Ordinary People: Starting with the Chen Clan

As the clouds drifted by and the wind blew them away, a small boat carrying four people swiftly passed through the sky.

"Xuanzhou, don't be nervous this time. At your age, even if you fail this time, you will definitely be able to enter the next competition. So treat this as a training experience, and don't be reckless."

Chen Houwen stood to the side, holding Chen Xuanzhou's hand and giving him instructions repeatedly. He even used so much force that Chen Xuanzhou's hand turned slightly pale.

"Alright, Houwen, you're not as calm as your son. With his ability, getting into the top ten is no problem at all. Your behavior is just affecting his mindset."

Chen Houwen was well aware of this, but as a father, how could he truly be at ease? Moreover, although Chen Xuanzhou was young, his ambition was something he, as his father, knew best.

How could we possibly wait another ten years!

"Father, it's alright. With the Prison-Suppressing Stele protecting me, even if I encounter a talismanic treasure, I can easily admit defeat!"

"Pah, what nonsense are you talking about? In all these years, there has never been a single Ascension Conference that has produced a treasure like the Talisman Treasure."

Chen Xuanzhou's interruption made Chen's father feel slightly relieved.

Chen's mother, one of the four, remained silent, simply standing quietly behind Chen Xuanzhou.

The journey that followed was marked by a slightly somber atmosphere, with the other three, except for Chen Xuanzhou, taking turns operating the magical artifacts.

As they got closer to Tianwutai, more and more figures appeared around them, but they all kept a sufficient distance from each other.

When we arrived at Tianwutai, it was already crowded with people. Tianwutai is not big; it is just seven small hills whose peaks have been flattened.

With less than half a month until the Ascension Conference, the large number of people gathered here is certainly not all there to compete for those few spots.

A large portion of them also sensed a business opportunity.

So a large temporary trading market was formed at the foot of the mountain, where disciples from the seven sects would occasionally make purchases or collect items, which improved the quality of the market to some extent.

Chen Xuanzhou became interested upon seeing this and started strolling around with his mother.

As for his father and Chen Shangyu, they began to investigate the disciples sent by various forces around them, especially the Yan family, the most powerful family in Yue.

Every year, several disciples from his sect have joined the Hidden Moon Sect, making him Chen Xuanzhou's biggest rival.

Watching Chen Xuanzhou constantly moving between the various stalls, Chen's mother saw a slightly immature figure reflected in her eyes, seemingly overlapping, yet also completely opposite.

Chen Xuanzhou, however, paid little attention to the people behind him. He wandered around the various stalls for a long time but gained nothing.

He has no shortage of conventional magical artifacts and talismans.

And it's unlikely that any particularly outstanding magical artifacts would appear here; they've all been kept.

On the contrary, he sold a lot of talismans and obtained a large amount of spirit stones. Over the years, he has drawn some whenever he has free time, but he can't sell them all through Chen's father's few channels.

And just like that, the first day passed by in a flash.

When he returned to the small courtyard where he was temporarily renting a place, his father and son were already waiting for him there.

"Come, Xuanzhou, what have you gained today?"

"Everyone who comes here is hiding their valuables, but judging from the elder's expression, there might be good news."

"It's not exactly good news, but it's enough to put your father's mind at ease a little. The Yan family members arrived yesterday, and only three of their disciples are confirmed to participate in this conference."

Moreover, your highest cultivation level is only the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Although I'm not sure about magic weapons, with your abilities, dealing with them shouldn't be a problem.

Moreover, we may not even encounter it.

The only family we need to be wary of is the Bai family of Jianzhou. Our two families once fought a bloody battle over a sacred plot of land, so we need to be careful that they don't resort to underhanded tactics if we encounter them.

"The Bai family of Jianzhou? That Bai family, famous for their golden sword techniques. Given their family's heritage, they should choose the Greatsword Sect, right?"

"You little rascal, you've read a lot of books. In terms of knowledge, even this old man like me can't compare to you, you little rascal."

Chen Shangyu shook his head and laughed.

"Alright, it's getting late, everyone should go back and rest."

The three bowed to Chen Shangyu before returning to their respective rooms.

During the long night, some people sat quietly to regulate their breathing, while others stayed up all night.

The next few people, Chen Xuanzhou, continued to wander around the market as he had done in the previous days, but unfortunately they didn't gain anything.

With the Ascension Ceremony about to begin, it seems unlikely that this blind search will yield any good results. It's like trying to catch a wolf without risking your own child.

Back in the courtyard, he took the three-piece suit his father used when he went out, put on a straw hat, a long robe, and a mask.

This was just an illusion. He took out a talisman and slapped it against the mask. The ordinary wooden mask transformed into a middle-aged man with a somewhat gloomy face.

But that wasn't all. Chen Xuanzhou pointed at himself again, and the somewhat immature face under the mask suddenly became much more mature, and his face also became much rounder.

Satisfied, he examined himself with the water mirror technique before quickly leaving the courtyard.

The trade fair at the foot of the mountain was temporary and lacked any management, so if anything happened, no one would be there to bail you out.

So Chen Xuanzhou simply found a spot on the outskirts to sit down, laid out a piece of animal hide that he had prepared beforehand, and placed a few talismans on it.

At the same time, he took out a flagpole with the items he needed written on it, and casually cast a flash spell there, which was dazzling even in daylight.

Soon a group of people gathered around.

"Fellow Daoist, can you exchange your Thunder Light Thorn Talisman for spirit stones? I'll offer one hundred spirit stones."

"You should know that a typical high-level talisman only costs fifty or sixty yuan. Unless it's the Ascension Ceremony, no matter how much prices rise, they won't reach this level."

"Okay, but I only need mid-grade spirit stones."

"What?! You, a Qi Refining cultivator, actually dare to ask for mid-grade spirit stones!"

"Or you can take out something from the flag, and I can exchange it. Besides, I have more than one. You should know the role of this kind of talisman in critical moments."

Compared to the Foundation Establishment Pill, what is this little sacrifice?

Before the other party could speak, he was pushed aside by a burly figure.

"You're so slow and indecisive; if you don't want it, plenty of others will."

The man in front took two firm steps, and as soon as he steadied himself, he turned around to confront the person behind him. But when he saw the other person's clothes, he immediately swallowed back the words he was about to say.

They didn't even dare to stay there, not even dare to make eye contact with the other person, and immediately retreated into the surrounding crowd and disappeared.

The burly man ignored him and continued to say to Chen Xuanzhou, "This talisman is too expensive at one mid-grade spirit stone. Can you make it cheaper?"

"Then we'll use one Thunderstrike Talisman and three Vajra Talismans."

"Alright! Give me three Lightning Talismans."

The big man was decisive and handed over the spirit stones directly.

Not far away, an unkempt old man quietly watched all of this.