow money without looking at connections, and who isn't grateful.
"Okay, this way please."
The waitress didn't care at all about Huang Xiaoliu's absence and invited him to go to the back hall.
"Fellow Taoist, please wait in line here. It will be your turn soon."
Huang Xiaoliu followed the waitress's guidance and looked forward, and saw a long snake-like queue lining up.
His heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
"so many people?"
The waitress had already turned around to leave. After hearing this, she turned around, sighed towards Huang Xiaoliu and said:
"Because there are too many people in this world who need help."
Huang Xiaoliu was stunned for a moment, then nodded silently.
Half an hour later.
Huang Xiaoliu finally got to the head of the queue.
The person who registered them was a middle-aged monk who was sitting behind the desk with an expressionless face and who was not easy to mess with at first sight. He had an aura as deep as the sea, which he had only experienced from the ancestor of the Huang family.
This is actually a real Jin Dan!
Huang Xiaoliu was once again shocked by the background of Datonghui.
"You know the rules, right?"
The middle-aged monk asked calmly. His spiritual consciousness had scanned Huang Xiaoliu's body and confirmed his cultivation level.
"Know."
Huang Xiaoliu nodded quickly and presented a storage bag containing a thousand spirit stones.
On the way to the queue just now, a staff member from Datonghui explained to them the specific rules of the Datong project.
The Great Love Project helps people all over the world. As the saying goes, everyone is for me and I am for everyone.
As long as they, the Qi-training monks, deposit a thousand spirit stones in the Datong Association, they can immediately participate in the lottery.
Once you win the lottery, you will get a foundation-building pill, which you can take immediately to avoid reselling it privately.
After a successful breakthrough, the difference in price of the Foundation Establishment Pill needs to be made up within ten years.
If it fails, the Datong Association will not be embarrassed, but it will lose the opportunity to participate in the Great Love project.
If you do not win the lottery, the spirit stone cannot be returned, but you will have an opportunity to continue to draw lots every year thereafter.
"Now that I know, I won't talk nonsense."
The middle-aged monk took the spirit stone, and with a sweep of his consciousness, he counted it easily, and then took out a green jade stick from the table.
"This is your lottery ticket. Go and wait in the back."
Huang Xiaoliu took the jade sign and held it warmly. It was obviously very light, but it felt inexplicably heavy.
Then he was led to the backyard.
"The courtyard is secretly guarded by our Datong Association monks. You are not allowed to jump in line. You are not allowed to leave the line after queuing. If you leave the line, you will lose your qualifications."
There is a large cauldron in the center of the backyard. The cauldron is filled with stone balls. The stone balls are about the size of an adult's fist and are gray-white.
This big cauldron is called the Great Love Cauldron. There are one hundred stone balls in the cauldron and ten real balls inside. Each real ball hides a Foundation Building Pill.
This stone ball is made of stone from the Lingshi mine and has the effect of isolating spiritual consciousness. Not to mention the Qi training monks, even the foundation building monks cannot penetrate the stone.
Many monks clapped in front of the cauldron and handed the jade sign in their hands to a female cultivator in front of the cauldron who was wearing the same uniform as the receptionist outside, but with more complicated cuff patterns, and then reached out to touch the cauldron.
It can be seen that the monk who touched the ball was very nervous, and even other monks in the team became nervous.
Poof!
The stone ball was smashed into powder by the monk, with nothing inside.
The monk who drew the lots turned pale and wanted to say something, but was glared at by the female cultivator and stumbled back.
He had no choice but to walk aside dejectedly, but his eyes were fixed on Dading.
If he couldn't get ten real balls out, he was afraid he would cause a scene.
Huang Xiaoliu didn't know why, but he also panicked in his heart.
Was he too impulsive and dared to risk all his wealth? What would he do if he suffered the same fate as the monk just now?
But when he came here, he had no room for regret.
In silence, the team moved forward slowly, and cheers erupted from time to time, as someone kicked a real ball.
It was a golden elixir that was unforgettable with just one glance.
The winning monk stood aside with his head held high, in stark contrast to the crowd beside him who refused to be disappointed.
Next, they will break through in the cultivation quiet room provided by Datong Association.
When it was Huang Xiaoliu's turn, there were about thirteen or four balls left in the cauldron, but only seven real balls were pulled out, which meant that there were still three Foundation Establishment Pills in it.
His chances are great!
Huang Xiaoliu couldn't formulate his mood at the moment. He blankly handed the jade sign to the female cultivator and touched the stone ball with his palm.
Even though he knew that his spiritual sense was useless, he still couldn't help but use his spiritual sense to check, but found nothing.
The stone ball is like a layer of fog, making it impossible to see through.
He hesitated for a while, but before the female cultivator could urge him, the monk behind him became anxious.
"Fellow Taoist, if you don't hurry up, you will almost miss this ball."
"Yes, three out of thirteen, what are you hesitating about?"
"Made, if you don't want to smoke, get out of my way!"
…
The excitement on the faces of the monks who had been waiting for a long time was obvious. They all had a high chance of winning.
If there were not Datonghui staff watching at the scene, the monks behind would probably have fought just for their positions.
"That's it."
Huang Xiaoliu grabbed a stone ball, and the magic power surged in his body. There was a click, and the stone ball split open on the spot, revealing one of the golden Foundation Establishment Pills that was sealed with beeswax.
"Mad, one less!"
The monk behind him took a sip, but Huang Xiaoliu was wrapped in surprise.
"I got it! I got it! I got it!"
"Tsk, tsk, another one is crazy!"
The monks watching on the side sighed, but couldn't stop the envy in their eyes. At the same time, they looked at the big cauldron with even more intense eyes.
Huang Xiaoliu didn't know how he spent the next time.
He only held the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand tightly, waiting for all the stone balls in the cauldron to be caught. Sure enough, there were ten Foundation Establishment Pills.
Some monks who were unwilling to give up left in frustration and at the same time received the lottery certificate issued by the Datong Association one year later.
…
In the quiet room, Huang Xiaoliu calmed down his spirit and calmly adjusted his breathing.
The time when he broke through to the ninth level of qi training was when his family was on the run, so it had just passed not long ago. Although it was possible to break through to the foundation building at this moment, it was actually very risky and the success rate was not very high.
But the Datong Association would never give him a chance to leave with the Foundation Establishment Pill.
But now that he's here, he's ready.
The current situation was chaotic and did not allow him much time to hesitate.
This time he was lucky enough to draw the Foundation Establishment Pill, which was the closest he had come to the Foundation Establishment realm in his life.
Originally, he had almost nothing to do with foundation building in his life.
"A thousand spirit stones are worth it for a chance to break through!"
Huang Xiaoliu gritted his teeth and swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The breakthrough begins!
…
Three days later.
Huang Xiaoliu walked out of the quiet room with a dazed look on his face. The Datong Club staff waiting at the door were stunned for a moment, and then showed a respectful look on their faces.
"Congratulations on your successful breakthrough, senior. Please go this way."
"well."
Huang Xiaoliu still hasn't adapted to his new status as a foundation-building monk, and he still has respect for the lower-level monks of the Datong Association.
Soon, Huang Xiaoliu was led into a hall.
There was an imposing old monk waiting in the hall. He didn't hide his intentions at all. He was actually a Jindan Master!
Huang Xiaoliu bowed respectfully.
"Junior Huang Xiaoliu, I have met my senior."
"Haha, we are all a family from now on, just call me Qi Lao."
Due to his outstanding work ability, Qi Chunshen was transferred to the current Datong Huifucheng headquarters as a human resources officer and continued to shine.
"I've met Mr. Qi." Huang Xiaoliu followed the good advice.
"Then I'll call you Xiaoliu."
Qi Chunshen said with a smile:
"Xiao Liu, since you have made a breakthrough, you should know the rules of the Great Love Project. You must pay off the debt of the Foundation Establishment Pill within ten years. Do you have any questions?"
"No."
Huang Xiaoliu shook his head, very confident in repaying the debt.
A foundation-building monk is already a middle-level monk. He can work as a guard in any chamber of commerce and earn an annual salary of several thousand spirit stones.
The market price of the Foundation Establishment Pill is only about 10,000 spirit stones. He had just spent some money on it by neglecting his cultivation in the past few years.
Qi Chunshen said: "Xiao Liu, where will you go after you break through? And how do you plan to repay the debt?"
Huang Xiaoliu shook his head and said: "Not yet."
Qi Chunshen looked kind and kind: "How about I introduce you to a job?"
Huang Xiaoliu felt a chill on his back for some reason, swallowed, and forced a smile.
"I wonder if Mr. Qi has any advice?"
Qi Chunshen said with a smile: "That's right, you also know that our Datong has such a strong momentum, and helping you and other low-level monks with no connections cannot do without the support of the Palace Master.
The master of the palace deeply felt the pain caused by monsters, so he planned to prepare an army to eliminate monsters, but he was lacking in manpower.
So I thought of recommending you to participate. "
Huang Xiaoliu's expression changed slightly: "Old Qi, this junior also has family members to take care of, so it's inconvenient to stay away."
Qi Chunshen seemed not to hear his refusal and continued to smile:
"Don't worry, your salary is very high. You can get three to four thousand spirit stones every year. If you work for three or four years, you will be able to pay off your debts and be free.
Even if you unfortunately die in the line of duty, we will not embarrass your family, but will provide generous pensions. "
Huang Xiaoliu fell silent.
Qi Chunshen waited leisurely.
"Old Qi, can we really be free?"
Huang Xiaoliu had known for a long time that there was no such thing as a free lunch, but now he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he felt relieved that this was indeed the case.
Qi Chunshen said displeased: "Could it be that I, a dignified real person, would deceive you, a junior? I'm afraid that you won't be able to leave by then.
If the elite team led by the Palace Master himself had not been short of manpower in the early stage, do you think you would have been selected? "
Huang Xiaoliu nodded: "Mr. Qi, I am willing."
"Is it really voluntary? Our president has said that we can never force you. The Datong Association has never been an organization that bullies men and dominates women."
Qi Chunshen reiterated.
Huang Xiaoliu smiled bitterly: "It's voluntary."
Half a month later.
Huang Xiaoliu joined the Demon Slayer Army with a group of new Foundation-Building monks who volunteered to join the Demon Slayer Army, as well as the Qi Practitioners who heard that their monthly salary was very high and they could apply for the Foundation Establishment Pill for their meritorious deeds. They began a military career that involved life and death.
The transformation from a spiritual farmer to a sergeant happened so unexpectedly. (End of chapter)