Chapter 143: Chapter 136: A Flourishing Trend
From that day on, whenever Chen Che passed the locksmith shop after school, he would see Wu Neng and seven or eight other locksmiths arguing themselves red in the face.
However, their progress on the strongbox Array was improving at a visible pace.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of April.
For students with guaranteed university admission, the monthly exams weren’t all that important anymore.
However, Chen Che’s goal was the Four Greats, so he had to keep a constant eye on his performance. He did well, with a total score of 1355. His combat ranking also shot into the top three in the entire school, just a few points behind two seniors at the Mid-stage Ninth Layer.
Of course, that was without using his Nine Shocking Ape Strikes. Otherwise, his score could have been even higher.
But there was no need; it was just a school exam.
Even so, his performance in the Void Illusion Realm still shocked many students.
Everyone finally realized that Chen Che had, without any fanfare, already learned more than half of the senior year curriculum, and had mastered it even more proficiently than the seniors themselves.
Chen Che himself, however, was slightly dissatisfied.
Old Li had updated the provincial tournament information packet, adding numerous combat videos from other students. Chen Che discovered that the thirteen students in the "Foundation Establishment Preparation Group," including Ye Zhihan, could now easily defeat Ninth Layer illusions. They could even hold their own against Foundation Establishment Illusions.
In fact, Ye Zhihan could even completely overwhelm a Foundation Establishment Illusion.
He watched the video, studying it repeatedly, and finally confirmed that they hadn’t opened their meridians yet. They were relying on Tier Two Spells they had learned in advance.
’If these people could come to Yunzhou, I bet every Cultivator would be crying out about the "Great Age of Contention"!’
Chen Che couldn’t help but have this thought as he sat in his Cave Mansion.
Of course, it was just a thought. He had experimented before and found that the Jade Seal only allowed him to travel between the two worlds. No other living creatures could be brought along.
He collected his thoughts, lit a stick of Concentration Incense, swallowed a Leopard Embryo Elixir, and began his daily Cultivation.
A short while later, the Little Chick returned from its hunt, carrying an Ink Turtle it had caught.
The Ink Turtle was as large as a door panel. Its shell’s ridge was highly pronounced, and even lying flat on the ground, it stood a meter tall. In the water, it would have been a beast capable of overturning rivers and seas. Yet the Little Chick had it pinned, and just like peeling a shrimp, it tore the turtle’s shell apart with its claws.
’Damn, Qi Refining Seventh Layer... it’s already caught up to me...’
The corner of Chen Che’s eye twitched as he watched. He then took out the Micro Crystal Brain to scan it and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.
Raptor-type Demon Beasts truly had terrifying combat power. ’A single swipe of that claw,’ he thought, ’could probably tear right through the True Essence Shield of a Cultivator at the same realm.’
He shared a meal of turtle meat with the Little Chick before heading to the Market.
"Tributor Chen!"
"Tributor Chen!"
Everyone he passed along the way took the initiative to cup their fists and greet him.
By now, there was no one in the Market who didn’t recognize him. Even without his status as a Tributor, his Alchemy skills alone would have been enough for him to thrive here.
Just as he arrived at the Pill Shop, Chen Che got some news from Ding Fei:
"The first batch of ore is being transported back to the Valley today? Why so soon?"
"It’s not soon at all. It’s already been half a month!"
Ding Fei shook his head.
"The message arrived last night. Apparently, the miners are working like madmen to earn Spirit Stones, digging day and night. By my calculations, the caravan should be back around noon..."
"They’re back!"
And sure enough, with the sun high in the sky, a cry suddenly rang out from somewhere.
It was followed by a rising chorus of shouts from all around.
"They’re here!"
"The caravan is back..."
Immediately, the crowd surged forward, forming a path down the middle of the street.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Che stepped out of the shop. A long caravan was approaching from down the street.
He saw a long line of large, canvas-covered carts. They were filled to the brim with Wuyin Ore, and each cart flew a triangular "Gold Cloud" banner that fluttered in the wind.
Pulling the carts were Barbarian Oxen, each over four meters long and even bulkier than an elephant. With every step of their powerful hooves, their muscles rippled as they steadily pulled the wagons, which weighed tens of thousands of pounds.
"Why not use Storage Pouches?"
A rookie, who seemed to have just started Cultivation, asked in a low voice.
"TCH."
The question was immediately met with a wave of scornful laughter.
Chen Che slowly shook his head.
Storage Pouches had limited space, only a few cubic meters each.
A dozen cartloads of ore would require hundreds of them, and all the Cultivators in Jinyun Valley combined didn’t have that many pouches.
Conversely, the Barbarian Oxen belonged to Jinyun Valley, making the transportation cost practically zero.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the dozen or so carts loaded with ore slowly entered Jinyun Valley.
As for the last one, it stopped in the center of the Market.
Looking over, he saw several Cultivators with missing arms and broken legs sitting in the cart. Beside them lay several straw mats wrapped in the shape of human bodies, the bloodstains on them long since dried and blackened.
"What happened to them..."
Chen Che asked out loud.
"A type of Demon Spider grows in the mine. They’re as large as wagon wheels and devour human flesh."
The cart driver was Chu Gong. Hearing the question, he initially couldn’t be bothered to respond.
But when he saw it was Chen Che, he quickly bowed respectfully and explained:
"These miners accidentally dug into one of the spiders’ nests. These Demon Spiders aren’t quite Demon Beasts, but there were just too many of them. The miners were overwhelmed on the spot. For a few of them, we couldn’t even retrieve their bodies."
He knew Chen Che and Hu Yao had a good relationship, so he added:
"Senior Brother Hu is fine. It was he who led the disciples and Loose Cultivators to hold back the Demon Spiders. In the end, he gave the order to seal that mine tunnel. Senior Brother Hu also said that when he gets back, he wants to have a good drink with you, Tributor."
As he spoke, the surviving Loose Cultivators climbed down from the cart.
Maimed and grievously injured, they could no longer mine. They would just be wasting a quota spot, so the mine sent them back.
As for the dead, their families would be notified to collect the bodies. If they had no family, they would just be thrown into the Chaotic Burial Mound.
"Please give this bottle of Pills to him for me. Tell him I’ll be waiting to have that drink with him when he gets back."
Chen Che handed him a bottle of Pills.
The Cultivation Realm was full of fickle and heartless people.
Hu Yao was simple, honest, and perhaps a bit blindly loyal, but he treated Chen Che as a true friend. The day he had killed the Li Brothers, when Lu Yi had been about to reprimand him, Hu Yao had stood up for him without hesitation. Chen Che had not forgotten that kindness.
"This one is for you."
He took out another pill and gave it to Chu Gong. Amidst the man’s profuse thanks, Chen Che turned and walked away.
As he was leaving, he spotted Xiao Chan with his hands clasped behind his back, standing on his tiptoes as he squeezed into the crowd to see what was happening.
Meanwhile, Chu Gong, having accepted the pill, was already sending someone to notify the families of the deceased while climbing onto the oxcart with a roster in hand. He shouted:
"The caravan leaves again tomorrow! We’re filling the twenty-seven vacant spots and hiring another hundred men...!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
The words were barely out of his mouth before the excited crowd surged forward.
The lowest-level Loose Cultivators were treated as expendable.
They didn’t fear death; they feared dying without ever having had a chance. The truly despairing feeling was having already stepped onto the path of Cultivation, only to find the hope of attaining immortality growing ever more distant, rather than closer.
That was why they wouldn’t let even the slightest opportunity slip by.
...
Ye Jingzhou moved quickly.
The moment the message arrived, everyone in the Market with Forging experience was summoned to Jinyun Valley. Even many of the valley’s own disciples joined in to begin processing the ore. That afternoon, the entire valley echoed with the rhythmic clang of hammers on anvils.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
In one corner of the valley, the sound of hammering was more intense than ever before.
Almost the instant Ye Jingzhou gave the order, the blacksmiths from the Market had packed the tools of their trade and arrived in the valley.
Opportunity!
This was a heaven-sent opportunity!
Everyone could see that a resurgence for Jinyun Valley was at hand.
With a whole ore mine under its control.
This meant that in the future, Jinyun Valley could make a fortune just by selling the raw ore. And once they had a large amount of Spirit Stones, they could support more disciples and Tributors. The surrounding Loose Cultivators would inevitably flock to them as well.
Many of the great Golden Core Influences had developed in just this way.
And if any of them could catch Ye Jingzhou’s eye, their future would be set. Even if they couldn’t become a Tributor, just being appointed a Steward would be a huge step up.
At this thought, they all began to work with every ounce of strength they possessed.
"Valley Master."
Lu Yi picked up a Wuyin Stone Ingot, about the size of a brick, and respectfully presented it to Ye Jingzhou.
Nearby, the blacksmith who had been the first to finish an ingot stood to the side, hammer in hand, his face full of anticipation as he basked in the envious gazes of the others.
But Ye Jingzhou’s next words made the blacksmith’s expression freeze.
"The purity is still insufficient!"
Ye Jingzhou pressed his thumb into the Wuyin Stone Ingot, leaving behind a clear print.
The indentation was half an inch deep, the whorls of his thumbprint perfectly distinct within it.
"The purity of ingots on the market is all like this..."
Lu Yi quickly lowered his head.
After ore is mined, it can’t be used directly. It must be purified, refined, and poured into molds to form ingots. These are then sold to Artifact Refiners or Artifact Casting influences. This is the standard practice for most mining operations.
The final purity was a problem for the buyer, not the seller.
And right now, Jinyun Valley lacked the facilities for Artifact Casting.
Ye Jingzhou casually tossed the Wuyin Stone Ingot aside and said coolly:
"I require this first batch of Wuyin Stone..."
Lu Yi was slightly stunned.
’The Valley Master knows Artifact Casting?’
’I never knew that.’
By the time Lu Yi snapped out of his daze, Ye Jingzhou was already in the middle of the plaza, standing before a large cauldron with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was distant, his thoughts impossible to discern.
...
’Is Jinyun Valley planning to expand?’
Chen Che was a little confused.
’But what about Ye Jingzhou’s age?’
He had done the calculations again recently. Foundation Establishment Cultivators had a lifespan of three hundred years, and it seemed the Valley Master didn’t have many of those years left. Besides, in a place like Yunzhou, rife with conflict, many Major Cultivators never even reached their natural lifespan.
’Ten years? Or maybe just five...’
’Has he already chosen a successor? But I’ve never heard of him having any children...’
’Or is he planning to pass the seat to Lu Yi? But even I can see the flaw in that. He must understand it even better. Once Jinyun Valley no longer has a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in charge, all of this work will just be for someone else’s benefit!’
Chen Che didn’t really care about Jinyun Valley’s strategic development, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this was very strange.
Because, given the urgency, Ye Jingzhou should be prioritizing Alchemy.
Yet in all this time, Ye Jingzhou hadn’t said a single word about him performing Alchemy.
However, one thing was certain: Jinyun Valley was already showing signs of a major resurgence.
