Chapter 204: Chapter 201: Taking Stock and Plans
Below the Wu Family Collection,
lies a hidden Ancient Grotto Heaven Ruins!
This was the latest rumor spreading through the outside world.
And this rumor wasn’t baseless; it was backed by tangible proof.
The evidence supporting these rumors came from the treasures contained within the beams of white light that had been flung out during the upheaval several days prior!
When the pillar of light shattered that day, it had scattered countless streams of white light into the surrounding forests.
Five days had passed since then,
and within those five days,
quite a few Cultivators had already managed to snatch up the treasures enveloped in white light.
Because some of the treasures weren’t necessarily suitable for their new owners, some extremely precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, rarely seen in the past, had even begun to circulate on the market.
All of this undoubtedly provided strong evidence for the rumor that an ancient ruin existed beneath the Wu Family Collection!
Moreover,
besides that,
and more importantly,
the massive crater where the Wu Family Collection once stood was now completely sealed by an Array.
No one knew what those powerful experts of the Soul Emergence Realm were doing.
Outsiders could only see figures at the Soul Emergence Realm arriving from time to time,
and forcing their way into the Array...
The higher-ups were keeping a tight lid on any information.
But for even beings of the Soul Emergence Realm to treat the matter with such gravity,
if one were to claim there was nothing strange going on,
it was a claim no one would believe.
Therefore,
as word spread,
more and more Cultivators began to gather in the direction of Dawan Village.
Even Cultivators from Immortal Cultivation Cities thousands of miles around started showing up.
They were all preparing to get their share of the spoils.
Against this backdrop,
the secret battles grew increasingly brutal and intense.
The scattered treasures, in particular, led to an endless series of deadly fights in the forests.
However,
none of this had much to do with Shen Changchuan.
He had no intention of getting involved in this chaotic whirlpool.
Facing the Blood-Patterned Black-Robed Man and the ensuing near-death crisis was an experience he only needed to have once.
He wasn’t some protagonist from an old-school fantasy web novel who could achieve a breakthrough on the brink of death every time and explode with power to turn the tables on his enemy.
In fact,
even though he did have a breakthrough mid-battle this time,
against such a powerful foe, he was still only able to take a single blow...
He was still a long, long way from being able to kill his opponent in return.
If someone hadn’t luckily intervened to save him,
he would be deader than dead.
’Reality isn’t a novel. I’m not some hot-blooded protagonist. It’s better to be as cautious as possible for now...’
And so,
letting the storm rage outside,
Shen Changchuan remained steadfast, diligently working to improve his cultivation.
He first spent several days completely mastering his newly surged Divine Sense.
He fully digested all the gains from that battle.
During this process,
Xiaoyu often ran to the plaza to stay by Shen Changchuan’s side.
She didn’t disturb him.
She would just sit quietly in a corner, watching him, as if the mere sight of him put her at ease.
Shen Changchuan didn’t mind this, nor did he tell her to leave.
He had been able to calm his mind and cultivate even while escorting a merchant caravan on the road.
By now, his mental fortitude had been honed to the point where the slightest disturbance wouldn’t cause a ripple.
Furthermore,
his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, had already arranged for a house-born girl from their clan to serve as his Maid and attend to his needs.
There was no need to worry.
He was thus able to focus almost all his energy on his own cultivation and improvement.
After digesting the gains from his clash with the Blood-Patterned Black-Robed Man,
and mastering his greatly expanded Divine Sense, Shen Changchuan turned his attention to raising his Cultivation Realm.
’The rewards from killing the Qi Family Ancestor and Cao Hongshang, the Alliance Leader of the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance, two months ago, plus the four Ninth Layer Realm Demon Cultivators I killed this time, and the village’s income and other miscellaneous gains... I now have over twenty thousand Spirit Stones, and there’s even a Middle Grade Spirit Stone among them...’
Shen Changchuan took stock of his assets,
and for a moment, he was lost in thought.
’So, should I make a trip to Qing City to buy some Elixirs for Ninth Layer Realm cultivation and quickly raise my Cultivation Realm?’
Twenty thousand Spirit Stones,
plus the fact that his Cultivation Talent had improved significantly,
even if he bought fewer cultivation Elixirs, it should be enough to get him to the Ninth Layer Peak.
With good Cultivation Talent, one naturally needed fewer Elixirs.
But,
’should I really just pile up my Cultivation Realm with Elixirs as I did before, regardless of the consequences?’
At this moment,
Shen Changchuan hesitated.
Before this,
Shen Changchuan had firmly believed that current strength was the most important thing.
He had disregarded the costs and future troubles, doing everything he could to raise his Realm.
According to his way of thinking, as long as he advanced to the Soul Emergence Realm and possessed greater power, the precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures for solidifying one’s foundation—which were once within sight but forever out of reach in the Qi Introduction Realm—would become much easier to obtain, even if not effortlessly so.
If there were flaws in his Realm,
he could just fix them later when he was stronger.
What’s more,
given the various crises in the greater environment before, the strength of the Qi Introduction Early and Middle Stage was truly insufficient to face the hidden dangers all around.
He had no choice but to turn his Spirit Stones into Elixirs and advance as quickly as possible.
However,
after soaking in the Earth Vein Spiritual Milk to cleanse his body over two months ago, Shen Changchuan’s thinking had begun to waver.
This was especially true after he took a Purple Gold Pill to cultivate for his advancement to the Eighth Layer Peak.
At that time,
he had just been cleansed by the Earth Vein Spiritual Milk. His Physique was as pure and flawless as jade, brimming with Spirit Charm.
But as the Purple Gold Pill entered his stomach, its Medicinal Power rampaged through his body, leaving behind imperceptible, hidden injuries.
He could also clearly feel traces of Elixir Poison and impurities settling deep within his body...
He could distinctly feel some of the downsides of consuming Elixirs.
Using Elixirs to break through,
was ultimately not a good thing.
’When I was weaker, I had no choice. But now, I’ve reached the Ninth Layer Realm, and the Soul Emergence Realm is right before my eyes.’
’Perhaps I should consider this more carefully.’
’Oh well. I’ll spend a few months slowly honing my cultivation on my own... If my progress isn’t fast enough to fulfill my one-year agreement with Shen Tingchu to reach the Ninth Layer Peak, then I’ll resort to buying Elixirs to speed things up!’
Soon,
Shen Changchuan had a rough plan in his mind.
But just as quickly,
Shen Changchuan thought of something else.
With a flip of his palm, he produced a square Jade Box.
Inside the box lay a fist-sized Spiritual Peach, emitting faint wisps of Spirit Charm. It was plump and ruddy, with a rosy blush on its pale skin.
Gazing at the thirty-year-old Spiritual Peach in the box,
a conflicted expression appeared on Shen Changchuan’s face.
Unlike Elixirs,
using a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object like this Spiritual Peach to raise one’s cultivation came with almost no negative side effects...
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