Lingyun Peak, Mountain Waist, Conference Hall.
It was early morning, the dew had not yet dispersed, and the sun had not yet appeared, making the hall seem more mysterious and austere.
Ye Jingcheng walked into the hall and noticed that he wasn't the only one summoned; Ye Jingli, Ye Jingyun, and Ye Xingyu were also present.
At this moment, the three were together discussing something.
However, their expressions were quite serious.
Among them, Ye Jingyun, like him, was an alchemy cultivator, sharing a character with Ye Haiyun, the Fourth Elder of the Ye Family, ranking ninth in the Jing Generation, and his alchemy skill was quite good.
Ye Jingli and Ye Xingyu, on the other hand, were artifact refiners, with the latter being a Tier One Middle-grade Refiner of the Ye Family.
After a while, the patriarch of the Ye Family, Ye Xingliu, walked out from the side of the hall, looking at the four of them.
"Jingcheng, Xingyu, this matter has come up quite hastily, but it is extremely urgent for the family!"
"The alchemy cultivators and artifact cultivators of the family's market shops have already been requisitioned by the sect, but the market shops cannot cease operation, otherwise, it would be a great loss for the family!"
Ye Xingliu slowly spoke.
In the Yan Kingdom, there were three sects, and the Ye Family was under the Taiyi Sect.
Each of these sects had Golden Core and Nascent Soul Great Powers, and small families like the Ye Family were under their protection.
At the same time, they needed to pay taxes annually, and during times of change, they could be requisitioned at any time.
This time it's to requisition the alchemy and artifact masters of the Ye Family, which seems to be for a major battle.
But you must know, besides the routine offering of Spirit Stones, the benefits of these requisitions are pitifully small; only by having good relations can you grasp some new pill formulas and artifact refining diagrams.
Poor relations result in being nothing more than cheap labor.
And once the requisition is over, the family's market will be out of stock for a long time.
The Ye Family were not a large family to begin with; if there were any mishap in the market shops, it would greatly affect the family's finances.
"You will go to the Taihang Market, and the family's offerings will directly double. Additionally, the family will equip you with defensive artifacts and flying artifacts. The spiritual elixirs and magical artifacts refined in the market will still be purchased according to the family's policy; you won't need to sell, just that the choice of what to refine will have certain restrictions!"
"No problem, Patriarch!" Ye Xingyu spoke.
"Third Uncle, we have no problem either!" Ye Jingcheng and the other cultivators nodded repeatedly.
Since they were going to the family's alchemy, they naturally couldn't refuse, and they would learn some pill formulas and artifact refining array diagrams, thus reducing the need for contribution point exchanges, which they were naturally satisfied with.
This bit of restriction didn't seem to bother them.
Especially for Ye Jingcheng, he had yet to find the spirit medicine for that mysterious pill formula in his ancient book, and going to the market would allow him to collect it in secret.
Throughout the past year, his alchemy skill had improved, and his contribution points had risen once again to 250 from the previous 100 or so.
"Very well, you may go to the family treasury to select magical artifacts!"
"As for the rest, you will meet your Uncle Ye Xinghe at the market, who remains in charge there."
After Ye Xingliu finished his instructions, the four of them took their leave.
This matter was urgent, leaving them no time to prepare.
The Taihang Market was not close to Lingyun Peak, even by Spiritual Ship, it would take two to three days.
Leaving the Conference Hall, the four headed towards the Treasure Hall.
This time, they were to select magical artifacts, and the Eighth Elder, Ye Haiping, guarded the Treasure Hall.
He obviously had heard of the task for the four, and immediately led them up to the third floor!
The Treasure Hall had three floors; the first floor held miscellaneous items, the second contained cultivation techniques and pill formulas, while the third floor was for magical artifacts.
Unlike the casual placement of cultivation techniques and books, the magical artifacts on the third floor, although also spread on shelves, each had a shallow layer of spirit shield.
This was to ensure that the magical artifacts would not lose potency due to the passage of time, thus preserving their power.
"Each of you can choose one attacking artifact and one defensive artifact."
"It's best to choose the ones that suit you. Outside, in magical combat between cultivators, every move is aimed at killing you, far more dangerous than hunting demons!" Ye Haiping advised alongside, mainly targeting the three inexperienced cultivators of the Jing Generation.
Ye Jingcheng and the other three nodded, then dispersed to browse.
Almost all three first chose defensive artifacts.
Ye Jingli was also beside Ye Jingcheng:
"Jingcheng, later on, I will help you keep an eye out!"
Ye Jingli was an artifact refiner, and in the past, he owed Ye Jingcheng a favor.
"Thank you, Brother Liu!" Ye Jingcheng accepted; in terms of artifact refining, he was certainly no match for Ye Jingli.
The Ye Family had numerous artifacts, with most being complete and a few being damaged.
Ye Jingcheng's focus was on a palm-sized wooden shield and a layer of silver armor.
Both were Tier One Middle-grade Spiritual Artifacts, each costing one or two hundred Spirit Stones if bought, an indication that the Ye Family was investing heavily.
"Jingcheng, the armor's defense is comprehensive, whereas the wooden shield's defense is concentrated; the latter certainly surpasses the former!" Ye Jingli explained.
"Moreover, judging from the reinforcement array diagram, the small shield surpasses the armor by quite a bit."
"Great!" Ye Jingcheng nodded, choosing the wooden shield.
At this moment, Ye Jingli had also made his choice of a small bell, serving both attack and defense purposes.
As he could craft ordinary defensive artifacts himself, he wasn't lacking.
When it came time to choose an attacking artifact, Ye Jingcheng encountered some difficulty. Ye Jingli could only recommend the pros and cons; the most crucial was suitability, as Ye Jingcheng already had a Flying Sword.
"Jingcheng, selecting that Iron Wood Token would be a good match for your Red Flame Fox!" After looking at various swords, axes, flying swords, and spear artifacts, Ye Jingli suddenly pointed at a wooden token and suggested.
Ye Jingcheng looked at the token; it was unique, resembling a small shield but was a thin sheet with intricate dense iron wood drawings covering it.
The description of its usage was beside the artifact, stating that within ten meters, the Iron Wood Token could unleash countless massive wooden vines to entangle and trap enemies.
"I'll take this one!" Ye Jingcheng decided after reviewing it.
This Iron Wood Token indeed, as Ye Jingli mentioned, paired well with the fireball of his Red Flame Fox and his Flying Sword!
Most importantly, his Red Flame Fox had grown beyond just a simple Fireball Skill...
There was no need for him to pursue greater offensive capabilities.
Ye Jingcheng chose the Iron Wood Token, unexpectedly, Ye Jingli chose a Pill Furnace.
This Pill Furnace had three ears, with slight defects at the ears!
However, it did not affect its overall performance; the most important aspect of a Pill Furnace was its body.
At this moment, even Ye Haiping and Ye Xingyu glanced over, feeling an inexplicable sense of awe.
After all, an artifact refiner choosing a Pill Furnace as an attack artifact seemed a little unusual!