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Chapter 344: Double the Wisdom and Bravery

Regardless, he didn’t remain in this state of dilemma. He promptly replied to Yun Chaoxian, promising Yun Chaoxian that he could always rely on the brothers from Silver Sword Peak on Mount Shu for assistance.

There was no other reason. Whenever Chu Liang needed help, Yun Chaoxian had never once hesitated to say yes. Regardless of whether it was a big or small matter, Yun Chaoxian would give it his all. The brothers of the Great Astral Sect were known for their loyalty.

Therefore, when Yun Chaoxian needed help, Chu Liang couldn't refuse as a refusal wouldn't be justified.

However, it wasn't a lie that Chu Liang was busy lately. For the past few days, he had been fully focused on refining pills, fusing Golden Vein Berries with Qi-Gathering Pills to create fruit-flavored Qi-Gathering Pills.

Dan Lingzi, the creator of the Pill Fusion Technique, could only refine one batch a day. But Chu Liang could refine three to four batches a day, with each batch yielding about two hundred Qi-Gathering Pills.

In this way, over five days, he had refined thousands of Qi-Gathering Pills.

Even so, if these Qi-Gathering Pills were sold, they still wouldn't be enough to supply the market, as people were used to buying them in large quantities in gourds.

These pills were meant to attract visitors.

Recently, Berry Wonderland launched a new product—Qi-Gathering Pills concentrated with several berries. They claimed that each pill contained the essence of six berries, enhancing qi replenishment while maximizing the beautifying and virility-boosting effects of Golden Vein Berries.

The marketing slogan was: If you use your kidneys often, consume six berries.

But these enticing Qi-Gathering Pills weren't for sale; they were given away for free.

Berry Wonderland explained that these were free gifts for the visitors' families!

The main reason was that only Chu Liang could refine this type of fruit-flavored pill in Mount Shu. Even if he worked tirelessly like a large-headed doll, he couldn't meet the vast market demand. Moreover, besides him, there weren't many in the Hall of Alchemy who could master the Pill Fusion Technique, as it required an immensely powerful divine fire. Apart from the Alchemy Master, no one else could quickly grasp it.[1]

And it was impossible for the Alchemy Master to work for Chu Liang, though Chu Liang was really looking forward to the day when it happens.

The new activity at Berry Wonderland allowed each visitor to taste a Qi-Gathering Pill for free, but a Pill Redemption Coupon was required to get a free pill. To obtain this coupon, one had to visit Red Cotton Market and request it from any stall.

If the tourists wanted, they could visit all the stalls on Red Cotton Peak and collect dozens of coupons in exchange for dozens of Qi-Gathering Pills.

It didn't require any spending of money. They just had to take a stroll around the Cotton Red Peak. As it would only take cultivators a moment to fly to and fro the Red Cotton Peak, many tourists were willing to take a stroll around the Red Cotton Peak.

Chu Liang wanted to direct more traffic to the Red Cotton Peak because he had recently leased it with the intention of managing it well and turning it into an exclusive commercial center for the Mount Shu Sect.

Obviously, the first step was to make this place bustling with activity.

He informed the disciples of the various peaks of Mount Shu that Red Cotton Peak would be very lively these days, encouraging more people to set up stalls.

Then, he would attract more people and make the tourists visit this place more.

Next, Chu Liang planned to invite some official shops from Taotie City to the Red Cotton Market. At the very least, those pill shops that owed him favors from last time would do him a favor of showing up.

When the number of businesses and customers increased, a positive cycle would naturally form.

This activity had only been happening for five days. Even though Chu Liang was working as hard as he could to make pills, he was just barely keeping up with the demand for the event's giveaways. But if he had to leave Mount Shu, the event would have to be paused.

...

"Brother Chu, I am really counting on you this time."

As soon as he received the reply, Yun Chaoxian hurried to Mount Shu. Upon meeting, he warmly patted Chu Liang's shoulder with great enthusiasm.

Chu Liang dealt with that smack on the shoulder silently. Then, while his shoulders remained uneven, he said with a smile, "There's no need for formalities between us. Just be straightforward with me."

It had been days since they last saw each other, and Yun Chaoxian's muscles had noticeably grown, making him even stronger.

"Hey!" Yun Chaoxian waved and said, "It's about the trials for the head disciple of the Great Astral Sect."

Most immortal sects hold competitions among their disciples. Even if it's not for the title of head disciple, there were other titles available. Since resources are limited, prioritizing their allocation became essential. Additionally, this competition would help boost the disciples' ambition.

The Great Astral Sect was no exception.

As a matter of fact, the members of the Great Astral Sect particularly enjoyed competition.

In the world of scholars, there was no true first place, but in the realm of martial arts, there was no room for second place. As martial artists, they honored the principle that strength spoke louder than anything else.

Shortly after the Mount Shu Summit ended, the Great Astral Sect began their own competition for the position of head disciple. However, their trial was different from that of the Mount Shu Sect as it directly targeted the four core disciples—Ren Hongdao, Tang Shi, Li Fujian, Yun Chaoxian.

Unlike Mount Shu, which required a grand summit, the competition would end at the end of the matches between the four core disciples. This approach allowed for more freedom, and the trials could take many forms outside of the arena.

"The trial was divided into three rounds, with an overall evaluation at the end. The first round has already ended, and now the second round is about to begin," Yun Chaoxian explained. "In the second round, each of us can invite a disciple from another immortal sect to assist us."

"Brother Chu, you were the first person I thought of!"

As he said this, Yun Chaoxian's eyes sparkled with confidence.

"We are both wise and brave. Together, we will be double the wisdom and bravery, and there will be no way we can lose!"

Alright then.

So they want a guest performer too, huh?

Chu Liang smiled, thinking that the rules of the Great Astral Sect's trial were a bit peculiar.

He couldn't help but ask, "Since it's a selection of head disciple, it's naturally about comprehensively assessing the abilities of the core disciples. Why would you ask outsiders for help?"

“Because the sect’s trial is about assessing our overall strength,” Yun Chaoxian explained. “And our sect leader believes that having connections is also a part of our strength!”

Heh. That actually makes sense.

Upon reflection, the Great Astral Sect has always given the impression of being rough martial artists, yet despite this, they still manage to have good relationships with many other sects.

Among the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, from the Penglai Sect to the Mount Shu Sect, alliances and rivalries were gradually formed. But the Great Astral Sect was different, with alliances everywhere and almost no enemies at all.

To be precise, their only strong competitor was the Monastery Tower, which was known for its warrior monks. Both sects followed the path of martial arts, leading to some competition. However, this was limited to healthy rivalry, and there was no strong animosity between them—after all, the Monastery Tower was not quite on their level.

As Chu Liang pondered, he couldn’t help but feel that the Great Astral Sect indeed knew a thing or two about maintaining connections.

Chu Liang himself was especially well-versed in this aspect, gaining a deep understanding of the social intricacies in the world of immortality cultivators.

So what if your cultivation level is higher than mine? I’ll just call someone stronger to take you down. While you’re in closed-door cultivation, I’m out building connections. How can you win against that?

Chu Liang pondered for a moment and then asked, "So what will you be tested on for the second round of the trial?"

"I am not sure yet," Yun Chaoxian said, shaking his head. "It could be a mission, a hidden realm, or a search for something... the content of the trials varies every year."

"But in that case, with the content being unpredictable, wouldn't it depend heavily on luck?" Chu Liang asked, puzzled. "After all, everyone has different strengths."

For example, the Mount Shu Sect had always categorized the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony as a recreational event rather than the main competition because of its randomness. Chu Liang might not beat Jiang Yuebai in a fight, but he would be a hundred years ahead of everyone at Mount Shu when it came to puzzles and treasure hunts.

"That's true, but our sect leader said that..." Yun Chaoxian paused before continuing, "luck is also a form of strength."

1. My thought here is that can’t he let Wen Yulong use the fire seeds that can make the divine fire??? Or is it too secretive??? ☜