Entering the Path of Immortality, Mastering a Hundred Arts: Chapter 31 - The Changing of the Marketplace

Li Feng felt a slight shock as he saw Hong Ling. It had only been a few months, yet she had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Such a rate of cultivation was truly astonishing.

Noticing his thoughts, Hong Ling smiled and explained, "While the Tianqi Kingdom still stood, I had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. Later, when the kingdom fell and my family was destroyed, the only path to restoring our nation was to disperse my cultivation and restart with the Changqing Technique. During the process of dispersing my cultivation, my spiritual roots were damaged, which is why I was so desperate to find the Li-Wood Fruit. The subsequent events are things you are already aware of, Fellow Daoist Li."

Those who disperse their cultivation to restart progress much more efficiently than they did the first time. There is no bottleneck to hinder them; as long as they accumulate sufficient spiritual energy, the breakthrough happens naturally.

Li Feng nodded in understanding, his surprise fading. He had briefly wondered if the Changqing Technique possessed hidden benefits he was unaware of.

The two chatted for a while before Hong Ling produced the materials and the recipe for the Marrow-Cleansing Pill she had prepared in advance. Li Feng took the recipe and began to study it carefully. He had also intended to refine some Marrow-Cleansing Pills for himself. Although the Blood Sea Simulator was powerful, his ten-spiritual-root constitution was an immense hindrance. Moreover, he had only stepped onto the path of cultivation at nineteen. At that age, one didn't even have the opportunity to make up for a lack of talent with hard work. In the eyes of major cultivation powers, there was simply no value in investing in such a person. The proud children of those sects and clans were pampered with resources from the moment they were mere embryos.

Hong Ling waited silently on the side for a long time before asking hopefully, "What are your chances of success, Fellow Daoist Li?"

Li Feng deliberated for a moment before replying, "This recipe requires as many as 520 types of materials; it is in no way inferior to a mid-grade Tier 2 recipe. I only have a fifty percent chance of success."

Hearing this, Hong Ling let out a long sigh of relief. A fifty percent success rate was quite high; her expectations for Li Feng had been at thirty percent.

"Fellow Daoist Li, here are ten sets of materials for the Marrow-Cleansing Pill." With a wave of her hand, a pile of spiritual materials appeared on the table.

Seeing so many materials, Li Feng felt a twinge of regret. Had he known, he would have said forty percent and pocketed a good number of pills for himself. In truth, he had a seventy percent success rate with the Marrow-Cleansing Pill. With ten sets of materials, producing seven batches of pills would not be an issue. The Tianqi clan truly lived up to their reputation for starting out as spiritual planters. These materials, if sold on the market, would be worth tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Li Feng did not stand on ceremony and accepted them all. Refining pills was a tedious and demanding task, and the higher the grade of the pill, the more time it consumed. Li Feng told Hong Ling to come back in a month to collect them.

Hong Ling did not leave the Spiritual Planting Hall immediately. She took the opportunity to bring up matters within the marketplace. "Fellow Daoist Li, Anhe City has been quite turbulent recently. It is rumored that the Danju Workshop may soon replace its presiding Tier 2 alchemist."

Li Feng paused in his work. He remembered that Jin Yanzi was the one presiding over the Danju Workshop. Why would they suddenly change personnel? An ominous feeling arose in his heart. "Is the information reliable?"

"It is hard to say, but it is highly likely to be true," Hong Ling said, keeping her tone ambiguous while carefully observing Li Feng's subtle expressions.

Li Feng asked, puzzled, "Why would such a rumor arise?"

"Are you not aware, Fellow Daoist? Shortly after you left recently, Jin Yanzi used the excuse of hunting down a reclusive disciple of the Blood Cloud Sect to lead ten Foundation Establishment cultivators into the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Li Feng was sharp; he realized this woman was trying to probe him. "And what happened in the end, Fellow Daoist?"

"What happened? All ten Foundation Establishment cultivators perished in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and only Jin Yanzi returned unscathed."

"To think such a thing could happen!" Li Feng feigned shock. A normal person would certainly be astonished to hear that ten Foundation Establishment cultivators had perished together.

Hong Ling’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Jin Yanzi is now at the center of a storm of public opinion. The ten Foundation Establishment cultivators were backed by various factions. Jin Yanzi claimed he encountered a Nascent Soul-tier Demon Lord in the inner reaches of the Ten Thousand Mountains. Naturally, no one believes this. They are far from satisfied with his explanation. A Nascent Soul-tier Demon Lord generally stays in the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains; encountering one is harder than reaching the heavens."

Li Feng continued to probe, "And what does this have to do with the Danju Workshop changing its alchemist?"

"Jin Yanzi is likely afraid of retaliation from other factions and plans to join the Tianhe Sect as an honorary elder. Once Jin Yanzi leaves the Danju Workshop, someone must fill the vacancy in the marketplace."

After listening for a while, Li Feng roughly understood Hong Ling’s intent. Probing him was only one part of it; having him take charge of the Danju Workshop was her true goal. He didn't particularly care about that, but if the matter was true, Jin Yanzi had to be eliminated as soon as possible. He must not allow the Tianhe Sect any chance to grow stronger.

Seeing him remain silent, Hong Ling decided to drop the pretense and reveal her true thoughts. "Fellow Daoist Li, with your alchemy skills, you have every opportunity to take charge of the Danju Workshop."

Li Feng smiled inwardly. He had thought she would keep up the act longer, but she had revealed her hand quite quickly.

Li Feng feigned difficulty. "Presiding over a marketplace requires paying a massive leasing fee to Anhe City; the expenses are not small."

All cultivation marketplaces in Anhe City were established upon spiritual veins, and the ownership of these veins belonged to the Guiyuan Kingdom. Because there were so many marketplaces, the Guiyuan Kingdom could not manage them all, which led to the policy of allowing cultivators with immortal crafts to pay a fee and manage the marketplaces themselves. High-level cultivators who obtained management rights could earn money in many more ways; they could lease shops and attract business. Given the base of cultivators in Anhe City, the marketplace would never lack customers.

The Spiritual Planting Hall was merely a shop within the Qingling Marketplace. At most, it earned money from spiritual materials and pills; the profit ceiling was not high. If he could obtain the management rights to the marketplace, his income would at least increase tenfold. This would be of great help to the Tianqi clan in recovering their strength and accumulating foundations.

That said, the Danju Workshop dealt primarily in pills. Competing for the leasing rights required a certain level of skill in alchemy. Only those at the high-grade Tier 1 level or above were qualified to compete. In all of Anhe City, there were only about twenty or thirty high-grade Tier 1 alchemists, and Tier 2 alchemists could be counted on one hand. A high-grade Tier 2 alchemist like Jin Yanzi was one of a kind. Thus, Li Feng possessed strong competitiveness.

Seeing his interest, Hong Ling immediately declared, "As long as you participate in the bidding, Fellow Daoist, the Tianqi clan is willing to cover all expenses. If you successfully secure the marketplace management rights, you shall decide the distribution of profits."

The profits of the marketplace were immense; giving up a portion of the earnings would not have a significant impact. Li Feng was interested. There was nothing wrong with obtaining more cultivation resources. However, he had his concerns. "Are you not afraid, Sister Hong, that the Guiyuan Kingdom will discover the background of the Tianqi?"

Handing the massive profits of a marketplace to an outsider would certainly prompt the Guiyuan Kingdom to investigate the background and origins of the person in charge.

Speaking of this, Hong Ling’s expression turned cold, and her heart grew heavy. "The Guiyuan Kingdom implemented a policy of total eradication back then. In their records, the Tianqi royal family is extinct. My father had foresight. At the time of Tianqi’s founding, the identities of my mother and me were never revealed to the world, which is why we escaped that disaster. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. The Tianqi clan has been making arrangements with various parties over the years; hiding our background is not a difficult task."