"Tributor?"

Chen Che was slightly stunned.

"A few days ago, my unworthy disciple, Hu Yao, was in grave danger in Chi State. At the brink of life and death, he took the Sun Gathering Pill you gave him, which allowed him to successfully slay his foe and perform a great service! That was how I learned that a genius of Alchemy like you was hidden away in the Market!"

Lu Yi said with a smile.

After he finished speaking, Chen Che finally understood what was going on.

The situation on the front lines was dire.

Hu Yao and his group had been ambushed by a pack of Demon Beasts, and the pill he had given them had turned the tide.

That was how Jinyun Valley had learned of him and come to extend an invitation.

"I heard the Valley already has a Pill Master Tributor!"

Chen Che did not agree rashly.

"You mean Tributor Li?"

Lu Yi’s brows furrowed slightly. He then shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. "The fighting on the front lines has been tight recently. We can’t sustain our efforts relying on him alone."

"Besides, if Jinyun Valley wants to grow stronger, relying on a single Tributor is far from enough."

Chen Che’s heart stirred.

He could detect a hint of dissatisfaction in the man’s tone.

He also recalled Hu Yao complaining that Tributor Li had been in the Valley for many years and, presuming on his deep friendship with the Valley Master, often did a shoddy job refining pills for the disciples. Most of them were angry but dared not speak out.

Lu Yi took out a gilded Jade Box and pushed it in front of Chen Che.

"Also, this is a token of our Valley’s sincerity!"

"Valley Master Lu, this is..."

Chen Che opened it and couldn’t help but be moved.

Inside the Jade Box were three lotus seeds, as translucent as jade.

The seeds resembled rare treasures, shimmering brilliantly and emitting a surge of Spiritual Qi.

"Clear Moon Lotus Seeds!"

Chen Che was astonished. He hadn’t expected the Vice Valley Master to be so generous.

The Clear Moon Lotus Seed was a Tier One High Grade Spiritual Object.

It only flowered and bore fruit once every ten years.

Each seed was worth at least a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Its greatest effect was increasing one’s Cultivation.

As it was one of the Celestial and Earthly Treasures, consuming it had no side effects whatsoever.

The reason he recognized it was because Clear Moon Lotuses were planted in the artificial lake in Six Continents People’s Park.

Every summer when they bloomed, many citizens would go to admire the flowers.

But those were merely ornamental lotuses cultivated by Spirit Plant Masters. He had deliberately examined them before and found that most of the seed pods were misshapen and deformed, and the seeds inside were all hollow.

"This is too valuable!"

Chen Che fell silent for a moment.

If he took these three lotus seeds back to Earth Element Star, their value would multiply several times over.

The key issue was that you couldn’t necessarily buy them at all!

"What are a mere three Clear Moon Lotus Seeds compared to an Alchemy genius?"

"Of course, that’s not all. There’s also a monthly stipend. If Alchemist Chen agrees, the Valley’s resources will be prioritized for you!"

Lu Yi was calm and composed.

He wanted to recruit Chen Che for two main reasons:

First: Tributor Li was complacent, and Jinyun Valley could no longer rely on him.

For any faction, pills were a type of strategic reserve.

Second: Chen Che had a remarkable talent for Alchemy. To be able to refine a Tier One High Grade Elixir at such a young age meant his future was limitless. If his Alchemy Skill improved further in the future, it would be a huge benefit to Jinyun Valley!

At the same time, preventing him from being poached by others would be strategically advantageous for Jinyun Valley.

"If I become a Tributor, what will I need to do?"

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched. The man was being so courteous and deferential that he didn’t dare refuse outright.

Because refusing the request of a powerful person was, in itself, a mistake.

"Alchemist Chen, don’t worry. The Valley will provide the Spirit Grass; you only need to refine the pills. It absolutely won’t interfere with your business in the Market. If there are any other demands, the Valley will provide additional compensation."

Lu Yi knew the matter was settled, and the smile on his face widened.

"Alright, but I can’t be stationed In the Valley permanently."

Chen Che ventured, testing the waters with a condition.

There were many Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators in the Valley. He wouldn’t feel very safe living here.

"No problem!"

Lu Yi was overjoyed to hear this. Compared to his other conditions, this was nothing at all.

Just as they were exchanging pleasantries, a FLAP, FLAP sound was heard as a falcon landed in the courtyard.

Both men looked over at the same time.

A letter was tied to the falcon’s leg.

’This method of communication is so backward. A telephone would be much more convenient!’

Chen Che thought to himself, using the opportunity to stand and take his leave.

"Since Valley Master Lu has business to attend to, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll take my leave now!"

"Alright!"

Lu Yi was clearly preoccupied with the letter. He called over a disciple, instructing him to escort Chen Che back to the Market, then turned and went back inside.

"Tributor Chen, this is your Token. From now on, as long as you have this, you can enter Jinyun Valley without any obstruction!" The disciple who had impatiently hurried Chen Che earlier now had a fawning expression on his face.

In just a few moments, a sad barrier had formed between them.

"Huh?"

Chen Che took the Token and his eyebrows shot up.

The Token was jade-colored and the size of his palm.

It was engraved with complex Array Patterns. It felt slightly cool in his hand, and he felt an inexplicable sense of peace and calm.

’This is good stuff!’

Chen Che thought to himself.

This jade was called Spirit Calming Stone. On Earth Element Star, it was a non-renewable resource that had the effect of calming the spirit and concentrating Qi.

In the first half of the year, a new ergonomic meditation Pumpon was released on Earth Element Star. It was inlaid with eleven rice-grain-sized Spirit Calming Stones. A product like that cost as much as 990,000, equivalent to two Spirit Stones, and claimed to increase one’s Cultivation speed.

Even though it was a total ripoff, Huang Zhongfei bought one anyway.

He even brought it to school to show off, making many of his classmates burn with envy.

To think Jinyun Valley would use such a large piece of Spirit Calming Stone just to make an entry Token.

What extravagance! What a reckless waste!

’Well, I didn’t get the short end of the stick!’

Chen Che thought to himself as he held the Token.

"Move it! Hurry up and harvest that Spirit Grass. Master Li is waiting to start his Alchemy."

As the disciple respectfully saw him off, Chen Che was walking out of Jinyun Valley when he suddenly heard an impatient, hoarse shout from a nearby medicinal field.

He looked up.

In the distance, he saw a short, stout old man in ancient robes bossing people around arrogantly.

A few Jinyun Valley disciples were so busy they were running off their feet, not daring to utter a single complaint.

"Who’s that?"

"Tributor Li!" the disciple whispered.

"So that’s him!" Chen Che realized.

Just then, Tributor Li seemed to sense something and looked over.

Their eyes met for a moment before they both looked away at the same time.

...

After leaving Jinyun Valley, Chen Che returned to the Pill Shop.

Seeing the worried looks on Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou’s faces, he took out the Token and told them he had become a Tributor.

Their faces lit up with ecstatic joy.

This meant he had a real connection to Jinyun Valley. As long as Jinyun Valley stood, no one would dare to openly move against him.

"This is great, just great!"

Ding Fei caressed the Token as if it were a peerless treasure.

Zhao Deyou stood to the side, his face showing a clear desire to touch it, yet he didn’t dare.

Clearly, for a Loose Cultivator, the meaning and value of this Token were anything but ordinary.

’Perhaps this is this world’s version of a tenured position?’

Chen Che thought.

In truth, he had been more inclined to refuse.

After all, wherever there are people, there is conflict. Jinyun Valley originally had only one Pill Master Tributor. Now there was another, so the other party was bound to hold a grudge.

What’s more, the Vice Valley Master probably wanted to use him to counterbalance Tributor Li.

After pondering for a moment to no avail, Chen Che decisively gave up on the thought.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

As long as he was strong enough, any tricks the other party tried would be a waste of effort.

After getting the medicinal ingredients, Chen Che hurried directly to his Cave Mansion.

Suppressing his inner excitement, he took out a Clear Moon Lotus Seed and examined it carefully.

Although knowledge of Celestial and Earthly Treasures was a required subject for every Xianmen High School student—they could learn about them from books, television, and online media—due to the lack of resources on Earth Element Star, obtaining one was even more difficult than in Yunzhou.

Not bearing to peel its shell, Chen Che swallowed it whole.

As the lotus seed entered his stomach, a cool stream of Qi quietly spread throughout his body. He felt a swelling pressure in his abdomen, as if a force had nowhere to go.

This was normal.

Celestial and Earthly Treasures grew by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, so the Spiritual Qi they contained was purer than that in pills.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten the important task at hand. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Sitting on the Lotus Platform, he circulated the Energy-Introducing Technique over and over, guiding the force within him to flow through his meridians.

Only when the last trace of power was absorbed did he open his eyes.

"I’m just a hair’s breadth away from the Late-stage Fifth Layer! And I’ve only consumed one lotus seed to increase my Cultivation by nearly thirty percent. No wonder so many people praise Celestial and Earthly Treasures!"

Chen Che’s gaze burned as he looked at the two remaining lotus seeds.

If he ate the rest, he could break through directly to the Sixth Layer.

But his reason told him not to:

Although mortal storybooks recorded tales of ordinary people accidentally eating a Spirit Treasure and ascending to immortality on the spot, such things didn’t actually happen. A normal person’s body couldn’t withstand that much power; they would be overwhelmed in an instant.

The same was true for Cultivators.

Consuming too many Celestial and Earthly Treasures in a short period would do more harm than good.

He calmly passed his third monthly exam.

Thanks to the increase in his Cultivation, he managed to pass the sixth trial. His grade ranking leaped into the top three, and his school-wide ranking also jumped by more than fifty places. His strength was improving at a steady pace.

Chen Che didn’t consume the remaining two lotus seeds immediately. Instead, he stored them away, planning to use them for a Realm Breakthrough in the future.

However, through his own Cultivation, he officially stepped into the Late-stage Fifth Layer.

When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength.

On this very day, Chen Che was going about his usual routine.

He was listening to the Shocking God Song and condensing his Divine Sense with the help of Concentration Incense, as he did every day. Suddenly, a CRACK echoed in his mind. The Divine Sense Seed had shattered. In that instant, an invisible wave of power rolled rapidly outwards.

In a radius of several meters around Chen Che, the Spiritual Qi swirled and billowed as if a typhoon had passed through.

"I finally did it!"

Chen Che slowly opened his eyes.

The world before him had transformed.

He could clearly see the flow of Spiritual Qi around him, every single texture on the bluestone floor, the fish swimming in the pool outside his Cave Mansion, and he could even hear the breathing of the old turtle hiding at the bottom of the water...

Once his Divine Sense was formed, not only were his five senses greatly enhanced, but he could also use a miraculous sixth sense to perceive the world.

"So this is Divine Sense!"

A smile appeared on Chen Che’s exhausted face.

With the formation of his Divine Sense, his power had doubled.

"I’ll go tell Old Li the good news tomorrow!"

Chen Che stroked his chin.

The next day, before he could find Li Xiaoshuang, Li Xiaoshuang announced something in class.