Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

In the end,

Shen Changchuan chose a facial-altering Magic called the Transformation Technique.

With his progress bar panel, Shen Changchuan knew he could quickly cultivate the technique to Perfection.

He could then alter his appearance and achieve his goal of adopting a new identity.

At this thought,

Shen Changchuan nodded to himself internally.

After they finished discussing Shen Changchuan’s own Cultivation matters,

the conversation turned to other chambers of commerce who had been using Si Houqing to sound out Shen Changchuan about setting up shop in Dawan Village.

To be honest,

as the Shopkeeper of a chamber of commerce, Si Houqing naturally didn’t want other competitors to join and fight over customers.

But what he wanted was one thing.

What he had to do in reality was another.

Although the few chambers of commerce struggling in this remote corner would occasionally clash over profits, they also supported each other when facing danger. They had to form joint merchant caravans to travel through this Border Desolate Land during the summer and autumn seasons to earn Spirit Stones.

Though they were rivals, they shared a loose alliance that made it difficult to refuse them outright.

After all,

those who eat alone don’t go far.

Secondly, and most importantly,

even if he brazenly hogged all the profits and denied others entry,

the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce simply didn’t have the strength to swallow this massive piece of fat meat all by itself!

Lately, the caravans traveling back and forth between Qing City and Dawan Village had been attacked more than once.

In these turbulent times, where the waters were muddied and filled with both fish and dragons,

countless people were looking to fish in troubled waters.

And this

was precisely why Si Houqing had refused Shen Changchuan and didn’t dare transport an elixir as precious as the Cyan Jade Pill.

If he continued to hog the profits at a time like this,

it would lead to big problems!

Rather than let that happen, it was better to be generous, act as a go-between, and build some bridges. When the time came, everyone’s caravans could travel together in a group, which would maximize their safety.

Besides,

Dawan Village didn’t belong to the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce. They were simply the first to eat the crab.

Whether other chambers of commerce could move in wasn’t for the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce to decide.

Considering that moving in required paying a large sum of Spirit Stones as rent,

why should he be the bad guy

and stop Shen Changchuan from earning even more Spirit Stones?

Driven by these many reasons,

Si Houqing had finally agreed to act as the liaison, contacting Shen Changchuan and taking the initiative to inform him of the matter.

’If I can’t stop it,’

’I might as well go with the flow and do them a favor.’

As for other merchant caravans setting up shop,

Shen Changchuan naturally had no objections whatsoever.

After learning from Si Houqing that a single Cyan Jade Pill cost five hundred Spirit Stones,

Shen Changchuan realized

that he was, in fact, still very poor.

Five hundred Spirit Stones for one elixir.

At that rate, his current stash of Spirit Stones was only enough to buy a dozen or so pills.

And a dozen or so Cyan Jade Pills might not even be enough to get him from the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Early Stage to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Peak.

What’s more,

after the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, there was still the Eighth Layer and Ninth Layer!

This reaffirmed a fact for Shen Changchuan: the path of relying on elixirs was not one ordinary people could afford to walk.

In the entire Immortal Cultivation Realm, perhaps not even one in a hundred could afford the cost of such a path!

’To cultivate faster, I need to consume more resources.’

’Naturally, the more Spirit Stones, the better!’

With this mindset,

Shen Changchuan would certainly not refuse their request to move in.

However,

Si Houqing was only a messenger.

The specific details would have to be negotiated by the shopkeepers of the other chambers of commerce themselves.

Of course,

Si Houqing had given Shen Changchuan a heads-up, telling him that when the time came to quote a price, he could ask for a minimum of three thousand Spirit Stones from each chamber.

Speaking of which, the rent Si Houqing had originally agreed upon was 3,500 Spirit Stones.

It might seem like he got a raw deal.

But that wasn’t the right way to look at it.

Compared to the other chambers of commerce,

the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce had monopolized the business opportunity for nearly two months. The profits they had earned, when calculated, far exceeded the five-hundred-Spirit-Stone difference!

The benefits Si Houqing had reaped were far greater than what these latecomers could hope for, so it was only natural that he should pay more Spirit Stones.

「Half a day later」

Shen Changchuan took his leave.

When he returned to the Half-Mountain Courtyard,

he saw a scene in the distance: people working together, drenched in sweat, painstakingly chipping away at the soil of a Spirit Field that had hardened into blocks as tough as granite.

A sigh of lament escaped him.

’Farming,

truly is a profession with no future!’

Take the twelve acres of Spirit Fields in Dawan Village, for example. A whole year of painstaking planting and harvesting only yielded one or two hundred Spirit Stones.

But the rent from allowing a chamber of commerce to set up a trading post could bring in over three thousand Spirit Stones in a single deal!

That amount of Spirit Stones

would take fifteen years of diligent labor in the fields to accumulate!

The comparison

was truly staggering.

Of course,

obtaining this rent was the result of pure chance and a change in circumstances.

If it weren’t for the enormous profits brought by the Cyan Essence Water Grass, the influx of outside Cultivators, the Wu Family Collection closing its Mountain Gate and refusing all outsiders as it became the eye of the storm, Shen Changchuan’s identity as a member of the Tian Nan Shen Clan, and the Tian Nan Shen Clan’s banner flying over Dawan Village—

if not for all that, Dawan Village wouldn’t be able to collect three thousand Spirit Stones in rent. In fact, they probably couldn’t even pay people to come!

Every single one of those conditions had been indispensable.

It was like winning five million in the lottery—

a complete windfall from heaven,

and utterly impossible to replicate.

It couldn’t be considered a normal state of affairs.

...

There were still a few days before the shopkeepers from the other chambers of commerce would arrive to negotiate.

During this time,

Shen Changchuan had nothing urgent to do and found himself with some free time.

His constant, diligent closed-door Cultivation had left him feeling a bit weary. So, he decided to take advantage of the lull after his promotion to the Seventh Layer and give himself a few days off.

In his leisure time, he would occasionally inspect the progress of the spring planting or go to the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce’s trading post in the east of the village to chat with Si Houqing.

When he was free, he would offer guidance on Cultivation to his grandfather Han Qinhu, his uncle Han Dayong, and the other Cultivators in the village.

He also occasionally reviewed the Beast Taming Secret Technique he had acquired, wondering when he would be able to tame that Gale Falcon.

Life was quite pleasant.

Five or six days passed just like that.

But before the shopkeepers from the other chambers of commerce arrived to discuss moving in,

an unexpected visitor came to call, asking to see him, Shen Changchuan.

The visitor was a figure in a black robe, their head covered by a conical hat.

Upon seeing Shen Changchuan arrive,

the person removed the conical hat that hid their face, revealing a youthful countenance.

He bowed politely to Shen Changchuan and said,

"I am Wu Tianhao. Greetings, Young Friend Shen. Please forgive me for this presumptuous visit!"

His voice was warm and mellow, making one feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

But after hearing his self-introduction,

Shen Changchuan first froze, but then a tempest surged in his heart.

Wu Tianhao.

’Isn’t that the genius from the Wu Family who was sent to the Yuqing Sect twenty years ago?’

’What is he doing here?!’