Chapter 497: Sect Martial Library

In ancient times, cultivators acted without any restraint.

They would massacre creatures to refine magical artifacts; destroy mountains and boil seas, burn forests and sink lands; disregard agreements and go back on their word; and kill for treasure, acting solely for profit. All these things were commonplace.

The reason for this was that as their cultivation realms advanced and their personal strength continuously grew, cultivators faced fewer and fewer restrictions.

A Soul Transformation cultivator might covet a rare treasure accidentally acquired by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. They could easily kill the Foundation Establishment cultivator and claim the treasure for themselves. In such a situation, how many would choose to acquire the treasure through "trade"?

Similarly, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator faced a "trade" proposed by a Soul Transformation cultivator who was infinitely more powerful, would they dare to refuse? If the other party broke the agreement or turned hostile, what could they do? They would have no choice but to swallow their pride, perhaps even feeling fortunate that their life was spared.

If the two parties in a transaction were unequal, the fairness of the transaction would be out of the question.

But in today's Council of Five Elders, and even the entire Xuanhuang Realm, this situation has been completely changed.

This is precisely due to the existence of various contracts.

The Soul Contracts signed by Council of Five Elders cultivators when selling themselves, the Commercial Contracts Li Fan had used multiple times, and the special golden contracts that could be used to buy and sell cultivation techniques...

This omnipresent mysterious power can genuinely restrict cultivators.

Even Dao Integration cultivators cannot defy the power of contracts. Once signed, they must be honored.

Driven by contracts, order was thus established.

If the Heavenly Profound Mirror and the Law-Deriving Jade were the foundation of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, then contracts are the lifeblood of the Council of Five Elders.

Returning to Soul Points, their essence is a special kind of energy hidden deep within the soul, leveraging the power of contracts.

Besides being used for daily transactions, they have another special use: consuming Soul Points to open the Immortal Sect Armory.

There, various cultivation techniques, classics, and treasures, vast as the sea and originating from ancient immortal sects, can be exchanged at will.

It's also worth mentioning that the Immortal Sect Armory also contains realistic illusions of many ancient sects.

These realistic illusions are created by a power extremely similar to that of the Immortal Fall Realm. There, cultivators can explore many extinct ancient sects. Within these sects, there are also images of many ancient cultivators; most of whom lack their own consciousness and are merely empty shells. However, in actual combat, their every move exhibits power almost identical to that of real cultivators.

Council of Five Elders cultivators can expend Soul Points to repeatedly spar with these ancient cultivators, thereby enhancing their combat prowess. Moreover, within the Immortal Sect Armory, all injuries will not affect the physical body in reality, only causing minor spiritual damage to the soul. What's even better is that these spiritual injuries can also be healed by expending Soul Points.

Theoretically speaking, if one has enough Soul Points, even a mortal who has only recently begun cultivation can become extremely powerful through continuous battles.

With Soul Contracts as a restraint, the Council of Five Elders does not need to deliberately suppress the combat power of ordinary cultivators, unlike the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Of course, none of this is free; cultivators need to earn it themselves.

At this moment, on the border of Wuding Province, beside the White Mist Barrier, Lu Fan looked at the various Puxian True Boats and was greatly tempted. However, not being a member of the Council of Five Elders, he had no Soul Points at all and could only gaze longingly and enviously.

Just then, a vendor approached them and struck up a conversation: "You two fellow cultivators must be from the Myriad Immortals Alliance and haven't joined our Council of Five Elders yet, have you?"

Hearing this, Lu Fan's expression subtly changed. He cautiously scanned his surroundings, then lowered his voice and nodded, "Indeed. May I ask your name, fellow cultivator? And how did you know?"

The vendor led them to his stall and said, "You two don't need to be so nervous. My name is Gu Binliang, and I specialize in reselling goods."

"As for how I knew..." Gu Binliang smiled faintly, "Whether one has signed a Soul Contract or not, the feeling they give off is completely different. And I happened to hear that a group of Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators were recently captured and are undergoing re-education, so I made that guess."

Seeing Lu Fan's somewhat nervous demeanor, Gu Binliang continued, "Actually, most of us in the Council of Five Elders bear no ill will towards cultivators from your Myriad Immortals Alliance. After all, there have been many instances in the past where captured cultivators, through re-education, reformed themselves, faced reality, and ultimately became members of our Council of Five Elders. And these individuals are even more loyal than ordinary members!"

Hearing this, Lu Fan couldn't help but look displeased.

Gu Binliang, being adept at reading people, immediately dropped the subject and asked instead, "Fellow cultivator, are you interested in the Puxian True Boats but troubled by your lack of Soul Points?"

"Indeed," Lu Fan nodded.

"That's no problem," Gu Binliang said with a smile. "Even if you don't have Soul Points, I presume you carry some standard spirit stones with you?"

"I do have some," Lu Fan said with a hint of surprise, but then a flicker of doubt crossed his face. "Does your Council of Five Elders also use these standard spirit stones?"

"Haha, what a thing to say, fellow cultivator," Gu Binliang chuckled. "Since they are standard spirit stones, they are naturally jointly produced by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders and are universally recognized by both sides. However, ordinary cultivators in our Council of Five Elders don't use them, and converting them into Soul Points is a bit troublesome. So they don't accept them."

"But for me, it doesn't matter," Gu Binliang explained. "As a true businessman, I still need a considerable amount of standard spirit stones for intermediary transactions."

"A true businessman..." Lu Fan instantly understood what the other party meant. "Then, please, fellow cultivator, let me have one Puxian True Boat."

Gu Binliang waved his hand, and dozens of miniature flying boats immediately appeared before Lu Fan.

He also enthusiastically explained the differences between them to Lu Fan.

Before long, both parties happily completed the transaction.

As Lu Fan was about to leave, Gu Binliang stopped him. "Fellow cultivator, do you have any unused items on you? It's very inconvenient to travel in the Council of Five Elders' territory without Soul Points. I can exchange Soul Points with you."

As he spoke, he took out a humanoid statue whose features were indistinct.

"This is a Manifested Heavenly Venerate Statue," he explained, "which can be used to store Soul Points. Even non-members of the Council of Five Elders can use it to conduct transactions with other cultivators."

Hearing this, Lu Fan was tempted.

He immediately began rummaging through the items in his storage ring. Gu Binliang, for his part, accepted everything, readily buying whatever Lu Fan was willing to sell.

When the Soul Points stored in the Manifested Heavenly Venerate Statue reached fifty thousand, Lu Fan finally could not find anything else he was willing to sell.

"If you have any needs in the future, fellow cultivator, feel free to come find me again," Gu Binliang said with a smile, handing him a communication talisman.