Cultivation: From Menial Laborer to Immortal Venerable

However, it was still not enough to buy spirit herbs.

The last time he improved his spiritual root, he used top-grade first-tier Spirit Gathering Grass, which was more expensive than many second-tier spirit herbs.

"If I still want to improve my spiritual root, I'm afraid I'll need at least second-tier spirit herbs for a noticeable effect," Zhou Xun guessed in his heart.

And in the Hundred Treasures Tower, the cheapest second-tier spirit herb cost over 150 spirit stones.

This far exceeded Zhou Xun's budget.

"If it really doesn't work out, I'll just have to wait a few more years to purchase them. My current mid-grade spiritual root is barely sufficient anyway."

Zhou Xun comforted himself.

Another half year passed.

Zhou Xun ranked fifth and successfully advanced to a first-tier alchemist.

According to his original plan, Zhou Xun didn't intend to advance so quickly.

However, to earn enough spirit stones as soon as possible, he had to make some of his pill sales public. This made his identity as an alchemy apprentice somewhat insufficient.

"I ranked seventh during the assessment, and now I'm fifth. My advancement speed has increased a bit, but it's still within a reasonable range!"

Soon, the news of Zhou Xun's advancement gradually spread, and Danbao Pavilion gained another ranked alchemist.

"Alchemist Zhou!"

"Good morning, Alchemist Zhou!"

As soon as he entered Danbao Pavilion, the servants, maids, and alchemy apprentices he encountered greeted him respectfully.

Even many alchemists cupped their fists in greeting and offered kind smiles.

"Alchemist Zhou is really handsome!" a young maid from Danbao Pavilion giggled, covering her mouth as she playfully nudged her companion.

"Yes, Alchemist Zhou is only twenty this year, truly young and promising!"

"If Alchemist Zhou were to fancy me, my life would truly be complete!"

Soon, Zhou Xun arrived at the room assigned to him.

Every ranked alchemist was provided with a private room within Danbao Pavilion.

These rooms were different from the alchemy labs; they were permitted for residence.

Furthermore, these rooms enjoyed a spiritual energy supply from Red Leaf Square, with a concentration roughly equivalent to a lower-grade second-tier spiritual vein.

This was barely enough to support the daily cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Cultivating here would be at least twenty percent faster compared to Green Willow Alley.

However, Zhou Xun had not given up his room in Green Willow Alley.

He completed all his individual alchemy sessions there, so he couldn't terminate the lease yet.

However, one aspect that easily drew attention was the quality of this room, which did not match his status as a first-tier alchemist.

Fortunately, he had lived there for over ten years, so he could claim to miss his old residence, which was a plausible excuse.

This also had the advantage of cultivating an image of someone who cherished the past.

A young alchemist with outstanding looks, who grew up in Red Leaf Square and was deeply nostalgic, was always more trustworthy.

Shortly after entering the room and sitting down, Wang Erniu arrived.

He was now at the middle stage of Qi Refining.

"Big Brother, congratulations on successfully advancing!" Wang Erniu had gained a bit of a portly appearance after two years of living with a prominent family.

However, he still treated Zhou Xun as he did when they first met.

"What, not at home doting on your daughter!" Zhou Xun teased.

The year after Wang Erniu got married, they had a daughter, whom they named Lin Xiuyin.

After that, the former farm boy transformed into a doting father.

Every day was filled with talk of his daughter growing up.

When he spoke, it was always about how his Yin'er was this or that.

"Big Brother has advanced to become an alchemist, so I naturally had to come congratulate you personally!" Wang Erniu laughed heartily!

As he spoke, he handed over a thick tome.

Zhou Xun took it and looked.

"Qi Recovery Pill Formula!"

It was precisely a lower-grade first-tier pill that he had not yet mastered.

A lower-grade first-tier Qi Recovery Pill could restore forty percent of a cultivator at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining's mana in a very short period.

It was a favorite among monster hunters.

Zhou Xun had previously focused his energy on other lower-grade pills and only recently decided to learn the refinement of the Qi Recovery Pill. Wang Erniu had conveniently delivered it this time.

"Erniu, you're very thoughtful!" Zhou Xun said warmly.

"Heh heh, I figured Big Brother would need it for his promotion!" Wang Erniu rubbed his hands together and grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, right, Big Brother, I actually have another matter to discuss!" Wang Erniu suddenly became fidgety.

"What is it?" Zhou Xun felt a flicker of oddness.

"The Family Head sent me to pass on a message. Big Brother, why don't you consider marrying into the Lin Family?"

"After marrying in, the Lin Family will gift you a first-tier high-grade alchemy inheritance for free. They also promise that once Big Brother becomes a high-grade alchemist, the second-tier inheritance will also be handed over with both hands!"

Wang Erniu blurted it all out in one breath.

He genuinely hoped Zhou Xun would join the Lin Family with him.

After all, Wang Erniu's current life was incredibly comfortable.

In terms of cultivation, his spiritual meridians, spirit stones, pills, and techniques were all top-tier supplies.

In his personal life, his wife was a direct descendant of the Lin Family, and he had a beautiful daughter. He was truly a winner in life.

"I have no plans for that at the moment!"

Zhou Xun refused without hesitation.

"Marry into a great clan, enjoy a beautiful wife and concubines, and leave behind a bloodline!" If it had been him before, he might have agreed.

But now that he had the Ningshun Sutra, the great Dao was within reach, so Zhou Xun was naturally unwilling.

Seeing Zhou Xun's serious tone, Wang Erniu didn't try to persuade him further. He knew his Big Brother was a meticulous planner. Changing the subject, he said, "Aren't we going to celebrate Big Brother's advancement to alchemist?"

"Becoming an alchemist is a great joy in life, so of course, we should celebrate!" Zhou Xun replied after a moment's thought.

Hosting a celebration, with the clinking of glasses and toasting at the banquet, was the perfect opportunity to consolidate connections and expand influence.

Furthermore, those with whom he had little or no contact could also use the celebration to visit.

He could then select capable individuals and find opportunities to reciprocate their gifts.

Through these interactions, relationships would be established.

On the day of the banquet, guests flocked in.

Not only were all of Zhou Xun's old friends present, but colleagues from Danbao Pavilion, neighbors from Green Willow Alley, and even some small shops also sent congratulatory gifts.

This was the influence of a young alchemist.

To Zhou Xun's delight, Dan Xiong Hai, whom he hadn't seen in over a year, also appeared at the banquet.

He had already broken through to the middle stage of Body Tempering. His fierce aura was almost oppressively strong, like a demonic beast.

"His progress is so rapid. My childhood friend must have had some extraordinary encounters!" As his childhood friend, Zhou Xun could clearly sense the changes in Dan Xiong Hai.

After leaving behind a body-tempering technique, Dan Xiong Hai left in a hurry.

Besides Dan Xiong Hai, another old friend's transformation pleasantly surprised Zhou Xun.

This person was Lan Song, a former colleague from Mystic Talisman Pavilion.

Now, he was an apprentice talisman master at Mystic Talisman Pavilion. Even more astonishingly, he was also a direct disciple of a first-tier high-grade talisman master at Mystic Talisman Pavilion.

From a status perspective, he was subtly approaching the level of an official talisman master.

"In over a year, Brother Zhou has truly shone brightly!" Lan Song was spirited and no longer displayed the cautiousness he had when working as a handyman.

"Haha, Brother Lan, you're no different! We met in humble beginnings, and we should interact more in the future!" Zhou Xun laughed heartily, grasping Lan Song's wrist to show closeness.

"Brother Zhou speaks wisely!" With that, the two exchanged a knowing smile, their understanding unspoken.

Hong San had also undergone a significant change.

Due to the upheaval in Hundred Savages Mountain, the various halls of the Iron Mountain Gang experienced a sharp decrease in income, and their influence was greatly damaged.

However, Hong San's hall, thanks to Zhou Xun's substantial supply of pills, had risen in prominence.