2022-11-27 02:01:48"Alright, both of you. Take care of yourself until we meet next time." Tang Yun Long said to them before returning to his place. Unlike regular disciples, those in the top ten rankings were given their own courtyards to stay in.
These buildings usually have plenty of conveniences, such as their own kitchen, garden, training square, storage room, and many more. Even if what they needed wasn't there, they could simply request it to be added.
But most importantly, was the richer Spiritual Energy in the surrounding. As the ten accommodations were constructed for their comfort, an Energy Gathering Formation Array was set up here to make it more livable.
They could hardly be any disturbance here, which was all the disciples could ask for because it allowed them to enter seclusion at any time.
The place was also assigned to regular disciples to maintain. As long as necessary, the assisting disciples would be here to handle the matter with food, cleanliness, purchase, delivery, and safety. As a matter of fact, the reward for working here is much better than other assignments available in the Mission Hall.
"Where are you going next, junior brother?" Qin Lei asked after Tang Yun Long left their sight. From what he knew, Chen Tu's timetable was very consistent, and it should be about time to tend the Crimson-Tailed Pheasants.
"I'll visit my private land before returning to the room, senior brother." Chen Tu replied. His reply was exactly as how Qin Lei guessed.
"Alright. In that case, I'll leave first. Try to not work yourself too late and rest early. I'll be seeing you tomorrow." Qin Lei patted Chen Tu's shoulder before leaving. Neither of them had any reason to walk with the other to some destination.
Plus, they're currently at the crossroad leading to multiple places.
After seeing Qin Lei gone from his side, Chen Tu went to his private land to check the pheasants. Except for a few additions to the family of chicks, there's nothing much that requires his concern. And without wasting his time, Chen Tu simply ensured the food and water were well provided before leaving.
There is nothing else to worry about. Based on the Crimson-Tailed Pheasant's nature, they wouldn't simply leave the nest unless a predator that threatened their safety existed.
On his way home, Chen Tu noticed that the number of disciples was lesser than usual. Even the crowd that usually accommodated the building's square was less than expected.
(How come there are fewer people around? Did something happen?)
Chen Tu was puzzled but ignored it afterward and returned to his room. His daily life was a repeat of yesterday. Once every few days, they would be called to the elder's workshop to help. But other than that, he was allowed to do whatever he liked.
Without noticing, Chen Tu had been here for a month.
Thinking back on what happened so far was quite entertaining to Chen Tu. But in between, there are a few regrets here and there. One of them was naturally for having too many things on his plate.
Over this week or so, Chen Tu was so busy with alchemy, reading, and other matters, leaving his cultivation stagnating where it was after his advancement. He doesn't even have time to meditate in between to refine the Sun's Essence and Moon's Essence.
Simply to say, he overworked himself.
Although he could compensate for these by consuming the Spiritual Replenishing Pills rewarded by the elder, it wasn't advisable, thanks to the exorbitant cost.
His only option was to amass a number of the pills by exchanging them with Contribution Tokens, but wouldn't that go against his motive in the first place? This method would quickly overwhelm him in the long run unless he came up with an alternative.
Thinking of this made Chen Tu more motivated to start refining some entry-level pills to be exchanged for money and cultivating resources. After all, he already had the Pill Formulas in hand. All he needed was to buy the ingredients and get things started.
Coincidentally, today was the resources distribution day for the disciples. And without further ado, Chen Tu decided to skip a day of work and headed to the Grotto's Main Building to collect his portion of cultivating resources.
A big part of the resources was prepacked, and only a few things had to be arranged on the spot, such as determining their cultivation level for additional provision.
"Your disciple token." the staff asked when it was Chen Tu's turn. And without hesitation, Chen Tu handed his proof of identity to the worker and waited. After ensuring that he's a proper third-level Body Tempering Cultivator, the disciple token was returned to him, along with a small bag.
This indicates that the process was done.
After nodding to the worker, Chen Tu left the building. He only opened the bag after walking for half a kilometer or so.
(Wow! The grotto is quite generous! I couldn't believe we were given three sets of the four entry-level pills and three Spiritual Replenishing Pills. Furthermore, there's a disciple salary of thirty Spiritual Coins and few expandable amenities...)
He was surprised. If he stayed as a servant of the Chen Family, perhaps he would receive nothing but a beating from other bullies.
Obviously, Chen Tu had more confidence in visiting the Worldly Treasures Pavilion with these assets. But it appeared that he wasn't the only one with this thought. There are over a thousand disciples already queuing at the entrance to enter the pavilion.
After all, he wasn't the only one who suddenly had spare money and resources. At the same time, who wouldn't want to see what new resources are available today? This was a once-a-month shopping day!
When it was Chen Tu's turn to enter the pavilion, he finally understood that he had underestimated the sheer scale of people in this Outer Grotto. It was packed, with even the space outside the pavilion used by the ground-level vendors to peddle their merchandise.
This whole place was a mess, with over a thousand booths and a similar number of disciples trading their goods. But needless to say, there are more items for sale today, and the collection was also quite complete.
(Perhaps... I could collect enough ingredients to refine something from my four entry-level recipes?)
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The question piqued the elder's interest after Xia Xuan-Xuan opened her mouth. Apparently, even the elder couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Tu's answer. But at the same time, he can't ask this question openly. After all, he was an elder. Someone who stood at least a few levels above them in alchemy and cultivation. Wouldn't it hurt his pride slightly to ask a junior about something he should know better? Luckily, there's a Xia Xuan-Xuan in the group. While her talent is neither good nor bad, she has this social commonsense that could make everything work. Hence, she was the elder's icebreaker, always the first to hear and know everything. Chen Tu didn't respond to Xia Xuan-Xuan's question instantly. Still, everyone here could see that Chen Tu's gaze was currently pointed at the pill mold. This reaction from Chen Tu can be partially translated to "look at the result yourself!" He stayed silent and observed the mold until it was completely cooled. Then, instead of inspecti
