Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

"You two can head back and wait for news. I spent some time here in Huixing City years ago, so I have a fair number of acquaintances. I’ll get in touch with them over the next few days, and then we should be able to attend some of the city’s Golden Core trade fairs."

"If we still can’t find a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object after a while, we’ll consider other options, like heading to the black market."

Zhang Chi and the other two chatted as they flew.

Clearly, they weren’t pinning all their hopes on the Huixing Tower auction and the tasks from the City Lord’s Mansion.

However, the underground black market wasn’t their first choice. Compared to Marketplaces and auctions, black markets were usually set up in hidden locations outside the city, making them a dangerous mix of shady characters.

"Alright, we’ll have to trouble you then, Fellow Daoist Lang," Shen Jianping said.

"Indeed. If I manage to find a Spiritual Object thanks to your efforts, Fellow Daoist Lang, then I will refine a Nascent Soul Pill for you free of charge," Zhang Chi agreed, nodding as he made the promise.

The Nascent Soul Pill was far more precious than an ordinary Tier Four Spirit Pill, but strictly speaking, it was still a Tier Three Peak Pill.

Zhang Chi’s Alchemy skills had long since reached the Tier Three Peak, and he had already obtained the Pill Formula for the Nascent Soul Pill from the description of Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects in the Immortal Cultivation Treasures Record.

Therefore, as long as he had all the Medicinal Materials, he could refine the Nascent Soul Pill himself at any time.

Furthermore, once he familiarized himself with all the Medicinal Materials, he could practice repeatedly in the Dream Space first. With the added help of his Magical Treasure Pill Furnace, Hundred Herbs Spirit Fire, and Divine Refining Technique, his Pill Success Rate would surely not be low.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you can actually refine the Nascent Soul Pill? And you’re serious about refining one for me for free?" Lang Shiyuan’s eyes lit up when he heard this.

Shen Jianping also looked over in surprise.

"Of course. I have no reason to lie. However, with one complete set of materials, I can only guarantee a single Pill of normal quality. Also, if any Wasted Pills are produced, I must be allowed to keep them. Is that acceptable?" Zhang Chi replied with a smile and a nod.

’Refining the Nascent Soul Pill for free seemed like I’d be taking a loss, but in reality, it’s a complete win-win.’

’The reason was simple. A complete set of Medicinal Materials for a Nascent Soul Pill could yield three Pills at most. An average Pill Master would be doing very well just to produce one.’

’If they were unlucky, they might not even get a single one.’

’But I am confident I can produce at least two successful Pills, plus one Wasted Pill.’

’When the time comes, I’ll give him one successful Pill and keep another successful Pill and one Wasted Pill for myself. It’s a huge profit.’

"Of course, that’s no problem at all."

Lang Shiyuan agreed without the slightest hesitation.

At first, he had been a little suspicious that Zhang Chi was just boasting, but after hearing him state with such certainty that he could guarantee one Pill of normal quality, he no longer had a shred of doubt.

The reason was simple: he had come to understand Zhang Chi’s level of Alchemy and his reputation over the years.

Every time he had sought out Zhang Chi to refine Elixirs over the years, Zhang Chi had always produced exactly the number of Pills he promised.

Besides, even if Zhang Chi had some heaven-defying method that allowed him to refine three Nascent Soul Pills but only gave him one, he wouldn’t really care.

After all, if he went to another Alchemy Master, he’d very likely end up with nothing, and he’d have to pay a hefty fee regardless of success or failure.

But unless he could obtain a Nascent Soul Pill directly, he would definitely have to find an Alchemy Master and gamble on his luck.

Going to Zhang Chi, however, guaranteed a Pill. It was equivalent to directly exchanging one complete set of materials for a single Pill, which was a great deal no matter how you looked at it.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, when the time comes, could you also help me refine a Nascent Soul Pill? I can pay you the market rate as long as you can guarantee the success of at least one Pill!" Shen Jianping, who had been listening from the side, was also extremely tempted and couldn’t resist speaking up.

"We’re all friends, so of course. I can even establish a Spirit Contract beforehand to guarantee a successful Pill."

This was exactly what Zhang Chi wanted, and he immediately agreed with a smile.

’In any case, I really do have the skill, and the Spirit Contract isn’t binding on me, so I feel no pressure making such a promise.’

"Really? That’s wonderful! I thank you in advance!"

"I’ll thank you in advance as well, Fellow Daoist Zhang."

Shen Jianping and Lang Shiyuan, feeling even more relieved and joyful, immediately stopped and gave Zhang Chi a deep bow.

After all, other Alchemy Masters would never guarantee a success rate.

And with a Spirit Contract in place, it was impossible for Zhang Chi to act recklessly, which made them even more convinced that he truly possessed such skill.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Zhang, would it be alright if I spread the word that you can refine the Nascent Soul Pill?"

"That way, other fellow Daoists might come directly to you to have Nascent Soul Pills refined. You could earn some Spirit Stones and also get a chance to obtain Wasted Pills."

"And it would also attract some Cultivators who possess Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects, making it easier for us to gather the necessary materials," Lang Shiyuan added, thinking on his feet.

"Excellent idea! What do you think, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Shen Jianping’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he immediately agreed. Then, both of them looked at Zhang Chi expectantly.

"Haha, of course. But you two shouldn’t get your hopes up too high. After all, other fellow Daoists might not believe us."

"Besides, they aren’t my friends. If they want me to sign a Spirit Contract beforehand guaranteeing success, I’ll have to raise my Alchemy fee," Zhang Chi said with a laugh after a brief pause.

’In truth, the reason I offered to perform Alchemy for Lang Shiyuan for free was twofold: first, to make him more motivated, and second, to get him to spread the word just like this, to see if it could attract more clients.’

"That goes without saying!"

"As it should be!"

Shen and Lang had no objection to Zhang Chi’s requirement; in fact, they were even pleased to hear it.

Because it meant that they were receiving preferential treatment from Zhang Chi.

After that, the three of them chatted for a while longer before parting ways.

Lang Shiyuan went to contact his old friends, while Zhang Chi and Shen Jianping returned to their respective rented Cave Mansions.

The three of them had all rented Tier Three Cave Mansions, but the mansions were not located close to one another.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be neighbors, but Tier Three Peak Cave Mansions were in high demand, and it was already difficult enough to rent one at a relatively favorable price.

As for their locations, they had no choice in the matter.

「Three months passed in a flash.」

Lang Shiyuan was busy contacting his old friends, and the three would sometimes visit the Marketplace or go to the City Lord’s Mansion to check the Task Jade Pendant.

Unfortunately, they consistently came up empty.

Furthermore, no Cultivators came looking for Zhang Chi to refine a Nascent Soul Pill.

The reasons for this were twofold. First, very few Cultivators possessed the Medicinal Materials for a Nascent Soul Pill.

Second, even the few Cultivators who did have the materials wouldn’t trust Zhang Chi.

Even if Zhang Chi could sign a Spirit Contract as a guarantee, they didn’t dare take the risk.

After all, from their perspective, if the Alchemy failed, even if Zhang Chi paid the price for violating the Spirit Contract, their materials would still be gone for good.

However, it wasn’t a total loss for Zhang Chi and the others over these three months.

They had all gotten to know many of the local Golden Core Cultivators, attended two trade fairs, gathered a lot of information, and even acquired some Tier Three Cultivation Materials.

Shen Jianping even found the time to complete two tasks from the City Lord’s Mansion, earning a good number of rewards.

Zhang Chi, however, didn’t do any tasks. Instead, he quietly sold off the Spirit Pills, Spirit Talismans, and other items he had refined over the years in several batches.

These items were quite valuable and would have been extremely eye-catching in the Golden Wind Oasis, but here in Huixing City of the Beichen Oasis, they were considered only moderately precious.

Coupled with Zhang Chi’s cautious nature—he always disguised himself before selling his goods—and the aid of his powerful Divine Thought, no Cultivator managed to track him or uncover his identity.

Another three months flew by, and Shen Jianping and Lang Shiyuan were even starting to consider whether they should try their luck in another city.

"Seniors, come quickly! A task you’re looking for has appeared!" That evening, Zhang Chi suddenly received a flash of Communication Golden Light.

’A Tier Three Communication Talisman? Fellow Daoist Yang Zhi is quite generous. It seems there’s real news this time. After waiting for so long, it wasn’t in vain after all!’

Zhang Chi waved his hand, and the Array outside his Cave Mansion immediately opened. The golden light flew inside and began to circle around him.

Zhang Chi lightly tapped the golden light with his fingertip, and a voice as crisp and clear as a warbler’s song immediately came from within.

The voice was filled with joy and belonged to the leader of the three Foundation Establishment Female Cultivators they had hired.

This Female Cultivator’s name was Yang Zhi, and for the past six months, she had been keeping an eye on the Task Jade Pendant for Zhang Chi and the others, though without any luck until now.

Lang Shiyuan and Shen Jianping had been quite hopeful at first, but they gradually grew disappointed and even began to suspect the three women were taking their Spirit Stones without doing the work. They had wanted to terminate the employment three months ago.

But Zhang Chi felt it was necessary to continue.

Zhang Chi knew that with the Spirit Contract in place and their own higher Cultivation, the three women, who were mere Foundation Establishment Cultivators, would never dare to slack off.

Moreover, Zhang Chi had specifically performed a divination and calculation.

The divination results indicated that their opportunity was right here in Huixing City, so he wasn’t going to let any possibility slip by.

And today, it seemed his wait had finally paid off.

Furthermore, it was precisely because of his insistence that their cooperation continued, and as a result, he had become the point of contact, which was why he was the one to receive this communication.

"An important personage has arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. They’re recruiting Golden Core Peak Cultivators as temporary guards, and the reward is a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object. If you perform well, you could even get two."

"They’re only recruiting nine people, and the spots will probably fill up fast. Seniors, you need to hurry!"

Soon, Zhang Chi finished listening to the rest of the message and realized his speculation had been correct.

’Excellent!’

A look of understanding dawned on Zhang Chi’s face, and he couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

WHOOSH...

Then, Zhang Chi waved his hand to dismiss the Array. With a flash, his body transformed into a streak of fiery red Escape Light, heading straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.

Along the way, he sent a message each to Lang Shiyuan and Shen Jianping.

Zhang Chi arrived quickly, and the other two also came rushing over in a hurry from different directions, one after another.

By this time, however, several dozen Golden Core Peak Cultivators had already gathered in the City Lord’s Mansion.

Clearly, the price offered by the important personage was too tempting for almost any Golden Core Peak Cultivator to refuse.

However, all these Golden Core Peak Cultivators were being very orderly at the moment; not a single one dared to jostle or make a ruckus.

In a clearing in the middle of the crowd casually stood two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, a man and a woman, as well as a tall, slender, young Female Cultivator at the Golden Core Peak, dressed in white and wearing a veil.

Both Nascent Soul True Monarchs were at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, yet the impression they gave Zhang Chi was that they were far stronger than Xiang and Cai of the Golden Wind Sect.

The male Nascent Soul True Monarch looked to be only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore a suit of golden Armor and was handsome and imposing.

The Nascent Soul Female Cultivator, in contrast, was built like an iron tower, standing a full ten feet tall. Her body was rippling with muscle, and she radiated a violent, ferocious aura.

She also wore Armor, though hers was a suit of cold, heavy black Armor.

In addition, standing off to the side was another Nascent Soul True Monarch. This was a middle-aged cultivator in a golden robe with a majestic bearing, whose Cultivation was even a Realm higher than the other two Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

But this Nascent Soul Middle Stage True Monarch was currently bowing and scraping, his face a mask of humble fawning.

In contrast, the other three seemed completely used to it. Even though they wore polite smiles, they still exuded a lofty, detached air.