Chapter 161: When Poor, Attend to Your Own Virtue

Having been away for only a month or so, it seems the buildings on the mountain have increased quite a bit, and they have even started to set up a large number of arrays.

When he flew onto Zhaoyang Peak, Xu Chen could see more clearly. Sure enough, aside from the Taiyuan Hall and the crude plaza that had been hastily built at the summit having been meticulously renovated and given a brand-new look, the large pit originally blasted out by the Tribulation Lightning had been filled with water to raise a pond of lotus flowers. Furthermore, a Floating Cloud Water Condensation Array had been specially set up; the entire flower pond was churning with water mist and splashing with spirit light, looking magnificent and refreshing to the mind.

Around the summit, the Dao Courtyards where the various Elders and Disciples used to live in scattered patches were all undergoing large-scale renovation and reconstruction. Most of those old, dilapidated buildings had disappeared, replaced by brand-new palaces and Daoist temples surrounded by colorful spirit light arrays.

At this moment, from the mountainside to the summit, there were figures of cultivators flying back and forth on swords everywhere. These were all Outer Sect Disciples recently recruited by the Taiyuan Sect, or folk loose cultivators hired with Spirit Stones, who were helping to build houses.

Looking at the scene before him, in another half a year or a year, the entire Zhaoyang Peak would become much like Yuqing Hall, with palaces standing in great numbers, temples connected, and subsidiary facilities that all large Immortal Sects possessed—such as the Alchemy Hall, Qi Hall, Talisman Hall, Array Hall, and Scripture Pavilion—would all be built up slowly.

It was just that while one can paint a tiger's skin, it is hard to paint its bones; the Taiyuan Sect's three-hundred-year history could not catch up to the foundation of Yuqing Hall, which had thousands of years of heritage.

Merely building houses could at most serve as a facade to intimidate those small and medium-sized Immortal Sects and loose cultivators.

In the eyes of cultivators from the two great Immortal Sects, Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain, it could still only be considered an upstart.

Especially Yuqing Hall; Xu Chen had stayed there for over twenty days and understood it too profoundly. Aside from the palaces and temples being numerous and beautiful, the storage and various inheritances within them were the core.

Although he had been granted permission to visit more than a dozen large and small scripture halls and had gained a massive reserve of knowledge, he knew that what he could see was still only the fur of Yuqing Hall.

Not to mention that he hadn't gone to the core Red Glow Palace and Miyun Hall, the private collections of the three True Monarchs were even more untouchable. Furthermore, even the personal collections and reserves of the seven Elders were equally terrifying.

Every Danyuan Realm powerhouse was a mobile treasure vault; spirit pills, Magic Treasures, cultivation arts, Daoist techniques, Spirit Stones, Spirit Materials, Spirit Medicines, and hundreds of years of cultivation insights—these were the true treasures.

And the things left in the Scripture Pavilion for all Inner and Outer Sect Disciples to view were inevitably the most common and basic content. In reality, for Yuqing Hall, there were no high-level secrets to speak of.

Otherwise, the Elder Council would not have so easily let Xu Chen look through them carefully for over half a month.

And apart from these inheritances, the large number of disciples with excellent aptitude and the various First-Tier, Second-Tier, and even Third-Tier spirit flowers and exotic grasses cultivated all over the mountains as scenery made the Taiyuan Sect pale in comparison.

Especially the several Medicine Gardens, which left Xu Chen the most shocked and drooling.

Hundreds of types of common spirit medicines, thousands of types of special spirit medicines collected and cultivated through the generations—especially those high-level Third-Tier and Fourth-Rank spirit medicines and Spirit Materials among them—each one could be called a rare treasure.

And this did not even count the private Medicine Gardens of the three True Monarchs. Especially the Medicine Garden of the True Spirit Realm Chixia Zhenjun, which had a team of dozens of people specifically arranged to manage and look after it. It was said that there were many Fifth-Rank spirit medicines and Spirit Materials rare in heaven and earth inside, each one a peerless wonder that could not be bought even with hundreds of thousands or millions of Spirit Stones.

These were the true, powerful foundations of Yuqing Hall.

Compared to that, the Taiyuan Sect could truly be said to be inferior even to an Outer Sect branch office. Aside from the reputation of having a great cultivator sitting in charge, it was simply useless.

With the large bird hovering above the summit of Zhaoyang Peak, Xu Chen looked at the mountain gate below that had completely changed its appearance, feeling somewhat hesitant about where to land first. While he was observing, several figures flew up. The one in the lead was none other than Jiu Shixiong, followed by Seventh Senior Sister, Fifth Senior Brother, and others.

"Junior Brother, you finally decided to come back!" Jiu Shixiong laughed heartily and flew over, preparing to give Xu Chen a bear hug, but after seeing the terrifying aura of the Third-Tier Spirit Fox, he stopped, feeling somewhat timid.

Xu Chen gently kicked the large bird and pointed to a mountain head with a Medicine Garden not far away: "You go there first and find a place to build a nest; I will summon you if I have matters!"

"Coo coo coo coo..."

The Spirit Fox seemed to understand, but it flapped its wings and opened its large mouth, making a sound begging for food.

Xu Chen was helpless; he took out a medicine bottle and tossed a spirit pill inside. Only then did the large bird close its mouth, let out a long cry, and flap its wings, wobbling as it headed toward the nearby mountain head.

Just as Jiu Shixiong was surprised, a group of senior brothers and sisters all appeared one after another. Just as Xu Chen was about to ask Jiu Shixiong and the others about Foundation Establishment, the voice of the Supreme Elder, Xuanchen Zhenjun, suddenly reached his ears:

"Since you have returned, come to my quiet room first!"

"Yes, Disciple will be there immediately!"

Xu Chen hurriedly apologized to the group of senior brothers and sisters and flew toward the back mountain. Soon, he saw Xuanchen Zhenjun, who was meditating in the quiet room.

Not having seen him for over a month, Xuanchen Zhenjun's cultivation seemed to have improved significantly. Spirit Qi was churning all over his body, and phantom images of flowers, birds, insects, and fish filled the entire cave dwelling; his aura even felt stronger than that of the two True Monarchs, Yuyangzi and Baiyunzi.

"Supreme Elder's cultivation has improved; this is truly a joyous occasion!" Upon entering, Xu Chen hurriedly bowed and flattered him.

Xuanchenzi's old face immediately beamed with joy. He nodded and said: "Sit. You went to Yuqing Hall, and it seems your cultivation has also improved quite a bit; you are already at the Great Perfection of the Kaiyuan Realm and can undergo Foundation Establishment at any time."

Xu Chen replied respectfully: "Disciple returned this time also wanting to undergo Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Now that Soul Beasts are rampaging and the mortal world is in turmoil, only by improving my cultivation as quickly as possible can Disciple avoid holding the sect back!"

"Haha, your words are a bit insincere. Baiyunzi has also sent me letters mentioning a few things about your time at Yuqing Hall. You did well; this time you have brought much face to our Taiyuan Sect, which is worth rewarding. Since you have decided to undergo Foundation Establishment, the Foundation Establishment Pill I promised you has naturally been prepared!"

Xuanchenzi flicked his horsetail whisk gently, and a jade bottle appeared out of thin air in front of Xu Chen.

"This is a Foundation Establishment Pill I refined myself. Although its medicinal effect is far inferior to the Heqi Pill, it is still stronger than the Guiyuan Pill you brought back from Jingshi last time. It has about a twenty percent chance of advancement. I believe that with your aptitude and state, you will succeed in one go!"

Xu Chen originally wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he accepted the spirit pill and thanked him sincerely: "Many thanks, Supreme Elder!"

Xuanchenzi nodded slightly and said: "The matter of Yuqing Hall has come to an end, so don't run around everywhere recently. Just settle down and successfully undergo Foundation Establishment; you don't need to worry about other matters for now!"

"Disciple obeys!" Xu Chen hurriedly agreed.

"Hmm, by the way, I saw you riding back on a Spirit Fox from Yuqing Hall. Why didn't that female cultivator named Lan You come along?"

Xu Chen was slightly surprised, but he still honestly recounted the story of Lan You gifting him the Spirit Fox, and then roughly explained the situation Yuyangzi mentioned at Yuqing Hall regarding the mutation of Soul Beasts and the rampage of Soul Beasts in the surrounding areas like the Eastern Wasteland, the Ming Kingdom, and the Wu Kingdom.

After listening, Xuanchenzi nodded: "True Monarch Yuyang's investigation has already been reported to me, and the Immortal Alliance decree near the Taiyuan Sect was also signed by me. This is indeed an unprecedented disaster that cannot be underestimated. However, these matters do not have much to do with our Taiyuan Sect. Yuqing Hall, Longmen Mountain, and several other small and medium-sized sects will form teams according to requirements to go to the border to intercept and exterminate the Soul Beasts. Our Taiyuan Sect's task is to guard Black Wind Ridge and Spirit Fox Valley to ensure the safety of the rear within the Great Song territory. Furthermore, our Taiyuan Sect has few people and no extra energy to participate in affairs elsewhere. You don't need to worry too much about these things; take care of yourself first. Only when your strength and realm are sufficient will the responsibilities you should shoulder naturally not be able to escape you. At present, your strength is still far from enough."

Xu Chen's face turned red, and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head: "Disciple did not dare to think that way, but I stayed at Yuqing Hall for over twenty days, and what I saw and heard was very shocking. I feel that many of my previous thoughts seem to be wrong, so I also hope to contribute a little bit of my meager strength to this matter. Disciple will keep the Supreme Elder's words in mind and will definitely cultivate diligently to improve my cultivation as soon as possible."

Xuanchenzi nodded with satisfaction: "It is indeed not easy for you to have such realizations after going out once. But remember, only by preserving your own life can you attend to others. If you lose your life, how can you talk about the Immortal path? Yuqing Hall has its own ideas, and Longmen Mountain has its own ideas. Although the common interests of the Immortal World are consistent, many things are not as simple as they sound or look. Do not let your eyes be deceived by phenomena!"

Xu Chen was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "Supreme Elder, could it be that there is another hidden story behind this Soul Beast rampage?"

Xuanchenzi lowered his brows and remained silent for a moment before saying: "This matter is very complex, far from as simple as it looks. After the Black Mist at Black Wind Ridge went out of control and was suppressed, I carefully read various Jade Slips left by the sect's predecessors from previous generations. In addition, there were some Magic Treasures or fragments of stone tablets and Jade Slips found in the ruins of the Taiyuan Sect. I finally reached a conclusion: this large-scale appearance of the Black Wind should not be the first time it has occurred."

Xu Chen's heart tightened, and he thought of the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus and the Primordial Spirit projection of Wuwang Shenjun, but he resisted and did not mention that matter.

After all, he had already lied before, and mentioning the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus would not explain what happened afterward.

The fewer people who knew about the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, the better. At present, only Lan You knew, but that was a last resort; the Blue Light Treasure Bottle protected its master automatically, and he had no ability to hide it at all. Lan You had also never revealed the matter of the Blue Light Treasure Bottle from beginning to end. As for the two of them escaping the cave alive, in the eyes of the several True Monarchs, the biggest behind-the-scenes help should have been that True Immortal, Wuyazi.

Therefore, before he had any ability to protect himself, Xu Chen felt it was not easy to create complications and bring trouble upon himself.

At present, although the Black Wind Soul Beasts were rampaging and causing huge casualties, just as Xuanchenzi said just now, one must preserve one's own life before one can attend to others. The saying "When poor, attend to your own virtue; when prosperous, benefit the world" is exactly this principle.

(End of chapter)