"Jiang Ding, it's been a long time since we last met."
Zhang Dingjun greeted him.
"Hello, Teacher Zhang, Teacher Guo, Teacher Wang..."
Jiang Ding greeted everyone in turn.
Most of the teachers were at the peak of Qi Practicing, around the age of eighty, and had already missed the best years for building their foundation.
In addition, quite a few of them had experienced one attempt at foundation building, failed, and survived thanks to life-saving elixirs; they then settled down to teach and cultivate students.
"How have you been these past few years, Teacher Zhang?"
Zhang Dingjun said with a smile, "Last year, a few of us turned eighty and started retiring one after another. Now, we have a lot of free time. When we heard there was a banquet here, we came over to mooch a meal."
"This is the teachers' concern for their students."
Jiang Ding said somewhat embarrassingly.
Talking with the teachers, hearing about their experiences over the years, how Rongcheng No.1 Middle School had cultivated new talents, how the Ministry of Education had provided a lot of funds, how their salaries gradually increased, reminiscing about their high school days, and so on.
The banquet lasted until the evening and then slowly ended as guests dispersed.
The family and hired personnel were busy cleaning up the community, saying goodbye to neighbors and relatives who had come from afar.
With a thought from Jiang Ding, a magnetic virtual line appeared, encompassing the entire community. Rows of bowls, plates, and chopsticks spontaneously levitated, shunning leftover food, shining as new, neatly stacked, and the chopsticks flew into the holder.
The tables were folded; leftovers, cigarette butts, firecracker scraps, and other debris danced through the air, each going into its own category.
It only took a moment to finish what would have normally taken dozens of people half a day, and it was done both quickly and well.
The community had been restored to its usual clean and tidy state.
"This is the power of a Foundation-building cultivator..."
Jiang Yuan, Lin Yuanwang, and others were astonished.
"Alright, that's good enough."
Jiang Ding bid farewell to the continuously grateful hotel manager and then the family escorted their grandparents and uncle's family home before returning to their own house.
They watched TV for a while as usual,
and then Jiang Ding went back to his room.
Every item inside was arranged just as it had been forty years ago during his high school days, with no changes at all.
"I wonder how things are in the Demon Country?"
Jiang Ding mused to himself.
But he didn't leave. The Spiritual Light in his hand flickered faintly, and several jade boxes appeared. He opened them, and inside, each elixir was still brimming with Spiritual Energy, having not lost any efficacy despite the decades.
By the window, a small Green Bird appeared, familiar with the place, and knocked on the window.
"Little guy, you're still alive and even advanced to the peak of Qi Practicing?"
Jiang Ding was surprised.
This Green Bird was the same express delivery bird he had encountered decades ago; it had helped him a lot during his high school years.
The Green Bird eyed the red elixirs eagerly.
Foundation Building Pills!
And they were Premium Foundation Building Pills, not a single inferior one in sight.
"Well, it's about time for you. Not every Green Bird has the chance to build their foundation."
Jiang Ding pondered for a moment and then understood.
"Well then, I'll give you one too."
"Remember to deliver these Foundation Building Pills to Teacher Zhang Dingjun, Guo Kui, Teacher Wang Lan, and a few other teachers."
Jiang Ding instructed, "They must be delivered when they are alone— even if their family members or relatives are nearby, it won't do. It has to be just them."
As of today, Premium Foundation Building Pills were an item that he could obtain with a flick of his wrist. Since Liu SanQi could be given one, there was naturally no problem in handing out one or two to his high school teachers if they needed them.
However, such elixirs could drive a Qi Practitioner nearing the end of his lifespan to madness, ignoring all laws and human relationships, and were therefore somewhat dangerous.
Even relatives might not be reliable.
"Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!"
The Green Bird excitedly circled overhead, chirping joyfully. It even tried to nuzzle its wings against Jiang Ding's cheeks, only to be pushed away with a show of distaste.
Jiang Ding laughed and scolded.
Even with Premium Foundation Building Pills, success wasn't guaranteed. At over eighty years of age, despite all protections, one might still die.
As for using it personally, it was still better to maximize the use of resources by giving it to a descendant with excellent aptitude.
It was up to the teachers to make their own choices.
The Green Bird performed a bow with its little wings, collected all the Foundation Building Pills, and flew off cheerfully.
In a flash, it disappeared from sight.
A young man in blue was sitting cross-legged. His eyes closed then opened, revealing a fleeting hint of emotional turmoil in their depth before it vanished slowly.
The Spirit Particle Sonar, akin to Divine Sense, swept across a hundred kilometers.
Fifteen years had passed,
and massive changes had taken place in Tushan Monster City.
The former capital of the Demon Country had long since vanished, replaced by a grand cultivation city. There were cave residences everywhere, and streets lined with shops selling all manner of elixirs, Spirit Talismans, Spirit Beasts, and Magic Tools, bustling and thriving far beyond anything the markets of the Three Kingdoms had to offer.
The city had very few mortals; it was populated by more than a hundred thousand cultivators, with Foundation-building cultivators passing by now and then, not a rare sight.
Every now and then, Foundation-building cultivators flew in from distant places, bringing ore, Spiritual Materials, and elixirs from their own territories, and depositing them in the treasury of Tushan City.
"The annual income includes mines, Spirit Fields, medicinal fields, Spirit Wood, breeding of Spirit Beasts and Spiritual Fish, tax revenue from first-order and second-order Spiritual Veins across the territories, and commercial taxes,"
Jiang Ding counted on his fingers to tally up his current sources of income.
"Deducting wages for Li Qingyun, Wu Makong, Monk Fa Zheng, Gong Caiyu, and other Foundation-building cultivators, as well as Liu Hongshao and other Loose Cultivators gradually recruited, the salaries of the law enforcement teams in the markets, the wages for the laborers of Spirit Fields and medicinal fields, maintenance costs for the Formations, and my own stipulation to maintain stability and prosperity in the mundane world,"
"There's just that. Besides, I don't have any disciples to Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. Moreover, unlike those two countries, the Demon Country has not been depleted by years of exploitation, so the resources are abundant."
"All things considered, my annual income is…"
"Over 34 million Low-grade Spirit Stones!"
Having calculated and recalculated, Jiang Ding was astounded to find no mistake—he himself was stunned.
He took a deep breath.
"In one year, I can amass the fortunes of a Golden Pill Monk!"
Of course, this was a bit exaggerated.
The wealth and Spirit Stones that a Golden Pill Monk could carry with him might be worth one or two million, which didn't signify their total wealth, but rather their liquidity.
Moreover, first-order and second-order Spirit Mines and elixirs were nearly useless for Golden Pill Monks who wouldn't actively stuff such low-level items into their storage bags.
If a Golden Pill Monk were interested in these low-level items, it would be easy for them to collect many times over their nominal wealth.
"The dwelling of a tycoon is a bit too modest."
Jiang Ding looked around.
"This quasi-third rank Heavenly Sword Meteor Stream Formation needs an upgrade. It's too cursory; it ought to be at least a third-rank high-grade Formation to befit the capital of my Demon Country."
"I'm not short of money."