In ancient times, cultivators acted without restraint.
They slaughtered entire regions of living beings to refine artifacts; they shattered mountains, boiled seas, burned forests, and sank continents; they ignored agreements and broke promises; they killed for treasure, moved by nothing but profit.
All of this was commonplace.
The root cause was simple: as a cultivator's realm advanced and their personal power grew, the constraints upon them diminished.
A Spirit Transformation cultivator who coveted an esoteric treasure that some Foundation Establishment cultivator had stumbled upon could effortlessly eliminate them and claim it. In such a scenario, how many would have chosen to acquire the treasure through trade?
By the same token, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator faced a "trade" proposed by a Spirit Transformation cultivator whose power dwarfed their own, would they dare refuse? And if the other party reneged and turned hostile, what recourse did they have? They could only swallow their indignation, perhaps even feeling grateful their life was spared.
When the parties in a transaction held unequal power, fairness in trade became a moot point.
Yet, in the present-day Five Elders Council, and indeed across the entire Xuanhuang World, this was no longer the case.
All because of contracts.
The Soul Contract signed by Five Elders Council cultivators who indentured themselves; the Commercial Contract Li Fan had used on multiple occasions; the special golden contracts used for buying and selling techniques... some omnipresent, mysterious power imposed genuine restrictions on the cultivators who signed them. Even a Dao Unity cultivator could not defy them. Once a contract was signed, it had to be obeyed.
Driven by contracts, order was established.
If the Tianxuan Mirror and the Derivation Jade were the foundation of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, then contracts were the lifeblood of the Five Elders Council.
Returning to the topic of soul points. In essence, soul points were a special type of energy, stored deep within the soul by the power of one’s contract.
Beyond their use in daily transactions, they served another unique purpose. By consuming them, one could open the Immortal Sects Martial Repository.
There, a vast ocean of techniques, texts, and treasures originating from ancient immortal sects was available for exchange.
More noteworthy still, the Immortal Sects Martial Repository housed numerous true illusions of ancient sects from antiquity.
The power behind these true illusions was remarkably similar to that of the Fallen Immortal Realm. Within them, cultivators could journey through many long-extinct ancient sects.
These sects also housed projections of ancient cultivators. Most lacked independent consciousness, being hollow shells. Yet in combat, the might in their every gesture and movement was nearly indistinguishable from that of a Reverend.[1]
Five Elders Council cultivators could spend soul points to spar repeatedly with these ancient cultivators, honing their combat prowess.
Furthermore, any injuries sustained within the Immortal Sects Martial Repository left one's physical body unaffected, causing only minor, superficial harm to the soul. Better still, such soul injuries could be healed by expending soul points.
In theory, given sufficient soul points, even a mortal who had just begun cultivating could, through endless battles, become extraordinarily formidable.
With the Soul Contract as a binding force, the Five Elders Council had no need to deliberately suppress the combat strength of its general cultivator populace, unlike the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Of course, none of this came free. Cultivators had to strive for it themselves.
Currently, at the border of Wuding Province, beside the White Mist Barrier, Lu Fan gazed at the various Samantabhadra True Boats with poorly concealed longing. Unfortunately, not being a cultivator of the Five Elders Council, he possessed not a single soul point, and could only stare with helpless envy.
Just then, a vendor approached and struck up a conversation. "You two must be Fellow Daoists from the Myriad Immortals Alliance who have yet to join our Five Elders Council, correct?"
Lu Fan's expression shifted slightly. He swept a wary glance around before lowering his voice and nodding. "That's right. May I know your name, Fellow Daoist? And how could you tell?"
The vendor led the two of them to his stall. "No need for such tension. I am Gu Binliang. I specialize in a bit of buying and selling.
"As for how I knew..." Gu Binliang smiled faintly. "Those who have signed the Soul Contract give off a completely different aura. And I happened to hear they recently captured a batch of Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators, who are currently undergoing Precept Induction. So I made an educated guess."
Seeing that Lu Fan still remained tense, Gu Binliang added, "In truth, most members of our Five Elders Council hold no particular hostility toward you Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators. After all, there have been many past examples of captured cultivators who, through Precept Induction, cleansed their hearts, saw the true reality, and ultimately became members of our Five Elders Council.
"And these individuals," he said with a meaningful look, "are often even more loyal than our regular members."
Lu Fan's face darkened at that.
Gu Binliang, a skilled reader of expressions, immediately shifted topics. "Fellow Daoist, it seems you are taken with the Samantabhadra True Boats, yet troubled by a lack of soul points?"
"Indeed," Lu Fan nodded.
"That's no trouble at all. While you may not have soul points, a Fellow Daoist like yourself surely carries some standard spirit stones?" Gu Binliang said with a smile.
"I do have some," Lu Fan replied, a flicker of hope in his voice, quickly followed by confusion. "Your Five Elders Council uses standard spirit stones as well?"
"Ha, Fellow Daoist, what a thing to say. Since they are standard spirit stones, they are jointly produced by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council and recognized by both sides. However, they are of little use to the average Five Elders Council cultivator, and exchanging them for soul points is a bit troublesome. So most vendors won't accept them.
"For me, though, it makes no difference. As a true businessman, I require a considerable quantity of standard spirit stones for intermediary purposes," Gu Binliang explained.
"A true businessman..." Lu Fan understood his meaning at once. "Then I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist, to show me one of those Samantabhadra True Boats."
Gu Binliang waved a hand grandly, and dozens of miniature flying boats materialized before Lu Fan. He launched into an enthusiastic explanation of their differences.
Before long, the transaction was completed to mutual satisfaction.
As Lu Fan prepared to leave, Gu Binliang called out to him. "Fellow Daoist, do you have any items on your person you’d be willing to let go of? Traveling within Five Elders Council territory without soul points is highly inconvenient. I could exchange some of your things for soul points."
As he spoke, he produced a small humanoid statue with indistinct features.
"This is a Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue. It can store soul points. Even non-members of the Five Elders Council can use it to conduct transactions with other cultivators."
Lu Fan was intrigued. He immediately began rummaging through his storage ring. Gu Binliang refused nothing. As long as Lu Fan was willing to sell, Gu Binliang purchased it all outright without hesitation.
When the soul points stored within the Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue reached fifty thousand, Lu Fan finally found nothing else he was willing to part with.
"Fellow Daoist, if you have any needs in the future, come find me again," Gu Binliang said with a beaming smile, pressing a communication spirit talisman into his hand.
1. Golden Core cultivator ☜