Chapter 8

Qian Chen decisively pulled out the magic artifacts he had prepared to discard, presenting the White Bone Stupa and others, asking the Lord of Reincarnation: “How much virtue can these artifacts be exchanged for?”

“White Bone Stupa of the Heavenly Demon: exchange for nine hundred virtue!”

Not priced in virtue at all… Qian Chen turned pale.

The next few items were even worse, worth only a hundred or so virtue; after the Lord of Reincarnation’s eleven-percent discount, the White Bone Stupa was worth only three virtue here—though it had once been broken from its seals, perhaps once a perfect artifact, even a magic treasure; once damaged, its value could never recover.

The cheapest item Qian Chen saw still cost one virtue… he didn’t even look at the items priced in virtue—his own possessions were worth that much, but after the eleven-percent discount, they held no hope.

Since that was the case, Qian Chen temporarily put them away; the Lord of Reincarnation’s marketplace was notoriously exploitative, and since selling them here wouldn’t buy him any suitable artifacts, it was better to keep them for now and exchange them later with other cultivators from the Central Lands. The rest didn’t matter—but the White Bone Stupa, Qian Chen could never possibly trade it to demonic cultivators and let them use it for evil.

Selling it to the Lord of Reincarnation, even if it later fell into evil hands, Qian Chen could accept—but handing it directly to demonic evil-doers, he would feel complicit in their crimes, and it would disgust him deeply.

For other exchange items, elixirs and miraculous medicines—Qian Chen didn’t need them… even if he did, he would brew them himself; this was the hallmark skill of the Supreme Dao Sect, and Qian Chen had full confidence in his ability. Moreover, elixirs from the Lord of Reincarnation’s realm, given Qian Chen’s caution, would never pass his lips. Even if the Lord of Reincarnation had a thousand ways to plant hidden traps, Qian Chen would still be careful wherever he could.

Prevent one threat, and you prevent one threat…

In truth, except for desperate cultivators like the Old Fox who had no alternatives, other orthodox Daoist sects and major sect’s true disciples rarely swallowed mysterious elixirs; their nature was too complex—who knew what traps or hidden hands lay within? Cultivators had too many tricks, and this system of trust had been largely destroyed.

Cultivators were all believers in small-scale agrarian self-sufficiency; when they desperately needed an elixir, if they had no absolutely trusted alchemist, they would rather learn from scratch themselves than entrust it to another.

Except for senior sect elders, close kin, or some revered great cultivators too esteemed to be schemed against.

For instance, Qian Chen had almost no chance of scheming against the Old Fox—not because the fox trusted his character, but because it wasn’t worth it… the entire fox family’s lives might not be worth as much as the elixir Qian Chen could trick it out of. So solitary cultivators would grovel, beg, and use every trick to beg for elixirs from disciples of orthodox sects—whose sect reputations mattered more than their lives—rather than trust a fellow solitary cultivator of unknown origin.

Qian Chen still had many spirit talismans in his pouch, and rare treasures and materials were poorly valued in the Lord of Reincarnation’s realm—likely because the realm had highly convenient means of utilizing them; thus, unless one urgently needed materials impossible to obtain elsewhere, almost no one would be such a fool.

What remained most valuable to Qian Chen were the Dao texts and magical techniques.

“Dao Text Left by Geng Yuanzi”

Qian Chen’s gaze lingered long on this Dao text; its exchange price was low—if he swore a Dao Heart Oath not to teach it to anyone, he could take it away for only eight hundred virtue; it lacked fundamental Dao methods, instead containing mostly cultivation insights and miscellaneous techniques.

But the fundamental Dao methods Qian Chen knew were even more numerous than Geng Yuanzi’s, for Geng Yuanzi had been a disciple of the Louchuan Sect several centuries ago.

This stirred a long-considered idea in Qian Chen’s mind—pretending to be a surviving disciple of the Louchuan Sect to establish a credible foundation. The Louchuan Sect had remained low-profile for so long before suffering a great calamity; it was perfectly natural for some disciples to have survived. Many of its elders had wandered far and wide—who knew which hidden corner might harbor a Louchuan elder who had ascended?

It was normal for them to leave behind disciples; if they could transmit fundamental Dao methods, they were recognized as true members of the Louchuan Sect.

If he obtained Geng Yuanzi’s Dao text, combined with Qian Chen’s own knowledge of Louchuan’s fundamental Dao methods, he would be more Louchuan than any Louchuan disciple—Louchuan’s ancestral master. Others dared not do this, fearing True-Persons’ spiritual calculations would reveal the truth—but Qian Chen could withstand any calculation.

His origin was the purest Louchuan true transmission; beneath the Wenshi Daoist Ancestor, every single one was his junior.

Even if a Dao Lord appeared, they would have to bow and call him Master Uncle or Master Grand-Uncle. As for the Wenshi Daoist Ancestor, if traced from the Supreme Dao Ancestor, he must call him Master Uncle; if traced from the Dao Dust Pearl, he must call him Master Brother.

Anyone calculating Qian Chen’s origin would find his karmic ties gone—but if he reconnected his karmic lineage to the Louchuan Sect, and bowed to his own true self, entering the Louchuan Sect, he would be the most authentic Louchuan true disciple imaginable, for Louchuan disciples were originally initiated under the witness of Qian Chen’s own true self.

With this identity, Qian Chen now had roots in this world.

His actions would gain convenience; later, when he raised the banner of rebuilding the Louchuan Sect, other orthodox sects would dare not interfere lightly. With this lineage connection, it was far easier than being a man with no origin. Cultivation would also become easier… aside from fundamental Dao methods, other techniques were often exchanged among closely allied sects.

If he joined a sect of the Supreme Dao lineage, like the Taiqing Sect or another branch of the Supreme Dao, becoming a true disciple would be simple; when Qian Chen’s Dao reached maturity, they would still have to send people and resources to help him rebuild the Louchuan Sect.

“I must layer on multiple disguises: on the surface, I am a solitary cultivator, but in truth, I am a solitary cultivator who obtained Geng Yuanzi’s Dao text.

On the surface, I am a disciple of Geng Yuanzi, but in truth, I have already received the Louchuan Sect’s true transmission—I am a surviving Louchuan disciple from the great calamity.

On the surface, I am a Louchuan disciple who barely escaped the calamity, but in truth, I am the inheritor secretly taught by Louchuan elders who left hidden methods to preserve the sect’s legacy—behind me lies a Louchuan transmission magic treasure.

On the surface, I am an ordinary Louchuan inheritor, but in truth, I am the inheritor designated by the Louchuan Sect’s sacred treasure, the Supreme Dao Dust Pearl.

On the surface, I am the inheritor designated by the Supreme Dao Dust Pearl, but in truth, I am the Supreme Dao Dust Pearl itself!

Finally, my true identity is an Earth transmigrant!” Qian Chen buried this thought deep within the Dao Dust Pearl, confident that even the Lord of Reincarnation could not peer into his mind; in truth, whenever he thought of his transmigration, he did so only within the Dao Dust Pearl.

“Traveling the Jianghu requires multiple identities; if I ever get the chance, I should create several alternate personas—demonic sects, Buddhist sects, ancient witch cults, even demon clans—to facilitate my actions.” Qian Chen smiled faintly, resolving to bury his true identity beneath layers of concealment. This was his Yiguan caution…

The only problem: the Geng Yuanzi Dao text without a Dao Heart Oath cost one virtue.

Qian Chen still couldn’t afford it; he couldn’t even buy the oath-bound text first and then raise funds to break the oath, for Qian Chen would never swear a Dao Heart Oath before the Lord of Reincarnation—Qian Chen’s life was caution!

“To permanently acquire the Geng Yuanzi Dao text requires ten virtue… that can wait.” Qian Chen mused inwardly; why buy it permanently? Because if another Reincarnation traveler saw the Geng Yuanzi Dao text here, Qian Chen’s fabricated identity might be suspected—though the risk was one in ten thousand.

But Qian Chen acted with caution… he would never overlook a single possibility of exposure.

Even if exposed, it would only reveal Qian Chen’s first, second… second identity…

This is the true essence of the Supreme Dao of Posterior Heaven Dao Manifestation and Posterior Heaven Heart Following Dao—attaining it allows one to certify the Great Luo.

“For now, Miaokong is the only one who might guess my fifth identity; the Supreme Dao Ancestor is the only one who knows my seventh identity… they know too much!” Qian Chen said coolly, arms crossed: “Supreme Dao Ancestor, I’ll start with you, Miaokong!” Qian Chen sneered coldly: “Blame yourself—you know too much!”

“And you…” Qian Chen glanced sideways at the vast sky above the Cloud Terrace: “Lord of Reincarnation, I hope you have self-awareness…”

The sky remained calm; the Lord of Reincarnation paid no attention to this fool.

Qian Chen spent an hour analyzing the exchange list, deciding which items he would buy once he had virtue, establishing a purchase order, and organizing his cart—then, as scheduled, he heard the Lord of Reincarnation’s voice above: “Mission begins…”

Qian Chen’s vision went black; the Dao Dust Pearl sensed subtle changes in spacetime—the Lord of Reincarnation, with unimaginable power, instantly transported Qian Chen to another realm. When his vision cleared again, Qian Chen stood on a desolate path, countless ants crawling beneath his feet, forming a line of characters:

“The Four Seas Hall is one of the most renowned forces in the Jianghu; unlike ancient lineages like Wudang or Shaolin, it was founded solely by Hong Sihai of the Heavenly Tyrant Fist, and within thirty years, surpassed the Beggar’s Sect to become the largest sect in the land. Hong Sihai himself, ten years ago, led the righteous heroes to crush the Demon Cult, personally killing its leader, and since then, his fame has resounded across the land—he is the universally recognized Martial Alliance Leader!”

“Main Quest: Arrive at the Four Seas Hall headquarters before Hong Sihai’s seventieth birthday! Reward: ten virtue, activate next main quest…”

“Side Quest: Kill a Martial Master (Qi Refining realm); each kill rewards ten virtue. Kill a Grand Master (Spirit Channeling realm); each kill rewards one hundred virtue.”

A few breaths later, the ants scattered.

Qian Chen mocked: “This main quest is really cheap. Does the Lord of Reincarnation’s reward scale with difficulty? And what value does ‘virtue’ even have—it’s like pocket change?”

The only item Qian Chen had ever seen priced in virtue was in a very obscure miscellaneous category, filled with mundane objects—yet the prices were strange: one tael of gold cost one virtue, one jin of refined iron cost one virtue—but in the Central Land of Great Jin, one tael of gold could buy eighty or a hundred jin of refined iron.

There were also all kinds of luxuries—fur coats, fine wine, various goods—if Qian Chen had seen these earlier, he might not have bothered custom-making robes and attire in Great Jin. He even spotted firearms, machine guns, spirit stones, and countless other items whose uses he couldn’t fathom—as if anything mundane, unrelated to Dao arts, had been dumped here.

Qian Chen walked along the path to the main road, carefully observing the clothing, gestures, accents, and demeanor of passersby.

He unfurled the Celestial Umbrella, concealing his surroundings; when he reappeared, he wore a scholar’s blue robe, a green bamboo book chest on his back. The chest had a sunshade canopy, the Celestial Umbrella stuck sideways, two bamboo poles holding up the canopy, with a red leather gourd hanging from it. Paired with his slightly youthful face, he looked exactly like a diligent young scholar rushing along the road.

He followed the main road, inquired about the direction of the Four Seas Hall, and set off.

The Four Seas Hall was famed throughout this world; the Lord of Reincarnation hadn’t transported Qian Chen too far—ordinary people could reach Linhai City, the headquarters of the Four Seas Hall, in two days.