"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Gao!" Zhou Qing'ang said with a smile, transferring thirty thousand contribution points as he spoke.
This was naturally Gao Yuan's payment. One thousand contribution points per cultivator was not excessive, but it certainly could not be called meager either.
After all, it was just a flick of the hand on his part.
Besides, both sides knew full well that this was only the first batch; the lion's share was yet to come.
Gao Yuan did not put on airs either. He accepted the contribution points on the spot and offered an earnest promise: "If there are more ancient cultivators who need to enter the Alliance in the future, just come straight to me. I will handle the relevant procedures flawlessly, without the slightest oversight.
"However, to avoid drawing unwanted suspicion, it would be best to bring them in staggered batches," Gao Yuan added tactfully.
Zhou Qing'ang cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Gao is indeed thorough. I will have to trouble you quite often from now on."
Gao Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his voice. "Give me an honest estimate, Fellow Daoist. Just how many ancient cultivators are in that realm?"
Zhou Qing'ang smiled without answering, merely holding up four fingers, before leading the Medicine King Sect disciples away.
*Four hundred? That realm must be quite vast. No wonder Zhou Qing'ang's friend wanted to monopolize it...* Gao Yuan was secretly astonished.
Having presided over the administration of the Congyun Sea for several years, Gao Yuan possessed no small measure of worldly experience.
Yet even so, he never could—and never dared—imagine that the gesture of four fingers Zhou Qing'ang had flashed did not represent four hundred at all.
It meant four thousand.
Instead of taking these thirty Medicine King Sect disciples, who had now obtained official identities in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, into the Heavenly Profound Mirror's space, Zhou Qing'ang led them to a cave dwelling in the central residential district of Congyun Immortal City.
Inside a secret chamber within the cave dwelling, over fifty Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirrors were neatly arranged in rows.
"Each of you must first familiarize yourselves with the basic operations of the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror,"
Zhou Qing'ang instructed after demonstrating once for the group.
Although the Heavenly Profound Mirror was wondrous beyond measure, the Medicine King Sect disciples were members of a grand sect who had seen the world. After a brief moment of awe, they quickly picked up the essentials.
"Right now, each of you has only the one thousand contribution points from your newcomer benefits. But that does not matter. Pay attention to the missions about to appear in the Heavenly Profound Mirror," Zhou Qing'ang said. With a wave of his sleeve, a screen of light manifested in midair within the chamber.
The missions displayed on the screen were peculiar in their requirements, yet offered handsome rewards.
For instance, an inquiry into the life anecdotes of a cultivator from an ancient sect thousands of years ago.
Or someone running into an impasse regarding a certain cultivation technique, seeking guidance from an expert.
Or an admirer smitten with a female cultivator who had failed to win her favor, offering a hefty bounty for potential approaches.
There was a bizarre assortment of such tasks.
"These are the standard answers. Once the bounty missions are posted, simply copy them word for word.
"Divide them among yourselves. Each person may complete two missions at most. Do not fight over them, and do not repeat them."
Zhou Qing'ang summoned another light screen, listing all the standard answers to the bizarre bounties.
The Medicine King Sect cultivators present were far from dull. They immediately understood what they were doing, and their expressions grew eager.
After a brief discussion, each chose their targets.
Tensely fixing their eyes on the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirrors before them, they awaited the release of the missions.
Soon, as mechanical voices echoed one after another from the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirrors, these Medicine King Sect cultivators received their very first buckets of gold.
Zhou Qing'ang nodded in satisfaction. With a grand sweep of his hand, a small mountain of miscellaneous goods materialized in the chamber.
"While waiting for the missions to refresh, take these items and exchange them for contribution points in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
"Do not overdo it either. Keep it under three thousand per person," Zhou Qing'ang said in a low voice.
Everyone complied without exception.
Once that was completed, Zhou Qing'ang had them open a section in the Heavenly Profound Mirror called Dharma Deduction Under Heaven.
It seemed exceptionally bustling, with messages streaming in every moment.
"Place your bets, place your bets! In which province will the Friendly Exchange Gathering between the Five Elders Association and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals be held?!"
"Hahaha, I guessed right! Old Man Yufu actually appeared in Taihua Province this time! Who would have thought he'd run so far out!"
"Ultimate wager: how long will this peace between the Five Elders Association and our Alliance last? High rollers only!"
...
The stream of bets left the disciples utterly dazed.
Just like copying the standard answers earlier, they placed bets based on predetermined outcomes. Some won and some lost, but overall, their wins far outnumbered their losses.
Once the contribution points on the Medicine King Sect disciples began to accumulate, Zhou Qing'ang called a halt.
"First, pick the cultivation techniques you wish to practice. Reaching the Golden Core stage is sufficient. We will continue tomorrow."
Faced with a dazzling array of techniques, the disciples were captivated, entirely lost in the catalog.
Meanwhile, "Zhou Qing'ang" made his calculations in secret.
*A total of four hundred thousand contribution points was spent. Today, each disciple earned around ten thousand, which means three hundred thousand points have been laundered.*
*Not too steep a cut.*
Indeed, this secret chamber, as well as the missions and wagers in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, were all channels for rapidly laundering contribution points.
Specialized tasks were best left to specialists.
It was merely a matter of expending a few more contribution points, a cost Li Fan could easily bear.
And this crew did not disappoint him; they were thoroughly professional. Their methods of laundering were diverse and highly discreet.
Take the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirrors in this secret chamber: though they appeared to be gathered in one place, their true anchors were scattered across various regions of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
This chamber merely provided extended interfaces. There was no need to worry about being exposed by a concentration of similar points-earning activities in a single location.
The laundering process proved exceedingly efficient.
Three days later, the first batch of Medicine King Sect disciples had amassed all the contribution points they needed.
Beaming with joy, they completed the exchange for their cultivation techniques.
Zhou Qing'ang escorted them back to Shenhua Island.
There, the next batch of Medicine King Sect cultivators was already prepared to depart.
Since Zhou Qing'ang held an official position in the Alliance, he was too conspicuous and prone to exposure.
Thus, the leader of this batch was the first fortunate soul who had awakened: Xia Ye.
Although he appeared somewhat nervous, he maintained his composure. Furthermore, with Gao Yuan notified in advance, the process went without a hitch.
Everything proceeded step by step. The second and third batches of ancient Medicine King Sect cultivators transitioned smoothly, officially becoming members of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
A month later.
When a travel-worn Liu San returned with a defeated countenance, what greeted his eyes was the vibrant new life blooming among the disciples within the Medicine King Cauldron.
Liu San was stunned.
Li Fan's voice broke his reverie. "Elder Liu, how did things go?"
Liu San's aged face flushed. Just as he was about to answer, he glanced at the disciples discussing among themselves nearby. In the end, he pulled Li Fan aside and sent a voice transmission: "I have failed the Young Master's trust. Although I studied the map beforehand, only when I set foot upon the land did I understand what it truly means for rivers and mountains to undergo cataclysmic change."
Liu San sighed. "I couldn't find a single trace of the places in my memories. It is as if this were an entirely different world.
"Furthermore, the Dao Integration cultivators here are far more perceptive than those in our era. I concealed my aura as best as I could, yet I was still detected."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Fortunately, he mistook me for a cultivator from the Five Elders Association and merely gave me a warning, saying the Friendly Exchange Gathering was approaching and advising me not to wander about recklessly to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Hmph..."
Liu San let out a cold snort, looking indignant.
A moment later, a sense of helplessness crept over him. "Sigh, I could sense that he was also at the mid Dao Integration stage. But if we truly came to blows, I fear I would be no match for him."
Li Fan comforted him, "The new method plunders the heavens and the earth, housing its own grotto-heaven and laws within the body. When it comes to combat, it naturally holds an edge over us ancient method cultivators. You need not take it to heart, Elder Liu. If you can switch to the new method, your battle prowess will certainly not fall behind anyone else's."
These words softened Liu San's expression.
Li Fan continued, "Now, the cultivators required to refine Longevity Pills have all been assembled. We are only waiting for you, Elder Liu, to preside over the endeavor.
"The contribution points the disciples used to exchange for their techniques were all borrowed on credit from Fellow Daoist Zhou. We urgently need to sell a batch of Longevity Pills to repay the debt," Li Fan explained.
Liu San nodded upon hearing this.
Then his brow furrowed slightly. "Presently, I am the only one in the entire sect who cultivates the Salvation Longevity Technique. With my Azure Longevity Force limited, I fear the quality of the refined pills will not be particularly high."
Pondering for a moment, Liu San frowned and said, "At best, they will likely be lower-middle grade, extending lifespan by only two to three hundred years or so..."
"That is more than enough. Elder Liu, you may begin," Li Fan said in a solemn voice.
Chapter 616