https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-160-The-Great-River-Ghost-City-the-Fall-of-Many-Cultivators/12900278/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-162-A-Spirit-Abundant-Land-Times-Have-Changed/12900280/
Chapter 161: The Only Struggle!
Chapter 161: The Only Struggle!
Dahanfang Duan Family!
With a three-hundred-year legacy, the first ancestor of this lineage was not even from this realm.
Instead, he rose to prominence during the War LateStage, relying on the connections formed inTianfanCity.
Through years of diligent research, he eventually started his own path.
He felt the intense competition within the InnerDomain.
Over two hundred and fifty years ago, the Duan family started the Great River Workshop. Since then, they have held this territory.
The current leader of the Duan family is a high-rankingcultivator.
However, these details are not important now.
What matters is that he can be recruited by LuoTianAssociation.
LiWanchun, from the Ten ThousandTreasuresTower, is not a mere handyman.
Instead, he is a helper at the Ten ThousandTreasuresTower, assisting the disciples ofTianFan City, forging magical artifacts.
In terms of forging magical artifacts, he has no particular style, but he is skilled in heart.
He has learned many valuable techniques from the disciples of TiansailCity.
Such a talent, LuoChen always wanted to Join LuoTianAssociation, but only DuanFengUnderstood the intricacies, so he couldn’t expand his business.
But if LiWanchun joins, at least he can at least open a small storefront.
Establish a forging hall, and with the help of multiple war formations, he can easily start the business.
Alas, there is the Ninth, who has such ideas, and the Duan Family.
When LuoChen looked at LiWanchun with hawk-like eyes, he was already stiff and arrogant.
But now, standing there, he felt a chill and immediately became ashamed.
“What are you looking at? Don’t take your freedom for granted, Li DaoYou!”
“And besides, our Duan family excels in forging magical artifacts, which is well known. This is the best Li DaoYou can go!”
“If they are uncomfortable, they can better terms to recruit him.”
He spoke with righteous confidence and even became smug.
The cultivators of LuoTiansailCity felt indignant and his decision and were about to find him for a theory.
After all, LiWanchun had already agreed to join Luo TianAssociation.
“Don’t move!”
LuoChen stopped the other Luo TianAssociation members.
He stood there, his gaze fell on LiWanchun.
“Where to and how, you decide, Li DaoYou, for yourself!”
LuoChen stood in the center of the two parties, feeling flustered.
In the last half month, it has been the toughest time inHis entire history. He didn’t know what wouldhappen each day.
The ghostly realm outside the city brought significant impact.
At that time, he only thought, as long as he could survive, there would be no worse situation.
After leaving, he was abandoned by ChuLao, left in theGreatRiverWorkshop, feeling lost.
But in an instant, he received an invitation to LuoTianAssociation.
This made him feel graduallybetter.
AtLeast, he had a foothold.
He never imagined the prestigiousDuan family would invite him.
“This must beFate!”
This was his previous thought.
Being contested by two parties, what a troublesome happiness!
However, when LuoChen, the leader of LuoTiansailCity, told him to “decide for yourself,” he felt a bit disheartened.
Short-term, joining the Duan family is theBest.
That side excels in forging magical artifacts, he could significantly leverage what he learned.
Long term, joining LuoTianAssociation is likely the better choice.
After going to LuoTianAssociation, LuoChen would have the opportunity to transcend his current lowly status and show his talent.
Mentioning this, LiWanchun couldn’t help but sigh.
In the end, he chose—“Duan Family.”
The situation, LiWanchun couldn’t help but sigh.
In the end, he still chose to JoinTheDuan Family!
"That’s true," Murong Qinglian nodded in agreement. "Going solo is very difficult. For any independent cultivator to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, without a heaven-defying opportunity, they usually rely on various forces to succeed."
This was a conclusion drawn from years of experience among independent cultivators.
Without discussing other matters, two independent cultivators in the Great River Market, Uncle Mi and Wang Haichao, both relied on the Mountain Breaker Gang and the Great River Gang to successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
Sticking together for warmth wasn’t just a joke.
Relying on a force allowed them to gather comprehensive cultivation resources to continue advancing.
Moreover, with a backing force, they didn’t have to worry about sudden ambushes in many situations.
Seeing Gu Caiyi and even Duan Feng nod in agreement, Luo Chen began to explain the situation the Sky Ascension Assembly was about to face.
The small forces were stirring, and the large forces might exert pressure.
He analyzed everything clearly, breaking it down and explaining it to the three people.
After listening, the three people’s expressions of worry deepened, but none of them suggested disbanding the Sky Ascension Assembly and going their separate ways.
Luo Chen looked at the three people with satisfaction. It was worth treating them with sincerity; at least everyone’s hearts were still united.
Thus, the subsequent discussions became much easier.
"The current situation is very dangerous, but it’s also the greatest opportunity!"
"Strong independent cultivators still have a chance to cross the wilderness and seek survival in other markets. But weak independent cultivators can only stay in the Great River Market."
"Besides, only the inner city has been destroyed."
Everyone agreed with this statement.
Although the Great River Market was primarily centered in the inner city, after years of operation, the outer city had developed its own ecosystem.
Due to the large number of independent cultivators in the outer city, this ecosystem was even more extensive.
Remember when the Mountain Breaker Gang operated many businesses in the outer city?
The five major black markets were all set up there as well.
If you add the abundant resources in the mountains, perhaps some high-realm independent cultivators wouldn’t easily leave their long-established homeland.
"In this situation, the departure of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion has left a huge vacuum in the pill market."
"If we can seize this opportunity, the Sky Ascension Assembly will surely make a fortune!"
Gu Caiyi frowned and said, "But without the supply of herbs from the Hundred Herbs Hall, can you still stably refine the Jade Marrow Pill?"
"Without the Hundred Herbs Hall, there’s still the Lianyun Merchant Alliance!" Luo Chen replied calmly.
Murong Qinglian was taken aback but quickly understood.
Indeed, in terms of herbal raw materials, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance was no weaker than the Hundred Herbs Hall.
In the end, the Hundred Herbs Hall was just a force from the outer domain, while the Lianyun Merchant Alliance was a long-established local force.
Gu Caiyi asked cautiously, "Will they do business with us?"
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.
Luo Chen looked at Gu Caiyi with approval. This was the crux of the matter.
He silently lifted an object with his spirit energy, flying it to the center.
"What is this?"
Duan Feng raised an eyebrow, sensing a sharp sword intent from the small sword.
This was actually a high-grade magical treasure!
Luo Chen said softly, "This is the token given to me by Elder Pang Renxiong of the Jade Tripod Sword Sect. Seeing this token is like seeing him in person."
"But he’s already dead!"
"But the Jade Tripod Sword Sect is still alive!"
Luo Chen looked around and smiled, "Others don’t know my relationship with the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, so there’s a lot we can do here."
Duan Feng hesitated, "President, do you mean we should pass off this token as genuine?"
"No, it’s about borrowing the tiger’s might!" Murong Qinglian said decisively, her gaze also turning to Luo Chen.
He nodded and smiled.
Standing up, Luo Chen crossed his arms behind his back and took small steps.
As he walked, he said, "My relationship with the Jade Tripod Sword Sect has always been ambiguous."
"First, Miao Wen and I collaborated to make money through my alchemy skills and warned several major forces."
"Then, I invited True Disciple Luo Tianhong of the Jade Tripod to personally intervene and restore Brother Qin’s severed limb."
"These things can’t be hidden from others."
"Especially to those with a keen eye, my relationship with the Jade Tripod Sword Sect appears very deep."
Listening to his calm explanation, the heads of the three halls showed thoughtful expressions.
The experienced Murong Qinglian was even more enlightened.
"No wonder, half a month has passed since that battle, and other Foundation Establishment forces haven’t made a move."
"If they followed their usual style, they would have coveted your alchemy skills long ago."
Gu Caiyi suddenly understood, "They are wary of your relationship with the Jade Tripod Sword Sect?"
"Exactly!"
Luo Chen stopped, his gaze deep.
"But if we keep being silent, someone will eventually make a move."
"So, we need to take the initiative."
"As long as we can form deep collaborations with a few forces, they won’t easily destroy the existing relationships, regardless of whether we have a backing or not."
"And this token left to me by the Golden Core Elder is the best way to open doors!"
...
On the Lancang River, a massive ship, a hundred zhang long, was docked at the shore.
The surging river rushed against it, but the ship remained steadfast.
Accompanied by a Great River Gang cultivator, Luo Chen stepped onto the deck.
A figure stood at the bow, facing the gentle breeze without turning around.
"This ship was custom-made for me by Heavenly Sail City, using the bones of a dragon whale as the main material and supplemented with materials from various water elemental demon beasts."
"Luo Chen, what do you think of this ship?"
Luo Chen walked forward step by step. With his keen eyesight, he could easily discern the ship’s quality.
"Although it’s only of low-grade quality, its power surpasses most high-grade magical treasures."
Wang Haichao turned to look at him.
"Good eyesight. It’s precisely because our Great River Gang has such ships that we can dominate the Lancang River and various waters under the Jade Tripod."
Luo Chen pulled the corners of his mouth.
Wasn’t that obvious?
Who could have such a large low-grade magical treasure?
An ordinary first-rank demon beast couldn’t cause any fundamental damage to it.
Perhaps realizing that such an opening statement was meaningless, Wang Haichao changed the topic.
"To be honest, I was a bit surprised that you dared to meet me alone."
(End of Chapter)In the aftermath of the battle in Moonlit Valley, Luo Chen hurried over. Two foundation establishment cultivators, Elder Wang Haichao and Elder Zhouyuan, rushed over with clear intentions.
It was evident that they were here to seize the resources of the alchemy auction house and the surrounding areas, especially the valuable resources of the Spirit Essence Pill.
Luo Chen laughed lightly, pulling out a small sword artifact from his storage bag. "Is this?" Wang Hai Chao asked, puzzled.
"The Elder Pang’s Token, you haven’t seen it before, right?"
Luo Chen looked at Wang Hai Chao, his expression slightly changing, still puzzled.
Luo Chen ignored his confusion, putting the small sword artifact away. He leaned on the railing, opening the mountain path. "I am here, but only to restart the cooperation and stabilize the Spirit jade business."
"Wang Hai Chao, how are things going?" Wang Hai Chao frowned, clearly avoiding the topic of business.
"It seems you and the Jade peak sword sect have a superficial relationship, don’t you think?"
"What do you have to say about the Great River Workshop? The Jade Peak Sword Sect hasn’t returned yet."
Luo Chen’s expression remained unchanged, calmly replying, "They would return when they should. You don’t think the Jade Peak Sword Sect would lose two foundation establishment cultivators, do you?"
Hearing this, Wang Hai Chao’s expression tenschanged, raising an eyebrow. No sect would ignore the fall of a Golden Core cultivator, especially one who had been ambushed and killed, even destroying a large Workshop.
"Wang Hai Chao, you need to understand something. Large Sects and small sects like us are different. They have many things to consider, so it’s normal for their actions to be slow."
"Like the death of the foundation establishment cultivator in the Great River Workshop, the Jade peak sword sect spent half a year to deal with it, showing its significance."
"Especially since they directly dispatched a Golden Core cultivator, it shows they are already in action or will be to in the move."
"Similarly, the Great River workshop suffered a much greater loss than the Baiwen case, ten times more severe!"
"By then, it might not be as simple as a Golden Core cultivator."
After this, Luo Chen took a deep breath.
He was a person who leaned towards stability, in both his past and present life.
But, many things did not go as planned.
Initially, he only wanted to refine some pills, satisfying his own cultivation, but was forced to take on the roleof Hall master by Uncle Mi.
- Arranged the auction house to be run by theJade Peak Sword Sect.
-Rushed through the preparations for the Grand Establishment, even whileInjured.
He thought of the future, and to rebuild what was lost, making this place his stage.
However, even the first month’s dividend had not come through, and Luo Chen had been promoted by PangRen.
Certainly, PangRen had been attacked and killed, but Luo Chen had arranged various follow-up measures, even building a small force with his own hand.
The results were evident, with his expression turning grim.
"Though I wanted to use three people, none of them were up to the task."
"but I have had enough of feeling powerless."
"since I am here, let me make the most of it!"
Luo Chen walked on the long street of Clear River, looking at the various cultivators, who had no sign of the destruction of the Great River Workshop on their faces, instead showing hope for the future.
Without the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion and the sect’s shops, things didn’t seem so bleak?
The local powers still acquired resources from scattered cultivators, offering higher prices than before. The black market was even more active, with frequent auctions.
"Only through struggle, only through effort, only through competition, can there be a glint of hope."
Luo Chen no longer placed his hopes on vague promises. Leveraging the foundation establishment period of the Great River Workshop, he would seize this opportunity to carve out a space for himself.
(End of chapter )
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