Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li hastily offered his modesty.

Xia Hongyi made some courteous remarks and wasn’t in a rush to discuss serious matters. He picked up the thread of conversation and chatted about all sorts of things, occasionally inquiring about Chen Li’s past experiences. While talking, he compared what he learned with the information he had collected, secretly weighing and observing the other person.

"...I’ve been hanging around in Green River District before, but later the situation there deteriorated, with demon beasts running rampant. It was only in the past few years that I managed to join the Yu Family’s caravan and migrate to Luoluo City." Chen Li knew this was a necessary background check, so he told the truth, his attitude polite yet respectful.

"The Yu Family?"

"They’re a Foundation Establishment family that came to Green River District to escape from the chaos of war." Chen Li briefly explained, "Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been easy to leave Green River District."

"I am aware of Green River District; it’s located in the Barbaric Wilderness, surrounded by dangers on all sides." Xia Hongyi’s demeanor was gentle, and he smiled, "It is indeed not easy for a Fellow Daoist, a Loose Cultivator like yourself, to successfully establish a foundation."

Chen Li once again demurred modestly.

Xia Hongyi was satisfied in his heart.

From the information gathered, the other party appeared to be a typical local Loose Cultivator.

His growth trajectory was traceable with no sect affiliation, no backup, and no ties to the prior Longevity Sect. It was even less likely that he was a spy sent by other sects.

"You’re new to the Returning True Sect, so I imagine you must be busy with many trifles. I won’t chat much longer!" After saying that, Xia Hongyi asked him to wait for a moment. He then went into the inner room, returning after about ten minutes.

He came back with a storage bag, handed it over with a smile, and said:

"I have already registered you in the records. Inside there is a set of our sect’s second-order low-grade monk robes, ten bottles of Gathering Qi Elixirs, and one top-grade Spirit Stone, which are to serve as a welcome gift to you. There is also a Guest Elder identity token and a jade slip. The content in the jade slip should help you to familiarize yourself with the sect quickly.

As for the cultivation techniques, you will select them yourself from the scripture vault with the Guest Elder token when the time comes.

The Returning True Sect has a total of five Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques that lead directly to the Golden Core stage, including those of the former Longevity Sect. Each technique has its strengths and weaknesses, so you must choose with great caution, and I will not overstep my bounds in this matter."

"Thank you, Sect Affairs Leader." After accepting it with both hands, Chen Li said respectfully.

"No need for politeness. By rights, I should take you to meet with the old ancestor, but unfortunately, he is currently in closed-door cultivation and not to be disturbed." Xia Hongyi twirled his beard, smiling, "Fortunately, there will be plenty of opportunities later. The initiation ceremony is set for three days from now, and we will all meet then."

Afterward, Xia Hongyi explained some of the rules that Guest Elders were required to follow and some other matters to pay attention to. Then he called over a gatekeeper disciple to accompany Chen Li to choose a cave dwelling that suited him.

...

The cave dwelling was far from the bustling market at the mountain’s peak, located on the mountainside below the summit. Compared to the noisy area there, this place was shaded by greenery, with ancient trees and old vines, and a babbling brook winding down the hill, teeming with clusters of fish and shrimp playing in the water.

"Elder Chen, there are currently seven vacant cave dwellings available, each connected to a branch of Luanluo Mountain’s third-order spirit vein. They are the Returning True Sect’s top-tier cultivation sanctuaries." The gatekeeper disciple respectfully introduced.

"Let’s take a look first!" Chen Li said indifferently.

"Yes, elder."

After making his selection, Chen Li finally chose a relatively secluded spot to settle down.

He waved his hand to dismiss the gatekeeper disciple.

Only then did Chen Li and Zhou Hong take a good look at this cave dwelling. Although referred to as a cave dwelling, most of the buildings were located outside the cave, with a courtyard of several acres. Only the places for cultivation, such as the meditation rooms, were inside the cave.

"The spiritual energy is so rich here. Are we going to live here from now on?" Zhou Hong said with delight.

Chen Li nodded and smiled, "Let’s settle down first, tidy up everything, and then there will be plenty of time to look around."

He then turned to Zhang Shuniang, who stood aside somewhat uncomfortably, and said reassuringly, "Don’t be constrained, think of this place as your own home."

Zhang Shuniang felt warmth in her heart upon hearing this: "Yes, uncle."

After that, Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang got busy cleaning, while Chen Li began to set up the Five Elements Illusionary Formation according to the directions he had calculated. He noticed that many Foundation Establishment dwellings he passed by on the way had formations set up, so he decided to follow the local custom.

Unfortunately, this type of second-order mid-grade formation didn’t offer much defensive power.

Someone with a slight understanding of formations could break it, so it was better than nothing.

But being inside the Returning True Sect, there didn’t seem to be any danger.

After setting up the formation, Chen Li handed the two sub-control tokens to Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang. Once they refined and linked themselves with the tokens, they could control the formation and enter and exit freely without being affected by the formation.

This was the reason why a set of formations was extremely expensive.

Too complicated.

Just the components of the formation array totaled eighteen, with seven control tokens, each equating to a Magic Artifact. Altogether, the items weighed around fifty to sixty pounds. Buying a set of formations was like buying a large pile of Magic Artifacts.

By the afternoon, when everything was finished, the three of them had a quick lunch. Chen Li then went out to visit the neighbors.

...

The first neighbor he visited happened to be an acquaintance.

"I am Chen Li, the new Guest Elder. I pay my respects to you, Fellow Daoist."

Bai Yuqing opened the formation, surprised to see Chen Li. She vaguely remembered his face but couldn’t recall where they had met: "It turns out to be Fellow Daoist Chen. Please come in!"

Once inside the cave dwelling, the two settled down to sit, and a maid quickly served up fragrant tea before respectfully withdrawing.

"I had heard before that a new Guest Elder was expected to arrive, but I didn’t imagine that I’d see you in person so soon, and as a neighbor at that," Bai Yuqing said with a stiff smile. "Congratulations on your Foundation Establishment, truly a joyous occasion."

Bai Yuqing was clearly not one for social graces, her nature was to avoid unnecessary interactions.

But Chen Li felt secretly elated in his heart.

A year ago, had he encountered this individual, he would have had to respectfully address her as senior, and if he misspoke, he would have had to worry about possibly receiving a slap in the face.

But now, having established his foundation,

even she had to curb her nature and be politely insincere.

Their statuses were now vastly different.

Seeing her unnaturally strained expression, an evil sense of pleasure arose in Chen Li’s heart, and he relentlessly sought out topics of conversation, dragging the talk from one pointless subject to another.

After an awkward chat, Chen Li then made his apologies and proposed they say their goodbyes.

Bai Yuqing finally let out a long sigh of relief, rose to see him off, and walked him to the door when a thought suddenly struck her; her mouth opened slightly before she exclaimed, "You’re the Loose Cultivator from the conscription two years ago, the one in my escort group?"

"Fellow Daoist Bai has a remarkable memory. The elegance you displayed at the time is still fresh in my memory. Please halt, and I will pay a visit another day," Chen Li said with a smile as he clasped his hands in farewell.

"Ah, of course, of course, Fellow Daoist Chen, please take care," Bai Yuqing said, her face colored with embarrassment.

After seeing off Chen Li, she returned to her cave dwelling, still finding the whole situation somewhat unbelievable.

Back then, he had been no more than ordinary among the group, completely unremarkable.

Who would have thought that in just one year, he would quietly achieve Foundation Establishment!

...

The day passed with him getting settled and paying visits.

At night,

Chen Li sat cross-legged in a quiet room.

The chamber was nine meters square, with a stone door on one side, and smooth rock walls all around.

"This really is an excellent place for cultivation!" The spiritual energy here was abnormally rich, and even without actively cultivating, the spiritual energy continuously flowed in.

"Tomorrow I’ll go to the Scripture Pavilion to see if I can find a suitable cultivation technique for Foundation Establishment."

After establishing his foundation, he continued to practice the Longevity Skill.

Unfortunately, it had been over a month since his Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation level seemed completely stagnant, without the slightest advancement.

Chen Li fell silent for a moment.

He took out the Storage Bag gifted by the Returning True Sect.

He infused his spiritual power and quickly began refining it—the Storage Bag was just a Single Storage Bag.

He took out everything inside one by one.

A set of Second Order low-grade robes, ten bottles of Gathering Qi Elixir, one top-grade Spirit Stone, an Identity Token, and an information jade slip.

He picked up the Identity Token; it was made of profound iron, heavy and solid.

One side had the words ’Guest Elder,’ and the other held his name and information. He toyed with it for a moment before gently setting it down.

Then he took the jade slip.

He immersed his consciousness into it.

The contents of the jade slip were complex, and it took Chen Li over ten minutes just to grasp the general idea.

The information he received was bittersweet.

The joy was that, as a newly joined Guest Elder, he had a two-year grace period during which he only needed to focus on cultivation, nothing else. The worry was that after two years, he would have to comply with the sect’s arrangements.

Conscription was only one aspect of it.

Other duties included clearing hidden dangers from the territory, guarding the major markets, and even participating in wars.

In this regard, the Zhenzong treated everyone equally, whether it was an inner sect Foundation Establishment or an external Guest Elder; no one could escape, all were treated the same.

Of course, such tasks came with exceptionally generous rewards; an annual salary of fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones was just the base pay, and executing even a simple task could earn rewards many times greater than that.

"The world is a tough place. Even after reaching Foundation Establishment one cannot truly be free." Thinking of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had died in recent years, more than he could count on both hands, Chen Li couldn’t help but sigh,

"Perhaps only upon reaching the Golden Core stage can one truly roam without any restraint!"

"Ah, sleep, time to sleep!"

He put away his belongings and got up from the quiet room.