Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"Alas, with so much money, I don’t even know how to spend it!" Chen Li sighed for a while.

He pondered silently:

"Next, I should buy a good sword. The Green Jade Sword is increasingly unable to keep up with my own strength, its attack is just too weak, seriously affecting my battle strength. If I had a good sword in hand, I believe I could stand a chance even against those in the late stages of Foundation Establishment."

The Flying Boat flew slowly.

Several people chatted casually.

"I just inquired, and it seems that Tong Hui also died," Xiao Yuan said.

"Ah, Tong Hui is dead? I heard he had the potential to break through to the late stages of Foundation Establishment!" Hu Buwei exclaimed.

Chen Li had only met this person once or twice, his impression was of someone silent and stern, who was frequently in seclusion.

"He was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, not even seventy years old, he even had a glimmer of hope for the Golden Core. He had prospects for the Great Dao, and he normally stayed away from women, cultivating with little desire. Now that he’s dead, he didn’t even leave any descendants," Xiao Yuan said with a hint of fatigue on his face, speaking indifferently, "Alas, fate is unpredictable. There’s a predestined order to everything."

"Us cultivators are just like this, after all, how many of us can have a good end?" Peng Yan, who was typically reticent, suddenly interjected.

"Luo Shen will definitely be one," Xiao Yuan said. "He’s more than 204 years old, probably doesn’t have many years left to live!"

The lifespan limit for Foundation Establishment is three hundred.

At 204, he’s already considered to have lived a very long life.

If the lifespan limit for mortals is 120, then 204 is equivalent to centuries-old longevity among mortals.

"He didn’t join the expedition this time, did he" Chen Li asked.

"At his age, how can the Sect Leader let him go into battle, trembling as he walks? Moreover, Ji Kai, who is responsible for the scripture library, is also over 202 years old and didn’t go either."

Six at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

One died in battle, two were too old.

Only three with combat strength remained.

Chen Li remained silent.

"Chen, I heard you’re from a Loose Cultivator background, how is it being a Loose Cultivator?" Wen Hui asked curiously.

She hadn’t been at the Returning True Sect for long, so she didn’t have the same connections with those who died and wasn’t as sentimental as the others.

For her, the fact that she and her husband had survived this time was already very satisfying.

Chen Li paused: "Loose Cultivators? It’s crueler than being a sect cultivator, I suppose. If your strength is great, you can live comfortably, but if it’s weak, you can only be careful, living day by day."

"Actually, I also came from a Loose Cultivator background. It’s okay if you stay in Cultivation City, but if you’re in a smaller market town below, well, it’s hard to sum up," Hu Buwei sighed.

Along the way, the group engaged in occasional low conversation, the atmosphere was somber.

...

After flying for a day and a night.

The Flying Boat finally arrived at the gate of the Returning True Sect; the open space atop the mountain was already crowded with people, mostly women, children, the elderly, and the weak. As one after another, the corpses were carried out first, cries and shouts blended together into a chorus.

"Husband!"

Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang rushed up, tears streaming, each embraced by one of Chen Li’s arms.

"Thank goodness you’re safe. Thank goodness you’re safe," Zhou Hong kept repeating.

"Haven’t I told you before that nothing would happen? Come on, let’s go home!" Chen Li said with a smile to comfort them, his own eyes reddening a bit.

"How did so many die? How could so many have died!" Not far away, Luo Shen came trembling over, looking up at the sky and said with agitation, "He Zhao, what kind of battle did you fight? The old Sect Leader was right, you’re just too keen on taking advantage, always taking risks. I think the Returning True Sect will sooner or later be ruined by you."

"Luo, you’ve had too much to drink! Go and rest now!" Xia Hongyi quickly pulled him away, saying with a wry smile.

"Don’t pull on me, can’t I speak now? Others may be afraid of him, but I’m not..."

Luo Shen ranted on and on, soon pulled away by Xia Hongyi, his voice fading in the distance.

Suddenly sensing something, Chen Li looked at a Flying Boat not far away.

He Zhao’s slender figure stood at the door of the cabin, looking at the bodies being carried away, his expression as still as water.

Chen Li keenly noticed that his originally healthy-looking face was now unusually pale.

Clearly, from the self-detonation of the Golden Core, he was not unscathed!

He was injured!

...

That night, some rejoiced while others mourned.

Cries echoed throughout the entire Returning True Sect.

Many Foundation Establishment families were struck off the register overnight, never to regain their former glory.

...

In the following days,

The entire Returning True Sect was shrouded in the mournful ambiance of a funeral procession, with intermittent gusts of chill wind. The bustling paths that were once filled with disciples now lay empty and deserted, rendering the place eerily quiet.

This autumn seemed particularly cold.

It wasn’t long before snow began to fall.

A blanket of white covered the mountainside outside the gate, dressing it in silver frost.

Chen Li took advantage of his spare time to carefully sort through the spoils of war, categorizing each one.

"As for storage bags, keeping four should be enough, two ten-cubic-meter ones and two five-cubic-meter ones, making up a total capacity of thirty cubic meters, which should suffice. I’ll also give Shu and Zhou Hong one three-cubic-meter storage bag each, and sell the rest."

"And keep that Second Order mid-grade set of robes too."

This set of robes came with a passively triggered Second Order Level Four Thick Earth Shield spell, which offered substantial defense, enough to withstand the attack of an ordinary Foundation Establishment beginner-stage cultivator.

"Sell the rest and exchange them for Spirit Stones!"

...

To get a good price,

Chen Li picked a day and journeyed thousands of miles to the nearby Shen Jian Sect’s Cultivation City, Moon Lake City. He stayed there for seven to eight days and managed to sell off the odds and ends he had, like low-value Level One Magic Artifacts, Talismans, herbs, spiritual materials, and elixirs.

In total, he made thirty-eight Top-grade Spirit Stones.

Then, without rest, he hurried toward the Artefact Sect.

On the way, he happened to spot a familiar figure.

Despite the disguise, it was hard to fool someone who knew you, and not everyone could control their muscles to change their features like Chen Li could. He saw right through it at a glance.

"Ah, those of us selling goods are all crowded together. Does it have to be this competitive?"

"Fellow Daoist Xiao!" Chen Li quickly reverted to his true appearance.

Xiao Yuan turned his head and upon seeing Chen Li, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly, "You’ve also come to consign goods here!"

"Indeed, that’s the case!"

"Sigh, I’ve seen several familiar faces in the days I’ve been here. When the time comes and the market is flooded with goods but the buyers are few, I fear the prices won’t be favorable." Xiao Yuan sighed. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A sect would have at least a dozen, if not dozens, of Foundation Establishment practitioners.

In comparison with the tens of thousands of Qi Cultivation disciples, their numbers are pitifully few.

And their demands are limited.

Unlike consumables such as elixirs or Talismans, a Magic Artifact is not something one often needs to replace.

Some Foundation Establishment practitioners could use the same Magic Artifact for a lifetime.

A single sect’s downfall could affect the prices of Second Order Magic Artifacts in a region for a long time.

Chen Li also felt a bit helpless, "Are there any larger markets nearby?"

"There are. Tianxing Sect used to be able to forge lower-grade Second Order Magic Artifacts; their auction house was quite prosperous," Xiao Yuan said. "The closest would be Xuanshui Sect, though it’s separated by several sects. But Hongshan Sect is nearer to there, and likely someone has already gone."

"It seems I’ll have to hold onto these items for a while longer," lamented Chen Li.

This money was earned through life-threatening struggles.

Even the loss of a single Top-grade Spirit Stone was painful.

"If you’re looking to buy, now might be a good opportunity."

"That’s true," he acknowledged.

Chen Li decided to stay a few more days and wait for the auction in a few days’ time to see if there were any good deals.