Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Azure Wood Evergreen

"The Patriarch and Young Miss were looking for me?"

Lin Changheng wasn’t surprised. He nodded and had the clan member lead the way.

The meeting took place in a high pavilion within the Hidden Peak Dojo. No one else was present—only Patriarch Xu Xuhe, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and his daughter, Xu Hanji.

"Greetings, Patriarch, Young Miss."

Lin Changheng clasped his hands briefly and offered his greetings with a smile.

"Chief Lin, you have worked hard and performed meritorious service while stationed abroad. You’ve finally found the time to return. Please, have a seat."

Xu Xuhe’s manner of dealing with people was as impeccable as ever, making Lin Changheng feel as comfortable as if he were bathing in a spring breeze.

The sense of authority that came from his high position was completely hidden at this moment. He could retract or display it at will, adapting his approach to the person before him.

"Patriarch, you praise me too highly. This is merely what I ought to do. As the saying goes, if you eat a lord’s food, you must be loyal to his cause. The clan has treated me well, so it is only right that I give something back."

Lin Changheng smiled faintly and sat down as told.

His gaze swept over Xu Xuhe and Xu Hanji. The former’s Cultivation was still at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation and was quite profound.

Xu Hanji was as beautiful as ever. More than six years had passed, and her aura had also reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation. Not only had she broken through the Late Stage bottleneck, but her accumulation even seemed more robust than his own, causing Lin Changheng’s pupils to shrink slightly.

’Such progress... If it wasn’t a fortuitous encounter, then the Xu Family’s young miss must have at least a Middle Grade Spirit Root or better.’

’She might not reach the fifty strands of Spiritual Charm like Mo Zhaoli, that half-step to an Upper Grade Spirit Root, but she’s not far off.’

Seeing Lin Changheng’s warm gaze, Xu Hanji’s beautiful eyes seemed to wander for a moment, lost in some unknown thought, but she quickly recovered and nodded in courtesy.

"We’ve invited Chief Lin over this time for two main reasons."

Xu Xuhe chuckled and got straight to the point.

"Please, speak." Lin Changheng nodded. He didn’t rush to agree, but listened first.

"First, the family has reached an agreement with the Liu Family to continue investing in the Cyan Spirit District, develop it vigorously, and establish an Auction to attract customers."

Patriarch Xu was concise.

’Are they planning to imitate the Ruins District?’ Lin Changheng understood the underlying meaning. His mind stirred, but he didn’t speak, waiting for what would come next.

’Faced with a crisis, accelerating development is a reasonable course of action.’

"You must understand, whether an Auction can become successful doesn’t depend on anything else but the items for sale—the resources! Only if the resources are abundant and rare enough, things that Cultivators can’t easily obtain, can we attract customers and have them compete in bidding," Patriarch Xu continued to explain.

"So, what do you need me to do?"

Lin Changheng indicated his understanding and then asked about the real intention.

"When the time comes, we will have to trouble Chief Lin to take action, along with Elder Qianyan, to refine a batch of special Upper Grade Elixirs."

Patriarch Xu smiled and directly, yet tactfully, assigned the task.

"Of course, that’s no problem. What kind of Upper Grade Elixirs need to be refined?"

Lin Changheng didn’t refuse. For him, mastering a few more Upper Grade Pill Formulas was not a bad thing.

"The clan and the Liu Family are working around the clock to gather them. We have already obtained three Pill Formulas with special effects."

"The first is a feigned-death pill called the Breath-Holding Pill, which suspends all life activities and is suitable for hiding and avoiding danger. The second is the Solid Face Pill, which preserves one’s youthful appearance. The third is the Demon-Extinguishing Pill, which is useful for Demon Hunting in the Wilderness. If attacked by a Demon Beast, taking it will cause you to emit a special scent that Demon Beasts dislike and avoid, increasing your chances of survival..."

"Hmm?"

Lin Changheng was a little surprised, a look of curiosity on his face.

Patriarch Xu, who had been watching Lin Changheng’s expression, noticed this and smiled in satisfaction. "Obtaining these Pill Formulas was truly not easy. Our two families put in a great deal of effort. When the time comes, Alchemist Lin and Elder Qianyan will work together to refine a batch, which we will then sell at auction in controlled quantities."

"I can do that."

In reality, Lin Changheng was surprised because he had just obtained a Solid Face Pill from Tantai Feiyue, and now, he was unexpectedly getting the Pill Formula from the Xu Family. It was truly a strange coincidence.

Naturally, Patriarch Xu knew nothing of this.

However, he was in a rather good mood. He hadn’t expected Lin Changheng to agree so readily.

"When the time comes, Ji’er will go to the Cyan Spirit District to oversee the establishment of the Auction. You two will be working together, so you can communicate often and help each other out."

Then, Patriarch Xu mentioned another matter.

Lin Changheng raised his eyes to glance at Xu Hanji and smiled. "Of course, that’s no problem. I’ll be counting on your guidance, Young Miss."

At this point, Xu Hanji also spoke up, bringing up the second matter.

"Chief Lin, I was wondering if you’ve begun cultivating the *Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood*?"

Lin Changheng was taken aback. "I’ve only just reached the Entry-Level. Progress has been slow."

"That’s because you lack the required resources to assist you."

Xu Hanji pressed her lips together and gave a beautiful smile.

It turned out that the practice of Body Refining Techniques was always accompanied by the use of special supplementary resources. Some utilized the essence of ores, while others required bathing in precious medicinal materials. The methods were varied and numerous.

The *Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood*, for its part, used a type of Tree-Born Spirit Liquid, combined with a Tier One Spirit Wood called "Jade Dragon Wood," to cleanse the physical body.

"But I didn’t see that noted in the Cultivation Technique."

Lin Changheng frowned in confusion. Such a systematic supplementary method should have been clearly explained in the Cultivation Technique.

"That’s because the technique is flawed. A Cultivator later completed the supplementary method and shared it separately. My clan uncle wasn’t certain about it, so he only had me relay it to you after he tried it and confirmed that it was correct."

Xu Hanji explained everything, trying to dispel Lin Changheng’s doubts.

She then extended her palm and activated the *Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood* right in front of him. A cyan light gradually began to glow.

Her palm, along with the section of her snow-white wrist revealed by her drooping sleeve, was covered in a pale-green hue, resembling a piece of cyan jade wood and giving off a feeling of toughness.

"I see."

Lin Changheng observed carefully, the strange light of the Spirit Detecting Skill flashing in his eyes, before he finally nodded. "No wonder my progress with this Body Refining Technique has been so slow. In nearly half a year, I’ve barely managed to reach the first layer."

You have to understand, the *Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood* has six layers in total, and can be cultivated to the Late Stage of Tier Two.

This corresponds to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment in terms of Magical Power Cultivation.

And the first layer is only equivalent to the Early Stage of Tier One.

Lin Changheng estimated that to break through the Mountain of Essence, one of the barriers to Foundation Establishment, he would need to reach at least the Third Layer for it to be effective. The Fourth Layer would be even better.

Xu Hanji raised her hand and flicked it. A Jade Scroll shot out, and Lin Changheng caught it. "This Jade Scroll contains the supplementary method that was confirmed to be viable."

"Good."

Lin Changheng replied verbally, but it didn’t stop him from pressing the Jade Scroll to his forehead and beginning to inspect the method.

Soon, he withdrew his Divine Thought. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at the two people before him and said, "I was wondering if the clan has channels to procure these materials?"

After reading it, Lin Changheng found that although the required Spiritual Materials and Spirit Liquid were all Tier One, the quantities needed were quite large, requiring a considerable expenditure of resources.

’Another money pit.’

This wasn’t the core issue. Lin Changheng’s financial resources could bear the cost.

Rather, because the required quantity of resources was large, the procurement channels were a bit tricky. If he had to search for and purchase them himself, it would likely waste a lot of effort and time.

Hence his question.

"Yes."

Xu Hanji smiled, nodded, and uttered a single word, causing Lin Changheng to heave a sigh of relief.

’That makes things much easier.’

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