Spirit Farmer No. 17, in Chen Sheng's courtyard.
As evening approached, a bonfire was lit.
A barbecue rack was spread out, layers of fat brushed onto the ingredients, the air immediately filled with the aroma of grilled meat.
Chen Sheng, Huang Wangyou, Li Huayao, Brother Zhang Yue, and Sister Luo Yun, the five sat together, holding skewers, eating barbecue.
They chatted and joked, laughter echoing in the courtyard.
The five of them were of similar age, and they had been fellow disciples for more than ten years, with a strong bond.
Not long ago.
Zhang and Luo successfully graduated and, under the auspices of their master Huang Yueyang, became husband and wife.
This gathering of five was a farewell for Zhang and Luo.
Zhang Yue took a bite of lamb leg and shook his head, saying:
"Thousand Machines Market, rooted for one hundred and twenty years, is a place of hidden talents, making it difficult to thrive in the elixir pill industry at the bottom level."
Luo Yun also nodded in agreement:
"We two lower-grade alchemists are working ourselves to the bone here just to make ends meet."
"Collectively earning about two hundred spirit stones a year barely maintains our cultivation."
Zhang Yue looked at Chen Sheng, continuing to vent:
"A tree moves and dies, but people move and thrive!"
"I've found out that Cloud Dragon Market is a new frontier, with three families of cultivators busy pioneering, and they desperately need people like us."
"There's also the chance to purchase Spirit Fields, which is better than wasting time here!"
Chen Sheng raised his cup:
"Of course, with the new market just starting up, opportunities abound. As you two head there, you're bound to seize the opportunities, purchase a piece of Spirit Field, and pass it down to future generations."
The two beside him, Huang Wangyou and another, also raised their cups together:
"I wish Brother and Sister a long-lasting Immortal Dao!"
"Then I wish Brother and Sister will soon establish your own Pill Workshop."
Listening to their blessings.
Zhang Yue and Luo Yun both laughed loudly, also raising their cups to toast with the others:
"Thank you, my junior brothers and sisters, for your kind words."
"We also wish our junior brothers and sisters a long-lasting Immortal Dao!"
Cloud Dragon District.
Located to the southeast, eight hundred miles from here.
Ten years ago.
The Zhou family cultivators accidentally discovered a Tier Two High Grade Spirit Vein here, and the Li and Zhang families quickly caught wind of it and joined in as well.
The families contended in numerous battles and negotiations for years, finally determining their shares according to the precedent of Thousand Machines District.
The three families jointly recruited manpower to pioneer and then established the market here - the Cloud Dragon District.
A new market, a new starting point, filled with infinite opportunities.
...
After several rounds of drinks, Zhang Yue pulled Chen Sheng aside to discuss the details of Cloud Dragon District, from the distribution of spirit veins to the various family influences, his eyes shining with anticipation.
He had clearly done his research and was not making a rash, impulsive decision.
Both he and Luo Yun came from Qi Cultivation Minor Races, with their entire clan consisting of just five or six cultivators who supported their cultivation and training, and they wanted to repay their families.
The newly opened Cloud Dragon Market, with the surrounding Spirit Fields, was their target!
Elsewhere, three women gathered, chatting endlessly.
"I heard your family introduced you to someone recently, how's it going?"
Huang Wangyou nudged Li Huayao with her elbow, smiling mischievously. Li Huayao blushed rarely, muttering softly:
"How do you think? It's just like that."
Luo Yun leaned in closer:
"Wow, this little girl is shy, seems like she fancies him. You have to tell us about his family and looks, we're all waiting to toast at your wedding."
Li Huayao hesitated for a while before speaking:
"Much like me, from a side branch of the Zhang Clan, tall and well-built, looks... fairly proper."
She paused, her eyes brightening:
"If it works out, maybe in a couple of years I'll go to Cloud Dragon District too. He'll be assigned there next year to handle some affairs, they need people there, and he can look after me."
Luo Yun slapped her thigh:
"That's great, we can all gather at Cloud Dragon District and have some fun."
They talked and laughed until the moon was high, then bid each other farewell. Zhang Yue grabbed Chen Sheng's hand before leaving, his face slightly red, eyes full of hope:
"When you come to Cloud Dragon District someday, I'll warmly welcome you, and we'll drink to our hearts' content again."
Chen Sheng cupped his hands in farewell: "Certainly!"
...
Time passed slowly.
Zhang Yue and Luo Yun, along with a few elders from their family, headed to Cloud Dragon District to forge a future for their family.
Soon after, news came back.
The two of them, through Li Huayao's connections, aligned with the Li Clan, and as alchemists, they were quite esteemed and lived comfortably there.
Chen Sheng soon put this news aside and turned his focus to delving into alchemy.
He had much to learn.
Huang Yueyang's secret teachings on the Fire Control Technique and Condensing Pill Technique were offered to him fully, and he absorbed all the knowledge like a sponge.
...
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Pill Workshop, Chen Sheng stood solemnly in front of the pill furnace, his spiritual pressure rising another level, an impressive leap to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
A year before, through a night of dual cultivation with Huang Wangyou, he unexpectedly found an opportunity and smoothly broke through the realm.
"Rise!"
He clasped his hands in a spell, and his mana, a few degrees more formidable, made him more skilled in fire control.
Poof!
Within the pill furnace, a pale blue flame suddenly flared up.
Chen Sheng's gaze was sharp as he rapidly changed the spell at his fingertips, like a phantom.
In an instant!
The flame suddenly split into a thousand thin threads, each as fine as silk.
"Scatter!"
The threads of flame spread out like a web, evenly distributed, showcasing the Huang Clan's secret Fire Control Technique - "Thousand Threads Technique".
When mastered, it could split into ten thousand threads, each controlling temperature precisely, able to independently scorch different parts of an herb while simultaneously handle multiple herbs with diverse properties.
Truly marvelous!