I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Zhou Ding had anticipated Elder Miao's offer of recruitment, and upon hearing Miao Li's formal invitation, he did not show much surprise on his face.

His fingers, holding the teacup, paused slightly. He looked up at the other person, his gaze calm, and asked in a measured tone, "May I ask Elder Miao, what are the powers and responsibilities, and what are the benefits of serving as an elder of the Sixth Hall? Please enlighten me, Elder, so that I may weigh the pros and cons."

He asked directly, without the hesitation or affectation that ordinary cultivators would show when being recruited by a powerful force.

This only intensified Miao Li's admiration.

He likes this kind of practical, decisive, and intelligent person.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly a man of few words!"

Miao Li clapped his hands and laughed, his voice booming: "Very well, then I will not beat around the bush and will speak frankly. Fellow Daoist, you will have your own judgment."

He put down the jade piece he was playing with, sat up straight, and his expression became formal and serious, clearly indicating that what he was about to say was not empty talk.

"If you, fellow Daoist, serve as an elder of my Six Halls, you will enjoy the following benefits and responsibilities."

Miao Li held up one finger.

"Firstly, authority. The daily operations, personnel allocation, goods transactions, and profit strategies of the six branches on Kui Xing Island—Bai Shui Lou, Yu Huan Ju, Shan Hai Ge, Xing Chen Dian, Ting Chao Xuan, and Wan Miao Wu—are all under your full control!"

A professional manager will be assigned to the temple to assist, but the final decision-making power rests with you.

Fellow Daoist, you only need to ensure its normal operation and generate profits for the temple.

And each year, you can take 'half a percent' of the total profit from these six branches as a basic annual offering!

Half a percent profit!

Zhou Ding held the teacup with unwavering composure, but a slight glint flashed in his eyes.

As an important island surrounding the Star Palace, Kui Xing Island's core commercial district, Tiandu Street, is almost entirely monopolized by the Six Linked Palaces.

The profits generated by these six branches each year are absolutely astronomical!

Even if it's only half a percent, it far exceeds the annual salary of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, enough to support his personal or even a small force's daily cultivation needs, and this is a continuous source of fresh resources.

This is quite a large undertaking.

Secondly, resources.

Miao Li extended his second finger, looking intently at Zhou Ding: "I know that you are just entering the Core Formation stage and need various resources to stabilize your realm, improve your cultivation, refine your natal magic weapon, and learn supernatural techniques."

"You may use the inventory of the Kui Xing Island branch, within your authority, upon presentation of the Elder's Decree. If the branch on the island does not have the item you require..."

He paused, then emphasized, "My Six Linked Halls span the inner and outer seas, with branches scattered across dozens of islands, and dedicated caravans traversing perilous lands and secret realms. As long as the materials, elixirs, cultivation techniques, and secrets you require are not things that have long been extinct or involve certain taboos, my Six Linked Halls can mobilize all its channels and utilize all its information networks to search for them for you with all our might!"

Of course, the costs of searching and purchasing must be borne by the fellow cultivators themselves.

But such convenience, looking across the entire Chaotic Star Ocean, apart from the Star Palace and a few super powers, is probably only something that my Six-Linked Palace can provide!

This clause was even more attractive to Zhou Ding than the half-percent profit!

He has just formed his core, and although his cultivation level is stable, he needs a massive amount of resources to continue to improve rapidly.

Whether it's stabilizing the Golden Core, refining magical power, or preparing for the future breakthrough to the mid-stage of Core Formation, elixirs are indispensable.

The ancient elixir formulas recorded in the Tianyuan Danjing have mysterious effects, but the required materials are also very strange, some of which are even unheard of.

Although he possessed a large quantity of millennia-old spiritual herbs from the Crimson Forbidden Zone, many of the auxiliary ingredients in those pill formulas were equally rare and hard to find.

Searching for it on his own in the vast ocean and among thousands of islands would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it would take an unknown amount of time and effort.

There is also the "Heavenly Talisman Scripture," which records powerful talismans. The spiritual blood, spiritual ink, and talisman paper required for their creation are all extraordinary materials, and their crafting is quite troublesome.

The profound array formations in "Tian Yuan Array Canon" and the array flags and array plates required for setting up the arrays are mostly obscure.

Searching alone is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also extremely inefficient, and you might not even find it.

If the Six Palaces could use its vast commercial network and information channels to help him solve most of the resource collection problems, it would undoubtedly save him a lot of valuable time, allowing him to focus more on his own cultivation and enlightenment. This value is immeasurable!

Seeing a flicker of interest in Zhou Ding's eyes, Miao Li was secretly delighted and continued, "As for your main task..."

His tone relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Actually, it's quite simple."

"Fellow Daoist, you only need to stay on Kui Xing Island and protect the six branches of this temple here so that they can develop peacefully and stably."

The innkeeper will handle the daily affairs. Fellow Daoist only needs to step in to resolve or mediate when encountering problems that cannot be solved, such as external enemies coveting the island, high-level cultivators causing trouble, or disputes involving other major forces on the island.

"If you can make your business on Kui Xing Island even more prosperous and increase profits, our temple will also provide generous rewards based on your contributions. We will never let you suffer any losses."

This gives him a great deal of autonomy.

Nominally, he was in charge of a region, but in reality, as long as the Six-Linked Palace's base on Kui Xing Island remained intact, he had plenty of free time to use as he pleased.

These conditions are almost impeccable for a cultivator who seeks a carefree life and also wants to leverage the resources of a powerful force.

Zhou Ding remained silent for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the sandalwood tabletop, as if he were weighing his options.

Miao Li didn't urge him. He picked up his teacup and slowly sipped the tea, looking completely confident.

Finally, Zhou Ding raised his head, met Miao Li's gaze, nodded slowly, and said solemnly, "Elder Miao is very sincere, and the conditions he offered are tailor-made for me and have been well considered."

If Zhou were to refuse again, he would be ungrateful and fail to appreciate the elder's good intentions.

Zhou accepted the position of Elder of the Sixth Hall.

In the future, I hope Elder Miao and all fellow practitioners in the hall will continue to look after me.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Upon hearing this, Miao Li was overjoyed and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row. He clapped his hands and laughed loudly, his voice shaking the roof tiles: "With Fellow Daoist Zhou joining us, our Six-Hall Alliance will be even more powerful!"

With Fellow Daoist Zhou overseeing things on Kui Xing Island, I'm completely at ease! Hahaha!

He immediately took out a token from his bosom, which he cherished dearly.

This token is a warm, silvery-white color, made of some unknown spiritual material. The front is engraved with the unique symbol of the Six-Linked Palace, which consists of six interconnected rings. Below it are the two ancient seal characters for "Elder," which are vigorous and powerful, with a faint spiritual light flowing through them.

On the back, the two characters "Zhou Ding" are engraved in a special way. It is clear that Miao Li engraved them on the spot using a secret method after he agreed.

"This is the Elder's Decree of my Sixth Hall, Fellow Daoist Zhou, please accept it."

Miao Li presented the token with both hands, his expression solemn. "This token not only represents your identity, fellow Daoist, but is also a special communication and restriction token. With this token, you can mobilize all the resources and manpower of my Six-Linked Palace within the territory of Kui Xing Island, access classified information within your authorized scope, and directly contact the higher-ups in the palace, and even me, through the token."

The token also contains several emergency communication and warning methods commonly used in this temple. Please keep it safe.

Zhou Ding reached out and took the token.

It felt slightly heavy to the touch, cool yet with a hint of warmth. Probing with my divine sense, I immediately sensed the complex and intricate array of restrictions, as well as a unique mark that was faintly connected to my own aura.

This token is exceptionally well-crafted, combining the functions of identity verification, communication, access control, and even some form of security.

"Thank you, Elder Miao." Zhou Ding put the token away.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries about some details for a while, and the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious.

Miao Li was clearly very satisfied with recruiting Zhou Ding, a Core Formation cultivator with unlimited potential, and he did not hold back his praise and expectations in his words.

Finally, Miao Li personally got up and escorted Zhou Ding to the main gate of Baishui Tower. His warm and thoughtful attitude made Cao Lu and Feng Sanniang, who had been waiting outside, secretly marvel. They had a new assessment of Zhou Ding's importance in the hearts of Elder Miao and even the higher-ups of the Six-Linked Hall.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I entrust Kui Xing Island to you! If you encounter any difficulties or have any needs, please feel free to contact me through the Elder's Decree!" Miao Li solemnly instructed him again before parting.

"Elder Miao, rest assured, I, Zhou, will do my best," Zhou Ding said, bowing in farewell.

On the way back, Feng Sanniang stayed by Zhou Ding's side, her face beaming with a bright smile, her heartfelt joy almost impossible to hide.

Her risky visit and introduction were truly invaluable!

Zhou Ding successfully joined the Six-Linked Hall and became an elder. As the initial liaison and witness, she will surely be highly credited.

This was undoubtedly a tremendous opportunity for her, a female cultivator who had been stuck in the False Core Realm for many years and longed to advance further.

In the future, her status and access to resources within the Six-Linked Hall will be greatly improved, and she may even be able to use this achievement to reach the Core Formation realm she has always dreamed of.

"Congratulations, Senior Zhou! No, you should call me Elder Zhou now!"

Feng Sanniang's tone was respectful yet affectionate as she sincerely congratulated him: "With Elder Zhou in charge, our Six-Linked Hall on Kui Xing Island will surely reach even greater heights!"

Zhou Ding nodded slightly in response.

His gaze was calm as he looked at the bustling buildings of Tiandu Street in the distance and the streaks of light darting through the air, his thoughts swirling in his mind.

Joining the Six-Hall Alliance was a choice he made after careful consideration.

He had no foundation in the Chaotic Star Sea. Although he had the cultivation level of Core Formation, it was too inefficient for him to quickly acquire resources, gather information, gain a foothold, or even cultivate his own power by fighting alone. He would also easily become the target of everyone's attacks.

The enormous Six-Hall Palace served as a ready-made "platform" and "protective umbrella" for him.

It will be much easier to use their channels to search for resources and obtain information, to use their reputation to deter villains, and even to secretly use their manpower and resources to do things one wants.

As for Liu Lian Dian wanting to use his name and strength to consolidate and expand his business on Kui Xing Island and even in the outer seas, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement where each party gets what they need.

As for Liu Lian Dian wanting to use his name and strength to consolidate and expand his business on Kui Xing Island and even in the outer seas, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement where each party gets what they need.

As long as his core interests and bottom line are not touched, he doesn't mind providing some "convenience" to the Six-in-One Palace within a reasonable scope.

"Deacon Feng, compile a list of the detailed accounts, personnel rosters, inventory details, and recent important matters for the six stores and send it to Lingmu Peak later," Zhou Ding instructed calmly, beginning to exercise his authority as an elder.

"Yes! This junior obeys! By tomorrow afternoon at the latest, I will have all the information compiled and presented to the elder for review!" Feng Sanniang hurriedly agreed, her attitude becoming even more respectful.

When they reached a relatively quiet corner on Tiandu Street, Zhou Ding stopped and said to Feng Sanniang, "Manager Feng, you should go back to Baishui Tower first. I have some private matters to attend to."

"Yes, Elder, please make yourself at home. This junior will take her leave." Feng Sanniang was very sensible; she bowed and turned to leave.

After Feng San Niang had gone far away, Zhou Ding scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention. With a swift movement, he quietly disappeared into the depths of a deserted alleyway nearby.

He quickly set up a simple soundproofing and aura-concealing barrier, then patted the spirit beast pouch.

A faint light flashed, and a tiny golden doll, only a foot long, appeared on his shoulder.

The next moment, a glint of intelligence flashed in Little Gold's scarlet eyes.

It lay on Zhou Ding's shoulder, its eyes slightly closed, and an invisible, strange fluctuation that only Zhou Ding could clearly perceive quietly spread out from Xiao Jin as the center!

Heavenly Hearing Technique, activate!

In an instant, Zhou Ding's "perspective" changed.

No longer ordinary streets and buildings, but covered by a colorful, dense array of "spots of light" like summer stars!

These points of light, some bright and some dim, some large and some small, range in color from the lowest white to red, orange, yellow, green, cyan and blue, filling Tiandu Street and even the wider Kuixing City area, extending for hundreds of miles!

This is the terrifying range of detection that Xiao Jin can achieve after advancing to level five and transforming his Earth Hearing Technique into the Heaven Hearing Technique, combined with Zhou Ding's Nascent Soul-level divine sense!

Within a hundred miles, any "treasure" containing a certain amount of spiritual energy, Daoist charm, or special value, whether hidden in a storage bag, secret room, cellar, or heavily concealed by array restrictions, will be exposed like a light in the dark night, as long as its "treasure light" essence exists!

Automatically filtering out the countless "white" radiance representing the most ordinary objects, Zhou Ding focused his attention on the darker, brighter spots of light.

His "gaze" was like the most efficient scanner, quickly sweeping across the entire hundred-mile radius.

Silently count, categorize, and mark in my mind.

First, there is the "cyan" precious light, which represents a value on par with ordinary ancient treasures, magic treasures, or special thousand-year-old spiritual objects.

Five such spots of light appeared in total within the area of ​​Tiandu Street and Kuixing City!

Next, there is a more advanced "blue" precious light, representing a value comparable to a elixir that is thousands of years old, a top-grade ancient treasure, or some rare treasures of heaven and earth.

There is only one such spot of light!

Its location is right in the heart of Tiandu Street, and... it seems to be in one of the branches of the Six Palaces!

"One blue, five cyan..." Zhou Ding's eyes gleamed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Kui Xing Island truly lives up to its reputation as a trading center for a medium-sized island; it's a place teeming with hidden talents and has a wealth of valuable goods!

That mysterious golden spirit wood radiated a purple aura, representing a rare and extraordinary opportunity.

Although the treasures represented by these blue and cyan lights are second-rate, they are definitely resources that he urgently needs or that are extremely valuable.

Today, he is the highest-ranking person in charge of Liuliandian on Kuixing Island, and has the highest management authority over the six branches.

Then, wouldn't it be perfectly legitimate to "reasonably" pull out that blue, radiant item from "one's own" shop for research and use?

As for the other few cyan treasure lights, perhaps we can think of ways to obtain them through trading, exchanging, or even "borrowing" them using elder privileges.

"No rush, take your time. Now that I have an identity and connections, these treasures will fall into my hands sooner or later." Zhou Ding made up his mind, removed the restriction, put Xiao Jin back into his spirit beast bag, walked out of the alley with a normal expression, and rode his escape light back to Spiritwood Peak.

……

In front of the cave at Lingmu Peak, Xin Ruyin, dressed in a light blue dress, stood quietly under an ancient pine tree, her gaze fixed on the direction Zhou Ding had left in.

A mountain breeze swept by, fluttering her clothes and hair, creating a scene reminiscent of a serene fairy in the wind.

Seeing Zhou Ding's escape light descend, a gentle smile appeared in her eyes, and she took two steps forward to meet him.

"How is it?" she asked softly, her voice like a clear mountain stream.

Zhou Ding smiled slightly, reached out and grasped her soft hand, and with his other hand took out the silver-white Six-Hall Elder Token and handed it to her.

"From now on, I will be the resident elder of the Six Linked Halls on Kui Xing Island. These six shops will be under our management for the time being." His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of control.

Xin Ruyin took the token, her fingertips brushing over the cool patterns and the two characters "Zhou Ding" on it. She examined it carefully for a moment, then looked up at Zhou Ding and smiled. Her smile was like the first melting of ice and snow, and the blooming of spring flowers, breathtakingly beautiful.

Congratulations, Zhou Lang.

She gently placed the token back into Zhou Ding's palm, her eyes full of trust and support: "In this way, we can truly say that we have a firm foothold here."

Zhou Ding embraced her slender yet supple waist, gently pulling her into his arms. His gaze went over the top of her head, looking towards the vast, undulating Qingyun Mountains outside the cave and the boundless blue sky in the distance.

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the sea of ​​clouds on the horizon with a brilliant golden edge, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Having achieved the Core Formation and established a solid foundation, he now possesses the identity of a Six-Hall Elder and controls access to resources.

In the grand game of the Chaotic Star Sea, he finally transitioned from a cautious, drifting pawn to someone who had begun to qualify as a player.

The road ahead may still be full of unknowns and challenges, but at least he now has more options and the confidence to cope.