Chapter 55

  The Trading Hall is a seven-story tower. The first three floors have been visited by Xu Ziqing, while the fourth floor and above are different from the lower three floors.

  The fourth floor is a place where tasks are issued for the cultivators in the alliance to practice or earn contributions. When the cultivator reaches a certain bottleneck or needs to survive, they will come here. Therefore, this is also the widest layer in the entire tower, which can accommodate thousands of people with great magical powers.

  The fifth floor is the task recording area, where monks who want to obtain certain resources and are willing to pay a high price can publish tasks to contribute rewards. Alternatively, if a monk has an enemy that cannot be defeated, they can also publish a task to hire higher-level monks for assistance. Once this task is confirmed by the person in charge of this floor, it will be published on the fourth floor. It can be said that the fourth and fifth floors of the two towers are closely related.

  The sixth floor is the Treasure Auction House, where at the end of each year, the Scattered Repair Alliance will hold an auction, selling rare and precious items to the highest bidder.

  As for the seventh floor... it was as Xu Ziqing had sensed at first, a powerful cultivator of the Hua Yuan period sat in town, intimidating all those who traded in the tower!

  Xu Ziqing's resources were limited, and the fifth or sixth floor was out of his reach. However, this fourth floor... was a good place for him to go. It would also allow him to test the effectiveness of his cultivation over the past year.

  He stood at the entrance of the fourth floor, and in a glance, he saw many monks either gathered together or standing alone in front of the task wall, or hurrying out. There were joyful ones, frowning ones, and cautious onlookers, with all sorts of expressions, which could be glimpsed here.

  There are eight task walls in this tower, and the tasks are divided into four levels: primary tasks, intermediate tasks, advanced tasks, and difficult tasks. Primary tasks occupy four sides of the wall, intermediate tasks two sides, advanced tasks one side, and difficult tasks also one side.

  For cultivators who have not yet established their foundation, it is still better to accept primary and intermediate tasks. High-level tasks often require gathering a group of helpers to go together, while difficult tasks... If you haven't established your foundation, it's best not to get involved.

  Now Xu Ziqing is standing in front of the primary task wall, slowly observing the difficulty and price of this task.

  Only when he took a closer look did Xu Ziqing realize that these tasks were not limited to the scattered repair alliance, but also included those released by the cultivators.

  For example, on the left side of the first wall, there is a bounty for the head of the Xishan bandit leader. The person who posted it is surprisingly the county magistrate of Ling Water County at the foot of Xishan. The reward is not limited to contributions, but three lingzhu. If converted to contributions, it would be 300 contributions.

  This was indeed an easy task, as the person in charge of verifying the alliance found that the leader of the gang was actually a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining. No wonder ordinary people's tasks could enter this loose cultivators' trading hall.

  Xu Ziqing was still observing when the silk cloth recording this task suddenly ignited silently. In an instant, he understood that someone had already completed this task.

  It's clear that the person in charge of the alliance hadn't taken over, otherwise the cloth would have changed from white to purple, and this task had been eliminated... Xu Ziqing thought for a moment and also understood.

  It's roughly the same task that was posted in the Xianyu Auction House, and it should also be displayed in other sects or aristocratic families.

  Looking back on the days at the Xu family temple, before Xu Ziqing started doing odd jobs in Bai Cao Garden, someone asked him to choose one of three paths. At that time, wasn't the first path just completing the tasks assigned by the family? I suppose it has something to do with the way things are done in this Transaction Hall as well.

  Xu Ziqing didn't think much of it and shifted his gaze to watch other tasks instead.

  There are many primary tasks, most of which are ordinary people or low-ranking cultivators offering rewards for beheading, and some are looking for people to avenge them. All of these require harming human lives. Others involve demonic beasts causing trouble, also requiring killing to resolve.

  After he had looked at all four walls, he also felt a little clearer in his mind.

  If it's really about finding something, anything that can be considered a low-level task, it must not be hard to find and can usually be found in various markets or trading places, no need for rewards. Therefore, only such revenge and evil deeds that are beyond one's own power would require asking others for help.

  Just then, Xu Ziqing suddenly saw a young monk walking quickly towards him. He swiftly pulled down over ten pieces of cloth from the wall with a "brush brush" sound and stuffed them into his bosom before heading outside.

  The blank space on the wall where the silk fabric was torn off was soon covered with a identical purple silk fabric, which also means that these more than ten tasks were all taken away by that young monk!

  Xu Ziqing couldn't help but be shocked, and carefully read through these dozen or so tasks again before suddenly realizing.

  It turned out that all these tasks were to get rid of the first-order Yao beast, and in more than a dozen tasks, the place where the Yao beast appeared was all in a region southeast of Shang Luzhou. The young monk was originally going in that direction anyway, since one task was received, ten tasks were also received, and within his ability, why not receive them all at once?

  It's really convenient this way.

  After finishing the low-level task, Xu Ziqing didn't want to take on this task.

  He now has a cultivation base of eight layers of refining energy, and this time he came out to hone his skills in preparation for promotion, not entirely to contribute. Therefore, he looked at all the low-level tasks, which were of no benefit to him, and naturally would not adopt them.

  Then he came before the two walls of the middle-level task.

  In this mid-level task, there are no rare plants with bounties. The principle is roughly the same as that of low-level tasks. Therefore, the tasks here can be divided into two categories.

  One type is bounty hunting and exterminating monsters, while another type is hired as a bodyguard.

  The lives that are being hunted here, most of their cultivation is between the fifth and eighth layers of Qi Refining. Among them, there are many evil leaders who have committed heinous crimes against heaven and reason. There are also those who were originally immortal cultivators but fell into the devil's path due to a momentary lapse in judgment and can no longer turn back, and they too are hung on the mission board.

  As for the demon beasts, most of them were second-class.

  What Xuzi Qing had his eye on was a job as a hired guard.

  Only because this type of task is more difficult than the first two and also not that rigid.

  In general, this type of task is set up for the young masters of the family to practice and hone their skills. Not only are they protected by the strong experts within their own family, but also by hired wandering cultivators who help them gain experience and ensure their safety.

  There are also those who venture into dangerous terrain to compete for some precious object, at which point the hired guards only need to protect their employer's life without having to risk their own lives.

  Xu Ziqing looked carefully at the middle-level task wall for a while and finally chose one.

  He walked forward and lifted up the brocade cloth.

  Within three days, Wang of Pinglan County in Luzhou hired eight Qi-refining cultivators above the seventh layer to accompany his clan's younger generation to practice at Shan'ai Ridge for two days. The reward was ten spiritual beads per person as a base, with additional rewards for those with higher cultivation levels.

  The Sanxiu Alliance is the most powerful in Shangluo State, but apart from Shangluo State, there are many other clans. Among them, the Wang clan is also a well-known middle-class family that has been able to cultivate a kind of spiritual grass called "Double-striped Grass" for generations. It's not that others can't grow it, it's just that this family's Double-striped Grass is better in quality and more effective as medicine than others.

  The Wang clan was also very astute, although they didn't rely on any major power, they were quite close to the Scattered Cultivation Alliance. Every five years, they would hand over 50% of the twin-patterned grass they cultivated to the Scattered Cultivation Alliance, and another 20% would be given as gifts to other slightly larger powers, as a personal favor. Only 30% was left for their own use within the clan. As a result, over the years, they were able to steadily take root.

  As for why this pair of grass is so famous? It's because it's one of the main medicines in Jibitang.

  When any cultivator has cultivated to the peak of the tenth layer of Lianqi, there is only one more hurdle left, and they can successfully lay their foundation. From then on, they will truly step into the threshold of immortality cultivation, and it can also be said that they have broken through the first difficult problem.

  But this pass is not so easy to cross, there are many Taoist priests in the world. Just this foundation-building pass alone will eliminate 99% of the practitioners - in other words, if one person out of a thousand can build the foundation, it's already an extremely low probability.

  Even if one has the potential to build a foundation, it is not entirely dependent on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to achieve success. In most cases, external assistance is also required.

  After the spiritual energy of heaven and earth enters the human body, those with incompatible attributes become extremely violent. Normally, due to their small quantity, they won't cause much trouble, but when building the foundation, they will start causing trouble.

  Unless they are single-spirited cultivators, they can guarantee that when absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, only the spiritual energy that matches their spiritual root attribute will enter, so they can rely on their own strength to build their foundation. As for other double-spirited roots or even more mixed spiritual roots, they must use foundation-building pills.

  This Zhū Jī Dān, not only can provide a large amount of pure spiritual energy during the foundation-building period, but also help the cultivator to eliminate the chaotic spiritual energy in the body during the foundation-building period, allowing the cultivator to successfully build their foundation.

  At the same time, the higher the quality of the foundation-building pill, the stronger its effect on the cultivator. So how can one obtain a foundation-building pill of even higher quality? Firstly, it depends on the skill of the alchemist; secondly, it relies on the quality of the alchemical furnace and flame; thirdly... it is also dependent on the quality of the various spiritual herbs and materials in the pill formula.

  Double-strand grass refers to two strands of spiritual grass, one is golden thread grass and the other is silver thread grass. If you want high quality, you must have two strands of spiritual grass growing in balance. The closer the fatness, stem and leaf fullness are, the better the quality will be.

  The Wang clan's double-patterned grass, the golden and silver patterned grass, had almost no errors, showing that the person who cultivated the spiritual grass was highly skilled, and also allowed the Wang clan to stand out among many other clans.

  Xu Ziqing chose this task, apart from the consideration of having experience, was also to take a look at the Wang family's methods for cultivating spiritual grass.

  He was also a miscellaneous worker in the Xu family's Baicao Garden, and he loved to be with Lingcao. Now that he has learned "Wanmu Zhongxin", he is even more interested in plants.

  "Ten Thousand Trees Gather the Heart" can contain ten thousand trees, among which there is not only the use of attacking and defending with ten thousand trees, but also catalyzing ten thousand trees, so that those who cultivate this skill will not be troubled by the lack of spiritual materials for cultivation.

  For example, this twin-patterned grass, if Xu Zi Qing could obtain its seeds and infuse them into his Dan Tian, after his cultivation reached a certain depth, he would be able to induce the growth of the twin-patterned grass for his own use.

  Xu Ziqing made up his mind and didn't go to the wall of high-level tasks and difficult tasks again. Naturally, he also didn't see the only new task that had been added in recent years among those difficult tasks.

  "The Xu family of Upper Qū Continent is seeking aid, a matter of the struggle for dominance among the aristocratic families. The four stages of sea beasts have transformed into Yuan period high-ranking officials. The entire clan's resources are being offered as a reward to attract high-ranking cultivators, a long-term pursuit."

  The white silk cloth on which this task was written had somehow turned purple at some point.

  When he reached the first floor, Xu Ziqing brushed past someone and walked out of the trading hall. He didn't notice the person's appearance, nor did he realize that when this person saw Xu Ziqing, his face changed slightly.

  After he left, he quickened his pace and arrived at the second floor of the tower. There were already two people waiting here, one of whom saw him coming up and said: "Younger brother, why are you so slow?"

  "This man hastily said: 'I've seen Xu Ziqing!'"

  "The oldest one among them immediately spoke up: 'Yuan Liang, are you certain you didn't see it wrongly?'"

  Ruan Yuanliang said: "It's really him, even if he turns into ashes I can recognize him!"

  Wang Jun and Nian Hongzhi exchanged a glance, both with some delight in their eyes.

  Since then, the three brothers carefully investigated his whereabouts after plotting to harm Xu Ziqing. Later, they found out that Xu Ziqing had obtained a first-class token due to the relationship with the Young Alliance Master Su Xun and had already gone into seclusion.

  They naturally wouldn't be willing to give up, Xu Ziqing could be said to be one of his three heart-piercing thorns. If he couldn't pull it out, he was afraid that it would affect his mood and also make it impossible for him to cultivate smoothly.

  So the three of them took turns waiting at the foot of Lingguan Mountain for three consecutive months, but they never saw Xu Ziqing come down from the mountain.

  Nian Hongzhi and others seemed to understand that Xu Ziqing wanted to retreat for a long time, and they couldn't just sit around doing nothing, so they reluctantly left, preparing to find another opportunity.

  A year later, Ruan Yuanliang unexpectedly ran into Xu Ziqing again, and their somewhat disheartened mood suddenly brightened up.

  Nian Hongzhi made a decisive decision: "He didn't linger on the first and second floors, he must have gone to the third or fourth floor. Second brother is clever, go to the third floor to investigate, I and little brother will go to the fourth tower floor. Just be careful not to let people see through."

  Wang Jun and Ruan Yuanliang both replied: "Elder brother, we understand."

  The three brothers went their separate ways.

  Ruan Yuanliang is impulsive, but his relationships are not bad. He and Nian Hongzhi came to the fourth floor of the tower together, looking at a task on the wall in a similar way, while also chatting with people.

  Nian Hongzhi was very calm, he knew that Xu Ziqing's cultivation was similar to his own, and according to common sense, it was more likely that he would choose mid-level tasks. Moreover, he had also been to this floor recently and had some impression of the recent tasks. Therefore, he carefully observed the mid-level task wall, thinking about which tasks had been newly accepted, in order to filter them out.

  Before long, Wang Jun hastily came up and said to Nian Hongzhi: "Big brother, no one saw Xu Ziqing pass by in the third tower."

  Nian Hongzhi nodded secretly: "Then he must have come to this level to receive the task. It's also true that he seems to be quite diligent in his cultivation, and has been in seclusion for a whole year. At his age, it's quite impressive that he can endure such a long period of time. Now that he's finally willing to come out of seclusion, it's likely that he's encountered a bottleneck and has come here to receive a task to temper himself, which is also very possible."

  Wang Jun also had such an idea.

  Soon Ruan Yuanliang also walked over, his face filled with joy, as if he had gained a lot: "Big brother, second brother, I've found out!"

  Nian Hongzhi and Wang Jun both said: "Speak quickly!"

  Ruan Yuanliang said, "Xu Ziqing indeed received a task on this floor. I have an acquaintance who mentioned that a young man in a green shirt lingered for a long time in front of the low-level task wall, which is typical of newcomers, so he was noticed by others. Later, the young man stood in front of the mid-level task wall for a moment and then took a piece of cloth and left." He thought for a moment and pointed to the wall on the left, "My acquaintance didn't pay much attention, but only caught a glimpse of him taking a piece of cloth from the right side of this wall. Which specific one, I don't know."

  Nian Hongzhi was overjoyed: "No problem, I remember that the task received on this right side, only this one is newly received within two days, it must be this one!"

  Wang Jun and Ruan Yuanliang were also delighted when they heard it.

  Nian Hongzhi chose exactly the task of hiring high-ranking cultivators for the Wang family's children.

  Wang Jun then asked: "Big brother's intention, what should we do?"

  Nian Hongzhi said, "Well, since we're going to Shan Yan Ridge anyway, we might as well go and respond to the guard recruitment. At that time, just find a secluded place and lure him there, and it will be easy to get rid of him without leaving any traces. From then on, my three brothers can rest assured."

  Wang Jun and Ruan Yuanliang both said: "Elder brother's insight is high, we are ashamed of our inferiority!"

  The three of them made a plan, and Ye Hui also took down the cloth and put it in his pocket. Afterwards, they didn't need to do much more, they just went to Pinglan County to work for the Wang family.

  Pinglan County is five thousand miles northwest of Sanxiu Alliance, which is not very far for cultivators.

  Xu Ziqing left more than a dozen Lingzhu in his storage bag, and the rest of his belongings were still stored in his storage ring. Then he picked up a Wind Control Seal and floated away on the wind.

  This Wind Control Technique is indeed difficult to sustain, but it's very convenient. It allows the cultivator to transform into a gentle breeze, making it easy and natural to move around. Once mastered, the consumption of spiritual energy is minimal, which is why cultivators like Xu Zi Qing, who don't have a powerful magical artifact, love to use it for traveling.

  After about half a day, they arrived at Pinglan County.

  Xu Ziqing landed and stood in front of a bustling city.

  This city is called Chongyong City, where the Wang family's ancestral roots are located, and their main residence is also in this Chongyong City. Xu Ziqing arrived here and was about to go to the main residence to meet the Wang family members.

  Xu Ziqing did not delay and after entering the city he inquired about the location of Wang's ancestral home, then set off immediately.

  The Wang family was very famous in Chongyong City, and when the citizens heard that Xu Ziqing was going to the Wang's house, although they didn't dare to ask more on the surface, but secretly they all had a respectful look, from time to time stealing glances at him.

  Xu Ziqing didn't feel uncomfortable, he just walked quickly and turned around several long streets. Before long, he saw a large mansion that occupied a vast area of land, which looked like it belonged to a wealthy family.

  There were two innate martial artists guarding the gate. Seeing Xu Ziqing's handsome and elegant appearance, they recognized him as a cultivator and welcomed him.

  The two of them smiled and asked in unison: "May we ask what brings this immortal elder here today?"

  Xu Ziqing smiled slightly: "I accepted your family's task and came here specially."

  Those two congenital martial artists immediately became more enthusiastic and repeatedly said: "Immortal Elder, please come in quickly, the master has been waiting for a long time!"

  ——End of article——————