BXBX NOVEL Chapter 132: Peak Master Candidates
Leaving Little Pill Peak, Lan Chang\'an looked at Shi Manrong, who flew out with him and asked casually.
"Fairy Shi, it seems that Huanglong Mountain\'s demand for formation masters to deal with this beast tide is greater than expected?"
During his visit to Huanglong Immortal City, he noticed that Huanglong Mountain had recruited many senior formation masters with exceptionally generous rewards.
He didn\'t know what benefits were offered, but even an independent formation genius like Shi Manrong was persuaded to temporarily join Huanglong Mountain.
"Yes, Huanglong Mountain has indeed recruited many formation masters. Perhaps they predict this beast tide to be larger than usual, or there might be other reasons." Shi Manrong nodded, not giving a definite answer.
Lan Chang\'an felt that Fairy Shi probably knew something but was concealing it out of professionalism.
Given the current environment, Fairy Shi\'s talent and accomplishments in formations were enough to gain the attention and respect of the core members of Huanglong Mountain, treating her as an honored guest.
To think, there was once a fleeting romance between this woman and him. Now, she had joined the ranks of Huanglong Mountain\'s faction?Due to past grudges, Huanglong Mountain was considered half an imaginary enemy in Lan Chang\'an\'s mind.
...
Shi Manrong stayed at Wuqi Mountain for a few days before heading to Huanglong Immortal City.
Half a month later.
The formations at Little Pill Peak, where Lin Ye resided, were dismantled, and the valuable spiritual items on the mountain and in the cave mansion were taken away.
Lan Chang\'an saw Lin Ye off.
Since Alchemist Hua\'s death, Lan Chang\'an felt that Lin Ye had lost some of his former vitality.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, I\'m leaving Wuqi Mountain in your hands."
"Fairy Shi is an excellent Dao companion candidate; don\'t miss the opportunity..." Before saying goodbye, Lin Ye had a relieved look on his face and said something he hadn\'t said in the past.
Lan Chang\'an suspected that during the time he had been close to Fairy Shi, Lin Ye, as a neighbor, Alchemist Lin might have noticed some things.
...
After sending Lin Ye off.
Wuqi Mountain was left with only Lan Chang\'an as the peak master.
"A one-year buffer period, I need to quickly finalize the candidate for the third peak to share the rent." Lan Chang\'an mused.
Lin Ye\'s exit from the shared lease, having paid the penalty spirit stones, compensated both Jin Yun Valley and the two peak masters.
However, the absence of a second-rank superior-grade alchemist significantly weakened Wuqi Mountain\'s appeal to potential customers.
In previous years, business came knocking on his door, allowing Lan Chang\'an to earn spirit stones steadily and leisurely.
Besides, there were security concerns.
In the past, Wuqi Mountain had two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed year-round, deterring idle evil cultivator groups from making any moves.
If only Lan Chang\'an, a single Foundation Establishment cultivator, remained, the security would be less assured.
If something dangerous ever occurred, the primary target would likely be the lone peak master Lan Chang\'an, leaving no one else willing to take on such risks within the same cultivation level.
That day, Lan Chang\'an talked with Wuqi Mountain\'s steward, Lan Lin, for a long time.
Having been at Wuqi Mountain for over thirty years, Lan Lin was already in the mold of a middle-aged woman.
She had trained several young, graceful female cultivators to handle external receptions and manage the mundane affairs of Wuqi Mountain.
"Don\'t worry, Talisman Master Lan, Wuqi Mountain\'s geographical location and spiritual environment attract no shortage of wandering Foundation Establishment cultivators to join."
"I will put out the rental information and assist in selecting suitable candidates." Lan Lin took on the matter with full confidence.
...
Over the next two months, several Foundation Establishment cultivators showed interest and visited Wuqi Mountain for inquiries.
Lan Chang\'an had a lot of free time, and whenever he was not out, he personally met with the Foundation Establishment cultivators who came for an "interview."
The criteria for choosing the peak master required them to be a craftsman, with second-rank middle-grade alchemists being preferred.
Lan Chang\'an conducted preliminary screenings.
Those with poor skills or bad character among the Foundation Establishment cultivators were eliminated in the first round.
You shouldn\'t put all your eggs in one basket.
Lan Chang\'an made another trip to Jin Yun Valley.
Using the sect\'s network, he put the word out, looking for a well-known, high-quality candidate for the peak master.
This time, Zhang Tieshan was not there, so Lan Chang\'an met with Zhao Siyao.
In fact, back more than a year ago, Lan Chang\'an attended the centennial birthdays of both Zhang Tieshan and Zhao Siyao, presenting each with a gift.
At the sect level, perspectives differ, and actions are more low-key.
Unlike cultivation families, which often hold grand Foundation Establishment ceremonies and large banquets for centennial birthdays. For sect cultivators, a centennial birthday is considered a more meaningful birthday.
The duo\'s modest centennial celebrations, like Lan Chang\'an\'s, were akin to a family banquet, except that there were a lot more Foundation Establishment cultivators visiting. Especially for Zhang Tieshan\'s birthday, even two Fake-Dan cultivators made an appearance.
In Lan Chang\'an\'s long years, the intricate details of such social interactions are not worth elaborating on.
...
Half a year later.
Four Foundation Establishment cultivators came to Wuqi Mountain and sat in the main hall of Little Turtle Peak.
Lan Chang\'an sat at the head, ready to choose one of the preliminary shortlisted craftsmen to be stationed at Wuqi Mountain.
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators present were three men and one woman.
The only female cultivator was named Su Hongye, at the early-stage Foundation Establishment, and she was a second-rank middle-grade winemaker.
This woman wore a red dress, had a seductive figure, a beautiful face, and eyes like autumn water, bewitching the soul.
Su Hongye was recommended by the steward, Lan Lin.
She was somewhat famous in the "Liaoyuan Immortal City" in the central part of the Liang Kingdom and had a stable clientele.
Her brewed spiritual wine could promote cultivation, temper the body, and temporarily enhance magical power.
The other three male Foundation Establishment cultivators were from the various cultivation professions such as alchemists, herbalists, and artifact refiners.
The artifact refiner was a black-bearded old man named Kong Mao, at the early-stage Foundation Establishment, a second-rank middle-grade artifact refiner.
The alchemist was a handsome and effeminate man named Jiang Yechen, who was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and a second-rank middle-grade alchemist.
The herbalist was a short-haired, lazy youth named Ye Fei, at the early Foundation Establishment stage, a second-rank middle-grade herbalist.
Alchemists and herbalists share some common ground, but they focus on different aspects.
The former mainly refines pills, focusing on cultivation needs.
Herbalists are skilled in pharmacology, generally also refining pills, but focusing on healing, treating diseases, or using poisons.
In the cultivation world, besides various deadly toxins and plagues, there are also strange and even incurable diseases.
Even immortals are subject to the five decays of heaven and man.
As long as one hasn\'t transcended into immortality, they are essentially still mortal, not exempt from birth, aging, sickness, and death.
"It\'s an honor to have you four Fellow Daoists visit Wuqi Mountain." Lan Chang\'an\'s gaze swept over the four present and exchanged a few polite words.
In fact, he already had a rough idea of his choice. Today\'s meeting was merely to make a final confirmation.
Announcing the decision early might be awkward if the chosen one suddenly backed out. It\'s good to have backup options.
Among the four Foundation Establishment craftsmen.
Lan Chang\'an first eliminated the only female cultivator, Su Hongye.
Firstly, the priority of a winemaker was lower than that of an alchemist, even if she was skilled and had a good reputation.
Secondly, this woman was seductive and charming, with many admirers in Liaoyuan Immortal City.
Lan Chang\'an was worried about attracting unnecessary trouble.
The black-bearded old man, "Kong Mao," a second-rank middle-grade artifact refiner, was also lower on the priority list.
Lan Chang\'an mainly focused on the alchemist Jiang Yechen and the herbalist Ye Fei.
Both had second-rank middle-grade skills.
"Jiang Yechen, from one of the seven great cultivation families, the Jiang Family. Due to certain reasons, he cut ties with his closest family members, possessing superior-grade spiritual root aptitude and his skills are not bad either."
It\'s worth mentioning that Jiang Yechen was introduced by Zhang Tieshan.
"Ye Fei, a descendant of a wandering cultivator, has a laid-back personality. Decades ago, to avenge his parents, he poisoned an entire family of more than a hundred Qi-Refining cultivators, leaving him with a less-than-stellar reputation."
...
Lan Chang\'an\'s choice was actually Ye Fei.
This person had a simple background, and apart from avenging his parents and poisoning a cultivation family, he had no other significant misconduct.
In recent years, Ye Fei had mingled in several large markets and immortal cities, stationed at several large pharmacies without causing any trouble.
Other cultivators were wary of him mainly because he was skilled in using poisons.
But Lan Chang\'an\'s Evergreen Technique had strong anti-poison capabilities. His keen sense and strong spiritual sense made it easy to detect any anomalies.
In terms of personal ability, Lan Chang\'an completely outmatched Ye Fei, with higher cultivation and skills.
Although Jiang Yechen had better overall qualities, his ties with the seven great families and his somewhat arrogant demeanor were concerning. He only shared a superficial friendship with Zhang Tieshan.
To be safe, Lan Chang\'an, while drinking tea, merged his mind with the Nine Seal Stele, receiving the second life\'s support, and scanned Ye Fei with his spiritual sense, also taking a look at the other three.
Previously, during the initial selection, Lan Chang\'an hadn\'t thoroughly investigated each candidate.
While he was out, not every one of the four people present had been personally received either.
"Ye Fei also cultivates a wood system technique, seemingly possessing both healing and poison-inducing capabilities."
Lan Chang\'an\'s spiritual sense swept over Ye Fei without finding any abnormalities.
"Er? This person..."
His spiritual sense detected something unusual in one of the other three.
The black-bearded old man, "Kong Mao," the artifact refiner, was actually hiding his true identity and cultivation, being at the late-stage Foundation Establishment.
He was wearing a super-thin mask, a disguise artifact that could even deceive Fake-Dan cultivators.
Although Lan Chang\'an\'s spiritual sense, having reached the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, was stronger than the late Foundation Establishment, he hadn\'t noticed anything amiss before.
Additionally, Jiang Yechen had a soul dao artifact on him, indicating he wasn\'t a simple person.
Lan Chang\'an\'s spiritual sense detected it but didn\'t forcefully investigate further.
If the target had a soul artifact, the effectiveness of Lan Chang\'an\'s spiritual sense secret art used with his first life\'s support would be greatly reduced.
"Today, I am ready to confirm the candidate for the third peak." Lan Chang\'an put down his teacup with a smile, showing no signs of his earlier discoveries.
At this moment, a charming female voice transmitted to his ear.
"Miss is willing to offer two jars of two-hundred-year-old second-rank spirit wine."
Su Hongye was secretly bribing him, with items worth several hundred spirit stones.
This didn\'t surprise Lan Chang\'an, as some other slightly less qualified Foundation Establishment cultivators had also hinted at bribes during the reception.
"Fellow Daoist Ye Fei, would you be willing to reside at Wuqi Mountain?" Lan Chang\'an\'s gaze fell on the lazy short-haired youth.
"Fellow Daoist Lan chose me?" Ye Fei was stunned for a moment, then quickly cupped his hands in thanks.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Ye."
The other three were a bit surprised but had no complaints.
Su Hongye showed some regret, flicking her hair.
Jiang Yechen frowned slightly, appearing displeased, but soon regained his composure. He didn\'t lose his manners, greeted Lan Chang\'an, and was the first to leave.
Su Hongye and the black-bearded old man, "Kong Mao," who had hidden his cultivation, also left soon after.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, don\'t take it to heart."
Su Hongye, leaving the cave mansion, caught up with the handsome and effeminate Jiang Yechen, whom she had known for years.
"The selection of the main peak master of Wuqi Mountain largely depends on the mountain lord\'s personal preference. Lan Chang\'an\'s criteria may not prioritize strength."
"Sometimes, being too outstanding can be a disadvantage."
"It doesn\'t matter, I was just curious."
Jiang Yechen detected the hidden meaning in her words and didn\'t want to chat more on the topic.
...
"The competition for the third peak was truly full of hidden talents." In the main hall, Lan Chang\'an watched the three leave, speaking meaningfully.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, I am no hidden talent. May I ask why you chose me?" Ye Fei asked with a puzzled expression.
Ye Fei had indeed been drawn to Wuqi Mountain\'s location and cultivation environment. However, it was only with the mentality of giving it a try; he knew very well that his chances were slim.
The primary reason was that his expertise lay in poison techniques, and his reputation that came from his once brutal revenge, often made people wary and uneasy around him.
(End of chapter)