https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-570-The-Dockside-Misunderstanding-and-the-So-Called-Holy-Land/12942290/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-572-Tianxuan-s-Treasure-Sale-Tian-Yuan-Commerce-Alliance/12942307/
Chapter 571: Writing and Enlightenment in the Secluded Valley
Chapter 571: Writing and Enlightenment in the Secluded Valley
Cold Glow Island.
As one of the top super-large islands in the southeastern Northern Sea, its land area is extremely vast, almost twice the size of the Jade Cauldron Region.
The island is abundant in minerals, spirit plants, lakes, and mountains, resembling an inland region.
With such rich resources, coupled with numerous spirit veins of various sizes, many factions have come to thrive and prosper here.
Among these factions, Cold Jade City is undoubtedly the most famous and powerful!
The reason is simple!
It is said that Cold Jade City has a Primordial Soul Stage city lord, the Jade Cold True Person.
Rumor has it that this woman once had a connection with a Primordial Soul Stage cultivator from the Demon Tribulation Sect, and it was through his support that she was able to monopolize Cold Jade City, which possesses a Tier Four Spirit Vein.
After obtaining the city, her actions were vastly different from ordinary cultivators.
She neither established a sect nor started a family lineage.
Instead, she cultivated in the Heavenly Cavern Land of the Tier Four Spirit Vein in the city as a loose cultivator.
Her peaceful and non-contentious nature also resulted in the underutilization of Cold Jade City's excellent resources.
Consequently, various factions from other parts of Cold Glow Island began to gradually settle in Cold Jade City after obtaining her consent, engaging in various businesses.
Each year, they only needed to contribute a certain amount of profits to the Jade Cold True Person to receive her protection.
Under this model, the entire Cold Glow Island gradually formed a peculiar situation where dragons and snakes coexisted, yet the dragon remained the undisputed leader.
After entering the city.
Luo Chen strolled down the wide street, his heart filled with a sense of purpose.
The Jade Cold True Person seemed indifferent and unconcerned, but in reality, she didn't miss out on any benefits she could gain.
On the contrary, this approach allowed her to save time on managing a sect or family, which she could then dedicate to her cultivation.
This model had its merits, and Luo Chen considered emulating it to some extent.
However, to follow this model, one must possess absolute power to dominate and protect a region.
Just as he had done in the Swallow Feather Archipelago! But it was evident that his current strength, while absolute in remote areas with limited resources, could not exert such dominance in resource-rich regions.
On the contrary, due to his lower cultivation level, even if he managed to seize a territory, it would attract the envy of others.
At that time, it would be another stormy period.
Therefore, it was better to find a faction to rely on for the time being, after all, it's always cooler under the big tree.
Suddenly, Luo Chen stopped in his tracks.
He turned around, his gaze calm as he looked at a young man whose hurried footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The man wore a plain robe, his face bearing a seemingly kind smile, but with a hint of cunning in his eyes.
Upon noticing Luo Chen, he hurriedly cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, I am Liu Zhenwei, at your service."
"Speak," Luo Chen said coldly.
Liu Zhenwei got straight to the point, introducing himself and immediately continued, "Friend, it seems you're new here and may not be familiar with this city. I've lived here for over a hundred years, and I know every nook and cranny. If you offer a small amount of spirit stones, I can guide you and ensure you navigate the upcoming month-long trading fair like a fish in water."
Luo Chen listened quietly to Liu Zhenwei's introduction, then shook his head.
"No need."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Liu Zhenwei was taken aback; this was the first time he had encountered an outsider who refused so directly, without even haggling over the price.
But he had finally found a lucrative target, and he wasn't about to let it slip away so easily.
He quickly caught up, "Trust me, friend. Without guidance, you'll be at a disadvantage whether you're selling goods or seeking resources."
"Often, a resource sold for 1,000 spirit stones in the south of the city might be sold for only 500 in the north."
"Take the Mansion Rental, for example. There are three Golden Core clans working together in this business, and while they have a unified pricing, the concentration of spiritual energy in the mansions varies. If you let me help, I'll find you the mansion with the best value."
...
As they walked and talked, Liu Zhenwei's lips nearly wore out, but the young man with the red face remained unmoved.
Liu Zhenwei's face turned sour, and he suddenly leaped in front of Luo Chen.
"Friend, you may not know this, but Cold Jade City doesn't prohibit private battles!"
Luo Chen gave him a cold look and uttered two words.
"Move aside!"
Liu Zhenwei instinctively wanted to rebuke him, but upon meeting Luo Chen's gaze, he felt a sudden uneasiness in his heart.
In a daze, when he came to his senses, he found that the red-faced man's figure had already disappeared into the bustling crowd.
At that moment, three people caught up from behind.
"Brother Liu, why didn't you keep that man and woman?"
"Did you offer too high a price, and he refused? I say, you could have been more generous. After we lure them to a secluded place, we can do as we please."
"The price shouldn't be too low, or they'll definitely become suspicious. Let's hear what Brother Liu has to say about this!"
In response to their questions, Liu Zhenwei opened his mouth, his face turning red.
Finally, he managed to say, "I don't know either!"
Yes, how could he possibly know the secrets of Luo Chen's illusion techniques?
After the Reflection Moon technique reached perfection, it became rooted in his eyes, allowing him to use it normally even after changing his primary cultivation technique.
This technique was almost foolproof when used against those of lower cultivation levels.
Even against opponents of the same level, Luo Chen was confident in making them fall into his trap without their knowledge.
It was only in battles against opponents of higher levels that Luo Chen worried about backlash, so he rarely used it.
This Liu Zhenwei was merely at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and under Luo Chen's gaze, he could only obediently step aside.
...
On a slightly quieter street, Luo Chen curled his lips.
It was said that Cold Jade City was chaotic, and indeed it was! Just from the matter of city guides, which was common in various places, one could see the true nature of the city.
With his divine perception, how could he not sense the collusion among Liu Zhenwei and the others?
"However, the fact that Cold Jade City doesn't prohibit private battles is a bit troublesome, making it less suitable for living."
Luo Chen muttered as he stopped in front of a relatively quiet shop.
Looking up, he saw several pale golden characters on the signboard.
"Cold Jade Mansion Management Office"
Luo Chen was not entirely unfamiliar with Cold Jade City.
Whether it was from reading the 'History of Cold Jade City' in previous years or the intelligence gathered by the Swallow Feather Caravan during their multiple visits, he could navigate the city without a guide.
For example, this management office is one of the three major powers in Fei Leng City that manages Mansion Rentals.
The price might be a bit high, but their reputation is the best.
Here, Luo Chen might be able to find a satisfactory mansion.
Without further hesitation, Luo Chen, accompanied by Tianxuan, stepped into the office.
...
Half an hour later, an elderly man with white hair, trembling, led a man and a woman into a secluded valley.
Although the valley was secluded, it wasn't desolate.
It was filled with many exotic and vibrant flowers, especially orchids.
As the old man walked, he introduced, "Fei Leng City has a Tier Four Spirit Vein, but the concentration of Spirit Energy is quite scattered, making it troublesome to manage. Therefore, the True Monarch has granted management rights to our Zhou, Wu, and Qian families."
"This Jia Jiu Mansion is located in the north of the city, quite far from the trading square. However, despite its remote location, the concentration of Spirit Energy here is solid and of the Weak Tier Three Level. It's just right for this fellow Daoist's use."
As he spoke, his gaze went past Luo Chen and landed on Tianxuan.
To rent a suitable Tier Three Mansion, it was necessary to reveal one's Golden Core cultivation.
However, Luo Chen had Tianxuan reveal her cultivation, concealing his own.
This way, he could also temporarily hide his whereabouts.
Of course, Tianxuan was still in the process of understanding these matters, so Luo Chen had to take the lead in negotiating the price.
He looked around, a satisfied expression on his face.
Although the location was remote, it was serene, and the concentration of Spirit Energy was guaranteed.
As long as security measures were in place, everything would be fine.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what about the price?"
The Zhou family's elder stroked his beard and said solemnly, "Since you're renting for a short period, the price is a bit high. Moreover, the trading fair is about to start, and many high-level cultivators are coming to Fei Leng City, so we've adjusted the prices accordingly."
"One month, 150,000 low-grade Spirit Stones, and you'll need to renew it at the management office by the end of the month."
"If you want to switch to a long-term lease, the minimum is ten years, and the price can be discounted to 120,000 per month."
150,000 Spirit Stones for just one month! Wow, this business is too easy.
Even Luo Chen was a bit envious.
No wonder those high-level cultivators like to dominate a region, even if they don't establish a sect, they still ensure their control over a territory.
Not to mention the rent, just the income from that is unimaginable.
As he felt envious, Luo Chen still decided to rent this place.
Regardless of anything else, both Tianxuan and he needed a mansion with a Tier Three concentration of Spirit Energy for cultivation.
Advancing in cultivation required the accumulation of daily efforts.
Now, he was simply exchanging Spirit Stones for time.
It was worth it.
After Luo Chen paid the Spirit Stones, the old cultivator gave him a jade token and handed it to Tianxuan.
"What's this?" Tianxuan asked.
The old cultivator smiled, "Any unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator who comes to Fei Leng City will receive such a jade token. We will leave messages on it, and regularly hold gatherings for high-level cultivators. Whether it's sharing cultivation insights or trading, I believe you'll gain something. Of course, whether you go or not is up to you."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Tianxuan held the jade token and looked at Luo Chen.
"Keep it for now, and we can check it out later."
After saying this, Luo Chen began setting up in the valley.
He buried the Divine Compass and activated the Billowing Cloud Mist Array.
After extracting the earth's Spirit Energy...
Layer upon layer of rain clouds soared into the sky, and wisps of mist spread in all directions, covering the entire valley.
With the array's protection, it provided a certain level of defensive power and could also conceal Divine Perception, preventing powerful outsiders from prying.
Especially under Han Zhan's supervision, this array could even block Primordial Soul cultivators' Divine Perception!
"Thank you, Senior."
"It's no trouble. After all, helping you is helping me," Han Zhan said casually after adjusting the array's formation.
Luo Chen entered the wooden house in the valley and, on top of the Zhou family's Spirit Gathering Array, set up his own.
The concentration of Spirit Energy visibly increased by thirty percent.
However, Luo Chen wasn't sure if the increase here would reduce the Spirit Vein's power in other areas.
Luo Chen chuckled lightly and began taking out various items from his Storage Ring.
At a glance, they were all sorts of crab claws, crab legs, and round, lustrous demon cores.
During those years in the Xuan Yan Sea, Luo Chen, Black King, and Tianxuan worked together to capture countless demon crabs, totaling over a thousand!
Ninety-nine percent of these demon crabs were Tier Two.
Their shells were refined by Luo Chen into Black Emperor Ointment for his body cultivation.
All the flesh and blood were either consumed by him or given to Black King as a reward.
Therefore, what remained were mostly the things that Black King initially struggled to digest.
These resources weren't of much use to Luo Chen, but they weren't completely useless.
The Northern Sea was rich in resources and had many demons, so pill concocters often used demon cores in their medicines. A thousand Tier Two demon cores were quite valuable.
The hard crab claws and legs could also be used to craft various magical tools.
According to Luo Chen's previous estimate, selling this batch of resources would bring in several million Spirit Stones!
But that's not all.
Next, Luo Chen took out another batch of similar materials from his Storage Ring.
Although they were similar, they were clearly larger in size and harder in quality, especially the dense concentration of demon energy.
Obviously, these were the materials Luo Chen collected from the demon crabs of the Demon Emperor level during his last year.
After refining the Tier Four Black Emperor Ointment, he kept them all.
"Selling this batch of materials will improve my difficult situation and ease my financial burden."
Luo Chen used to be quite wealthy.
With pill concocting, the Luo Tian Sect's earnings, and the spoils of several battles, his wealth once exceeded ten million.
Even among Golden Core cultivators, he was considered affluent.
But after Core Formation, participating in the war, the Mountain Moving Plan, and daily cultivation, his wealth was almost depleted.
With his financial constraints, it was only after arriving at the Swallow Feather Archipelago that he started to heavily tax those low-level cultivator families.
Speaking of which, it was a bit unethical.
"By selling these materials, I should be able to make a good profit at the trading conference."
After taking inventory, Luo Chen carefully sorted the materials of various grades into separate storage bags.
He then handed over all the storage bags to Tianxuan.
"Do you still remember those shops I mentioned on our journey?" Luo Chen asked.
"Master, I remember them all," Tianxuan replied.
"This batch of materials is quite large, so one shop might not be able to handle it all. Visit multiple shops and sell them separately. Even if the price is lower, try to exchange them for Spirit Stones as soon as possible." Luo Chen instructed carefully.
After half a year of guidance, Tianxuan, under Luo Chen's tutelage, had reached the entry-level of the improved 'Breath Contraction Spirit Art'.
With Luo Chen's help in engraving the Concealment Array and Han Zhan's additional tricks, it could be said that only a Primordial Soul True Monarch would have difficulty seeing through Tianxuan's true form.
This allowed Tianxuan to run errands for Luo Chen without revealing his true identity.
Luo Chen's next plan was to refine his self-created Demon Cultivation Technique and use it as a reference to perfect his own cultivation method.
...
The next day, Tianxuan left with the Demon Crab materials for trading.
In reality, the trading conference hosted by the Jade Cold True Person was merely a high-end auction, and the so-called trading conference was organized by the people below.
While it might be a grand event for lower-level cultivators, Luo Chen didn't pay much attention to it and had no intention of participating.
However, this trading conference provided Tianxuan with a good opportunity to sell his goods.
After Tianxuan's departure, Luo Chen took out a pile of high-quality white jade from his storage ring and sat down to concentrate.
After a while of calming his mind, he began to manipulate his magical energy, using his fingers as a brush to slowly write on the white jade.
The first sentence he wrote was the title.
Since it was tailored for Tianxuan and incorporated various cultivation techniques, including the 'Immortal Transformation Scripture' and the 'Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture', the name came to him effortlessly.
'Heavenly Feather Secret Canon'
With the title set, the rest became easier.
Luo Chen, already confident in his plan, wrote with divine inspiration, each word and sentence flowing naturally.
Compared to the rough first draft, this refined version was more detailed, and with careful consideration, Luo Chen gradually added missing details.
Drawing from the 'Confluence of Ten Thousand Paths' for body cultivation, using the magical art 'Nine Ten Thousand Miles' to compensate for flight speed, and incorporating the essence of the 'Dusty Essence Art' to purify magical energy...
Drop by drop, bit by bit... the 'Heavenly Feather Secret Canon' became increasingly comprehensive, even encompassing the essence of everything.
During this process, Luo Chen constantly compared it with his two primary cultivation techniques for both magical energy and body cultivation.
The essence of power in this realm was unchanging, always based on the so-called 'Heavenly Spirit Energy'.
What changed was the direction of cultivation and the means of output.
This meant that the previous limitations he had could now be mutually exchanged and converted.
Being fixated on form and falling into inferior methods was not the right path.
Pursuing the essence was the true way.
Unknowingly, through this process of writing and creating, Luo Chen began to summarize and perfect his knowledge, discarding the unnecessary and illuminating the grand path ahead.
In a valley filled with dense spiritual energy, a refreshed white-robed man with a red face sat quietly, occasionally frowning and then relaxing, surrounded by an enigmatic aura.
Leaning against a corner of the room was a white banner, on which a figure appeared and transformed, eventually revealing Han Zhan's aged face.
Witnessing this scene, his heart couldn't help but stir.
"A moment of enlightenment..."
A serene sigh echoed, unheard by anyone, but the astonishment and admiration were evident.
As a Primordial Soul True Monarch in his prime, Han Zhan naturally understood the significance of this scene.
Under the weight of Luo Chen's vast accumulation and countless cultivation practices, he finally reached a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation, entering a state of enlightenment while creating his own cultivation technique.
This state could be called an opportunity.
It couldn't be sought or forced.
Ordinary people would be lucky to experience it once in their lifetime.
Even Primordial Soul True Monarchs yearned to enter this state, to perceive the laws and principles of heaven and earth.
But who would have thought that Luo Chen would encounter it at the Golden Core stage?
It was somewhat of a waste.
However, if Luo Chen could gain something from this experience, it would either lead to a surge in his strength or a smooth and unobstructed path in his future cultivation, free of hardships.
Either way, it would be a tremendous blessing.
After his moment of reflection, Han Zhan emerged from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
He arrived at the center of the valley and released a surge of magical energy, causing the surrounding clouds and mist to thicken even further, with dew forming on the leaves.
The Billowing Cloud Mist Array had reached its limit!
---
Regarding the matter of my absence and the deletion of the announcement, I would like to provide an explanation.
When I asked for votes, I stated that I had never taken a break or asked for leave in 2023. This is true, as I did not take any leave last year, and the average daily update was 8,000 words, without any deception.
My first leave was on January 2, 2024, followed by January 16, February 6, and February 10.
In total, I took leave four times, and the update logs and chapter update times in the directory can verify this.
Indeed, the updates in 2024 have been less frequent, averaging around 4,000 words per day. I have never claimed to update 8,000 words daily this year, nor have I mentioned taking leave or having uninterrupted updates.
Lastly, regarding the deletion of the leave announcement, I learned from a friend that some readers listen to audiobooks, and the announcement affects their listening experience. They delete it after a new chapter is released.
I've observed that many authors also delete their leave announcements after updates.
I'm taking the time to explain this not because I feel guilty or angry, but simply to prevent any misunderstandings.
If I were a slacker, my long-time readers would know that my previous book, 'Rebirth in 2006', had the nickname 'Rebirth of Daily Leave'. I've never tried to hide or defend my laziness.
I'll end my explanation here. In the future, I'll also delete leave announcements, and I hope the reader who mentioned this can understand.
(End of Chapter)
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