In order to manage the alien races in its own frontier, the Ming Dynasty set up many special policies. For example, the border trade of tea, iron tools, horses, furs, etc., was used to control the unruly barbarians economically. These border trades were often only arranged in certain fixed cities, and trade also required an edict issued by the imperial court – similar to a trade license.

Fushun is such a border trade city. It seems to be a border wasteland, but because of the huge flow of money and goods, the market is prosperous, and various service industries supporting it are also indispensable. Wine shops, inns, brothels, and bitter cold places also have a unique style, and in such a deformed and developed city, there is a lonely bookstore.

When Wang Kunpeng walked through the streets and alleys to find this bookstore, Zhou Qingfeng, who was brought in, couldn't help frowning. Other shops are as high-end as possible, with bright signs, but this store has a small face, the walls are black, the steps are moss, and there is not even a greeting guy.

When I walked into the store, it was not very bright, and I saw rows of bookshelves piling up the room, and all kinds of books as thick as bricks on the shelves. There are also some broken books that are randomly thrown in the corner, and they are not organized. There was a stale smell in the air, which was very uncomfortable.

After Wang Kunpeng came in, he cautiously reminded Zhou Qingfeng not to be disturbed loudly, saying that the shopkeeper here had a very bad temper, and he would blast the customers out if he didn't agree.

"Boom?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"It's really a blast." Wang Kunpeng raised his hand and made a spell-casting motion, "I've seen it with my own eyes." Last year, a merchant from other places came to buy cheats, and the merchant was also a cultivator, and he also brought a lot of guards. As a result, just because the shopkeeper thought he was talking too much nonsense, he was half killed with one move of 'Flame Technique'. ”

Is it really 'boom'? This made Zhou Qingfeng a little apprehensive, he took a light step to take a closer look at the store, and suddenly saw a bird stand hanging in the door of the store, on which a bird was looking at him with its head tilted. But the bird was not a living thing.

"What's this?" Zhou Qingfeng asked, pointing to the thing that looked like a bird and was not a bird.

"Puppet bird, this shopkeeper is good at tricks. He's full of mechanics in the store, so don't mess around. Looking at Wang Kunpeng's expression, it seems that he has suffered a loss, and there is a great psychological shadow.

The puppet bird on the bird rack croaked twice at Zhou Qingfeng and the others. Wang Kunpeng showed an ugly smile at the puppet bird, and quickly pulled Zhou Qingfeng away, "Don't stare at this bird, this bird is difficult and noisy." Aren't you looking for a spiritual book, I'll take you. ”

Talking about cultivation last night, Wang Kunpeng talked about the difficulties. However, the biggest difficulty has been easily overcome for Zhou Qingfeng, and what he needs now is how to strengthen the spiritual power that he can control - the spiritual power as thin as a hair can't even maintain a complete spell, and it must be strengthened.

Wang Kunpeng's understanding of cultivation is a layman who doesn't have half a bucket of water, and he recommended this bookstore in Fushun City to Zhou Qingfeng. It's just that after recommending it, he advised: "The owner of this bookstore is called Guo Budo, who is proficient in Qimen Dunjia and the Five Elements Technique." Because of his strange temper, he got the nickname 'Impermanence'. He doesn't care about this nickname, but is quite complacent.

This Guo shopkeeper has an advantage, that is, he doesn't mind associating with the three sects and nine streams in the city. He is not like other monks, who can use magic to turn his nostrils to the sky, and he feels superior to others. Whether you can get in touch with him or not can only depend on the edge. However, he has lived in Fushun for more than ten years, and I haven't seen anyone he particularly likes. Let's not have such illusions, we can buy some useful books and go back. ”

The bookshelves in the store are both old and new, and the books on the new shelves are beautifully decorated, gorgeously printed, and the names are also very bluffing. At every turn, it is the type of 'Heaven and Earth Eight Desolations and I Respect Merit', and the price marked on it is also very bluffing, often hundreds of gold, or even thousands of gold, and the price is extremely expensive.

Wang Kunpeng didn't read these books at all, but Zhou Qingfeng stopped and glanced at a few times, and asked a book made of jade silk: "What does the annotation on this 'The Art of the Military Formation, the Imperial Court Ban Book' mean?" ”

Wang Kunpeng paused and explained: "Some books are printed by the imperial court for people of a certain grade. For example, Qi Shaobao, who was in the north of the earthquake back then, wrote military books such as "The New Book of Discipline and Effectiveness" and "Records of Military Training", and many confidential contents were deleted from these military books when they were published publicly, so that ordinary people could only pass by and not learn their essence.

The imperial court has published uncut editions to the generals of the country, which can be regarded as forbidden books by the imperial court and are not read by ordinary people. But the dynasty has been going on for more than 200 years, and there are countless books of the lost people, and things that were originally kept secret have also been circulated everywhere. However, this military formation technique has little to do with us, and it is very expensive, so it makes no sense to buy it. Walk around, I know where to find cheap ones. ”

Wang Kunpeng wanted to pull Zhou Qingfeng away again, but Zhou Qingfeng was attracted by this 'military array technique', and reached out to take down the book and read it. But before he could touch the book with his hand, he heard a croaking voice behind his head say, "Hey, boy, it will cost ten taels of gold to touch it." ”

As soon as Zhou Qingfeng turned around, he saw the puppet bird at the door of the store bouncing and landing on the bookshelf behind him. The flat-haired beast's voice was ugly, and he said mockingly: "Your pink boy's skin is beautiful, but it is not worth ten taels of gold." And this 'way of the military formation' can only be mastered by generals who cultivate the divine soul, so you might as well go to the pile of rotten books in the corner to find a few suitable ones. ”

Wang Kunpeng came to pull Zhou Qingfeng again and persuaded in a low voice: "I'll just say that this bird is difficult and noisy. Young master, you don't pay attention to it, let's go. ”

"Wait." Zhou Qingfeng still didn't leave, but asked the puppet bird on the bookshelf: "Can't I cultivate the divine soul and master the 'way of the military formation'?" ”

"Sneer......." A sneer came out of the mouth of this flat-haired beast, "I'll show you the way, but you're verbose." If you really want to know the reason, give the money first, ten taels of silver. ”

Give money? A puppet bird actually asked Zhou Qingfeng for money?

Wang Kunpeng next to him was anxious, and asked rhetorically: "Why did you give him an answer of only ten taels, but the last time I came to ask, you asked for a hundred taels?" ”

The puppet bird smiled disdainfully at Wang Kunpeng: "Because you are too stupid, I need to speak more if I want to make it clear." And this kid looks smarter. Today, the master went out, and I just happened to earn some pocket money. ”

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the puppet bird blankly, feeling that the wisdom of this flat-haired beast was almost the same as that of a normal person. He pushed Wang Kunpeng beside him and said, "Give the money, it will be regarded as a consulting fee." I wondered why I couldn't learn this 'art of military formation'. ”

Wang Kunpeng carried a blanket behind him, and reluctantly took out a silver ingot from it and handed it to the puppet bird. The bird pecked at the ingot, then took it away satisfied. After a while, when it came back, it said to Zhou Qingfeng in an old-fashioned manner: "Boy, do you know where the spiritual power of cultivators comes from? ”

"I speculate that the activity of the conscious mind produces spiritual power." Zhou Qingfeng said.

"Well...... yes, that's half right. It's rare for a beginner I've seen to know this way. The flat-haired beast shook his head, "But what you said is not entirely right, the operation of spiritual power also depends on the strength of the true element in the body and the fit between the true element and its own root bones."

True Yuan is more valuable than spiritual power, and it is difficult to increase. People with outstanding talents can generate true yuan by increasing their knowledge and cultivating diligently. This kind of true element is the most suitable for me, but it is also the most rare.

Most monks rely on their own masters to instill true yuan, which is equivalent to the master having to lose his true yuan to cultivate apprentices. Therefore, the monks choose disciples repeatedly and strive to find the one that is most suitable for them. And I sense that the spiritual power in your body is as thin as a gossamer, this is a little wrong, hum hum ....... ”

"That's not what my master told me. He said that it was to instill spiritual power directly in me. Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Hahaha...... spiritual power is used and extinguished, how can it be possible to directly instill spiritual power into the path of cultivation? There are many people in this world who don't learn and don't know how to do it, and if they don't cultivate to a high level, they can understand everything. The flat-haired beast lazily combed his feathers, "and I know a lot about it." You want to understand the reason for this, and give another ten taels. ”

Wang Kunpeng said angrily on the side: "Ten taels of silver just say a few words? ”

"Love doesn't give." The flat-haired beast turned around and was about to fly away, "Ordinary people want to listen to me, but I won't say it yet." ”

Zhou Qingfeng hurriedly shouted: "Wait, ten taels is ten taels, you make it clear." ”

"The children can be taught." The flat-haired beast earned another ten taels, laughed a few times, and said again like an old pedant: "Generally, masters choose the person who is most compatible with their true yuan as their apprentices, but the true yuan you get is not bad, but the spiritual power is weak, there is only one reason - your master and your attributes are not compatible, but he forcibly instilled the true yuan in you."

But this thing is also strange, the true element in your body is obviously metallic, but your root bone and metallic nature do not match. Who would waste precious true essence and forcibly create a waste apprentice who is not the same path as himself at all? Who is your master? He's either stupid or has other plans. ”

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly realized, when he first learned the 'Mind Confusion Technique', he obviously felt that the spiritual power in his body was like a river, but in the end, all that was left was like hair. Feelings, his attributes are not the same as Gu Yuanwei's at all!

It's like bone marrow produces blood, and if a leukemia patient wants to restore normal hematopoietic function, he or she needs to find a bone marrow donor who matches him. Obviously, there is a mismatch between Gu Yuanwei and Zhou Qingfeng. In order to bring Zhou Qingfeng into the gang, Gu Yuanwei forcibly gave Zhou Qingfeng a monk with no future.

"So what am I going to do? What are the properties of my root bone? Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Your bones have been tainted by the metallic True Element, and I can't see what the origin is. Roots like you don't fit in with the true element, and your achievements in your life are limited. However, you can go and ask your master to take back the true yuan he instilled, and then you can change the master yourself.

However, changing the master is similar to deceiving the master and destroying the ancestor, if you really make this request, your reputation will be stinky, and no one will be willing to waste the true yuan to accept you as an apprentice. Your master will even slash you to death with a slap in anger. So...... do you still want to learn the 'way of the military formation?' It's just a dream. The flat-haired beast finally stopped talking after a loud taunt.

There is no future in cultivation, and you can't change your master. Even Wang Kunpeng looked at Zhou Qingfeng with pity. And Zhou Qingfeng ......, he froze. Lowering his head and being silent for a while, he muttered to himself: "The heavens will descend on the people, and they must first suffer their minds, strain their muscles and bones, starve their bodies and skins, empty their bodies, and act chaotically. ”

Reciting an ancient text to encourage himself, Zhou Qingfeng raised his head again and said affirmatively; "Success is valuable precisely because it is not so easy. And I have no way out, so I can only move forward. ”