Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"This Blazing Sun Sword, Fiery Cloud Shield, plus the Bursting Bead and Poison Sac Bead, total one thousand spirit stones. I'll give you a 5% discount, so it comes to nine hundred and fifty spirit stones."

The attendant looked at the four magical artifacts Wu Fan had chosen, and his smile was several times more genuine than his previous signature polite demeanor.

Upon hearing the price, Wu Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Although he had high expectations for the price of these magical artifacts, he only had a little over eight hundred spirit stones on him, which was far from enough.

"Can your shop use pills as collateral for some of the spirit stones?"

Wu Fan pondered for a moment before asking the question.

"Using pills as collateral is feasible," the attendant replied with a smile, but the implication in his tone was clear. "However, our shop has requirements for the quality of the pills we purchase; we only accept the best."

Wu Fan's lips curled slightly beneath his bamboo hat and veil, then he reached for his waist, and four bottles of pills instantly appeared on the table: "You may examine the medicine."

Seeing the medicine bottle that suddenly appeared, and looking at Wu Fan's calm and composed appearance, the servant couldn't help but feel curious.

He slowly picked up a bottle, and as soon as he uncorked it, a rich medicinal aroma wafted out.

Having worked at Jubaoge for many years, he could tell from the aroma alone that the quality of the elixir in the bottle must be quite high.

He poured out a pill, held it in his palm, examined it carefully, and then exclaimed softly, "A Qi-Inducing Pill?"

Upon closer inspection, the servant's expression suddenly turned to astonishment—this was actually a high-quality Qi-inducing pill!

He carefully placed the pills back into the bottle, then opened three more bottles in succession, and found that the remaining ones were all high-quality pills: one bottle of high-quality Qi-Inducing Pills and two bottles of high-quality Spirit-Gathering Pills.

The attendant was shocked, not by the quality of the elixir.

Even second-tier pills are not uncommon in the Treasure Pavilion. What truly moved him was that the other party was able to produce so many high-quality pills at once, which meant he was most likely a pill master.

The value of alchemists is self-evident; each one is a wealthy patron.

If we can serve this distinguished guest well, we might be able to close even bigger deals in the future.

Thinking of this, the servant's smile almost overflowed from his eyes, and he hurriedly said obsequiously, "Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I will go and calculate the amount of spirit stones needed to exchange for the pills for you, and I will be right back!"

Wu Fan didn't have to wait long before the attendant hurriedly returned: "Honored guest, our shop will purchase these four bottles of fine pills from our partner alchemists at 60% of the original selling price, for a total of 120 low-grade spirit stones. After deductions, you will still need to pay 830 low-grade spirit stones."

Wu Fan nodded and took out several cloth bags from his storage bag.

The attendant immediately stepped forward, picked up the cloth bag, opened it, and saw that it was filled with colorful spirit stones. He then began to count the stones from bag to bag.

A moment later, the count was completed.

"Honored guest, the amount of spirit stones is correct. Please keep these four magical artifacts safe."

The attendant said politely.

"Um."

Wu Fan waved his hand, putting the four magical artifacts into his storage bag, and turned to leave.

"Honored guest, please wait!"

The attendant hurriedly called out.

Wu Fan paused, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Distinguished guest, your purchase today has reached one thousand spirit stones. This is a special token made by our shop. In the future, as your cumulative spending reaches the corresponding amount, the token will be upgraded, allowing you to enjoy even greater discounts."

As the attendant spoke, he handed over a brass token engraved with the words "Jubao" (聚宝, meaning "Gathering Treasures").

Wu Fan took the token, then strode away without lingering.

After leaving Jubaoge, Wu Fan immediately found a secluded corner to change his clothes. Then he walked around Luoxinggu Market several times and changed his clothes twice more before heading to the market exit to meet up with Niu Dazhuang.

Seeing that Niu Dazhuang was already waiting, Wu Fan didn't waste any words. He pulled Niu Dazhuang out of the market, mounted his horse, and urged the spirit horse to leave the area quickly.

His urgency stemmed from his fear that someone at the Treasure Pavilion might be tempted by the wealth and secretly follow him to steal it.

Although the probability of such an incident happening in such a large store is not high, it is by no means impossible.

When traveling, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

......

Half a month later, Wu Fan returned to Yunxi Market. After saying goodbye to Niu Dazhuang, he went straight back to his residence in Baidan Hall and resumed his peaceful daily routine of cultivation and alchemy.

This peace did not last long; a month later, Yunxi Market suddenly underwent a change.

To be precise, the Bai family suffered a major upheaval. Upon receiving the news, Bai Ruanyu and others immediately rushed back to their clan.

The news spread that the Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Bai family had gone to the Falling Star Valley Market to participate in an auction, won a Foundation Establishment Pill, and was ambushed and killed by two cultivators of the same level on his way back.

Not only was the patriarch seriously injured, but even the Foundation Establishment Pill he had just acquired was taken away.

When Wu Fan first heard about this, he was completely incredulous.

It should be understood that such news, which concerns the safety of Foundation Establishment cultivators and even the survival of the Bai family, would be desperately kept secret by the Bai family even if the ancestor was truly injured, and would never be easily leaked.

After all, once the news spreads, it will inevitably seriously shake the foundation and stability of the Bai family.

But a few days later, Wu Fan had no choice but to believe it.

Besides the evidence of Bai Ruanyu and others' urgent movements, the most crucial point is that the source of this information is the Deng family.

The Deng and Bai families have a long-standing feud, so the fact that this news came from them makes it highly credible.

According to the Deng family, their ancestor witnessed the Bai family ancestor being chased to the edge of the Bai family territory by two cultivators of the same level. In the end, the Bai family ancestor was forced to discard his Foundation Establishment Pill, and the other party left after making a threatening statement.

Wu Fan instantly understood the crux of the matter: the Deng family clearly wanted to use this incident to sow discord among the Bai family and the Lianqi clan, who were dependent on the Bai family.

As long as the Bai family patriarch is seriously injured and unable to appear to maintain order for a long time, the Bai family will inevitably fall into disarray, and the Deng family will be able to bring him down without lifting a finger.

Although the Bai family patriarch is only a little over a hundred years old today, Foundation Establishment cultivators have even longer lifespans, normally reaching around two hundred and forty years; if they cultivate techniques that have the effect of prolonging life, or have taken longevity pills, they can live to around two hundred and sixty years.

If the Bai family patriarch were unharmed, the Bai family could have maintained its rule for at least another hundred years. But now...

Wu Fan sat upright in the room, his face full of worry.

He made a living at Baidan Hall, and Yunxi Market was within the Bai family's sphere of influence. If the Bai family were to fall, he would certainly not be able to remain unscathed.

But no amount of worrying would help. Wu Fan thought to himself that the Bai family must be even more anxious than he was right now.

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. If the Bai family is really destroyed, I can just leave.

He has just acquired a protective magic artifact, and his immediate priority is to focus on improving his cultivation.

Having made up his mind, Wu Fan immediately swallowed a Spirit Gathering Pill and a Yellow Tooth Pill, sat cross-legged, and entered a meditative state, immersing himself in cultivation.

......

A few days later, Bai Ruanyu returned to Baidan Hall from the Bai family's territory and immediately convened a general meeting of all staff.

At the meeting, Bai Ruanyu repeatedly emphasized that although the Bai family patriarch was injured, he was not seriously injured and would recover soon. She told everyone not to worry and to focus on their duties.

Wu Fan listened, half believing and half doubting.

No, it's more about disbelief.

Without the patriarch appearing in person, he could not be convinced by Bai Ruanyu's one-sided account.

After the conference, Bai Ruanyu kept Wu Fan and other external hires behind for a private meeting.

The content was similar to that of the conference, except for some encouraging words such as "Work hard at Baidan Hall, the Bai family will never treat you unfairly."

Bai Ruanyu spoke earnestly on stage, while Wu Fan sat below, his gaze deep and his thoughts churning.

He secretly pondered, "It will be hard to find another place like Bai Dan Tang that offers such generous treatment and values ​​me so much. I can only hope that the Bai family patriarch is truly safe and sound; otherwise, I must be prepared to leave at any time."

Bai Ruanyu continued her passionate speech on stage, unaware that Wu Fan below had already planned his escape route.

It's likely that many of the external hires present shared his sentiments.