Alchemist Assessment

At the entrance of the auction house, Zhong Qing arrived.

Upon seeing this, Ye Zhen trembled with excitement.

Originally, he had prepared himself for a long wait, spanning years.

However, heaven helps those who help themselves.

Perhaps heaven saw his difficulties, as it allowed him to meet this special existence in such a short time.

Ye Zhen took a deep breath and quickly straightened his clothes.

Then, with a respectful expression, he stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Please come in, sir!"

Zhong Qing didn't pay much attention, only feeling that the people at the auction house today were exceptionally enthusiastic.

The two entered the main gate.

Ye Zhen accompanied him, carefully observing this special Guest Elder.

Looking at the other party's age, he was similar to him, at most a few years older.

Yet, such a person could successively produce two Wang-level Divine Weapons, subtly commanding respect from the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Holy Lands.

The things he revealed, without showing off, were already astonishing.

At this moment, Zhong Qing, in his eyes, was a mysterious title, a special pronoun.

"Do you have ten fragrance fruit, True Spirit Flower, Earth Flame Wood..." Zhong Qing rattled off more than a dozen Spirit Treasure Materials.

Among them, ten fragrance fruit was the main Material for refining Reversal Pill, while the others were auxiliary Materials.

A large quantity was needed.

Since he had come, he naturally had to procure a large batch.

Ye Zhen pondered for a moment and then said, "Sir, True Spirit Flower, Earth Flame Wood... these things are not difficult to find; the auction house has large reserves and can meet your needs.

Only the ten fragrance fruit, this Spirit Treasure Material, due to its special maturation conditions, has a very small quantity in existence, and even the auction house does not have any reserves."

Zhong Qing frowned, feeling a little disappointed.

The main Material for refining Reversal Pill was the ten fragrance fruit; if this was unavailable, it meant this trip was in vain.

The next moment, he heard Ye Zhen say, "However, though the auction house doesn't have it, I was fortunate enough to obtain one by chance many years ago!"

"It's considered my private collection."

He pondered for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "If Your Excellency needs it, I can gift it to you."

These words made Zhong Qing look at him in surprise.

"Are you sure it's a gift, and not a transaction?"

Ye Zhen nodded: "Indeed!"

"You and Your Excellency seem to be strangers!"

Zhong Qing knew there was no free lunch in the world.

Any free thing, in fact, had already been secretly priced.

Meeting Zhong Qing's scrutinizing gaze, Ye Zhen knew that his success in befriending this special existence hinged on this moment.

He saw him raise his hand and bow to Zhong Qing.

"This Junior is Ye Zhen, the youngest grandson of the Master of the Lingbao Hall of Pill Cauldron Pavilion!"

"To be frank, I have heard many of Your Excellency's deeds."

"I have long admired Your Excellency from afar."

"Previously, I had no Opportunity to meet you, but now that I have, my heart is filled with joy."

"I wonder if I might have the honor of becoming friends with Your Excellency!"

He spoke with extreme sincerity.

So sincerely that Zhong Qing was somewhat surprised.

At this moment, Ye Zhen added, "As far as I know, Your Excellency has a great demand for Spirit Treasure Materials."

"As a first meeting, this Junior has nothing much to offer."

"This is the Guest Elder token I possess; I will gift it to Your Excellency as well, hoping Your Excellency will not disdain it!"

"With this token, all purchases of Spirit Treasure Materials and items at any auction house under Pill Cauldron Pavilion will henceforth be half price!"

To build a good relationship with Zhong Qing, Ye Zhen truly went all out.

Upon their first meeting, he not only gave away his personal treasure but also his only Guest Elder token.

It should be known that this Guest Elder token was extremely precious.

Even a direct Disciple of the Five Halls only had one Opportunity in their lifetime to bestow a Guest Elder token.

The wooden token was dark red, ancient, and grand.

The back was engraved with Dragon and Phoenix patterns!

Zhong Qing took the token and examined it.

Its quality was extraordinary, not an ordinary item.

He pondered for a moment and then said, "If I accept this token, does that mean I will become a Guest Elder of Pill Cauldron Pavilion from now on?"

Ye Zhen quickly explained, "Your Excellency, please do not misunderstand!"

"This Guest Elder title is merely a formality."

"While enjoying the rights, you do not have to bear any obligations, and you will not be disturbed in your daily life."

This gesture of friendship was truly humble.

Zhong Qing could see that the other party's intention was simply to borrow his name!

What he gained, in turn, was half-price purchases at auction houses under their banner in the future.

This exchange could be described as mutually beneficial.

After a slight pause, he immediately said, "You are quite generous with your friendship."

"I accept it."

These words made Ye Zhen ecstatic.

He hadn't expected that befriending such an existence would be so smooth.

"Senior, please wait a moment; I will have someone prepare all the medicinal Materials you need right away!"

Under Ye Zhen's instructions, it wasn't long before all the medicinal Materials Zhong Qing needed, including the ten fragrance fruit, were placed into a Storage Pouch.

Ye Zhen handed the Storage Pouch to him and then said, "Senior, these medicinal Materials are a token of this Junior's sincerity."

"There's no need to pay!"

"It's late now; why not rest here for a day, and allow me to fulfill my duties as a host?"

"Another day!"

Coming to the auction house was only a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Zhong Qing was still planning to travel the mountains and rivers on his Qilin, so he directly refused.

Ye Zhen didn't mind this.

He knew that when dealing with such an existence, one could not be too hasty; one could only proceed slowly.

He then said, "May I know where Senior's immortal abode is? Would it be convenient to disclose a little?"

"Next time, if you need any Spirit Treasure Materials or great medicines, just let me know in advance, and I will arrange for the resources from nearby auction house outposts to be sent to Senior as soon as possible."

"Immortal River Sect, Mufu Peak!"

This address made Ye Zhen somewhat surprised.

"May I know Senior's relationship with the Immortal River Sect?"

"I am the Peak Master of Mufu Peak!"

This made Ye Zhen quite incredulous.

In his opinion, Zhong Qing, being so extraordinary, either had an incredibly powerful background or incredibly powerful strength.

His true identity was actually the Peak Master of a second-tier Sect?!

Of course, he dared not show the slightest hint of disdain.

In fact, his inner excitement grew even stronger.

Many reclusive powerhouses often liked to reside within small Sects.

Such examples were not uncommon throughout the history of the entire continent.

Moreover, according to the information he received, the current Immortal River Sect clearly had a tendency to advance to a first-tier Sect.

Upon careful consideration, all of this was definitely related to Zhong Qing.

As long as his relationship with Zhong Qing could stabilize.

He believed that the Immortal River Sect's present would definitely be his future.

Zhong Qing left the auction house with Ye Zhen's respectful send-off.

On the way back, he summoned his Qilin again.

Riding the Qilin, he traversed mountains and seas for several thousand miles.

By the time he returned to Mufu Peak, it was already deep into the night!

The night was long, and he had no desire to sleep!

Zhong Qing played with the Qilin for a while.

Then, he embarked on his great Alchemy endeavor again!

Alchemy had truly become one of his major hobbies now.

It was like someone who liked to smoke; if they didn't smoke a couple of cigarettes a day, they would feel extremely uncomfortable.

It must be said that Zhong Qing's Alchemy was entirely a matter of metaphysics.

The Reversal Pill he had managed to refine earlier now exploded again.

In the following days, he refined dozens of furnaces, yet none were successful.

Good heavens, this situation truly made Zhong Qing depressed.

Just as he had another furnace explosion!

In the small courtyard, two Outer Sect Disciples of Mufu Peak respectfully walked in.

"Peak Master, we would like to request a few days of leave from you!"

Wu Yue spoke.

Shi Xiaotian, beside him, added, "The Pill Cauldron Pavilion's triennial Alchemist assessment is about to begin."

"Those who pass the assessment can be awarded the corresponding Alchemist Rank honor."

"My brother and I wish to contend for the Alchemy King title."

"This way, we can also take the Opportunity to boost the Sect's influence and expand its reputation.

We hope the Peak Master will permit it."

"Alchemist assessment?"

Zhong Qing's expression stirred, and he became interested.

"Are there any specific conditions required to participate in this assessment?"

Shi Yue replied, "There are no conditions for this; you only need to register and pay the registration fee to participate."

"If that's the case, I'll go with you!"

Hearing that Zhong Qing also wanted to go, the eyes of the two Outer Sect Disciples lit up.

"It would be excellent if the Peak Master could come along."

"Alright, then let's depart together the day after tomorrow!"

After speaking, Zhong Qing began to pack his belongings.

At the same time, he suddenly felt a bit more anticipation for this Alchemy grand gathering.