Marketplace Assignment (Please Read On and Vote Monthly)

Soaring Cloud Peak, midway up the mountain, Council Hall.

It was early morning. The rain and dew had yet to disperse, and the blazing sun had yet to rise, making the hall seem all the more shadowy and cold.

Ye Jingcheng entered the hall and discovered that he was not the only one summoned by voice transmission this time. Ye Jingli, Ye Jingyun, and Ye Xingyu had also been called.

The three of them were gathered together, discussing something.

Their expressions, however, were all rather grave.

Like him, Ye Jingyun was an alchemist. He shared a character in his name with Ye Haiyun, the Ye Family's Fourth Elder, ranked ninth among the Jing generation, and possessed fairly decent skill in alchemy.

Ye Jingli and Ye Xingyu, meanwhile, were artifact refiners, with the latter also being a first-rank mid-grade artifact refiner of the Ye Family.

Before long, Ye Xingliu, the Ye Family's patriarch, emerged from the side of the hall and looked at the four of them.

"Jingcheng, Xingyu, this matter is rather sudden, but it is extremely urgent for the family!"

"The family's alchemists and artifact refiners at our marketplace shop have all been conscripted by the sect. Yet the shop cannot cease operating, or it would be an enormous loss to the family!"

Ye Xingliu spoke slowly.

There were three sects in the Yan Kingdom, and the Ye Family fell under Taiyi Sect's domain.

Each of those sects had mighty Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, and small clans like the Ye Family relied on their protection.

At the same time, they had to pay annual taxes and tribute, and whenever circumstances changed, they could be conscripted at any time.

This time, the Ye Family's alchemists and artifact refiners had been conscripted. From the looks of it, it was for a fairly large-scale battle.

Yet such conscriptions offered pitifully few benefits beyond the usual spirit stone stipend. Only if one had good relations could one gain access to new pill formulas and artifact-refining diagrams.

If relations were poor, one was nothing more than cheap labor.

Once they had all been conscripted, the Ye Family's marketplace would face long-term shortages.

The Ye Family was no great clan to begin with. If something else went wrong with its marketplace shop, it would severely affect the family's finances.

"When you go to Taihang Marketplace, the family stipend will be doubled directly. In addition, the family will provide you with defensive artifacts and flying artifacts. Spirit pills and artifacts refined at the marketplace will still be purchased according to family policy, so you will not need to sell them yourselves. It is only that your choices in what you refine will be somewhat restricted!"

"No problem, Patriarch!" Ye Xingyu said.

"Third Uncle, we have no problem with it either!" Ye Jingcheng and the other cultivators nodded repeatedly.

They were going to refine pills for the family. Naturally, they would also learn some more pill formulas and artifact-refining array diagrams, while saving a great deal in contribution point exchanges. Of course they were satisfied.

Such a restriction felt like nothing at all instead.

Especially for Ye Jingcheng. He had yet to find the spirit herbs for the mysterious pill formula in his ancient book. Once he reached the marketplace, he could gather them in secret.

Moreover, over the past year, his alchemy had improved, and his contribution points had risen from just over a hundred to two hundred and fifty again.

"Good. Go choose your artifacts from the family treasury yourselves!"

"As for the rest, once you arrive at the marketplace, find your Eldest Uncle, Ye Xinghe. He is still in charge there."

After Ye Xingliu finished giving his instructions, the four of them took their leave.

The matter was urgent, leaving them no time to prepare.

Taihang Marketplace was not close to Soaring Cloud Peak. Even by spirit boat, the journey would take two or three days.

After leaving the Council Hall, the four headed toward the Treasure Hall.

This time, they were selecting artifacts. The one guarding the Treasure Hall was the Eighth Elder, Ye Haiping.

He had clearly heard about their assignment already and immediately led the four of them to the third floor.

The Treasure Hall had three floors in total. The first held miscellaneous items, the second stored inheritances such as cultivation techniques and pill formulas, while the third contained artifacts.

Unlike cultivation techniques and books, which were placed about freely, the artifacts on the third floor were likewise spread across shelves, but each artifact was covered by a thin spiritual barrier.

This was to prevent the artifacts' spiritual power from leaking away with time and needlessly diminishing their might.

"Each of you may choose one offensive artifact and one defensive artifact."

"It is best to choose what suits you. Once you are outside, when cultivators fight, every move is meant to take your life. It is far more dangerous than hunting demons!" Ye Haiping advised from the side, though this was mainly directed at the three inexperienced Jing-generation cultivators.

Ye Jingcheng and the other two nodded, then split up to examine the artifacts.

Almost all three chose defensive artifacts first.

Ye Jingli stood beside Ye Jingcheng as well.

"Jingcheng, I'll help you take a look later!"

Ye Jingli was an artifact refiner, and he owed Ye Jingcheng a favor from before.

"Then thank you, Sixth Brother!" Ye Jingcheng did not stand on ceremony. In artifact refining, he was naturally inferior to Ye Jingli.

The Ye Family had quite a few artifacts. Most were intact, though a small number were damaged.

Ye Jingcheng set his sights on a palm-sized wooden shield and a layer of silver armor.

Both were first-rank mid-grade artifacts. Even if purchased, each would cost one or two hundred spirit stones. This time, the Ye Family had truly gone all out.

"Jingcheng, the armor's defense lies in its all-around coverage, while the wooden shield's defense lies in concentrating on a single point. The latter is certainly stronger than the former!" Ye Jingli explained.

"Moreover, judging from the reinforcement array diagrams, this small shield is far superior to the armor."

"Alright!" Ye Jingcheng nodded and chose the small wooden shield.

By then, Ye Jingli had also made his choice. He picked a small bell, something that could both attack and defend.

He could forge ordinary defensive artifacts himself, so he was not lacking in them.

But when it came time to choose an offensive artifact, Ye Jingcheng found himself in a bind. Ye Jingli could only recommend the better options from the side; what mattered most was suitability, especially since Ye Jingcheng already had a flying sword.

"Jingcheng, that Ironwood Plaque would be a good choice. It goes very well with your Crimson Flame Fox!" After looking through quite a few artifact sabers, axes, flying swords, and spears, Ye Jingli suddenly pointed at a wooden plaque.

Ye Jingcheng looked toward the plaque as well. This wooden-plaque artifact was quite unusual. It resembled a small shield, yet it was only a thin layer, its surface painted with countless ironwood trees growing in luxuriant abundance.

Beside the artifact was an explanation of how to use it. The Ironwood Plaque could unleash innumerable enormous wooden vines within ten meters, binding and trapping enemies.

"Then I'll take this one!" Ye Jingcheng confirmed at once after reading it.

Just as Ye Jingli had said, the Ironwood Plaque paired wonderfully with both the Crimson Flame Fox's fireballs and his flying sword!

Most importantly, his Crimson Flame Fox was no longer capable of merely a single Fireball Art...

There was simply no need for him to pursue even greater offensive power.

Ye Jingcheng chose the Ironwood Plaque, but to his surprise, Ye Jingli selected a pill furnace.

This pill furnace had three handles, and the handles were somewhat chipped!

Yet that did not affect its performance in the slightest. What mattered most in a pill furnace was the furnace body.

At that moment, even Ye Haiping and Ye Xingyu looked over, seemingly impressed despite not understanding why.

After all, an artifact forger choosing a pill furnace as an offensive artifact looked abnormal no matter how one saw it!