Chapter 125: with translation of chapter title

As Primordial Origin City gradually stabilized, Su Chen increasingly felt that the city harbored both potential and crisis. Not long after the peaceful days passed, one day a group of mysterious cultivators suddenly arrived in the city. They wore strange attire, their auras powerful and eerie, probing for information throughout the city, behaving quite suspiciously.

Upon learning of this, Su Chen immediately became alert, secretly ordering Black Cat and Ling'er to watch their movements. After some investigation, he found that these cultivators seemed linked to an evil force from beyond the borders; they had set their sights on Primordial Origin City because they had heard that an ancient divine artifact was hidden here, said to possess immense power capable of altering the spiritual power balance of a region.

Su Chen knew well that if this evil force succeeded, Primordial Origin City would once again fall into dire straits. He summoned the leaders of the city's major factions, explained the situation, and everyone unanimously decided to join Su Chen in resisting the invaders.

During the preparations for defense, Su Chen and Lin Jianran intensified their cultivation to boost their strength. Lin Jianran made another breakthrough in the Way of Sound, able to condense spiritual energy into sound waves, forming one defensive barrier after another. Su Chen retreated into seclusion, painstakingly training, raising his sword Dao to a new level; when his sword was drawn, spiritual energy surged forth, as if it could rend space.

A few days later, the mysterious cultivators could no longer hold back and launched an attack on Primordial Origin City. They employed various eerie techniques; for a moment the sky changed color and the city's populace panicked. Su Chen led from the front, rallying everyone to resist. He wielded a longsword, his sword qi like lightning, clashing with the enemies' techniques and erupting in blinding light. Lin Jianran stood in the rear, using her qin as an instrument, playing stirring melodies; the sound waves turned into blades that shot toward the foes, leaving the enemy cultivators defenseless. Black Cat and Ling'er each unleashed their secret arts, fighting bloody battles alongside the others.

After a fierce battle, the cultivators of Primordial Origin City, relying on tenacious will and united strength, gradually gained the upper hand. Seeing the situation turn against them, the mysterious cultivators sought to retreat, but Su Chen would not let them off easily. He led the forces in a victorious pursuit, driving the enemy to desperation. Ultimately, the entire evil cultivator force was annihilated, and Primordial Origin City once again welcomed victory.

After this battle, Primordial Origin City's fame soared, and nearby cities and sects came forward to establish friendly relations.

Su Chen did not grow complacent from these successive victories; he understood that prominence invites envy, and only by continually strengthening Primordial Origin City's foundation could he stand firm in this tumultuous world of cultivation.

In the course of friendly exchanges with neighboring powers, Su Chen carefully selected several venerable, erudite elders and established a comprehensive cultivation academy at the heart of Primordial Origin City, widely accepting talented youths to impart exquisite techniques, practical combat skills, and worldly wisdom. Lin Jianran volunteered to serve as the instructor of the Sound Discipline, sharing her own insights into sound-based spiritual energy, nurturing batch after batch of disciples adept at using sound waves to repel enemies.

Black Cat was not idle either, using its agile and cunning nature to shuttle between the various markets, gathering rare cultivation resources for the academy—from heaven‑and‑earth treasures brimming with mighty spiritual energy to fragments of magical artifacts inscribed with ancient runes, everything one could need. Ling'er became the academy's combat instructor, personally sparring with the students, honing their skills through real‑world practice so that these young disciples, in the process of falling and rising again and again, grasped the true essence of battle.

Su Chen himself often presided over the academy's training grounds, answering questions and dispelling doubts for disciples stuck in cultivation bottlenecks. Drawing from his own experience, he taught by word and deed how to hold fast to one's original intent and break through limits in adversity. Under his encouragement, many disciples of modest talent succeeded in unlocking their potential, becoming pillars of the academy.

As time passed, the cultivation academy of Primordial Origin City gained renown far and wide, attracting seekers from all corners. The city grew ever more lively and prosperous, with shops lining the streets, selling all manner of strange and wondrous cultivation wares. Seeing this, Su Chen joined forces with the various factions to establish a series of fair and just trade regulations, ensuring the interests of traveling merchants, and thus Primordial Origin City truly became a holy land of cultivation.

One day, an old man with white hair and an immortal's aura quietly arrived. He claimed to come from the distant Divine Void Sect, having heard of Primordial Origin City's many legends, and came especially to visit Su Chen. After a conversation, the elder praised Su Chen's strategies and breadth of mind, then extended an olive branch, inviting Su Chen to bring Lin Jianran and others to the Divine Void Sect for exchange and sparring, to jointly explore the mysteries of cultivation. Su Chen pondered briefly, recognizing this as a rare opportunity for advancement, and gladly accepted.

Once everything was arranged, Su Chen's party set out for the Divine Void Sect. Along the way they witnessed the strange landscapes of different regions and encountered many interesting cultivators. Upon arriving at the Divine Void Sect, its magnificent, grand architecture and rich, thick spiritual aura left everyone in awe. There, Su Chen and Lin Jianran took part in one splendid contest after another, learning from masters of all sides and gaining experience. Black Cat and Ling'er also roamed freely in the Divine Void Sect's library pavilion, immersed in a sea of ancient texts, seeking the age‑old secrets buried by time.

Several months later, Su Chen's group returned laden with gains. They brought back the Divine Void Sect's unique cultivation methods and exquisite formation‑pattern techniques, ushering Primordial Origin City into a fresh wave of development.

Upon returning to Primordial Origin City, Su Chen immediately summoned the city's core members and imparted in full the knowledge and skills he had learned from the Divine Void Sect. He personally oversaw the reconstruction of the city's defensive system according to the sect's exquisite formation patterns; lines of runes shimmering with faint light appeared and disappeared between the walls and pavilions, making the defenses as solid as rock while also automatically drawing in heavenly and earthly spiritual energy to nourish all things within the city.

Lin Jianran, based on the Divine Void Sect's distinctive approach to sound cultivation, refined her teaching methods; the disciples she nurtured now emitted sound‑wave spiritual energy that was more varied and potent. In a city‑wide drill, the sound‑wave disciples joined forces, actually condensing a spiritual energy shield out of thin air that covered the entire drill field, withstanding multiple simulated enemy assaults, earning rounds of applause from the onlookers.

Black Cat found a spacious spot in the market and, modeled after the Divine Void Sect's treasure pavilion, established Primordial Origin City's own Treasure Hall. It displayed within all the rare artifacts and spiritual objects it had gathered on the journey, as well as those obtained from exchanges with the Divine Void Sect, for the city's cultivators to view and study; it even regularly held treasure‑appraisal gatherings, inviting experts from all sides to share insights, thereby continually refining Primordial Origin City's artifact forging and spiritual object utilization techniques.

Ling'er devoted herself to studying combat techniques, blending the fierce moves of the Divine Void Sect's masters with Primordial Origin City's own combat style to devise an entirely new practical martial art. Once promoted, it was eagerly embraced by young cultivators; in sparring matches they grew ever bolder and more proficient, and their practical ability underwent a qualitative leap.

With Primordial Origin City flourishing in every respect, Su Chen realized that for lasting prosperity he must nurture the innovative thinking of reserve talent. Accordingly, he established the "Spiritual Creativity Pavilion" within the academy, urging young disciples to boldly propose innovations concerning techniques, treasures, and formation patterns, and providing ample resources to test and verify them. Soon the academy brimmed with ingenious ideas; numerous novel, useful little inventions and new techniques emerged, injecting Primordial Origin City with a ceaseless vitality.

Yet beneath the calm, undercurrents stirred. A mysterious letter was quietly delivered into Su Chen's hand, stating that a hidden force, wary of Primordial Origin City's growing strength, was secretly conspiring with some rogue cultivators of ill intent, planning to launch a surprise attack during the city's grand celebration and destroy it in one fell swoop. After reading the letter, Su Chen's gaze turned icy; he knew well that the city's glorious path would not be smooth, but he felt no fear and immediately began preparing countermeasures.

On one hand, he had Black Cat and Ling'er covertly investigate the hidden force's specifics, tracing the leads to uncover the rogue cultivators colluding with it; on the other hand, he strengthened city patrols, especially around the celebration venue, setting up concealed spiritual‑energy traps that would instantly ensnare any trespasser. Lin Jianran then led the sound‑wave disciples in day‑and‑night rehearsals of a grand sonic illusion array designed to confuse the enemy; when activated, it would produce layers of phantom images around the foes, disorienting them and breaking their formation.

On the day of the celebration, Primordial Origin City was festooned with lanterns and bustling with excitement. Guests from all sides poured in, immersed in the joyous, harmonious atmosphere. Su Chen and his companions feigned ignorance of the impending danger, while secretly tightening their nerves and closely monitoring the surroundings. Just as the enemies could no longer restrain themselves and prepared to strike, Su Chen gave a command; instantly the city lights blazed on and the defense system engaged fully. The sonic illusion array sounded, plunging the enemies into a phantom realm where they were at a loss; the concealed traps triggered in succession, capturing the would‑be ambushers one after another. Immediately thereafter, Su Chen surged forward sword in hand, and the city's cultivators responded in unison, clashing with the invading foes in a heart‑pounding, fierce battle.

In the end, with everyone working together, the enemy's plot was utterly shattered, and Primordial Origin City once again survived the crisis.