Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 306 Cultivation Technique Copy - Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator
As luck would have it, the two of them happened to be sitting by the window on the first floor.

Although aside from their initial shouts, they deliberately controlled their voices after entering the room.

However, Xiao Chen's spiritual strength is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Considering that the other party seemed to have mentioned the warehouse, he quietly extended his divine sense downwards to continue listening to the other party's conversation.

Although he has not yet mastered any powerful divine sense techniques.

However, being a level above them and having the upper hand, the two below remained completely unaware that they were being monitored.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, I haven't seen you for several days."

The cultivator surnamed Wang asked curiously, "Didn't the wanted poster say that Guiyun Sect provided timely assistance and everything was alright?"

"Are you still busy?"

He lowered his voice and inquired, "Could it be that there's been a new movement of supplies to the blessed land?"

"Recently, inferior pills have been rampant, and business in the shops has been slow. It's really impossible to make any money off those groundhogs."

"If you get any news, please remember to lend me a hand."

To do business in this market, one naturally needs to maintain good relations with the Guiyun Sect.

If it weren't for this, the cultivator surnamed Wang wouldn't have taken the initiative to invite the other party in to enjoy the spirit fish.

"Sigh, there's no word of it at all."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang sighed, shook his head, and raised his cup to drink the spiritual wine.

Damn it, what a greedy bastard!

The cultivator surnamed Wang cursed inwardly, realizing that the other party was clearly only going to act when they saw the benefit.

However, he perfectly controlled his resentment and did not show it.

Instead, he picked up the wine pot and poured wine for them, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is joking. In Guiyun Market, what little thing could possibly escape your notice?"

"It's been a long time since I last visited your residence."

“I just acquired a spiritual object a few days ago, but I’m not quite sure about its value. I’d like to take it to you for a fellow Daoist to take a look.”

At this point, the cultivator surnamed Wang worried that the other party would still not admit it.

He then abruptly changed the subject: "Actually, I wanted to go last night."

"It just so happened that at the beginning of Hai hour, the warehouse lights were still on, and there were quite a few Guiyun Sect disciples carrying boxes in and out."

"I figured it might be something important, so I didn't bother you with personal matters."

He had been observing for two consecutive days. People were coming and going in the warehouse, carrying boxes in and out.

If there's nothing wrong with this, he'd be willing to eat the wine jug in his hand!
"Ugh, let's not talk about it anymore, let's do it another day. Just mentioning it gives me a headache."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang tilted his head back and drank a full cup, then explained, "We've been working together for so long, if there were anything, would I not tell you, fellow Daoist?"

"I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had a moment to breathe."

"We can't even take care of the beautiful young lady who just joined us."

The monk surnamed Wang nearby promptly refilled the wine.

So the cultivator surnamed Zhang grabbed another cup of spirit wine and downed it in one gulp. The aroma of the wine helped to ease the gloom on his face.

He then raised his hand and formed a hand seal, creating a spiritual energy barrier large enough to shield the other Golden Core cultivators.

He then lowered his voice and said, "Do you think only spirit stones were missing from the warehouse?"

"Hmph, if it were really just a mere six million spirit stones, would it be worth making such a fuss and alarming so many True Monarchs to come out of seclusion?"

The reason for not revealing the truth is simply to deceive the other cultivators.

That would have been about enough.

However, he felt aggrieved from being yelled at and scolded these past two days, and he had just drunk too much alcohol, which had taken effect. In addition, he trusted that his spiritual barrier could completely block out sound.

Due to a combination of factors.

The cultivator surnamed Zhang couldn't help but vent, "The previous generation of True Monarch Guiyun secretly hid some copies of cultivation techniques in the warehouse. The spirit thief came for the cultivation techniques."

"The problem is, I had absolutely no idea about this!"

"No one told me when they put it away, and now that the stuff is gone, they say I didn't take good care of it and that they'll fire me if I can't get it back."

"Who the hell can I complain to?!"

As he finished speaking, he slammed his hand on the table and exhaled two heavy breaths from his nostrils, clearly seething with anger.

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Wang's pupils immediately contracted.

A copy of a cultivation technique?

Is this something I'm qualified to know?

This concerns a True Lord, and it's highly likely to be a fourth-tier cultivation technique. This is an extremely important matter!

Based on what the cultivator surnamed Wang knew, if something went wrong, it probably wouldn't be as simple as just being dismissed from his post.

In the heat of the moment, Zhang Daoyou might be accused of being an accomplice of the spirit thieves and arrested to be punished.

This is not the first time such a thing has happened.

Thinking about it this way, it's no wonder that Fellow Daoist Zhang was so excited that he didn't even care about keeping it a secret.

If this matter isn't handled properly, he's definitely doomed.

However, even in a situation like this, one should not make sarcastic remarks, in case it turns out to be just a false alarm.

The cultivator surnamed Wang refilled the other person's cup.

He also advised, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to be anxious. Since you don't know the location of that cultivation manual, the spirit thief probably doesn't know either."

"Maybe the item wasn't lost at all, and it will be found soon."

However, it would have been better if he hadn't said anything.

Upon hearing this, the Zhang-surnamed cultivator opposite him was on the verge of tears.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are unaware of this."

"That damn bastard, he secretly hid more than one martial arts manual in the warehouse!"

At this point, his voice trembled: "If we lose a Yellow-level cultivation technique, it's not so bad. We're not completely without connections in this blessed land."

"But what if we lose a Heaven-level cultivation technique... sigh..."

"Even if I had nine lives, it wouldn't be enough to compensate for it."

"I haven't dared to close my eyes for the past two days; I've been thinking about it."

"If I had known there was such a whole mess, I would have rushed up and fought that spirit thief that day."

"Even if I die there, at least I can clear my name."

"Even if things go wrong, at least my whole family won't be implicated, and I can still leave behind a settlement allowance from the sect. Sigh!"

At this point, he sighed again.

Finally, he picked up his chopsticks and reached for Lingyu: "I didn't have time to eat today, but this is the only thing I've ever really enjoyed in my life."

"After I finish eating this fish, I should probably head back soon."

Even though it looked like it was about to collapse.

However, the cultivator surnamed Zhang had already stopped crying, and his complexion had recovered considerably: "I was just rambling, please keep it a secret, Fellow Daoist Wang."

"Also, the spirit stones you gave me last time, I still have them there and haven't taken them."

"If I disappear in a couple of days, Fellow Daoist Wang, you may take it back."

"If the sect does not deal with my youngest son, I beg you, fellow Daoist, to take care of him for the sake of our friendship."

"Don't let him wander into the wilderness and mingle with those gophers."

The reason he chose to squeeze out time to come in for a drink was...

Firstly, it was so that they could eat the spirit fish again.

Secondly, I already had the idea of ​​entrusting these two sentences to him, but I was still hesitant at first.

After drinking the spirit wine, he finally managed to say it.

"This...this, Fellow Daoist Zhang, you flatter me. Why go to such lengths?"

The cultivator surnamed Wang offered a word of comfort, and then he saw the other person's complicated expression.

He paused for a moment, then added, "As long as no True Monarch of Guiyun Sect speaks up, I will do my best."

"when!"

The two clinked glasses but said nothing more.

Then the monk surnamed Zhang put down his wine cup, got up, and hurriedly left.

Upstairs, Xiao Chen watched his slightly wistful back, but he had no time to feel sentimental. Instead, he was quickly sorting through the conversation he had just overheard.

A True Lord left behind a large number of copies of cultivation techniques in the market warehouse.

Moreover, it even contains Yellow-level cultivation techniques!

what is this?
This is one of his main purposes in coming to this new cultivation world!
Moreover, there was more than one cultivation manual hidden in the warehouse.

That means there's a high probability that there are still some Yellow-level cultivation techniques left inside.

"How about I 'borrow' a copy too?"

Xiao Chen's heart stirred; a scholar's actions could not be called stealing.

Moreover, he is not picky about food; he'll take any wood-based cultivation technique he can get.

"But it sounds like a True Lord has already intervened in the investigation."

Although Xiao Chen was somewhat tempted, he did not lose his caution and instead began to carefully consider his options.

Currently, he lacks fourth-tier spells and also lacks powerful spiritual artifacts or talismans.

Aside from the Nine Dragons Diagram given by Su Li, there is a severe lack of means to effectively threaten the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

More importantly, the cultivator surnamed Zhang just mentioned the matter of 'multiple True Lords emerging from the mountain'.

To be able to use this kind of descriptive method, there must be at least three True Lords, right?
"Hiss~, is Guiyun Sect really that strong?"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly. A force with three True Monarchs would be among the top in the Compassionate Sea.

Moreover, this may not even be the full extent of the opponent's strength.

Fortunately, I kept a low profile and did not expose my strength, thus attracting the attention of the Guiyun Sect.

After all, Xiao Chen is still unable to determine whether the location he travels to is fixed.

If the location you travel to becomes fixed, and you are mistaken for an accomplice of the spirit thief and hunted down, then you'll probably never be able to get through this again.

It's best to avoid any of these unpleasant things happening at all.

In short, since there are things I need here, I won't have to worry about not getting them.

It's simply a matter of taking things slowly and patiently, adhering to the principle that things will work out eventually.

Xiao Chen kept this important information in mind, and at the same time, he also noticed something else—the groundhog.

Those two people mentioned those two words more than once during their conversation.

It sounds like it's referring to those wandering monks who don't live in the city or market, but instead live in the wilderness.

Putting aside the fact that the term may be somewhat insulting.

Xiao Chen had previously heard about the spirit cave, which seemed to be related to the underground.

Could it be that those rogue cultivators living in the spirit caves are the so-called ground rats?

That doesn't make sense. I've never heard of spiritual energy being hidden underground. Spiritual energy basically only exists in spiritual veins or springs.

It's a strange custom, and I don't know the specific reason behind it.

But now is not the time to ponder these questions.

"Click."

Xiao Chen picked up a small fish and put it in his mouth, while turning his attention to the other cultivators on the second floor.

The most important thing right now is to continue listening to the rest of the conversations and see if we can find any more valuable information.

The young cultivators sitting behind them were still arguing about which of the two newly released flying swords offered better value for money.

An elderly man in a white robe sat alone at the table in front of him.

He leaned his whole body against the window, watching the people coming and going on the street.

He held the wine jug in his left hand and propped it against the windowsill, occasionally picking up a peanut with his right hand and putting it in his mouth.

He didn't say anything, just sat there staring blankly outside.

What was so remarkable about him was that he caught Xiao Chen's attention.

It was because when he raised his hand, there was a piece of dark brown fabric under his sleeve.

It was about an inch square, and a dark gemstone was embroidered on it, naturally emitting a faint glow.

Well, it feels a bit out of place, like there's an extra patch on it.

However, judging from the gem that shone with spiritual light, it was clear that it was not a patch at all, but rather a spiritual material that was intentionally added.

And it wasn't just him alone.

Xiao Chen's gaze swept across the entire second floor, and he also found something similar to a 'patch' on several cultivators.

Or perhaps a red stripe was sewn onto the cuff of the yellow robe.

Or, on the left side of the blue spirit robe's collar, a white piece embroidered with gold thread depicting cloud patterns was added separately.

Moreover, Xiao Chen noticed that the blue spirit robe looked quite old.

It was completely out of place with that brand-new white background with gold cloud patterns.

But the yellow robe was clearly new, while the red stripes on the cuffs looked somewhat faded.

These two situations are completely different.

This makes it look rather strange, and I don't know what the reasoning behind it is.

Judging solely from the gems or spirit patterns, Xiao Chen speculated that this was likely intended to add some special effect to the spirit robe.

But why not choose raw materials with similar colors?

A reasonable guess is that the reason it looks so unattractive is because there may not be enough spiritual materials in this world.

Or perhaps it's simply that the cultivator wants to improve their strength, and therefore is willing to sacrifice their appearance.

If it's the latter, it's actually understandable, since combat power is more important than aesthetics in a battle.

But if it's the former, there might be a business opportunity to make a fortune hidden within.

If you have some free time later, you can go and visit a place that sells magical artifacts to see what's going on.

Apart from the windows, there are also many square tables and eight-person tables on the second floor.

There were empty seats when Xiao Chen went upstairs, but now they are all full.

To his left front, there were six late-stage Golden Core cultivators gathered together drinking.

One of them was complaining: "In the past two years, it has become increasingly difficult to find a good business, and spirit stones are becoming harder and harder to earn."

A fellow cultivator chimed in, "That's right, but the essential items are getting more and more expensive."

"The Bai Dan Pavilion raised its prices just last year, but a few days ago they raised the price of their Nourishing Yuan Pills again."

"If this continues, I definitely won't be able to afford it anymore."

"I want to see who they're trying to sell to after raising prices so much."

This remark even drew agreement from a purple-robed cultivator nearby: "This fellow Daoist is right. Every time a spirit thief attacks a spirit field, these pill shops rush to raise their prices."

"But even when there is a bumper harvest of medicinal herbs, they do not return."

"If the price keeps going up, I won't buy any more. Even the inferior pills on the black market aren't necessarily bad."

However, he was clearly just saying that out of anger.

If the inferior pill were truly good, it wouldn't be called that.

Even though it was Xiao Chen's first time hearing about it, he could guess that the thing was probably not very good.

Sure enough, people around advised, "Fellow Daoist, why say such angry words? Inferior pills are so risky. Not only are the effects incomplete, but there are also various side effects."

"It could potentially affect my future cultivation."

"No matter what, never joke about the path of Tao."

The purple-robed cultivator stroked his long beard, shook his head and sighed, "It's fine to talk about it now, but we'll have to wait until the harvest of this spiritual field is completed in the second half of the year."

"I don't know if I'll be able to get any new work."

He paused, a worried look on his face: "I heard that the Spirit Tempering Array in the south has been improved again for those superior spirit fields on the Windseeking Plain."

"Now, a thousand acres of third-tier spirit fields only require eight spirit plant growers to take care of them."

This news clearly surprised many cultivators.

Originally, a skilled Golden Core cultivator could only oversee one hundred acres of third-tier spirit fields or one thousand acres of second-tier spirit fields at the same time.

Surprisingly, we were able to further reduce staff.

"Fortunately, the spiritual veins here are mostly valleys and basins."

A monk in a short robe sighed, "It shouldn't be affected by the new formation."

Guarding the spirit fields for various forces is the means of survival for him and many of the cultivators present; they all rely on this job to earn spirit stones.

"Well, it's hard to say."

However, a middle-aged cultivator was somewhat pessimistic: "If the spirit plant growers over there can't earn spirit stones, they might flock to our place. Then..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the hidden meaning—with more people, the price would naturally come down.

When these words were spoken, some were happy and some were sad.

A monk in brocade robes toyed with the wine cup in his hand and said smugly, "Hehe, luckily my skills have improved in the past two years, and I have caught the eye of the Jin family of Linggu."

"Given his family's reputation, as long as the old master of the Jin family is still alive, there's no need to worry about them lowering the price."

Some cultivators couldn't help but worry: "Alas, my contract with the Gao family expires in the second half of the year, and I don't know if I can continue doing it."

For a moment, everyone was filled with emotion.

Suddenly, a commotion arose downstairs.

Then Xiao Chen heard the steward's obsequious voice: "This humble servant greets the True Lords."

"The spirit wine and spirit fish have been prepared in advance. They are all top-quality goods sent from the blessed land. Please move to the private room on the third floor."

Immediately afterwards, he saw the steward bowing and leading the way.

Behind him, a total of five Nascent Soul True Monarchs walked up one after another!
They were dressed in magnificent clothes, and without actively radiating pressure, they possessed an aura that was overwhelming.

One of the young men had a sword at his waist, and just by looking at it, one could sense an undeniable sharpness hidden within it.

He himself was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, making many Golden Core cultivators dare not look him in the eye.

They all lowered their heads.

However, Xiao Chen noticed something amiss: "This person is clearly only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so why is his aura leaking out so severely?"

It's important to know that sword cultivators are very particular about restraint.

Many sword cultivators are almost impossible to identify unless they carry their swords.

It's not just the person, it's that natal flying sword.

True sword cultivators often do two things.

The first principle is to keep it by your side instead of storing it in a storage ring, and to assimilate the flying sword with your own aura at all times.

Strive to make it an integral part of your body, achieving a transcendent state of oneness with the sword.

The second point is to conceal the murderous intent of the flying sword.

Normally, the sharpness is concealed within the scabbard, or even within the flying sword itself. When the time comes, a single draw of the sword unleashes countless sword energies.

There are even those who specialize in this school of swordsmanship, and they don't draw their swords for ten or even a hundred years.

The first sword strike, unleashed after a period of intense preparation, can often achieve an effect far exceeding one's current strength, making it unstoppable!

Therefore, most sword cultivators, unless they cultivate to the point of perfection in their current realm, will not succeed.

At the same time, one's sword will only be fully revealed when one has not yet broken through to the next level.

However, Xiao Chen could clearly sense the sharpness emanating from the swordsman who had just walked past.

For Golden Core cultivators, sensing those sword intents evokes a sense of awe.

For him, this actually made him lose his threat.

Xiao Chen felt that if he were to fight the other party one-on-one now, he should be able to achieve a 50/50 chance with the Heavy Water Robe technique.

If you use the mechanical grappling hook to create opportunities, you have a real chance of winning head-on.

Or to put it bluntly, he felt that the swordsman was a fraud.

He was on a completely different level from the True Monarch Die Lang whom Xiao Chen had met once at the Tingtaohai Auction.

How did someone like this become a Nascent Soul cultivator at such a young age?

Relying solely on the Spirit Gathering Array to increase the concentration of spiritual energy should offer very limited help in breaking through to higher realms.

Interesting. Did he misjudge the situation, or is there actually a surprise hidden in this cultivation world?

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but feel more expectant.

However, even if that sword cultivator was a fraud, his four companions were all genuine Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Five Nascent Soul cultivators appeared simultaneously in Guiyun Market.

Five!

What's going on?

Could they all be cultivators from the Guiyun Sect?

Is Guiyun Sect really that powerful?

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised, and at the same time very curious about what would be discussed in the private room on the third floor.

However, unlike before, he can no longer use his divine sense to investigate.

After all, since they were both Nascent Soul cultivators, and he didn't know any divine sense techniques, doing this would almost certainly be discovered.

If one were to face five opponents, it would likely be easy for them to suffer a loss.

"Oh dear, I desperately need a manual on divine sense techniques."

Xiao Chen couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "No, it should be that besides the Yellow-level cultivation technique, I urgently need a divine sense secret technique."

After careful consideration, I realized that the cultivation technique was definitely a higher priority.

Next, we need to think of a way to find out what's going on inside the warehouse in Guiyunfang City.

His primary task is to find out if there are any wood-type yellow-level cultivation techniques among them.

If you find out, be sure to investigate its exact whereabouts.

Whether it was taken away by the spirit thief or remained in the market.

"Hiss~, how do I find out about the market warehouse?"

Xiao Chen pondered for a moment: "How about I go and have a heart-to-heart talk with that young friend Zhang?"

Judging from his previous conversation with the cultivator surnamed Wang, he was actually also lacking in cultivation resources.

It just so happens that spirit stones in this world are also valuable.

Xiao Chen happened to have a lot of spirit stones with him.

At the same time, the other party is not in a good situation and harbors a lot of resentment towards Guiyun Sect.

If you can secretly bribe the other party, you can easily obtain first-hand information.

If the cooperation goes well, I could even have another informant in the future.

This is worth a try.

(End of this chapter)