Clan Cultivation: My Intelligence Updated Daily

Chapter 229 Recruiting Alchemists, Requirements for Alchemists

After Zhang Lingyu's expression returned to calm, Zhang Xingfu voiced his concerns: "Clan leader, do you think we need to hire another alchemist?"

With the opening of the Lingkui Sect ruins, the major cultivation worlds surrounding Zhao Kingdom are bound to be in turmoil, and it's not surprising that Tianliu City will see many new faces.

In fact, the intelligence system had been telling him for the past few days that all kinds of cultivators had settled in Zhao State and were just waiting for the ruins to open.

As the deadline approaches, the number of people will only increase.

Although the battles within the ruins will undoubtedly be fierce, these cultivators can currently bring huge profits to the family. Furthermore, the Wanling Mountains are located just outside Tianliu City, and by occasionally going out to clear them out, the pressure of the next hundred-year beast tide will surely be reduced.

As for... hiring an alchemist is very necessary.

Since he was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in his family who knew alchemy, and he couldn't be refining pills all the time, he hired a Foundation Establishment alchemist when the shop opened.

It should have been enough, but with such a big thing happening all of a sudden, we have no choice but to reconsider.

"Uncle Xingfu is right. We should hire another Foundation Establishment Alchemist."

"Then we need to hurry. The inventory is already very tight. Although we have spiritual herbs, no one is refining them... After all, alchemy takes some time."

There are still five or six years before the Spirit Puppet Sect ruins open. This period is the most profitable. After the hype dies down, things will go back to how they are now.

"Time is of the essence. Every day we delay means we'll earn fewer spirit stones. Uncle Xingfu, you've been here a while now, do you know any alchemists? Let's go visit them now!"

"Now, shouldn't we...discuss it with the clan?"

"It's alright, I will personally explain to the family later."

"Alright!" Zhang Xingfu agreed immediately without asking any questions, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Indeed, it takes the approval of those in high positions of power."

Hiring a Foundation Establishment alchemist is quite expensive. If it were a Qi Refining alchemist, he could hire one without hesitation. But he wouldn't dare make such a big decision.

Logically, this matter should be decided by the clan; even as the clan leader, Zhang Lingyu should not make the decision on his own.

But these are extraordinary times, and the clan will probably not blame them.

Zhang Xingfu pondered for a moment, seemingly considering candidates, and then said:

"I have two candidates here. The first is a rogue cultivator named Wu Sheng, who is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. I heard that he obtained a legacy in his early years and became an alchemist. He is kind and friendly, and many rogue cultivators come to him to ask him to refine pills, and he agrees to do so one by one. If I were to hire him, he should not refuse."

"The second one is named Cheng Yu. He was originally a disciple of a Golden Core sect. Due to his eccentric temperament, he was ostracized by his fellow disciples. In a fit of anger, he left the sect and became a rogue cultivator, settling in the inner city. His cultivation has reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. He has superb alchemy skills, and many cultivators come to him for medicine. However, due to his eccentric temperament, he often observes others while refining pills, making it extremely difficult."

He didn't choose blindly; he knew both of them well and they were the most suitable, and he also had a good relationship with them, making them the most likely candidates to be hired.

After all, those who go to the Spirit Puppet Sect to try their luck are all outstanding disciples; going without a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level is just suicide.

There are many alchemists in Tianliu City, but those better than the two have become guest elders under powerful sects, and those less capable are not worth hiring.

How could pills that can support the cultivation of late-stage cultivators be refined by a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

It seems the elixirs won't work, and all those medicinal herbs will have been wasted.

"In that case, let's go visit Cheng Yu. If that doesn't work, let's go see Wu Sheng. If neither of them agrees, let's find someone else to look for."

Zhang Lingyu decisively said, "In addition, I will stay here for a month to refine pills for the shop to relieve the pressure."

"Alright, it's a very special time right now. Although these two are friends with me, they'll probably raise the price at this critical juncture."

"That's true, but as long as the price doesn't exceed our expectations by too much, it's still acceptable."

"With Lingyu here, I feel much more at ease. I'll go make the preparations!"

"By the way, Uncle Xingfu, could you please send a letter to the clan for me, saying that I will be staying here for a month, so that the clan will not worry?"

"Okay, leave it to me." Zhang Xingfu nodded and noted it down, then hurriedly went down to prepare.

......

In a secluded cave within the inner city, a wiry old man steadily controlled the flames in the alchemy furnace before him, his hands forming hand seals. After an unknown amount of time, dozens of fragrant medicinal pills flew out of the furnace. With a gentle lift of his magic power, they flew one by one into the jade bottle on the table.

"call..."

The old man exhaled a breath of stale air, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and then the stone door opened. A disciple quickly entered, knelt down, and respectfully said, "Master."

"The twelve Flame Nether Pills for Fellow Daoist Wang Qingshan of the Inner City have been refined. You may send them over now."

"Yes, disciple understands." The disciple carefully picked up the jade bottle and quickly left.

After the people had gone far away, the old man stretched and was about to rest when he heard a knocking sound coming from outside the stone gate. He then heard another disciple whisper, "Master."

After the people had gone far away, the old man stretched and was about to rest when he heard a knocking sound coming from outside the stone gate. He then heard another disciple whisper, "Master."

"I just finished refining pills and was about to rest. What's the matter that you're in such a hurry!"

"We have distinguished guests visiting."

"What distinguished guest? I'm tired, I won't see him!" The old man was quite annoyed that his rest had been interrupted, and even his scolding turned into a reprimand.

This person was Cheng Yu. Although his cultivation and alchemy skills were among the best in the inner city, his bad temper was also well-known. When he first arrived, several major forces approached him, wanting to hire him as a guest elder, but the prices they offered were too low, so he refused outright.

If you refuse, just refuse; the worst part is calling them stingy.

This was intolerable, and the major powers immediately spread the word that Cheng Yu was greedy and had no sense of propriety, which further damaged his reputation.

Therefore, the major powers would rather find someone inferior to him than hire him. If they were to bring him home, wouldn't that be like paying money to suffer?

Cheng Yu didn't care. He could just take on a few freelance cultivator jobs when he was short of work, and he could make a living.

"It's Zhang Xingfu, the manager of Qingya Pavilion, whom you drank with before, and their... clan head."

"Oh?"

The old man's originally gloomy face immediately lit up with interest. He opened the stone door and looked at his somewhat timid disciple, saying, "Go and tell Clan Chief Zhang that I'll be there right away."

"Understood." The disciple replied and hurriedly left.

Nearly half an hour later, Cheng Yu finally received Zhang Lingyu and the other person. Upon seeing the plump figure, he immediately cupped his hands and smiled, "Manager Zhang, it's been a long time."

"Yes, I remember the last time we had drinks was half a year ago. Please forgive my abrupt visit today."

"Oh, we're all old friends, don't be so formal, don't say anything about bothering us."

"You can't say that..."

Zhang Xingfu chuckled and handed over several jars of wine, saying, "I'm sure you've finished the jars of Qingyun Wine I gave you last time. The clan has sent quite a few more recently, and you were the first person I thought of."

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have any dealings with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, but Cheng Yu was a heavy drinker and frequented Zhang's Restaurant. In order to befriend him, he would simply give him extra drinks each time.

After a while, they became familiar with each other.

It can be said that there are only a handful of cultivators who can see Cheng Yu anytime and anywhere, and he is one of them.

"Manager Zhang didn't come here specifically to deliver wine to me today, did he? I suppose there's something else going on."

Cheng Yu smiled and looked at Zhang Lingyu, who was dressed in green. Zhang Xingfu didn't care and introduced, "I do have something to ask of you today, senior, but it's not me, it's my clan leader. I'm sure you've heard of him."

"That's natural. To fight a Golden Core cultivator to the death in the Water Moon Secret Realm and snatch something from a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator is something I've never heard of before."

The old man laughed heartily, then bowed to the man: "Cheng Yu greets Clan Chief Zhang."

"Senior Cheng, you're too kind. It's the younger generation who should be greeting you."

Zhang Lingyu smiled and said, "I've come here today to bother you because I have a favor to ask of you, senior!"

"Oh, so you've come to ask for a pill? But I've heard that your alchemy skills are outstanding among our generation. What kind of pill could make Clan Chief Zhang ask someone else for help?"

"Senior, you misunderstand. I haven't come here to ask for pills; I'd like to invite you to be my guest alchemist at Qingya Pavilion!"

"Guest advisor?"

Cheng Yu's smile vanished instantly, his expression turning strange. His reputation was infamous; how could anyone dare to hire him these days?

interesting.

"Chief Zhang must be aware of the rumors circulating about me. Aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of?"

Zhang Lingyu smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned about the rumors, and said:

"Alchemists have always been a scarce resource in the cultivation world, let alone someone as skilled as you, senior. It's no problem for the price to be a bit higher."

"Is that so? Chief Zhang, you flatter me too much."

The old man seemed to appreciate these words. In fact, he had always thought so too. Alchemists were the most sought-after profession. Even if no one hired him, people would still come to his door and humbly beg for pills.

Furthermore, there were only a handful of people in the inner city of Tianliu City whose skills were better than his.

That being said, he was used to being free and easy, and his alchemy depended entirely on his mood. If he were to be bound to alchemy for the rest of his life, that would be too boring and dull.

Even without the old man saying anything, Zhang Lingyu could tell; otherwise, he would have joined another aristocratic family or sect long ago. So he said, "I know that senior doesn't want to be bound by such restrictions, and I won't force you. I only ask to serve for five years!"

The Zhang family simply wanted to earn more spirit stones during this gathering of cultivators from all sides. Hiring a late-stage Foundation Establishment alchemist long-term would be quite expensive.

Unless we regain some market share in Tianliu, we will not be adding any more staff in the coming years.

"Five years... that's not a long time. But what I'm curious about is, doesn't Qingya Pavilion already have a Foundation Establishment guest elder? Why look for another one... after all, you're just starting out. Even with me, the pills might not sell well."

Cheng Yu's words hit the nail on the head. The reason for hiring him was simply to refine more pills. Even if the Zhang family had the Li family as their backer, their opponents were all Golden Core forces. Snatching food from the tiger's mouth was not an easy task.

"What you said is true, senior. My Zhang family is indeed not capable of competing with other forces right now. However, the Spirit Puppet Sect will open in less than six years, and cultivators from all sides have already arrived in Tianliu City ahead of schedule."

Zhang Lingyu said with a wry smile, "To be honest, the pills in Qingya Pavilion are almost gone, and one guest elder alone can't handle the workload."

"That's why I came to find you, senior."

"I see..."

Who would let such a good opportunity to earn spirit stones slip by? Besides, he had heard from his disciples that there were many new faces in the city recently, and the number was still increasing.

But hiring a guest advisor at this time... will most likely involve charging extra.

"Hmm...it's not that I can't agree."

The old man looked Zhang Lingyu over for a long time, then suddenly said, "I can become a guest elder of Qingya Pavilion, but as for the price..."

Zhang Lingyu and his nephew exchanged a glance, mentally preparing themselves, and replied, "Please speak, senior."

"I can forgo spirit stones and stipends for the next five years, but you must promise me one thing: a Golden Core spiritual treasure!"

"A Golden Core Spiritual Object!"

Not only Zhang Xingfu, but even Zhang Lingyu was somewhat taken aback, as he himself did not possess any Golden Core spiritual items at the moment.

Why did he join the Spirit Puppet Sect? Wasn't it for the Golden Core and spiritual treasures?

Although the family's current wealth allows them to purchase Golden Core spiritual items, it would come at a great cost, and even if they had them, they would never give them to outsiders.

The value of a Golden Core spiritual item is enough to make an alchemist like Cheng Yu serve his family for more than fifty years!

"Isn't this request a bit too much, senior...?"

"Of course I know, but I'm not asking you to hand it over now, nor is it mandatory. Please let me finish."

Cheng Yu smiled and said:

"I know that Clan Chief Zhang will definitely go to the Spirit Puppet Sect. If he obtains two Golden Core spiritual items there, please give one of them as my salary. Of course, if not, my salary for these five years will be 120,000 spirit stones."

"If I obtain the Golden Core spiritual treasure and successfully form my own core, I guarantee to serve your family for sixty years, without asking for anything in return!"

"If I perish under the heavenly tribulation, all my possessions will be given to you, nobleman. Of course, all my assets combined certainly wouldn't be enough to cover the price of that spiritual item. From the moment I receive it, I will impart all my knowledge to your disciples. What do you think of these terms?"

As a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he is not far from the peak and naturally has the ambition to form his core.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get his hands on any Golden Core spiritual items on the market. Even if he had enough spirit stones, he might not be able to acquire them. When those powerful forces came to hire him, they also made this condition, and unsurprisingly, they were all rejected.

Why would anyone entrust a golden core spiritual treasure to an outsider?

Zhang Lingyu is quite capable; he can hold his own against peak Foundation Establishment cultivators in the mid-stage and is not far from the late stage. Entering the Spirit Puppet Sect might give him a chance to snatch spiritual treasures.

He also wanted to try his luck by going in, but given his own limitations, he knew he would only perish if he went in.

"Clan Chief Zhang, what do you think?" The old man smiled and looked at the man who was still deep in thought. He was not in a hurry. If it were anyone else, they would definitely have thought about it for a long time.

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