The maidservant handed the boy a spirit stone.
"That Daoist friend just signed a supply contract with us. This is your reward."
The boy's eyes lit up instantly. He quickly took the stone, glanced around nervously, and slipped it into the hidden pocket sewn inside his clothes.
He patted it twice, feeling the hard bulge against his chest, and a smile crept across his face.
He had thought this job would barely earn him anything. Who would've expected such a turnaround?
After leaving the Treasure Talisman Pavilion, Ji An visited several more shops dealing in talismans, arranging outlets for the ones he would draw in the future.
By then, the afternoon had arrived. The two of them ducked into a small eatery, filled their stomachs with some ordinary wine and meat, then set off again to buy pills.
"Senior, may I ask what kind of pills and medicinal ingredients you're looking for? That way I can recommend the most suitable shops," the boy asked, glancing at the setting sun and realizing he needed to hurry if he wanted to close the deal.
"I need to purchase some Jade Ganoderma Pills, as well as common late-stage Qi Refining beast-nurturing ingredients."
"Senior, for pills, the Rare Pill Hall of Falling Maple Valley has the best reputation for quality. But if you don't mind something less"
"Go to Rare Pill Hall," Ji An cut him off flatly.
He wasn't confident in judging the quality of pills. If he went somewhere else just to save a few spirit stones and ended up buying counterfeits, it would be a complete loss.
"This way, Senior," the boy's eyes shone. He loved hearing customers speak with such straightforward wealth.
As he led the way, he added,
"Senior, if you're not after rare treasures, then for medicinal herbs, you should try the Li Family's Herb Shop.
It's owned by the Li clan of White Ape Mountain, who started out with farming and are known for the quality of their spirit herbs. Their prices are fair, too.
It's right on the road to Rare Pill Hall, won't delay you at all."
White Ape Mountain's Li clan? Ji An suddenly remembered the token he had received years ago and never used. His heart stirred.
"Then let's stop at the Li Family Herb Shop first."
"Excellent," the boy said eagerly. He happened to be a distant relative, eighteen branches removed from the shopkeeper there. If he brought customers to buy in bulk, he could earn an extra few spirit crystals on the side.
They turned off the main street and slipped into a small alley, arriving at the first shop.
"What can I get for you, honored customer?" The middle-aged shopkeeper, with a square and honest face, rose with a welcoming smile.
Ji An glanced around. The shop wasn't large, just one shopkeeper and a single assistant. A faint herbal fragrance filled the air.
He smiled lightly and handed over a prescription.
"How many spirit stones will these herbs cost?"
The shopkeeper skimmed the list. With years of experience, he immediately recognized it as a recipe for beast-nurturing pellets. The ingredients were common, so it clearly wasn't some high-level formula.
But formulas were tricky things: a slight change in dosage could alter the effect, and many required special guiding herbs. It was impossible to reconstruct a recipe from the ingredient list alone.
Besides, most buyers split their purchases across multiple shops anyway. He had no intention of coveting a customer's formula.
Taking up his abacus, he calculated with a crisp pa-la pa-la before speaking:
"Daoist friend, the herbs you need aren't expensive, but the quantity is quite large. That comes to twenty-one spirit stones in total."
Ji An nodded slightly. He was buying a full year's supply, and the herbs were all common spirit plants. The price was fair enough.
Reaching into his storage pouch, he produced the jade token given to him by Li Changfeng and smiled.
"I am acquainted with Senior Brother Li Changfeng of your clan."
The shopkeeper's expression flickered with surprise. He accepted the token, examined it carefully, and then returned it with a broad smile.
"With this token, you're entitled to a discount. We'll set this transaction at twenty spirit stones."
Ji An paid the spirit stones, exchanged a few casual words with the shopkeeper, and then left.
The boy's eyes lit up when he saw the shopkeeper subtly raise a single finger. He grinned, barely able to hide his joy.
Next, they headed to Rare Pill Hall. Ji An directly asked for one hundred Jade Ganoderma Pills, spending one hundred ninety-five spirit stones in one stroke.
The maidservant selling pills and the broker boy both gasped in hushed voices. Such wealth was far beyond what an ordinary sect disciple could ever hope to possess.
The boy was already calculating the commission he'd earn. His mouth watered so much that drool nearly spilled past his lips.
At Verdant Cliff, Ge Ying, having completed a period of intense pill refinement, took a day of rest before summoning her disciples for an assessment.
She cultivated the Evergreen Aether Art, a technique that prolonged lifespan. At two hundred and ten years old, she had already exceeded the natural limit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's life by ten years. She knew her remaining days were few, at most thirty to forty years.
Currently at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, she had no hope of reaching Origin Ascension.
She had been born a loose cultivator, and only by chance was taken in by her master and carefully nurtured to achieve what she had today.
Out of gratitude toward both her master and the sect, she resolved to devote the rest of her years to cultivating promising disciples for the sect.
After the examinations, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Not bad. You've all been diligent of late and made progress. That gladdens my heart."
She paused, then let out a soft sigh.
"In recent years, the sect has undergone many changes. Some matters you should also know. I will tell you now, but let this remain within your ears only.
After an investigation by the sect's patriarchs, it has been discovered that the demon clans in the Hundred-Thousand Mountains are stirring. It is predicted that within the coming decades, a great Demon Calamity will erupt."
It had been nearly three thousand years since the last large-scale calamity. By the patterns of the past, the time was nearly due.
The disciples gasped softly. Even if they had never personally experienced such a catastrophe, they had heard enough from their elders to know it was a disaster for all cultivators.
After allowing them a moment to absorb the news, Ge Ying spoke again:
"One hundred and twenty years ago, the Golden Core Patriarch of Falling Maple Valley ventured deep into the Hundred-Thousand Mountains to gather herbs. He sensed strange movements among the demon clans and reported it to us and Yuanhe Mountain.
When several patriarchs of the three sects investigated together, preparations for war began. Countless Vein-Opening Pills were released, and the sects expanded their herb fields to cultivate ingredients for Foundation Pills. The harvest time is now at hand.
In a few decades, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the three sects' territories will be several times that of three thousand years ago, when our ancestors first migrated to the Western Continent.
Back then, none of the sects had a single Golden Core Patriarch. Now, the three sects together boast seven."
"When the Demon Calamity erupts, great sects from the Central Continent will also dispatch experts to assist us, as part of the agreements signed when many sects migrated here long ago."
After recounting this hidden history, she spoke earnestly:
"A demon calamity is both disaster and opportunity.
I do not know if I will live to see its outbreak, but I hope that you all may weather it safely."
Her gaze turned to the disciples sitting at the end of the hall.
"Du Huaiyuan, Mu Qingwan, Li Lingyu, you have each been at Qi Refining Perfection for several years now. Are you confident?"
"Master, my Foundation Pill is ready, and all is prepared. I plan to establish my foundation within the next few days," Du Huaiyuan said confidently.
"Master, I am the same as Senior Brother. I will attempt my breakthrough soon," answered Mu Qingwan.
Li Lingyu lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.
"Master, I still need one or two more years of refinement. And because I exchanged for my Foundation Pill too late, I must wait until the sect's next round of pill refinement."
Without a clan to support her, she had relied only on herself and her father. Strengthening her cultivation and sharpening her divine sense had cost dearly. This time, she had even borrowed spirit stones from several senior brothers and sisters just to gather enough contribution points.
Ge Ying nodded slightly.
"Foundation Establishment is only the first threshold on the path of cultivation. You three have superior spiritual roots, so I am not concerned.
Once you succeed, you will officially become my disciples and, at the same time, inner sect disciples of the sect.
So long as I still have strength, I will do my utmost to aid you."
She paused, then added:
"Cultivation is a struggle against the heavens. In my medicine garden, several ingredients for Foundation Pills have just ripened. Once your qi has become smooth and unified, I will open the furnace and refine.
Lingyu, I will lend you one Foundation Pill. Once you receive your sect-allotted pill, simply return it to me."
For years, Li Lingyu had managed the medicine garden on her master's behalf, taking up much of her time.
She had done so with diligence and without a single mistake. Ge Ying was very satisfied with her disciple's earnestness.
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