Chapter 1715: Chapter 645: Zhou Yuanlian’s Core Formation
Although she is a Loose Cultivator, she has her own principles and bottom lines.
Zhou Chun gave her the Alchemy Inheritance, which was something she couldn’t refuse. Therefore, even though she knew it would incur a huge debt of gratitude, she accepted it for the sake of her own Dao.
However, things like Elixirs for refinement of cultivation, for her, were not necessities. Naturally, she did not wish to owe more favors and break her previous commitments.
Actually, this was an important reason why Zhou Chun admired her so much!
Zhou Chun himself also had strong principles and bottom lines, so he naturally felt a stronger affinity for cultivators who possessed similar qualities, leading to mutual admiration.
Therefore, at this time, Luo Qingni’s attitude of refusal was not beyond Zhou Chun’s expectation. It only made him more convinced that he had not misjudged her.
Thus, he immediately laughed and said, “In that case, let’s say Zhou Mou is lending it to Taoist Friend Luo first. Once Taoist Friend Luo enters the Alchemy Grandmaster Realm and your cultivation breaks through the late stage of Alchemy, you will surely attract many Taoist friends seeking your alchemy services. By then, you can repay Zhou Mou with other Spirit Pills or Spiritual Medicines!”
At this point, seeing Luo Qingni seemed somewhat tempted, he immediately waved his hand and said, “It’s decided then. If Taoist Friend Luo continues to be polite, it would mean considering Zhou Mou as an outsider!”
“Then Qingni humbly accepts!”
Luo Qingni opened her mouth, but in the end, she gently nodded in agreement.
However, inside her heart, there was not much joy. Instead, she felt somewhat troubled, unsure of how to repay this increasing debt of gratitude in the future!
Perhaps this is the blissful kind of worry!
Afterward, Zhou Chun gave a set of alchemy materials to Luo Qingni and took his leave without further disturbance.
The remaining Spiritual Medicine would be placed with Zhou Daoyi. Luo Qingni could directly take them when she needed to refine other elixirs.
Zhou Chun wouldn’t stay long in Tianyuan Immortal City; not long after, he returned to the family in the Green Lotus Mountain Range.
Upon Zhou Chun’s return to Jingguo Country, the Ancestor of the Su Family had already passed away peacefully.
Learning of the news, he quickly rushed to the Su Family Mountain Gate to burn incense and mourn for the deceased elder.
In the subsequent months, Zhou Chun stayed at the Su Family Mountain Gate, companioning his Dao companion Su Yuzhen, comforting her as she was somewhat emotional.
Fortunately, as the Ancestor of the Su Family had normally passed away upon reaching the end of his life, all arrangements were made well in advance, and the Su Family did not experience any turmoil due to his passing.
Zhou Chun made a high-profile appearance in the Su Family, intending to help the Su Family leverage his influence to deter both internal and external threats.
After staying at the Su Family for a few months to fully demonstrate his position, he returned to his cave in the Green Lotus Mountain Range for secluded cultivation.
Meanwhile, when Zhou Chun was cultivating in seclusion in the Green Lotus Mountain Range, the Zhou Family became bustling due to the large amount of resources he brought back.
Zhou Zhiying brought back items from the Secret Realm Cave, which, besides the Spiritual Medicine Zhou Chun needed, also included some extraordinarily effective Fourth Order and Third Order Spirit Fruits, as well as many kinds of Spiritual Tea and Spiritual Medicine, like “Bluewave Heart-Cleansing Tea.”
He kept half of these for the family’s Golden Core Stage Cultivators, while the remaining half were placed into the Family Treasure Vault for clan members below the Golden Core Stage to exchange.
After discovering this, Zhou Xinyan quickly proposed that the Zhou Family should take out some of the Fourth Order and Third Order Spirit Fruits, along with other rare Spiritual Objects, and hold a “Fruit Appreciation Conference,” inviting various subordinate forces to participate.
At that time, Zhou Family Cultivators would compete with these subordinate forces in martial arts and magic duels to determine rankings. Those ranked at the top would enjoy Spirit Fruits of different grades and effects based on their rankings.
This kind of martial arts and magic duel had multiple benefits: firstly, it encouraged internal cultivation enthusiasm within the family; secondly, it allowed them to observe the talent reserves within the subordinate forces; and thirdly, it helped to unite the hearts of the subordinate forces. It truly was a win-win situation.
As a result, Zhou Xinyan’s proposal quickly gained the approval of Zhou Mingde.
So, just after half a year, elites from various cultivator families in Lanzhou and Lingzhou, as well as individual cultivator strongholds, gathered in the Green Lotus Mountain Range.
On the day when the “Fruit Appreciation Conference” officially began, Zhou Chun also appeared in person and delivered a speech.
Then, all the participating cultivators, who had been eagerly preparing for half a year, started to enter the stage one after another.
Unlike similar martial arts and magic duel events previously held by the Zhou Family, the high grades of Spirit Fruits presented by Zhou Chun attracted even some Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators to join the competition.
Therefore, the participants had to be divided into three groups according to their cultivation levels: Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators in one group, Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators in another, and Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators in the third group.
Initially, those taking the stage were, naturally, the Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators.
“This time, the reward for the Qi Cultivation Group is [Foundation Establishment Fruit]. The first place will receive two [Foundation Establishment Fruits], the second to tenth places will each receive one [Foundation Establishment Fruit], and the tenth to thirtieth places will each receive a Second Order Spirit Date!”
With Zhou Xinyan loudly announcing the rewards for this Qi Cultivation Group, hundreds of Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators who had registered began to compete one after another.
For various reasons, the Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators from the Zhou Family involved in the martial arts and magic duel only accounted for two-thirds of the participants.
However, when the results of the entire Qi Cultivation Group’s martial arts competition came out, the cultivators from the Zhou Family occupied the top ten, with only a mere five non-Zhou Family Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators making it into the top thirty.
For those who witnessed the process of the martial arts and magic duel, no one was surprised by this result.