From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 34 Unexpected
night snack?

Qin Chuan's heart stirred slightly, and he stepped forward to take the package handed to him by the other party.

"The goods have been delivered; I shall take my leave now."

"Wait, did Brother Lin give any other instructions?" Qin Chuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

The man simply shook his head.

Helpless, Qin Chuan watched the person leave before returning to the house. Scanning the area with his divine sense and finding no one paying attention, he found a quiet corner and gently opened the package.

Inside was a small and exquisite jade carving.

In an instant, the Heavenly Essence Furnace trembled slightly.

[Item: Antique jade carving]

[A refined object that once graced the desks of nobles, its jade is warm and lustrous, its carving exquisite, and its value considerable. Though it contains no magical essence, it has acquired a fair amount of magical essence from years of handling and admiration by those who cultivate the Tao; it could be refined into 100 points of magical essence.]

Qin Chuan was immediately startled.

Jade is a valuable commodity in any world. Having spent his days frequenting the Four Prefectures Street, he had a basic understanding of the market – a jade carving like this was worth at least several hundred spirit coins!

But what is even more precious is undoubtedly the 100 points of pure Dharma essence contained within it.

"Lin Xiaoheng is..."

Just as he was pondering this, several more groups of people arrived during the night, all servants or coachmen of fellow practitioners of the chanting society. The items they brought were varied, including elixirs to aid cultivation, aged wines, and even a single packet of spiritual energy.

The total value of all the gifts combined is at least five or six hundred spirit coins!

Qin Chuan then realized—this was clearly a way for the fellow Daoists to repay the debt of gratitude for the Dao Ancestor's Heart Sutra after the meeting. Including Lin Xiaoheng's gift, there were a total of six generous gifts.

After all, they have no say in this matter.

Only Chu Yunze and Ji Yuqi did not send anyone, but clearly, their promised "help" was the key to truly resolving Qin Chuan's predicament.

Weighing the "return gifts" in his hand, Qin Chuan thought to himself, "This time, I've truly received a gift."

However, today's matter was originally his doing, as he had given the Dao Ancestor's mental cultivation method to everyone. Now that others are returning the favor, how can he refuse? On the contrary, he should take this opportunity to cultivate these relationships so that they can exchange things in the future.

"I'll keep the elixirs and spirit wine for my own use and not sell them." Qin Chuan quickly calculated, "The items and spirit essence that can be converted into cash will amount to about two or three hundred. Now when I go to the antique market, I won't just focus on the small stalls and try my luck. I can go and take a look at the shops with storefronts."

Street vendor markets are a mixed bag, relying solely on finding bargains and often involving scams; while in places with shops, although counterfeit goods are still unavoidable, the proportion of genuine items is generally higher.

After making his decision, Qin Chuan immediately began to re-forge the magical essence within the jade carving.

Most of the night passed.

The furnace master gains 100 points of Dharma Essence.

[—133 points of Dharma essence remaining]

With 133 points of Dharma Essence in hand, Qin Chuan could finally attempt to upgrade both the "Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique" and the "Burning Wood Fire Technique" by one level.

He decided to first learn the "Burning Wood and Separating Fire Technique"—simply because he was unsure of the number of Dharma Points required to upgrade it to the unprecedented sixth level, so he might as well test the waters.

"add a bit!"

Thoughts fall as commanded.

Click!

One after another, the crystal fragments shattered rapidly, at a speed that was almost invisible.

boom!
A fierce and incomparable burst of fiery true energy suddenly rose from his heart palace, instantly turning the room into a furnace, with heat rising and even wisps of white steam rising from Qin Chuan's body.

[The "Burning Wood and Separating Fire Technique" has been upgraded to level six!]

Like the previous Silver Light White Needle, this sixth level of mental cultivation method seemed to have been created by him personally, and no one else in the world knew its profound mysteries.

However, as soon as this technique reached the sixth level, it immediately began to clash with the true energy of the "Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique" within the body. Because fire overcomes wood, the true energy of Yi Wood gradually weakened under the scorching heat of the fire.

At the same time, an indescribable feeling of heat welled up from the bottom of my heart, as if a pent-up anger had nowhere to go.

"The wood and fire elements are out of balance!"

Qin Chuan immediately realized that he had to improve his Yi Wood True Qi as soon as possible in order to counterbalance the power of the Li Fire.

Looking at the remaining Dharma Essence, there are still 78 points. This means that pushing the "Burning Wood and Separating Fire Technique" to the sixth level consumed 55 points of Dharma Essence.

"The remaining 78 points will all be bet on the 'Yi Wood Azure Heaven Technique,' let's take a gamble!" Boom!
All the Dharma essence shattered, transforming into a vast Dharma nature, which frantically poured into the progress of the "Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique".

Qin Chuan stared intently at the illusory progress ball—the initial rise was extremely rapid, rushing past one-third, two-thirds in the blink of an eye… but finally it slowly stalled at 99%.

Just when he thought all his efforts were in vain—

boom!
[The seventh level of the Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique!]

In an instant, Qin Chuan felt his internal energy surge several times stronger, his vitality overflowing and unstoppable. His liver and gallbladder, belonging to the wood element among the five internal organs, received unprecedented nourishment, their functions increasing more than tenfold!
"Seventh floor, done!"

Qin Chuan was overjoyed. Reaching the seventh level meant he was only one step away from Elder Huo's peak eighth level! Many new insights into the vitality of Yi Wood naturally surfaced in his mind.

As the "Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique" progressed to the next level, the feeling of being restrained and burned by the Li Fire immediately dissipated, and the pent-up heat in his chest also subsided.

Thus the night passed.

The next day, Qin Chuan got up an hour early to wait for He Xingchen, only to find that she was still in seclusion. He asked He Qingxuan and learned that if He Xingchen did not come out of seclusion, she would ask Langyin Pavilion to ask for leave on her behalf.

"Brother Qin Chuan, go to work. I'll keep an eye on things here," He Qingxuan said obediently.

Qin Chuan understood that it would not be easy for He Xingchen to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining; it would take quite a long time. He carefully gave He Qingxuan a few more instructions on the precautions for her seclusion and protection before preparing to leave.

"Brother Qin Chuan, haven't you had breakfast yet? Shall I make you something?" He Qingxuan asked.

"No need to trouble yourself, I'll just buy some things along the way." Qin Chuan smiled and declined. Now that he had more money, although he was still far from buying big items such as flying boats, houses, and communication jade talismans, he no longer needed to be too frugal with his daily food, clothing, and other necessities.

He walked out of the alley and turned into the small shop selling "double sandwiches" on the street corner.

A sesame seed cake costs eight coins and can be sandwiched between two pieces.

Normally, he would never buy breakfast and would make his own to make do with a meal, but things are different now.

He bought three, and happily munched on the crispy sesame flatbreads filled with meat, heading towards Nongling Temple.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the temple gate, they saw a large group of people gathered in front of the bulletin board booth, pointing and talking animatedly.

Qin Chuan curiously scanned the announcement with his divine sense, and his expression changed drastically after just one glance:

"Elder Huo... has been criticized in an internal notice from the Daoist sect?!"

The temple bulletin read: "Our temple's head of the fields, Huo Yuanjue, has a weak understanding of Taoism and lacks knowledge of longevity. We hereby criticize fellow Taoist Huo Yuanjue and will make a self-criticism at the Longevity Conference..."

"Could it be because of me that Elder Huo offended his fellow practitioners in the temple?"

Qin Chuan immediately felt a surge of guilt.

For a moment, the eyes of the group of fire-working Taoists who had vaguely discerned the relationship between Huo Yuanjue and Qin Chuan became somewhat strange, their gazes lingering on Qin Chuan.

The Taoists from other departments were still discussing it.

Qin Chuan was also pondering the connection between this matter and himself.

But at this very moment...

唳~~
Accompanied by the sound of a crane crying in the deep marsh.

in the void,
A faint buzzing sound, accompanied by a subtle spiritual pressure, suddenly came from the horizon, growing louder as it approached.

Everyone heard the sound and instinctively looked up:

"That is……"

"No way, that carriage!!"

"Yes……"

"The County God's carriage!"

Unexpectedly, Sun Qinghan arrived at Nongling Temple that morning!
Qin Chuan also looked up at the sky in surprise.

A magnificent carriage, pulled by two cranes and guarded by several celestial officials with refined auras, disregarded the usual restrictions of Nongling Temple and flew straight into the sky above the temple. After circling briefly, it landed on the courtyard inside the temple.

next moment.

The carriage curtain was slightly lifted, revealing the silhouette of a woman dressed in a black and white Taoist robe with a cool and aloof expression. Her aura, that of a Golden Core cultivator, slowly emanated and swept across the entire Nongling Temple.

(End of this chapter)