Upon hearing this, the weight on Lin Changheng's mind was finally lifted.
What Xu Qianyan meant by "opening up Middle Grade access" was that he could now use Contribution Points, accumulated by completing tasks for the Xu Family, to exchange for such items.
It was like the family's internal merit system, granting him a higher level of access.
Previously, junior members could only exchange for various Tier One Lower Grade items.
"Thank you, Chief."
Xu Qianyan glanced at him, shook his head, and said with a serious expression, "You earned this through your own strength. There is no need to thank me."
"As for your duties, they primarily involve Alchemy. When the family issues tasks, you can simply go to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to accept them."
"As for compensation, aside from a full supply of high-quality Spirit Tea, Spirit Rice, and Spirit Wine, you'll also have a Spirit Vein to use for your Cultivation. The rest can be a fixed stipend of Spirit Stones or a profit-sharing model—the more you refine, the more you earn."
"You can think it over and report your decision later."
Seeing Lin Changheng nod his understanding, a Pill Master handed him a Jade Scroll, and the large group then departed.
After watching them disappear, Lin Changheng did not follow but turned and headed to the Hundred Treasures Hall on another peak.
This was a place where one could trade Contribution Points and Spirit Stones for items, or sell things back to the family.
A moment later, Lin Changheng walked out of the hall.
His expression betrayed nothing.
The Elixirs and the extra Storage Bag he had acquired had all been sold.
Three Lower Grade Elixirs of average quality were sold for three Spirit Stones, half their market price.
The Storage Bag only sold for fifty Spirit Stones.
It was an acceptable price.
He had gained fifty-three Spirit Stones in total.
The vial of Poison was also appraised for free. It was a Tier One Middle Grade Poison Medicine, concocted from the mixed poison glands and sacs of various Demon Beasts. When dispersed into the air, it could cause bodily paralysis and dull the five senses.
The Hundred Treasures Hall offered to purchase it for two Spirit Stones, but Lin Changheng politely refused.
What frustrated him, however, was that the Lower Grade Hammerhead Spiritual Artifact was deemed too damaged. Its repair costs were too high, and its use would be hazardous, so the hall refused to buy it back.
'Maybe I can try selling it at the family's internal trade meet.'
...
「Upon returning to Tingchao Dojo.」
Lin Changheng once again saw a dense crowd of people up ahead, blocking the entrance to the Dao Field.
In the middle of them all was Tantai Feiyue, the center of everyone's attention.
Giving them only a passing glance, Lin Changheng walked right by them.
Evidently, the group of Xu Family disciples noticed Lin Changheng as well and turned to look.
But they no longer threw him confrontational, hateful glares as if he were an enemy. Instead, their looks were complex and probing, a mixture of resentful jealousy and grudging awe.
One of the Xu Family disciples subconsciously touched the new Lower Grade Elixir at his waist. It was a Cultivation Elixir his parents had scrimped and saved for, spending all their accumulated wealth to purchase it from the Hundred Treasures Hall.
When he remembered that Lin Changheng was now a Pill Master who could easily refine elixirs of such quality, his eyes dimmed.
"Excuse me," a quiet voice said.
"Y-yes."
Responding instinctively, the Xu Family disciples at the entrance parted as if guided by an unseen hand. The crowd surged outward like a wave, clearing a path.
The parting crowd revealed the elegant Tantai Feiyue standing there.
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng offered his thanks, walked through the path they had made, and gave Tantai Feiyue a slight nod as he passed her.
Tantai Feiyue had wanted to greet him and exchange a few words, but when she saw he had no intention of stopping, the smile on her lips froze.
Her eyes followed Lin Changheng's retreating figure, and she pursed her red lips, lost in thought.
As for Lin Changheng, he never once looked back, as if completely oblivious to the scene behind him—or perhaps, he simply didn't deign to care.
...
「Back in his courtyard.」
Lin Changheng recalled the two options Xu Qianyan had offered: 'A fixed stipend of Spirit Stones, or the profit-sharing model?'
He took out the Jade Scroll, pressed it to his forehead, and began to examine its contents.
After a single look, Lin Changheng made his choice—
The second option!
According to the Jade Scroll, if he chose the "fixed Spirit Stone stipend," all elixirs he refined would belong to the Xu Family—Success Pills, Inferior Pills, and Wasted Pills alike!
He would have to turn over a number of Pills corresponding to the portions of Medicinal Materials he used.
'With my perfect success rate, where would I even find that many Wasted Pills and Inferior Pills?'
The first option was out of the question.
By process of elimination, only the second one was left.
The second option, the profit-sharing model, was even stricter. For every ten portions of Alchemy Medicinal Materials the Xu Family provided, he had to hand over seven Genuine Pills.
No matter how many pills he successfully refined from a batch meant for ten, he had to submit that amount!
Any extra Success Pills were his, and any Masterpiece Pills he refined were also his; the family didn't claim them. But if he was short, he had to make up the difference himself.
This was equivalent to handing over an extra twenty percent compared to the initial fifty percent cut. Lin Changheng could accept this. After all, his access to supplies like Spirit Rice, Spirit Tea, and the Spirit Vein had improved, and he was exempt from tasks like land reclamation—these were intangible resources not measured in Spirit Stones.
In essence, it was a test of one's Alchemy Skill, an artificial threshold.
It was designed for high-level Pill Masters, meant to encourage them to improve their Skills, while also deliberately discouraging Honored Guest Elders with inferior Alchemy Skills, compelling them to quit.
After all, under this model, there was no limit to Alchemy. As long as you were willing to push yourself, you could keep your cauldron fire burning every single day of the year.
The more capable you are, the more you earn!
If one's Alchemy Skill was lacking, it would result in tremendous waste.
The Xu Family could not afford to support that.
But as long as a Pill Master could meet the seventy percent quota, the Xu Family would profit. In that case, what did it matter if they let you burn through all the Spirit Medicine you wanted?
It was a win-win situation!
As a large and influential clan where every decision had widespread consequences, the Xu Family naturally had to have this calculated down to the last detail.
'No matter how I look at it, I have to choose the second option. Although my cut is twenty percent smaller, the Masterpiece Pills will raise the total value so much that, proportionally, it won't feel like I'm losing out.'
'Besides, I can increase the basic monthly quota of ten cauldrons to around fifteen without it affecting my Cultivation, allowing me to build up my initial capital as quickly as possible.'
'Right, I also have to keep up with refining Wood Element Pills.'
After settling his Alchemy plans, Lin Changheng's thoughts turned back to the matter of Essence Blood.
This was absolutely crucial!
It was tied to the very foundation of his power!
'Logically, with more than ten Pill Masters in the Xu Family, they must produce a significant number of Wasted and Inferior Pills each month. I wonder if I can find a way to get my hands on them?'
'If that's the case for Lower Grade Elixirs, then what about Middle and Upper Grade Elixirs? The Demon Beast Essence Blood within them must be far more powerful!'
'Hmm, I have to go to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall tomorrow to submit my choice anyway. I'll see if there are any good tasks related to Essence Blood…'
With that thought, Lin Changheng took out a Masterpiece Red Flame Pill, swallowed it, and began to meditate, calming his mind and focusing on his Cultivation.
He currently had thirteen Masterpiece Pills left in his Storage Bag!
His stock of Genuine Pills was empty; he had sold them all to Su Shuangjiang for Spirit Stones before evacuating, leaving not a single one behind.
He had even told her that if she needed more in the future, she could find him at the Black Water River Xu Family.
This was merely a pleasantry, of course. The distance was too great, and with the Cultivation Realm in turmoil, even a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation couldn't guarantee their safety on such a long journey.
At this moment, the number of Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag had once again reached over one hundred and eighty.
Haaa...
The Elixir in his body slowly dissolved. The Medicinal Power of the Masterpiece Pill immediately flowed through his meridians and Qi Veins, spreading to every corner of his body along with the circulation of his Cultivation Technique. Finally, it was refined into Magical Power and settled into his Dantian...
His power continued to advance.