Chapter 540: A Glimpse of Sword Techniques
Chapter 540: A Glimpse of Sword Techniques
As they entered the city, Lu Chen learned from Zhou Qi and the others' conversation that five major sect cultivators were stationed in Heixin City, including the Tianjian Zong, Wanshumen, and Lingxiaozong. There were also two medium-sized sects located near the city.
Due to their interdependence, these two medium-sized sects, despite their mediocre strength, had also sent all their disciples to defend the last line of defense before their sects.
There was even a Jindan Zhenren from Wanshumen guarding the city, just in case.
"It seems this Heixin City is quite important, with so many sect cultivators stationed here," Lu Chen thought as he slowly made his way through the somewhat dilapidated yet spacious streets.
Soon, he was led by a loose cultivator to a courtyard.
"Brother Lu, this will be your residence and cultivation ground for the time being. The courtyard is simple and cannot compare to the major sects, but I hope you'll find it acceptable."
The loose cultivator, who had reached the early stages of the Foundation Establishment realm and was considered quite powerful among his peers, couldn't help but lower his head respectfully in front of Lu Chen, who was from the Tianjian Zong. His expression was somewhat uneasy as he spoke.
"It's fine, I'm quite satisfied," Lu Chen replied sincerely. After all, he himself was a loose cultivator before joining the Tianjian Zong, and the small courtyard he had in Linyang Fangshi was far more modest than this one. Moreover, this time, he had come to eradicate the demon spirits, so he didn't expect luxurious accommodations.
The loose cultivator heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Lu Chen's words and left quickly after giving him a transmission talisman for emergencies.
Lu Chen entered the courtyard and casually set up a simple restriction.
The courtyard was neither too big nor too small, with eight rooms and an empty spiritual field of nearly three acres.
Lu Chen sensed the spiritual energy in the courtyard and frowned slightly. The spiritual energy here was not only thinner than that in Tianjian Zong but also more chaotic.
"At least it's better than Linyang Fangshi," Lu Chen thought optimistically.
However, it was difficult to adjust to such an environment after being accustomed to the pure and rich spiritual energy of the inner sect.
"If I plant the second-grade water glowgrass in this spiritual field, its growth cycle will probably be much longer, and it will be difficult to obtain higher-quality mature plants," he said to himself as he picked up a clump of the dark spiritual soil from the empty field.
"I won't rush to cultivate the water glowgrass spirit seeds I brought. I'll wait until I've adapted to this place in a few days," Lu Chen decided as he looked at the barren spiritual field, suppressing the urge to start farming immediately. He then entered the house and began to adjust his breath to ensure he maintained his optimal state.
With so many people in Heixin City, Lu Chen didn't dare to take out the Xuankong Nightmare Eyes just yet. Instead, he released only the Cloud-stepping Lynx to be vigilant for any demonic presence while the Qingfu Feather Cloak concealed his aura. After making these preparations, he entered a cultivation state.
The peaceful days didn't last long.
Three days later, a talisman flew swiftly to the courtyard, whistling urgently outside the restriction as if urging Lu Chen.
Lu Chen extended his spiritual sense to draw the talisman over and infused it with a strand of spiritual power. A deep voice resounded in his mind.
"Fellow cultivator Lu Chen, please patrol the formation area in the coming days along with..."
The voice informed Lu Chen of his patrol duty, including the patrol area, teammates, and schedule.
After releasing the talisman, Lu Chen checked his treasures once more and made his way to the designated location when he felt the time was right.
"Is it Brother Lu Chen from Tianjian Zong?" A frail, elderly voice called out from a distance as Lu Chen surveyed his surroundings in a spacious square.
Lu Chen followed the voice and saw a thin, elderly man waving at him with two others standing by his side.
"Indeed, indeed."
A kindly smile spread across the thin, elderly man's face.
"Allow me to introduce you to Senior Qiu Changyuan from Wanshumen," he said, pointing to a cold-looking young man beside him. "He's at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and will be our group leader for the four of us."
"Greetings, Senior Qiu," Lu Chen said with a smile.
"Greetings, Junior Lu," Qiu Changyuan replied with a slight smile.
"This is Senior Meng Yue from Lingxiaozong, at the early Foundation Establishment stage," the thin elderly man continued, pointing to a gentle female cultivator beside him.
Lu Chen nodded to the female cultivator, exchanging greetings.
"My name is Sun Yunming, from Qingyuan Sect, a small sect near here. I hope we can support each other in the future, Brother Lu," the thin elderly man introduced himself.
"You're too kind, Senior Sun. We'll help each other out," Lu Chen said with a warm smile.
"Fellow cultivators, since we'll be working together for some time, let's introduce ourselves briefly and get to know each other," Qiu Changyuan said.
"I'm from Wanshumen, and I have ample experience fighting against demon beasts and evil spirits. I specialize in beast taming and can control several fourth-grade spirit beasts. Additionally, I possess several decent magical artifacts," Qiu Changyuan began.
"I'm Meng Yue from Lingxiaozong. I excel in talisman-making and array formations, and I've entered multiple secret realms," the female cultivator, Meng Yue, introduced herself.
"I'm Sun Yunming from Qingyuan Sect. I don't have any particular strengths, but I have a good grasp of several intermediate spells, and I'm familiar with the outer regions of the Black Demon Abyss," Sun Yunming said, his voice slightly embarrassed.
"I'm Lu Chen from Tianjian Sect. I'm proficient in spiritual herbs and have some knowledge of sword techniques. I rarely venture out to explore secret realms or fight against demons," Lu Chen introduced himself.
"However, to better ensure my survival, I've spent a fortune on talismans and artifacts, so I shouldn't hold you back," he added.
"You rarely explore secret realms and fight against demons, Brother Lu?" Qiu Changyuan asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Most of the time, I stay within the sect to cultivate spiritual herbs," Lu Chen replied honestly.
"So, you achieved your mid-Foundation Establishment stage within the sect as well?" Qiu Changyuan probed further.
"Yes, that's right," Lu Chen admitted without hiding anything. His spiritual power mostly came from the light group rewards, and he hadn't experienced many life-and-death battles or sought out opportunities, yet he had smoothly attained the late Foundation Establishment stage.
"Why have they assigned me someone who only has cultivation but lacks combat skills and is just a spiritual herbologist?" Qiu Changyuan stared intently at Lu Chen, his expression growing even colder, unconcerned about sparing his feelings.
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Yunming and Meng Yue's faces changed, and the atmosphere became awkward.
"I'm not aware of the details, Senior Qiu. You'll have to ask the fellow cultivator in charge of the assignments," Lu Chen replied, his expression unchanged as if he hadn't noticed the disdain in the young man's tone.
"Brother Lu, please don't mind Senior Qiu's words. He didn't mean any harm," the thin elderly man quickly explained. "As far as I know, one of the three cultivators assigned to Senior Qiu previously was also a spiritual herbologist with little outdoor training and combat experience. Unfortunately, they encountered a powerful demon, which resulted in that cultivator's death and severe injuries to Senior Qiu and the others. They barely escaped annihilation."
"That's why Senior Qiu is concerned," the elderly man added.
A faint, aged voice sounded in Lu Chen's ear, belonging to the thin elderly man who had stayed in Heixin City. He was explaining Qiu Changyuan's behavior to Lu Chen.
"Fellow cultivator Sun, rest assured. How Senior Qiu sees me is not important, and it won't affect our upcoming patrol mission," Lu Chen transmitted to the elderly man, understanding his concerns.
(End of Chapter)
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