Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen had stayed at home for more than three months, not venturing out until the entire cold winter had passed and he felt there was likely no danger anymore.

Red Pillar City had become increasingly bustling.

The calamity of the demon beasts on the borderland was still unresolved and seemed to be getting worse.

The Artefact Sect endured for a long time but eventually fell. It was said that even their leader perished.

Rumors swirled throughout the city, some saying that a Nascent Soul Level demon beast had emerged deep in the forest, others claiming it was a terrifying evil wraith. Chen was unable to discern the truth, but the number of people succumbing to evil was certainly on the rise.

Fortunately, the City Defense Array inside the city had the power to vanquish evil, otherwise, things might have fallen into chaos.

Not long after spring began, a family finally moved into the previously empty yard to the left. It was a large clan, with members young and old, totaling about twenty people. Chen went to greet them and learned that they were called Wang Yun, a Foundation Establishment family from the Difa Sect, separated from the Hongshan Sect by another sect.

According to Wang Yun, the situation in his area was not great either, ravaged by the evil wraith. He had sensed the danger and thus had led his family to this distant place to avoid disaster.

"Alas, this is a catastrophe not seen in a thousand years. Now we can only hope it doesn’t spread here," Wang Yun sighed, his brows furrowed with worry.

...

Chen returned home with a heavy heart, only to have Bai Wei rush over excitedly to share some good news--Zhang Shuniang had emerged from seclusion and had successfully advanced to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" Chen exclaimed joyfully.

Zhang Shuniang was no longer young; she was thirty this year.

If she delayed any longer, the prospect of reaching Foundation Establishment would become even more distant.

Fortunately, it was not too late now.

Chen and Bai Wei hadn’t reached the main house yet when they could hear the laughter and banter of Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang from inside.

"Husband!" Zhang Shuniang said a bit shyly.

"It seems we do have someone who is striving hard at home. Now you should not be distracted and focus on cultivating, aiming for Complete Qi Cultivation within the next three years." Chen smiled and said, thinking that if one achieved Complete Qi Cultivation by the age of thirty-three and then spent a year or two honing their Spiritual Power, there was still a good chance of achieving Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty-five.

"Yes, I’ll listen to you, husband!" Zhang Shuniang said with a shy smile, looking down.

"I’ve figured it out; this is you indirectly scolding me for not striving hard enough!" Zhou Hong gave Chen a sideways glance and laughed as she took hold of Zhang Shuniang’s hand.

"As long as you know it in your heart," Chen hummed in response.

Amidst laughter and jokes, a sense of familial warmth filled the air, and the gloom in Chen’s heart dissipated significantly.

...

July was as hot as fire.

Hiss...

Chen held a brush in his hand, his writing on the paper swift and vigorous as if dragons and phoenixes danced across the page.

In a short while, he had covered an entire page with writing.

He was drafting a new plan for modifying techniques.

Ever since he had the "Sky-Shaking Skill" as a reference—an upgraded version of the "Earth-Shocking Skill"—the improvement of the Traction Skill had accelerated. In just half a year, he had already gone through three iterations, with the latest version advancing the original first-grade, fifth-level technique to the height of a first-grade, ninth-level technique.

But Chen was still not satisfied.

He had long since lost interest in techniques of such rank—too limited in utility.

However, as he progressed, it became increasingly difficult to make improvements; each step forward required a great deal of his time and energy.

But seeing as he had little else to do, he considered it a way to pass the time.

Sometimes, Chen found joy in this pursuit, immersing himself in it; after all, he had to find something to do.

This world was boring.

Even in a large cultivation city like Red Pillar City, entertainment options were scarce: gambling houses, brothels, and local theater were about all there was.

Chen had no interest in gambling houses.

As for brothels, he had always been a man of propriety, and now with three wives and concubines, he was even less inclined to visit.

As for the local theater, while there were plenty,...

But he really couldn’t appreciate this art; he also didn’t have the leisure for it.

Nowadays, the situation at the border was growing more severe.

Following the Artefact Sect, the Hongshan Sect had also fallen...

Chen Li didn’t know what reactions and countermeasures the upper echelons of Huoyun Sect had, but a sense of anxiety had already begun to stir within him.

After a while, he set down the brush and blew on the wet ink.

He couldn’t help sighing: 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"These times... it’s really hard to find a moment of peace!"

He put aside the manual of spells and checked the attribute panel:

[Name: Chen Li]

[Lifespan: 56/308]

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer: 98/100]

"It won’t be many days until I advance to the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer... sigh, still too weak."

It had been a long time since he had gone outside to practice flying.

Nowadays, with the rampant evil wraiths in the wilderness, even the city was in a state of panic.

For safety’s sake, even when he went out, he only moved within the city.

As a result, city prices had soared, multiplying several times over.

Fortunately, his expenses had now decreased greatly, with no major costs for medicinal baths and the Return Yuan Elixir, the only expenses being his daily food and the elixirs for Zhang Shuniang; about four or five mid-grade Spirit Stones a month, which he could earn back just by selling a Water Element Talisman. The impact on him was negligible.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a loud noise came from not far away.

Chen Li opened the door and looked in the direction of the sound; he didn’t know where a battle had occurred under the clear blue sky.

Recently, the public order in the city had worsened, and incidents of murder and looting had occurred frequently, though such open daylight occurrences were rare.

He didn’t go outside, and after watching for a while and seeing no further disturbances, he went back inside his house.

He hadn’t been sitting long when the control token for the Formation in his pocket trembled slightly, signaling a visitor’s arrival.

He hurriedly got up and went to greet them.

He deactivated the Formation and immediately felt as if he had eaten a ton of shit, his face turned ugly, and anger rose within him.

The visitor was none other than Wei Changming, the manager of a nearby rental property. In recent years, the man had come over to glean benefits from him every so often. Blame it on his own good nature, not wanting to stir up trouble—after a few instances, this man had targeted him, downright insufferable.

"What brings Daoist Wei here this time?" Chen Li didn’t bother with pleasantries, asking directly with a cold face.

Wei Changming, with his sagging heavy eyelids, facing the furious Chen Li, put on a full-faced smile and said, "Daoist Chen, don’t be hasty. There’s been a homicide nearby, so I came to check and make inquiries. The city’s been a bit chaotic recently; you should be careful. Oh, by the way, has Daoist Lin Qing returned yet?"

"No!" Chen Li responded tersely, almost ready to throw him out.

"Looks like something really happened; I see that all the furniture inside has been moved out," Wei Changming said with a compassionate face. "Alright, I’ll be on my way, I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer."

With that, he actually left.

Watching his retreating figure, Chen Li found it a little strange.

Was this dog changing its ways?

Little did he know, Wei Changming had broken out in a cold sweat. His swordsmanship combined with the max level Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill had subtly raised Chen Li’s life form to a level beyond that of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even without fully unleashing his aura, driven by his anger, Wei Changming felt as if he were targeted by a primordial fierce beast.

He wouldn’t dare to offend any further.

Only when Chen Li closed the Formation and his sight vanished,

Did Wei Changming finally heave a sigh of relief, feeling his damp back and thinking he’d just walked through the Ghost Gate Pass.

"Damn it, really misjudged this one!" he cursed inwardly.

He thought he was dealing with a sheep, but it turned out to be a wolf.