Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: A Seat at the Table
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The third piece of news was related to Chen Jianghe. After becoming a Deacon, Yu Daniu had changed Chen Jianghe's aquaculture area.
He was moved from Zone C, Number 12 to Zone A, Number 6.
It was closer to the lake's central island, and the spiritual energy was more abundant.
Once this year's fish harvest was complete, Chen Jianghe could move to the Zone A, Number 6 aquaculture area.
Chen Jianghe was indifferent about changing aquaculture areas. To him, cultivation and talisman crafting were the same no matter where he was.
Zone C, Number 12 was actually a bit better, as it made it easier for Xiao Hei to hide.
However, his large purchases of Spirit Nurturing Flowers and multiple trips to the Mirror Moon Treasure Pavilion's spirit beast section and the Beast Taming Workshop to inquire about prices had already exposed the fact that he was raising a spirit beast.
People just didn't know what kind of spirit beast he was raising.
As for the fourth piece of news, it concerned this year's Hundred Treasures House New Year's Eve auction, which would feature three grand treasures.
Word had gotten out that one of the final treasures was a third-grade, lower-tier bloodline beast cub from the Beast Taming Immortal Zhou Clan.
This directly attracted many Foundation Establishment Ancestors from various immortal clans.
A second-grade, upper-tier bloodline spirit beast had a thirty percent chance of advancing to the second rank with a second-rank spirit core.
A third-grade, lower-tier bloodline spirit beast had a fifty percent chance of advancing to the second rank even without a second-rank spirit core. With one, the chance rose to seventy percent.
Therefore, buying a third-grade, lower-tier bloodline spirit beast and raising it well would guarantee the clan an additional second-rank spirit beast in the future, which was equivalent to having another Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
Most importantly, spirit beasts had long lifespans. A second-rank spirit beast could serve as a clan's inherited guardian beast.
Yu Daniu's intention was to have Chen Jianghe accompany him to the Hundred Treasures House auction on New Year's Eve. Even if he didn't buy anything, he could join in the excitement and broaden his horizons.
Chen Jianghe had Yun Xiaoniu relay a message to Yu Daniu, saying he would be at the Hundred Treasures House.
Third-grade bloodline spirit beasts were a rare sight.
There wasn't a single one in Mirror Moon Lake, not even a third-grade, lower-tier one. Now, he would get to see one at the Hundred Treasures House auction.
He could also use the bloodline aura emitted by the third-grade, lower-tier spirit beast to gauge the purity of Xiao Hei's bloodline.
Xiao Hei's bloodline purity definitely surpassed that of the long-armed ape, but he couldn't yet determine if it had reached the third-grade, lower-tier.
Due to the flawed inheritance of the Black Crystal Mystic Turtle, Xiao Hei also couldn't ascertain his own bloodline purity. He could only compare it by sensing the bloodline auras of other spirit beasts.
The eleventh month.
Chen Jianghe took another Spirit Accumulating Pill, absorbing and refining its medicinal power to enhance his cultivation.
Xiao Hei didn't fall behind either. He devoured a Spirit Nurturing Flower and then happily urged the little green fish to go for a stroll to aid digestion.
A month later.
The Yun Clan's large boat came to collect the fish. The manager was Yun Wu.
"Brother Chen, this year's harvest is quite good!"
"Six graded little green fish. After deducting one jin and eight liang for weight loss, that's eight spirit stones. Here you are, Brother Chen."
Yun Wu walked off the large boat with a cheerful smile, came before Chen Jianghe, and personally handed over the eight spirit stones.
"Thank you, Manager."
"Hey, we're brothers, no need to be so formal." Yun Wu laughed heartily.
Chen Jianghe gladly accepted the eight spirit stones. He naturally knew why Yun Wu's attitude towards him had changed so drastically.
He had even been given an extra twenty grains of spirit sand.
It was all because Yu Daniu had become a Deacon of the Yun Clan, and everyone knew they were as close as brothers.
Although Yun Wu's elder brother had once been Yun Bufan's attendant and had also become a Deacon of the Yun Clan now...
...Yu Daniu's father-in-law was now a Yun Clan elder.
Being a Deacon himself with an elder for a father-in-law showed how high Yu Daniu's status was in the Yun Clan.
Most importantly, now that he was a Deacon, it was only a matter of time before he reached the ninth level of Qi Refining and became an elder himself.
Yu Daniu might become the Yun Clan's first elder with a different surname.
Naturally, Yun Wu wouldn't dare to offend Yu Daniu.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, a reluctant Yun Wu, who had enjoyed the conversation, departed to collect fish from other areas.
"Daniu became a Yun Clan Deacon, and I'm reaping quite a few benefits. This is good; there shouldn't be any obstacles when I leave Mirror Moon Lake in the future."
Chen Jianghe sent a mental message to Xiao Hei at the bottom of the lake, telling him to follow his aura and swim along the lakebed.
"We're moving. Keep up."
Next, Chen Jianghe arrived at the Zone A, Number 6 water area. The spiritual energy here was indeed a bit more abundant, but it was still within the range of a first-rank, upper-grade spirit vein.
After arriving, Xiao Hei seemed unusually excited.
"Wow, the immortal island! I can see the immortal island! Is that the legendary immortal island from my ancestors' tales?"
"Master, did you know? My father's father's father's father... anyway, I don't know how many fathers back, but the legend passed down says that those big, squawking white birds and the green-scaled fish get to go on the island as long as they become immortal beasts."
"Creatures like us from the Black Crystal Mystic Turtle clan are destined from birth to never have the qualification to go on the island."
"Master, will I have a chance to enter the immortal island in the future?"
Xiao Hei swam excitedly beneath the black-canopied boat, occasionally poking half his turtle head out to gaze at the central lake island in the distance.
"Immortal island?"
"Qualification to go on the island?"
Chen Jianghe curled his lip. He had seen plenty of little green fish and white egrets on the central lake island, but they were in the Mirror Moon Immortal Pavilion.
"What? You want to be made into soup?"
Turtles that hadn't become spirit beasts were a favorite of certain cultivators. Using a turtle that *had* become a spirit beast to make soup was even more sought after by some.
"What soup? You're so ignorant."
Xiao Hei dived, admiring the foundation stones of the distant immortal island from within the lake. A faint, clear light emanated from them, and his eyes filled with longing.
"I'm ignorant?"
Chen Jianghe rolled his eyes, thinking that if he had the chance in the future, he really should take him to the Mirror Moon Immortal Pavilion to see how the immortal beasts he yearned to be fulfilled their destiny.
Afterwards, he cast aside his distracting thoughts, focused his mind, and continued to craft talismans.
There were still over ten days until New Year's Eve. He would strive to craft a few more Five Elements Escape Talismans to line his pockets.
Time passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
As was his custom, Chen Jianghe had Xiao Hei dive deep into the lake before heading to the Mirror Moon Market City on the central island.
First, he went to the Mirror Moon Treasure Pavilion to sell the talismans he had crafted this year.
This year, he had crafted thirty-two Five Elements Escape Talismans. After deducting the seven-spirit-stone cost of the materials, he and Talisman Master Chu Lang would each get a share of thirty-seven spirit stones.
This was the eighth year of splitting profits with Talisman Master Chu Lang. In another two years, the deal for the talisman dao inheritance would be over.
In two years, he would try crafting mid-grade talismans.
The reason he wasn't trying now was, firstly, his success rate for low-grade attack talismans hadn't yet reached seventy percent.
Secondly, attempting mid-grade talismans during the period of his deal with another person might result in little to no profit for the entire year.
Since he had already received the man's inheritance, there was no need to be so calculating.
After leaving the Mirror Moon Treasure Pavilion, just like before, he first headed to Fushou Street to deliver the thirty-seven spirit stones of profit to Talisman Master Chu Lang.
Then he went to the Hundred Treasures House to buy talisman-crafting materials: four boxes of spirit ink and fifty sheets of high-quality talisman paper. The remaining two spirit stones would cover the cost of talisman brushes, landing in Chen Jianghe's pocket.
After buying the materials, he waited for Yu Daniu at the Hundred Treasures House.
With his sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't even get to the second floor, let alone the third-floor auction hall of the Hundred Treasures House.
He could only wait for Yu Daniu to take him up.
However, the Hundred Treasures House was much livelier this New Year's Eve than in previous years. Even the opening day of the Mirror Moon Market City couldn't compare to today's prosperity.
The entrance was bustling like a marketplace, with cultivators constantly pouring in.
Some were on the first floor buying cultivation resources, but most of the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators went directly up to the second floor.
Chen Jianghe stood by a puppet counter near the stairs to the second floor, watching the cultivators ascend out of the corner of his eye.
There were some mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators among them, but they were all being escorted up by late-stage cultivators.
"A Foundation Establishment Ancestor?"
Chen Jianghe saw an old man with no discernible magical aura walking up, followed by three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Someone with no magical power definitely couldn't come to the Hundred Treasures House, nor would they have late-stage Qi Refining cultivators following behind them.
Then he could only be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His aura was restrained, likely because his magical power had completely liquefied.
It was also possible that he had cultivated an aura concealment technique.
Chen Jianghe stopped paying attention to the cultivators going upstairs and instead looked at the variously shaped puppets on the counter.
According to the [Yun Clan Magazine], puppetry was also a major craft among the hundred arts of cultivation, but it had extremely high talent requirements and a long creation time, which was why it wasn't ranked among the four supreme arts.
First-rank puppets were divided into two types: combat puppets and support puppets.
A first-rank, low-grade combat puppet corresponded to the early stage of Qi Refining, a mid-grade to the middle stage, and a high-grade to the late stage.
First-rank combat puppets did not possess their own intelligence; they needed to be refined and then controlled by one's mind to fight enemies.
First-rank support puppets, however, were not so troublesome. As long as a spirit stone was inserted, they could perform simple tasks like cleaning and carrying things on their own.
Chen Jianghe glanced at the price tags next to the puppets and felt not a single shred of desire to buy one.
The prices for support puppets were generally low, around ten spirit stones.
But the prices for combat puppets were rather expensive.
A first-rank, low-grade combat puppet cost a whopping twenty spirit stones, while a mid-grade one was eighty spirit stones.
A first-rank, high-grade combat puppet was absurdly expensive, costing two hundred spirit stones.
"If I can obtain a puppetry inheritance in the future, I could give puppet making a try."
Chen Jianghe had no interest in buying puppets.
But he was very interested in making puppets to earn spirit stones.
"Brother Jianghe."
Just then, Yu Daniu came up behind Chen Jianghe, with Yun Xiaoniu by his side.
"Daniu." Chen Jianghe turned at the sound of his voice and greeted Yu Daniu.
"Uncle."
"Xiaoniu, you've broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. Excellent!"
Two months ago, Yun Xiaoniu was at the third level of Qi Refining, and now he was already at the fourth. As expected, with the backing of a clan, there was no shortage of resources.
Especially with an elder for a grandfather and a deacon for a father.
"Brother Jianghe, let's head up. The auction is about to start," Yu Daniu said with a cheerful smile.
Chen Jianghe nodded and walked up the stairs with Yu Daniu.
The late-stage Qi Refining guard standing before the stairs smiled, nodded, and greeted Yu Daniu upon seeing him.
He didn't give Chen Jianghe or Yun Xiaoniu, both mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, any trouble.
Reaching the second floor, they found that the stairs didn't have an entrance there and could only continue up to the third.
"The second floor of the Hundred Treasures House is a cultivation area. It's not open to the public."
Yu Daniu explained in a low voice to Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe nodded. He had previously thought the second floor of the Hundred Treasures House was open to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and sold higher-value resources.
On second thought, the various resources sold on the first floor already met the needs of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.
There was no need to build a separate place to sell resources for Foundation Establishment Ancestors in a region where you could count the number of such cultivators on one hand.
The third-floor auction was sufficient.
The auction held by the Hundred Treasures House every New Year's Eve featured many resources needed by Foundation Establishment Ancestors.