Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 245 A good start
At the banquet, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.

As this was the founding ceremony of the family, Zhou Ling attached great importance to it.

The Song family owns their own restaurant, and Song Yue has also booked the banquet for this event.

The spiritual food used was all of considerable value.

Second-tier Golden Jade Spirit Rice and top-quality spirit wine.

In terms of dishes, they are mostly second-tier, including spirit beast meat such as Crimson-striped Chicken and Fire-horned Ox.

There are other spiritual fruits and vegetables, all of which are second-tier items.

This meal was quite expensive.

Of course, compared to the value of the gifts Zhou Ling received, it was completely insignificant.

"Instructor Zhou, my Song family is now opening up another world and we need a batch of second-tier weapons. I wonder if your workshop can forge them?"

After several rounds of drinks, the Song family head asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback, since the workshop had not yet recruited any weapon refiners and might not be able to refine any magical artifacts for the time being.

However, he quickly understood what the Song family head meant.

This is an opportunity to get some business for myself.

Although the workshop doesn't have any weapon refiners yet, Bai Ji and his team can fill in.

Moreover, it wouldn't be difficult to find a few second-tier weapon refiners in the inner courtyard under one's own name.

Chu Xing also mentioned that Master Lu and one of his disciples would be coming to Qingyun Immortal City in the next two days.

With that, the workshop could finally start operations. He then smiled and said, "What kind of magical artifact does Senior Song need? My Zhou family workshop will definitely forge it for you, and we'll even give you a 20% discount!"

Upon hearing his words, the Song family head smiled and nodded slightly, saying, "Two months from now, my Song family will need a batch of precious artifacts. This is the list. I appreciate your help, Instructor Zhou, these past few days!"

After the Song family head finished speaking, he handed a jade slip to Zhou Ling.

He handed over a bag of spirit stones and said with a smile, "There are fifty mid-grade spirit stones in here as a deposit for this batch of treasures."

"After delivery, I will make up the difference in spirit stones!"

“Alright!” Zhou Ling accepted the spirit stone bag and jade slip without any hesitation.

With this order from the Song family, the Zhou family workshop can be considered to have had a successful start.

The Song family head was quite straightforward. Without mentioning or inquiring about the price, he handed over fifty mid-grade spirit stones.

This also demonstrates his trust in Zhou Ling.

Watching the two sing and dance in harmony, like a comedy routine, immediately captivated the other cultivators.

Given Zhou Ling's current reputation in Qingyun Immortal City, there are quite a few people who want him to refine weapons.

This time, Zhou Ling offered an even more attractive 20% discount.

One after another, the cultivators present came over to toast Zhou Ling and made their intention to refine a magical artifact.

After all, with Zhou Ling's current skill in weapon crafting, the quality of the treasures he creates can be guaranteed.

Zhou Ling was momentarily overwhelmed.

I never expected that a single sentence from Patriarch Song would have such a good effect.
As expected, old ginger is spicier.

However, he also knew the current situation of the workshop and that he had to act within his means.

He didn't accept some urgent orders.

As for those orders that weren't in a hurry to be handed over, he would give them a 20% discount.

In no time, he received nearly ten orders.

As for the other cultivators who were still preparing to place orders, Zhou Ling could only have Yuan Hu handle the transactions with them.

Of course, he also told Yuanhu not to accept rush orders for the time being.

With the publicity from this banquet, coupled with his reputation in Qingyun Immortal City.

I believe it won't be long before many people know about Zhou's Workshop.

The banquet lasted for two hours before the guests gradually took their leave.

This time, the number of weapon-refining orders received was over twenty, including six orders from aristocratic families and the rest from individuals.

The deposits collected from these orders alone amount to a large sum of spirit stones.

This can be said to have given the Zhou family workshop an excellent start.

After the other people who came to participate in the celebration left and the hall was cleaned up, Zhou Ling gathered Yuan Hu, Bai Ji and others in the hall.

They discussed the next steps for the workshop.

"Tiger, can you tell me about the income and expenditure of this celebration?"

Zhou Ling sat in the main seat of the family.

Zhou Shan, Chu Xing, and others took their seats on either side.

Zhou Ling followed Yuan Hu's inquiry.

He plans to entrust Yuanhu with the management of the family's finances in the future.

Having grown up together, Yuanhu was very good with numbers, which Zhou Ling figured was because he had helped his family sell fish since he was a child.

Of course, there will be no problem with their character.

"Brother Ling, we haven't done a detailed estimate of the gifts we received this time, but conservatively speaking, their value will definitely exceed one hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"In addition, the workshop received twenty-six orders, of which ninety-six mid-grade spirit stones were collected as deposits."

"The Song family received five mid-grade spirit stones for the expenses of this banquet!"

Yuan Hu replied to Zhou Ling.

With years of experience, he now possesses a certain level of expertise in finance.

They were fully aware of all the expenses involved in this banquet.

He was able to answer all of Zhou Ling's questions.

Zhou Ling nodded with satisfaction at Yuan Hu's performance and said, "Hu Zi, you need to list all these details in the future. Also, you need to prepare to purchase the materials needed for this order in the coming days."

"Don't worry, Brother Ling!"

Yuan Hu cupped his hands in reply.

He was a little nervous at first, as it was his first time experiencing such a grand event, but he quickly adapted.

Now I know for certain that coming to Qingyun Immortal City to seek refuge with Zhou Ling was absolutely the right decision.

The number of guests attending the Zhou family banquet was so large that even Lingxia Immortal City could not witness such a grand occasion.

Moreover, these prominent figures from Qingyun Immortal City all held Zhou Ling in the highest regard.

Even the head of the Song family, a family of Nascent Soul cultivators, spoke as if he were treating Zhou Ling as an equal.

It is clear that Zhou Ling's reputation in Qingyun Immortal City is much higher than he imagined.

As long as you focus on doing your job well, you'll have no problem establishing your foundation in the future.

"Father, of the gifts we received, I will keep the third-tier ones, and put the rest into the family treasury."

"In the future, if Yuanhu, Uncle Chu, or the others need anything, they can exchange it in the treasure vault!"

Zhou Ling looked at Zhou Shan and said with a smile.

He received quite a few gifts this time, and he kept the third-tier treasures for his own use.

The other second-tier treasures were kept to enrich the family treasury.

The second-tier ores were kept for the workshop to use.

As for Yuan Hu, Chu Xing, and the others, since they have already chosen to follow him...

He wouldn't treat them unfairly, and planned to follow the academy's rules so that they could exchange their contributions to the family for the cultivation materials they needed.

Of course, every month, one can receive offerings, elixirs, and other cultivation resources from the family.

"Ling'er, you can make the decision. I have no objections!"

Zhou Shan nodded with a smile.

Zhou Shan was well aware of his own limitations.

He naturally left the management of the family affairs to his son.

He can help manage the workshop or winery, and that will be enough.

Inside the hall, everyone who heard Zhou Ling's words showed joy on their faces.

Especially Bai Ji, Chu Xing, Xu Jiu, and Yuan Hu.

Zhou Ling's words undoubtedly acknowledged that they would become part of the Zhou family in the future.

This was undoubtedly a huge encouragement to them.

Apart from Zhou Ling, Wang Xin, and He Zijian and his sister, none of the others present had yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and they all knew that reaching the Foundation Establishment stage would require a large amount of resources.

Moreover, finding a suitable spiritual cave dwelling for Foundation Establishment is difficult.

The Zhou family now has a third-tier spiritual vein, and Wang Xin is a formation master.

With the addition of a spirit-gathering array, a suitable cave dwelling for Foundation Establishment can be created. "From now on, we will follow the rules of the Dao Academy, and everyone will be awarded points based on their contributions to the Zhou family."

"Points can be exchanged for spiritual items in the family treasury."

"Even Foundation Establishment Pills!"

Seeing the excited expressions on everyone's faces, Zhou Ling spoke up again.

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this.

As Chu Xing and the others know, if he were to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, he could only get a Profound-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Moreover, the quality is not necessarily guaranteed.

Given Zhou Ling's current status, he must have a way to obtain a Grade Earth Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Brother Ling, can I become a member of the Zhou family too?"

At this moment, Sun Dajie spoke up and asked.

Everyone present had a special relationship with Zhou Ling.

Yuan Hu and Chu Xing were old acquaintances of Zhou Ling, and it didn't seem out of place for them to become part of the Zhou family.

Bai Ji and Song Yue are Zhou Ling's disciples, so there's no need to elaborate.

He and He Zijian and his sister are considered Zhou Ling's friends.

Hearing about the benefits Zhou Ling mentioned, he was quite tempted and thought about joining the Zhou family.

"Da Jie, if you are interested, you can become a guest retainer of my Zhou family!"

Zhou Ling thought for a moment and then smiled.

If a family is to be established, it will definitely need guest advisors.

Although Sun Dajie was only at the peak of Qi Refining, he was already able to refine second-tier puppets.

He is also a know-it-all, with excellent access to information; such a person would be very suitable as a guest advisor.

“That’s great!”

Sun Dajie was overjoyed and immediately agreed.

"However, what can I, as a guest advisor, do for the Zhou family?"

Sun Dajie knew that Zhou Ling was trying to take care of him, and asked somewhat embarrassedly.

"I haven't decided what to do yet. Anyway, you should first refine some puppets for the family and keep an eye out for any useful information about Qingyun Immortal City!"

Zhou Ling smiled and said.

His status is different now, and he needs to be aware of the situation.

We cannot focus solely on the affairs of the Taoist temple and the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

"okay!"

Sun Dajie said with a face full of joy.

Seeing Zhou Ling handle family affairs so efficiently, He Zijian and his sister were filled with emotion.

Thinking back to the first time I met Zhou Ling, it was several years ago in Black Cloud Mountain.

At that time, Zhou Ling was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He was a medicine seeker who ventured into the mountains, willing to guide others for a few spirit stones.

But now, after more than five years, he has not only successfully established his foundation, but has also become an instructor at the Taoist Academy and a Heavenly Guardian of the Heavenly Craftsmanship Bureau.

They even established their own family in the fourth-rank Qingyun Immortal City.

Any one of these achievements would be unattainable for someone of the same age.

But all of this happened to Zhou Ling in a very natural way.

He had always thought highly of Zhou Ling and knew that Zhou Ling would achieve great things in the future.

But Zhou Ling was unexpected.

Of course, they have their own families and cultivate in the Taoist academy, so they naturally wouldn't join the Zhou family.

Zhou Ling understood this as well.

"Alright, now that this is settled, the next step is to get the workshop up and running."

"Now that the family workshop is newly established, it is extremely important to establish a reputation."

"Therefore, no matter what is done, there must be no carelessness whatsoever."

Zhou Ling looked at everyone and said in a calm tone.

He knew perfectly well that the orders he received this time were all because of his reputation and because people wanted to befriend him.

But he didn't show any signs of smugness or complacency.

Of course, with his current achievements, he certainly has reason to be complacent.

However, he had no such thoughts in his mind. After visiting Qingyang Immortal City twice, he knew that the Zhou family was just starting out.

Without any prior experience, we must take each step steadily and practically.

These orders will form the foundation for the Zhou family's future success.

Therefore, there can be absolutely no mistakes.

Every order, big or small, must be completed excellently.

Otherwise, not only would he have betrayed the trust these people placed in him, but he would also have been unable to live with himself.

He turned his gaze to Yuan Hu and said, "Hu Zi, tonight you and Bai Ji should compile a list of the materials needed for these orders."

"I'll go to the market to buy it tomorrow."

"We must ensure the quality of materials; it's better to have less than to use inferior materials."

"Also, I have over a thousand pieces of ore here. Please count them and put them into the workshop's material warehouse!"

Yuan Hu doesn't know much about weapon crafting. He doesn't know what materials are needed for many things, or what the approximate success rate is.
He certainly doesn't know, so having Bai Ji help him with the statistics would be much more efficient.

"Yes, Brother Ling!" Yuan Hu replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Da Jie, there are some things I need to trouble you with."

Zhou Ling looked at Sun Dajie and said with a smile.

"Brother Ling, just give the orders!"

Sun Dajie hurriedly replied.

Now that I've become a guest retainer of the Zhou family, I receive monthly offerings.

He couldn't just take these spirit stones for nothing, so he had to do something for Zhou Ling no matter what.

"Go to the inner courtyard and find one or two skilled weapon refiners. Have them come to the workshop; their pay will only be higher than outside!"

Zhou Ling smiled.

“That’s easy. Xu Qiang successfully established his foundation some time ago and is currently penniless. He’d be more than happy to come here.”

Sun Dajie replied immediately.

"Okay, you go and discuss this with him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded.

Xu Qiang was the first weapon refiner he collaborated with after entering the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, and his skill level was indeed quite good.

Now that the foundation has been successfully laid, the level should be able to reach an even higher level.

With Xu Qiang, plus Bai Ji and Song Yue coming over to help out regularly.

With Master Lu and myself added in, the workshop's weapon refiners are almost ready.

Of course, with orders in hand now, hiring one or two more wouldn't be a problem.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "In the future, the treatment of a second-level weapon refiner in the workshop will be one mid-grade spirit stone per month, plus a commission on the weapon refining workpieces, as well as pills such as the Enhancing Essence Pill."

"As for the specific circumstances, it varies from person to person."

"Tiger, write all of this down."

"Okay, I'll write all of this down and let you take a look!"

Yuan Hu nodded and said.

"it is good!"

Zhou Ling nodded in satisfaction.

He then continued to discuss other matters with the others.

The family had just been established, and the first thing to solve was the problem of survival and development.

Therefore, Zhou Ling's main focus is on workshops, spiritual lands, and wineries.

Of course, the workshops are the main focus and the most crucial part, and all resources should be concentrated on their development.

However, if the other two things can improve, the profits will also be good.

(End of this chapter)