"Many thanks for your support, Daoist Xuan Yuan!"
He Pingsheng cupped his hands: "However, I am currently focused on cultivating and improving my cultivation, and do not have too many thoughts about earning money. With this skill, I can earn enough for my cultivation needs!"
Agreeing was out of the question.
If he agreed, wouldn't he have to help with Alchemy every day?
That kind of laborious life was not what He Pingsheng pursued.
What he wanted was the Great Dao, to Breakthroug h quickly.
Otherwise, how could he marry a wife?
"Oh…" Xuan Yuan said: "Since that is the case, I will not force you. However, if there is a need in the future, I will still visit you and ask you to come out and help me with Alchemy. I hope you will not refuse then!"
He ran an Alchemy shop, but he couldn't handle every Medicinal Pill.
Sometimes, customers would make very strange requests or ask for rare Medicinal Pills to be refined.
In such situations, He Pingsheng might truly be of great use to him.
He Pingsheng did not refuse this time, "Yes… as long as it follows the rules of the Cultivation World!"
The rules of the Cultivation World were to refine one furnace of Medicinal Pills from five sets of Materials.
"Good, good, good!" With He Pingsheng's promise, Xuan Yuan was overjoyed. He took out a black token and said: "Fellow Daoist He, this is a token from my Xuan Yuan family. With this token, you can enter any auction or trade fair of any merchant association in the entire Dingxiang City!"
"Hehe… Fellow Daoist might not know, but the Xuan Yuan family I belong to is one of the top families in Dingxiang City!"
He Pingsheng really didn't know.
He didn't know, but someone else did.
Bai Long was instantly shocked and said: "Could it be… could it be that the Deputy City Lord Xuan Yuan of Dingxiang City is from your Xuan Yuan family?"
"Hehe…" Xuan Yuan Chang Geng chuckled, feeling he had saved Face. He raised his head slightly and said: "That's right, Deputy City Lord Xuan Yuan is precisely the Old Ancestor of our Xuan Yuan family!"
"Everyone, I'll take my leave!"
The white-haired, youthful-faced Xuan Yuan Chang Geng turned and left.
"Heh…" Bai Long said: "I didn't expect Daoist Xuan Yuan to have such a Family background. No wonder he could open an Alchemy shop in Dingxiang City. If not for that, he probably would have closed down long ago!"
He Pingsheng deeply agreed.
The cheap prices of items in the Alchemy shop naturally harmed the interests of the large merchant associations.
But if Xuan Yuan had an Old Ancestor, the Deputy City Lord, covering for him, then there would naturally be no problem.
"Fellow Daoist He!" Bai Long looked at He Pingsheng seriously and said: "In the future, if I have any Alchemy needs, may I come here and ask for your help with Alchemy?"
He looked at He Pingsheng eagerly.
It was not easy to get to know an Alchemist in a place like Dingxiang City these days.
What's more, the other party was an Alchemist who could easily refine Medium Grade Medicinal Pills?
If he could form a connection, he definitely should.
"No problem!" He Pingsheng said: "Five furnaces of Materials for one furnace of Medicinal Pills, the rules of the Cultivation World!"
"However, it must be during my free time!"
"Otherwise, I cannot perform Alchemy for you!"
"Both Fellow Daoists are welcome to come!"
He Pingsheng cupped his hands, signaling them to leave.
"Good, good, good… Thank you, Fellow Daoist!" After receiving He Pingsheng's reply, Bai Long left with a smile.
The small courtyard became quiet again.
He Pingsheng did not go into seclusion for cultivation.
Because he had been in seclusion for too long before, if he kept secluding himself, he might not necessarily improve his cultivation.
It was still that saying: insufficient travel.
Just going out to kill two Man-faced Demon Spiders was not very useful.
He took out the black token in his hand and felt it.
A token from the Xuan Yuan family.
Hmm… With this token, he could go to the merchant association's auction to have a look?
That's good!
He Pingsheng rested for a few days in the small courtyard, then took the black token and went out.
The distance from his courtyard gate to the City Lord's Mansion area where the three major merchant associations were located was still very far.
Because Dingxiang City was very large.
To put it this way, this one city alone was about a hundred miles wide!
Ordinary people could not walk the entire distance in a day, and some would take carriages or other vehicles pulled by various Yao Beasts as transportation.
He Pingsheng was a Cultivator, so his footwork was naturally not a problem.
As long as he didn't spare his magical power, he could often cross several zhang with one step.
Even so, it took him almost two hours to get from his doorstep to the City Lord's Mansion. Anyway, he had nothing to do, and being idle was also idle, so a short journey was just like traveling and enjoying the scenery.
There was not much scenery in the city, but it was also good to see the local customs and people.
"The rankings are out… the rankings are out…"
"At the south gate of the City Lord's Mansion…"
"Everyone go and see!"
He Pingsheng, who was walking on the street, suddenly looked up and saw countless Qi Refinement Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators swarming from the street, flowing south.
He was confused: What rankings were out?
Did this City Lord's Mansion also hold imperial examinations?
With doubts, He Pingsheng also followed the crowded human tide, bypassing the east side of the City Lord's Mansion and heading towards the south gate.
It was his first time at the south gate of the City Lord's Mansion!
Outside the south gate was a huge square, one hundred zhang wide and three hundred zhang long.
The ground of this huge square was entirely paved with black jade, and there were a few decorative buildings on it, making it appear majestic and solemn.
In the very center of the square, on both sides, there was a black stone tablet, each ten zhang high.
The area around the stone tablets was crowded with people!
On the stone tablets, there were Formation light membranes faintly flickering, and dense names occasionally appeared.
And at the very top of all the names, there were three characters: feng ming list.
On the stone tablet on the left, it was: dragon soaring rankings.
Phoenix and Dragon, what good names.
"Fellow Daoist!" He Pingsheng reached out and casually tugged at the clothes of a female Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, saying: "My apologies!"
It wasn't intentional.
It was just a coincidence that all the people around were female Cultivators.
The female Cultivator originally had an angry expression, but after glancing at He Pingsheng's cultivation, she immediately became respectful and said: "Fellow Daoist, I wouldn't dare. Senior, my apologies!"
Just kidding, this woman herself was already at the Qi Refining Stage Twelfth Level Great Perfection cultivation, but she couldn't discern He Pingsheng's cultivation at a glance, so she basically concluded that He Pingsheng was a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.
Calling him Senior was not excessive.
He Pingsheng asked: "What is this feng ming list and dragon soaring rankings? Could you please enlighten me?"
"Ah?" The woman in the peach-colored dress opened her small mouth wide enough to fit an egg, "This… Senior, you actually don't know?"
He Pingsheng said: "I came from out of town and don't quite understand!"
"Oh, oh, oh…" The woman's expression returned to normal, and she said: "This feng ming list and dragon soaring rankings are for ranking Qi Refinement Stage Disciples and Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples!"
"Any Qi Refinement Stage Disciple can challenge any Cultivator on the feng ming list. If the challenge is successful, they can obtain corresponding points and ranking!"
"By the same token, Foundation Establishment Stage Seniors can challenge the dragon soaring rankings!"
"Here in Dingxiang City, basically all public resource allocation or competition is based on the rankings on this feng ming list and dragon soaring rankings for selection!"
"This ranking is updated every six months!"
"Today just happens to be the day for the half-year ranking update!"
Upon hearing this, He Pingsheng instantly understood.
"Thank you!" He cupped his hands towards the female Cultivator.
"You're welcome!" The female Cultivator smiled and left.
He Pingsheng moved closer, his gaze and Divine Thought simultaneously sweeping over the dragon soaring rankings.