Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 123 Evergreen Trees
"Master, is the young lady looking for me?"

Lin Changheng was not surprised upon hearing this and nodded, instructing his clansmen to lead the way.

The meeting took place in a high pavilion at the Cangfeng Dojo. There was no one else present except for the long-unseen head of the family, Xu Xuheng, and his daughter, Xu Hanji.

"Greetings, Master of the Family and Young Miss."

Lin Changheng bowed slightly and greeted him with a smile.

"Chief Lin has been stationed and overseeing the work in the field, and his efforts are invaluable. He has finally found some time to return. Please have a seat."

Xu Xuheng remained impeccable in his dealings with people, giving Lin Changheng a feeling of warmth and comfort.

He didn't show any of the aura of authority that usually comes from his high position, demonstrating his ability to control his demeanor and adapt to different people.

"Patriarch, you flatter me. This is what I should do. As the saying goes, one should be loyal to the ruler when one eats his food. The clan has treated me well, so I should repay them."

Lin Changheng smiled slightly and sat down as instructed.

His gaze swept over both Xu Xuheng and Xu Hanji at the same time. The former's cultivation level was still at the ninth level of Qi Refining, which was quite profound.

Xu Hanji remained as beautiful as ever. More than six years had passed, and her aura had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. She had not only overcome the bottleneck of the later stage, but had even accumulated a more powerful aura than him, causing Lin Changheng's pupils to shrink slightly.

At this rate of progress, unless there is a fortuitous encounter, the eldest daughter of the Xu family's spiritual root should be at least of the middle grade or higher.

It may not reach the level of Mo Zhaoli's fifty strands of spiritual essence, that half-step "superior spiritual root" level, but it's not bad either.

Seeing Lin Changheng's warm gaze, Xu Hanji's beautiful eyes were slightly dazed, as if she had thought of something, but she quickly recovered and nodded politely.

"There are two main reasons why we invited Chief Lin here."

Xu Xuheng chuckled and got straight to the point.

"Please speak." Lin Changheng nodded, not rushing to agree, but listening first.

"Firstly, the family has reached an agreement with the Liu family to continue investing in Qinglingfang, vigorously develop it, and set up auctions to attract customers."

The head of the Xu family spoke concisely and to the point.

"Is this a plan to emulate the Desolate Ruins?" Lin Changheng understood the implied meaning and his heart stirred. He did not speak but waited for further developments.

When faced with a crisis, accelerating development is a reasonable approach.

"You must understand that the most crucial factor in whether an auction can grow in scale is not anything else, but the auction items, that is, resources! Only when the resources are abundant and rare enough, and are things that cultivators cannot easily obtain, can they attract visitors and encourage them to compete for the auction," the Xu family head continued to explain.

"So, what do I need to do?"

Lin Changheng said he understood, and then asked about the old man's intention.

"At that time, we will have to trouble Chief Lin to work with Elder Qian Yan to refine a batch of special high-grade pills."

The head of the Xu family smiled directly, subtly assigning the task.

"Of course, but what kind of high-grade pills should I refine?"

Lin Changheng did not refuse; for him, mastering more high-grade pill formulas was not a bad thing.

"The clan and the Liu family are working at full speed to collect them, and so far they have obtained three special pill formulas."

"The first type is called the 'Breath-Holding Pill,' a pill that allows one to feign death, suspending all life activities and suitable for hiding and avoiding danger; the second type is the 'Youth-Preserving Pill,' which fixes one's appearance and prevents aging; the third type is the 'Demon-Repelling Pill,' which can be used in the wilderness to hunt demons. When attacked by demonic beasts, consuming it will emit a special smell that demonic beasts dislike and avoid, increasing the chances of survival..."

"Ok?"

Lin Changheng was somewhat surprised, and a strange look appeared on his face.

The Xu family head, who had been watching Lin Changheng's expression closely, noticed this and smiled with satisfaction. "These pill formulas are indeed hard to obtain. Our two families have put in a lot of effort. When the time comes, Alchemist Lin and Elder Qian Yan will work together to refine a batch, and then we will auction them off in controlled quantities."

"can."

What surprised Lin Changheng was that he had just obtained the [Youth Enhancement Pill] from Tantai Feiyue, but unexpectedly, he obtained the pill formula from the Xu family in the blink of an eye. It was truly a bit strange.

The head of the Xu family was naturally unaware of this.

However, he was in a good mood, and Lin Changheng's quick agreement was unexpected. "At that time, Ji'er will go to Qinglingfang to oversee the establishment of the auction house. You will be working together, so you can communicate more and help each other."

Then, the head of the Xu family revealed another matter.

Lin Changheng looked up at Xu Hanji and smiled, "No problem at all. Please give me your guidance, Miss."

At this moment, Xu Hanji also spoke up about the second matter.

"Chief Lin, I wonder if you have begun cultivating the 'Evergreen Body of Azure Wood'?"

Lin Changheng was taken aback. "You've only just begun to understand it, so your progress is slow."

"That's because of a lack of resources."

Xu Hanji pursed her lips and gave a graceful smile.

It turns out that the practice of body-refining methods is accompanied by the use of special resources. Some use the essence of minerals, while others require precious medicinal herbs for bathing, and so on.

The "Evergreen Body" uses a tree-life essence, combined with a first-tier spirit wood called "Azure Dragon Wood," to cleanse the body.

"But I didn't see any explanation in the manual."

Lin Changheng frowned, puzzled. Such a systematic auxiliary method should be explained in the cultivation technique itself.

"This is because the method was flawed. Later, a cultivator completed the auxiliary method and informed me of it. My uncle was not sure, and after trying it out and confirming that it was correct, he asked me to convey the message."

Xu Hanji told Lin Changheng everything in an attempt to dispel his doubts.

He then stretched out his palm and activated the "Evergreen Body of Azure Wood" in front of him, and a blue light gradually appeared.

His hands, along with the section of his snow-white wrist that peeked out from under his sleeves, were covered in a bluish-green color, like a piece of jade wood, giving people a sense of resilience.

"I see."

Lin Changheng observed carefully, a strange light flashing in his eyes from the [Spirit Observation Technique], before nodding, "No wonder the Body Refinement Technique is progressing so slowly. It's been almost half a year, and I've only just barely reached the first level."

It should be noted that this "Evergreen Body of Azure Wood" has six layers and can be refined to the late stage of the second tier.

This corresponds to the late stage of Foundation Establishment in terms of magical power cultivation.

The first layer is only the initial stage of the first order.

Lin Changheng estimates that to break through the "Mountain of Essence," one of the key barriers to foundation building, one needs at least the third level to be effective, and the fourth level would be even better.

Xu Hanji raised his hand and waved, sending a jade slip flying towards him. Lin Changheng caught it: "This jade slip contains the confirmed and feasible auxiliary method."

"it is good."

Lin Changheng responded verbally, but that didn't stop him from pressing the jade slip to his forehead and beginning to examine the method.

He quickly withdrew his divine sense, pondered for a moment, and said to the two people in front of him, "Does the clan have any channels for procurement?"

After reviewing the materials, Lin Changheng discovered that although the required spiritual materials and liquids were all first-grade, the quantity needed was quite large, requiring a considerable amount of resources.

It's yet another money pit.

This is not the core issue; Lin Changheng has the financial resources to handle it.

On the contrary, because the required amount of resources is large, the channels for obtaining them are somewhat tricky. If we have to search around to purchase them, it will probably take a lot of effort and time.

Hence this question.

"some."

Xu Hanji smiled and nodded, uttering two words that made Lin Changheng breathe a sigh of relief.

That makes things much easier.

(End of this chapter)