Chapter 142: Chapter 135: The Valley Master’s Deep Intentions, I Also Don’t Know
Lu Yi brought it up himself, revealing a startling piece of news.
A Pill Furnace!
It turned out Ye Jingzhou had known all along that this was a Pill Furnace.
However, to his surprise, no one else seemed to care about the patterns on the Pill Furnace.
’Perhaps I’m overthinking it?’
After all, Ye Jingzhou was willing to lend the Pill Furnace to the Primordial Sect. If there was really a problem, everyone would have noticed it by now.
It’s just...
A Tier Three Pill Furnace is a valuable item. Is it really okay to just leave it in the plaza like this?
"I don’t know the Valley Master’s profound intentions either!"
As if sensing his confusion, Lu Yi smiled.
But since the other party had already pointed it out, it would be wrong for him, a Pill Master, not to take the opportunity to observe it.
’This Pill Furnace is just average. It’s too crude, no match for my Chixia Tripod!’
Chen Che gave his honest assessment after looking it over.
Of course, this was only in comparison to his exquisite Chixia Tripod. This "Sacrificial Pill Furnace" was suffused with a savage, rugged style, as if a single glance could transport a person to a wild, primitive era. Perhaps because someone had used it to refine pills before, it didn’t seem particularly special...
Even considering the unsettling patterns, it was still a rare treasure.
’No wonder Tributor Li was willing to plead for it for years. If I didn’t have the Chixia Tripod, I’d probably want to use this Pill Furnace to refine a pill at least once...’
Just as Chen Che was thinking this, he suddenly sensed something. He saw Lu Yi casually turn his head, and following his gaze, he saw Ye Jingzhou with his hands behind his back, rising into the air on the wind.
’Is he going out again?’
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he saw that Ye Jingzhou wasn’t leaving the valley. Instead, he was striding through the air, circling Jinyun Valley.
"What is the Valley Master doing?"
Chen Che asked.
"I don’t know the Valley Master’s profound intentions either."
Lu Yi retracted his gaze, shaking his head. At the same time, he patted Chen Che’s shoulder and said in a gentle tone,
"You have a good chance of becoming a Tier Two Alchemist. If you could obtain this furnace, you’d be like a tiger with wings. Meng Qingxuan is interested in you; this is a rare opportunity. Don’t be in a hurry to refuse..."
After speaking, he turned and left.
’The Pill Furnace?’
Chen Che circled the large tripod a few times, glanced at Ye Jingzhou making his rounds about the valley, and left Jinyun Valley with many questions in his mind.
At this time, the Market was already bustling with activity. News of the Wuyin Ore Mine’s discovery had spread, and many Loose Cultivators were scrambling to sign up.
Chu Gong, a Jade Flute tucked at his waist, sat at a table with paper and a brush before him.
"Your Cultivation must be at least the Third Layer of Qi Refining! Don’t come up if you’re below the Third Layer; don’t waste my time or yours. And you, the one selling tofu flower—we don’t want anyone too old, either. This is mining, not a retirement home!"
"Don’t worry, there are plenty of spots..."
Xiao Chan, with his back hunched over, was dismissed by Chu Gong for being too old. He wasn’t angry, nor did he argue. He just stood on his tiptoes, watching the crowd signing up, looking no different from any other onlooker.
This was because not only was mining physical labor, but miners might also have to fight when necessary.
Despite the strict conditions, there was no shortage of applicants. Some even started fighting over the spots.
But they were immediately dragged away by the Jinyun Valley disciples maintaining order.
Of course, the biggest reason was Ye Jingzhou’s rule: miners were allowed to keep ten percent of what they mined.
The more you dig, the more you earn.
"Alright, alright, we have enough people."
Chu Gong closed his notebook and announced loudly,
"Although we’re only selecting one hundred people for the first phase, there will be a second batch, and a third..."
WHOOSH—
The crowd dispersed in an uproar. Those who hadn’t managed to sign up were all annoyed and quickly scattered.
With nothing exciting left to see, Xiao Chan turned, hunched his back, and blended into the departing crowd. When he saw Chen Che, he gave a slight nod as a greeting.
Chen Che’s expression remained neutral.
What did a bloodthirsty Evil Cultivator have to do with a law-abiding Pill Shop owner like him?
’Looks like he really has no intention of leaving Jinyun Valley.’
Noticing the other man’s gaze, Chen Che looked away and returned to his Pill Shop.
Of course, this mining rush also boosted Pill sales, and Ding Fei was so busy he didn’t have a moment’s rest.
Before long, Hu Yao hurried over carrying a Demon Beast and Spirit Wine, saying he wanted to have a farewell meal.
Upon asking, Chen Che learned that the mine was in a desolate location and not many disciples were willing to go, so Lu Yi had chosen him directly. This foolishly loyal fellow wasn’t the least bit dissatisfied. On the contrary, he seemed to take it as a great honor.
"Heaven blesses my Jinyun Valley, so I must lead the charge."
Since he had already made up his mind, Chen Che couldn’t say much to dissuade him.
Besides, it wasn’t like he was never coming back. The disciples on duty were rotated every three months. Barring any accidents, the place would at most be a bit desolate, not as lively as the Market.
However, for Cultivators, it was still a difficult hardship to endure.
"May you achieve great deeds and return in glory."
Chen Che raised his wine bowl.
The three of them then proceeded, chopstick by chopstick and cup by cup, to eat and drink everything on the table until it was spotless.
After finishing the farewell wine, Chen Che also gave him a bottle of Pills.
After seeing the staggering Hu Yao out of the shop, Chen Che turned around just in time to see Ye Jingzhou, who had completed a circuit of the valley, returning to Jinyun Valley leisurely as he trod on the evening clouds.
「The next morning.」
Hu Yao led the disciples and the group of Loose Cultivators out of Jinyun Valley in a grand procession.
Even before leaving, he stopped at Xiao Chan’s stall for a bowl of tofu flower.
Meng Qingxuan continued to search for the Little Chick on her Fiery Flying Crane, but there were several new figures by her side.
As he looked on, Chen Che noticed that Ye Jingzhou was circling Jinyun Valley again, just like yesterday. Moreover, his circuit seemed even wider than the day before.
’What exactly is he doing?’
’It looks like he’s surveying the land. But he’s lived in Jinyun Valley for two hundred years. What land would he possibly need to survey?’
Inside the Pill Shop, Chen Che’s eyes were half-closed.
He felt that many things were off, but with too little key information, he couldn’t figure it out at all.
But one thing was certain: with Ye Jingzhou’s return, the once-panicked Jinyun Valley had completely settled down.
...
For him, however, his Cultivation Realm was the true foundation.
It was the basis for his survival in this world.
"Old Chen is back..."
Stepping into the classroom again after seven days, he was immediately greeted by the cheers of his friends.
Relationships from one’s school days were just that simple and unpretentious.
As buddies who went to and from school and ate together, the sudden absence of one person made them all feel a sense of emptiness.
When class was over, Li Xiaoshuang called him over to ask about his situation. Learning that Chen Che wasn’t having problems with his Cultivation, he was greatly relieved. Chen Che took the opportunity to ask a few questions about Tier Two Spells, which Old Li answered patiently.
At the same time, he also urged him to learn more Tier One High Grade Spells.
After all, the curriculum on Earth Element Star was structured in tiers. If one didn’t build a solid foundation and rashly learned higher-level Magic, it would lead to an unstable base.
Chen Che naturally listened carefully to the advice of a frontline teacher.
’This contradicts the Cultivation philosophy of Yunzhou...’
In Yunzhou, the emphasis was on specialization.
But on Earth Element Star, they advocated for a ’well-rounded education,’ believing one had to build a solid foundation in everything to climb higher.
’Perhaps it’s because Yunzhou’s educational resources aren’t systematic.’
With this in mind, Chen Che returned to the classroom. Zong Yudao immediately came over and asked if he had received his acceptance letter from the Daoist School. After getting an affirmative answer, he immediately became indignant.
"Why haven’t I received mine yet?"
"Maybe the letter is still on its way."
"Once I get my acceptance letter, I’m off to the Daoist School!"
Zong Yudao was incredibly excited. He even started saying his goodbyes to Qi Fengzhu and Lin Yi in advance, spending the rest of his classes daydreaming about life at the Daoist School. He even flamboyantly bought a yearbook, tearing it into individual pages for everyone to fill out.
Huang Zhongfei filled out the yearbook page, so envious he couldn’t speak. He also wished he could get a direct admission to the Daoist School.
He ran off as soon as school was out.
The thing on Chen Che’s mind the most was still that Gold-Plated Jadeite Insurance Box.
For the past seven days, Wu Neng hadn’t replied with so much as a single punctuation mark. This made Chen Che extremely curious about his progress, so he could only go and ask in person.
As soon as Wu Neng saw him, he immediately started pouring out his grievances:
"You’ve come at the perfect time. I was just about to contact you. That box of yours is even more complicated than I imagined. I haven’t been able to make any headway for days."
"..."
Chen Che waited for him to finish complaining before asking,
"Is it a Tier Four Array?"
"It’s still Tier Three, but it’s much more exquisite and complex than the last one. If the previous insurance box was made by a half-assed amateur, then this one is the work of a true Array master."
With Wu Neng’s explanation, Chen Che immediately understood.
It was like in math: when using the same formula to create a problem, an education expert would obviously create a much more complex question than an ordinary student, with a completely different level of difficulty. Although Wu Neng was a professional lockpicker, his Cultivation was ultimately a limiting factor.
"Based on my deduction, the owner of this insurance box must have an extraordinary identity. They’re either from a Cultivation Clan or a Major Sect."
Wu Neng remarked with a sigh.
’’Ye Zhihan’ was quite a lucky person. To think he managed to obtain something so precious. What kind of ruins did he go to...?’
Chen Che thought to himself, feeling a little worried at the same time.
"Doesn’t that mean I have to find a Third-level Array Master?"
"Most of them are Golden Core Level figures. They either work for an Immortal Sect or are bosses of private enterprises. Who would bother with me for no reason?"
"Not necessarily. I’ll just spend some more time on it and consult a few colleagues."
Wu Neng said dejectedly, but with a serious expression that didn’t seem fake, "If I can figure this out, in a few more years, I might even be able to get my Third-level Array Master certificate."
The certification requirements on Earth Element Star were quite high. To get a Tier Three Array Master certificate, one had to master most of the Array knowledge up to and including Tier Three.
At the beginning of this year, he had just obtained his Tier Two Array Master certificate.
Of course, it was also thanks to the insurance boxes Chen Che kept bringing him, which forced him to actively study.
"Of course, you’ll have to pay extra!"
Wu Neng added, "It’s not for me. It’s to pay my colleagues. One month at most..."
"As long as you can open it, it’s not a problem."
Chen Che was loaded. Even now, he had dozens of Spirit Stones on him. Surely that was enough to open a single box?
Besides, the harder it was to open, the more valuable the contents inside must be.
’What on earth could be in the box?’
Leaving the lock shop, Chen Che couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.
