Alaric Ye had visited Elijah Wang's residence on Thundercloud Peak once before, so he was familiar with the route. His sword flight was swift, and he soon arrived at Elijah's place.

Recently, Elijah Wang had been thriving on Thundercloud Peak. He had been promoted to a senior outer disciple and was highly regarded.

Upon entering the house, Alaric found two beautiful female cultivators from the Top Xuan Sect acting like servants, washing clothes and cooking for Elijah. It seemed he was living a comfortable and leisurely life akin to a young master in the mortal world.

Elijah Wang was naturally a smooth operator. Under the new sect rules, he spent money to make connections with the inner sect senior brothers and sisters on Thundercloud Peak, while also expanding the Longevity Society by recruiting outer disciples and miscellaneous disciples. He didn't bully others or cause trouble, but no one dared to mess with him either.

Among the three founding members of the Longevity Society, Elijah lived the most carefree life.

Alaric Ye was short on money and endured excruciating pain day and night while cultivating the Five Elements Vajra Technique. Zachary Song, despite his exceptional talent in swordsmanship and the attention of the Peak Master of Spirit Sword Peak, faced constant challenges from formidable Chosen opponents.

After the female cultivators served tea to Alaric and Elijah, Elijah waved them away. They smiled gently at Alaric, politely exited the living room, and closed the door, leaving only Alaric and Elijah inside.

Elijah said, "Brother Ye, last time you swept away the challengers outside the Skill Transference Pavilion and snatched the Black Shark Society's victory. It brought great honor to our Longevity Society. In the past few months, many sect members have joined us, and our numbers are growing rapidly. We are now a considerable force among the miscellaneous disciples!"

"We don't seek to oppress others with our numbers; we pursue eternal longevity and mutual assistance. Under the new sect rules, we are a respected and admired group. Here is the list of new members; take a look. They will be our future connections."

Alaric knew that although Zachary Song was the leader of the Longevity Society, he was often busy with cultivation and raising insects. The daily operations were managed by Elijah Wang.

Alaric quickly glanced at the list and saw that it already had dozens of names, including several outer disciples at the third and even fourth level of Qi Refining.

However, he wasn't too concerned about the society's development. If it thrived, it would provide more information channels; if it didn't, there was nothing he could do.

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Elijah chuckled, "I can tell you're not interested in building your own power, but you must understand, a leader can't handle everything personally. Time is limited, and many small matters can be delegated. Leave the power-building to me; you and Zachary focus on fighting and cultivation!"

"You handle the external affairs, I'll handle the internal. Together, the three of us will survive the Immortal-Demon War!"

Alaric nodded slightly, finding some sense in Elijah's words. He then lowered his voice and got to the point, "Brother Wang, I have some valuable artifact refining materials that I can't sell openly. Do you have any reliable and discreet channels?"

Elijah's smile widened, and he patted his chest. "Of course, I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get by in the sect these past few months. Even if I don't, my old man surely does. What are you selling? Sect-prohibited materials?"

Alaric smiled, "Of course not, just some Snow Silkworm Silk."

Elijah breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been prohibited materials, he would have been in a tough spot between sect rules and brotherhood.

He laughed heartily, "Just that... I can guarantee to help you exchange it for Spirit Stones without anyone knowing—"

"Top-grade ones!"

Elijah's laughter abruptly stopped, and his expression changed. He looked around and then closed the doors and windows.

"Top-grade Snow Silkworm Silk... That's something many inner sect senior brothers covet, and even the true Chosen have a demand for it... Where did you... Never mind, I shouldn't ask."

Alaric whispered, "Can you handle it?"

Elijah replied, "Top-grade Snow Silkworm Silk, the market price is one hundred Spirit Stones per liang. If I handle it, to grease the wheels and keep it discreet, it might sell for ninety Spirit Stones or a bit more. Since you came to me, you should know I won't take a single Spirit Stone from you."

Alaric took out a jade box, "There's about one liang and five qian here. It would be best if you could find a stable channel for me; there might be more in the future."

Elijah's expression changed slightly. He looked at Alaric deeply and patted his chest again, "No problem, when have I ever let you down!"

He didn't even check the quality and weight of the silk in the jade box. He directly took out a pouch from his storage space, "Here's one hundred Spirit Stones as an advance. I'll give you the rest once it's sold."

Alaric didn't hesitate. He was in dire need of money, "Thank you, Brother Wang!"

Elijah's willingness to advance Spirit Stones showed his brotherly loyalty.

Elijah sighed and complained, "Why is everyone so mysterious? Zachary Song has his secrets too. Only I, Fatty Wang, am ordinary. Besides money and a beautiful wife, I have nothing. It's frustrating..."

Alaric rolled his eyes at Elijah.

"Stop talking about love and flirting all the time. Remember to cultivate diligently. Money and beauties are external things; only your own strength is eternal!"

With that, Alaric bid farewell to Elijah, feeling very satisfied.

Earning one hundred Spirit Stones in one go, even if it wasn't the full amount, put Alaric in a good mood, solving his immediate financial crisis.

Most importantly, the Snow Silkworms could spin silk, and the silk could be sold through discreet channels without drawing attention. This meant he had a stable and safe source of income without potential deadly threats.

Now, he could focus on his cultivation peacefully.

...

Time flies in cultivation. In the blink of an eye, Alaric Ye had been at the Top Xuan Sect for one year and three months.

In his bedroom, Alaric sat cross-legged with five types of Spirit Herbs placed in front of him. Five streams of elemental energy slowly flowed into his body, circulated through his meridians, and finally converged in his Dantian.

He was cultivating the most challenging Five Elements Primordial Art.

Over the past year, Alaric had suffered multiple injuries due to conflicts between the elemental energies in his body, causing his progress in the Five Elements Primordial Art to reset to zero.

As the elder at the Skill Transference Pavilion had said, the Five Elements Primordial Art was extremely difficult to cultivate. No one in the entire Top Xuan Sect had successfully cultivated it to the first level.