All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 245's value is still increasing!
Half a month later, Zhou Qing finally arrived in Jinyun Prefecture from Shuntian Prefecture.

He traveled thousands of miles during the day as usual, and at night he used the Ice Fiend Gu to fly through the air, covering seven or eight hundred miles a day.

Of course, he could have gone even faster, but the closer he got to Zhongzhou, the more cautious he became, so he used the Ice Fiend Gu much less often, which slowed down his travel speed.

The journey itself is rather tedious, so Zhou Qing also searches for poisonous creatures and strange beasts in the towering mountains.

Once you leave the official road, there are indeed many bandits and robbers in the mountains and forests.

Some martial artists would also temporarily take on the role of highway robbers.

Zhou Qingguang earned tens of thousands of taels of silver by killing bandits on the road.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but some martial artists, confident in their strength, insisted on pursuing him relentlessly, leaving Zhou Qing with no choice but to take action.

Fortunately, most of the bandits were only at the Bone Refining Realm, with very few at the Blood Exchange Realm, indicating that even in the Central Continent, those at the Blood Exchange Realm were not uncommon.

Occasionally, one might encounter a few bandits at the Blood Transformation Realm, but they are mostly death row inmates wanted by the imperial court for serious crimes.

Following the map, Zhou Qing traveled and finally entered the heart of Jinyun Prefecture on the morning of the sixteenth day.

The city of Fucheng is visible in the distance, resembling a crouching giant beast.

Zhou Qing arrived at the foot of the city wall and looked up at the city wall, which was dozens of meters high. This was the most magnificent city he had ever seen since he came to this world.

Although it was early morning, there were quite a few locals who came to the market, and a group of people gathered in front of the city gate.

Zhou Qing disguised himself beforehand, blended into the crowd, and entered the city through a wide city gate that could accommodate four carriages side by side.

He entered the main road, where a bustling market was teeming with people. Various stalls lined both sides of the road, and vendors carrying their wares walked through the streets and alleys.

Zhou Qing found a restaurant, booked a superior room, ordered some special dishes and wine to be delivered to the room, had a hearty meal, and then went to sleep immediately.

Once they arrived in the prefectural city, Zhou Qing was no longer in a hurry.

Having endured wind and rain and been under immense mental strain for half a month, he needed to rest properly before visiting the Yao family.

Zhou Qing slept for a full day and night, only getting up at noon the next day.

He ordered a large table of food and wine, then took out a silver ingot and inquired about the Yao family from the waiter.

The waiter naturally knew about the prominent families in Jinyun Prefecture, so he introduced the Yao family's basic situation to Zhou Qing.

"I heard that the young lady from the fourth branch of the Yao family is going to marry into the Xie family of Emerald Valley. When they got engaged last year, the Xie family presented her with a fully grown second-tier water-avoiding python. That was quite a generous gift. They're probably going to get married before the end of this year."

As he spoke, the waiter mentioned what had recently happened to the Yao family.

"The Xie family of Emerald Valley? Are they very powerful?" Zhou Qing expressed appropriate curiosity.

The waiter guessed that Zhou Qing was from out of town, so he continued to explain: "Although the Xie family of Emerald Valley is not as powerful as the Yao family, it is still a newly emerging large family in recent years."

The head of the family is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Grandmaster realm. Moreover, the eldest daughter of the Xie family was taken to the Martial Academy by a master from the capital city in her early years. It is said that she has good relations with some of the major families in the capital and has many business dealings with the Xie family.

As a result, the Xie family's medicinal herb business grew larger and larger, which was the key to the Xie family's rapid rise.

The main reason why the fourth branch of the Yao family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Xie family was because they wanted to use the Xie family's connections to get in touch with the big families in the capital and share the spoils.

Furthermore, the second young master whom Miss Yao is to marry is not yet thirty years old, yet he has already become a Grand Martial Master who has undergone seven blood transfusions; he is renowned throughout our Jin Yun Prefecture.”

"Seven blood transfusions?" Zhou Qing nodded secretly, far inferior to him.

He had previously heard Sima Changhe say that there were several Sima families like his, which led him to overestimate the strength of the younger generation of these aristocratic families.

Looking back now, the Sima family was already a top-tier family in the Great Jin Dynasty, and they might even have had a Martial Saint presiding over the family.

Given good natural talent, coupled with a privileged background and guidance from high-level martial artists from a young age, one can indeed avoid many pitfalls, not to mention that powerful and influential families control most of the world's resources.

Among the younger generation of top families, there may also be martial artists with spiritual bodies. It is not surprising that these people are of higher realm and stronger than Zhou Qing at the same age.

There are people outside people, and there are days outside the sky.

The world is vast, and Zhou Qing believes he is among the top of his peers, but not necessarily the strongest.

After all, he had only been awakened as a spirit for a very short time.

If he had possessed a martial arts spirit body and first-class Gu Master aptitude from the beginning, he would be confident in becoming the number one among his peers.

For now, he only wants to cultivate peacefully, fully utilize his martial arts spirit body and first-class Gu Master aptitude, and compete with the older generation of experts.

"Thank you very much, Brother Er. I have another favor to ask you. I've come to visit an old friend of the Yao family's fourth branch and would like to ask you to deliver a letter and a visiting card. I wonder if it would be convenient for you, Brother Er?"

Zhou Qing came to his senses and took out a letter, a visiting card, and a silver ingot from his pocket.

"You flatter me, sir! This is no trouble at all! I'll go to the Yao family to deliver the message right away!" The waiter took the silver, his face beaming with joy. He respectfully put away the letter and visiting card and left the guest room.

"The Xie family of Emerald Valley does not have a Grandmaster who has achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."

Zhou Qing looked thoughtful.

In his early years, a turning point in his rapid rise to power was when he killed Lin Tianzheng and obtained the Corpse Worm Gu King, whose strength was comparable to that of the Bone Refining Realm.

The Corpse Worm King was the key to his acquisition of the Wood Spirit Corpse and the Ice Soul Mystic Spider.

So he owed Yao Xuewei a huge favor, which he has never repaid.

Based on Yao Xuewei's previous letter, Zhou Qing judged that she was not in this marriage willingly, but was mostly forced by family pressure.

For Zhou Qing now, there is naturally no way to change the Yao family's mind with his strength, and even the Xie family of Emerald Valley is not someone he can easily offend.

Of course, the martial arts world is not all about fighting and killing; it also involves human relationships and social interactions.

The patriarch of the Xie family in Emerald Valley is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

If it were so easy to break through to the Grandmaster level, it wouldn't be the dividing line between ordinary families and powerful clans.

Moreover, no family would complain about having too many Grandmasters.

Zhou Qing's most important purpose in going to Zhongzhou was to collect medicinal materials for refining the Heavenly Spirit Pill and the Five Palaces Forging Yuan Pill.

If this is the exchange, I believe that any one or two sensible people among the family's upper echelons would know which option to choose.

Moreover, this matter can be accomplished as long as either the Yao family or the Xie family of Emerald Valley is willing to cooperate.

Zhou Qing obtains medicinal herbs, shares the elixirs with his collaborators, and can also help Yao Xuewei gain the right to make her own choices.

Get more in one fell swoop.

After figuring out the key points of the matter, Zhou Qing left the restaurant and inquired about the prominent families of Jinyun Prefecture along the way.

Surprisingly, the Xie family has a very good reputation.

"It seems that families that are on the rise are more concerned about their outward image."

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

Of course, he knew in his heart that in actual interactions, everything was based on strength.

After entering the inner city, Zhou Qing found the Xie family's "Xie's Trading Company".

After entering the lobby on the first floor, Zhou Qing looked at the complete range of medicinal herbs and gained a direct understanding of the Xie family's strength.

"Distinguished guest, how may I help you?"

Although Zhou Qing's appearance was unremarkable and his clothes were simple after he disguised himself, the waiter greeted him with a warm smile as soon as he entered the room.

"I need some Heavenly Spirit Fruits that are over a hundred years old. I wonder if your merchant has any in stock?"

Zhou Qing went straight to the point and asked, "A hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit?!" The waiter was taken aback, but his smile grew even brighter. He quickly found a middle-aged man who looked like the manager.

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully. "My name is Xie Feng, and I am the steward of the Xie Family Merchant Guild. Does this distinguished guest truly desire the Hundred-Year Heavenly Spirit Fruit?"

"Absolutely true!"

Zhou Qing nodded.

"Please come upstairs for a chat, esteemed guest," Xie Feng said with a smile, leading Zhou Qing to a private room on the second floor and having servants serve tea.

"May I ask how to address our distinguished guest?"

Xie Feng cupped his hands in greeting.

"My name is Zhou Chaoxian." Zhou Qing did not use his real name directly, as he needed to first ascertain the true strength of the Xie family.

Xie Feng nodded and asked, "May I ask what brings you, esteemed guest, to purchase the Hundred-Year Heavenly Spirit Fruit?"

"Of course it's used for alchemy, what else could it be for?"

Zhou Qing said irritably.

Xie Feng remained unperturbed by Zhou Qing's attitude, and said thoughtfully, "It seems that our distinguished guest is not a local of the prefectural city?"

"Does your company only prioritize selling medicinal herbs to locals?"

Zhou Qing countered with a question.

Xie Feng smiled faintly and shook his head, saying, "You flatter us, esteemed guest. The Xie family is open to business, and all customers are welcome from all over the world. As long as they are not enemies of the Xie family, we welcome all business from anyone."

As for the fact that the distinguished guest is not a local, it's because the martial artists near the prefectural city all know that the older Heavenly Spirit Fruits have already been acquired by the Qi family of Crescent Lake.

Nowadays, it's probably impossible to find many Heavenly Spirit Fruits that are over fifty years old in the entire Golden Cloud Prefecture.

The next batch of Heavenly Spirit Fruits will probably not arrive from the imperial city's channels for several years.

"Several years later?" Zhou Qing frowned slightly.

The Qi family of Crescent Lake is the second most powerful family in Jinyun Prefecture after the Yao family. They have two Grandmasters who have achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, but both of them are only Grandmasters at the First Realm who have condensed the Human Flower. Moreover, one of them is old and nearing the end of his life, while the other has only broken through less than five years ago.

It seems that the Qi family does not want the Xie family to produce a Grandmaster who has achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, so they have tried every means to buy up all the high-quality Heavenly Spirit Fruits in Jinyun Prefecture.

Things were more complicated than Zhou Qing had anticipated.

From this perspective, if he were to refine pills for the Xie family, he would inevitably offend the Qi family.

The gap between second-order and third-order is like an insurmountable chasm.

The difference in strength between someone who has undergone twelve blood transfusions at their peak and someone who has only one foot in the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top is about double.

However, even if one has only taken one step into the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top stage, the difference in strength between them and a true Grandmaster is at least three times, and usually five times.

In other words, a beginner who has just entered the Grandmaster level is six to ten times stronger than someone who has reached the peak of twelve blood exchange stages.

Zhou Qing believed he was now a step above the peak of the twelve-times-blood-changing stage, and even if he were to fight Lan Canghai, who had one foot in the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top stage, he would have a chance of winning. However, he was not so arrogant as to actually challenge a Grandmaster.

"This is indeed an opportunity," Zhou Qing thought to himself, as risk and opportunity usually appear at the same time.

Refining the Heavenly Spirit Pill would offend the Qi family, but it would also improve relations with the Xie family.

The Xie family is currently not as powerful as the Qi family, but the Xie family has a higher future development prospect.

However, the Xie family is now facing pressure from the Qi family, and may place even greater emphasis on the marriage alliance with the Yao family. Therefore, they must deal with this matter as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Xie family can no longer withstand the pressure and turns to the Yao family as a lifeline, Yao Xuewei will have no other choice.

Of course, since it's all a marriage alliance, Zhou Qing doesn't need the Xie family to give up; they can just find someone else.

After all, she was marrying the second young master of the Xie family, the future head of the family. I imagine there would be other women in the Yao family willing to marry her.

The lifespan is almost the same whether one undergoes a blood transfusion or twelve blood transfusions at its peak.

With a certain amount of martial arts talent and resources, breaking through to the Blood Exchange Realm is not difficult. If all else fails, one can take pills that deplete potential.

For martial artists below the Blood Exchange Realm, whether they live for fifty, eighty, or even a hundred years depends heavily on luck.

As long as a martial artist in the Blood Exchange Realm has not suffered serious injuries that have damaged their foundation, they can generally live past one hundred years old, and quite a few even live to be one hundred and twenty and die peacefully in their old age.

"If you don't have the Hundred-Year Heavenly Spirit Fruit, do you have the Five Elements Spiritual Objects or the Purple Moon Lotus?" Zhou Qing then asked.

Without the Hundred-Year Heavenly Spirit Fruit, the efficacy of the Heavenly Spirit Pill refined from it will be greatly reduced, and its effect on breaking through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top will be very small.

However, if you can't refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill, you can choose the Five Palaces Forging Essence Pill, which is more difficult to refine.

Of course, Zhou Qing still wanted to refine the less difficult Heavenly Spirit Pill first as a transition, and then refine the Five Palaces Forging Yuan Pill. By improving his alchemy skills step by step, he could maximize the success rate of pill refining.

As for failure?

The Yuanhun Golden Pill is a third-tier pill. Although it is not difficult to refine, perhaps not even as difficult as the Heavenly Spirit Pill, it is still a genuine third-tier pill.

Zhou Qing now has a success rate of 70% in refining Yuanhun Golden Pills.

Even if you change the type of pill, it's like starting all over again. With such superb alchemy skills as a foundation and such a high success rate, how could you possibly fail to produce a single pill when refining second-tier pills and third-tier pills of ordinary difficulty?

It's difficult to succeed on the first try, but it's equally difficult to fail every time you try to refine it.

"Could our honored guest be a third-level alchemy master?" Xie Feng's gaze sharpened, and his breathing became heavier, but he quickly realized what was going on.

The Xie family's second-tier alchemist failed multiple times in refining Heavenly Spirit Pills, consuming a large amount of the Xie family's resources, and only managed to refine two low-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills. As a result, the patriarch dared not directly go into seclusion to attempt to break through to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm.

Now, the Qi family has plundered all the high-grade Heavenly Spirit Fruits within the territory of Jinyun Prefecture.

Even if some families still have high-aged Heavenly Spirit Fruits, they dare not take them out easily, lest they offend the Qi family.

Moreover, high-aged Heavenly Spirit Fruits are a special resource; many families don't even have enough for their own use, let alone sell them easily.

The reason the Xie family arranged this marriage with the Yao family and promised her the position of principal wife was because the Yao family's fourth branch's dowry included a two-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit.

"I dare not claim to be a master alchemist; I am far from it," Zhou Qing said modestly.

"How can you prove your identity, esteemed guest?" Xie Feng asked cautiously. Although he was worried that the person in front of him was sent by the Qi family, he dared not offend a high-level alchemist before he could confirm it.

"Why should I prove myself? Do I have to be a master alchemist to buy medicinal herbs?" Zhou Qing feigned displeasure.

Seeing his unpleasant expression, Xie Feng became even more humble: "Honored guest, you misunderstand. Heavenly Spirit Fruits are extremely rare these days and cannot be obtained through normal trade. However, if you are a master alchemist, the Xie family guarantees that you will be given priority in obtaining Heavenly Spirit Fruits!"

"Very well, I'll show you what I'm made of."

Zhou Qing's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.

Immediately afterwards, he took out a low-grade alchemy furnace, lit some beast-gold charcoal, and began warming the furnace to refine pills.

Xie Feng was taken aback. Looking at the mediocre alchemy furnace, his lips twitched. Shouldn't it be moved to a different place?
However, in no time at all, Xie Feng's eyes widened even more, and his mouth remained open the entire time.

puff--!
As the alchemy furnace was turned on, a burst of heat rose up, and a unique fragrance wafted over.

Looking at the five milky-white pills in the alchemy furnace, Xie Feng took a deep breath, his face filled with disbelief, thinking to himself, "These are Marrow Cleansing Pills made from low-grade Heavenly Spirit Fruits? Five pills made? And all of them are mid-grade pills!"

"How can there only be five?" At this moment, Zhou Qing scratched his head vigorously, seemingly puzzled. He usually made eight pills at a time.

"I made a mistake this time, I'll try again."

Zhou Qing looked up at Xie Feng, preparing to try again, since the Marrow Cleansing Pill was of medium difficulty among second-tier pills.

However, Xie Feng tilted his head, looking completely bewildered: O_o
(End of this chapter)