Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 98 The Xu Family Arrives, the Lingyin Grand Competition

After feeding his two apprentices,

Chen Ye gave them a few brief instructions, telling them to stay home and not to wander off.

Afterwards, he activated his Qi-gathering technique and walked slowly towards the free trade area.

In his storage bag, there were still quite a few spoils of war obtained from the traitors.

First, there's a mid-grade first-tier wind blade talisman. It's fairly powerful, but it's practically useless to him. It's better to exchange it for spirit stones.

In addition, there was a low-grade magic weapon, two mid-grade magic weapons, and a severely damaged first-grade mid-grade magic robe, which were looted from the three Stone Mirror Cult cultivators.

These items aren't high-grade, but they still add up to a considerable amount of spirit stones.

As for that Crimson Dragon Spear
Chen Ye originally intended to leave it to Qing Jun, but then realized that the little girl was too short to use the Crimson Dragon Spear at all...

The free trading area was now bustling with people and incredibly lively.

Various shouts of vendors and sounds of bargaining rose and fell.

But the most conspicuous was the Xu family's convoy.

On the largest open space on the west side of the market, a dozen or so giant beast-shaped chariots covered in bronze were neatly arranged, their bodies carved with intricate cloud patterns and their banners fluttering.

On a large, dark black banner, the character "Xu" in a bold, flowing style stands out prominently.

Seven or eight guards dressed in uniform black outfits, all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, were vigilantly patrolling the surroundings.

Ahead of the convoy, a makeshift purchasing platform had been set up. Several middle-aged, composed-looking cultivators dressed in brocade sat there, with spirit stones and various appraisal tools laid out in front of them.

From time to time, rogue cultivators would step forward and carefully present their magical artifacts, hoping to fetch a good price.

"The Xu family...they've come to Yunxifang too?"

Chen Ye's heart stirred slightly.

He remembered Qingjun's background, which was related to the Xu family of Yuexi Lake.

The flags and pomp of this motorcade do indeed befit the status of a large family.

However, there are many families with the same surname in the cultivation world, and it may not be Qingjun's branch.

He suppressed his thoughts and first wandered around the scattered stalls on the outskirts.

That wind blade talisman was fairly powerful, and it was quickly sold for three coins.

The badly damaged robe was almost ignored until an old cultivator who collected scraps bought it for four spirit stones, along with some other worthless items. It was better than nothing.

After dealing with these odds and ends, Chen Ye finally turned his attention to the Xu family's acquisition platform.

In his storage bag, there was still one low-grade magic artifact and two mid-grade magic artifacts, all of which he obtained from those three tribulation cultivators.

In addition, there is that mid-grade first-tier Crimson Dragon Spear.

He originally intended to leave the Crimson Dragon Spear to Qingjun, but that girl is not even as tall as the spear yet, and who knows when she will be able to use it.

It would be more practical to take advantage of the bustling market now and exchange it for spirit stones.

Having made up his mind, Chen Ye slowly walked over.

When it was his turn, a shrewd-looking middle-aged manager with a three-pronged goatee glanced at him and, seeing that his cultivation level was only around the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining, asked indifferently, "What magical artifacts does Fellow Daoist wish to use?"

Chen Ye didn't say much, and took out the three magic weapons of the Tribulation Cultivator and the Crimson Dragon Spear one by one, and placed them on the purchasing platform.

"A low-grade first-tier Flying Cloud Shuttle, a mid-grade first-tier Black Iron Shield, a mid-grade first-tier Moonlit Wheel, and... um? A mid-grade first-tier Crimson Dragon Spear?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the goatee-bearded steward's eyes. These magical artifacts were all of fairly good quality, especially the Crimson Dragon Spear, whose body was faintly glowing with fire, clearly a fine piece.

He picked up the Crimson Dragon Spear, examined it carefully for a moment, and then probed it with his spiritual power. He nodded slightly and said, "The craftsmanship of this Crimson Dragon Spear is acceptable, and the heat is just right. However, it seems to have been tainted by bloodlust, which slightly affected its spirituality. The other three items are just average."

He pondered for a moment, then announced the prices: "The Flying Cloud Shuttle is eight spirit stones, the Black Iron Shield is twenty-six spirit stones, the Moon Wheel is twenty-four spirit stones, and this Crimson Dragon Spear... is thirty spirit stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

The price was fair; there was no deliberate attempt to lower the price, and it was similar to the prices of the magical artifacts that Chen Ye had inquired about at other stalls.

Large families prioritize large, stable quantities and a strong reputation when purchasing goods, and they are not inclined to skimp on the prices of these independent cultivators.

In particular, the Xu family was also buying goods in the free trade zone, clearly taking advantage of the chaos in the market and the large number of magical artifacts on the market, aiming to make a small profit but quick return.

Moreover, the price of the Crimson Dragon Spear was beyond Chen Ye's expectations.

He remembered Lin Qiongyu saying that when she forged this gun, it only cost twenty spirit stones, probably because Xue Chengjun brought the materials himself.

"can."

Chen Ye nodded. Seeing his straightforwardness, the goatee-bearded manager smiled and immediately took out eighty-eight spirit stones, settling the payment with Chen Ye.

After the transaction was completed, Chen Ye did not leave immediately. He asked directly, "May I ask which Xu family you belong to, senior? What is the purpose of collecting so many magical artifacts?"

The goatee-bearded steward was quite frank, laughing as he said:
"Naturally, it's the Xu family of Moon Rhinoceros Lake. These magical artifacts, after a little inventory, can be sent to other markets to earn a few more spirit stones. After all, Yunxi Market has suffered a calamity, and the number of magical artifacts on the market has surged, so the prices have also dropped. Fellow Daoist seems to be quite interested in my Xu family? You've been glancing at us quite often before..."

That's true; when supply exceeds demand, prices will fall.

So the Xu family took advantage of this opportunity to make a large-scale acquisition.

Chen Ye's expression remained unchanged. He laughed and said, "Not at all. I just admired the Xu family's extraordinary grandeur and couldn't help but take a few more glances."

Having said that, he turned and disappeared into the crowd, not lingering any longer.

The goatee-bearded steward stroked his beard as he watched Chen Ye's departing figure, but didn't seem to care.

But from the Xu family's convoy beside them, a slender hand lifted a crack in the carriage curtain. Behind the crack were a pair of slightly narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes:

"Does it look... somewhat familiar?"

At this moment, Chen Ye's storage bag contained more than 214 spirit stones!
Sure enough, murder and arson bring wealth and power...

Most of the spirit stones come from cultivators who have undergone tribulation!

"With these spirit stones, we can make much more comfortable whether we buy pills to help the Evergreen Technique break through or buy some good things for our disciples."

Chen Ye was in a great mood, and his steps became lighter.

……

Two days later.

The market has reopened, and everything is in need of rebuilding.

The Lingyin Sect's outer sect competition and steward assessment will begin today and last for three days.

The first day was the day to assess the Spirit Plant Masters.

The news caused a stir throughout Yunxifang.

This is because this competition is not only testing outer disciples, but also recruiting some independent cultivators with special skills.

For example, cultivators such as spirit plant masters and alchemists.

The central square of Yunxifang was unusually quiet today, with a large open space cleared out. The area was heavily guarded, and disciples of the Lingyin Sect could be seen everywhere.

Several temporary platforms were erected in the center of the square.

At this time, the focus was on confirming the contributions of the outer disciples and compiling a list of rogue cultivators who were preparing to register.

The outer sect competition of the Lingyin Sect is usually held in three different locations.

The competitions at the other two locations have already concluded, but Yunxifang and its surrounding areas were the most affected by the celestial calamity, which is why the competition has been delayed until today.

"Senior Sister Li, are you confident about this competition? I heard that three or four disciples from Peach Mountain Workshop have broken through to the late Qi Refining stage..."

Junior Brother Liu, who was on duty, subtly inquired about the situation.

The outer and inner sects of the Lingyin Sect are not a progressive subordinate relationship, but a parallel training system based on the differences in the disciples' talents.

Disciples with exceptional talent are directly admitted to the inner sect and receive meticulous training from the sect.

Other disciples must participate in the outer sect competition; only the top ten can be admitted to the inner sect.

Li Qiuyun's face darkened, and she sighed:
"There are no fewer than twenty of these outer disciples who are at the late stage of Qi Refining. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to compete with them."

Junior Brother Liu let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and quickly added reassuringly:
“Senior Sister Li, you’ve only been in Yunxi Manor for half a year. Once you accumulate some more contributions, breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining will be a sure thing. If all else fails, you can stay for three years and then return to the sect.”

Junior Brother Liu has been stationed at Yunxifang for two years and has given up any hope of being promoted to the inner sect.

He just wanted to stay there peacefully for a year before returning to his hometown.

It would be even better if Senior Sister Li accompanied me during this time.

Besides... if Senior Sister Li really enters the inner sect, he will never be able to reach her level again.

Li Qiuyun fell silent, feeling sullen at the thought of having to stay in these deep mountains and forests for another year.

There is no other reason,

Firstly, this place is remote, and secondly, the path of cultivation is slow and slow. We are busy with sect contributions all day long, so where do we find the time to cultivate?
"I haven't seen my parents for half a year. I wonder how they are doing at Moon Rhinoceros Lake..."

After a long pause, Li Qiuyun spoke in a low voice.

She was, after all, a young girl fresh out of university; how could she not miss her parents?

Seeing the beauty heartbroken, Junior Brother Liu racked his brains, when suddenly his eyes lit up:
“Senior Sister Li, there’s another way! The sect has a rule that if a rogue cultivator passes the assessment and becomes a steward, he/she needs to return to the sect for three months of training. At the same time, a local outer sect disciple will accompany him/her to help the newly promoted steward/herself become familiar with the sect. After three months, they can return together.”

"In this way, Senior Sister Li can reunite with her parents... Although it's only for three months, if this steward performs well, he can add a large contribution to Senior Sister Li's record!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiuyun sighed softly:
“Junior Brother Liu, being a sect steward isn’t easy. Only one or two people pass the exam each year, and most of them are independent cultivators from Moon Rhinoceros Lake Market. Cloud Creek Market is only a market town that’s been built for a few decades, and it doesn’t even have any cultivation families… Sigh…”

The reason why the sect combines the steward assessment with the outer sect competition is that very few independent cultivators can pass the assessment.

It's a very simple principle.

To pass the assessment, one needs to have considerable skill in the relevant cultivation arts.

This is no easy task.

Inheritance, talent, and time are all indispensable.

The sheer number of those inherited skills is enough to leave many independent cultivators far behind... Surely no one can master the three basic spiritual plant techniques to an extraordinary degree?
Junior Brother Liu offered a feigned consolation: "Perhaps. Hasn't the sect been actively recruiting spirit plant masters lately? This cold disaster has affected a large number of spirit fields within the sect, so they might lower their requirements."

He looked around at the numerous independent cultivators.
The number of cultivators who came to participate in the Spirit Plant Master assessment today was nearly 30% higher than in previous years.

Among them are some medicinal herb farmers who are well-known in Yunxifang.

But Junior Brother Liu secretly sneered in his heart.

Even at the lowest possible level, it's impossible for these people to get a chance!

Their so-called spiritual plant cultivation techniques are probably inferior to those of some outer disciples...

Wait, is this?
The next moment, Junior Brother Liu's face darkened; he had actually seen Chen Ye!
(End of this chapter)