Half a month later.
Longmen Pavilion.
Fang Xi walked out somewhat dejectedly.
He had come to try and purchase breakthrough elixirs.
Currently, his Longevity Art cultivation had already reached the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, but he was still unable to break through.
Even the once effective Wooden Essence Elixir had lost its ability to break through bottlenecks.
Naturally, Fang Xi thought of purchasing other breakthrough elixirs.
In Longmen Pavilion, he was still received by Zhong Wangu.
Although this Zhong family cultivator did not recognize Fang Xi, after hearing Fang Xi's description, he also felt quite helpless.
After all, elixirs that could assist cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks were already very scarce, especially in a situation where even the Wooden Essence Elixir was ineffective.
At such times, Zhong Wangu offered two methods. The first was to rely on the cultivator's own strength, through meditation cultivation or enlightenment through battles, to break through the bottleneck on their own.
The second method was to purchase the 'Purple Wood Elixir'!
This elixir could assist mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators in breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refinement, with a reportedly high success rate.
Using it for a breakthrough at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement would be a waste.
Moreover, after taking one, the effect would decrease significantly if taken again in the future.
Fang Xi secretly felt wealthy, but on the surface, he pretended to be naive and boldly asked about the price.
The result was Zhong Wangu telling him that this type of breakthrough elixir was very precious, even exceptionally so within the Zhong family.
There were also no stocks available in Longmen Pavilion.
However, one or two would appear at the annual auction held in Baichuanfang City, but as for the price...
"Usually two to three hundred spiritual stones..."
"Even if I have the spiritual stones, I can't take them out with my current status... not to mention I can't even buy them..."
Helpless, Fang Xi could only leave Longmen Pavilion dejectedly.
Even with spiritual stones, sometimes you couldn't buy what you wanted, which was the worst-case scenario.
"Never mind... let's go see the Old Daoist Xuemu."
He sighed inwardly and headed to the teahouse.
"Friend Fang, Old Daoist has been waiting for you!"
Old Daoist Xuemu greeted Fang Xi with a smile as he entered the private room and sent a sound transmission.
After about half an hour, the door of the private room was opened, and an old Daoist in a green robe with a black wooden crown, looking to be around fifty years old, with a somewhat stern face, walked in. "Guiye greets the two Daoist friends!"
"Let me introduce, this is Friend Fang Xi, who is quite skilled in the art of spiritual plants..."
Old Daoist Xuemu stood up, smiling broadly. "This is Guiye, the leader of the Guiye Divine Sect!"
'Divine Sect?'
Fang Xi looked at Guiye, a cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, feeling somewhat speechless, but still politely said, "Guiye's reputation precedes him!"
"Haha, Friend Fang is too kind!"
Guiye sat down casually, not caring whether it was ordinary tea or spiritual tea, and gulped it down. "Recently, the price of spiritual rice in Baichuanfang City has dropped... I've really been taken advantage of this time, almost dried up from just a few spiritual stones..."
He then looked at Fang Xi. "Friend, with your mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, joining our Guiye Divine Sect would be like adding wings to a tiger... I guarantee that once you join, you will be appointed as the head of the Spiritual Plants Department!"
"I wonder, Guiye Friend, how many members are there in the Spiritual Plants Department of your sect?"
Fang Xi, not being a fool, asked.
"Haha..." Guiye laughed. "Although this Spiritual Plants Department is newly established, it has great potential... all personnel appointments can be decided by you, Friend, and the future is very promising!"
'Why do I feel like this is just a figurehead?'
'This Guiye seems generous on the surface, but in reality, he's full of hot air... he doesn't seem very reliable.'
Fang Xi, holding onto a glimmer of hope, asked another question, "I wonder how the treatment of cultivators in the Guiye Divine Sect is? How many spiritual stones are given per year, and are there any mandatory tasks?"
Bringing up this topic, Guiye's expression changed slightly. "This... our sect is newly established, everything is in the initial stages, not yet detailed, but with your talent, Friend, you are bound to shine... moreover, our sect is willing to grant you ten acres of spiritual land, that's ten acres!"
Fang Xi's smile stiffened slightly, maintaining the last bit of courtesy. "I am grateful for your kindness, but this matter is of great importance, and I need to consider it carefully."
"Very well..." Guiye stood up. "Friend, consider it carefully... my offer is already very generous in the Wan Dao Lake."
Watching Guiye leave, Fang Xi looked at Old Daoist Xuemu.
Old Daoist Xuemu knew what Fang Xi wanted to ask and nodded, "Although Guiye seems to be more focused on fame and fortune, his offer is indeed not bad. Many people outside of Baichuanfang City would be tempted by it..."
"By 'many people,' do you mean the spiritual farmers outside of Baichuanfang City?"
Fang Xi glanced at the old man.
"Exactly..."
Old Daoist Xuemu answered without any embarrassment. "For other Qi Refinement forces, if you want to join and get favorable conditions, most of them require you to first gain their trust, such as joining forces to kill enemies or venturing into dangerous places..."
"So, it's like a pledge of allegiance?"
Fang Xi nodded.
It seemed that even in the Wan Dao Lake cultivation world, there was no shortage of deception, intrigue, and vendettas.
"But I'm only twenty years old, there's no rush... I can spend a few years observing and waiting for the best opportunity."
With this in mind, Fang Xi suddenly became carefree, asking Old Daoist Xuemu to continue keeping an eye on the matter before leaving the teahouse.
...
In the vast world of Dalang.
Yunlian Mountain.
"Howl!"
A wolf's howl echoed through the mountains, reverberating in the valley.
Many wild beasts were frightened, fleeing in all directions.
This was the 'Old One-Eyed,' one of the eight demon kings of Dingzhou, occupying Yunlian Mountain, cunning in nature.
Once faced with a large army siege, it would immediately hide in the deep mountains and forests, evading detection.
But once the siege was over, it would come down the mountain freely, preying on villages, especially fond of children.
Its howl could intimidate all beasts, even lions and tigers would tremble and lie down, allowing it to feast.
However, this time, there was a sense of panic in the Old One-Eyed's howl!
"Even if you're as slippery as a ghost, you still have to drink my foot-washing water..."
Fang Xi laughed heartily, his fist covered with a layer of spiritual energy, hitting the wolf's waist fiercely.
A clear sound of bone cracking came from within the Old One-Eyed, sending it flying.
It was a white giant wolf over three meters tall, with fur that seemed to emit a silver sheen, its only eye now filled with pain and resentment.
Although it was good at hiding, it had no way to deal with flying enemies, especially when facing an opponent who could single-handedly kill it!
"Go!"
But Fang Xi didn't relax, infusing his mana into the Golden Dragon Sword, causing it to emit a roar like a golden stream of light, slashing across the wolf's neck.
Snap!
The huge wolf head fell to the ground, its emerald eyes still chilling.
"Another demon beast killed!"
Fang Xi immediately approached, collecting various materials.
"This wolf demon's fur is warm in winter and cool in summer, impervious to water and fire, extremely soft and smooth, truly top-notch..."
Fang Xi stroked the wolf fur, deliberately keeping a few strands of the most shiny and lustrous fur.
Each strand of this fur emitted a faint light, with just the right balance of softness and hardness, making it excellent material for making talisman brushes, quite valuable!
"Although this wolf demon is a first-class superior, its value is much lower than that of the snake dragon, just waiting for an opportunity to sell it off for some extra income..."
Fang Xi's face showed a hint of joy.
Although he still had a 'Blood Contract Scroll' in his hand, he had never thought of forming a contract with the Old One-Eyed.
This demon was cruel and vicious, with countless human victims.
Moreover... it was cunning, and even with a contract to suppress it, it was very easy to backfire on the master!
"The Southern Wilderness is not the same as Dalang, if I expose a flaw... or if this demon breaks through to the second rank as soon as it goes over, what should I do?"
Contracts were not very reliable once they crossed a major realm.
Therefore, Fang Xi still preferred to use the Blood Contract on Taosui.
Although this lump of flesh was only a first-class inferior, it was a plant demon with almost no self-awareness, not even resisting when being cut.
Moreover... being of a lower rank also had its advantages.
Even if it broke through when taken to the Southern Wilderness cultivation world, it would only reach the middle rank... still within the controlled range.
"Well, Taosui is actually quite useful... at least I haven't seen any beast that grows flesh faster than it!"
"The Demonic Tree needs blood to absorb, and Taosui is quite compatible with it..."
Fang Xi rubbed his chin.
At this moment, figures flashed in the jungle, and Zhou Tong, Linghusan, and Yansun hurriedly arrived.
Seeing the wolf corpse on the ground, their expressions became numb.
It seemed that this Grandmaster Fang's hand was unstoppable against monsters.
The key was that they received the signal and hurried over, so the time on the road was definitely not long.
In such a short time, the other party had actually killed a demon king?
Such strength was probably among the best in the Grandmaster Association!
"Zhou Tong, Yansun... why are you two here?"
Fang Xi was somewhat surprised to see these two.
After all, he was only hunting demons in Dingzhou with Linghusan leading the Wind Thunder Camp, so Linghusan's arrival was understandable.
But these two were a bit unexpected.
Yansun's expression was a bit ugly, not very talkative, while Zhou Tong forced a smile and explained, "We have a mission from the association!"
"Oh?" Fang Xi's eyes lit up. "How much contribution does this mission offer?"
"This mission is a bit difficult, the two of us may not be able to handle it, so we came to ask Grandmaster Fang for help."
Zhou Tong didn't lose face in Fang Xi's hands, so he spoke with a smile, "The rewards from your help this time... will definitely allow us to exchange for a set of secret techniques from the association!"
"Oh? That's really good!"
Thinking of the Return to Origin secret technique Zhou Tong had practiced last time, Fang Xi's eyes lit up, "What's the mission?"
"There's a mad Grandmaster in the association who hasn't been heard from, so the association sent us to check on him!"
Zhou Tong began to explain.
"Oh? Who is it?"
Fang Xi became interested. The Grandmaster Association itself was a group of madmen, so how crazy must someone be to make the madmen call him crazy?
I'm afraid it's someone from the 'Seed Demon Entering the Body' faction, known for their bloody and crazy reputation, right?
(End of this chapter)