247: birthday

Geng Feng held a birthday celebration for himself every year, claiming it was to reflect on himself, cherish time, and not squander his years.

Furthermore, he only invited those with whom he had a relatively good relationship each time.

Although not many people were invited, it didn't mean this fellow wouldn't accept gifts.

Just as Wang Lang said, this guy was just feigning loftiness; if he were truly above such things, why would he go out of his way to hold a birthday celebration every year?

Especially since the other party was a High Grade Alchemist with a Second-Order Alchemist backing him.

For ordinary Cultivators, especially Loose Cultivators, Medicinal Pills had already become a part of their path to immortality.

Whether it was breaking through Realms or healing wounds and dispelling poison, Medicinal Pills were indispensable.

So, as neighbors, when a High Grade Alchemist like him held a birthday celebration, you couldn't exactly show up with nothing.

After all, what would you do if you needed a favor from him in the future?

Of course, with Zhou Luo's arrival, this situation had improved somewhat.

However, they found that while Zhou Luo could also perform Alchemy, his refining time was noticeably longer than Geng Feng's, so overall, everyone still had to choose the latter.

This was mainly because Zhou Luo didn't want to be disturbed by too many people, so he deliberately hid his true abilities.

He wasn't like Geng Feng, who feigned being above it all; he truly disliked crowds and noise.

By the time Zhou Luo arrived at the gates of the grand mansion, the place was already decorated with lanterns and streamers, with a constant stream of Cultivators coming and going with congratulatory gifts.

Most Cultivators left their gifts and departed, while some specifically invited by Geng Feng entered the mansion.

Zhou Luo also presented a small, modest gift.

He was an Alchemist himself and had no need for anything from the other party; if it weren't for the chance to see that Second-Order Alchemist, he might not have deigned to associate with such a person.

Entering the courtyard, Geng Feng, dressed in a white Alchemist's robe, was welcoming guests. Seeing Zhou Luo's arrival, he walked over with a smile.

“Zhou Alchemist, come, have a seat inside.” He led Zhou Luo to the main hall.

There were several tables in the main hall laden with Spiritual Wine and food. A few people dressed in fine silks and holding significant status were already seated.

Seeing Zhou Luo being personally brought in by Geng Feng, they all stood up to salute.

Among them were shopkeepers, practitioners of other arts, or powerful figures from certain factions; in short, none of them had ordinary identities.

Some of these people wanted to befriended Geng Feng, while others wanted to get close to the Second-Order Alchemist behind him.

Zhou Luo nodded to them in greeting and was then led by Geng Feng to an empty table on the side.

“Master, Miss Xu has arrived.”

At that moment, a servant hurried over and whispered in his ear.

Hearing that Xu Tian had arrived, Geng Feng rushed out to welcome her.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Luo couldn't help but recall Wang Lang saying this fellow seemed to have feelings for Xu Tian; it appeared to be true.

He then sat down. Just as he did, a pot-bellied Cultivator approached with Spiritual Wine.

“Fellow Daoist, I am Qian San,” the Cultivator introduced himself with a beaming smile.

To put it bluntly, this kind of banquet was for socializing.

This Cultivator named Qian San was actually a shopkeeper. Seeing that Zhou Luo seemed extraordinary, he made a point to get to know him.

Zhou Luo wasn't interested in such things, so he responded with a few simple pleasantries.

The other party also sensed his lack of interest and left dejectedly.

This also caused others to tactfully refrain from approaching.

Before long, Xu Tian, with her graceful figure and beautiful curves, appeared in everyone's sight. Today, she wore a red long dress, the hem swaying gently with her steps like a blooming rose.

Her fragrant shoulders were bare, her snowy skin forming a sharp contrast with the red dress, further highlighting her charm and sexiness.

Xu Tian's appearance instantly captured everyone's attention, and expressions of amazement appeared on their faces.

Facing the crowd's gaze, the corners of Xu Tian's mouth curled up slightly as if she were stealing their souls. Then, under everyone's expectant eyes, she sat down next to Zhou Luo.

“Zhou Alchemist, long time no see. Thank you again for your help last time,” she greeted him in a soft, seductive voice.

“It was only right,” Zhou Luo replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

Taking money to do a job was only natural.

Xu Tian let out a light laugh, her soul-stirring eyes fixed on him as she asked tentatively, “I heard that Zhou Alchemist and Geng Alchemist have been in close contact this past month. I wonder what you are seeking?”

“It's simply to exchange Alchemy techniques,” Zhou Luo said candidly.

Xu Tian did not believe him.

Through a secret investigation, she had already discovered his identity.

An Elder of a Immortal Family, and even a Genius Alchemist who had promoted to High Grade twenty years ago, had now come here to stay; clearly, he had other objectives.

Xu Tian surmised that he was definitely here for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

After all, everyone knew that Geng Feng's Master was a Second-Order Alchemist.

What concerned Xu Tian even more was that this fellow very likely knew exactly how her Senior Brothers had died.

However, she didn't continue questioning; some things were better left to mutual understanding.

Once almost all the invited guests had arrived, Geng Feng also took a seat beside Xu Tian.

At his signal, the birthday celebration officially began.

Though called a birthday celebration, it was merely for networking. Moreover, from Geng Feng's behavior, Zhou Luo could see that it seemed he had specifically held this celebration for Xu Tian.

During the event, Xu Tian teased Zhou Luo from time to time, frequently expressing her favor toward him, which caused Geng Feng quite a bit of dissatisfaction.

Zhou Luo had no choice; this woman was even bolder than he had imagined, so he could only try his best to maintain proper boundaries.

At the banquet, Geng Feng and Xu Tian specifically set up a sound-isolating Spell to converse.

But every word was heard by Zhou Luo.

He was already a Second-Order Poison Master and had become a second-order Spiritual Talisman Master; his Divine Sense had long since reached the Foundation Establishment level, so this minor sound-isolating Spell was completely useless against him.

The content of their conversation was indeed related to the Foundation Establishment Pill.

It was only then that Zhou Luo learned this woman actually possessed the strength of a Half-Step Foundation Establishment; no wonder he couldn't quite see through her Realm.

Because of this, she was extremely desperate for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, according to Geng Feng, there were many people seeking his Master for Alchemy, and it would be at least three years.

Xu Tian indicated she could afford to wait.

What interested Zhou Luo even more was that while one had to provide their own Materials to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, one could pool Materials together with other Cultivators.

Relying on an individual alone to gather all the Foundation Establishment Materials was extremely difficult.

Zhou Luo knew this from personal experience.

Because when an Alchemist refined a batch, it was impossible for there to be only one Foundation Establishment Pill, which was why people came up with the concept of crowdfunded Alchemy.

Xu Tian only had some of the Foundation Establishment Materials, but she seemed to have already found people to crowdfund with, so she only sought to see that Sun Alchemist as soon as possible.

This conversation plunged Zhou Luo into deep thought.

If he could never find the Foundation Establishment Materials or draw a Second-Order Pill Refining Technique, crowdfunded Alchemy might be the best option.

However, he would have to choose his crowdfunding partners very carefully; after all, it was a Foundation Establishment Pill, and there was no guarantee the others wouldn't become greedy.

If he could gather the Materials alone and draw the Second-Order Pill Refining Technique, Zhou Luo wouldn't do this.

After everyone had their fill of food and wine, the guests departed one by one.

Geng Feng specifically asked Zhou Luo to stay, intending to purchase a batch of Spiritual Wine from him.

It turned out that ever since he tasted Zhou Luo's Spiritual Wine a month ago, he had fallen in love with the flavor and had been hooked ever since.

Now that the Spiritual Wine was gone, he naturally wanted to buy some.

Zhou Luo did not refuse; favors and relationships only grew stronger through frequent interaction.