At these words, the stone that had only half-settled in Lin Changheng's heart finally came to rest.
As for the "opening of mid-grade privileges" Xu Qianyan had mentioned, it meant exchanging the contribution points he had accumulated by completing tasks for the Xu Family.
It was like an internal merit system within the lineage, and he had been granted access to higher privileges.
Originally, immortal seedlings could only exchange for various low-grade, first-tier items.
"Thank you, Chief."
Xu Qianyan glanced at him and shook his head, his expression earnest. "You earned this through your own strength. There's no need to thank me."
"As for your duties, they simply involve alchemy. When the clan issues a task, go to the General Affairs Hall and claim it yourself."
"As for your compensation, in addition to a full supply of quality spirit tea, spirit rice, and spirit wine, you'll also have access to a spirit vein for cultivation. For the rest, you can either receive a fixed amount of spirit stones or choose a share-based arrangement, where the more you refine, the more you earn."
"You can consider which you prefer and report your decision later."
After Lin Changheng nodded to show he understood, an alchemist handed him a jade slip. Then the group departed in a grand procession.
Watching them disappear, Lin Changheng didn't follow. Instead, he turned and headed to the Hundred Treasures Hall on another mountain.
There, one could exchange contribution points and spirit stones for items, or sell things back to the hall.
A short while later, Lin Changheng emerged from the hall.
His face showed no hint of emotion.
But the pills and storage bags he had looted had all been sold back.
Three ordinary low-grade pills fetched three spirit stones—a fifty-percent discount.
The storage bag sold for only fifty spirit stones.
That was still acceptable.
In total, he had gained fifty-three spirit stones.
The bottle of poison had also been appraised for free. It was a mid-grade, first-tier poison made by mixing the poison glands and sacs of several demonic beasts. Dispersed into the air, it could paralyze the body and dull the senses.
The Hundred Treasures Hall had offered two spirit stones for it, but Lin Changheng had politely declined.
What left him a little frustrated was that the low-grade hammer artifact was deemed too badly damaged, too costly to repair, and potentially hazardous to use. The hall refused to buy it back.
"Maybe I can try my luck at the clan's exchange gathering later."
When he returned to the Tide-Listening Dojo,
Lin Changheng saw another dense crowd gathered at the dojo's entrance.
And among them, Dantai Feiyue stood like the moon amid the stars.
He glanced over once, then walked straight past them.
The Xu Family disciples had clearly noticed him too, and they all turned to look.
But they no longer glared at him with hostility, as if he were their sworn enemy. Instead, their gazes held a complicated curiosity, mingling jealous resentment with reluctant awe.
One of the Xu Family disciples subconsciously touched the low-grade pill newly tucked at his waist. His parents had scrimped and saved to buy the cultivation pill from the Hundred Treasures Hall.
Then he remembered that Lin Changheng was now an alchemist, able to refine pills of that quality with ease. His eyes dimmed.
"Excuse me."
A calm voice rang out.
"Y-yes."
The Xu Family disciples blocking the entrance responded without thinking and, as if under a spell, stepped aside. The crowd surged like a wave, parting uncontrollably to make way.
Dantai Feiyue stood revealed, poised and graceful.
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng thanked them and walked through the gap. As he passed Dantai Feiyue, he gave her a slight nod.
Dantai Feiyue had been about to greet him and exchange a few words. But when she saw that Lin Changheng had no intention of stopping, the smile at the corners of her lips stiffened slightly.
Her gaze lingered on his retreating figure, her red lips pressed together as she pondered something.
As for Lin Changheng, he never once looked back, as if he hadn't noticed anything behind him—or perhaps he simply didn't care.
Back in his courtyard,
Lin Changheng thought of the two options Xu Qianyan had given him: a fixed amount of spirit stones or a share-based arrangement?
He took out the jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and read it carefully.
After one look, Lin Changheng had made his choice—
The second option!
According to the jade slip, if he chose "fixed spirit stones," then every pill he refined would belong to the Xu Family, whether it was a successful pill, an inferior pill, or a failed one!
He would have to provide the full quota, with the number of "pills" matching the number of "batches of ingredients."
With his perfect success rate, where was he supposed to find so many failed and inferior pills?
The first option was out.
That left only the second.
The share-based arrangement was even stricter: for every ten batches of ingredients provided by the Xu Family, he would have to hand over seven proper pills.
No matter how many pills he made in a batch, he would have to turn over seventy percent.
That was two shares more than the original fifty percent. Lin Changheng could accept it. After all, the provisions of spirit rice, spirit tea, and access to a spirit vein had all improved. He also wouldn't have to participate in land reclamation or similar tasks—hidden resources that couldn't be measured in spirit stones.
Besides, this was also a test of one's alchemy skills, an artificially imposed threshold.
It would make guest alchemists with poor skills back down.
After all, under this arrangement, there was no limit to the number of batches one could refine. As long as one was willing to work oneself to the bone, one could keep the furnace burning every day, all twelve months of the year.
If one's alchemy skills were inadequate, the waste would be enormous.
The Xu Family couldn't afford that either.
But if they could get seventy percent, the Xu Family would still profit. They could supply him with as many spirit herbs as he could use.
As a lineage, the Xu Family had a vast household and many interests to consider. Naturally, they had to calculate things carefully.
"No matter how I look at it, I should choose the second option. Although I'll lose two shares, premium-grade pills will increase the value of the overall yield, so the reduced portion won't feel like that much."
"And the basic requirement is ten batches a month. Without affecting my cultivation, I can increase that to around fifteen and build up my reserves as much as possible."
"Right, I also need to keep up with refining the Wood Origin Pill."
After laying out his alchemy plans, Lin Changheng began to think about the issue of blood essence.
This was crucial!
It concerned Lin Changheng's very foundation!
"Logically, the Xu Family has more than a dozen alchemists, and they must produce quite a few failed and inferior pills each month. Could I find a way to get my hands on some?"
"If that's true for low-grade pills, what about mid-grade and high-grade ones? The blood essence of the demonic beasts involved must be much more powerful!"
"Hmm, I happen to be going to the General Affairs Hall tomorrow. I can submit my choice and see if there are any good tasks involving blood essence..."
Thinking this over, Lin Changheng took out a premium-grade Crimson Flame Pill, swallowed it, and began meditating in stillness.
He still had thirteen premium-grade pills in his storage bag!
His supply of proper pills, however, had run out. Before leaving, he had sold them all to Su Shuangjiang,
exchanging every last one for spirit stones.
He had also told her that if she needed anything in the future, she could come find him at the Blackwater River Xu Family.
That was just polite talk... After all, the distance was too great. With the cultivation world in turmoil, even someone at the middle stage of Qi Refining couldn't be sure of traveling safely, even if the journey only took a few days.
At that moment, he had more than a hundred and eighty spirit stones in his storage bag once again.
"Phew~"
The pill slowly dissolved inside him. The medicinal power of the premium-grade pill flowed through his meridians and qi channels as his cultivation technique circulated, spreading through his limbs and bones before finally being refined into magical power and returning to his dantian...
His cultivation continued to advance.
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