Chapter 360: The Spirit Fox Presents a Treasure

After examining the two jade slips, Qin Ming's face broke into a look of delight.

One of the jade slips sent to him by Su Yuqing listed several substitute spiritual materials for the Divine Wood Pill, while the other recorded the complete refinement method and insights for the Nascent Infant Pill.

It took Qin Ming only a few days to thoroughly digest and comprehend their contents.

"Brother Su truly deserves his reputation as a heavenly genius; regarding his attainments in the Dao of pill refining, I fear even those old monsters from the ancient era could not compare to him."

Qin Ming could not help but sigh with emotion for a moment.

"The matter of the pill formulas is now settled; next, as long as I hasten to gather the corresponding spiritual materials, I can begin the refinement process."

Inside the Small Xiao Lingjing.

Since Qin Ming's three spiritual pets consumed the Beast Emperor Pills, several months had passed, during which the Profound Water Crocodile and the Silver-Winged Frost Bee naturally broke through to the middle stage of Tier Three.

As for the Shi Tian Shu, after consuming two Beast Emperor Pills in succession, its demonic power had increased significantly, yet it failed to break through to the late stage, a fact that left it thoroughly depressed.

Originally, its cultivation level had been far ahead of the others, but now that the second and third had caught up, the Shi Tian Shu felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.

Qin Ming had just finished watering the spiritual fields within the Small Xiao Lingjing when he saw it squatting alone beside the Earth-Heart Spirit Spring, gloomily pondering the life of a mouse; finding its appearance quite amusing, Qin Ming stepped forward and said:

"Even your master, myself, is still striving hard in the middle stage of the Jin Dan; accumulating thickly before releasing thinly is the hard truth."

"You too must guard against arrogance and rashness and solidify your foundations."

"You saw that day the scene when Daoist Ling Yan attempted to break through to become a Tier Four Formed-Demon Great Beast; the further one progresses in cultivation, the less easy it becomes to achieve a breakthrough."

"It relies not only on one's own efforts but also requires immense strength and fortune."

"You must still go out and temper yourself to grow!"

Qin Ming patted its shoulder.

The Shi Tian Shu, as if suddenly stimulated, leaped up immediately and said, "Master's lesson is extremely correct! It has enlightened me completely!"

"I shall go to the Beast Cry Mountain Range right now to temper myself further."

With that said, the Shi Tian Shu grabbed its black steel fork, exited the Small Xiao Lingjing, and plunged headfirst into the Beast Cry Mountain Range. Qin Ming: "..."

Having completed his daily cultivation tasks, Qin Ming came to the Five Elements Mountain spiritual fields to inspect the growth of the spiritual plants.

He was leisurely walking along the Tian Geng when he saw Li Lan approaching from the opposite direction, who bowed respectfully to him and said:

"Greetings, Shopkeeper Lu."

"Mm, what matter do you have?"

Li Lan appeared hesitant, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"Speak directly if you have something to say," Qin Ming said.

The next moment, Li Lan bowed deeply to Qin Ming, then spoke with extreme sincerity: "Shopkeeper Lu, Li Mou greatly admires your attainments in spiritual planting, and thus wishes to take you as a master; I earnestly request that you accept me as your disciple!"

"Ah? Accept a disciple?" Qin Ming was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

He had come to Great Jin merely to seek an opportunity for Nascent Infant formation and had little interest in taking disciples.

Although Qin Ming did feel quite appreciative of Li Lan, a scattered cultivator who had relied on his own exploration to advance step by step to become a Tier Three Superior Spiritual Planter.

It had not reached the point where he needed to take him as a disciple.

"Cough! I am usually busy with numerous affairs and do not have much time to teach you."

"How about this: I can give you some insights on planting Tier Three spiritual plants, but everything in the future will depend on your own self-study and realization."

"However, as a condition, if you break through to become a Tier Three Spiritual Plant Grandmaster, you must plant spiritual rice for me free of charge for thirty years."

"Furthermore, apart from the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, you are not permitted to farm for any other faction."

"As for your leisure time, you may plant other spiritual plants on your own; I will not interfere with that, and it falls outside the scope of this condition."

"What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Li Lan hardly gave it a second thought and agreed immediately.

"Li Mou agrees."

"Then many thanks to Shopkeeper Lu."

Qin Ming smiled slightly, and a jade slip appeared in his right hand, which he handed over to him.

Li Lan accepted it respectfully and withdrew as if he had obtained a priceless treasure, but he had barely left.

When Jia Heyi came running toward Qin Ming with a face full of excitement, clutching something in his hand.

"Good news! Shopkeeper Lu, tremendous good news!"

Jia Heyi rushed hastily to his front and said with immense excitement.

Qin Ming furrowed his brows and couldn't help but ask, "Old Jia, what good news has made you this happy?"

"Shopkeeper, please look; this is an exclusive invitation letter sent by the Wan Dao Shang Alliance, inviting our Mirror Jing Xue Ge to join the Wan Dao Shang Alliance!" Jia Heyi handed the object in his hand to Qin Ming.

After taking it, Qin Ming merely glanced at it and asked dismissively, "Isn't it just joining a merchant alliance? Is it worth being this happy?"

Hearing this, Jia Heyi was stunned, then explained with a dry laugh: "Shopkeeper Lu, you may not know! How many merchant shops have racked their brains, desperate to join the Wan Dao Shang Alliance but unable to find a way in."

"In Great Jin, the Wan Dao Shang Alliance stands as the third largest power after the Li Li Huogong and the Divine Dao Mountain, with its business even spreading across the neighboring Great Li and Great Zhou Immortal Realms."

"After joining the alliance, one can not only enjoy reductions in shop rent and imperial taxes but also receive various supports from the alliance, which brings immense benefits to the future development of a merchant shop."

"Therefore, not just any merchant shop can join; an invitation is issued only after deliberation by the Wan Dao Shang Alliance's Elder Council."

"For a merchant shop, this is also a great recognition and honor."

Qin Ming nodded, "So that is how it is."

Immediately, he raised another rather confusing question:

"But in Great Jin, aside from the rent for opening shops within the market cities, one actually has to pay taxes?"

Jia Heyi replied, "That is correct; the actual controller of Great Jin is the Li Li Huogong, and every year under the imperial rule, a certain amount of tax must be paid."

"However, after joining the Wan Dao Shang Alliance, one enjoys certain preferential policies, which is one of the conditions negotiated through cooperation between the two major powers."

"Besides this, the high-level members of the alliance wish to meet with you for a discussion."

Qin Ming pondered for a moment, then replied directly: "It seems that no matter where or when, even in a large Immortal Realm like Great Jin, the exploitation of the lower classes by those in power is unavoidable. Since that's the case, I might as well join."

"As for signing the Ru Alliance agreement and attending social gatherings, I won't go; you can handle those matters yourself."

Jia Heyi had not expected that, faced with such good news, Qin Ming would remain as calm as a still well, not even bothering to save face for the Shang Alliance's high echelons; he could only drop the matter and busy himself with the arrangements alone.

Apart from his own spiritual plants, Qin Ming seemed indifferent to everything else.

Yet what he did not expect was this:

Several days later, the Shi Tian Shu, previously stimulated by matters of cultivation, returned from the Beast Cry Mountain Range.

Returning alongside it was actually the little silver fox, Yue'er; this fellow Shi Tian Shu wore a face full of spring breeze.

The gloomy air from its earlier failed breakthrough was swept away completely, and all along the way, it chatted and laughed with the little silver fox.

To avoid unnecessary complications, Qin Ming hastily stored both beasts inside his Small Xiao Lingjing.

If anyone were to discover this, would that not be disastrous?

Immediately after, Qin Ming interrogated the Shi Tian Shu:

"You rascal, I sent you out to gain experience, so how did you end up luring her here?"

"Is your hide itching again, is it?"

Hearing this, the Shi Tian Shu smiled awkwardly and explained, "Hehe! Master, it wasn't me who made her come."

"She came of her own accord; we just happened to meet, and she came along the way."

The little silver fox at the side stepped forward, bowed gracefully to Qin Ming, and said in a crisp voice, "Senior Qin, indeed this is not its fault; this humble daughter was ordered by my mother to deliver something to you."

"Previously, we received the great grace of Senior saving our lives, a debt we could never repay; some days ago, while my mother slew our former enemies, she gathered numerous heavenly treasures and rare materials from several tribes, saying that Senior would likely find them useful."

Following this, she took out a storage bag and handed it to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming took it, opened it, and exclaimed, "Whoa, what a haul!"

Inside was a full load of spiritual materials for refining pills; the materials for the Divine Wood Pill, which he had painstakingly sought without success, were now instantly complete.

Not only that, but the materials needed to refine the Five Elements Flags were also fully assembled.

(End of Chapter)