Chapter 55 - Arc 5: Loose Cultivator Alliance | Chapter 55: Mission

Chapter 55 - Arc 5: Loose Cultivator Alliance | Chapter 55: Mission

Translator: Lynn

Sponsored chapter (3/10)

The Trading Hall comprised a seven-story tower, with Xu Ziqing having explored the first three floors. However, the fourth floor and those above differed from the lower levels.

The fourth floor served as a hub for issuing tasks to cultivators affiliated with the alliance. It was a place where they could train, earn contributions, or seek survival opportunities. As the widest floor in the tower, it had been expanded through the use of powerful cultivators’ magical techniques, allowing it to accommodate up to a thousand people.

On the fifth floor, the mission recording office could be found. Cultivators who desired specific resources and could afford a substantial price would post their missions there, offering rewards in exchange for contributions. Additionally, cultivators who found themselves unable to defeat an enemy could hire high-ranking cultivators through posted missions. Once confirmed by the steward, these missions would be displayed on the fourth floor. The fourth and fifth floors were closely intertwined.

The sixth floor housed the Treasure Auction Office, where an annual auction took place. At this event, rare and valuable items were sold to the highest bidders.

As for the seventh floor, Xu Ziqing had sensed the presence of a powerful cultivator at the Yuan Transformation stage stationed there. This cultivator’s purpose was to deter anyone involved in illicit trading within the tower.

Considering his limited resources, Xu Ziqing couldn’t ascend to the fifth or sixth floor. However, the fourth floor seemed to be a suitable destination. It would provide an excellent opportunity for him to assess the effectiveness of his cultivation over the past year.

Standing at the entrance of the fourth level, Xu Ziqing observed the surroundings. Many cultivators could be seen gathered together, standing alone in front of the task wall, or hurrying out. Among them, some appeared joyful, while others wore frowns or maintained a cautious demeanor.

This tower level featured eight quest walls, which were categorized into four classes: beginner, intermediate, high level, and difficult tasks. The beginner quests occupied four sides of the wall, the intermediate quests took up two sides, the high-level quests claimed one side, and the difficult tasks were assigned one side as well.

Cultivators who hadn’t established their foundations typically accepted more beginner and intermediate tasks. High-level tasks often required a group effort, while difficult tasks were best avoided unless one had a solid foundation. LaaTest novels on (n)ovelbi/n(.)com

“Within three days, the Wang Clan of Pinglan County in Upper Luzhou will hire eight cultivators above the seventh level of Qi refinement to accompany their clan’s sons and daughters into Shangyan Ridge for a period of two days. The base commission is ten spirit pearls each, with additional rewards for those with higher cultivation.”

The Wang clan, a well-known medium-sized family, existed outside of Upper Luzhou. They specialized in cultivating a spiritual herb known as “double-veined grass” for generations. While others could also cultivate it, the Wang clan’s herbs were of higher quality and potency, for reasons unknown.

The Wang clan had maintained a sensible approach. Although they didn’t align themselves with any major powers, they maintained a strong friendship with the Scattered Cultivator Alliance. Every five years, they paid 50% of their double-veined grass harvest to the alliance, while allocating 20% to other larger powers as a personal favor. Only 30% was kept for the clan’s own use. This strategy helped the clan firmly establish itself over the years.

The fame of the double-veined grass was primarily due to its role as a key ingredient in the Foundation Establishment Pill. When a cultivator reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi refinement, building the foundation was the final obstacle before stepping onto the path of immortal cultivation. This was the first significant breakthrough for cultivators.

However, crossing this barrier was not an easy task. Out of the countless cultivators in the world, only a mere 1% could successfully build a foundation. In other words, one person out of a thousand had a relatively good chance. Even for those expected to build their foundations, it wasn’t simply a matter of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. External assistance was required.

When spiritual energy entered the human body, its violent nature caused trouble, especially during the foundation-building process. Except for single-rooted cultivators who could ensure that only compatible spiritual energy entered their bodies, dual-rooted and mixed-rooted cultivators had to rely on the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Foundation Establishment Pill provided a substantial amount of pure spiritual energy for foundation building and helped the cultivator expel the disordered spiritual energy from their body, ensuring a smooth foundation construction process. Moreover, the higher the quality of the Foundation Establishment Pill, the stronger its effect and usefulness to the cultivator. The quality depended on the alchemist’s skill, the quality of the furnace and fire used, and most importantly, the quality of the various spiritual herbs and materials in the formula.

The “double-veined herb” consisted of two plants, the “golden-veined herb” and the “silver-veined herb.” For high-quality herbs, the two plants needed to have a balanced ratio in terms of fatness stems, leaves, and fullness.

The Wang clan’s double-veined grasses had almost no discrepancies between the golden and silver textures, showcasing the expertise of those tending to the herbs and enabling the Wang clan to stand out among other clans.

Xu Ziqing chose this mission because, in addition to the training aspect, he was also curious to witness how the Wang clan cultivated the spiritual grasses.

<<End of Arc 5: Loose Cultivator Alliance>>

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