Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

For more than a month, Zhang Li stayed at home, immersing himself in studying the two books, "Detailed Explanation of Qinghe Dandao" and "Introduction to Dandao," comparing and contrasting them.

My days were very fulfilling.

Just when Zhang Li thought everything would proceed smoothly...

The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. He deliberately kept a low profile and lay low, but trouble still came knocking on his door.

That afternoon, Zhang Li put down his book, rubbed his tired eyes, and was about to get up to cook some spirit rice when a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by a young man's voice: "Junior brother, are you there? Wang Hao has come to visit."

Zhang Li paused in his movements, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

Most of the outer disciples living on Lingze Peak stay in their own courtyards and rarely visit each other.

As a transfer student, he had never made friends with anyone, and he didn't know Wang Hao at all. He was afraid that Wang Hao was up to no good.

Zhang Li didn't want to talk to him, but the man seemed determined to keep coming until he opened the door.

He had no choice but to walk to the courtyard gate. Instead of opening it immediately, he said, "Please forgive me, Senior Brother Wang, but I have just taken a pill and it is really inconvenient for me to receive guests."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao showed no intention of leaving and said, "It's alright, it's alright. It won't take up much of your time, Junior Brother. It's just a few words, I'll finish in a moment. Please open the door and let me in."

As soon as he finished speaking, there were two more knocks on the door. The tone was persistent and left no room for refusal: "Don't worry, junior brother, I'm not bothering you for no reason. This is a tremendous opportunity. You'd be missing out if you didn't take it. Don't let this good chance slip by."

"No need. My strength is too weak, and I only want to cultivate in peace. I have no interest in any opportunities. Please leave, senior brother."

Zhang Li showed no sign of backing down.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao's tone immediately changed, no longer gentle as before, but with a hint of pressure: "Junior brother, why are you so wary? We are all from the same sect. If you are unwilling to open the door, others will think you look down on your fellow disciples, which would be bad."

Zhang Li frowned. He knew that if he simply shut himself in and ignored the person, this person would likely come to harass him every day, disturbing his peaceful cultivation. He should find a way to deal with it.

Having made up his mind, he slowly pulled the courtyard gate open half an inch, revealing half of his face, without fully opening the gate.

Standing outside the door was a young man in his thirties, dressed in a blue outer sect Taoist robe. He had his eyes narrowed and a gentle smile on his face. His exact cultivation level could not be sensed, but he was at least in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

When Wang Hao saw the door open a crack, he immediately put on a big smile and took half a step forward.

"Junior brother has finally opened the door. Let me tell you everything..."

He lowered his voice, feigning mystery: "I know a senior brother in charge of the inner sect's pill hall. He has special channels to obtain a batch of pills that circulate internally. The channels are stable, and the prices are 20% cheaper than in the market!"

Ordinary disciples wouldn't even be able to find a way to buy it. I only came to tell you this because I saw how difficult it was for my junior brother to cultivate alone and wanted to give him a helping hand.

Seeing that Zhang Li was listening quietly without interrupting, Wang Hao pressed on, "Moreover, it's not only more cost-effective for you to buy it yourself, but if you bring other fellow disciples to trade, you'll get half a Qi Nourishing Pill as a reward for each successful transaction!"

Many of my junior brothers have already followed me, buying pills at low prices for cultivation while also earning extra resources—a win-win situation.

He raised his hand and patted the storage bag at his waist, then continued, "I brought some samples with me today. Junior brother, you can try them out. If you like them, you can come and place an order with me. It doesn't matter if you don't have enough spirit stones on hand. You can buy them on credit first, and then deduct them from your monthly salary from the sect."

After saying that, Wang Hao took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and handed it to Zhang Li without saying a word.

"In that case, thank you, Senior Brother." Zhang Li accepted the jade bottle, a perfectly measured look of joy on his face, as if he had been struck by a stroke of good fortune.

He paused, then feigned interest and brought up the referral bonus: "By the way, senior brother, you just mentioned that there are elixirs as a reward for referring fellow disciples."

Several of my junior brothers cultivate in nearby courtyards, and they always worry about not having enough pills. Once I've tested the samples and they're reliable, I'll bring them all to you.

These words were spoken very naturally, as if she had already made up her mind to do business with Wang Hao and even planned to help him attract customers.

Wang Hao beamed with joy, patting his shoulder and praising him repeatedly: "Junior Brother is so insightful! As long as you put your mind to it, you won't have to worry about the pills you need for cultivation in the future. I live in courtyard number 73. Whenever you want to order or bring people over, just come find me."

"Definitely, definitely." Zhang Li nodded in agreement.

Seeing Zhang Li's cooperation, Wang Hao assumed he had someone easy to fool and added a lot of flowery promises.

He talked for a long time, first about how large orders could bring in a lower price, then about how he had other elixirs in his possession.

Zhang Li listened quietly throughout, nodding occasionally in agreement, his face always displaying just the right amount of expectation and curiosity.

After Wang Hao had talked until his throat was dry, he finally stopped and, still wanting to say more, instructed, "Go back and refine one pill carefully. Don't rush to conclusions. Try it out before coming to me. If you're worried about buying on credit, don't worry. I never make things difficult for fellow disciples."

"I will keep your instructions in mind, Senior Brother." Zhang Li held the jade bottle with a respectful posture. "After I have tried the pills, I will visit you in less than two days to discuss this further."

Wang Hao was finally satisfied. He patted him on the shoulder again, turned around and slowly left. Before leaving, he didn't forget to turn back and remind him not to spread the channel information casually, so as not to attract others to compete for the source of goods.

Once Wang Hao's figure had completely disappeared, the joyful and convinced look on Zhang Li's face vanished instantly, leaving only a cold indifference in his eyes. He turned and gently closed the courtyard gate, bolted it, and went inside.

Zhang Li placed the jade bottle on the stone table, uncorked it, and poured out a round and plump pill. Then he took out a Qi-Nourishing Pill issued by the sect and compared them carefully.

"From the outside, there is no difference at all."

Then Zhang Li took another sniff, and the scent was exactly the same.

His intuition told him that there must be nothing wrong with the pill, after all, only real bait can catch a big fish.

Throwing bait, recruiting people, and even offering rebates based on the number of people recruited—if Zhang Li couldn't even see through this kind of trick, then all his more than twenty years of study would have been for nothing.

"I never expected that a pyramid scheme would exist within the immortal sects. Should we report it?"

However, Zhang Li quickly gave up the idea after a moment's thought.

Reporting him directly would lack evidence and could easily attract his attention. Given the difference in their cultivation levels, they have no leverage to directly break off relations.

The best course of action right now is to hide, but not at home; it's best to go out and hide for a while.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Li casually tossed the jade bottle into his storage bag without giving it another glance. He then turned and walked to the stove, rekindled the fire, and started cooking the green spirit rice, temporarily putting this troublesome matter aside.

After finishing his meal, he planned to visit the incense hall.