Then he started saying some things that were hard to understand, like how a scholar could never be a swindler, and how the affairs of scholars could never be considered deceit, and so on. Strongman and Mage exchanged glances as they listened. After a while, Strongman interrupted him, saying, “Alright, I don’t have time to argue with you here. In ten minutes, we’ll be teleported back to our own worlds. This is a great opportunity, and we can’t let you ruin it. Let’s introduce ourselves first. I suppose we’re all from different worlds, right?”

Elf Mage was also intelligent—after all, to become a Mage, even just a Mage Apprentice, one’s intellect had to surpass that of ordinary people. He nodded and said, “That’s right. I’ve never seen two humans dressed like you before. With half a sandglass left, we still need to discuss our exchange and enhancements. There’s no time to waste, so I’ll go first.”

“I am Franklin Reed, of the Radiant Faction, a half-elf mage.”

Strongman was slightly surprised at these words, then said, “I am James Foster, captain of the Xilan City guerrilla squad against the Mechanical Legion. I won’t bother with my unit number and such—this is my basic info.”

At this point, Scholar also spoke up: “I am a collateral descendant of the Xu family of Qingzhou, under the rule of the Heavenly King.”

(Interesting—a half-elf clearly from a xuanhuan-type world, a soldier obviously from a futuristic sci-fi, possibly post-apocalyptic world, and a scholar who seems to come from the era of the Five Barbarians’ Invasion in a non-magical historical world... Very well, I’ll give you all something extra. I hope you can grow stronger and not just die here.)

Henry Clark thought to himself, then began to recall a cultivation technique. This was the highest-level technique he could find online—not martial arts, not inner strength, but a true cultivation method. Although it was only a fragment, it was still extraordinary.

Shangqing Zhuxian Technique!

It appeared in the exchange catalog, requiring 1,500 reward points!

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Chapter 9: Exchange

The reason for putting this out was actually a test from Henry Clark for these reincarnation members.

Although the Shangqing Zhuxian Technique was only a fragment, it was a real cultivation method. It was special in that it could be used immediately upon learning.

Cultivation, cultivation—the cultivation possessed by the prehistoric Heavenly Court government was not the mysterious stuff from novels, but rather a discipline akin to science. The entire field of cultivation was divided into many subjects, and it wasn’t just about activating things with true essence. The most orthodox cultivation techniques could even be activated using external energy sources, such as electricity, manpower, or magic power, and so on. In other words, this technique was a perfect match for them.

After the three finished introducing themselves, they each looked at the techniques available for exchange. The cheapest was the Shangqing Battle Fist, priced by the Lord God at 300 reward points. The Ice Heart Technique was 500 reward points—a technique that could train inner strength. Above that, there was the fragment of the Shangqing Zhuxian Technique, priced at 1,500 reward points.

Scholar was still a bit confused, but after Strongman and Half-Elf read about the Shangqing Zhuxian Technique, especially its effects, their expressions changed.

Strongman was a battle-hardened soldier who had fought the robot army countless times. The technology level of his world was high—though much had been lost, it was still generally more advanced than Earth’s twenty-first century, with all kinds of energy weapons. The Shangqing Zhuxian Technique stated very clearly that four runes could be formed from energy, and when combined, they could unleash tremendous power. Just how tremendous wasn’t specified, but at least it was a hope, wasn’t it?

Half-Elf was a Mage Apprentice and had studied magical runes, but those were usually used for enchanting. He had never heard of something that could unleash such power directly through runes.

After reading, the two exchanged glances, then both looked at Scholar.

Scholar was still slowly browsing the exchange options, not really believing in these techniques. His family had plenty of books about immortals and strange tales, and he’d heard that the southern court’s officials believed in such things, but among the Jin people in the north, no one had the time or inclination to believe in them. Honestly, he’d rather exchange for a steel blade—it would hurt less if he had to commit suicide.

Noticing the two looking at him, Scholar felt a bit uneasy and cupped his hands, saying, “Do you gentlemen have something to say to me?”

Strongman frowned, walked over to Scholar, and straightened his bent waist, saying, “You’re Chinese. The Five Barbarians’ Invasion was indeed tragic, but there will be a day of revival in the future. Stand up straight—don’t be so servile.”

Scholar was stunned by these words. He looked at Strongman, then at Half-Elf. Half-Elf also said, “Except before Heaven and the gods, we don’t need to be so humble to anyone. He’s right... We have something we’d like to discuss with you.”

Strongman picked up the conversation: “I have 500 reward points. Do you both have the same?”