"But am I, Lin, really the sort to let others control me? I'll still rent this house to you, but the rent will rise by fifty percent. Otherwise, I won't be able to account for it!"
"Whether you rent it or not, consider it carefully!"
With that, he raised his spirit tea and took a light sip.
"Fifty percent!" Hearing that number, Zhou Xun fell silent. Only after a long while did he ask:
"May I ask whether the person who delivered this message is surnamed Wei?"
"That's right! That man became a talisman master at the age of twenty-three. His momentum is at its peak, and he has no small chance of advancing to Tier 1 High-Grade in the future. I advise you not to make an enemy of him!"
"A talisman master?"
"That's right. Three days ago, he successfully advanced to become a talisman master!"
So that was it. Zhou Xun understood in an instant. He had come from Mystic Talisman Pavilion himself, so how could he not know the standing of a Tier 1 High-Grade talisman master?
Such a person was absolutely no less formidable than someone at the peak of Qi Condensation.
No wonder he had been dismissed so quickly.
"Thank you for the warden's advice. Zhou will remember it. I'll rent this house!"
Only the houses in the southeastern district of Red Leaf Square were cheap. Other than this place, he could not afford to rent anywhere else.
Zhou Xun gave a bow, then immediately took out 150 Spirit Essence and gently set them down.
Warden Lin counted them and, finding no mistake, put them away before turning to leave.
After Warden Lin departed, Zhou Xun sank into thought.
Sure enough, the moment the Wei Brothers made their move, they struck straight at his vital point.
Fortunately, Warden Lin had come through for him. Otherwise, if he could not rent a house, he could only live outside Red Leaf Square. With his Qi Condensation Level 2 cultivation—
All the Wei Brothers needed to do was spread word that he had come from Hundred Talisman Pavilion and had accumulated a great number of spirit stones. He would surely die without even a burial ground.
At that thought, a chill ran through Zhou Xun's heart.
"I still underestimated them. I never expected Wei Shangren, who usually loafed and played tricks, to possess such scheming!"
"If I get the chance, I must get rid of them. Otherwise, I'll never know another day of peace!
According to his original calculations, he should have had 110 Spirit Essence left after renting the house. Now that the rent had risen by fifty percent, only sixty remained.
Even if he did not count cultivation resources and bought only spirit rice, it would last him merely half a year.
Besides, he had to prepare next year's rent in advance.
"I'd better find work quickly!"
When he returned to West Square, it was packed with voices and people. Everyone wore an excited, fervent expression.
Puzzled, Zhou Xun hurriedly asked an Elder nearby.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what has happened here to make everyone so excited?"
The Elder's hair was gray and white. His robe appeared to be no ordinary garment, though it was quite old and bore several scorch marks. A faint medicinal fragrance still lingered about it.
It seemed he had once been wealthy, only to fall into decline.
"Fellow Daoist?"
Seeing that it was a handsome young man with red lips, white teeth, and a face like polished jade calling him that, the Elder's expression turned somewhat strange. Still, he patiently explained:
"You may not know this, Fellow Daoist."
"Five days ago, Grandmaster Yun Ku of the Lin Family Pill Refinement Hall successfully broke through into the Foundation Establishment Realm and advanced to become a Tier 2 mid-grade Pill Refinement Master."
"To celebrate and expand, the Lin Family Pill Refinement Hall has decided to recruit ten Pill Refinement Apprentices and thirty Spirit Contract Laborers. This is a tremendous opportunity for Rogue Cultivators like us!"
"What!"
Hearing this news, Zhou Xun's heart stirred.
He vaguely remembered that the reason his former self had been able to join Mystic Talisman Pavilion as a Spirit Contract Laborer was because, three years ago, the Second Elder of Mystic Talisman Pavilion had advanced to become a Tier 2 talisman master. As the pavilion expanded, it recruited six apprentices and twenty Spirit Contract Laborers, giving Zhou Xun his chance to enter.
Now that he had encountered such an opportunity again, he absolutely could not let it slip by.
"Do you know the requirements for this recruitment, Fellow Daoist?"
Naturally, becoming an apprentice or Spirit Contract Laborer at a pill refinement hall came with certain thresholds. It was not as though just anyone could join.
"First, one must have a clear background and a clean record. Those born and raised in Red Leaf Square are naturally even better."
"Second, Pill Refinement Apprentices must be under eighteen years old and have cultivation at Qi Condensation Level 3 or above. They will then be selected based on merit."
"As for Spirit Contract Laborers, they must reach Qi Condensation Level 3 before the age of thirty, or Qi Condensation Level 2 before eighteen!" After saying this, he glanced at Zhou Xun and said regretfully, "It's a pity you are about to reach the peak of Qi Condensation Level 2. You are only a hair's breadth from the apprentice standard. What a pity, what a pity!"
As the Elder spoke, he began to sigh.
Hearing this, Zhou Xun's heart stirred.
There were so many requirements for Pill Refinement Apprentices, yet cultivation was the only one he lacked. Perhaps there was still room to maneuver. On the surface, however, he remained humble:
"What is there to regret? I am merely a Rogue Cultivator. If I can enter the Lin Family as a Spirit Contract Laborer, I'll already be completely satisfied. As for becoming an apprentice, I dare not hope for it!"
"Neither arrogant nor impetuous, knowing what to take and what to abandon, aware of yourself—you have fine temperament. It is only a pity that your talent and cultivation are too poor!" The Elder stroked his beard, carrying the air of one who played through the mortal world.
"Contentment brings happiness. It is good that you can see things so clearly, Fellow Daoist!"
"When does registration begin?" Zhou Xun hurriedly asked.
For large-scale recruitment like this, announcements were usually made in advance. Registration came first, followed by selection.
If he were given some time and paid a certain price, perhaps he could break through before the selection!
"Exactly one month from today, public registration and selection will both take place here. I hope Fellow Daoist gets his wish then!"
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!" Zhou Xun cupped his hands and bowed.
One month. I still have a chance!
Zhou Xun was overjoyed.
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, Pill Refinement Masters held the most revered status.
An ordinary Tier 1 High-Grade Pill Refinement Master could become an honored guest of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Before his breakthrough, Grandmaster Yun Ku had been a Tier 2 Low-Grade Pill Refinement Master. Though his cultivation had only been Qi Condensation Level 9, his status surpassed even that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.
Now that he had advanced to Tier 2 mid-grade, his standing was even close to that of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator. Throughout Red Leaf Square, he ranked among the top five.
If Zhou Xun could join the Lin Family Pill Refinement Hall and become a Pill Refinement Apprentice under Grandmaster Yun Ku, the Wei Brothers would surely no longer dare trouble him.
Furthermore, becoming a Pill Refinement Apprentice had another benefit: he would be able to come into contact with all kinds of spirit plants openly and legitimately.
His Ningshun Sutra would finally have a place to show its worth.
At that thought, Zhou Xun no longer had any mind to look for work.
Without the slightest hesitation, he headed east toward the pill refinement hall.
He had decided to buy a Qi Induction Pill.
The Qi Induction Pill was a medicine that consolidated one's foundation and nourished one's origin. It was suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Condensation, and many cultivators at the peak of Qi Condensation Level 2 used it to break through.
But this pill was expensive. One cost at least 40 Spirit Essence.
"Although I'm not yet at the peak of Qi Condensation Level 2, and the chance of directly breaking through to Level 3 after taking a Qi Induction Pill is not great, such an opportunity is right before me. It's worth taking a gamble!"
After walking along a long flagstone road and turning several street corners, he arrived before the Lin Family Pill Refinement Hall.
The Lin Family Pill Refinement Hall was the largest pill shop in Red Leaf Square, imposing and magnificent.
The complex had one main building and four auxiliary buildings. Its highest point was around seven or eight zhang tall, and its roof rose high into the air. The entire Ten Thousand Treasures Hall covered nearly a hundred zhang in every direction, with winding corridors, upturned eaves, carved railings, and painted beams. It was truly grand and resplendent.
Two guards stood at the entrance, both experts at the peak of Qi Condensation Level 3.
Zhou Xun stepped through the doors and went straight to the area selling pills for the early stages of Qi Condensation.
"Young master, what pill would you like to buy?"
"A Qi Induction Pill!"
"Forty-one Spirit Essence in total!"
Without hesitation, Zhou Xun took out the Spirit Essence. He accepted a medicine bottle containing the Qi Induction Pill from the shopkeeper, then hurried away toward his home.
Just as he reached the mouth of the alley, Zhou Xun encountered quite a few passersby, all cultivators living in Green Willow Alley.
The neighbors were looking at him strangely!
Zhou Xun found it odd.
Only when he drew close did he hear that they were talking about him. Their voices drifted faintly into his ears.
"Did you hear? Zhou Xun was supposedly kicked out of Mystic Talisman Pavilion!" The speaker was a young man dressed like a servant, who usually called Zhou Xun Brother Zhou this and Brother Zhou that whenever he saw him.
"Heh heh, so he got this kind of ending too!" The person beside him gloated.
When he had worked at Mystic Talisman Pavilion, quite a few people had been jealous of him.
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