17: Guarantor, Cangye Sect Recruitment

Mo Heng narrowed his right eye into a slit, seemingly examining Lu Xian carefully, and continued:

"The soul settling tea has unique effects. Qingyun County doesn't produce too much of it each year, so I'll calculate the average price at eighty Spirit Stones per jin."

After speaking, he waved his hand and directly produced 320 Spirit Stones.

Throughout the process, Lu Xian couldn't get a word in.

The soul settling tea tree in his backyard had basically matured after fifty days.

If harvested all at once, one could obtain two jin of fresh tea leaves; the tea tree would then require seven days to fully regrow, which was equivalent to seven years in the outside world.

What he sold this time was merely half a month's production.

320 pieces!

Lu Xian was secretly delighted, but his expression remained unchanged as he took the Spirit Stones and took his leave.

Mo Heng’s mind remained calm; he simply thought this was another lad with good Opportunity who happened to find two soul settling tea trees growing together.

He had seen such things many times over the past decade and found it unremarkable; it was far less important than focusing on his Cultivation to Breakthrough to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

If he could be transferred to the county city chamber of commerce sooner, that would be the proper path.

...

After leaving Ruyi Pavilion, Lu Xian checked his Storage Pouch; he still had one jin of tea leaves and three Jade Marrow Chickens left.

Next, he went to the Drunken Immortal Tower to sell the chickens.

Under the concealment of the Xuanpin Qi Concealment Art, Kong Shan did not realize at all that he had already reached the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

He only tentatively asked if he possessed a secret method for finding Spirit Bird.

As for the Kong Family branch member who died in his courtyard last time, Lu Xian discovered through casual side conversation that there was absolutely no stir caused by it.

It seemed that matters concerning branch Family members generally did not reach the ears of the main Family line.

Kong Shan still had some conscience, giving 120 Spirit Stones for the three Jade Marrow Chickens.

Lu Xian finally went to the Hundred Elixirs Hall and sold the remaining one jin of soul settling tea to Shopkeeper Huang, obtaining 90 Spirit Stones.

At this moment, his total wealth amounted to 530 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This should be enough to obtain a guarantee and purchase "Elementary Introduction to the Way of Formations".

...

This trip out was smooth sailing.

Upon returning to his small courtyard, Lu Xian relaxed.

Over the past few months, he had often used the newly learned "Minor Cloud and Rain Art" to practice in the spirit field in the backyard, occasionally letting out a few Spirit Bird to dig for insects in the soil.

Since being planted, the soul settling tea tree had not encountered any issues.

The number of Spirit Bird in the courtyard had increased to twenty-six.

He left only six in the Chicken Coop to lay eggs, planning to use the rest for his Cultivation over the next half month.

It just so happened that his Body Refining technique needed advancement.

In the Cultivation Chamber, every time he ate a chicken, Lu Xian would circulate the "Bone Devouring Spirit Refining Scripture" to refine it.

Each time, it felt as if ten thousand insects were gnawing inside his body, a piercing agony!

Lu Xian only furrowed his brows slightly, enduring the pain.

His Qi and blood surged and were tempered; his Physical Body continuously solidified and grew stronger amidst the pain.

Finally, after the thirteenth chicken was consumed.

His sinews and bones resonated, and his muscles bulged!

On his iron-hard body, Qi and blood erupted, and crimson mist instantly filled the entire Cultivation Chamber.

Lu Xian withdrew his power, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes before vanishing.

The fourth level of the "Bone Devouring Spirit Refining Scripture" was complete!

Lu Xian clenched his fist; with his dual path of Body Refining and cultivation reaching this point, he no longer feared any Cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

"I need to undergo a second transformation of Qi and blood to continue breaking through; it seems I won't be able to finish that for a while."

Lu Xian stood up.

He took out the quasi-immortal jade token from his Storage Pouch, and a message came through.

"Du Qinghong: Beep beep beep! Brother Han, have you arrived? My brother and I are waiting at the North Gate; you wouldn't stand us up, would you?"

So fast; had half a month already passed?

Lu Xian washed up briefly, cleaned off the Impurities discharged from his Body Refining, and changed into a clean outfit.

He checked the two Ice Spear Talismans in his sleeves, the Speed Talisman on his soles, and the Golden Shield Talisman on his chest, confirming everything was correct.

Under his fingernail, the disposable Magical Artifact seized from Chen Changfeng last time... was also ready.

All his contingency plans were ready to be triggered at any moment!

After checking, he set off straight for the North Gate.

Not a few steps into the city, a chubby figure darted in front of him, saying happily: "Brother Han, you are a busy man; your little brother has been waiting for you so long. It's already noon; shouldn't you treat me to a meal?"

It was none other than Du Qinghong, his overly familiar demeanor exactly the same as last time.

"Forget about the meal; once this deal is done, you might as well enjoy it yourself," Lu Xian refused.

Du Qinghong didn't mind, instead rubbing his fingers together: "Brother Han, that..."

Lu Xian tossed out five Spirit Stones, "Take me to see the person."

"Alright!"

The two walked through streets and alleys, moving away from the main street to a rather secluded area.

A solitary small house stood before them.

Lu Xian understood in his heart; this Formation Master's residence wasn't particularly fancy.

Du Qinghong explained: "Hehe, my brother is only staying here temporarily for the Cangye Sect's recruitment ceremony in three days..."

"Recruitment?" Lu Xian was taken aback.

He had been absorbed in his Cultivation recently and hadn't known about this.

Du Qinghong said: "Cangye Sect recruits every three years. Although it is a local Sect in Qingyun County, Cultivators from nearby counties also come. My brother wants to try his luck, but this year's specific requirements haven't been announced yet."

Lu Xian nodded; he would have to come and see when the time came.

They entered the house.

A youth similar in age to Lu Xian had clearly been waiting for a long time.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Lu, right? No need for small talk. If you want me to be your guarantor, fine, two hundred Spirit Stones! Hurry up, I don't have that much time for idle chatter..."

This person spoke extremely quickly, carrying an air of arrogance that brooked no refusal.

Lu Xian frowned slightly; the price was cheaper than the previous spirit plant master's guarantee, but the tone was very aggressive.

Seeing this, Du Qinghong hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Brother Shen, when doing business, take it slow, take it slow..."

"Who is your brother? My time as a first-tier Formation Master is very precious; this amount of time is enough to engrave two formation stones. You can still speak to me now, but once I enter the Cangye Sect, you won't even be able to look up to me!"

Shen Nan looked arrogant, as if entering the Sect was a certainty.

Du Qinghong wanted to persuade him further, but Lu Xian waved his hand: "Fellow Daoist Shen is young and promising, his time is precious. In that case, I will not disturb you further."

Before the words even faded, he stood up directly.

Who was going to indulge him?

He was just from a minor Qi Refining Family, wasn't he just a Loose Cultivator, with only third-layer strength; it wasn't even certain he could enter the Sect.

His attainments in Formations were likely only first-tier Low Grade.

He could just find someone else.

This time, it was Shen Nan's turn to be dumbfounded.

In his own Family, even his grandfathers at Peak Qi Refining would yield to him.

How was it that after arriving in Qingyun County, wanting to earn some Spirit Stones on his own, someone actually didn't give him Face?

His Face flushed red, and he opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

Having always Cultivated at home, when had he ever suffered such disregard?

He even felt aggrieved.

Du Qinghong reacted extremely quickly, shouting from behind: "Wait, wait! Brother Han, one hundred and fifty! Just one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"

At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to Shen Nan: "Brother Shen, this isn't your Shen Family! Outside, you have to understand social nuances. Fellow Daoist Han came with sincerity; what's wrong with making an acquaintance? More friends mean more paths!"

If it weren't for the fact that the other party's grandfather was a close friend of his own grandfather, and had entrusted him to look after him when coming to Qingyun City, Du Qinghong wouldn't have bothered finding him, which caused him to earn much less for no reason.

Hearing this, Shen Nan gave a soft "Mm."

Lu Xian, who had walked to the door, turned around with a calm expression: "Deal!"

Afterward, Shen Nan didn't say a word, fearing he would offend someone if he spoke again.

Lu Xian understood that this lad had no malicious intent, but simply spoke without thinking, so he didn't hold it against him.

He felt that reality would teach the other party how to behave in the future.

If he couldn't learn, even if he entered the Sect, he would just be a stray dog on the side of the road.

After a while, the quasi-immortal jade token received a message: "Ten Thousand Laws Department: Received guarantee from first-tier Low Grade Formation Master 'Shen Nan', access to purchase entry-level Formation Legacy granted."

"Brother Han, after buying the Formation classics, do not pass them on to others privately, otherwise you will both suffer; that's a triple fine!"

Du Qinghong urged solemnly.

Lu Xian had long since clarified this matter and nodded: "I naturally know this. Thank you both; we shall talk another time."

He took out 150 Spirit Stones and placed them on the table, then bid farewell and left.

"Wow, so many Spirit Stones. I've grown this big and have never seen so many at once! Grandfather in the Family only gives me 10 a month, and always complains that I take too much..."

Seeing the person leave, Shen Nan immediately became excited.

"It was agreed, I get half!" Du Qinghong's eyes also gleamed, but a moment later he was heartbroken, "If it weren't for that stupid remark you made at the beginning, we could have gotten 50 more!"

"I was wrong, okay... Grandfather said that when outside, one shouldn't belittle oneself; I didn't expect people outside to have such bad tempers."

"I've been out and about since I was ten, and I still can't fathom the human heart. You've been home for sixteen years, you need to be even more careful! That day, I saw with my own eyes Brother Han use a small trick to neatly send my client's whole Family away..."

Du Qinghong shook his head with a smile, "But that's exactly why I managed to get on Brother Han's good side. See, didn't we easily make our money back?"

"That's true... I should make more friends, Grandfather often says..." Shen Nan said.

"Stop, stop, don't keep saying 'Grandfather' every other word. You'd better prepare well for the Sect entrance test; once you enter the Cangye Sect, remember to introduce me to a few new clients; that's what's important."