Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma, Multitude Treasures Market City
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Chen Jianghe's spiritual sense enveloped the Flame Turtle, forcibly probing into its sea of consciousness. He discovered that the Flame Turtle's soul was still there.
The so-called Mystic Turtle Soul Armor was not the spirit turtle's entire soul.
It was like the souls of mortals and low-level cultivators, divided into ethereal and corporeal aspects. A spirit turtle that lost its Mystic Turtle Soul Armor was like one that had lost the core of its being, leaving it in a muddled and dazed state.
With a thought, his soul power net pulled the Mystic Turtle Soul Armor into his sea of consciousness.
Only at this moment did the Mystic Turtle Soul Armor become clearly visible; even the patterns on the soul armor could be seen distinctly.
"Refine the soul armor, strengthen my spirit!"
Chen Jianghe circulated the fifth level of the *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture*, absorbing the soul power from the Mystic Turtle Soul Armor. While enhancing his spiritual essence, he constructed the soul sea barrier.
The soul power of the Mystic Turtle Soul Armor was pure and contained a mysterious force, making the construction of the soul sea barrier remarkably easy.
A month passed unknowingly.
Chen Jianghe had completely absorbed and refined this Mystic Turtle Soul Armor, and he could clearly feel that the progress on his soul sea barrier had increased significantly.
"The soul power of a late-stage first-tier Mystic Turtle Soul Armor is so pure and abundant that it can sustain my cultivation for a month, allowing me to condense a small portion of the soul sea barrier. At this rate, I can complete the barrier in two years at most, and then advance the *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture* to the sixth level."
With a wave of his hand, Chen Jianghe summoned a Rock Turtle. He then immediately cast a soul-snatching art, extracting its Mystic Turtle Soul Armor.
He continued to cultivate the *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture*.
The *Tidal Marrow Cleansing Art* had already reached the peak of the sixth level. To continue cultivating it, he needed the subsequent technique.
Furthermore, he had to form his core before he could cultivate the subsequent technique.
His current cultivation plan was clear.
Six hours cultivating the *Myriad Waters True Scripture*, six hours cultivating the *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture*, and twelve hours drawing talismans.
He didn't have many high-grade second-tier talisman materials left, only thirty-three sets. He now had thirty-seven high-grade second-tier talismans.
He was still ten talismans short of his ideal number.
There was nothing to be done about it.
Giving talismans to Yun Bufan was something he had to do.
A stalk of Azure Water Golden Lotus was invaluable; even giving away all the talismans in his possession would have been perfectly reasonable.
Another two months passed.
Chen Jianghe walked out of his cultivation chamber, sensing the dense Foundation Establishment mana in his dantian, which had now reached three hundred and thirty-eight drops.
He was just a stone's throw away from the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.
In another two years, he could cultivate up to three hundred and sixty drops of Foundation Establishment mana. At that point, his mana would be saturated, and he would only need to condense it and purge the impurities.
He would merge the individual drops of Foundation Establishment mana into a single entity, forming a sea of mana within his dantian.
"That must be Zhou Xiaoxuan."
Chen Jianghe noticed a disturbance in the message box; a new message had arrived.
He swept his spiritual sense over it.
It was indeed a message from Zhou Xiaoxuan.
Zhou Xiaoxuan had arrived at Muyun Market City and was just outside the Rosy Cloud Grotto.
Chen Jianghe opened the grotto's defensive formation, invited Zhou Xiaoxuan inside, and led her to the cave behind the waterfall.
Yun Bufan had fully recovered half a month ago and left the Rosy Cloud Grotto, taking up residence in an inn in Muyun Market City.
He was waiting to travel to Multitude Treasures Market City with Chen Jianghe.
The main reason was that Yu Daniu had also replied, saying he would arrive at Multitude Treasures Market City before New Year's Eve to attend the New Year's Eve auction.
A young beast with a high-grade third-rank bloodline.
This was a very powerful attraction for the Yu Clan.
Generally speaking, having a young beast with a high-grade third-rank bloodline was equivalent to having a second-tier spirit beast.
"Xiaoxuan, are you preparing to go to Heavenly Gate Market City?"
Chen Jianghe asked.
Zhou Xiaoxuan had said before that when she went to Heavenly Gate Market City, she would first come to Muyun Market City to give Chen Jianghe her gains from the Muyun Mystic Realm.
As for their deal, Chen Jianghe wasn't worried that Zhou Xiaoxuan would deceive him.
She was bound by a heart demon oath; unless she no longer wanted to form a core.
Zhou Xiaoxuan had great potential and was a disciple of the Sunset Glow Peak's Peak Lord, so she naturally harbored ambitions of Core Formation.
If she had truly obtained a valuable treasure in the mystic realm.
It would only make her ambition greater and her desire for Core Formation stronger, making it even less likely she would break her promise.
"My master has given the order, so I dare not disobey. I'll just treat it as a sect mission trial!"
A look of helplessness appeared on Zhou Xiaoxuan's face.
She didn't want to go to Heavenly Gate Market City, but she had no choice. Having been nurtured by Sunset Glow Peak, she naturally had to contribute when it mattered.
Heavenly Gate Market City was a resource that Sunset Glow Peak had to fight for.
Only by controlling Heavenly Gate Market City could Sunset Glow Peak maintain its status as a main peak.
"Uncle Chen, you don't need to worry about me. Master has already sent three Core Formation martial uncles to Heavenly Gate Market City ahead of us. The thirteen of us Foundation Establishment disciples are just going to make up the numbers."
With this sentence, Zhou Xiaoxuan revealed a piece of information to Chen Jianghe.
The internal strife in Heavenly Gate Market City had already escalated to involve Core Formation experts, and Foundation Establishment disciples were being sidelined.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
The five major branches of the Tiannan Sect's northern gate would certainly not give up their interests in Heavenly Gate Market City willingly.
A struggle was inevitable.
And this was just the conflict between Sunset Glow Peak and the five major branches.
The nine branches of the southern gate and the three branches of the northern gate appeared harmonious on the surface but were constantly fighting in the shadows. This time, however, the conflict was out in the open.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Chen Jianghe asked.
The help he could offer was limited to some spirit pills and talismans.
Even with talismans, he couldn't provide many.
The opening of the unknown mystic realm was imminent, and Chen Jianghe needed a sufficient reserve of talismans to ensure his safety within it.
Zhou Xiaoxuan shook her head.
She still had some talismans, and she had obtained many good things in the Muyun Mystic Realm this time.
They would allow her to advance to the peak of Foundation Establishment.
And give her a certain hope of achieving Core Formation.
Therefore, her potential was great, and she would be protected even in Heavenly Gate Market City.
Besides, if it truly came to a point where she had to fight, it wouldn't be a situation that a few high-grade second-tier talismans could resolve.
"I obtained a Core Formation spiritual item in the mystic realm. I have a chance at Core Formation in the future, so even in Heavenly Gate Market City, the martial uncles will look after me."
"You obtained a Core Formation spiritual item?"
A look of joy appeared on Chen Jianghe's face.
If she could obtain one Core Formation spiritual item, she could obtain a second one.
In other words, his chances of obtaining a Core Formation spiritual item were high.
Zhou Xiaoxuan nodded slightly.
"Although I didn't get a second Core Formation spiritual item, I got something close enough that Uncle Chen can exchange it for one."
Originally, their agreement was that Chen Jianghe would provide resources, and the second Core Formation spiritual item Zhou Xiaoxuan obtained in the mystic realm would belong to him.
If there was no second Core Formation spiritual item.
Then the first two quasi-third-tier spiritual items would go to Chen Jianghe.
If there weren't even any quasi-third-tier spiritual items.
It would mean Chen Jianghe's investment had failed.
But from what Zhou Xiaoxuan said, it was clear his investment had not failed; in fact, he had made a profit.
"Could it be that you obtained a quasi-third-tier soul-type spiritual item?"
Chen Jianghe said directly.
Exchange it for a Core Formation spiritual item.
From this sentence, it wasn't hard to guess what kind of quasi-third-tier spiritual item Zhou Xiaoxuan had obtained.
Only a soul-type quasi-third-tier spiritual item could be exchanged for a Core Formation spiritual item, because Lady Jinghong had promised one to anyone who could awaken her husband.
Zhou Xiaoxuan nodded and took out a spiritual ganoderma from her storage bag. It was three inches tall with a cap seven inches in diameter, entirely light green, as if carved from a piece of jasper.
As a second-tier Alchemist, Chen Jianghe recognized the spiritual item with a single glance.
Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma, a quasi-third-tier spiritual item, possessed dense and pure soul power that could be used directly to cultivate spiritual techniques.
It could also heal the severely injured souls of cultivators below the Core Formation realm.
It could also be refined into soul-type spirit pills, but that required a corresponding pill formula.
After taking out the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma, Zhou Xiaoxuan took out a thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma and handed both to Chen Jianghe.
This was what she had promised.
The first two quasi-third-tier spiritual items were to go to Chen Jianghe.
It was no loss for her; without Chen Jianghe's high-grade second-tier talismans and spirit pills, she would have never been able to obtain a Core Formation spiritual item.
To her, the value of a Core Formation spiritual item far exceeded these two quasi-third-tier spiritual items.
That Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma could be exchanged with Lady Jinghong for a Core Formation spiritual item.
But this would offend that Peak Lord from the Tiannan Sect.
"When you obtained this Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma, did anyone else see it?" Chen Jianghe asked.
Zhou Xiaoxuan understood what Chen Jianghe meant.
"Three disciples from my sect saw it, and a few cultivators from the Feng Kingdom also saw it."
"Uncle Chen, don't worry. This Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma can still be exchanged with Lady Jinghong. Her husband's soul has been injured for many years, which will surely have shortened his life. Even if he awakens, he'll only have about ten years to live."
"As long as that Peak Lord isn't a fool, he will personally come to exchange for the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma with you, Uncle Chen."
Zhou Xiaoxuan said.
Chen Jianghe fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
As Zhou Xiaoxuan said, Lady Jinghong's husband indeed didn't have much time left. However, a living dead person and a living person were two entirely different concepts.
A living dead person could do nothing to Lady Jinghong.
But a living person was a different story.
No matter how magnanimous the Peak Lord was, he couldn't possibly take the initiative to awaken Lady Jinghong's husband and endure his beloved being taken by another.
Therefore, using the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma to awaken Lady Jinghong's husband, even if only for a single day.
Would be a form of mental and physical torment for that Peak Lord.
However, the fact that he possessed the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma would surely not remain a secret.
Too many people had seen Zhou Xiaoxuan obtain the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma. Lady Jinghong was bound to find her.
And ask about the ganoderma's whereabouts.
Although Zhou Xiaoxuan affectionately called him "Uncle," the true nature of their relationship was a transactional one of mutual use.
Zhou Xiaoxuan only had one spirit-nurturing offensive artifact.
If Lady Jinghong offered to help her forge a spirit-nurturing defensive artifact in exchange, Zhou Xiaoxuan would surely sell him out without a second thought.
By the same token, he would do the same in her position.
After all, they had no substantial friendship.
She wasn't Jiang Ruxu or Zhuang Xinyan, so why would she keep a secret for him?
So, Chen Jianghe didn't mention the Spirit-Nourishing Ganoderma again.
The topic shifted back to Heavenly Gate Market City.
They talked for a while longer.
Chen Jianghe noticed a hesitant look in Zhou Xiaoxuan's eyes, as if she were weighing something internally.
He didn't ask.
To weigh something in one's heart, to find it hard to decide.
This involved someone else's secret.
Whether to speak of it or not was entirely up to her.
Just as she was about to leave.
Zhou Xiaoxuan had already walked out of the Rosy Cloud Grotto when she suddenly turned and sent Chen Jianghe a voice transmission.
"Uncle Chen, I want to ask you for something."
Chen Jianghe didn't respond, merely looking at Zhou Xiaoxuan calmly. He needed to know what it was before he could decide whether to help her.
"I would like to ask for your legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman, Uncle Chen."
Chen Jianghe was taken aback.
The Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman?
Zhou Xiaoxuan wasn't a Talisman Grandmaster. What did she want with the legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman?
Chen Jianghe said nothing.
Zhou Xiaoxuan had only stated her request, not mentioned any compensation. He couldn't just give her the legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman for free.
This was part of the foundation Luo Xiyue had left for him.
The Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman seemed like an ordinary five-element offensive talisman.
But in reality, it was extremely special. In terms of value, it was in no way inferior to the Purple Lightning Cloud-Piercing Talisman.
Because the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman had the property of attacking the soul.
Cultivators below the Core Formation realm generally had no means of soul defense, relying entirely on the defensive aspects of their spiritual cultivation techniques.
For example, the defensive measure of the *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture* that Chen Jianghe cultivated was the soul sea barrier.
The *Soul Sea Fortifying Scripture* was not a particularly powerful spiritual cultivation technique.
Therefore, other spiritual cultivation techniques also possessed some form of soul defense, but they were mostly only effective against brute-force spiritual sense attacks.
Against an attack from the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman, the innate defensive measures of spiritual cultivation techniques were somewhat lacking.
Seeing Chen Jianghe remain silent, Zhou Xiaoxuan knew he was waiting for her to propose terms of exchange.
The legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman was exceptionally valuable.
Even the Cen Clan, known as the Talisman Immortal Clan, did not possess such a special high-grade second-tier offensive talisman like the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman.
The soul-attacking property.
It was too alluring.
"I have been presumptuous. Please don't be offended, Uncle. I will visit again another day."
"Take care."
Chen Jianghe nodded, watching Zhou Xiaoxuan leave.
He could tell that Zhou Xiaoxuan currently did not possess any treasure of equal value to the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman's legacy.
As for the Core Formation spiritual item, she definitely wouldn't offer it.
If she did, forget the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman legacy; Chen Jianghe would give her the legacies for three different high-grade second-tier talismans.
Returning to the Rosy Cloud Grotto.
Chen Jianghe pondered Zhou Xiaoxuan's request.
"The legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman? What does she want it for? Is it for the Zhou Clan?"
The Zhou Clan was skilled at drawing talismans.
The Zhou Miaoyun of the past was a high-grade Talisman Master, and now the Zhou Clan had several high-grade first-tier Talisman Masters.
In the Qi Kingdom, north of the Heaven-Reaching River, they were considered a minor immortal official family.
After all, with Zhou Xiaoxuan's support, the Zhou Clan could still make a name for themselves.
But asking for the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman legacy just for the Zhou Clan seemed unreasonable. If she were asking, it would make more sense to ask for the legacy of the Meteorite Lightningfall Talisman or the Golden Light Body Protection Talisman.
After all, the Zhou Clan didn't even have a single second-tier Talisman Master.
Even if they obtained the legacy, they wouldn't be able to draw a high-grade second-tier talisman.
"She must be interested in the soul-attacking property of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman. What does she plan to do with it?"
The soul-attacking property of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman wasn't particularly powerful.
Only after it became a talisman treasure would its soul-attacking property manifest as a truly powerful soul attack.
Chen Jianghe shook his head.
He couldn't figure out why Zhou Xiaoxuan needed the legacy of the Wood Soul-Entangling Talisman.
He calculated the time.
The auction at Multitude Treasures Market City was still over a month away.
Spirit airships were now operating between the major market cities, so Chen Jianghe wasn't in a hurry to leave in the next day or two.
He could just go when the time was closer.
The time he had arranged with Yu Daniu was to meet at the Multitude Treasures Restaurant a few days before New Year's Eve.
"In another two months, I'll be one hundred and thirty-three. Daniu is only a few months younger than me. Sigh~"
Every time Chen Jianghe thought of this, he would lament how quickly time passed.
One hundred and thirty-three years was nothing to him.
But for Yu Daniu, it was not so kind.
The lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator was around one hundred and twenty years. Whether it was a little more or less depended on one's personal life-preservation skills.
Chen Jianghe had sent Yu Daniu both Youth Retaining Pills and Life Extension Pills.
Four Life Extension Pills, the maximum effective dose, could increase Yu Daniu's lifespan by eighteen years. Added to the ten years from the Youth Retaining Pill.
Theoretically, Yu Daniu could live to be around one hundred and forty-eight.
Chen Jianghe hoped that Yu Daniu could accompany him on the path of cultivation for a while longer.
He was the only brother he could truly confide in.
This was also why, every time he wrote a letter, he would remind Yu Daniu to pay more attention to his health and not worry about clan affairs.
He should leave things to the younger generation.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Jianghe walked out of his cultivation chamber. He first went inside the isolation formation and put Xiao Hei into a second-tier spirit beast pouch.
Nowadays, whenever he went out, Chen Jianghe would bring Xiao Hei with him.
Although the Feng Kingdom was very stable, it didn't hurt to be cautious.
Afterwards, he returned to the courtyard to wait for Zhuang Xinyan and Jiang Ruxu.
A month ago, he had arranged with the two women to go to Multitude Treasures Market City in the middle of the twelfth lunar month.
Jiang Ruxu was in the alchemy room at this time.
Zhuang Xinyan, on the other hand, walked out of her cultivation chamber. Seeing Chen Jianghe sitting in the courtyard, she gracefully approached.
She sat down next to Chen Jianghe, and they waited together for Jiang Ruxu to finish her alchemy.
Chen Jianghe had been using up Muscle-Growing and Bone-Mending Pills too quickly recently, so he had to ask Jiang Ruxu to help refine some more.
After Jiang Ruxu came out.
Chen Jianghe left the Rosy Cloud Grotto with the two women, only to see Yun Bufan already waiting outside.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Brother Yun."
"I just arrived myself."
Yun Bufan looked at Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan and cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Fairy Jiang, Fairy Zhuang."
"Fellow Daoist Yun."
Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan both nodded.
Yun Bufan had long heard of Jiang Ruxu's fame as an Alchemy Grandmaster. He never imagined that the little girl from Qiyun Mountain back then would become a renowned Alchemy Grandmaster in the Tiannan Region.
And an Alchemy Grandmaster capable of refining high-grade second-tier spirit pills at that.
The prestige of that title was immense.
This made him even more envious of Chen Jianghe's fortune.
To go from a Fishery Farmer to a Talisman Grandmaster and cultivate to the late stage of Foundation Establishment was already an incredible legend.
And the beauty by his side was an Alchemy Grandmaster.
But Yun Bufan didn't know that the most inconspicuous one, Zhuang Xinyan, was not without her own skills.
She was a Puppet Master.
After some pleasantries, the four of them went to the airship port together. They had originally intended to buy four tickets.
But upon seeing Chen Jianghe, the ticket clerk glanced at a portrait behind the counter, his expression changed, and he stood up respectfully.
He told Chen Jianghe that he didn't need to buy a ticket and could board an airship at any port in the Feng Kingdom.
"It's eighty spirit stones per person to Multitude Treasures Market City. The four of us saved three hundred and twenty spirit stones. This Ruan Tieniu is quite reliable, hehe..."
Jiang Ruxu chuckled lightly.
"Haha, he's become much more reliable."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
Compared to before, he was indeed much more reliable.
He wasn't surprised by the privilege Ruan Tieniu had given him. As the Right Prime Minister of the immortal kingdom, this was a trivial matter for Ruan Tieniu.
The four of them boarded the hundred-zhang airship.
On both sides of the airship were two large characters.
One side read "Feng Kingdom," and the other read "Xichuan."
Above the airship was a large flag with the word "Muyun" written on it.
It signified that this airship belonged to Muyun Market City of Xichuan Prefecture in the Feng Kingdom.
As the sixth largest market city in the Tiannan Region, the airship port of Muyun Market City had over a dozen huge airships docked.
They could travel to all the major market cities and prefectural cities in the Feng Kingdom.
Chen Jianghe's group of four was led to the third level of the airship, a rest area generally reserved for False Core rogue cultivators and grandmasters of the hundred arts.
Of course, even if Chen Jianghe wasn't a Talisman Grandmaster, he could still access the third level for rest based on his relationship with Ruan Tieniu.
As for Yun Bufan, since he was with Chen Jianghe, he could naturally go to the third level as well.
Needless to say, Jiang Ruxu's status as an Alchemy Grandmaster was even higher than Chen Jianghe's.
As for Zhuang Xinyan, it was rumored that she was Chen Jianghe's sworn sister, so she could also go to the third level.
"I never thought Fellow Daoist Ruan would cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment and become the Immortal Commissioner and acting Right Prime Minister of Feng Kingdom's Xichuan Prefecture."
Yun Bufan remarked with emotion.
He had met Ruan Tieniu a long time ago.
Eighty years ago, Ruan Tieniu and the Xu brothers were entrusted by Chen Jianghe to go to Mirror Moon Lake and bring Yu Daniu's family to Qinghe Market City.
At that time, Ruan Tieniu had just broken through to the early stage of Foundation Establishment and was a humble demon hunter.
Who would have thought that eighty years later, the former demon hunter would transform into the lofty Right Prime Minister of an immortal kingdom?
In charge of cultivators.
In other words, all cultivators in the Feng Kingdom were, in theory, under Ruan Tieniu's jurisdiction.
Chen Jianghe just smiled and said nothing more.
The ways of the world are unpredictable, and one's future is hard to determine.
Who knows what the future holds?
Therefore, it's never wrong to cultivate good relationships. A former servant might one day become an unattainable existence.
Just like Chen Batian, the servant prodigy who shook the Tiannan Region.
...
These large airships were great in every way, except they were too slow.
They flew for a full twenty hours to cover a distance of thirty thousand li before finally arriving at Multitude Treasures Market City.
Looking down from the airship, Multitude Treasures Market City could no longer be called a market city; it was an immortal city.
As the prefectural city of Xichuan Prefecture.
Multitude Treasures Market City had expanded tenfold, even incorporating several mountains on the outskirts of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range into its boundaries.
It was only because of the large number of mortals.
That it couldn't be called an immortal city.
This was Chen Jianghe's first time in Multitude Treasures Market City. After disembarking from the airship, he hired a guide—not a cultivator, but a mortal.
It only cost two grains of spirit sand for a day, much cheaper than a cultivator guide.
Chen Jianghe didn't know what Multitude Treasures Market City was like before.
But it certainly wasn't as good as it was now.
This was the best market city Chen Jianghe had ever seen, bar none.
Immortals and mortals coexisted, interconnected yet not interfering with one another.
Multitude Treasures Market City provided many beneficial jobs for mortals, giving them a chance to step onto the path of cultivation.
Even if you didn't have spirit roots, as long as your descendants did, there was hope for them to enter the path of cultivation and become immortals who could fly through the sky and burrow through the earth.
Most importantly, Multitude Treasures Market City was safe.
"Mortals are allowed to handle spirit stones. Aren't you afraid of being robbed?" Chen Jianghe asked, looking at the young lad guiding him.
"You Immortals may not know, but our Prime Minister Ruan is ruthless towards rogue cultivators. The ones within a five-thousand-li radius have all moved away."
"If an immortal commits robbery in the prefectural city, their spirit roots are crippled, and they are punished by mortals. If it's a mortal, they're thrown directly into the mines to dig with the immortal laborers for twenty years, until they die of exhaustion."