Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Body Perfection and a Letter from Peiyao
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Back in his own courtyard.
Chen Jianghe released Maoqiu from the second-tier spirit beast pouch, but he did not let Xiao Hei out.
Although no one would barge into his courtyard on Qiyun Mountain, nor would any spiritual sense probe it.
He still had to be cautious, just in case.
With his current strength and connections, Maoqiu could be revealed, but Xiao Hei, as his trump card, should remain hidden.
Even with Maoqiu, Chen Jianghe wouldn't reveal him proactively.
He released Maoqiu because he was going to start cultivating him with all his effort.
At his current cultivation level, as long as he practiced step-by-step, he could reach Foundation Establishment in three to five years at most.
If Maoqiu remained at the late first-tier, his usefulness would diminish, offering little to no help.
"Master, is this for me?"
Maoqiu excitedly took the second-tier water-element spirit core from Chen Jianghe's hand, transmitting his voice in disbelief through the second-tier spirit beast pouch.
"Xiao Hei said you can devour four second-tier water-element spirit cores and become a second-tier spirit beast within ten years. What do you think? Are you confident?"
Chen Jianghe watched as Maoqiu, like a cultivator, kowtowed to him in a grand gesture of gratitude.
With a wave of his hand, his spiritual power lifted Maoqiu, and he asked seriously.
"Ten years? Eight years! I can definitely become a second-tier spirit beast within eight years, following closely in Lord Turtle's footsteps and working hard for Master."
Maoqiu declared with conviction.
"Good. Go and cultivate."
Chen Jianghe nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he transmitted his voice to Xiao Hei, "Maoqiu says he can break through to the second tier in eight years. What do you think?"
"What can I think? I'll just have to wait and see."
Xiao Hei transmitted his voice, a bit exasperated, "I'm not Maoqiu. I can only estimate the approximate breakthrough time, assuming he has enough second-tier water-element spirit cores."
"So, it's really possible for Maoqiu to become a second-tier spirit beast within eight years?" Chen Jianghe was delighted.
"Since Maoqiu dared to say that to you, he must have some confidence. He might just become a second-tier spirit beast in eight years."
Xiao Hei changed the subject, complaining, "Why didn't you let me out?"
"This place isn't safe. I'll let you out after some time. Aren't I here talking with you? You're not lonely."
Chen Jianghe soothed him.
If Maoqiu could become a second-tier spirit beast in eight years, then he could leave Qiyun Mountain eight years later.
By then, he would be a Foundation Establishment cultivator with two second-tier spirit beasts, one revealed and one hidden.
His safety would be absolutely guaranteed.
"Right now, there's no news from Qinghe Market City. I don't know if it can survive this beast tide calamity."
"But even if it withstands the beast tide, I can't go back to Qinghe Market City."
At present, although Chen Jianghe didn't have a definite destination, Qinghe Market City was no longer suitable for him.
Although Qinghe Market City was one of the ten great market cities in the Tiannan Region, it ranked at the very bottom.
It was far inferior to the Zhou Clan's Beast Taming Market City.
Not to mention the Immortal Sect Market City.
It couldn't even compare to Ferry Market City.
The resources available for Foundation Establishment cultivators were relatively scarce, making it unsuitable for long-term residence for those dedicated to pursuing the Dao.
Ruan Tieniu had traveled thousands of miles, even crossing the Heaven-Reaching River, to go to Thousand Mountains Market City, all for the purpose of seeking more cultivation resources.
The Immortal Sect Market City was certainly good.
But it was too close to the southern gate of the Tiannan Sect. Backed by the sect, safety was guaranteed, but opportunities wouldn't fall into your hands.
"I'll wait for Ruan Tieniu to settle down in Thousand Mountains Market City. If it's suitable, going there in the future wouldn't be a bad idea."
Thousand Mountains Market City was the largest market city north of the Heaven-Reaching River.
It was also the second-largest market city in the Tiannan Region.
After settling his thoughts, Chen Jianghe calmed his mind and began to cultivate the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art.
He had fifty portions each of Spirit-Condensing Grass and Spirit-Warming Sand, and four bottles of first-tier, high-grade Spirit-Nourishing Liquid, enough for him to cultivate to the peak of the late stage of Spirit Refining.
After cultivating the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art for three hours, he would begin drawing spiritual talismans.
Now, he no longer deliberately drew high-grade protective talismans but instead tried to draw high-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans and various other special high-grade spiritual talismans.
During the period when his spiritual and physical cultivation were improving, he wanted to diversify the types of high-grade spiritual talismans he could draw.
This would allow him to rapidly improve his talisman crafting skills.
After finishing drawing talismans, he would cultivate the Tidal Body Tempering Art, beginning his seamlessly scheduled life of cultivation.
It was tedious but fulfilling.
In this way, time seemed to pass very quickly.
Unconsciously.
Four months passed.
On the tenth day of his secluded cultivation, he didn't go to Alchemist Zhuang's place, but Jiang Ruxu came to him.
She brought him a standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
This puzzled Chen Jianghe. Logically, his should have been an inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Even if two standard-grade pills were produced, Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu should have each gotten one.
He already had a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, which Alchemist Zhuang knew about. Therefore, the standard-grade pills would definitely be prioritized for Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan.
But Jiang Ruxu excitedly informed Chen Jianghe that although Alchemist Zhuang hadn't refined a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
He had refined three standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pills.
Chen Jianghe's first reaction was that Alchemist Zhuang was playing with fire again, surely having used that secret alchemy technique.
He was probably aiming for two standard-grade pills.
But he never expected to get three standard-grade pills.
Chen Jianghe accepted it with joy.
With this standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, his success rate for Foundation Establishment had exceeded one hundred percent. He no longer needed to worry about failure at all.
At this point, as long as his Dao heart was stable, there was no possibility of failure.
Under the pavilion in the courtyard.
Chen Jianghe sat cross-legged, his upper body bare and covered in a fine layer of white frost—a phenomenon created by the massive amount of spiritual energy coursing through his meridians in an instant.
Around him, the air was filled with the briny smell of waves crashing against rocks, mixed with the stench of a dark brown, viscous waste fluid seeping from his pores.
Chen Jianghe clenched his jaw, the veins on his temples bulging like small snakes. His eyes were shut tight, but his eyelids twitched violently, and lightning seemed to flicker beneath them.
*Rumble~*
A series of dull rumbles echoed from within his body, as if a torrent of spiritual energy, like a mighty river, was widening his meridians.
Suddenly.
His skin first turned crimson, as if being roasted by a fierce fire. The waste fluid seeping from his pores glistened oilily in the moonlight, dripping from his jaw onto his plain shorts and burning black holes in the fabric.
Then, the crimson faded, and his skin turned a warm, jade-like color, faintly revealing the dark cyan tracks of spiritual energy rushing through his blood vessels.
When the final surge of spiritual energy broke through the blockage in his Shanzhong acupoint, a long-suppressed groan escaped his throat.
The halo of light around him suddenly flared, levitating the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Then, it abruptly retracted, transforming into a nearly invisible, faint cyan glow that clung to the surface of his skin.
At this moment.
Chen Jianghe's breathing became long and gentle. Each breath seemed to stir the air in the courtyard, causing the leaves and branches of the trees to move without any wind.
The mass of dark spiritual power that had been coiled in his sea of qi dantian now flowed like living water, circulating throughout his body along the widened meridians.
Wherever it passed, his bones emitted a series of fine 'clicking' sounds, as if they were being reshaped and polished.
After an hour.
Chen Jianghe slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, a light rain began to fall above his head, washing away the grime and impurities from his body.
"Finally, my body has reached perfection."
Chen Jianghe stood up, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back, letting the raindrops patter against his face. He could feel the firmness of his physical body; even a low-grade magical artifact would likely struggle to injure his flesh.
At this moment, he had completed the marrow-cleansing and bone-refining process to achieve physical perfection, resulting in unobstructed qi channels and heightened senses.
With a thought, his spiritual power dispersed into threads and then converged into a water arrow, which shot toward his chest.
But he discovered that as the water arrow touched his skin, a faint cyan light flashed, neutralizing the early-stage Qi Refining attack spell.
"Having perfected the Tidal Body Tempering Art, I am now completely immune to early-stage Qi Refining water-element spells. Even for spells of other elements, I can resist seventy percent of their power."
"Against attacks from a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, even if they aren't water-element spells, my body can resist fifty percent of the damage."
Chen Jianghe savored the benefits of physical perfection.
At this moment, he finally understood why, back when Duan Ming had hijacked the boat, the rogue cultivator, also at the ninth level of Qi Refining, had immediately tried to flee upon seeing that Duan Ming had a perfected physical body.
Even against the magical attacks of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, a perfected body could nullify twenty percent of the power.
If the elemental attributes happened to match, it could nullify thirty percent.
This showed just how great the advantage of a perfected body was among cultivators of the same realm.
After rinsing off, Chen Jianghe took a new set of clothes from his storage pouch and put them on—it was still a plain-colored robe.
Ordinary and unassuming, not flashy.
He quite liked this kind of attire; it gave him a sense of security.
With a wave of his hand, water-element spiritual energy condensed into a water mirror. Looking at his reflection, he saw an ordinary face, but with a pair of deep eyes that could, in an instant, turn clear and honest.
"I even grew taller after reaching physical perfection."
Chen Jianghe's spiritual sense swept over himself, and he discovered he had grown another two centimeters, now standing at about one meter and eighty-three centimeters.
Following that, Chen Jianghe's spiritual sense probed into the water mirror, reflected, and extended, reaching a distance of forty zhang and three chi.
With his body perfected, his spiritual cultivation was also improving rapidly.
Glancing at the sky, he saw it was not yet the Hour of the Tiger. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art.
After achieving physical perfection, the next steps were to cultivate the Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Forging Art and improve his talisman crafting skills.
The next day.
Chen Jianghe took down the 'In Seclusion' sign hanging on his courtyard gate.
He had made this 'In Seclusion' sign himself, simply to avoid being disturbed while cultivating.
It also prevented Maoqiu from being exposed.
In these four months, he had drawn seven Five Elements Escape Talismans, two Spirit-Chasing Talismans, four Swift-Step Talismans, and six Giant Strength Talismans.
In total, he had used forty-eight pieces of spirit fox hide. Apart from the Spirit-Chasing Talismans, which had a somewhat low success rate of less than forty percent.
The success rate for the other high-grade spiritual talismans had all reached fifty percent.
Even the Five Elements Escape Talismans were no exception.
These talismans were useless in his hands, so they naturally had to be exchanged for spirit stones. With the Yu Clan newly established, selling these talismans to them would also be a form of support.
At the third quarter of the Hour of the Monkey.
Chen Jianghe was drawing talismans in the front courtyard when he heard the door knocker. He went over and opened the gate.
"Xiaoyue?"
Standing at the door was Yu Daniu's daughter-in-law, née Zhou. Seeing Chen Jianghe open the door, she bowed respectfully, "Uncle."
"While you were in seclusion, Uncle, two letters for you arrived at Qiyun Mountain." She presented two letters with both hands.
Chen Jianghe nodded and took the two letters.
If he wasn't mistaken, they should be from Ruan Tieniu, as not many people knew he was on Qiyun Mountain.
Only Ruan Tieniu was not around.
Alchemist Zhuang and Luo Xiyue were still living next door; they certainly wouldn't be writing him letters.
"Xiaoyue, do you know about the recent situation in Qinghe Market City?" Chen Jianghe asked.
"I knew you would ask about Qinghe Market City, Uncle. All the current information is in this jade slip." She took out a jade slip and respectfully handed it to Chen Jianghe.
After Chen Jianghe took the jade slip.
She did not linger and took her leave.
Chen Jianghe was quite fond of this sensible niece-in-law.
Returning to the front hall, he began to read the two letters.
The courtyard Chen Jianghe lived in was a three-section courtyard. The reason he cultivated and drew talismans in the front courtyard...
...was because Maoqiu was in the back courtyard.
This way, as long as he stayed in the front courtyard, no one would go to the back, and Maoqiu's existence would not be exposed.
"Gao Peiyao?"
Chen Jianghe looked at the signatures on the two letters. One was surprisingly from Gao Peiyao, which made him a little puzzled.
How would Gao Peiyao know he was on Qiyun Mountain?
"It seems Luo Xiyue has been in contact with Gao Peiyao all this time."
Chen Jianghe guessed inwardly.
At the Mid-Autumn Festival gathering eleven years ago, when Gao Peiyao left, she didn't leave any contact address for the three of them.
Therefore, it couldn't have been Yu Daniu or Zhou Miaoyun who told Gao Peiyao.
The only one left was Luo Xiyue.
As for why Luo Xiyue could contact Gao Peiyao while their other old friends could not.
It was simple.
Because they were not Foundation Establishment cultivators. Luo Xiyue was not only a Foundation Establishment cultivator but also a master artifact refiner.
Without reaching Foundation Establishment, one lived in a different world.
This was reality. Even if a Foundation Establishment senior didn't distance themselves from you, you would gradually distance yourself from them.
So it was better not to contact them at all.
That way, the good old memories could be preserved.
The other letter was from Ruan Tieniu.
Chen Jianghe first opened Gao Peiyao's letter. The contents surprised him.
He didn't know what price the two great immortal clans of Qinghe Market City had paid to have the Tiannan Sect send a Core Formation cultivator to help them.
This Core Formation cultivator from the Tiannan Sect was precisely Gao Peiyao's master, Deacon Lan, who should now be Elder Lan.
Gao Peiyao would also be heading to Qinghe Market City soon for training.
She would come to Qiyun Mountain to meet him then.
Gao Peiyao also mentioned in the letter that she could provide him with assistance for his Foundation Establishment.
"Luo Xiyue must have told Gao Peiyao about Ji Wujin and me. Otherwise, in Gao Peiyao's eyes, I would be incapable of reaching Foundation Establishment."
Luo Xiyue had said that if Ji Wujin chose him, it meant he could reach Foundation Establishment.
Thinking about it now, Chen Jianghe felt that perhaps Ji Wujin wasn't so bad after all. From the very beginning, he had been providing him with conveniences.
Sometimes, he even took a loss.
Especially in their last transaction, Ji Wujin had even given him the recipe for the Spirit Sealing Pill.
The value of this pill recipe was immeasurable.
It could serve as a reliable means for him to acquire resources after reaching Foundation Establishment.
This made Chen Jianghe truly wonder if Ji Wujin was actually helping him.
Did he really consider him a close friend?
Could it be that all this time, he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards?
"No, Ji Wujin still wanted to kill me in the end. If we meet again, I'd better strike first."
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
Of course, if he cultivated to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he felt he could afford to observe Ji Wujin's actions first before deciding.
As for Gao Peiyao contacting him proactively, he believed it was probably because her opinion of him had changed.
She thought he had a chance of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
Chen Jianghe wrote a reply to Gao Peiyao, saying he looked forward to meeting her on Qiyun Mountain.
Then, he opened Ruan Tieniu's letter.
The contents of the letter left Chen Jianghe not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Foundation Establishment cultivators as common as clouds, and several Core Formation Perfected Masters presiding? Is Thousand Mountains Market City really that prosperous?"
The Beast Taming Market City, as one of the three major market cities south of the Heaven-Reaching River, had a Core Formation Perfected Master from the Zhou Clan presiding over it year-round.
Thousand Mountains Market City ranked even higher than the Beast Taming Market City; it was the second-largest market city in the Tiannan Region.
Having a Core Formation Perfected Master in residence was not unusual.
But having several Core Formation Perfected Masters was somewhat incredible.
Most importantly, the high and mighty Foundation Establishment cultivators were described by Ruan Tieniu as being as common as clouds.
This was a bit too much of an exaggeration.
However, Ruan Tieniu's last sentence expressed a strong hope that Chen Jianghe could come to Thousand Mountains Market City to develop in the future.
And it would be best if he brought Fairy Luo with him.
Chen Jianghe instantly understood Ruan Tieniu's meaning.
Asking him to go to Thousand Mountains Market City was a pretense; asking Luo Xiyue to go was the real intention.
Chen Jianghe knew that Ruan Tieniu had inherited Lan Tianxiang's legacy, so Lan Tianxiang's top-grade magical artifact, the Profound Heaven Dragon Pattern Rope, should also be in Ruan Tieniu's possession.
Without modifying it, Ruan Tieniu probably wouldn't dare to use it.
There were all sorts of publications in the Tiannan Region, and news about the appearance of a demonic cultivator at Mirror Moon Lake had long since spread throughout the entire region.
Once Ruan Tieniu took out the Profound Heaven Dragon Pattern Rope, he would definitely be thought to have obtained a demonic cultivator's legacy.
Slaying the demonic cultivator was a pretense.
Seizing the demonic cultivator's legacy was the true goal.
Lan Tianxiang had used the blood escape art more than once and had also regenerated severed limbs.
Such demonic secret arts were highly coveted by disciples from both the southern and northern gates of the Tiannan Sect.
"Immortal mountains with spirit veins are everywhere, and one can directly rent an immortal mountain with a second-tier spirit vein from Thousand Mountains Market City?"
Chen Jianghe liked this point very much.
The thought of going to Thousand Mountains Market City formed in his mind.
Moreover, Luo Xiyue was also going to Thousand Mountains Market City. If he went too, he would have a ready-made connection.
Although Luo Xiyue had a cold and arrogant personality, she was powerful and a master artifact refiner. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he would inevitably need to purchase top-grade defensive magical artifacts.
Therefore, Luo Xiyue was a very suitable person to build a deep friendship with.
"Even if I'm going to Thousand Mountains Market City, I must wait until after Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, it won't be safe to cross the Heaven-Reaching River."
Chen Jianghe wrote a reply to Ruan Tieniu.
He asked about the specific situation in Thousand Mountains Market City and said that if it was suitable, he would go there.
As for whether Luo Xiyue would go, he would try his best.
After finishing the replies, Chen Jianghe turned the two letters he received into dust and then put away his own letters.
He took out the jade slip that née Zhou had given him.
His spiritual sense probed into it, browsing the information within.
Four months ago, a beast tide erupted in Qinghe Market City. Many cultivators fled at the first opportunity, but none had expected the demonic beasts to encircle them.
In just the first encounter, over a thousand cultivators in Qinghe Market City had fallen.
Of course, most of them were early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, along with a few late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
After encircling Qinghe Market City.
That terrifying third-tier Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard appeared, spoke in human tongue, and demanded that Qinghe Market City hand over the heavily injured second-tier Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard.
Otherwise, it would raze Qinghe Market City to the ground.
The Qing Clan had spent over a hundred thousand spirit stones to win the Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard at auction. How could they possibly hand it over so easily?
After that, the beast tide launched its first attack on Qinghe Market City.
With its third-tier defensive formation, Qinghe Market City naturally couldn't be breached by a small-scale beast tide.
No matter how enraged the third-tier Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard was, it couldn't break through the city's defensive formation in a short time.
But in the third month of the beast tide.
A third-tier demonic beast flew out from the depths of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range to help the Thunder-Patterned Crimson Flame Leopard attack Qinghe Market City.
If Qinghe Market City had a Core Formation Perfected Master, along with the third-tier defensive grand formation, it naturally wouldn't have been breached.
But Qinghe Market City did not have a Core Formation expert.
Only an old, third-tier spirit beast.
The two Qinghe clans managed to withstand this demonic beast attack at the cost of shrinking the coverage area of the third-tier defensive grand formation.
But the entire northwest district was reduced to ruins.
Nearly three thousand low-level cultivators became food for the demonic beasts under the beast tide.
"*Hiss*~ Luckily, I ran fast. Otherwise, I would have been treated as a sacrificial pawn by the two Qinghe clans!"
Chen Jianghe felt a wave of lingering fear as he read the information about Qinghe Market City.
After abandoning the northwest district, the two great Qinghe clans offered fifty percent of Qinghe Market City's annual profits in exchange for the Tiannan Sect's help in repelling the beast tide.
But before Gao Peiyao's master, Elder Lan, arrived at Qinghe Market City.
Qinghe Market City was once again attacked on a large scale by demonic beasts. The two third-tier beasts, in particular, attacked with frenzy.
Qinghe Market City had no power to fight back.
That old, third-tier spirit beast didn't dare to come out at all. The moment it did, it would be besieged and killed by the two third-tier demonic beasts.
At that point, the two great Qinghe clans would lose their pillar of support.
So, to protect that third-tier spirit beast, the two clans directly abandoned the southwest district, having the third-tier defensive grand formation cover only the northeast and southeast districts.
Another thousand-plus cultivators were abandoned.
They became food for the demonic beasts.
"In the eyes of these great cultivation clans, rogue cultivators are like ants that can be discarded at any time. I must reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Only as a Foundation Establishment cultivator can I have a sliver of self-preservation in this perilous world of cultivation."
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
Immediately, he went to the back courtyard, put Maoqiu into the spirit beast space, and then headed to the small cultivation town halfway up the mountain.
He mailed the two reply letters.
Without lingering in the town, he returned to the mountain peak.
Now, with the addition of Yu Daniu's younger brother's branch of the family, the mountain peak finally had some life to it.
Just as he returned to his courtyard.
He saw Yu Daniu walking over, saying excitedly to Chen Jianghe, "Big Brother, did Peiyao send you a letter too? She's coming to Qiyun Mountain before the Mid-Autumn Festival in the eighth month to meet with us."
Chen Jianghe smiled and nodded.
He sighed inwardly.
Gao Peiyao was still as thoughtful as ever, never favoring one over the other.
"Daniu, send a letter to Fellow Daoist Zhou and ask her to come to Qiyun Mountain in the eighth month," Chen Jianghe said.
Although, with Gao Peiyao's personality, she would surely write to Zhou Miaoyun as well, she might not know that the Zhou Clan had moved to Yunmen Town.
"Don't worry, Big Brother, I've already sent a letter to Fellow Daoist Zhou."
Yu Daniu looked thrilled, his eyes filled with excitement. He said with great emotion, "I thought that after our last Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, the four of us would hardly have a chance to meet again. I never expected we'd be able to gather once more."
Chen Jianghe nodded in deep agreement.
Just as Chen Jianghe and Yu Daniu were talking, Yun Xiaoniu flew over, his face etched with grief.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were trembling.
He looked at Yu Daniu and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Boss, what's wrong?" Yu Daniu's heart trembled as a bad premonition surfaced in his mind.