Shengye Sect.

High mountains and deep valleys adorned its landscape, with countless herbal medicine fields on its terrain, rich in spiritual energy. The fields were planted with various plants, brimming with lively, thriving scenery.

Near the summit, nestled against a bamboo forest, a majestic hall perched atop a cliff. Stepping out from the main entrance, one faced a long, steep staircase; from the top of the staircase, looking down, one could take in the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

This place was none other than the assembly hall of the Shengye Sect, where, on ordinary days, only the sect leader and the hall masters could enter. But today was an exception, as an outsider was welcomed in.

It was said that, within the Shengye Sect, there were over ten thousand disciples, more than ninety percent of whom were at the Qi Refinement Realm. The Foundation Establishment Realm had roughly a hundred people, primarily including the sect leader, the hall masters, and some direct disciples. As for the Core Formation Stage elders, mere handful in number, they generally spent years in seclusion, unconcerned with sect affairs.

The rumored elderly ancestor at the Nascent Soul Stage was like a pillar to the sect. Unless there was a significant event within the sect, it was nigh impossible to witness their divine presence.

Heavy bell tolls wandered through the valley. Inside the hall, the hall masters stood on both sides with grim expressions, while in front of the ancestral statue, the leader of the Shengye Sect also wore a face of sorrow.

"... That's how it is. I am truly ashamed that I wasn't able to detain Pu Zhengqing, to avenge Fellow Daoist Lu and Fellow Daoist Bai."

Under their watchful eyes, Yuan Ming narrated the events that transpired in the Yunluo Mountain Range, concluding with a face full of shame.

"Pu Zhengqing is cunning, Fellow Daoist Hagon. To have driven him off and saved our sect's disciples was no easy feat; please don't blame yourself," said Wang Xinghe, the leader of the Shengye Sect, shaking his head.

Then, he continued, "Fellow Daoist Hagon has made a great contribution to our Shengye Sect this time, and we will certainly reward you generously. If there's anything you need, please speak up, and I will arrange for it immediately."

Yuan Ming did not hesitate: "If that's the case, I wonder if your esteemed sect possesses any elixirs that can aid with breaking through the bottlenecks of the Early-stage Foundation Establishment."

Seeing that he did not make an outrageous request, Wang Xinghe looked at Yuan Ming with renewed esteem and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Please wait outside for a little while, Fellow Daoist Hagon. Once our assembly concludes, Master Yu will personally refine a batch for you."

A beautiful woman in palace attire immediately stood up and bowed to Wang Xinghe, saying, "Rest assured, Sect Leader Brother. I will select top-grade spirit grasses, and the elixirs I refine will surely be thirty percent better than those on the market."

"Moreover, if Fellow Daoist Hagon has no pressing matters, you may also stay in our sect for a few more days so that we may extend our hospitality," Wang Xinghe added.

Yuan Ming nodded, and then followed a disciple of Wang Xinghe out of the assembly hall to another elegant pavilion to sit for a while, where attendants served him spiritual tea.

The Shengye Sect leaders' assembly didn't last long. Soon after, Master Yu hurried over, bringing Yuan Ming to the Alchemy Hall to start alchemy.

On the way, Master Yu scrutinized Yuan Ming with undisguised admiration in her eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Hagon is truly accomplished despite his youth."

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist," Yuan Ming said with a nod. Suddenly, he spotted someone riding a magic artifact approaching them, stopping right before them.

The person was Yuan Ming's grandmother. Yuan Ming smiled, knowing that in the presence of others, his grandmother would not acknowledge their relationship.

"Hehe, Junior Sister Wang, what brings you here in such a rush?"

"Naturally, I came to thank Fellow Daoist Hagon," Yuan Ming's grandmother responded with a smile.

"The Sect Leader Brother instructed me to personally refine a batch of elixirs for Fellow Daoist Hagon. Junior Sister Wang oversees the medicinal fields, your arrival is timely. The sect wants to thank Fellow Daoist Hagon with Origin Transformation Pills, and I am about to start the refinement process. Does the medicine storehouse have suitable aged materials?" asked Master Yu.

Although Yuan Ming's grandmother was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, she was not among the hall masters and hence had not attended the assembly in the hall.

The palace-attired beauty expected Yuan Ming's grandmother to, as usual, exchange formalities with her, but to her surprise, Yuan Ming's grandmother simply nodded.

"Of course. I have a four-hundred-year-old Moon Returning Flower; you can take it and use it directly," said Yuan Ming's grandmother.

Master Yu looked at Yuan Ming's grandmother in surprise, impressed by her generosity.

"My two disciples were also part of the trials this time. It is fortunate that Fellow Daoist Hagon made a move, otherwise the loss of so many disciples would be something the sect couldn't bear," said Yuan Ming's grandmother.

"Indeed, I too had several disciples who nearly perished in the ordeal. Senior Mo's nephew was also harmed this time, and the Sect Master is considering forming an alliance with all the sects of the Thunder Continent to hunt down this Pu Zhengqing," said Master Yu.

"No wonder Senior Mo looked so upset today," said the grandmother.

"Fellow Daoist Hagon, is this Pu Zhengqing's illusion technique really so unfathomably mysterious?" asked Master Yu.

Yuan Ming described Sha Hao's illusion technique once again.

"Indeed, it has been many years since a Soul Cultivator appeared. Their methods are tricky and hard to guard against. Law Practitioners and Body Cultivators at the same level have no absolute countermeasures against Soul Cultivators. Each time they appear, it's a bloodbath. Our sect also has records of Soul Cultivators causing chaos a hundred years ago. Battles often require several times their number in the same realm just to suppress them," said the grandmother.

"May I borrow these records for perusal?" Yuan Ming inquired.

After receiving a negative response, Yuan Ming didn't mind and then the three of them discussed how to break through the illusion technique…

As he watched his junior sister walk away, Master Yu said, "It's thanks to you that her disciple was saved; otherwise, she would never have been willing to part with the Moon Returning Flower that took four hundred years to cultivate."

…

Several days later.

Yuan Ming received several bottles of Origin Transformation Pills, which were even more effective than Harmonization Liquid Pills, as well as other elixirs gifted by the Shengye Sect.

The Origin Transformation Pills, personally refined by Master Yu using spiritual materials that were four hundred years old, were even more effective than expected.

Yuan Ming was in no rush to take them. He stayed in the Shengye Sect for a few more days, met with his grandmother in private, and got acquainted with quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the sect before returning to Little Lake City.

When passing the Rain Ruins Swamp, he placed Hua Zhi into the swamp and instructed it to hunt demon beasts on its own and absorb Qi-Blood to recover from its injuries.

As soon as he entered his own shop, he was greeted by a faint scent that was refreshing to the mind and spirit. Hu Tu and Mu Yang were chatting with customers, but their faces lit up with joy upon seeing Yuan Ming arrive.

Yuan Ming went straight to the back room of the shop, and soon after, Hu Tu followed him in.

"Has anything important happened in the shop during my absence?" Yuan Ming asked.

Before leaving Little Lake City, Yuan Ming had specifically left a Communication Talisman for Hu Tu and Mu Yang, telling them to contact him only if something truly unmanageable occurred.

Yet, just a few days ago, he suddenly received a message from Hu Tu stating that there was an urgent matter requiring his decision.

"Speaking of which, it's good news. A few days ago, a big customer came to the shop and wanted to buy up all our incense. Mu Yang and I didn't dare make such a decision on our own, so we immediately contacted you," said Hu Tu.

"Didn't I set a rule before that there's a limited purchase standard for the incenses in the shop? If someone wanted to buy them all, you should have just refused. Why did you need me to return to make a decision?" Yuan Ming frowned, his tone displeased.

"Of course I told the customer according to the boss's wishes, but that customer claimed to be from the City Lord Mansion and still wouldn't take no for an answer. I didn't dare offend them. After much persuasion, I managed to reduce their demand by half and slightly raised the price. Even then, we dared not sell without your consent, so we explained that we didn't have enough incense in stock and asked them to temporarily leave until you could make a decision," Hu Tu said with a hint of grievance.

The prestige of the Little Lake City Lord Mansion had to be respected, and in all the years Yuan Ming had been in the city, he hadn't heard of the City Lord engaging in bullying or unfair practices. The City Lord was known for handling matters fairly, enjoying unanimous approval among the Loose Cultivators. The City Lord Mansion's bulk purchase indicated that his incense had gained recognition from the City Lord Mansion.

Yuan Ming pondered for a moment and then said, "It's not your fault. But we can't just change the rules on the fly. Do this, separate out the incense requested by the City Lord Mansion and tell them we'll supply it on the first day of every month. Reduce the purchase limits of the Qingxuan Incense and Purple Mysterious Incense slightly, but keep the prices the same."

"Yes, I will convey this to the City Lord Mansion immediately," Hu Tu promptly replied.

"List the estimated sales for the next half a year now. I might not be able to attend to the business in the shop for some time. If something similar happens again, we can discuss it. We can provide extra supplies to powerful sects. Which incenses does the City Lord Mansion want?" Yuan Ming instructed further.

The list Hu Tu prepared for the City Lord Mansion included incenses for cultivation purposes as well as others meant for calming the mind and focusing, intended for supply to a shop known as the Four Symbols Tea House.

"What's the situation with this shop?" Yuan Ming asked, pointing to the Four Symbols Tea House.

"Back to the boss, that's also an establishment owned by the City Lord. It's quite famous in the city, and apparently, it's a place where high-level cultivators often visit," Hu Tu explained.

Yuan Ming nodded, no longer inquiring. He silently calculated the quantity of spiritual materials he needed and then turned and left the shop.

A few days later, after he had finished purchasing the spiritual materials needed for incense making at several of his regular shops in the city, he just happened to pass by the Red Refining Hall. After pondering for a moment, he walked in.

"Do you have any top-grade magical tools for sale?" he asked the approaching attendant as soon as he entered.

In the battle at Yunluo Mountain Range, Sha Hao, with the top-grade magical tool, the Silver Orb, destroyed most of his magic artifacts. Ordinary magic artifacts were extremely fragile in front of a top-grade magical tool, leaving him defenseless. The spirit stones he had earned from selling incense were all used to buy elixirs to enhance his cultivation, and now he needed to find a suitable top-grade magical tool for himself.

On hearing Yuan Ming's question, the attendant respectfully ushered him upstairs. Shortly after, the shopkeeper of Red Refining Hall hurried over.

"Senior, our shop currently has just two top-grade magical tools on offer. If you are truly interested, I will go get them right away. However, both tools are priced at over five thousand spirit stones," the shopkeeper said with a bowed hand.

"Besides the runes, what makes top-grade magical tools special compared to high-grade ones? What's different about their power?" Yuan Ming asked.

"To answer senior's question, the quantity of runes is secondary. What makes the top-grade magical tools special is that almost each one is made of extraordinary, rare materials, all unique. Each top-grade magical tool exists as a single piece, and they all have the potential to advance to become a Magic Treasure. Naturally, their prices are several times higher than those of high-grade magical tools," the shopkeeper explained, gauging Yuan Ming's wealth.

Yuan Ming nodded, and seeing the shopkeeper still standing there unmoving, he understood the implication of the shopkeeper's words. He then took out the Green Wood Token and flashed it.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper immediately understood and exited the room. He quickly returned carrying two jade boxes.

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