A Prearranged Job in the Cultivation World
[While the three disciples were still arguing, the Crow on the branch had already flapped its wings and flown away.]
[It swept past the eaves of the Alchemy Hall, passed through the bamboo forest Back Mountain, and finally stopped at the top of a green bamboo stalk.]
Deep within the Bamboo Courtyard, an aged figure sat by the window.
The old woman seemed to sense something, slowly raising her head to look at the ordinary Crow outside the bamboo grove.
[The next moment, the Crow lowered its head and, like a real Crow, pecked at its wings.]
The old woman looked for a moment, then looked away, seemingly having noticed nothing.
[But the lamp inside the room flickered slightly.]
[A few days later, the Restrictions outside the Sect Master's cave abode stirred slightly.]
[You raise your hand and wave it, and the Stone Gate opens silently.]
[Si Wangshu stood alone outside the door, still dressed in a light blue and white dress, her demeanor aloof and elegant.]
"Young friend Si, please come in."
[You acted like a gentle senior, personally pouring her a cup of Spirit Tea.]
Si Wangshu did not sit down, but instead walked forward, took out a token from her Storage Ring, and placed it on the stone table.
"Senior, your Third-Grade Alchemist status has been confirmed."
The token felt slightly heavy in my hand. The front bore the cloud-patterned emblem of the Heavenly Certification Alliance, while the back featured intricate authentication Array Patterns. Two ancient characters were engraved in the center: Lu Ping.
[A Third-Grade Alchemist Certificate is something countless Alchemists in the Azure Yang Central Region would spend their entire lives studying and exhausting their wealth, yet they might not be able to obtain it.]
[Now, Si Wangshu simply placed it on the table, as if delivering an ordinary project document.]
[You take the token, scan it with your Divine Sense, and confirm it's correct.]
[The so-called qualification certification is a ladder to heaven for lower-level cultivators, and merely a necessary procedure for Upper Domain Aristocratic Clan.]
[In my past life, I was an ox or horse, taking civil service exams, various qualification exams, and almost losing all my hair.]
[For some, it's just a recommendation email from their Lineage, or a job posting from HR that's essentially a nepotism recruitment notice.]
[The cultivation world is no different.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Calmly accepts the Third-Grade Alchemist Certificate and delivers the Pill Formula as agreed.]
[B: They're demanding exorbitant prices, squeezing every last drop of value from Si Wangshu.]
[C: Divide the Heaven-Mending Lesser Rejuvenation Pill formula into thirty-six installments of paid content, updating two medicinal ingredients monthly, creating a closed-loop knowledge-based paid content system for the cultivation world.]
Lu Ping was truly speechless this time.
I feel like Little B is getting more and more erratic.
Lu Ping really wanted to tell Little B that Xiao Si was a business partner and they couldn't mess around with him.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You then took out a Jade Slip from your Storage Ring and pushed it in front of Si Wangshu.]
"This will belong to Young Friend Si from now on."
[Si Wangshu paused for a moment before picking up the Jade Slip and probing it with her Divine Sense.]
[The cave abode fell silent.]
[She read very quickly, but stopped clearly at the end.]
The Si Clan already possessed a fragment of an ancient elixir formula.
The few spirit medicine needed for that incomplete prescription had become extinct thousands of years ago.
The Pill Formula itself was also incomplete and poorly preserved.
[The herbs you provided are still scarce, and their price won't be cheap.]
[But rarity and extinction are two different things.]
[Things that can be bought with money can enter the resource system of the Aristocratic Clan.]
[Things that can't be bought can only be displayed in the library as legends.]
[More importantly, the Pill Formula you provided includes detailed instructions for every step, from starting the furnace, controlling the fire, adding the ingredients, to collecting the elixir.]
[This is practically a babysitter-level Pill Formula; even if Si Wangshu were to start the furnace herself, she'd have a 30% chance of successfully producing the pills.]
[Si Wangshu solemnly put away the Jade Slip and gave you a very formal junior's bow.]
"Wang Shu will remember this favor."
"The Si Clan will also remember this."
You simply smiled faintly and waved your hand.
[The Friend of Women is now in effect.]
"I have a special connection with young friend Si."
"Today, it's merely the end of a cause and effect."
[The more you say that, the more certain it becomes that he is a high-ranking monk of Great Forest Temple.]
Si Wangshu looked at you with a strange expression.
She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she only pursed her lips slightly.
[You could read a hint of regret in her gaze.]
This is a bit puzzling for you.
Could it be that Si Wangshu is dissatisfied with this transaction?
[Afterwards, you stopped worrying about Si Wangshu's attitude.]
[You just think this deal was a good deal.]
[It was Si Wangshu who gave me the Pill Formula, which I received in return for the legitimate status of a Third-Grade Alchemist, plus a favor from a direct descendant of a powerful Lineage in the Upper Domain.]
[A huge profit.]
[You picked up your teacup and casually mentioned something.]
"Han Changqing's situation is probably not solely due to his own inflated desires."
"From its remaining memories, I glimpsed a trace of connection with the Myriad Demon Domain."
"The Greenwood Sect is merely a small part of the Border Region; the future between the two clans will likely be fraught with instability."
[Upon hearing this, Si Wangshu's expression remained unchanged.]
"The Myriad Demon Domain?"
"The Myriad Demon Domain and my Azure Dragon Domain have been locked in a stalemate for ten thousand years."
[Mutual infiltration and sowing discord between the two races is also a common tactic.]
[You noticed Si Wangshu's reaction and were reminded of the Azure Cloud Sect Envoy's attitude during the last simulation.]
"The Demon Race is a treasure trove; their arrival would be even better."
There is actually no fundamental difference between the two.
[Si Wangshu is just being polite because she respects you.]
A sense of powerlessness rises within you.
[Perhaps, someone had already discovered traces of the Golden Crow Demon Emperor.]
[But no one would have believed that forty years later, the Golden Crow Demon Emperor would be one of the key figures in the collapse of Demon-Severing Cliff.]
[If you weren't a participant in the great battle at Demon-Severing Cliff forty years later, perhaps you wouldn't believe it either.]
[However, since you are, after all, a "virtuous and eminent monk," Si Wangshu naturally dared not disregard your special reminder, and thus nodded.]
"I've taken your advice to heart, senior."
"However, even now within the Si Clan, my voice carries little weight."
"I will report this matter, but I cannot guarantee whether the Lineage will change its assessment of the situation in the Southern Lands as a result."
[You saw that familiar bureaucratic inertia in her reaction once again.]
[As a Third-Grade Alchemist, she could use her authority to complete the task quickly.]
[Because this is within her authority and resources.]
[Even if the source of any intelligence that could potentially influence the Lineage's strategic direction is reliable, it must be reported first.]
[After the report is submitted, someone needs to read it first.]
[After reviewing, it needs to be discussed; after discussion, it needs approval from higher authorities.]
[By the time they nod in agreement, the person in charge may have changed three times already.]
[Finally, they're usually stamped "Under Observation" and stuffed into some cabinet to gather dust.]
[Once the Demon Race actually invades, they can bring it up again and say they had a contingency plan.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Let things take their course, and stop when you've reached a point.]
[B: The tone is further emphasized, implying that the events in the Myriad Demon Domain may affect the overall situation in the Azure Dragon Domain Realm.]
[C: I suggest the Si Clan establish a "Special Office for the Management of Risks Related to the Southern Demon Race Clan," with you serving as its external chief strategic advisor.]