Chapter 657 - 250: Revealing Talent, the Town, Cultivation (Part 2)

With his current strength and methods, combined with the entire Inverted Five Elements Array within the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land now under his control, if he didn't want others to know of his outings, hardly anyone could detect his departure.

After leaving the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land, Zhou Changwang felt a sense of exhilaration. Just as he was about to determine the direction to Celestial Essence City, he suddenly noticed that at the foot of his mountain, a small town had appeared out of nowhere.

Of course, this small town did exist in his memory; however, if he recalled correctly, it should have been extremely tiny, with at most a few dozen households. Calling it a small town was more like calling it a small mountain village.

It was only because the people traveling here were all independent cultivators and martial arts experts that it was labeled a small town.

But now, this small town had not only expanded significantly, with clearly defined streets, but its population had grown from the original dozens or a hundred to nearly a thousand people.

A thousand-person town.

Though still extremely small, insignificant in both the cultivation realm and the mortal world,

the speed of this development was indeed remarkably quick.

With a sweep of his divine sense,

he quickly understood the reason through some conversations.

His face showed a trace of odd expression.

The reason for all this was surprisingly due to himself.

His identity as an alchemist, despite being new and not yet influential among the major cultivation clans and the top forces of Celestial Essence City,

had spread rapidly among the loose cultivators.

Just like recently, when Zhou Yinglong and his old friend Fang Heng came visiting.

Were they not drawn by his status as a Second-Grade Alchemist?

Moreover, there was the merit system he proposed.

This system, especially with its various task requirements, was seen by many loose cultivators as a lucrative opportunity.

Even if they were restricted by their identity and unable to take up the tasks,

the smart tenants within the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land were willing to distribute task information and then 'acquire' task conditions from corresponding loose cultivators to exchange them for Spirit Stone rewards and merit rewards.

Occasionally, some high-grade Spirit Pills from Five Peaks Mountain would spread out... naturally attracting many cultivators to gather.

Although, at this time, the majority gathering here were low-tier loose cultivators,

mostly at the First or Second Layer, with fewer at the Fourth or Fifth Layer.

It was believed that over time, more powerful loose cultivators would inevitably be drawn in.

Especially with the chance of residing in the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land, gaining the qualification to take on tasks...

As he understood it, the current number of loose cultivator tenants within the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land had increased from over a hundred to nearly two or three hundred.

This meant that most of the original tenants had already benefited substantially, using up their eligibility to 'invite two cultivators to rent the Spirit Land.'

And these new tenants, naturally, could not bring their entire families into the Spirit Land.

After all, Zhou Changwang's original conditions did not include the family members of those loose cultivators.

Thus, they could only arrange for their relatives and friends to settle at the mountain's foot.

This small town was, of course, the first choice.

...

"This is really..."

Zhou Changwang mused, then chuckled, thinking, "But this is quite a normal occurrence.

At the foot of Koutuo Peak, where Alchemy Master Xu Ruoxuan lives, there's a Koutuo City, called Little Celestial Essence City.

The gathered cultivators there number nearly a thousand.

Here, it's just a small town, not worth mentioning."

Zhou Changwang couldn't help but feel emotional.

The siphoning effect brought by an Alchemy Master is indeed terrifying.

If he truly exhibits alchemy skills not inferior to Xu Ruoxian and gains the recognition of countless cultivation clans and top forces in Celestial Essence City, surpassing Xu Ruoxian's allure is highly possible.

Of course.

Zhou Changwang himself didn't care much about this.

Thus, this thought just flashed in his mind, quickly dismissed as he truly set his direction and hurried toward Celestial Essence City.

Along the way, here and there, were some areas with faintly lingering Spiritual Qi, Spirit Vein Lands.

And in these places, he often saw the figures of cultivators or Spirit Farmers.

They busied themselves in the Spirit Fields, either planting Spirit Rice or cultivating Spiritual Medicine, diligent yet hopeful.

"Speaking of which, the Thunder Spirit Rice I have in hand could be distributed to cultivators within the Spirit Land for cultivation.

After all, it is a special Spirit Rice, once the foundation of a Foundation Establishment Cultivation Clan a century ago.

Although that Li Family cultivator initially cultivated it, the quality of the Spirit Rice is still relatively low, at most mid-tier First Grade or high-tier First Grade levels.

However, I possess some Second-Grade Thunder Spirit Rice.

If they could be planted and cultivated, it would greatly benefit not only low-tier cultivators but also many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators."

There was a thoughtful expression on Zhou Changwang's face.

Back then, the three major cultivation families, Zheng, Chen, and Zou, each sent some talented youths to join the Five Peaks Mountain Spirit Land where he resided.

Among them, Zheng Ajiu from the Zheng Family showed remarkable managerial skills in handling affairs systematically, earning his satisfaction.

And Zheng Cheng, originally regarded as a Qilin'er by the Zheng Family, possessed dual-attribute Spirit Root, with impressive cultivation aptitude reaching the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation stage. Perhaps due to previous spiritual sense injury, after healing with the Fushen Pill, he gained from the misfortune, greatly enhancing his spiritual sense strength.

Now, his strength could be considered top-tier among the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation. In Zhou Changwang's view, his prowess could definitely rank on the Magic Battle Arena's Same Realm List.

At least in the top three.

As for Zheng Qi, though somewhat unremarkable, his loyalty and steady nature were greatly valued.

The Zou Family sent the Zou sisters, who actually showed great talent in alchemy. Although he hadn't intentionally guided them during this time, he clearly noticed their progress.

He's inclined to nurture them.

As for the Chen Family.

The Chen Family siblings, Chen Chen and Chen Qingqing, though not specifically guided, he had silently observed them.

He found that the Chen siblings' steadfastness was actually the strongest among several individuals.

Especially Chen Chen, who was fully devoted to Spirit Plants.

Moreover, his Spirit Plant talent was quite strong.

After allocating a batch of Spirit Fields to him, he quickly planted some Spiritual Materials within, even including a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, the Twelve-Color Flower.

He had once quietly observed the opposite's Spirit Field.

The Twelve-Color Flower, initially just a fifty-year Ring Time seedling,

was cultivated by the opposite within a month to reach the hundred-year Ring Time level.

Though compared to his own cultivation speed, this growth seemed slow,

the other party, with limited resources, achieved hundred-year-level cultivation within a month, maximizing the usage of surrounding Spiritual Qi. Undoubtedly, his talent was extraordinary.

At least in Spirit Plant matters, he showed outstanding talent.

He had also mastered the great success level of a few Spirit Plant spells, the Spirit Rain Skill, Geng Metal Finger, and Annual Ring Skill.

"After all, they were the first cultivators who followed me, so I can't truly favor one over the others.

When I return, it's time to add more responsibilities on them.

After all, I originate as a Spirit Farmer, and my skills in Spirit Plants even surpass my alchemy abilities."

Zhou Changwang thought this as he gazed into the distance.

Celestial Essence City was now coming into view.