Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li visited Bai Yuqing the very next day.

"Ah, it’s Chen, please come in!"

"Tsk tsk, Fellow Daoist, your Spiritual Plant Garden is growing even better, lush and green, with flowers in full bloom. There seem to be about a dozen varieties here?

With all kinds of spirit plants complementing each other, even a layman like me can vaguely discern some patterns."

Guided by Bai Yuqing, Chen Li walked through formations, along the floral path, looking at the courtyard full of spirit plants, and couldn’t help but praise.

"You are too modest, Fellow Daoist. These are just trifles. I don’t spend much effort on them ordinarily, as they are mostly tended by a few maidservants," Bai Yuqing said with a blush, squeezing out a slightly stiff smile. "If Fellow Daoist needs, I can gift you one to take to your residence."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but as a straightforward man, I’ll decline," Chen Li waved his hand dismissively.

Over the years, the courtyard of his dwelling had become thoroughly wrecked by him.

When he first moved in, the yard had many trees and was covered with shade.

Now, not to mention trees, there weren’t even many blades of grass left.

The whole ground was pockmarked, as if bombarded by meteors, and had become nothing more than a training ground.

The two chatted amiably and made their way into the cave dwelling to sit down. A maidservant quickly served up fragrant tea and snacks, respectfully retreated, and then they formally got to the heart of their discussion.

"Fellow Daoist has sought me out, so there must be something you wish to discuss?"

"Indeed, I have come seeking your advice. As war is on the horizon, and as someone who comes from the background of a Loose Cultivator, this is my first experience of such events and I’m quite at a loss. Could you advise me on what to expect when the time comes?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuqing sighed:

"In truth, there aren’t any special techniques to it. Sect conflicts are typically resolved with formation against formation, or flying boat against formation. Once a formation is broken, it comes down to individual combat. The main factor is the strength of each side’s Golden Core Ancestors. If our ancestor prevails, the casualties will be lower, but if they are defeated, then it’s all over.

Prepare more life-saving items, restrain your greed, don’t isolate yourself, and your chances of survival should be greater."

A single sentence summarized that the outcome of the leading forces usually determined the outcome of the entire war!

Chen Li felt a heavy heart upon hearing this and asked:

"May I inquire about the strength of the Heavenly Star Sect?"

"They used to be not much different from us, with sect leaders in the mid-stage of Golden Core. But in the last few years, they’ve added another Golden Core, which is why they’ve become so aggressive, resulting in friction with the Hongshan Sect."

Considering this, the Returning True Sect is no better off.

Chen Li criticized internally.

First, there was the attack on the Longevity Sect, and now there’s preparation for an assault on the Heavenly Star Sect.

No matter how you look at it, our Returning True Sect seems like the villain.

Pouncing whenever there’s benefit to be had.

Involved in every war without fail!

Facing such an ambitious sect leader, Chen Li didn’t know whether to feel fortunate or to consider himself unlucky.

He remembered the Longevity Sect, now reduced to ashes,

And the once-prominent six Foundation Establishment families of Luoluo City, now vanished.

He hoped the Returning True Sect wouldn’t meet such an end.

He couldn’t change the will of a Golden Core expert, so he could only pray silently that his Sect Leader would prove capable.

...

A month later.

In the quiet chamber.

"Whew!"

"Finally succeeded!"

Chen Li exhaled a breath of turbid air, and slowly lowered his hands, calming his turbulent spiritual power.

Having broken through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment, he was now a cultivator at the third Foundation Establishment level.

What many cultivators considered a challenging and perilous milestone seemed like a walk in the park to him. It had taken just three days to breakthrough naturally, without causing the slightest disturbance.

He felt the thick spiritual power circulating through his body, realizing it had increased substantially.

"With my current strength, as long as I’m not unlucky enough to encounter a Golden Core on the battlefield, I should have a fair chance at self-preservation," Chen Li thought to himself.

Once the agitated spiritual power had settled,

He rose, pushed open the stone door, and stepped out of the quiet chamber.

In the sweltering summer night, the buzzing of insects and croaking of frogs created a cacophony.

Chen Li basked in the gentle cool breeze and, after relaxing mentally for a while, he checked the game panel.

"Lifespan: 51/295"

His lifespan had increased by two years, a small yet not insignificant gain.

He then looked at other aspects.

In the category of spells, aside from the Rainbow Transformation Skill, Earth-Shocking Skill, and Earth Escape Skill, which were all second-order spells, all others had reached max level, and even those three second-order spells were already at the level of a grandmaster.

Max level was not far off.

Beyond this,

the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill was also nearing master level.

"I wonder what changes will occur when it reaches master level?"

Chen Li was vaguely expectant.

Ever since he had paused the ’Jade Bones’ phase and started cultivating the ’Immortal Muscles’ and ’Energy Organs’ phases,

under the consumption of a vast number of Spirit Stones, his physical strength began to rise swiftly. Simultaneously, his power continued to grow; he now possessed a pure strength of five tons, and could crush a low-grade second-order magic artifact with one hand.

As for the explosive power, it was four to five times more than that, easily allowing him to deliver a sonic boom with a single strike.

Body cultivation indeed proved to be stronger than that of an ordinary cultivator, but the consumption was also much greater.

Those without substantial wealth should not even think of cultivating.

Since he had started practicing the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill, in less than two years, just the cost of bathing in medicinal elixirs every two days had already exceeded thirty top-grade Spirit Stones, not to mention the consumption of Body Tempering Elixirs and second-order Demon Beast Meat.

The amount of money spent could almost buy a high-grade magical instrument.

It was only because Chen’s income from making talismans was not low, coupled with last year’s windfall, that he barely managed to keep going.

...

With war approaching,

the sect frequently held various small-scale exchange meetings, and Chen was also invited to participate in one.

In the end, he spent eleven top-grade Spirit Stones to buy a mid-grade second-order flying sword from Xiao Yuan as a backup.

Although he already had a mid-grade second-order flying sword,

it was not something that could be displayed openly.

Fortunately, the more advanced the magic artifact, the better its value was retained.

When not in use, one could send it to an auction, and not lose too many Spirit Stones; in the case of encountering someone oblivious to its value, one might even earn some profit.

Every time he thought of the items from the previous auctions, now only able to gather dust in the storage bag, Chen increasingly regretted it. It was a pity that now, with the strict orders not to go out, he had no way to sell them.

After reaching the third level of Foundation Establishment, Chen’s cultivation pace slowed down somewhat again.

From originally progressing every seven days, it changed to every nine days; fortunately, this speed of cultivation was still extremely fast.

By calculation, it was less than three years.

Even faster than when he went from the first to the second level of Foundation Establishment.

In the meantime, with Chen’s focused practice, the Rainbow Transformation Skill finally reached max level.

...

The summer sun blazed fiercely, as if the sun itself was a big ball of fire.

The once swampy area had dried out and cracked, with fissures deep enough to fit a fist, and several crocodile-like large lizards also sprawled lazily at the bottom of the remaining mud ponds, motionless.

Chen silently chanted a spell, his hands moving swiftly like shadows to form seals.

In just a blink of an eye,

a rainbow light wrapped around his body, he skyrocketed into the air, and streaked away like a beam of light. After flying for over a dozen miles, he landed with a whoosh on a mountaintop, shattering a rock upon impact.

"Finally, there’s the sensation of speeding like lightning!"

Chen exclaimed joyously, releasing the pressure he felt before battle.

The max-level Rainbow Transformation Skill was much faster than the Max-Level Primordial Magnetism Evasion Skill, with a speed already over a hundred meters per second.

ps: I’m begging for some monthly votes ahhhh!