The Programmer Cultivator

There was one thing Zhang Deming was sure of: the woman was definitely not as free of doubt as she claimed.

Otherwise, a Great Cultivator of the Three Talents Stage would never have brought a disheveled junior to their door for a visit. That action in itself revealed her true stance.

Perhaps she was using this incident to test the reactions of Yuee Mengsheng and the others, to see if there was something unusual about the mortals in the Celestial Spirit Sect’s territory.

...

After Yang Xiaoyang left, no one except Zhang Deming paid the matter any more mind. It was like a minor interlude.

The group slowly fell into idle chatter, and after a short while, they finally got to the purpose of the visit.

It was then that Qian Ruyan seemed to remember something. She turned to her son beside her and said, ”Come, Xiaogong, greet the Masters.”

Qian Xiaogong was only eight or nine years old, and his Spirit Root wasn’t high-grade. Even with countless resources poured into him, Zhang Deming didn’t get the sense that he was particularly clever or impish. Aside from his looks, he seemed like an ordinary child.

But as for Qian Xiaogong, putting everything else aside, his looks were maxed out. Even now, Zhang Deming had the urge to reach out and pat his head or pinch his cheeks.

”Greetings, Master Yuee!” Qian Xiaogong obediently stepped forward and bowed.

Yuee Mengsheng smiled and nodded. ”Greetings to you too, Xiaogong.”

With that, Yuee Mengsheng waved his hand and produced a Jade Pendant as a meeting gift.

Zhang Deming took a look. ’Ha, a Two-Star Magical Artifact. You people... summoning me here so suddenly without a heads-up!’

’I can afford a few hundred Spirit Stones, but...’

’I can’t just hand over a bag of Spirit Stones, can I...’

And so, Qian Xiaogong greeted them one by one. Even Guk Liancai smiled and gave him a meeting gift.

Just as it was about to be Zhang Deming’s turn, the other three remembered they had forgotten to mention this part.

While Yousheng Residence was a client, they were also old acquaintances. The three of them had a good private relationship with Qian Ruyan due to some events in their youth, which was why the scene was unfolding this way.

Before anyone could prompt him, Qian Xiaogong had already arrived in front of Zhang Deming. ”Greetings, Master Zhang!”

Zhang Deming pondered for a moment, then smiled. ”They all gave you things you have no use for. I’ll give you something practical.”

With that, Zhang Deming flipped his hand and took out three Tier One Spirit Nurturing Beads.

Although they seemed far less valuable than a Two-Star Magical Artifact, at least they were relevant to the occasion.

No one paid much mind. To those present, the difference between a few dozen Spirit Stones and a few hundred was negligible.

However, the moment Zhang Deming took out the Spirit Nurturing Beads, Qian Ruyan’s eyes brightened for an instant.

After Qian Xiaogong returned to Qian Ruyan’s side with his gifts, the group finally began to discuss business.

Qian Ruyan looked at the four men across from her and said, ”Brothers, I’m sure you know that besides paying a visit, Ruyan has come today with another purpose in mind.

”Since we are here, Ruyan won’t beat around the bush and will get straight to the point. Please forgive me if I say anything out of line, Brothers.”

Gan Zili and the others replied, ”Please speak freely, Junior Sister Ruyan. We’ve known each other for hundreds of years. We won’t take offense.”

Qian Ruyan paused, then continued, ”Because of certain events back then, my child suffered an injury in the womb, which resulted in his current aptitude. I truly have let him down.

”With a Spirit Root like his, if he is to go far, his path must begin with a solid foundation.

”That is why Ruyan first went to Hua Shui Palace. After all, they have a Mastery-level Spirit Nurturing Master. Even though he is only Tier Two, the Bead Sets he creates could at least solve the Tai Chi Stage problem.

”But after going, I found it unsatisfactory. He claimed to be at the Mastery level, but in truth, he could only produce Mastery-level beads for a few Techniques.

”The whole Inheritance set was mediocre, which is why Ruyan came here to Spirit Nurturing Peak.

”And as for the Bead Sets you Brothers currently have on display... to be honest, Ruyan is not quite satisfied with those either.

”I brought Xiaogong here today specifically to see if you all could personally assess my child and create a custom-tailored, exclusive Bead Set for him.

”After all, when comparing the three major Upper Sects in the area, your Celestial Spirit Sect’s Spirit Nurturing Peak has the longest history and the deepest heritage.

”Spirit Nurturing Peak, after all, was originally founded by a disciple from the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land.

”As for Spirit Stones, that is not an issue. As long as it allows Xiaogong to go further on his path, Ruyan can provide tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of Spirit Stones.”

Hearing this, Zhang Deming’s face twitched. ’This woman is a serious tycoon.’

In the Hongmeng Realm, Apprentice-level Non-Star items were mainly priced in single-digit Spirit Stones—the kind that cost mere fractions of a single Spirit Stone.

Tai Chi Stage One-Star items were mainly priced from a few to several dozen Spirit Stones;

Duality Stage Two-Star items were mainly priced from several dozen to a few hundred Spirit Stones;

And Three Talents Stage Three-Star items were mainly priced from the hundreds to the thousands of Spirit Stones...

Of course, this was the pricing for common, mass-produced items. Different goods couldn’t be judged by the same standard.

But a Tier Three Bead Set was, at best, a Duality Stage Two-Star item. A price of several thousand Spirit Stones was already outrageous. Tens of thousands of Spirit Stones...

’A hundred thousand Spirit Stones for a single Bead Set? That’s the price of a top-tier Five or Six-Star item! Even for a custom-tailored Spirit Nurturing Bead Set, whose value can’t be fixed so easily...’

’But a Tier Three Mastery Bead Set is just something used during the Tai Chi and Duality Stages. A hundred thousand Spirit Stones?’

’Even if she was exaggerating a bit, she could probably part with seventy or eighty thousand without batting an eye.’

’This...’ Zhang Deming thought, ’is seriously insane.’

He didn’t know what the Celestial Spirit Sect’s main businesses were, but he guessed their annual income was probably only one or two hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Or at least, that’s what his current penniless mindset led him to believe.