Lord of Time: From a Five Elements Cultivator to a Master of All Daos

Chapter 162 Quota
Wei Zhong heard what he said and asked questions from time to time. Shan Gu answered patiently and cleared up Wei Zhong's doubts.

After a while, the two of them finished talking, and Wei Zhong left a green jade bottle as a supply of tea.

He said goodbye and left, stepped over the threshold of the courtyard, and walked down the stone steps he came from.

Shan Gu stayed in the courtyard, picked up the jade bottle, and after opening it, he immediately saw ten round jade-colored elixirs inside.

"Ten fourth-level Earthly Mysterious Pills, that's quite generous!"

At the same time, through this incident, he also realized that it was difficult for Wei Zhong to return to his roots.

"It will probably be very difficult to get this person to join the Yunji Chamber of Commerce."

Thinking back to what I knew about this person, he had been practicing as a casual cultivator for hundreds of years and had never joined any sect or family.

Being able to be a guest official in the Yunji Chamber of Commerce is also to get rid of the control of the sect and escape from the struggle between good and evil.

If he had not been pushed to this point, he might not even want to take this idle guest official position.

Shan Gu looked at the pill in the bottle and murmured:

"A fourth-level alchemist who is over three hundred years old is indeed very young. He is much younger than the talents trained within the Chamber of Commerce, and his alchemy skills are much better."

After saying this, he shook his head again, thinking of an unpleasant guy.

······
Wei Zhong walked down the mountain steps, and when he reached the foot of the mountain, he looked back at the clouds on the top of the mountain, his eyes thoughtful. He sighed, then used his escape technique to escape back to Jinping Market.

On the other side, Miaoli Shan, who had left Lingshan early, was already heading to the Yunji Chamber of Commerce with Shan Gu's arrangements.

As soon as I landed on the pavilion below, a male monk came to greet me.

He is Du Yun, the son of the fourth-level alchemist Du Longfeng. He is himself a third-level alchemist and has experience in refining third-level top-grade elixirs several times.

However, it is not stable. In terms of alchemy, it can barely be considered as middle-level.

"I have met Elder Miao. I wonder if the master has agreed to my father's request?"

Du Yun bowed slightly and asked with a smile on his face.

Miaolishan frowned, and seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with the other party's disrespectful attitude:

“Such an impolite request was naturally rejected.

"There are countless people in the Chamber of Commerce waiting for the Spirit Refining Jade Liquid to refine their spiritual consciousness. How can we allow your Du family to cut in line like this? Besides, your alchemy skills, Du Yun, are not considered outstanding in the Chamber of Commerce."

Hearing Miaoli Shan's somewhat humiliating remarks, Du Yun's face turned ugly, and he continued to ask:
"What about the five thousand-year-old spiritual herbs? Did the leader approve it?"

"Oh, I forgot about that," Miaoli Shan pretended to take out the jade slip to check.

It is impossible for a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator to forget, but at least Miaoli Shan did not refuse at the first time, which gave Du Yun some hope.

Unexpectedly, Miaoli Shan put away the jade slip, then looked directly at Du Yun and said:

“Although your Du family holds a high position in the association, you cannot misappropriate the association’s resources in this way. You must use contribution points to meet your needs.

It would be fine for the five thousand-year-old elixirs to be allocated to a fourth-level or third-level peak alchemist, but Du Yunyi is far from qualified.

If you can’t even refine third-grade top-quality elixirs stably, what is the need for so many thousand-year-old elixirs?
If Elder Du needs it, he can just apply as an elder. Why go through so much trouble? "

When Du Yun heard these words, the hope he had just had was instantly shattered.

"But the leader is not ungrateful. He approved one of the five spiritual herbs. Someone can go and get it later with Elder Du's certificate."

After saying this, he ignored Du Yun who was standing there in a daze and headed towards the pavilion in front.

Shan Gu assigned many tasks, but Miaoli Shan didn't have the time to waste talking to Du Yun.

Seeing Miaoli Shan leaving and looking at his back from a distance, Du Yun's face turned pale.

"cheap······"

He uttered only one word, then fell silent for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking of.

Turn around and walk in one direction.

This place is the core of the Yunji Chamber of Commerce. Flying is prohibited here. Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Miaoli Shan, if there is no emergency, he may have to walk step by step.

Du Yun followed the winding path of the palace complex and finally arrived in front of a sacred mountain with thick smoke rising from it.

This place is the Dan Hall area where the Yun Chamber of Commerce gathers. There is a fire vein under the sacred mountain, and all disciples can use the earth fire in the fire vein to make pills.

There are continuous pavilions embedded in the mountainside, and many monks in fiery red Taoist robes come and go on them.

When Du Yun entered the room, many familiar people greeted him:

"Senior Brother Du!"

······
Du Yun nodded without further response.

Coming to the depths of the pavilion, he stepped into a quiet and peaceful place. This was where his father Du Longfeng practiced seclusion and alchemy.

I saw the back of an old man sitting cross-legged on a cushion.

Du Yun recounted the conversation he had just had with Miaoli Shan: "Father..."

These words caused Du Longfeng to sigh endlessly.

He turned around slowly, revealing his somewhat old face. The gray hair on his eyebrows and beard showed his advanced age.

Du Longfeng is a fourth-rank alchemist in the Yunji Chamber of Commerce, second only to Jie Yuanrui, and is also an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

He has a lot of seniority in the Yunji Chamber of Commerce and is almost of the same generation as Shan Gu and Jie Yuanrui.

Therefore, he was able to serve as the elder of the association and coordinate the affairs of the Dan Temple here.

After sighing a few times, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out:

"This interpretation has become more and more stringent since Jie Yuanrui left..."

When he spoke, there seemed to be some reminiscence in his eyes.

"But it's good that you can allow me to have a thousand-year-old elixir. You still take our old relationship into consideration."

Looking down at Du Yun below:
“Although you haven’t applied for the Spirit Purifying Jade Fluid, you are still far from reaching the Nascent Soul stage in your current cultivation, so there is no need to rush for this spiritual item from heaven and earth.

You might as well use this thousand-year-old elixir to improve your alchemy skills and raise your status in the Chamber of Commerce.

I can’t rely on my old bones all the time.”

"Father······"

Du Longfeng coughed twice to stop Du Yun from speaking.

"I have been in the Nascent Soul stage for hundreds of years, but I have not yet had the opportunity to enter the middle stage of the Nascent Soul. My cultivation cannot be improved, and my life span has nowhere to increase. It can only be consumed as time goes by. I am afraid that it will not be long before I will follow Jie Yuanrui."

When Du Yun heard this, his face suddenly became terrified.

Although he saw that Du Longfeng was getting older, he had never asked about his lifespan. He never expected to hear these words with his own ears.

Seeing this, Du Longfeng laughed and said:
“There’s no need to act like that. I still have at least another 100 to 200 years to live, which is enough time for you to protect me and enter the Nascent Soul stage.

“Although Yunji Chamber of Commerce is a place that values ​​craftsmanship, cultivation is equally indispensable.

"The reason why your father and I can become the chief steward of this Alchemy Palace is because of our identities as a fourth-level alchemist and a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"If you want to achieve something here in the future, both cultivation and alchemy are indispensable."

Du Yun nodded slowly. Having practiced in the Chamber of Commerce for many years, he understood the truth very well.

'If you only have cultivation but no skills, you can only work as a thug for the Chamber of Commerce and do dangerous fighting in exchange for cultivation supplies.

On the contrary, if one only has skills but no cultivation, it will be difficult to gain status. One can only be like those fourth-level alchemists in the Jindan stage, inferior to his father. Only by having both in hand can one have a place in this Yunji Chamber of Commerce.'

“When Shan Gu saw Jie Yuanrui leave, he also thought about strengthening the management of the Chamber of Commerce. I am afraid that the reputation of an old man like me will become weaker and weaker in the future.

Everything will eventually be divided according to the Chamber of Commerce's contribution, but this is also good for you.

With my help, as long as you can improve your cultivation and alchemy skills simultaneously, my Du family will definitely have a place here."

Du Yun nodded slowly after hearing this:

"Don't worry, father. I will never let you down."

While the two were talking, they suddenly heard a noise outside the hall. Du Longfeng waved his hand, and Du Yun understood what he meant. He left the room and went to inquire.

······
"It's so inappropriate to make noise!"

Seeing that it was Senior Brother Du Yun who spoke, everyone quieted down.

He casually pointed at someone and asked for details, and the latter's answer immediately shocked Du Yun.

"Brother, I don't know. I heard that the meeting intends to reduce 10% of our Dan Palace's resource quota and transfer it to the Qi Palace."

"Nonsense! My father, the chief steward of the Dan Palace, didn't know about this, so how did you guys know about it?"

"this······"

The man's breathing paused, and he then remembered that he had also heard it from others.

At this moment, a monk stood out from the crowd:
"Brother Du, I heard about this in the main hall. It came from the discussion between Senior Miao and others."

"Senior Miao?"

Du Yun thought back to Miaoli Shan who had just returned from the leader of the meeting.

'Is this true?'

He hurried back to Dulong Peak's training hall and told him what had happened.

When Du Longfeng heard the news, he did not show any surprise, but just sighed slightly.

"Father, is this true?"

Du Yun asked doubtfully, and heard Du Longfeng mutter:
"Now that Xie Yuanrui has left, I expected Shan Gu to make this decision.

Decades before this, although Jie Yuanrui had given up on alchemy, his resource quota had never been reduced. Instead, it was evenly distributed in the Alchemy Palace according to his wishes.

Therefore, for decades, our Dan Palace has been in a state of extreme prosperity.

Now that Xie Yuanrui has left, this quota will naturally be cancelled."

As Du Longfeng spoke, his thoughts were already flying, and he was thinking about the puppet inheritance that he had recently obtained from Luohe Mansion.

"Is the resource quota transferred to the Qi Palace because of this inheritance?"

Du Longfeng, as the general manager of the Dan Palace, was indifferent, but the disciples in the palace did not think so.

When the announcement came from the main hall confirming the matter, it immediately caused a huge commotion.

"Why should the resource quota of my Dan Palace be shared with the Qi Palace? It's not fair, not fair."

"Yes, that's not fair!"

"..."

The disciples in the hall were talking incessantly, and the person who came to announce the matter was suddenly in a dilemma.

He said loudly: "Elder Du and the disciples in the hall, please explain it to me."

Du Longfeng was called out, and the latter looked helpless in front of the disciples of the Dan Palace and could only explain in a low voice the source of the 10% quota.

The disciples then understood the whole story.

"It turns out it's because of Elder Jie."

The disciples in the hall then remembered this senior master who had left the Dan Palace nearly a hundred years ago. His influence on the Dan Palace eventually disappeared with his departure.

······
The disciples of the Dan Palace were very disappointed, but the disciples of the Qi Palace were overjoyed.

"The leader's arrangement has given us a boost," a young man in a black Taoist robe said to the people around him.

At the same time, his hands were not idle. He held a black metal arm and moved his fingertips to carve a mysterious rune on it.

"Who says it's not true? Since our Weapon Palace received the task of refining puppets, resources have been in short supply. We should have issued such an order a long time ago."

As he spoke, he had already taken the puppet arm from the man's hand, added another rune after it was engraved, and then handed it to the next disciple of the Weapon Hall.

In this way, it took seven or eight people to complete the drawing of the rune on the puppet's arm.

Put it into the final basket, and someone else will collect it and put it into the next production line...

Looking around, they saw that they were in a very spacious hall, and there were dozens of people doing the exact same work.

It’s just that other people didn’t make puppet arms, but legs, heads, shoulders and even various parts.

The puppets they made were only of the second level.

In a pavilion just a few miles away from here, a dozen monks were arguing fiercely over a puppet that was less than half a person's height.

“How can the light rune be drawn on the legs? It should be engraved inside the puppet’s spine…”

"..."

"Brother Xuan, do you think it is possible to refine this fourth-level puppet?"

The person who was speaking was wearing a yellow Bagua Taoist robe, with a green light flashing between his brows. It was obvious that he was using the spiritual eye technique to analyze the composition of the puppet in front of him.

“The body part isn’t difficult. With the sample that Miao brought back, we’ll be able to refine it sooner or later.

"The only problem is the divine box. We don't have the materials to refine it, and we are not proficient in its refining method. It will be very difficult to refine it."

I couldn't help but shake my head when I said this.

These two people are the two fourth-rank weapon refiners in the Yunji Chamber of Commerce. The man who spoke earlier and was wearing a yellow Bagua Taoist robe was named Huang Yunqi. He has many experiences in refining fourth-rank mid-grade and even high-grade magic weapons.

He is the most famous weapon refiner in the Chamber of Commerce.

The person who replied was named Zhuge Zhao, also known as Xuanzhao. He was also a fourth-rank weapon refiner in the Chamber of Commerce, but his skills were not as good as Huang Yunqi's.

However, he has a third-level puppet technique, which combined with the two gives him an extraordinary status.

"The Divine Box! I heard that the Chamber of Commerce has been looking for items such as the God-breaking Jade and the Heavenly Illusion Stone from the Western Desert and even the Northern Plains. I wonder if we can get anything."

Zhuge Zhao shook his head:
"It has been several years since Elder Yu left for the journey, and no clear news has been sent back yet. This probably means the situation is not good."

Huang Yunqi also sighed:
"This is troublesome. I wonder if this divine box can be replaced by something else."

"It's very difficult. At least with our level of refining, there is no way to replace the divine box. Without this item, the puppet can only be considered as the third level at most, and is far from being able to compete with the Nascent Soul."

"This is disappointing to the leader. Without this fourth-order puppet, the secret realm..."

At this point, the voice gradually became fainter and inaudible.

······
In Jinpingfang Market, Wei Zhong returned to the courtyard from Lingshan and saw a man waiting outside the courtyard.

After using his spiritual sense to investigate, he discovered that it was Yan Wanhong.

At the same time, he also noticed that Wei Zhong turned around and came forward:
"Senior Miao has important matters to attend to, so he specifically asked me to take Fellow Daoist Wei to the Chamber of Commerce."

(End of this chapter)