Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 85 The Search

As Qu Ye was deep in thought, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.

A short while later, a slightly respectful voice sounded from outside the door.

"Senior, are you there?"

Qu Ye remained expressionless, raised his hand to remove a simple barrier at the courtyard gate, and walked out of Junzhu Residence.

The person who arrived was Han Xuan.

Compared to four years ago, Han Xuan is now much more mature. He has grown taller, his childishness has faded, and his cultivation level has increased from the second level of Qi Refining to the third level.

Upon seeing Qu Ye, he bowed respectfully to her.

"Greetings, senior."

Qu Ye glanced at him: "What is it?"

Over the years, Han Xuan would occasionally inquire about some trivial market news for him, or help him keep an eye on the market conditions of certain shops.

Although the two sides were not particularly close, they maintained a certain level of stable interaction.

Han Xuan didn't dare to keep them in suspense and quickly said, "Senior, the information you asked me to keep an eye on a few days ago has yielded some results."

Qu Ye's gaze sharpened slightly.

"explain."

Han Xuan lowered his voice and said, "In another half month, Wanling Tower will be holding a small trade fair."

"Although it's called a small event, most of the attendees are late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, with a few outer sect deacons, alchemists, and leaders of demon-hunting teams."

"However, this trade fair will not follow the formal auction process. Instead, entry will be by invitation only, and participants will barter or negotiate prices privately."

Qu Ye's expression didn't change much after hearing this, but a thought had already formed in his mind.

How did you know?

Han Xuan answered honestly, "Senior, I learned about this from the conversation between the manager of Baicaozhai and others when I went to Baicaozhai to collect the guide's reward."

"Later, I made a special inquiry and confirmed that the information was correct before I came to tell you, senior."

Qu Ye did not speak immediately.

He had been keeping an eye on news related to foundation building for years, but had not made much progress.

the reason is simple.

The circles that truly involve Foundation Establishment spiritual items and rare elixirs are not easily accessible to cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Now that there is such a trade fair, even if we may not be able to see the Foundation Establishment spiritual items directly, we are very likely to hear some useful information.

The problem is, how do we get this invitation?

He looked up at Han Xuan: "Since you've come to see me, you must have other news, right?"

A cautious smile appeared on Han Xuan's face.

"The senior truly has keen insight."

"I've also learned that although entry to this trade fair is by invitation only, there are other ways to get in. If someone vouches for you and you pay a deposit of twenty spirit stones, you might have a chance to get in."

"However, the guarantor must be at least a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, or a cultivator who has conducted transactions with the Myriad Spirits Pavilion over a long period of time."

Qu Ye frowned slightly.

He had sold spiritual essences at shops like Qinghe Pavilion and Baicaozhai, but had little contact with Wanling Tower.

As for the guarantor, he rarely went out in Yunyang Market, let alone knew any late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

"That's right, maybe he can."

A figure suddenly flashed through Qu Ye's mind.

Immediately, he took out two spirit stones from his storage bag and tossed them to Han Xuan.

"Well done. I'll call you again if needed next time."

Han Xuan accepted the spirit stone with a joyful expression and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, senior."

Qu Ye added, "By the way, keep an eye out for me these next few days to see if there are any other ways to get into this trade fair."

"A further reward will be given if there is any news."

Han Xuan immediately replied, "Yes, I understand."

After saying that, he wisely took his leave without lingering.

After the courtyard gate closed again, a thoughtful look appeared in Qu Ye's eyes.

We need to meet that person first before we can discuss this matter.

If this person can truly act as guarantor, I might be able to find a way to pay some price in exchange for a chance to enter.

If that doesn't work, then we'll have to find another way.

Thinking of this, Qu Ye stopped cultivating and turned around to put the giant sludge and the wary worker bees into his spirit beast bag.

There's no time like the present.

After waiting a short while, estimating that Han Xuan had gone far away, he pushed open the courtyard gate and headed towards the east district.

In the East District, there is a long street that specializes in selling materials for monsters and healing potions.

Qu Ye stood outside a shop, his gaze sweeping through the half-open wooden door into the interior.

This shop specializes in selling spirit wine and spirit food. Although it only has a few common spirit wines and the spirit food is just simply processed monster meat, it is very popular among monster hunters and the business is booming.

With just a quick glance, Qu Ye spotted the figure in the corner by the window.

The man was dressed in a black robe and had a calm expression. He had a thin scar on his forehead that was more prominent than it had been four years ago. It was unclear what kind of monster had injured him, but it was difficult to remove.

He was now holding a bowl made of spirit wood, sipping the spirit wine.

It was Zhang Yanliang.

-

Qu Ye pushed open the shop door and walked towards Zhang Yanliang.

Zhang Yanliang's consciousness stirred slightly, and he turned his head. He was taken aback when he saw Qu Ye. Then, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he cupped his hands in greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, please have a seat."

Qu Ye returned the greeting: "Senior Zhang."

He then sat down in the empty seat opposite Zhang Yanliang.

Two years ago, Qu Ye went to the East District to buy monster meat during his spare time from cultivation.

Because I wanted to try it out and see if different kinds of monster meat affected the improvement of the Blood Melting Body Tempering Technique, I wandered around a bit more, wanting to buy a few different kinds of monster meat to take back with me.

As he passed a street corner, he saw a group of demon hunters returning from hunting demons, dragging behind them the huge corpse of an Iron Mountain Ape.

The leading cultivator was none other than Zhang Yanliang, Qu Ye's previous team leader.

Because Qu Ye maintained the appearance of "Zhang Mingyue", Zhang Yanliang recognized Qu Ye from afar.

After the two recognized each other, Zhang Yanliang invited Qu Ye to the shop, where they ordered a pot of "Crimson Flame Spirit Wine" and a plate of roasted monster meat, and chatted happily.

After the conversation, Qu Ye got up to take his leave.

Before parting, Zhang Yanliang told Qu Ye that if he needed anything, he could come to the shop to find him, but he might not be there.

Therefore, when Qu Ye heard that the trade fair required a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator as a guarantor, he immediately thought of Zhang Yanliang and came to look for him.

After sitting down, Zhang Yanliang asked, "Fellow Daoist Mingyue, what brings you here today?"

Qu Ye clasped his hands in a fist and said, "To be honest, senior, I have come here with a request."

Zhang Yanliang's expression remained unchanged, showing no other emotion: "It's alright, Fellow Daoist Mingyue, please speak. If it is within my power, I will certainly do my utmost to help."

"Thank you, senior."

Qu Ye nodded and said frankly, "I recently wanted to participate in a trade fair, but I was troubled by not having any connections to get an invitation. I happened to learn that this trade fair can be guaranteed entry by a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator."

"After much deliberation, I have no choice but to humbly come to your door and ask Senior Zhang to vouch for me. As a token of my gratitude, I am willing to offer some spirit stones."

After speaking, Qu Ye looked quietly at Zhang Yanliang, waiting for his reply.

Zhang Yanliang thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the Wanling Tower's trade fair?"

"Does the senior know about this?"

"Of course." Zhang Yanliang nodded with a smile. "I thought Fellow Daoist Mingyue had come in such a hurry that there was something important to discuss."

"To be honest, Zhang's demon-hunting team has quite a bit of business with this Wanling Tower. They often trade demon beast materials, which is why they gave me an invitation with my name on it, as well as a blank invitation."

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