A New Workstation in Hand
When Lu Ping saw C, he hesitated again.
Something's not right.
Lately, Little C has been acting so normally.
Let's play it safe for now.
Little C, I'll definitely do it next time!
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You take out Third-Grade Alchemist Certificate from your Storage Ring and hand it to Hall Master Yi.]
[Hall Master Yi reached out and took it.]
[He had been keeping a stern expression, but after his Divine Sense swept over the cyan-gold token, his arm froze in mid-air.]
A nearby Alchemist took a half-step closer.
"Master, what level of Alchemist certificate is this? I don't think I've ever seen one before."
[Hall Master Yi did not answer.]
He scanned it again.
[Third-Grade Alchemist Certificate]
[Heavenly Certification Alliance]
[Certificate number, official seal, and examination record are all complete.]
[When Hall Master Yi looked up at you again, most of the impatience in his eyes had dissipated.]
[As a major sect in the Yi Wood Middle Domain, the Thousand Mechanisms Sect actually only has one Third-Grade Alchemist in its entire Alchemy Hall.]
[It took over two hundred years of hard work to reach level three, relying solely on seniority and skill.]
[Third-Grade Alchemist isn't unheard of in the Central Region, but in the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, that's a bit too much.]
[And you, as an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, becoming Third-Grade Alchemist is somewhat disrespectful.]
[Ye Zhi, standing to the side, wore an expression that said, "I knew it."]
[He already knew what was going on when he saw you take out the top-grade Detoxification Pill and the top-grade healing pill.]
[Anyone capable of consistently producing this quality is at least a top-tier level two expert.]
[He went to great lengths to invite you to the Thousand Mechanisms Sect because he valued your alchemy skills.]
[Now that the Third-Grade Alchemist Certificate is displayed, things go smoothly.]
[Hall Master Yi returned the token to you, speaking more slowly.]
"Elder Lu, with his Level 3 certificate and affiliation to the Alchemy Hall, is naturally qualified."
Several Alchemists at the entrance exchanged glances.
[One of the tall, Alchemists immediately pulled his head back in.]
[He was just about to laugh at the Guest Elder.]
[Right now, he only feels his face is a little hot.]
[Third-Grade Alchemist isn't someone you can just hire to take advantage of.]
[This means someone who's been invited to dine at the head table in the Alchemy Hall.]
[Hall Master Yi leads you inside and pulls out the register of guest retainers.]
["Name."]
["Lu Ping."]
"Mainly skilled in alchemy?"
"Poisons, antidotes, healing agents, and qi-gathering agents are all acceptable."
[Hall Master Yi paused, his tone somewhat displeased,]
"Anything is fine?"
That's a rather arrogant statement.
[The biggest taboo for Alchemist is claiming to know everything.]
The more versatile you are, the easier it is to become an expert in nothing.
[Especially since you claimed you could concoct poisons.]
[Back at Demon-Severing Cliff, poison masters were a distinct entity, separate from Alchemists.]
[Even later on, "Breaking Bad" became your signature symbol.]
[Ye Zhi immediately added a sentence.]
"Brother Lu's 'every' of these Pills was a great help on this mission."
[Ye Zhi emphasized the word "each and every kind".]
[After typing "poison, antidote," Hall Master Yi paused for a moment.]
"Healing and energy-gathering skills will be discussed later."
[You didn't argue.]
[It's a standard procedure for new employees to be pressured by their superiors when joining a new department.]
[As long as you don't withhold wages, everything is negotiable.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Following Hall Master Yi's instructions, first familiarize yourself with the Alchemy Hall.]
[B: On the spot, he took out several bottles of Spirit-Winding Thread and Spirit-Chaos Lure, and told Hall Master Yi what it meant to be a "foreign monk who can chant scriptures."]
[C: It is proposed that the Alchemy Hall implement a KPI system, with the bottom-ranked Alchemists being eliminated, and the Hall Master giving a year-end performance review.]
Little B, you should take a rest.
This time, we won't be doing the typical pretentious, face-slapping scenario.
First, get your employee ID and workstation.
There will be plenty of opportunities to prove them wrong.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
"I will obey the Palace Master's arrangements."
[The Flattery has taken effect.]
[Seeing that you had no objections, Hall Master Yi's attitude softened considerably.]
He took out a token and stamped it with the seal of the Alchemy Hall.
"The Guest Elders of the Alchemy Hall are appointed according to the standards of a third-level Alchemist."
"Commonly used medicinal herbs can be obtained from the medicine storehouse if there are tasks available."
"The Earthfire Alchemy Chamber is free to use for ten days each month."
"If the stay exceeds ten days, the customer will be responsible for the cost."
[When you hear the words "at your own expense," that familiar feeling finally returns.]
[As expected, no matter how large a sect is, there's no such thing as free Earthfire.]
[Cultivation-based capitalism will never allow workers to obtain the means of production for free.]
[After completing the formalities, Ye Zhi will personally take you to the Guest Elder's cave abode.]
[Located on a side peak of the Alchemy Hall, halfway up the mountain with an excellent view.]
"Brother Lu, you're new here, take your time to familiarize yourself with the surroundings."
"My injuries have not yet healed, so I will not disturb you any longer."
"If anything happens within the sect, you can come to Weizhao Peak to find me anytime."
[Having said that, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished.]
[You watched the direction he disappeared in, gripped the token in your hand, and turned to walk towards your new "office".]
The cave abode entrance opened silently before you.
A rich Spiritual Qi wafted over me.
You take a deep breath, and feel every one of your 36,000 pores open up.
[You enter the cave abode and survey its interior.]
[The space is extremely large, divided into an alchemy room, a meditation room, and a reception area.]
[In the center of the alchemy chamber, the Earthfire Vent steadily spews forth a ghostly blue flame of extremely high purity.]
[The cave abode's walls were covered with intricate Array Patterns and complete Restriction.]
The Spiritual Qi concentration in this cave abode far surpasses that of the Greenwood Sect.
[It's even several levels higher than the A-Class Cave Abode of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association in Qingyang City.]
[Activate all Restriction Sound-Isolating Formation, Body-Guarding Formation, and Spirit Gathering Formation that come with the cave abode.]
[To be on the safe side, you also took out the Spirit-Winding Thread and the Spirit-Chaos Lure, and sprinkled an invisible poison net in every hidden corner.]
[You sit on the white Meditation Cushion, and can't help but sigh.]
[In a Central Region, the best locations and resources are indeed still occupied by major sects like the Thousand Mechanisms Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect.]
Compared to this place, your Greenwood Sect isn't even worth mentioning, let alone a slum.
[Options pop up.]
[A: Begin your cultivation, and cherish this wonderful environment.]
[B: Finally, I have time to take stock of my loot.]
[C: Hang a sign at the entrance of the cave abode that reads "Lu Family Shared cave abode," charge by the hour, and profit from the difference.]