Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

Just as Liu Jiujiang was about to leave, Shen Shanshui thought for a moment and then called out to him.

He took out a small jade bottle from his sleeve, which contained ten top-grade Qi-refining pills with cinnabar patterns.

"You and County Magistrate Wu have helped me many times, and I have never had the chance to repay you."

These Qi Refining Pills won't be of much help to your cultivation, but they can be given to the younger members of your family; their effects will be much better than ordinary Qi Refining Pills.

Looking at the jade bottle handed to him, this time it was Liu Jiujiang's turn to be stunned, staring blankly at Shen Shanshui.

"Is this a Qi Refining Pill with cinnabar patterns?"

Shen Shanshui nodded.

"Tsk, young friend, you're quite magnanimous."

Liu Jiujiang held the jade bottle in his hand and couldn't help but click his tongue twice.

"A Qi Refining Pill with less than 10% impurities can be considered top-grade. It would cost at least one hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

This Qi Refining Pill, having been tempered by lightning and possessing virtually no impurities, would be sold for a hundred high-grade spirit stones.

"Young friend, you're too kind. Old Wu and I don't even earn that much combined each year."

Liu Jiujiang left with a smile on his face.

Shen Shanshui remained where she was, unable to smile, only feeling a pang of heartache.

At least a thousand high-grade spirit stones! Enough for him to buy tens of thousands of sets of materials for refining Qi Refining Pills.

Is this industry really that profitable? Are there really people willing to pay tens of thousands of times the price of raw materials to buy it?

Previously at Baoqixuan, the Qi Refining Pill with 30% impurities was only about a hundred times the price of the raw material.

Shen Shanshui, who had been cultivating diligently in the mountains since childhood, had never even dared to dream of such a thing before.

……

……

"Sir, this is truly the cost price! I would never dare to deceive you."

On Tianyi Mountain, an old man with white hair and beard faced a young man in a Taoist robe with black hair and addressed him as "True Man" repeatedly.

The old man's name was Li Kaishan. He was an elder of the Immortal Craftsmanship Sect and had reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

The Immortal Craftsmen Sect is the largest and most renowned weapon-refining sect in the entire Immortal Dynasty, with branches spread throughout various states and prefectures.

Many renowned top-tier immortal weapons were crafted by the Immortal Craftsmen. There are even rumors that the palace of the Immortal Dynasty's capital was forged by top cultivators from the Immortal Craftsmen.

Therefore, even though the vast majority of cultivators in the Immortal Dynasty categorized formations, alchemy, and weapon crafting as mere whimsical skills.

The Immortal Craftsmen Sect still wields immense influence in the Immortal Dynasty. Its wealth is renowned.

"Uh... Five thousand high-grade spirit stones is really too high a price. Fellow Daoist, why don't you make a concession?"

The materials I have are enough to build a grand hall for an immortal sect. For future expansions, I will certainly seek your help again.

Shortly after Shen Shanshui posted the reward at the official residence, the Immortal Craftsmen quickly accepted it.

Since the price was negotiable, Shen Shanshui went to the Baoqixuan branch in Qingyang County to exchange some spirit stones for Qi-refining pills in case he didn't have enough spirit stones.

The Treasure Pavilion in Qingyang County is not large. Because of the presence of Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan, the area is very safe, which indirectly results in a small number of active independent cultivators, and naturally, a low demand for cultivator goods.

The manager of Baoqixuan, out of consideration for Shen Shanshui being a Foundation Establishment True Person, managed to scrape together a thousand high-grade spirit stones to buy a batch of Qi Refining Pills that would take who knows how long to sell.

Unfortunately, Shen Shanshui underestimated the market demand for weapon crafting.

Five thousand high-grade spirit stones—he had never seen so many spirit stones in his entire life.

Li Kaishan looked conflicted, unsure of how to begin.

Before he arrived, he heard that it was in Qingyang County and thought it was a sect opened by a rogue cultivator at the high level of Qi Refining. After all, which Foundation Establishment cultivator would be so blind as to open a sect in Qingyang County?

Who would have thought? It really was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A sect with a Foundation Establishment True Person in charge cannot be treated like an ordinary minor sect.

The main hall of the Immortal Sect is a matter of prestige for the sect. If its structure and specifications are too low, it will easily cause trouble in the future.

"Master, 51,000 cubic meters of spiritual materials are needed to refine a grand hall of a celestial sect. Logically, it should be 10 cubic meters for one high-grade spirit stone. I've already gotten nothing, so there's really no profit to be made."

"Please...please don't make things difficult for that junior."

Li Kaishan really didn't intentionally deceive Shen Shanshui; he didn't have the guts to do so.

To prevent double-crossing, the Immortal Craftsmen Sect usually ensures that the cultivation levels of the elders sent out on missions are not too different from those of their employers. This time, it was truly a misjudgment.

The dozen or so disciples following behind him couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves as they watched their white-haired elder and a young man who looked about their age address him as "Master."

This cannot be blamed on them. Although the cultivation world does not judge people by their appearance, apart from some female cultivators who love beauty, male cultivators rarely use spiritual energy to maintain a youthful appearance in order to avoid being suspected of deliberately trying to look young.

"Is this person... really that young? He's almost more handsome than me."

"Are you stupid? They're called True Persons now, what do you think? True Persons in the Foundation Establishment stage can live for a thousand years, at least several hundred years old."

"This mountain is indeed quite large, but the residence of this True Person is far too shabby, just a small Taoist temple. This is the first time I've seen a Foundation Establishment True Person who can't even come up with five thousand high-grade spirit stones."

"Hey... I just saw a wild man halfway up the mountain, did you guys see him?"

"I saw it. He's hammering a rock like an idiot. He's even hammered a hole half a meter deep."

……

Scattered whispers and occasional chuckles could be heard. Shen Shanshui heard them all, but didn't pay them much attention.

Although they were all negative reviews, they were all telling the truth.

Shen Shanshui didn't care, but Li Kaishan was anxious. Perhaps it was because Shen Shanshui looked too young and spoke so amiably that these disciples became careless and started to risk their lives.

"It's still too..."

Shen Shanshui frowned, wanting to negotiate the price further, and if that didn't work, he would offer a Qi Refining Pill as payment.

Didn't Liu Jiujiang say that a top-grade Qi-refining pill with Dan-patterns is worth a hundred high-grade spirit stones?

Before Shen Shanshui could finish speaking, Li Kaishan hurriedly interjected:

"Master, how about this? The Immortal Sect's upper sect in Muyun Prefecture recently completed the production of a batch of prefabricated grand halls. You can directly exchange your 51,000 cubic meters of spiritual materials for them, plus a service fee of 1,500 high-grade spirit stones. What do you say?"

"Pre-made dishes...pre-made main hall?"

Shen Shanshui's eyes suddenly lit up. The Immortal Craftsmen Sect truly lived up to its reputation as one of the top immortal sects; their business philosophy was indeed superior.

"Please rest assured, Master. Our Immortal Craftsmen Sect has always been known for its high-quality products at reasonable prices. There is no cutting corners in the prefabricated halls that were made in advance."

Li Kaishan patted his chest and assured him.

The immortal dynasty was flourishing, and in addition to the registered immortal sects, there were countless immortal sects of all sizes.

The rise and fall of immortal sects is almost measured in seconds. One second, an immortal sect in a certain place may decline, and the next second, a cultivator may establish a sect in another place.

The Immortal Craftsmen took these measures in order to meet the demands.

"However, we still need to apply to the upper sect for those prefabricated halls. Our Immortal Craftsmen's branch in Jiangnan Prefecture does not have them."

We may have to wait a while for the real person to arrive; we wonder if they are willing to accept this?

"Can."

Shen Shanshui nodded in satisfaction. Saving so many spirit stones was just a matter of waiting a while, so why not? If they really started refining, it might take even longer.