Cooperation

Collaborate with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?

Upon hearing Shopkeeper Xu's words, Chen Changming's breath hitched; the scene before him felt utterly surreal.

The prestigious Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion actually wanted to collaborate with a lowly first-level Qi Refining cultivator like him?

This was simply inconceivable!

Taking a deep breath, Chen Changming asked slowly, "How shall we collaborate?"

Shopkeeper Xu seemed to value his Cloud Rain Art highly; could it be that he wanted him to water the spirit rice grown by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?

If it were merely watering, he could certainly agree to that.

"To be frank, my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has a plot of medicinal fields where the plants are growing slowly. We wish to borrow your hand to water them. Ten times a month, and we shall provide you with fifty low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills as compensation."

Shopkeeper Xu said.

After speaking, he stared intently at the youth, observing his reaction.

For a small first-level Qi Refining cultivator, fifty Spirit Gathering Pills a month was already an astronomical figure.

"Fifty pills..."

Chen Changming blinked, also staring intently at Shopkeeper Xu.

Fifty Spirit Gathering Pills a month in exchange for ten watering sessions was a profitable deal for him. If he watered them for half a year, that would be three hundred Spirit Gathering Pills—far more lucrative than his spirit rice cultivation.

He did not agree immediately, deliberately stalling to test the other's reaction.

Seeing Chen Changming hesitate, Shopkeeper Xu thought to himself that although this Lingxiao Sect chore disciple was very young, his mind was quite shrewd. Recalling the young lady's instructions, he gritted his teeth and said, "If you find that amount insufficient, then let us do this: one hundred Spirit Gathering Pills per month. This is the greatest sincerity my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion can offer."

In truth, one hundred low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills meant very little to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. If that medicinal field matured, the profits it brought would far exceed the initial investment of pills.

"Very well."

Chen Changming agreed quickly.

If he didn't accept such favorable terms, he would truly be out of his mind.

Like the spirit rice, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's medicinal fields required constant watering until maturity. This was a long-term business; if Chen Changming could maintain this, he would no longer have to worry about the Spirit Gathering Pills needed for his cultivation.

Seeing the youth agree, Shopkeeper Xu was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Fellow Daoist, please follow me."

Chen Changming followed.

"Young Lady, the person is here."

On the top floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Shopkeeper Xu led Chen Changming into a private room and spoke with great respect to the woman in white standing by the window.

"Very well, you may go."

The woman in white turned around, but a white veil covered her face, making it impossible to see her true appearance.

However, those beautiful eyes were truly stunning—bright, limpid, and full of charm; one look was enough to make them unforgettable.

"Chen Changming, these are one hundred low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills."

The woman in white pointed to a white porcelain bottle on the table, her words suddenly shocking.

"You..."

Chen Changming's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at the woman in white in disbelief, his heart filled with panic.

He, a Lingxiao Sect chore disciple who had carefully disguised himself, had been seen through at a single glance by this young lady of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion!

The woman in white parted her red lips slightly and smiled, "You need not be surprised. You are merely a chore disciple, new to the path of immortality, so naturally, you do not yet understand the wonders of divine sense. With just one sweep of my divine sense, I could see your true appearance..."

Divine sense!

Hearing her words, Chen Changming finally realized where he had lost.

He was indeed too weak and completely ignorant of many common truths in the cultivation world. His idea that he could remain unrecognized simply by wearing a cloak was, in fact, a laughable act in front of a true expert.

"If you wish to avoid being probed by divine sense, my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion can gift you a cloak artifact that isolates divine sense."

The woman in white said with a smile.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was the first time she had conversed like this with a little first-level Qi Refining fellow. From the youth's repeated shocks, she felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure rising in her heart.

The feeling was quite marvelous.

Therefore, she decided to gift this little cultivator a cloak artifact to continue surprising him.

A cloak artifact?

Chen Changming felt a surge of joy; this was exactly what he had been longing for. However, he had heard that artifacts were always extremely expensive, and even if she offered it for free, he could not afford to accept it.

"Young... Young Lady, I cannot accept a reward for no merit."

Chen Changming sighed softly.

At this moment, he removed his cloak, and his speech returned to normal.

All his information had been thoroughly investigated by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion; there was no longer any need to hide.

After a moment of thought, the woman in white smiled brightly, "How about this: this medicinal field is of vital importance to my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Can you swear not to leak this matter to anyone?"

"Very well."

Chen Changming nodded, then swore a solemn oath.

"Take this cloak. Your cultivation is low right now, so you can drip a drop of blood onto it to claim it as your own."

The woman in white took out a black cloak, placed it on the table as well, and gently instructed him.

"Thank you."

Chen Changming hurriedly expressed his gratitude and tucked both the white porcelain bottle and the black cloak into his Storage Bag.

"Follow me."

The woman in white turned and walked out. Chen Changming quickly followed. After a few steps, they arrived at a platform where a black hawk, ten feet in length, stood silently, radiating a powerful aura.

Chen Changming suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

"Little Black is a Foundation Establishment Realm spirit beast. Your cultivation is still low, so it is difficult for you to endure..."

The woman in white waved her hand gently, and an invisible force enveloped Chen Changming, blocking all the pressure.

A Foundation Establishment Realm spirit beast!

Chen Changming was startled. Such a beast was so powerful that its mere aura made him feel as if he were dying.

A beam of light appeared out of thin air, lifting them both onto the hawk's back.

The black hawk flapped its wings and soared into the high sky in the blink of an eye. Looking down at the shrinking Lingyun City, Chen Changming felt even more shocked and bewildered.

This Foundation Establishment Realm spirit beast was actually a flying mount.

Just what was the cultivation level of this eldest lady from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, that she could afford to use a spirit beast of such caliber?

The black hawk tore through the air and departed.

Gale-force winds whistled past, but protected by that layer of power, Chen Changming felt nothing. He kept his mouth shut, saying not a word, and waited in silence.

He could see now that this herb field was of great importance to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

They likely hadn't been able to find anyone proficient in the Cloud Rain Art, and now, having no other choice, they had turned to a low-level cultivator like him, who was only at the first level of Qi Refining.

Half an hour later.

The black hawk folded its wings and landed on a mountain peak.

Chen Changming looked closely and discovered that this place appeared to be a ruin, filled with broken walls and overgrown weeds. However, the area outside a certain cave had been kept very clean, and dozens of people were standing guard there.

"We have arrived."

The woman in white grabbed the youth and flew directly to the entrance of the cave.

"Greetings, Miss."

The group hurriedly bowed respectfully.

"Mm, there is no need for such formalities."

The woman in white smiled slightly, stood at the cave entrance, and gazed inward as she said, "The space within the Ziyuan Secret Realm has been relatively stable recently; I hope it can hold out until the spiritual herbs reach maturity..."

An old man in black robes approached, looked at Chen Changming, and frowned. "Miss, does this person truly possess such ability?"

"Yes, he has cultivated mid-grade spiritual rice and has a certain level of attainment in the Cloud Rain Art."

The woman in white nodded.

Hiss!

The old man in black robes gasped, utterly shocked.

To have such talent at only the first level of Qi Refining was truly rare!

Ignoring the old man's shock, the woman in white smiled slightly and waved her hand. "Someone, take Fellow Daoist Chen into the secret realm."

"Understood."

A young man walked up to Chen Changming, signaled to him, and headed toward the cave.

Chen Changming hurriedly followed.

The two walked side by side and stepped into the entrance almost simultaneously. At that moment, a layer of water-like ripples suddenly appeared at the threshold, shimmering as they allowed the two to pass through without obstruction.