Chapter 9 of 100

Chapter 9

16 min read4,112 words

The entire Qinghe Market is shaped like a "回" character, and the scattered market is the central "口" character, which is also the largest area, covering over a hundred acres.

The scattered market is the most free and bustling place for transactions in the market. Here, the sounds of haggling are like waves, one after another, never ceasing. For a moment, Chu He thought he had returned to the large vegetable market near his home.

Most of the stalls in the scattered market are temporary, and even renting for just one day is possible. Due to the low rental fees, the items sold here are relatively cheaper.

This place is a mix of good and bad, with deep waters. To find good things here, one must rely on their keen eyesight.

Chu He had only walked past a row of stalls when he was secretly amazed: the things he saw indeed broadened his horizons, truly bizarre and varied.

In the past, limited by his cultivation, he could only stay in a small place, naturally having less experience. If it weren't for the Hundred Toxins Sect attacking, he might still be leisurely cultivating his spirit fields.

Chu He dared not touch the items on these temporary stalls. Currently, he was financially strained, and his discernment was limited. Reaching out might just get him taken advantage of.

As he walked further in, he saw a five-story building with a sign that read "Qinghe Auction House." Next to it was a large notice board displaying the schedule of various auctions.

The main door was currently closed to visitors. Otherwise, Chu He would have gone in to take a look.

In the central area of the scattered market, besides the auction house, there was another building of similar size called the "Qiu Ying Building."

Seeing this name, Chu He was very curious. After paying twenty iron coins at the entrance, what he saw inside left him greatly amazed: it was somewhat similar to a job market on Earth.

Inside, there were several crystal pillars, categorized by items such as magical artifacts, talismans, elixirs, spirit plants, and array formations. Each crystal pillar had six large bronze mirrors hanging above it, displaying text at intervals. Chu He noticed that these were various pieces of information.

The information was varied: there were requests to buy and sell items, job postings, team formation requests, and even recruitment for spiritual companions... truly everything one could imagine, and more.

Not only that, but a job fair was actually taking place on-site!

From the advertisement board, it was clear that the employer was none other than the ruler of the market—Qingling Mountain. The compensation was very generous.

Qingling Mountain was the most powerful sect within thousands of miles, and it usually had high entry standards. However, this time they were recruiting regardless of qualifications, which was highly attractive. Strangely, there were not many applicants, far fewer than the bustling crowd inside the hall.

Chu He carefully read the advertisement and found that they were recruiting intermediate spirit farmers and intermediate miners.

Although intermediate spirit farmers and miners were not common, the cultivation requirement was at least the Eighth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm. This condition was considered high in Chu He's previous place, but in the bustling Qingling Town, it was not a problem. Almost no one in Qingling Town was below the Sixth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm.

In addition to cultivation, the spiritual body also had to meet certain requirements, and proficiency in corresponding techniques was necessary. Combined, these conditions were quite stringent.

From this job fair, it was clear that Qingling Mountain was indeed in urgent need of spirit farmers and miners.

Usually, large sects cultivate disciples in all areas systematically, without any significant gaps.

This sudden urgent need was likely due to a rapid expansion of resources. Qingling Mountain must have either opened new spirit fields and medicinal fields or annexed the territory of a smaller sect.

However, upon further reflection, Chu He felt something was off: if they were in urgent need, why have a requirement for the spiritual body? Lowering the requirement for the spiritual body would speed up the recruitment process.

Valuing the spiritual body was often for the potential for advancement. It seemed that Qingling Mountain was recruiting with the goal of developing advanced spirit farmers and miners for the future.

Indeed, the demeanor of a large sect: even in urgent need, they would not lower their standards.

Thinking about this, Chu He felt a bit uneasy: it seemed that his chances of being selected as a spirit farmer were not as certain as he thought.

Thus, he lost interest in the job fair and turned his attention elsewhere.

"Three taels of Black Iron Essence, requiring purification to over 80%, with a reward of 20 to 40 low-grade spirit stones. Code: 195."

Looking at this information, Chu He felt a strange sensation, a vague and elusive impulse.

This feeling, or perhaps inspiration, made him repeatedly ponder the information, muttering to himself, oblivious to his appearance.

"Purification? That means separating impurities from the target material. But to do this with Black Iron Essence, one needs the skills of a weapon forger!"

"Separate impurities!!!!!!!"

Like a sudden enlightenment, Chu He realized he had grasped that elusive inspiration: the Purifying Fire!

The initial bustle of Qingling Town had made Chu He overlook the Purifying Fire, and he had not taken the time to delve into it.

The Purifying Fire has the ability to consume all impurities, though it only reduces them by 20%, which seems insignificant. However, if used properly, it can enhance the quality of materials!

For example, during the purification stage of elixir or weapon forging, it can increase the purity of materials, making the final product superior.

Expanding on this idea, Chu He was even more excited: using the characteristics of the Purifying Fire, one could enhance the quality of materials, regardless of their original grade.

For instance, a high-grade material like a Ninth Rank Upper could be purified to a Ninth Rank Lower without damaging its structure.

The price difference between different grades of materials is significant. With the Purifying Fire, Chu He could easily eliminate this difference, with minimal effort.

"Riches!" The more he thought about it, the happier he became, as if piles of spirit stones were already in front of him. He couldn't help but shout out loud, almost breaking into a dance of "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style"...

"Hey! Be gentle, I can walk myself." No matter how much Chu He protested, he was forcibly escorted out by the guards of the Qiu Ying Building.

Although it was embarrassing, he quickly dismissed the negative emotions. After all, no one knew him here, so what was there to fear? He mentally counted the spirit stones in his storage bag, which had 11 low-grade stones left, and decided to start his wealth-building plan.

The first step was to go to the scattered market or shops to find the best materials of each grade.

He didn't understand precious materials, but for those he had more experience with, he should have some ability to recognize them, and he wasn't afraid of being cheated.

However, his cultivation was limited, and he had no experience with weapon forging. Counting the materials he had encountered, there were very few.

"Black Iron? Gray Steel?..." These were materials he had used to make farming tools, but they were common and not useful for weapon forging, with almost no value.

"Never mind, I'll think about this later." Although he realized it was a false hope, Chu He was not discouraged. As long as he had the opportunity to handle various materials in the future, his discernment would improve, and he could then pursue this path to wealth.

No rush, no rush, I'm still young!

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