Chapter 158: Cooperating After the New Year

Having Cai Jiao put the seeds away for safekeeping, Ruan Xing went to see Qintai He, casually fabricating a background for the two people Sword Lai brought, claiming they were attendants.

Qintai He did not pay it any mind, assuming they were just playmates of a similar age she had found.

He had no other business with Ruan Xing; he had only called her to eat together, and upon learning that Ruan Xing was in seclusion, he did not disturb her again.

It was just that he seemed to have been stimulated by Ruan Xing's lightning-fast cultivation speed during this period, so he also began to seclude himself for cultivation, occasionally coming out for two days to eat Spirit Food and refine Spirit Qi, while spending the rest of his time locked in his quiet room, determined not to come out until he broke through to the Golden Core Mid-stage.

As the end of the year approached, snowflakes began to drift in Xizhou, and the white plum blossoms in the courtyard bloomed and fell; Qintai He finally emerged from seclusion.

"Congratulations to Elder Brother on your breakthrough~" Ruan Xing blinked playfully.

Qintai He also pursed his lips slightly to reveal a smile, then asked, "It seems to have been noisy outside; has something happened?"

"It's the New Year. Haven't you ever celebrated the New Year in Central Province?"

Qintai He was stunned for a moment, "... No. Do cultivators in Xizhou celebrate the New Year like mortals?"

Ruan Xing naturally did not know, so Cang Lin stood behind Qintai He and said in a gentle voice, "No matter how many cultivators are in a family, every person is a mortal until the age of thirteen. Celebrating the New Year... is merely finding an excuse to accompany children in their play, so most cultivators who dote on their children will celebrate it."

Qintai He was silent.

So, the lights constantly flickering in the distance were not cultivators fighting with Magic Arts, but parents using Magic Arts to show their children fireworks.

"When you were young, your parents probably took you to experience these things," Ruan Xing comforted him.

"But I no longer remember." When his father died, he was only one or two years old, and his mother had been depressed ever since; even when she had good days, she only talked and laughed with him, rarely taking him out to play.

"You can experience it now," Cang Lin suddenly said. He looked at the two of them, and a hint of a smile appeared on his usually indifferent face, "Aren't there children here, too?"

Ruan Xing was stunned for a moment.

Although she was already a big shot at the Nascent Soul Stage, she was still a child under six feet tall.

Never mind, she would just treat it as accompanying Qintai He to reminisce about his childhood.

And incidentally, commemorate the second New Year she had spent in the world of Cultivation!

Ruan Xing happily went to call Sword Lai and Cai Jiao, and the group went out together.

The street was full of parents with an immortal aura and children bundled up like round balls, which was a bit amusing to see. Occasionally, a few children wearing Dharma Artifact robes who were not afraid of the cold would walk by with their heads held high, drawing envious gazes.

In the city square, there were Illusion Performances organized by cultivators. Accompanied by their families, the children were immersed in safe illusions, watching the Immortals riding clouds and mist and the Cultivators slaying demons inside, gasping in surprise, imagining that they too could become such powerful figures after they drew in Qi and became cultivators.

But for Ruan Xing and Qintai He, this kind of environment had too many flaws; the special effects were not even as good as 3D movies, and they saw through them easily.

And Sword Lai and Cai Jiao had no interest, because they themselves were the kind of monsters in the eyes of ordinary people.

"If you want to see something real, we can go to the riverbank on the outskirts of the city; there are Monster Beast performances," Cang Lin suggested.

The group then went to the outskirts, where a crowd was also gathered, watching several yellow eels swimming in the water to form various patterns and characters, and koi fish of different colors circling and leaping out of the water.

Qintai He's expression was somewhat surprised, "This... I see that several of them are already Foundation Establishment Monster Beasts. There are many children in the audience who are mortals; is there no danger?"

"Basically, there is no danger..." Cang Lin said, "Because these are captive Monster Beasts, raised and trained by cultivators since birth, with almost no wild nature."

A koi fish leaped high from the water, turning in mid-air, its tail slapping the water to create beautiful splashes, and seven-colored rainbows instantly streaked across the river surface, drawing cheers from the children.

Cai Jiao stood on tiptoe and watched eagerly; if not for Sword Lai holding her back, and the fact that she could not speak, she would probably have been shouting excitedly.

Her fragmented memories were all bits and pieces of the mortal world; where had she ever seen such a fantastic and gorgeous world of Cultivation?

A cultivator said something to the management personnel maintaining order by the river, and that koi fish was scooped up with a Net-shaped Magical Artifact, sealed with a few Magic Arts, and handed to that cultivator.

Ruan Xing saw this and asked curiously, "What is that?"

"Koi meat has a mild nature, most suitable for children around the time of drawing in Qi to nourish themselves," Cang Lin said leisurely, then added, "The day you returned to Xizhou, I also chose koi fish here to take back for cooking, and since this is an industry within the clan, it is much cheaper for us to buy than for other cultivators."

"So that's how it is," Ruan Xing nodded.

"Young Master, that person is the Clan Leader of a small clan attached to the Qintai Family. He came personally to choose a koi fish from the performance; it seems he attaches great importance to that child's aptitude. Would you like to go over and get acquainted and offer congratulations?" Cang Lin asked Qintai He for his wishes.

Qintai He was still hesitating, but Ruan Xing thought of his encounter seven years later, and her heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly said, "Better not. You have no foundation in the clan right now; I think it is not good to rashly go and get acquainted."

Cang Lin was stunned for a moment, then realized, "That is true. Young Master currently has no position in the clan; it is indeed inappropriate. It is better to keep a low profile and talk about it later."

Not having to take the initiative to strike up a conversation with a stranger, Qintai He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Her original intention was to take Qintai He and the two little ones to relax, but she had almost made Qintai He shoulder the pressure of competing for the position of Clan Leader heir again.

She could understand Cang Lin's expectations, but Ruan Xing actually did not want Qintai He to take this path. Although it would be more helpful to her if Qintai He could really become the heir to the Clan Leader, his personality was not suitable. Even if he survived the seventh year, there would be the dangers of the eighth and ninth years waiting for him. The current Clan Leader had only just succeeded for twenty-some years; even if Qintai He really became the heir, there were still many years before he could break through to Spirit Severing, and accidents could happen in between. Moreover, the Internal Energy technique he practiced was not a clan technique, which would also become a great obstacle for him.

It was just that she had no way to explain all these things clearly to Cang Lin and Qintai He one by one.

After strolling through the market opened in the city and buying some food and dolls, Ruan Xing prepared to return.

Of course, Sword Lai and Cai Jiao could not eat those things; they could only smell them and then watch Ruan Xing eat them eagerly.

Once the New Year passed, spring began. Ruan Xing flipped through her Storage Bag and found that invitation.

Before going out, Ruan Xing decided to cast a divination first, so she opened the Text Simulation.

Although a simulation at the Nascent Soul Stage now cost ten thousand points, for the sake of her own safety, the money that needed to be spent had to be spent.

【Simulation in progress】

At eight years old, you go to the headquarters of Wanbao Tower in Dongzhou to participate in the Alchemist Exchange Meeting. At the meeting, the batch of Breaking Boundary Pill you refined stunned everyone with an extremely high success rate, winning you a spot in the top three.

After the competition, you receive an invitation from Wanbao Tower, asking if you are willing to cooperate with them. They will cultivate you, let you inherit the Second Floor Master's alchemy techniques and Pill recipes, and establish a Contract. You will provide a certain quantity and grade of Pills to Wanbao Tower every year, and the Pills you refine cannot be sold publicly. Before the Contract ends, you must cultivate a new generation of alchemists for Wanbao Tower as successors. You agree to the demands of Wanbao Tower.

At nine years old, you settle down in Dongzhou, follow the Second Floor Master to refine your alchemy techniques, and entrust all the Pills you refine in a year to Wanbao Tower for sale, earning a considerable amount of remuneration.

At sixteen years old, you learn many new Pill recipes at Wanbao Tower.

At two hundred and eight years old, one day while in the middle of refining pills, you suddenly feel a palpitation, and you die.

【Simulation ended】

After thinking about it, Ruan Xing chose a random skill and gained some experience in alchemy, but still failed to break through to the Sixth-Tier.

Perhaps the Sixth-Tier was a chasm that was very difficult to cross.

This trip to Dongzhou had no problems; she basically did not encounter any danger. She was quite willing to reach this agreement with Wanbao Tower; it could help her obtain more Pill recipes and help her sell the refined Pills, and the Spirit Stones obtained could be used for her simulations.

This deal was, for her, simply a huge profit.

It's just that the age at the time of this death... is exactly two hundred years from now, and the cause of death is still unknown.

Why is this? Clearly, when she was increasing her cultivation in Xizhou, she could simulate up to four hundred years old at most.

It seems that due to some unknown influence, she has gained another death tribulation two hundred years from now, but it doesn't matter; a Simulation is a Simulation, and reality is reality. She cannot possibly still be at the Early Nascent Soul Stage in two hundred years, and there will surely be a way to resolve it by then.

Ruan Xing packed her things and bid farewell to Qintai He. Before leaving, she asked for some more Spirit Stones and basic cultivation resources, saying they were for her two attendants.

After Qintai He gave them to her quite generously, Ruan Xing took out the five thousand Spirit Stones from inside and stuffed a Breaking Boundary Pill in, then had Sword come to deliver this Storage Bag back to Nanzhou for Ruan Tao and Hu San.

After all, she is the Sect Master of the Fengling Yueying Sect and cannot fail to consider the disciples in her sect. Sword can return while invisible, which is very safe, and she is not worried at all about being discovered.

Moreover, she is already at the Nascent Soul Stage now and does not really need Sword's protection for the time being.

Her reason for not giving Spirit Stones is firstly that she needs them for her own Simulations, and secondly, she is worried that if she gives them, the Demon Lord might trick them into using them for other things. It is better to give Pills, Array Disks, and Dharma Artifacts directly; their grades are low, so the Demon Lord won't look down on them, and they are just right for Ruan Tao and Hu San to use.

After all, the Demon Lord has lived for so many years and has much more experience than her; even though he has become her Puppet now, she is still afraid of the Demon Lord causing trouble.

For these past two years, there has been no movement from the Demon Lord or the Fairy in the mental link; it might be because they are far away, or perhaps because the two of them do not want to pay attention to her.

After Sword left, Ruan Xing stuffed A Jiao back into the Storage Bag.

She had originally worried that A Jiao would become disobedient after playing wildly outside for this period, but unexpectedly, A Jiao was very well-behaved. She nodded, hugged the seeds and the Soul Nourishing Wood, and lay motionless in the Storage Bag; she didn't even glance at the Wooden Horse Cloth Doll toy that Ruan Xing had placed beside her.

"How nice, Sword is obedient number one, and A Jiao is obedient number two," Ruan Xing sighed with emotion, "Good children are always the most likable."

Boarding the Shuttle Spirit Boat, Ruan Xing flew toward the direction of Dongzhou.

Canghai City, Dongzhou.

Ruan Xing had been here once in a Simulation, but this was her first time in reality.

Only, last time she didn't know that this was the headquarters of Wanbao Tower.

The direct-controlled sect of Canghai City is the Mysterious Grade Sect, which is the Fairy's sect; it has remained standing for thousands of years and is also one of the three major sects.

She inquired a little bit and did not hear any news about the Mysterious Grade Sect's ancestors or any Demon Cultivators who had come from afar.

So she felt at ease to go find Wanbao Tower to make contact.

By showing the invitation card at any Wanbao Tower shop in Canghai City, there would naturally be an attendant inside to lead the way and guide her to the headquarters of Wanbao Tower.

The estate, which was almost as large as half of Canghai City, had a decoration style that was as golden and magnificent as ever. Ruan Xing followed behind the attendant, passing through layers of winding corridors, and was led into a corner building.

The corner building was shaped like the character 'hui' (回), with a large open space in the middle resembling a small plaza. A few tables and chairs were placed there in isolation, and overhead was a semi-circular dome canopy with various patterns hollowed out along the edges, the light filtering through illuminating every part of the venue.

"The reception hall on the first floor is where the various Alchemists exchange ideas, while the second and third floors are for lodging. You may choose any unoccupied room to stay in," the attendant guided her thoughtfully.

Ruan Xing nodded and asked, "How many Alchemists are participating in this exchange meeting in total?"

"This cannot be determined yet," the attendant said with an apologetic face, "A total of two hundred invitation cards were sent out, but many Immortal Masters have yet to reply."

There are also those like Ruan Xing who come directly without replying to the invitation, and these are the Alchemists that Wanbao Tower likes the most.

Not replying to the invitation proves that she has no powerful family or foundation and does not understand the etiquette and rules of replying. Such a Cultivator, who is satisfied if they alone are fed, is easier for Wanbao Tower to cooperate with.

Moreover, the exchange meeting is not held at a fixed time; it could be once every three years or once every five years, depending specifically on the mood of the Second Floor Master. They, as attendants, cannot predict it based on the scale of previous sessions.

Seeing that the attendant did not know any useful information, Ruan Xing waved her hand and let her go attend to her own business.

Ruan Xing strolled around the first floor herself and only saw a few Cultivators chatting with acquaintances; she did not go up to join them.

There are still seven or eight days until the twelfth of March, and she doesn't know how many Cultivators will come by then, but Ruan Xing is not worried. The Simulator already told her that a single furnace of Breaking Boundary Pills is enough to look down upon the crowd; among these Alchemists, there are probably few who can compete.

Most of the one hundred rooms on the second floor were already full, and a few people were scattered on the third floor. Ruan Xing guessed that the two hundred invitation cards would definitely not all be fulfilled, so to be a bit quieter, she also found a room on the third floor to stay in.

The furnishings in the room were elegant, the layout was simple, and most importantly, there was a bed.

It seems that the Cultivators who came to participate are not all third-rank Alchemists; there are likely low-rank ones as well. Wanbao Tower values potential and talent; even if one is a First-rank Alchemist, as long as they have talent in alchemy, they will receive an invitation.

Stretching her waist, Ruan Xing flopped onto the bed.

She squinted her eyes and thought, in seven or eight days, Sword should be back. His current strength is only equivalent to the Golden Core Late Stage; should she find a way to raise Sword's cultivation a bit, or have him learn a few more Magic Arts from the Nether Ghost Record?

Thanks to _Panda-kun_ for the tip~ Thanks to Book Friend 20221023004510870 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to high school student Zhou Yingting for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20240511135128652 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Xiao Miao'er for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to ek0113 for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)