Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 424: Chapter 258 Guest Elder_2

Having witnessed together the upgrade of the Second Grade Golden Lotus to the Third, the relationship between the two had grown significantly closer.

Li Shiming served the Second Grade Spirit Tea, not because he was stingy, but because serving Second Grade Spirit Tea suited his status better, while serving Third Grade Spirit Tea might seem like showing off.

The Chief Manager Lai naturally praised the Second Grade Spirit Tea, genuinely appreciating it. The Spirit Tea that Li Shiming roasted in his mechanical space room was, just like the Spirit Pills he concocted there, the epitome of quality.

“Mr. Li, I gather you’ve already negotiated with the Qianye Temple. I too was sent here to be a mediator, hoping you could take on the alchemy task without questioning its origin,” the Chief Manager Lai said after tasting the Second Grade Spirit Tea, bringing up the primary purpose of his visit.

“Chief Manager Lai, I didn’t expect my whimsical act to trouble you to make this trip. Indeed, I have already reconciled with the Qianye Temple!” Li Shiming replied with a smile.

The Chief Manager Lai had received the news before his arrival, but it was reached before Li Shiming had returned, and considering Li Shiming’s youth and vigor, a reversal was very likely.

Hearing the confirmation from Li Shiming’s own lips, the Chief Manager Lai finally breathed a sigh of relief, his smile more genuine.

“Mr. Li, I heard you have ‘Youthful Elixirs’ in your possession?” the Chief Manager Lai shifted the subject, seemingly asking casually.

Yet, Li Shiming noticed a flash of eagerness in the Chief Manager Lai’s eyes, which, he suspected, was probably the most important reason for the Chief Manager’s visit.

The incident with the Thousand Illusion Sect had only happened a few days ago, yet the Beishu Trading Company had already received the news, reflecting their significant influence on the Beishu Continent.

Having taken out the ‘Youthful Elixirs’ for trade at the Thousand Illusion Sect, he had anticipated today’s situation.

“I indeed still have two ‘Youthful Elixirs’; I didn’t expect such a minor matter to be known to you as well!” Li Shiming said with a smile.

“Would it be possible, Mr. Li, to hand over these two ‘Youthful Elixirs’ to our company for auction? Our company will not charge a commission fee, and we will get you the best price possible!” the Chief Manager Lai, more eager, suggested with a smile.

The Chief Manager Lai did not believe that Li Shiming had only two ‘Youthful Elixirs’, but he couldn’t force Li Shiming into anything. The mere fact that Li Shiming admitted to having the ‘Youthful Elixirs’ already pleased him greatly.

Li Shiming was not completely ignorant about business; in his previous life, amidst an information explosion, he had also picked up some commercial tactics.

An item loses its value when there is an abundance of it; indeed, he did have quite a few ‘Youthful Elixirs’, but offering too many at once would affect their auction value.

“Of the two ‘Youthful Elixirs’, I need to use one, so I can only part with one for trading. However, I don’t need Spirit Stones. If there are any Spiritual Objects that can impress me, I am willing to sell!” Li Shiming disregarded the Chief Manager Lai’s auction proposal.

At present, he could proudly say that he had no interest in Spirit Stones, for him, Spirit Stones were just a string of numbers.

If he desired Spirit Stones, just taking out some high-grade Spirit Pills from his Space Ring could sell for a staggering amount of Spirit Stones.

He already had ample Spirit Stones at his disposal.

“Mr. Li, after I return, I will contact clients with a demand and then notify you of what they can offer in exchange. After you review and agree, we can proceed with the trade!” the Chief Manager Lai, slightly disappointed but still smiling, said.

He had hoped to use the ‘Youthful Elixir’ as the highlight of the Beishu Trading Company’s annual auction to significantly increase its popularity.

But clearly, Li Shiming was not an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator; currency such as Spirit Stones held no allure for him.

Fortunately, as long as Li Shiming was willing to part with a ‘Youthful Elixir,’ the Beishu Trading Company would benefit.

Inside the Beishu Trading Company itself, there were higher-ups who wanted to purchase the ‘Youthful Elixir’ directly—after all, such an elixir was exceedingly rare, appearing only once in many years, while the demand for ‘Youthful Elixirs’ in the Cultivation World was exceedingly great.

Initially, the Beishu Trading Company had discussed hosting the auction under the pretext of purchasing the “Youthful Elixir” at a high price and using it solely to hype the atmosphere of the auction.

Now, the only option was to let the high-end customers of the Beishu Trading Company make their bids themselves. Since Li Shiming had proposed this, the Beishu Trading Company couldn’t continue to manipulate the bid privately, otherwise it would alienate Li Shiming, an important alchemist.

“Thank you for your help, Chief Manager Lai!” Li Shiming said with a smile, expressing his gratitude.

“By the way, I have another matter to discuss during this visit. The company has decided to elevate your status within the company from visiting alchemist to Guest Elder. Please look over the rights and responsibilities of the Guest Elder!” Chief Manager Lai took out a document and handed it to Li Shiming.

Guest Elder is a special designation, representing a high-level identity held by individuals within an organization who are not part of its official power structure, essentially entering the upper echelon of the Beishu Trading Company.

Of course, the freedom of a Guest Elder is not as great as that of a visiting alchemist, but their rights are significantly more powerful.

For example, Li Shiming could access the Beishu Trading Company’s intelligence system, receiving a summary of intelligence from the system periodically, informing him of significant events occurring on the Beishu Continent during that period.

Additionally, the Beishu Trading Company provides a fixed remuneration for Guest Elders, and it is distributed according to the level of Golden Core cultivators.

This includes access to third-grade resources, which alone is a much higher privilege than that offered to a visiting alchemist.

The only trouble is that Guest Elders are somewhat bound to the Beishu Trading Company, and need to cooperate and face challenges together when major troubles arise within the company.

Given Li Shiming’s status as an alchemist, such assistance would not involve martial capabilities but would rather involve providing support in alchemy.

Li Shiming studied the agreement and pondered for a while before agreeing to become a Guest Elder of the Beishu Trading Company.

“Li Keqing, this is your Minister Identity Card. From now on, you are one of us. If you face any danger in the future, you can report it in advance using the Minister Identity Card. The commerce can enlist the aid of the Golden Core Elders from the six major sects. Even if you have trouble with the six major sects, the commerce can mediate on your behalf!” Chief Manager Lai’s smile grew even more genuine.

Li Shiming had a favorable view of the Beishu Trading Company, particularly of Chief Manager Lai.

The position of Guest Elder was suggested only at the end, and not right after the Guest Elder agreement was presented, which allowed Li Shiming to agree to give the “Youthful Elixir” to the commerce for selling without feeling coerced just for access to the Golden Core resources.

If that had been the case, it would have made Li Shiming feel pressured.

Discussing everything fully and then presenting the Guest Elder agreement made Chief Manager Lai’s respect for Li Shiming evident.

“Here is a serving of Third Grade Spirit Tea, a pitcher of Third Grade Spirit Wine, three Third Grade Silver Frost Spirit Peaches, and ten third-grade green whiskered nuts. These are the Golden Core resources for three years; When the time comes after three years, a designated person will deliver the Golden Core resources to you!” Chief Manager Lai took out a storage bag and handed it to Li Shiming, explaining.

Li Shiming was astonished; having seen the Guest Elder agreement, he knew that Guest Elders at the Beishu Trading Company were entitled to Golden Core resources, but he never expected to receive so many resources for three years.

Of course, considering that these third-grade resources were likely produced by the Beishu Trading Company itself, even so, the all third-grade Spirit Tea, Spirit Wine, and Spiritual Fruits were among the top hospitality items in the Cultivation World.

Even if not used for hosting, consuming them oneself would harmlessly enhance one’s own abilities.

He received the storage bag, swept his Divine Thought over the Golden Core resources inside, and confirmed that what he received was exactly as Chief Manager Lai had described regarding the third-grade Spiritual Objects.

“It seems I was too reserved!” Li Shiming laughed helplessly. He took out a jade bottle from his Space Ring and handed it to Chief Manager Lai, saying, “Here is a ‘Youthful Elixir.’ The commerce can use it for publicity first. Later, send me a list of Spiritual Objects to choose from, and I will make my selections then!”

“Rest assured, the commerce will handle it well, enhancing the value of the ‘Youthful Elixir’ to its peak!” Chief Manager Lai said, laughing as he took the jade bottle and carefully examined it after opening it.