Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Soul Emergence!

Only a cultivator in the Soul Emergence Realm could achieve something like this!

In fact, judging by how effortlessly he had performed the feat, this person’s power and Realm were likely even higher than that of the Shen Family Patriarch in Wu Family Collection!

Feeling the irresistible force lift him to his feet, Shen Changchuan’s heart grew cold.

His thoughts raced in disarray.

’That means the Wu Family in Wu Family Collection now has a total of three True Cultivators in the Soul Emergence Realm watching over it!’

’And this one before me is a disciple of the Yuqing Immortal Sect!’

He represented the authority of that behemoth, a power that stood above even the Tian Nan Shen Clan!

’With Wu Tianhao’s return, it’s safe to say the balance of power in the surrounding Immortal Cultivation Realm will instantly tip in the Wu Family’s favor.’

’What will the Wu Family do next?’

’Will they put an end to this farce?’

’If this situation ends, and all those foreign cultivators who gathered here retreat and leave the Border Desolate Land, wouldn’t my original plan to attract more chambers of commerce and earn rent go bankrupt?!’

’That’s an income of nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones!’

The look in Shen Changchuan’s eyes flickered uncertainly.

’No!’

’With such enormous profits at stake, the Wu Family probably can’t end this even if they want to!’

’The Border Desolate Land may be barren, but it’s vast, and most of it is undeveloped. Adventuring inside can still yield considerable rewards.’

’This undoubtedly allows those foreign cultivators to earn a decent income.’

’Even without the rumored Secret Realm where the Cyan Essence Water Grass grows, the income from exploring the mountains and forests is enough to make them stay.’

’If the Wu Family wants to put an end to all this, I’m afraid it won’t be that easy!’

’After all, there are definitely more than a few Soul Emergence Realm cultivators like Shen Tingchu, lurking in the shadows and watching hungrily without making a move!’

At this thought, Shen Changchuan felt a little more at ease.

After all, this was a matter directly related to his own interests.

As long as the rumors weren’t stamped out, as long as cultivators from the outside world still came to the Border Desolate Land to hunt for treasure,

then his business of leasing out shops could continue.

He could still earn a large income of Spirit Stones as originally planned!

In the short span of one or two breaths, all these thoughts had flashed through Shen Changchuan’s mind.

Of course, Wu Tianhao had no way of knowing what Shen Changchuan was thinking.

After casually using his Magical Power to help Shen Changchuan up, he flipped his palm and retrieved a Jade Bottle containing an Elixir from his Storage Bag.

"Little Brother Shen, this is an Essence Condensing Barrier-Breaking Pill. It can help a cultivator break through from the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Peak to the Qi Introduction Eighth Layer without any negative repercussions."

"Consider it a small gift for our first meeting, and also compensation for my presumptuousness in inspecting your Cultivation."

"Cultivate well. I hope you will have progressed further by the next time we meet."

"When that time comes, you might just get an opportunity..."

Placing the Jade Bottle containing the Elixir in Shen Changchuan’s hand,

Wu Tianhao spoke with a somewhat cryptic tone.

Shen Changchuan’s mouth fell open. The other party’s kindness was so sudden that a question escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"Elder Wu, this is..."

"Let’s call it an investment. After all, a fifteen-year-old at the Qi Introduction Late Stage who has also mastered several arts of Magic to the Perfection Level is not a common sight."

"Perhaps one day in the future, you and I could even become fellow disciples."

"As for the specifics, you don’t need to ask. Knowing too much wouldn’t be a good thing for you right now."

Wu Tianhao smiled and clasped his hands in a farewell gesture.

"I have important matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave for now."

"Forgive my unannounced visit. If fate wills it, we shall meet again!"

As he spoke, he made a gesture, and the Conical Hat a short distance away flew backward as if it had lost its gravity, landing in his hand.

Wu Tianhao placed the Conical Hat on his head and turned to leave.

His figure flickered a few times and vanished in an instant, before Shen Changchuan even had a chance to ask him to stay.

Shen Changchuan stood there stunned for a long while, staring at the Elixir in his hand.

He felt utterly bewildered.

This prodigy from the Wu Family had shown up for no apparent reason and then left just as mysteriously.

’He wanted to invest in me?’

’But he’s a prodigy himself. As the only person from this region in decades to enter the Yuqing Immortal Sect for Cultivation, Shen Changchuan didn’t believe for a second that the man didn’t possess a shred of pride.’

’And a proud person only believes in themself. Why would they invest in a stranger?’

’It’s too illogical!’

’And what was this "opportunity" he mentioned?’

After thinking for a long time, Shen Changchuan couldn’t come up with an answer.

In the end, he could only put those questions to the back of his mind.

...

Wu Tianhao’s mystifying visit, while netting Shen Changchuan a benefit, also plunged him into a state of anxiety.

Although he reassured himself that Wu Tianhao’s return shouldn’t affect the flow of foreign cultivators in the area,

his very presence was bound to have a huge impact on the current situation.

Several more days passed amidst Shen Changchuan’s worries.

No news of Wu Tianhao’s return circulated in the outside world.

However, Shen Changchuan no longer had time to pay attention to such matters.

The shopkeepers from several chambers of commerce had arrived in Dawan Village to personally negotiate the rental terms for setting up shop with Shen Changchuan.

To be honest, these business negotiations were rather tedious.

Although the major chambers of commerce were all coveting the foot traffic in the commercial district east of Dawan Village, hoping to move in and earn Spirit Stones,

a rent of over three thousand Spirit Stones was, after all, no small sum.

The reason Si Houqing had paid the Spirit Stones so readily was because he had been in contact with Shen Changchuan from the beginning. Now was the perfect opportunity to expand his investment and strengthen their relationship, so he didn’t mind bleeding a little, offering such a reasonable price after calculating that the profits would still be substantial.

Otherwise, normal haggling would have likely driven the price down into the one-to-two-thousand Spirit Stone range long ago.

And Si Houqing’s gambit had indeed succeeded.

Shen Changchuan was not an ungrateful person; he remembered this favor from Si Houqing.

If the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce fell on hard times in the future, he wouldn’t mind lending a hand if he were able.

He wouldn’t even mind entrusting some business matters to him if he advanced to the Soul Emergence Realm later on.

After all, business was business no matter who you worked with, and at least with an acquaintance, you knew who you were dealing with.

But from the perspective of the other chambers of commerce, things were different.

To the outside world, Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation Realm still appeared to be around the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer.

In the eyes of outsiders, that wasn’t particularly impressive.

And even if Shen Changchuan revealed his Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Cultivation, Si Houqing had already beaten them to it, placing his bet early.

The benefits of placing a bet now wouldn’t be as great.

Under these circumstances, the issue of rent naturally had to be calculated down to the last fraction.

Business was business.

They had to lower the rent as much as possible through negotiation to maximize their own profits.