Misty Rain of the Old Times

Without any troublesome people to bother him, Chen Xuan's subsequent artificial rainmaking operation went exceptionally smoothly, though it was far from easy. After all, the consumption of his true energy and the high level of mental exertion were too great. He managed to keep it within his tolerance range, ensuring that he wouldn't be so exhausted that he couldn't take care of himself afterward.

He has a detached personality, and when he gets busy, he forgets about Yan Quan and his apprentice.

Whether it was Chen Xuan using his extraordinary methods to control the clouds and rain, the appearance of the ethereal fairy, or the brief exchange between the two, all of these events were observed in secret by many people. The details were recorded and reported to certain individuals and organizations. As for how those who learned of these events would react, it remains unknown.

After working for most of the night amidst torrential rain, thunder, and lightning, Chen Xuan finally finished when the sky began to lighten. Even with his Grandmaster cultivation, he was exhausted and his head was throbbing. He had only 30% of his incredibly rich and pure true essence left, which shows how terrifying the consumption was.

If any other mediocre Grandmaster were to do this job, they probably wouldn't last a quarter of an hour before being completely drained, and that's assuming they could do what Chen Xuan did.

After looking around to make sure that all the fields within Yang County had been thoroughly irrigated, Chen Xuan nodded to himself and concluded the task.

The clouds dispersed and the fog lifted; the battle flags were put away, and the sky began to turn red, for soon the sun would rise.

Lightly landing on the ground, Chen Xuan strolled through the fields, looking at the fruits of his labor after a busy night. He was a little tired, but his mood was exceptionally pleasant.

He did these things not to earn gratitude, nor to prove anything to anyone; he simply wanted to do them, so he did them without seeking any reward or caring what others thought or thought.

The damp earth emitted a muddy smell, which Chen Xuan mistook for the crisp morning air. In the hazy dawn, dewdrops clung to the tips of grass and leaves. The crops, which had been on the verge of death, were clearly revitalized after being nourished by the 'rain.' Countless impoverished farmers had braved the rain in the middle of the night to work in the fields. They cheered and jumped for joy, they wept with happiness, they knelt in gratitude to the heavens, they stroked the crop leaves with hope in their eyes, and they busily gathered the fish and shrimp that had fallen with the rain…

Seeing all this, Chen Xuan felt even more pleased, and a genuine smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

There may be too much darkness and disappointment in the world, but there is far more beauty than anything else, isn't there?

Water droplets dampened the hem of his clothes and the surface of his shoes, and even his shoes were covered in mud, but Chen Xuan didn't care.

Looking at the horizon, the fiery red sunrise seemed to set the sky ablaze. The sun was about to rise, so he simply found an open space and began to practice his tranquil breathing exercises. After that, he could go back to have breakfast and then take a nap. He was sure he would sleep soundly after a busy night.

My wife wouldn't be angry if I didn't come home all night, especially since we haven't been married long. But I gave her prior notice, and it wasn't because I was out looking for someone else, but because I was busy with important business. My wife is such a gentle and considerate person, how could she be angry? She's probably just worried.

These thoughts flashed through Chen Xuan's mind, and he felt that life was incredibly wonderful.

Under the morning light, he practices his Qigong exercises with graceful and free movements. This has become a habit over the past ten years, and he has never missed a session unless there are special circumstances. He seems to have merged with nature and become a part of it, to the point that many busy farmers have overlooked him.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Xuan's smile deepened, because he discovered that the stillness and health cultivation exercise he had practiced for over ten years, a set of movements that could hardly be considered martial arts, was now much more comfortable to perform than before. It was a kind of ease, naturalness, and relaxation that came from the depths of his soul. Although it was just a simple movement, it was naturally imbued with a profound charm.

Not only that, his understanding of the fundamental cultivation technique, Ze Yuan Jue, naturally deepened, and its operation became smoother and more natural. Each operation yielded more and purer true essence, surpassing the level of the technique itself that Old Liu had passed on to him, reaching a height that even the creator of the technique had not achieved.

More importantly, Chen Xuan discovered that he had greatly improved his understanding of the Dao. His exhausted spirit, which had been working all night, was rapidly recovering, his mental will was further refined, and he could see everything more clearly.

He cultivates the Way of Nature, a path he forged himself, which led him to become a Grandmaster. The Way, at this level, cannot be described in words, much less expressed in precise language; it resides only in one's own heart. Once elevated, it is elevated, beyond explanation.

For a Grandmaster, improving one's true essence is not the most important thing, because it can be improved with time. The most important thing is to improve one's own Dao, and each improvement is a transcendence of one's past self.

The difficulty of advancing in martial arts is something only those who have reached this level truly understand. Even a small step forward can result in vastly different levels of power from the same level of cultivation. With more rational application, less energy is consumed, and greater power is achieved…

In short, martial arts are the foundation, and what you cultivate is yourself. True essence or powerful martial arts are just techniques for self-defense.

Moreover, the presenter is a grandmaster who has achieved his own path, which is more difficult than the improvement of other grandmasters in martial arts, because he has no predecessors to learn from. It is conceivable how precious this improvement is.

As one's martial arts skills improve, one gains a deeper understanding of the martial arts one has cultivated. To use an imperfect analogy, it's like using a more advanced chip to run an older program, resulting in significant progress in all aspects!
"This upgrade means that martial arts techniques that previously required 100% of their true essence can now be performed with only 60%, while still retaining 120% of their previous power. Unfortunately, cultivation level doesn't have a precise numerical value; it requires personal experience and understanding through practice, rather than a fixed numerical measure. Furthermore, with this upgrade, based on my previous cultivation speed, the leap in realms will be accelerated; I should be able to reach the threshold of the Tribulation Transcending Realm in about ten years!"

Chen Xuan quickly summarized in his mind that he could reach the threshold of the Tribulation Transcending Realm in about ten years. How terrifying was such a cultivation speed? At that time, he was not yet thirty years old, which was the peak of his life.

The leap from Grandmaster to Tribulation Transcending Realm is more difficult than cultivating from nothing to Grandmaster. Once you cross that level, you're on another level. Even though Chen Xuan has forged his own path to become a Grandmaster, he only has a higher chance than others. He's not entirely sure if he can cross that level, but he doesn't dwell on it.

Moreover, truly stepping into the Tribulation Transcending Realm, well, to some extent, is not a good thing. In terms of combat power, when the Tribulation Transcending Realm is strong, it is truly exaggerated. It can contend with human immortals and even resist the might of heaven. When it is weak, even a dog would shake its head. Take Old Liu, for example. He was killed by an ordinary person's ghost head knife. Moreover, he has to face the three tribulations of heaven, earth, and man. He doesn't know when they will fall on his head. If he passes through, he becomes a human immortal and gains great freedom and ease. If he fails to pass through, he will ultimately remain a mortal for a lifetime.

Chen Xuan never forces things and just lets nature take its course. For him, his cultivation level is already sufficient, and he is not the type to compete or fight against the world.

'The way of nature, it seems, must be cultivated in nature itself. Like this time, an artificial rainmaking experiment, simulating nature, brought about a huge improvement in understanding. However, these things require a natural process; they cannot be forced or deliberately pursued. Having a purpose in mind first builds a wall in one's heart.'

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Chen Xuan smiled and stopped thinking about them, deciding to just live happily.

For him, this gain was like giving roses to others and having the fragrance linger on his own hands.

The sun had already risen above the distant mountains, and he had finished his activities. Feeling relaxed and carefree, he planned to go home, have a good meal, and get a good night's sleep. After all, life is about being happy.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered that he had suppressed Master Yan Quan in the wilderness, and he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

'Just lift the suppression and give her her freedom, no need to pay attention. Wouldn't it be better to go home and flirt with my wife? But she's after me. If I just ignore her, it won't end there. She'll definitely come back, which will be a hassle. I should go see her and make things clear so she won't bother me again. But from what He Hongyi said about her personality, she's the kind of person who's obsessed with men. Can we really just stay out of it?' After hesitating for a moment, he decided he had to face her. She wasn't going to eat him alive. He had roughly figured out her strength from their brief exchange last night. Maybe she still had some tricks up her sleeve. Chen Xuan was confident he could handle her easily, so he started walking towards her.

Under the rising sun, the ethereal fairy was suppressed by Chen Xuan on a barren slope. The invisible sword energy surrounded her, but it did not harm the grass and trees at all, as if it did not exist. However, she could clearly feel it and dared not make any rash moves. There was also the sword energy that was moving in her body. Ignoring it was like it did not exist. Once she tried to resist and drive it away, the pain of being torn apart inch by inch would follow!

Even so, she was still surrounded by icy mist and fluttering snowflakes, obscuring her face and figure. She remained hidden, her long hair flowing like ice silk, her shawl dancing in the wind like flowing water, like a fairy descending to earth. She was beautiful to the extreme, as if no environment or situation could change her.

Farmers busy in the fields would occasionally glance at her, but no one dared to approach her, because she was clearly not someone ordinary people would dare to provoke, and those with a bit of knowledge would avoid her at all costs. Who would dare to step forward?
Even though her presence was unclear, it still made everything around her seem to pale in comparison.

She was just too cold, literally cold. Her terrifying icy aura was enough to make one's hair stand on end and one's hands and feet turn cold at a glance. If Chen Xuan hadn't suppressed her there with his invisible sword energy, her aura would probably have spread to a snowy landscape within a thousand meters!
It's easy to imagine how terrible Fairy Piaomiao's mood was; she made no attempt to hide her anger.

She, who had never been defeated, had fallen to such a state at Chen Xuan's hands, which had escalated to the point of hostility. If it were just a defeat at Chen Xuan's hands, she could accept it no matter how competitive she was, and it wouldn't necessarily lead to hostility. But Chen Xuan had suppressed her here for people to watch, which she saw as a clear humiliation, something she absolutely could not tolerate.

Compared to that, her purpose in coming here to stand up for Yan Quan was insignificant.

Having ended up like this, she told herself that as long as she escaped and had a breath left, she would repay the treatment she had received a thousandfold and never let Chen Xuan off the hook!

Frustration was not something she could relate to. She had been careless, and a temporary defeat was nothing. Given the chance, she would make Chen Xuan understand that she was not so easy to bully. With her cultivation and talent, she was absolutely confident that she could get her revenge. As long as she could convince Chen Xuan, she would maintain her undefeated record.

As the night wore on, she did consider breaking free, but she simply couldn't. Whenever she exerted her inner energy, the originally gentle sword energy became incredibly sharp, threatening to tear her apart. She dared not move, unable even to swallow a pill, let alone any other means of escape.

She tried everything but couldn't break free from the restraints. However, it wasn't that she was helpless. Because of the cultivation technique she practiced, she had a trump card that could increase her cultivation level tenfold or a hundredfold in a short time. But it would come at a heavy price, and she wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, she hadn't reached that level yet. Once she used it, there would be no way to undo it. It would be like killing eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of her own.

The key is that once that trump card is used, she will become ugly. She's so vain that she cries when she's beautiful that she won't use it unless she's desperate.

If Chen Xuan continues to suppress her here like a clown for a long time, she might really lose all willpower.

Only half a night had passed, and she showed signs of exploding. This could be seen from her appearance. She was surrounded by icy mist, and occasionally a trace of purple would flash through the mist, a purple so dark it was almost black.

'You'd better not fall into my hands, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life,' the Fairy of the Misty Clouds repeated this sentence countless times in her heart, imagining a thousand different ways to torment Chen Xuan.

At the same time, she was also extremely surprised. Chen Xuan was so young, yet his cultivation was so advanced. With the support of his martial will, his sword energy could not be dissipated for several hours. She herself could not do that. Even if she had been cultivating since she was born, she would not be able to do that. Moreover, it seemed that it could continue to exist for a long time. In her impression, only a grandmaster who had walked out of his own martial arts path could do such a thing.

But a Grandmaster is a rare talent, one in a thousand might not even appear. How could Chen Xuan possibly be one?

Lost in thought, she exuded an icy aura that kept strangers at bay. Noticing someone actually walking towards her, her heart sank again. She thought to herself, "No matter who you are, if you dare to offend me in the slightest, I will make you wish you were dead!"

Staring at the approaching figure, she froze upon seeing him clearly, then stared intently. Her gaze, which had been murderous just moments before, softened, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny stars, without her even realizing it.

Chen Xuan strolled over, bathed in the morning sun. The sunlight seemed to give him a halo, and his long hair was casually draped over his shoulders, making him look dashing and unrestrained. He wore a coarse cloth robe with the collar slightly open, which gave him a somewhat dissolute appearance. However, he did not look unkempt at all. On the contrary, it suited him perfectly, as if he was meant to be this way.

Even though his clothes were wet and his feet were muddy, it wasn't a flaw; in the eyes of the ethereal fairy, it was an embellishment.

'I remember a line from a storybook that came from the Jing Kingdom, which goes like this: "A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world,"' The ethereal fairy thought as she watched Chen Xuan approach.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Chen Xuan's open collar and saw his chest muscles faintly visible. She subconsciously brought her legs together, her heart pounding like a rabbit in her arms. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes seemed to ripple with tears.

When her gaze settled on Chen Xuan's face, she swallowed hard and became completely captivated, staring at him intently, unwilling to look away.

'That's right, it's him. He's the one who held me here. I remember his scent even in death. Is he Chen Xuan? He was said to be so handsome that even the third-ranked scholar couldn't compare. Now it seems, what is the third-ranked scholar? He's not even as good as a single hair on Chen Xuan's head.'

With this thought popping into her mind, Fairy Piaomiao used all her strength to pull her gaze away, thinking to herself, "What should I do? I wish I could grind him to dust!"

No, I have to stay calm and not be seduced by his handsome appearance, but I just can't stay calm. Every single hair on his head is on my heart!
The ethereal fairy closed her star-like eyes in anguish, caught in a moment of internal struggle.

She wasn't dwelling on the 'evil deeds' Chen Xuan had committed against her, but rather inwardly berating herself. How could she blame him? It must be her fault that he acted this way. Her first impression on him must have been bad. How could she make amends?
"On the other hand, no matter how wicked he is, he must have his reasons. I deserve to die! How could I possibly want to treat him like that? What is there that can't be forgiven? I'm so lucky to have been treated like this. Even if he had to keep me here for a few hours, I would have been willing to endure anything more."

As she thought about it, Fairy Piaomiao actually felt guilty. It was all her fault. How could Chen Xuan be wrong? It was all her fault. He said he was busy with important matters. How could she be so inconsiderate as to delay him?

At this moment, her deep-seated infatuation with men flared up, more severely than ever before. She had suppressed it for decades, but now it could no longer be suppressed and surged out like a tidal wave, an incurable condition!
Apprentice? What apprentice? Does such a thing as an apprentice even exist?
Chen Xuan, who was walking over, looked puzzled. He wondered what was wrong with this old baby. From a distance, she was shrouded in an icy blue mist, with occasional flashes of purple light and blackness. Her cold aura was chilling, and she was clearly undergoing a mutation with murderous intent. How did she suddenly turn into a soft, pure white halo?

No, in just those few steps, her color changed again; her whole body turned pink.

What, do you run a dye shop?

Although I can't see it very clearly, what's the meaning behind your seemingly painful expression with your eyes closed?
...(End of chapter)