Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 117: Master of Old Master Xu

There weren't many buildings on Thousand Mechanisms Island, but they were immense.

Especially the grand hall designated for Qi Refining disciples to receive and dispatch missions—it was vast beyond measure.

Upon entering, Ji Yuan and the other three saw a sea of people.

Some were watching the numerous missions projected onto the wall by formations, while others were discussing matters with fellow cultivators nearby.

Some took on missions and hurriedly departed.

Others had just returned from completing missions outside.

Among those returning, some wore joyful expressions, while others appeared troubled.

Such was the myriad of human emotions.

Ji Yuan had visited once before, but only to glance at the missions on the wall before leaving. He hadn't examined them closely, and some aspects were beyond his understanding.

Han Feiyu led Ji Yuan and the other two to a wall on the southern side, pointing to the lines of text above as he explained, "The missions in Thousand Mechanisms Hall are divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. D-level missions are the simplest, with no danger whatsoever, but the rewards are minimal—some merit points are even less than ten."

"Like this one:"

"[D-level Mission: Requires a mid-stage Tier 1 Alchemist as an assistant]"

"[Mission Duration: 1 day]"

"[Mission Reward: 5 merit points]"

Indeed, it was simple, Ji Yuan thought to himself.

"C-level missions are slightly more challenging, but as long as you perform normally, there's no life-threatening risk."

"Once you reach B-level missions, you need to be cautious. A single mistake could result in death, even for peak Qi Refining cultivators."

"A-level missions are not recommended. Although the rewards are substantial, undertaking such missions means a nine out of ten chance of death, even for peak Qi Refining cultivators."

"Look at that one."

Han Feiyu pointed to the top of the wall.

Ji Yuan had already noticed it.

"[A-level Mission: Eliminate Yunshanren, an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.]"

"[Mission Duration: Half a month]"

"[Mission Reward: 1 One-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill, 1000 merit points]"

The mission was straightforward and brutal, but placing it in the Qi Refining mission hall seemed somewhat premature—it should have been in the Foundation Establishment cultivators' mission hall.

However, the reward was indeed generous. Besides the 1000 merit points, there was also a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"In the early stages, I suggest you take on some D-level and C-level missions to get some practice. Also, for certain C-level missions, don't rush to accept them. It's best to understand the mission details in advance. For instance, there's a mission that requires going to the Hong Family Village. The cultivators there are extremely xenophobic; you'll need someone from their village to lead you in for things to go smoothly."

Han Feiyu provided meticulous and detailed guidance.

"Missions marked with a red dot at the beginning can be accepted repeatedly. If you take on such missions, be wary of fellow disciples from our Water Dragon Sect. Some may have accepted the same mission and might resort to deceit."

Ji Yuan nodded while carefully examining the missions.

Soon, he found the mission he was looking for—

Submit one Tier 1 high-grade talisman or one Tier 1 high-grade pill to receive 10 merit points.

A maximum of ten submissions per year.

Clearly, this was the Water Dragon Sect's way of accommodating certain pay-to-win players—Ji Yuan thought to himself, "Well, that's me!"

Dong Qian and Du Wanyi were also browsing.

Suddenly, as if they had seen something, they huddled together, whispering for a while, then quickly went to the on-duty cultivator at Thousand Mechanisms Hall. After some discussion, they returned with delighted expressions.

"What mission did you accept, keeping it from us?"

Han Feiyu chuckled.

"You definitely wouldn't be interested."

Dong Qian covered her mouth and laughed. Compared to Du Wanyi, she indeed had a more mature charm.

"It's D-level mission number 108."

Du Wanyi revealed directly.

Ji Yuan looked over.

"[D-level Mission: Kong Yifei intends to propose to Bei Nianwei at Shanshui Island on February 30th. Currently, 18 fellow cultivators are needed to act as witnesses.]"

"[Mission Duration: Half a day.]"

"[Mission Reward: 2 merit points.]"

The person who issued this mission was truly a character.

After some casual conversation, the four of them parted ways.

Ji Yuan used the excuse of wanting to visit Sifang Island to leave alone.

After wandering around for a bit, he returned to Thousand Mechanisms Island and approached the on-duty cultivator to submit ten Tier 1 high-grade talismans.

With this, he had fulfilled this year's merit point quota.

Besides the annual requirement of accumulating 100 merit points, these points could also be used as a substitute for spirit stones to purchase resources from the Water Dragon Sect.

He then visited the adjacent hall to gauge the purchasing power of merit points—it was quite reasonable.

One merit point was equivalent to two lower-grade spirit stones.

By this calculation, submitting one high-grade talisman would be equivalent to twenty lower-grade spirit stones.

If he were to sell them outside, they would fetch around twenty to thirty lower-grade spirit stones.

However, merit points were more valuable!

Many resources not available in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, such as thousand-year-old green reed grass and even Foundation Establishment Pills, could be exchanged using merit points.

The only issue was the exorbitant prices. Ji Yuan counted the long string of zeros following the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill and decided to abandon the idea of grinding missions.

Even if he didn't exchange merit points for a Foundation Establishment Pill, using them to obtain other magical tools and pills was still highly cost-effective.

No wonder so many cultivators visited Thousand Mechanisms Island daily. After all, taking on missions here and completing them outside essentially meant double the rewards.

Free resources—why not take advantage?

Not finding any missions that piqued his interest and unwilling to venture out, Ji Yuan left the area and returned to his cave dwelling on Hatchling Dragon Island.

He spent a few days cultivating at home and also attempted to refine high-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Once he successfully produced the first pill, he felt relieved.

The [Comprehension Room] had proven its worth and didn't let him down.

Having made progress in his cultivation and seeing that the timing was right, Ji Yuan decided to visit Old Master Xu and inquire about Li Changhe.

As a Qi Refining cultivator, Old Master Xu naturally resided on Hatchling Dragon Island.

However, he didn't live in the same D District as Ji Yuan but in House No. 78 of the B District.

Early that morning.

Ji Yuan wandered around the B District for a while before locating House No. 78.

From the outside, it looked no different from Ji Yuan's own courtyard. He knocked on the door and gently touched the restriction with his spiritual energy. This way, as long as Xu Fugui was home and not in the middle of cultivation, he would sense it.

After waiting a few breaths, the door opened.

"Who is it, this early in the morning?"

The first to peek out was the old smoker, followed by the figure of Old Master Xu.

"Oh, a rare guest. I thought you'd forgotten about us after joining the Water Dragon Sect."

Despite his words, Old Master Xu looked at Ji Yuan with great satisfaction. To him, Ji Yuan was someone he had watched grow up.

Now, seeing Ji Yuan join the Water Dragon Sect filled Xu Fugui with pride.

"Alright, come in and let's talk."

Xu Fugui stepped aside, allowing Ji Yuan to enter the house.

While Ji Yuan had peach trees planted in his front yard, Xu Fugui had several bamboo plants. It was springtime, and bamboo shoots were sprouting.

Several sharp shoots had emerged in the courtyard.

"Let's stir-fry some of these shoots as a side dish and have a drink together."

Xu Fugui said cheerfully.

Ji Yuan wasn't in a hurry and agreed. Having a drink and a meal early in the morning was a rare experience.

Xu Fugui was a man of action. In no time, he had dug up some bamboo shoots, stir-fried two plates of cured demonic beast meat, and even prepared some peanuts.

The two of them sat in the pavilion in the backyard, drinking and chatting.

Ji Yuan took the opportunity to ask his questions.

"Grandpa Xu, why have I been unable to grasp the third layer, Ninefold Waves, of the 'Canglang Sword Technique'?"

This had been a persistent issue troubling Ji Yuan. He considered himself fairly talented—even the third layer of the 'Water Drop Finger' had already been mastered.

Yet, the Ninefold Waves remained elusive.

Xu Fugui took a sip of wine and chuckled, "You can only manage six waves right now, right? No matter what, you can't push through the remaining three."

Ji Yuan was momentarily stunned.

"Exactly."

It seemed Old Master Xu truly knew the reason.

"It's simple—you need to reach the peak of Qi Refining to execute the Ninefold Waves. Otherwise, the spiritual energy stored in your dantian isn't sufficient to sustain it."

"So that's the reason."

Receiving this answer, Ji Yuan felt relieved knowing it wasn't a matter of his comprehension.

"Come on, eat. I toast to you, elder."

…

After eating and drinking their fill, Ji Yuan recounted the incident of rescuing Li Changhe and took out the Immortal Ascension Order to show Old Master Xu.

Just moments ago, Xu Fugui had been tipsy, but upon seeing the Immortal Ascension Order, he sobered up instantly.

He looked at the opportunity before him, his expression somewhat complex.

"You've gone to see Li Changhe?" Xu Fugui asked.

"Not yet—I’m still a bit away from Foundation Establishment, and there's nothing pressing that requires his assistance."

Facing Old Master Xu, Ji Yuan naturally spoke the truth.

This time, however, Xu Fugui remained silent for a while before exhaling a breath of wine-scented air and slowly saying, "Since you're willing to discuss this with me, I won't deceive you. But this matter involves a Golden Core elder within the sect."

"I'll tell you what I know, but how you decide is up to you."

Xu Fugui spoke solemnly, prompting Ji Yuan to focus.

"Alright!"

"The structure of our Water Dragon Sect—you probably have some understanding. Qi Refining stage cultivators are all disciples. Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, one becomes a mainstay within the sect, eligible to establish their own island and become an island master. Reaching the Golden Core stage, one becomes a pillar of the sect."

"But even among these pillars, harmony isn't guaranteed."

Ji Yuan nodded slightly.

That was certainly true.

Where there were people, there were conflicts—especially within a cultivation sect where interests clashed.

"Within our sect, the Golden Core elders are divided into three factions: one led by the Great Elder, another by the Third Elder, and the last by our Sect Master. The factions led by the Great Elder and the Third Elder are the most fiercely opposed."

"Li Changhe's father is Elder Li Gang, one of our sect's elders. They belong to the Great Elder's faction."

Ji Yuan nodded, partially understanding, "So if I get too close to Senior Li Changhe, I might become a target for those aligned with the Third Elder?"

"Not necessarily. If you align with Li Changhe, you'll certainly receive support from the Li family. As Li Changhe mentioned, he can provide you with Foundation Establishment Pills. But the choice is yours."

Xu Fugui exhaled a puff of smoke, refraining from giving direct advice.

Ji Yuan responded with a thoughtful "Hmm."

This matter was just as Old Master Xu described—aligning with the Li family had its benefits, but potential drawbacks as well. Choosing sides always came with such considerations.

"I'm not even at the peak of Qi Refining yet. The Third Elder's faction wouldn't stoop so low as to target me, would they?"

"They wouldn't, but some cultivators eager to curry favor with the Third Elder might. They're just waiting for an opportunity to prove their loyalty."

"That's true."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he reached a decision.

Regarding Li Changhe, he would maintain the current distance—not too close, but not too distant either. If unavoidable situations arose, he could seek his help.

Otherwise, he would wait until he was ready for Foundation Establishment to request a few Foundation Establishment Pills.

For the sake of Foundation Establishment, it was worth using this favor.

"Alright, if you have nothing else to do later, I'll take you to meet someone."

Old Master Xu tapped his pipe against his shoe sole and stood up.

"Nothing pressing." Ji Yuan stood up as well and asked, "Who exactly are we going to meet? You've mentioned this several times, Grandpa Xu."

"Who are we meeting—"

Xu Fugui squinted and smiled, "We're going to meet my master."