With a crack, Wu Chenzi slammed the counter again.
Lu Heng glanced at the freshly painted surface, estimating that Wu Chenzi had held back his strength. Otherwise, with such a loud bang, the counter should have shattered by now.
"Regarding the Danyang Sect's recruitment in Pingliang City previously, I believe some people present might have heard about it. That day, we tested ten children, and all ten transformed from being unable to cultivate to being capable of cultivation. Furthermore, two of those children possessed the Golden Spirit Root."
After speaking, Wu Chenzi called out to Lu Daniu, who was maintaining order outside the counter.
"Daniu, come here."
Then, Wu Chenzi took out another spirit stone for testing aptitude from under the counter and placed it on the counter.
"Let them see. This child was one of those who couldn't cultivate before, and after taking that crystal, he now has the Golden Spirit Root."
As Wu Chenzi finished speaking, Lu Daniu squeezed through the crowd and walked to the counter, placing his hands on the testing spirit stone.
A dazzling golden light instantly erupted from the spirit stone, momentarily blinding the onlookers.
"Golden Spirit Root!"
"Yes, is this child's talent so good?"
"This doesn't prove anything. This child only gained the ability to cultivate after taking that crystal."
"Believe it or not, I won't force you to buy anything from our shop if you don't want to," Lu Heng said expressionlessly. He was too lazy to explain further to people who were so pedantic.
More talk was useless; it all depended on the reaction of those who consumed it.
"But we can't afford the price of one demon crystal! Can we buy it with spirit stones?"
Lu Heng shook his head. Spirit stones were something he had an inexhaustible supply of in his spatial dimension. If it weren't for the lack of Grade Four or higher demon crystals in this city, he wouldn't bother with the extra procedures.
Once he helped this Jinyang City develop and there were more good things in the city, he wouldn't bother selling this stuff anymore.
"Those who cannot afford a Grade Four demon crystal can sign a contract with the Danyang Sect.
The contract period is five years. From the date of signing, for the next five years, the signatory will be in an employment relationship with the Danyang Sect and must complete missions assigned by the Danyang Sect. These missions primarily involve killing demonic beasts, and all demonic beasts killed will belong to the Danyang Sect.
Of course, we will not assign overly dangerous killing missions to our employees; we will still consider everyone's enlightenment level."
At this moment, Wu Chenzi, representing the Danyang Sect, explained to the crowd, "This shop cooperates with the Danyang Sect. Those who come here to cause trouble or refuse to fulfill the contract terms are acting against our Danyang Sect. These individuals will be blacklisted by the Danyang Sect, and we will no longer sell any medicinal pills to them or their immediate families."
"Hiss..."
The crowd was astonished. The punishment announced by the Danyang Sect this time was quite severe. Everyone knew that the Danyang Sect was most famous for its medicinal pills, and this punishment for troublemakers was also in the form of restricting their access to pills.
As soon as Wu Chenzi finished speaking, the shop fell silent. Even those who had been questioning earlier closed their mouths.
"Give me one. I'll try it on my family when I get back," a man said, placing a Grade Four demon crystal on the counter and looking at Lu Heng.
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and then said to the man, "Once my goods leave this shop, they cannot be returned or exchanged."
"Well, I still trust the Danyang Sect. After all, no one dares to question their medicinal pills," the man said readily, looking at Wu Chenzi.
"Yes, you have some discernment. My medicinal pills are supplied to the royal family, and they have never questioned me."
"Then follow me. These in the cabinet are samples, sealed inside, and I can't take them out for now. Come inside with me to retrieve them."
Lu Daniu opened the counter's partition and let the man in, then stood like a guard in front of the partition.
The people gathered outside the counter could see the transaction happening inside. Lu Heng had initially set this up to prevent people from using storage rings to take items placed outside without his knowledge. Since he couldn't identify who took them, he had created a small counter further inside the main counter. This effectively blocked the view of outsiders, and he intended to allow only one person in at a time for transactions, making it easier to identify the target if an item went missing.
People who were invited in alone would likely not dare to openly steal his goods under such circumstances.
The man quickly completed the transaction and left the shop with the crystal.
Lu Heng looked at the crowd still gathered and announced, "Anyone else who wishes to purchase can stay. If you don't wish to buy, please step aside. As I am currently only selling this one item, there is nothing else to see."
"My child wants to cultivate. Can we sign that agreement with you?" a man's voice came from outside the counter.
"Come over here." Lu Heng couldn't see who had spoken, so he called out for the person to come to the counter.
"This is my son. He was tested two years ago and couldn't cultivate," an old man said, pulling a child towards the counter.
"Then have the child test again," Lu Heng said, pointing to the spirit stone on the counter.
"Here, Stone, go and test it." The old man nudged the child.
The boy nodded and placed his hand on the spirit stone. As expected, the spirit stone remained inert.
"Well, I must also remind you that after taking this crystal, only if you experience a headache can it be proven that you have the aptitude for cultivation. This is inevitable, so you must be mentally prepared," Lu Heng said to the boy.
"Yes, I understand," the boy nodded, looking at Lu Heng with a hopeful expression, then glancing at Lu Daniu standing nearby.
"Then you two come in and sign the agreement first, and then take the crystal."
"Okay."
After signing the agreement, Lu Heng took a crystal from his怀 and handed it to the boy. The boy rubbed the crystal and then, without hesitation, put it into his mouth.
Fortunately, the boy had been sitting when signing the agreement. Now, a severe headache struck, and the boy clutched his head, letting out a low groan.
However, after a moment, the boy's headache gradually subsided, and he felt a warmth flow through his body. Something similar to the crystal he had just consumed appeared in his mind.
He looked up at Lu Heng with surprise, a smile brighter than ever on his face, "Sir, I did have a headache just now."
"Good. Then go and test it again with the spirit stone over there," Lu Heng said. He could tell that this child now possessed extraordinary abilities, or rather, the aptitude to cultivate.
The boy, still inside the counter, grasped the spirit stone again.
A flash of green light appeared. Lu Heng smiled. Fortunately, the probability of obtaining a Golden Spirit Root wasn't that high, otherwise, the crystal's efficacy would be rumored to be even more miraculous.
The boy was not disheartened by only obtaining a Green Spirit Root. Instead, his smile became even more radiant, as becoming a cultivator was already a rare opportunity for him.
"Hiss, is this real? That child truly had no aptitude for cultivation earlier," someone from the quiet crowd outside suddenly exclaimed.
"Damn it, I want one too! I'm old, do you guys at Danyang Sect still accept people?" a man asked Lu Heng.
"Yes, we do. But those who don't have demon crystals to trade will have to sign an agreement here on the spot. Once you've tried it, you can't leave. Dedicated personnel will escort you back to the Danyang Sect daily," Lu Heng told the crowd outside.
Wu Chenzi stroked his beard and looked at the excited crowd outside. He felt that he should find a larger courtyard in Jinyang City and keep all these people who signed agreements there.