Chapter 98: A Hundred Days at Home is Good (Part 2)

After True Monarch Chixia left, Taiwuzi tossed a storage bag to True Monarch Xuanchen.

"Daoist Brother Xuanchen, besides one thousand Spirit Stones, this contains the Sanyuan Golden Lotus and Descending Dust Pill that I promised. My sect still has matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first!"

"Very well, go slowly, Daoist Brother Taiwu!" True Monarch Xuanchen grabbed the storage bag and nodded. Taiwuzi bowed slightly to those around him, and after a cold wind swept through, he vanished in an instant.

True Monarch Baiyun and True Monarch Yuyang remained to handle the aftermath. The group soon returned to Taiyuan Sect and gathered all the cultivators, great and small, who had come to congratulate them on the Spirit Transformation Ceremony to announce the plan for guarding the two great arrays.

Of course, while guard duty and patrolling were considered a bitter chore that would delay some cultivation, they were actually a good way to get rich. After all, killing Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Beads—those rare treasures that strengthen the Soul—could also be considered another type of trial and a good opportunity to scavenge for treasures.

However, the desire to get rich would naturally be accompanied by immense danger; it all depended on the courage and ability of the various sects and cultivators.

"Supreme Elder, I wish to stay!"

After the arrangements were finished, Lan You submitted a request to True Monarch Baiyun, but True Monarch Baiyun shook his head and rejected it, saying: "You have just returned from danger; your Soul is unsettled and your vital energy is unstable. You must return to the mountain to recuperate and cultivate for a period of time. It will not be too late to come again once your realm is stabilized."

"This disciple obeys!" Lan You could only lower her head and retreat back into the group of fellow disciples, her mood appearing very low.

Before leaving, True Monarch Yuyang looked at Xu Chen and smiled: "That You'er was able to escape this calamity is thanks to you, nephew. If you have leisure in the future, you may come to Yuqing Hall for a chat."

"Many thanks, this junior will certainly come to visit you, Senior," Xu Chen said, biting the bullet and cupping his hands in thanks.

"Haha, then so be it. Fellow Daoists, farewell!" True Monarch Yuyang waved his large sleeve, swept up his disciples, and instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning as he departed.

True Monarch Baiyun also smiled: "Nephew, your opportunity is profound and your wisdom root is not shallow. If you have leisure in the future, you may come to Baiyun Cave at Yuqing Hall to drink tea and discuss the Dao with me. Daoist Brother Xuanchen, fellow Daoists, farewell!"

"Respectfully sending off True Monarch Baiyun!" Amidst the collective shouts of the crowd, True Monarch Baiyun also took his disciples and tore through the air, disappearing in an instant.

Seeing the several big shots leave one after another, the remaining sect leaders, Elders, and rogue cultivators of the various Immortal Sects of the Danyuan and Zhenyuan realms also bid farewell one after another, each mounting their Magic Treasures or summoning Spirit Beasts, and soon departed in all directions.

In no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, only a dozen or so remaining cultivators and the group of Elders and disciples of Taiyuan Sect were left in front of Taiyuan Hall.

True Person Yiyun finally said: "This poor Daoist will remain to guard Black Wind Ridge. If Senior Xuanchen has any matters, you may send a message to summon me at any time. I will not disturb you further, farewell!"

"Very well, Black Wind Ridge will temporarily trouble you, Daoist Friend Yiyun!"

Xuanchenzi nodded slightly, watching True Person Yiyun leave with a group of Zhenyuan and Kaiyuan realm cultivators who were staying behind. Only then did he let out a soft breath and say: "This matter came suddenly, and I am also uneasy, but fortunately it was handled in time. Elders and disciples, pay more attention to Spirit Fox Valley in the future, arrange for disciples to patrol and observe daily, and do not be negligent. Chen'er, come with me to the back mountain meditation room!"

"We obey the Great Elder's order!" The two Elders and over ten disciples bowed and accepted the order together.

Soon, Xu Chen followed True Monarch Xuanchen to the back mountain meditation room, and the two sat down separately.

True Monarch Xuanchen sat upright with lowered eyes for a long time without speaking. Xu Chen felt as uncomfortable as if ants were crawling all over his body, and he was also anxious and nervous.

Could it be that the Great Elder has seen through my lie?

However, he was also a person who did not like to talk much. He knew that the more one said, the more mistakes one made, and the more lies one told, the easier it was to reveal flaws. Thus, he simply kept his mouth shut and secretly circulated his energy to slowly suppress the tension and agitation in his heart.

A satisfied smile slowly appeared on True Monarch Xuanchen's calm, water-like face. After a full cup of tea's time, he finally spoke:

"I will not ask further about what happened beneath Black Wind Ridge, but that you had the fortune to survive is not unrelated to your character. You do not panic when encountering matters, you respond with composure, and you are neither arrogant nor impetuous; this is indeed worthy of praise. I observe that your Soul aura has increased much compared to over a month ago, and your dantian, meridians, flesh, and bones have also undergone great changes. This is both your serendipity and your destiny, but do not become complacent because of this. You must know that cultivation is a process of grinding an iron pestle into a needle; it must never be rushed. Therefore, during this period, do not go down the mountain. Stay in the sect to cultivate well and stabilize your realm early. I imagine the day of your Foundation Establishment is not far off."

"This disciple will keep the Great Elder's teachings in mind!" Xu Chen could only bite the bullet and thank him.

"Hmm, I heard from Xuan'er that you want to learn alchemy and that your talent is quite good. The Third Elder also intends to take you into the Danyuan to learn alchemy. What are your thoughts?"

Xu Chen was full of embarrassment and quickly said: "This disciple used to take care of the Medicine Garden, but the Medicine Garden is now abandoned. I had nothing to do in my spare time besides cultivating, so I mentioned learning alchemy to Jiu Shixiong. I just wanted to pass the time; last time I even almost blew up the Pill Furnace while making Spirit Pills."

"Haha, I have already heard about this, but the Small Yuan Pill you refined using Soul Power has been seen by me and the two Elders, and it is indeed very strange. It will surely shine brilliantly in the future. Since you have this heart, you should persist. If you lack anything, just tell the two Elders. If the two Elders cannot solve it, I will also help. You have been missing for nearly a month this time, and your Master is also very sad. Since you have returned, you still need to go and listen to his teachings. These are the items given as an apology by that old scoundrel Taiwuzi; you shall deliver them to the Second Elder. I heard from Xuan'er that you are learning alchemy to earn Spirit Stones. Although wealth is an external object, it is indeed indispensable for our cultivation, so there are one thousand Spirit Stones in here; they are all yours to use."

Xu Chen was overjoyed upon hearing this. He took the storage bag with both hands, lay on the ground, and kowtowed three times to True Monarch Xuanchen.

True Monarch Xuanchen did not know whether to laugh or cry. He waved his hand and said: "I just said you were composed, but you act so mercenary over a mere bit of external wealth; it truly makes me unable to see through you. Enough, you may go first!"

"Yes, this disciple takes his leave!" Xu Chen scrambled up, grabbed the storage bag, and ran away in a flash.

Sure enough, with a Spirit Realm Great Cultivator, the status of Taiyuan Sect was indeed not what it used to be; it had become much wealthier and more imposing.

If these one thousand Spirit Stones had been placed in the past, let alone the Great Elder not having them, the entire sect combined would definitely not have had this many.

However, it could also be seen from this that an old-fashioned, large Immortal Sect like Longmen Mountain indeed had a deep foundation and was incredibly rich.

And from now on, Taiyuan Sect would surely become wealthy little by little.

Hearing from a group of senior brothers and sisters, for this Spirit Transformation Ceremony, the Great Elder alone received more than ten Second-Tier and Third-Tier Magic Treasures, in addition to a large amount of pills, Spirit Stones, Spirit Materials, and Spirit Medicines, which together were worth at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Thus, by comparison, these mere one thousand Spirit Stones were nothing.

Xu Chen returned to the mountain peak in high spirits, first going to visit his Master, True Person Xuanhe, and handing over the storage bag left by Taiwuzi to him.

A month had passed, and True Person Xuanhe's complexion had recovered quite well, but the hidden injuries in his meridians remained, and he was recovering very slowly.

Xu Chen inquired about his Master's injuries, and after the master and disciple chatted briefly, True Person Xuanhe kept the Descending Dust Pill and told him to take the storage bag to the Third Elder, while also telling him to follow the Third Elder to learn alchemy well in the future. Before leaving, he also gave him a few Jade Slips containing cultivation techniques and pill formulas, urging him to go back and cultivate well.

Next, Xu Chen went to the Danyuan. The Third Elder kept the Sanyuan Golden Lotus and tossed the storage bag and the Spirit Stones inside to him, telling him to go back and recuperate for a period of time before coming to the Danyuan to learn. Xu Chen naturally agreed wholeheartedly. Before leaving, he obtained several more bottles of pills for replenishing energy and repairing meridians from the Third Elder, and only then did he leave happily.

A hundred days at home is good; a thousand difficulties await when going out.

Falling into Black Wind Ridge and almost dying this time made Xu Chen deeply realize the meaning of this saying.

No matter how boring and idle the sect was—picking dung, planting medicine, chewing coarse flour cakes, and drinking cold water—it was ultimately incomparably safe, and nothing would happen.

But once out in the world, everything went wrong.

Especially after falling into the cave, starting from facing that giant spider, his lack of experience and insufficient preparation were clearly revealed.

If it hadn't been for obtaining the Spirit Liquid and two Third-Tier Spirit Talismans from Lan You's storage bag at the critical moment, the two of them would have long since become food in the mouths of the giant spider and the group of spiders, turning into Soul Beast dung.

And for the last twenty-plus days, he had relied on the worthless Bigu Pill to finally survive.

Therefore, Xu Chen decided that from now on, he would constantly stock his storage bag, preparing enough pills and supplies for eating, drinking, and everything else, so that he would never be so embarrassed when going out next time.

Of course, the reason for the embarrassment was still because he was poor.

As the saying goes, when a person is poor, their ambition is short.

If he had had a Third-grade Spirit Talisman on him when Lan You wanted to kill him in Wild Wolf Valley, he would definitely not have endured the humiliation to gamble for his life, but would have fought her directly.

As for what the final outcome would be, Xu Chen might not care; after all, his little life was what mattered.

It was just that he had no protective Magic Treasure, so he could only pin his survival on Yuqing Hall not daring to start this conflict.

Although he won the gamble and Lan You's attack was blocked by that guy named Xu Wen.

But he swore he would never do such a thing as risking his life again.

He decided to strengthen his cultivation and at the same time strengthen his reserves. In the future, when encountering such things, he must strike back once and for all to completely wipe out his opponent, not giving the opponent the slightest chance for a second counterattack.

However, at present, although Taiyuan Sect was becoming wealthy relatively quickly, it was still not as good as old-fashioned large Immortal Sects like Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain, and its reserves were seriously insufficient. For example, he had no way to get a Third-grade Spirit Talisman for self-protection right now.

But as the saying goes, money can make the devil push the millstone, so he decided to use his "money power" to go and purchase Spirit Talismans.

Thus, Xu Chen came out of Danyuan, carrying his Storage Bag to go find a group of senior brothers and sisters.

At this moment, that group of senior brothers and sisters happened to be gathered in front of Taiyuan Hall, waiting for him to finish visiting the three Elders so they could continue cultivating their rough senior-junior sibling bond with him.

(End of this chapter)