Willow Ruyan's lips twitched slightly at the sight, her slender fingers repeatedly brushing over the Shanhe bag at her waist, almost to the point of pulling out a magical artifact to smash it.
She suddenly gained a new understanding of this young Taoist priest's avarice.
"These are the words the shopkeeper asked me to give you."
After a moment of silence, Willow Ruyan, having suppressed the urge to draw her artifact, tossed a jade slip into the other's embrace.
Ji Yuan picked up the jade slip with a hint of confusion, channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it, and a voice immediately appeared in his mind.
After a long while, he silently put down the jade slip, then looked at Willow Ruyan with a slightly solemn expression.
"You should know about the matters the shopkeeper mentioned, right?"
He paused for a moment before asking directly.
Upon hearing this, Willow Ruyan nodded. She was, of course, already aware of the instructions in the jade slip, and Qian Nishang had carefully explained them to her several times before she set out for Feiyun Commandery.
"After the destiny is complete at the Nine Profound Sect, it will surely be promoted to a sect within sixty years at the shortest, and a hundred years at the longest!"
She said with a serious expression.
As for whether the Nine Profound Sect would fail, almost no one in Lingyang Prefecture believed it.
One must know that sects like the Divine Profound Sect in Chongyuan Prefecture, aside from two immortal figures presiding over them, only had nine Golden Core stage great cultivators.
In terms of the number of Golden Core great cultivators alone, the Nine Profound Sect was not lacking at all, and even surpassed others in the number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
With such strength, if they still couldn't be successfully promoted to a sect, then perhaps not many sects in this world could.
This was already the ceiling for all sects below the rank of sect, limited by the hidden destiny. A sect could have at most nine Golden Core cultivators.
The number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators in a sect was also limited, not exceeding eighteen.
Only after elevating the sect's destiny and being promoted to a sect could this kind of restriction be broken, and then disciples within the sect would no longer have to worry about not being able to break through realms and needing to wait for their seniors to die of old age.
"And once the Nine Profound Sect is promoted to a sect, Feiyun Commandery will inevitably undergo a reshuffle!"
As her words fell, a sharp gleam also erupted in Willow Ruyan's eyes.
The reason she took the initiative to volunteer to come to Feiyun Commandery, besides others being unwilling to come, and partly because of Ji Yuan, was her biggest motivation and goal.
Once the Nine Profound Sect was promoted, Feiyun Commandery would inevitably undergo a reshuffle, and a period of turmoil would be unavoidable. Many forces might be severely weakened, or even annihilated by others taking advantage of the situation.
Although such a situation was dangerous, it was also an opportunity. New forces would surely rise suddenly, becoming the existence second only to the Nine Profound Sect.
Qian Nishang felt this was an opportunity for her. If operated properly, she might be able to establish another Mingxin Pavilion exclusively for the Qian family outside Luoxia Commandery.
At that time, Willow Ruyan would also smoothly become the veritable chief manager of a commandery.
"What do you plan to do?"
Ji Yuan asked.
In the communication jade slip, Qian Nishang had only said to cooperate with Willow Ruyan to the best of her ability, but had not given detailed instructions. She had also stated at the end that whether to cooperate or not depended entirely on his wishes.
In this regard, it had preserved Ji Yuan's freedom to the greatest extent and also avoided affecting him personally.
After all, it was obvious to everyone that he, who had completed the destiny for the Nine Profound Sect, would at least become an elder of a lineage in the future, and if he coincidentally formed a Golden Core, he might even become a peak master of a lineage.
Such a person who would wield great power in the future, Qian Nishang naturally did not want to affect his growth now.
"Although Mingxin Pavilion has some influence and has accumulated quite a bit of connections in Feiyun Commandery, it still lacks many things to rise to prominence."
Willow Ruyan pondered, "The most pressing matter now is to find a partner with significant influence."
And in Feiyun Commandery, the only power that could firmly suppress the Nine Profound Sect was likely the imperial court.
However, the imperial court was not easy to deal with, and secondly, they already had stable partners and had no need to abandon them and deal with Mingxin Pavilion.
But if they chose the Nine Profound Sect, it would also be full of difficulties, no less easy than dealing with the imperial court.
If this were in Luoxia Commandery, with Mingxin Pavilion's scale, they would naturally not encounter such a predicament. But this was Feiyun Commandery, and they did not yet have the qualification to cooperate with the Nine Profound Sect.
"My status within the Nine Profound Sect is rather awkward, and I only hold the title of an official for now."
Ji Yuan shook his head. He naturally knew what she was thinking.
However, before he formed a Golden Core or reached the Nascent Soul stage, he would likely have no authority within the Nine Profound Sect.
Even now, he was a newcomer. Apart from Elder Hong Tian, he hadn't met any other officials or elders. He was only familiar with disciples like Zhao Yuansong and a few others.
Moreover, the Nine Profound Sect had a history of nearly a thousand years, with even nine Golden Core great cultivators presiding over it. Naturally, they would not lack various resources.
The Nine Profound Sect itself did not lack what Mingxin Pavilion could provide. The sect had already formed a complete system, and even if they needed anything, they already had stable channels.
Thus, he could neither help build bridges nor did Mingxin Pavilion have sufficient advantages. How could they establish a cooperative relationship with the Nine Profound Sect?
"The immediate priority is to establish a foothold in this market town."
Willow Ruyan pondered, "The Nine Profound Sect has a rule: every sixty years, they conduct an assessment. They cooperate with the top five shops in terms of transaction volume and wealth. This year is precisely ten years before the next assessment, and this is Mingxin Pavilion's best opportunity."
If they could rank in the top five, they would be able to connect with the Nine Profound Sect, become their partner, break through the current situation, and rise in the upcoming turmoil in the next few decades.
"I am relatively skilled in alchemy and talisman crafting. I'm afraid I won't be able to help with other aspects."
Ji Yuan thought for a moment and said helplessly.
He had even already planned how to tactfully refuse if she expected him to help with planning and strategy, so as not to damage their friendship.
Frankly, he already had enough burdens on himself. He had to find ways to reach the Nascent Soul stage within twenty years, or even the middle to late stage of the Ming Dao realm. Only then would he have enough time to attempt to complete that seemingly impossible task.
To form a Golden Core within thirty years!
Under such circumstances, he had very limited energy to spare. Even alchemy and talisman crafting could not be done for long periods. Occasionally doing them was his limit.
Appropriate alchemy and other activities could benefit his cultivation, but exceeding a certain threshold would become a burden.
"You don't need to act for now, and quite the opposite, from now on, Mingxin Pavilion will fully assist you in all matters within the Nine Profound Sect!"
Willow Ruyan revealed a meaningful smile.
Several hours later, Ji Yuan walked out of Mingxin Pavilion in a rather dazed state. He did not take the waiting carriage but wandered around the market town.
However, he paid no attention to the scenery on both sides of the street, his mind still pondering the discussion he had with Willow Ruyan.
Before this, he had never thought that cultivation could be like this, not just one's own enlightenment and meditation, but also involving many people around them.
With the full assistance of Mingxin Pavilion, he even felt he had a greater chance of success. If nothing unexpected happened, with Willow Ruyan's arrangements alone, he could save at least three to five years.
"It turns out I've always been like a frog in a well!"
After a long while, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh, with a hint of self-mockery on his face.
Before today, he would never have imagined that a person's cultivation could involve so many aspects.
He had never even imagined that dozens of people working back and forth, meticulously planning everything, would ultimately be for the sake of perfecting one person, perhaps only half a day of cultivation.
But it had to be said, if everything went smoothly, with Willow Ruyan's arrangements, at least three to five years could be saved, allowing him to focus more energy on other matters.
Unconsciously, as he put away his sigh, he realized he had arrived at a place.
This place resembled a square, with no houses or shops. A vast open space was filled with disorderly arranged stalls and a large number of cultivators coming and going.
Some stalls even had a few wooden tables, shelves, and the like. Others simply spread a piece of cloth on the ground, appearing rather casual.
After observing for a moment, Ji Yuan roughly understood the situation here.
This was a market divided by the Nine Profound Sect. Anyone could set up a stall here to sell anything, and no taxes would be collected.
It was just that the Nine Profound Sect did not guarantee the items sold here. Perhaps one could find a bargain for dozens of silver taels and get a magical artifact of good quality, or even a magical treasure.
But more likely, one would fail to find a bargain and be cheated by someone with malicious intent, losing a sum of money for nothing.
And if one made a mistake and was deceived, the Nine Profound Sect would not seek justice for them. Once the transaction was complete, whether it was fortune or misfortune, it had nothing to do with them.
Perhaps the only rule here was that one could not force a sale, otherwise, if cultivators from the Nine Profound Sect were alerted, it would not be a matter of paying a small price and then pretending nothing happened.
This was Ji Yuan's first time in such a place, and he immediately became curious, walking among the stalls with great interest.
This place was different from the first floor of the Vast Building in Guanxia City. The items on the stalls had not undergone unified appraisal. Some people even sold incomplete items.
He even saw many stalls with a pile of fragments of various objects, and the stall owners confidently guaranteed that these were fragments left after certain magical artifacts or even treasures were damaged. They claimed that if one bought them and recast them, one might obtain extremely precious spiritual materials.
However, Ji Yuan did not listen to such claims. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that these items contained no spiritual energy and had no peculiar characteristics. They were completely ordinary secular objects.
But this idea collapsed in his mind after half an incense stick of time.
He personally witnessed a cultivator in the early Enlightenment stage, with a pained expression, spend fifteen taels of silver to buy a cracked teapot from a stall.
However, just as the money and goods were exchanged and the cultivator took the teapot in his hand, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from the cracks on it, and a mighty spiritual power filled the entire market.
Such a commotion even attracted cultivators from the Nine Profound Sect, and it was only after a long while that it gradually subsided.
"Sometimes, even with great luck, one must be able to seize it!"
Ji Yuan's mouth twitched, and he muttered to himself.
If he remembered correctly, the teapot that the Enlightenment stage cultivator obtained, he had also observed for a long time. After all, it was one of the few complete items on the stall.
However, after a careful inspection, he had not found any clues, so he had not taken it.
But who would have thought that this was a magical treasure that had already nurtured a bit of spirituality, and only after being bought did it release its divine power.
This naturally made Ji Yuan feel a sense of emotion.