Dao Equaling the Heavens

Tian Ji and Gui Mou walked along the cloudy path of the Jade Emperor Peak, surrounded by spiritual peaks, with cranes flying together. Simple Taoist temples loomed faintly in the mist.

The only building that could be considered magnificent was the golden-top palace at the end.

Under the golden sun, the reflection of golden light caused the clouds to churn.

Step by step, they approached the Jade Palace, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down.

Upon crossing the gate, the interior of the palace became even brighter.

A Daoist, dressed in a luxurious Chixiao Daoist Robe, sat casually. Their arrival did not cause any change in his expression.

The current foremost among the Venerables, the sole disciple of Immmortal in thousands of years, and the first on the Three Lists.

Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, Hong Chen.

"Tian Ji (Gui Mou), pay respects to Yuqing Heavenly Venerate."

The two bowed with cupped hands, while Gu Wen lowered his head to look at the documents, only waving his hand slightly to signal them to rise.

The palace fell into a deathly silence.

Gui Mou and Tian Ji stood silently, small beads of sweat starting to form on their foreheads.

They had not done anything wrong, yet they felt an overwhelming pressure for reasons unknown.

The aura of the person in front of them was utterly different from previous encounters. Before, he was like an otherworldly recluse, with no discernible aura and his demeanor was extremely approachable.

Now, he exuded unfathomable might, unspeakable nobility, and could not be looked upon.

Such was the rightful aura of the head Venerable.

Outside, the sun rose high and slowly set again, and shortly after noon, more sounds came from outside.

Men and women with a slight medicinal fragrance walked in, their appearances generally old, with several in the throes of the Heavenly Person's Five Decays.

Each reported their Daoist name and origin, and once again, Gu Wen allowed them to rise, continuing to look through the towering pile of documents.

These old Pill Masters were much more nervous than Tian Ji and Gui Mou.

They wondered if any of those documents contained their crimes.

After another two hours, sounds emerged again from outside the door.

Burly men walked in, exuding the heat of the forge, indicating they were Artifact Refiners.

Each reported their Daoist names and origins, standing aside and waiting.

After about half an hour, Gu Wen set down the documents and did not pick up new ones.

Everyone felt their throats tighten.

"Who is the Sect Leader of Medicine King Valley?"

The crowd stirred, and an old man with white hair and beard trembled and walked out from the crowd, bowing.

He bowed and said, "I, Ming Wei, pay respects to Yuqing Heavenly Venerate."

"How many top-grade spirit stones does it take for a cultivator to progress from Qi Cultivation to Returning to Void?"

Gu Wen asked nonchalantly, and the Sect Leader of Medicine King Valley felt uneasy, knowing it was a question, and cautiously answered:

"An ordinary cultivator, if they need to convert, it takes about five hundred pieces. Of course, if their aptitude is poor and they lack comprehension, no amount of stones would suffice."

Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment, and even to Golden Core, can be achieved by stacking resources, but beyond Nascent Soul, it is completely different.

As for the heaven and earth treasures that can change aptitudes, they cannot be bought with spirit stones.

So, there's no point in embezzling more spirit stones for cultivation.

"Five hundred top-grade spirit stones, that's not too much. So why do some people feel it's not enough?"

Gu Wen asked knowingly, causing cold sweat to run down the faces of those below him, who didn't dare to answer, not even attempting to argue.

The Sect Leader of Medicine King Valley immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "Medicine King Valley has let down the Daoist Sect, let down the Immortal, and let down the people of the world!"

The remaining crowd also knelt to apologize.

Without any rebuttal, as if even if they were innocent, as long as Gu Wen spoke, they would plead guilty.

Boring...

Gu Wen felt somewhat disinterested; he expected a good bit of wrangling to get more money at the lowest cost.

Yet, unexpectedly, one sentence made the other side kneel.

This is a world where individual power governs everything, a word from the strong outweighs thousands, unlike the remembered power struggles that don't work here.

In neither his previous life nor in Daqian did transcendent power lead everything, so compromise was necessary. But not in the Cultivation World, where the Daoist Sect wields absolute force, capable of annihilating any questioner.

It's not enough to maintain universal unity but more than sufficient for eliminating evil.

No one would challenge the Daoist Sect head-on.

'I must adjust my mindset, and not mislead others with my own errors.'

Gu Wen skipped the originally intended questioning, speaking directly: "Hand over half a million top-grade spirit stones each year, keep the rest for yourselves, and don't complain it's not enough; it's ample for you to continue living in wealth."

"As for those disciples under you, send them back to settle down and cultivate. Each is unrefined, occupying a post without contributing."

The crowd below murmured slightly, exchanging Divine Thoughts frequently.

It wasn't that they thought five hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones were too much or too little. It equaled seventy percent of Pill Alliance's profits, and in years of calamity or bad harvests, it could account for as much as ninety percent.

Still, it's better to earn less than to have no life to enjoy it.

Yuqing Heavenly Venerate seemed disinclined to pursue matters further, in stark contrast to Qingcang Immortal.

Could it be possible to resolve the issue with money?

Their previous encounter with Li Yunshang had left them too much in shadow.

So now, when Gu Wen asked them for money, it seemed so kind and considerate.

A moment later, the Sect Leader of Medicine King Valley stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "We will do our best; even if we must sell our property, we will gather the five hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones for the Venerable!"

"Go now; you have no further role here."

Gu Wen waved his hand, and the numerous Alchemy Masters bowed and departed.

When they stepped out of the Jade Palace and saw the sun outside, they felt incredulous, their steps becoming noticeably lighter.

Then Gu Wen's gaze fell upon a group of burly men, and before he could speak, they already had a representative step forward.