And there was one more point that Ji Yuan did not mention.
That was that before long, the county city would likely usher in a reshuffling.
At that time, it was uncertain if the entire county city would become a battlefield.
He didn't know how many cultivators of the Three Realms, and the forces within the county city, would be annihilated in this reshuffling.
However, this matter could not be avoided, otherwise the prefecture would not have sent people to Luoxia County.
"I can only hope that the County Governor can handle it."
Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
While Lin Yubai was still confused, Qian Nishang had already understood the meaning of these words.
Indeed, Fan Yuqing had been the county governor for over a hundred years, and the forces he had cultivated were not to be underestimated.
And the county city was his territory, with the help of numerous formations, he could exert combat power comparable to a Golden Core realm great cultivator.
But nothing was absolute. Although the difficulty was extremely high, there were still some ways to counter it.
At the same time, Wu Wei, not only the County Assistant of the County Governor's Office, but also likely had inextricable ties with the Samsara Tower behind him.
Coupled with his decades of cultivation, he was also absolutely not to be underestimated.
However, such a level of game was not something that Ji Yuan and the others could casually participate in.
This had nothing to do with their strength or abilities.
If they were not from the imperial court, and were to casually get involved, no matter which side emerged victorious, they themselves would have no good end.
Let alone hoping to gain any benefits from it.
The only thing they could do was to choose their sides in advance, becoming pawns or collaborators for one side.
Outside the circle of contention, they would do what they could.
For example, attacking the opponent's forces, or killing the strong individuals under their opponent, and so on.
As for the matters within the circle, they absolutely could not get involved.
At least Ji Yuan and the others did not have the qualifications for that at the moment.
"When there's an opportunity in the future, I'll have to get myself an imperial court identity."
Ji Yuan shook his head, a look of helplessness on his face.
This imperial court identity did not necessarily mean becoming an official in the court.
It could also be a guest minister of the imperial court, or some special existence.
Places like the Department of Heavenly Crafts or the Department of Hundred Herbs.
They belonged to the imperial court and received salaries and official positions, but they were not within the system of the court.
With such an identity, many things would become much more convenient.
For example, they would have the qualification to participate in this contest, and would not be caught with any handles afterward.
However, obtaining an imperial court identity was not an easy task.
This depended not only on personal strength, but also on one's abilities, as well as the forces and connections behind them.
For example, some Golden Core great cultivators, though powerful, would still need to be accepted by the imperial court even if they wanted to actively pledge allegiance.
"But whatever needs to be done, you'd better handle it within this month."
Qian Nishang reminded him.
What she was referring to were basically matters that required Ji Yuan's personal attention.
Because after one month, when the Zhuang family's master-disciple ceremony concluded, Ji Yuan would inevitably become a celebrity in the county city.
Although he was already somewhat well-known, only the high-ranking officials of major powers knew of him.
But after the Zhuang family's master-disciple ceremony, it was estimated that anyone related to the cultivation world.
Whether it was cultivators from various sects or martial artists who roamed the jianghu, they would have heard of Ji Yuan's name to some extent.
At the same time, he would immediately appear on the watchlists of various major powers.
Just by thinking about it, one could imagine that outside the Mingxin Pavilion, there would be a crowd of people from various forces.
Ji Yuan naturally understood Qian Nishang's meaning and immediately fell into contemplation.
Upon careful consideration, there didn't seem to be anything that required his personal attention.
Apart from meeting with Li Wenqing, the head of the Mingjian Division, and the like.
For all other matters, he only needed to instruct the people around him.
And this was the benefit of developing a force; there was no need to handle every major and minor matter personally.
With a single command, countless people would eagerly handle it properly.
"There's nothing that requires personal handling..."
Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "But there are indeed some things that need to be hurried."
An hour later, he took a carriage and arrived at a sprawling mansion.
This was his own property, which he had asked Qian Nishang to purchase for him at a considerable cost and effort.
The entire mansion had seven courtyards and seven entrances, capable of housing hundreds of people comfortably without feeling crowded.
Ji Yuan had named it Spring Breeze Garden.
The name was unremarkable, but its location was excellent.
Although it was far from the bustling center, it was not too remote, only about the time it took for a short stick of incense to travel by carriage.
Moreover, there were no major powers in the vicinity, at most only some small sects or martial arts factions.
The most important point was that this place was located exactly in the middle of the County Governor's Office, the Mingxin Pavilion, and the Mingjian Division.
"I'll have to set up some formations later."
Ji Yuan said casually.
Beside him, Lin Yubai nodded boredly, having actually heard none of his words.
If he hadn't been staying in the Mingxin Pavilion for too long and truly wanted to go out for some fresh air, he wouldn't have followed.
In fact, Spring Breeze Garden already had formations, but they were relatively simple, only two or three, merely ensuring the most basic defensive functions.
And although the Mingxin Pavilion was not short of formations, they were all acquired from others.
Ji Yuan was unwilling to use such formations, and even Qian Nishang would not be able to produce them.
However, the only person he knew who was skilled in formations seemed to be Song He.
He wondered where that couple had traveled to by now.
Shaking his head, he temporarily put aside his wandering thoughts.
Ji Yuan, along with a few others, slowly entered a courtyard.
Here, more than twenty children were sitting at desks in the courtyard, shaking their heads and learning from a teacher.
It was not to cultivate them into Confucian scholars, but merely to impart some basic lessons.
"Those are children we've found over the past six months or so who have some talent in alchemy."
A shopkeeper from the Mingxin Pavilion said softly beside him.
This person was a shopkeeper from the Qian family and one of Qian Nishang's confidants.
The children in the courtyard were also selected with great care at Ji Yuan's instruction during this period.
Most of them were orphans with no parents.
Even if there were children with families, their parents and family members were also people from the Mingxin Pavilion, and their backgrounds were absolutely guaranteed to be clean.
Moreover, these children had undergone specialized tests and all possessed decent talent for alchemy.
As for how high their talent was, it would only be seen in their future cultivation.
If they could successfully awaken their spiritual roots and gain enlightenment, they would at least become alchemists in the future.
But if they found it difficult to embark on the path of cultivation, they would at most only become physicians.
Of course, this also depended on the guidance of a great master and sufficient resources to lavish.
Otherwise, no matter how high their talent, they would not be able to learn without a teacher.
And the most important thing was to be willing to spend money.
To spend a lot of money!
If one did not have to invest countless silver taels, one might not see any results.
And that was why alchemists in this world were so rare.