Ordinary People: Starting with the Chen Clan

After emerging from the Earth Fire Chamber, Chen Xuanzhou first returned to his cave dwelling and rested for half a month.

Only after the essence and blood in the clone's body were fully restored did it go to the Spirit Beast Mountain with him.

If we're talking about the country with the most domesticated spirit beasts in the entire Yue Kingdom, then Spirit Beast Mountain, that traitor, is undoubtedly the place to be.

It is also the only force that might sell second-tier spirit beasts as livestock, like cattle and horses.

Chen Xuanzhou wanted the simplest and most convenient option, so this was the only choice.

With the two taking turns piloting the flying artifact, they arrived outside the Spirit Beast Mountain in just a few days.

With several years still to go before the demonic invasion, Chen Xuanzhou wasn't worried about the people of Spirit Beast Mountain harboring ill intentions towards him.

The moment their feet touched the gate of Spirit Beast Mountain, a domineering voice rushed into their ears.

"Who are you? Why have you come to my Spirit Beast Mountain!"

Chen Xuanzhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burly man dressed in animal skins, his upper body half-exposed, holding an axe in both hands and looking at him coldly.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Chen Xuanzhou, a disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect and Master Qiong!"

"I've come to your sect today to discuss a business deal with your sect leader."

Upon hearing Chen Xuanzhou deliberately mention the name of Old Ghost Qiong, the coldness on the burly man's face immediately vanished.

"So you are Master Qiong's disciple! Please invite him in. May I ask what business you wish to discuss, Junior Brother Chen?"

As your elder brother, I'm not exaggerating; I do have some influence in this field, and I might be able to offer some assistance!

Chen Xuanzhou showed no disdain for the other party's initial arrogance followed by obsequiousness.

Everyone has their own way of living; snakes, insects, rats, and ants each go their own way!

"It's not a secret. This time, I'm mainly representing my family and want to purchase a few second-tier demonic beasts from your sect."

Ideally, it should be one with strong constitution and a relatively docile temperament, like the hog boar.

"Oh, that's easy. I know several families or individuals in the sect who keep such demonic beasts, and several of them are interested in selling them."

I'll send the message to them right away. Of course, if Brother Chen is worried, I can lead you to the council hall first; the sect leader should be there handling miscellaneous matters.

"Not at all, then I'll trouble you... Oh, and I still don't know how to address you, Senior Brother?"

My surname is Zhong, and my given name is Yuan.

"Brother Zhong, why don't we wait for our senior brothers at your sect leader's place?"

"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask..."

The two politely declined each other's offer before walking side by side toward the council hall.

The sect leader of Spirit Beast Mountain, who had already received the news, had arranged for his disciples to prepare tea and snacks and wait for him.

The two men sat down as host and guest, respectively. The man surnamed Zhong, due to his important position, could not leave, so he only exchanged a few pleasantries before returning to his post.

"I just heard from Junior Brother Zhong that Fellow Daoist Chen needs several second-tier spirit beasts that are tough, thick-skinned, and gentle in nature."

There are a total of six kinds of demonic beasts in my Spirit Beast Mountain that meet Fellow Daoist Chen's requirements.

They are: Iron-Boned Giant Pig, Blunt-Armored Lucky Pig, Molten-Heart Blood Frog, Crouching Azure-Scaled Python, Mystic-Armored Rock Python, and Raging Blood Bull.

As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and handed it to Chen Xuanzhou.

Chen Xuanzhou didn't stand on ceremony and took it directly, then placed it on his forehead to examine it. The descriptions of the six kinds of demonic beasts inside were quite detailed.

It not only describes the specific appearance, but also the feeding method, the spiritual materials it can produce, and so on, listing all the usable aspects clearly.

Chen Xuanzhou glanced at the jade slip a few times before setting it aside and asking the sect leader of Spirit Beast Mountain, "What are the prices for the Iron-Bone Giant Pig and the Molten Heart Blood Frog?"

"These two types of demonic beasts are not much different in value, both around eight hundred spirit stones. Of course, this depends on the situation of each family, and they can decide for themselves."

However, these two kinds of demonic beasts are not rare spirit beasts. Several families in the sect keep them, so there is no chance of deliberately raising prices.

If Fellow Daoist Chen possesses any rare treasures, the price might drop even further.

"Then I hope the sect leader can offer some guidance!"

As Chen Xuanzhou spoke, he took out a storage bag and deftly pushed it in front of the other person.

The sect leader of Spirit Beast Mountain gently brushed his hand across his face, making his already smiling, round face appear even rounder.

"This... I'm so sorry! Junior Brother Chen's kindness is too much for me to refuse..."

"Senior brother, there's no need to be so polite with me. My Chen clan has just established itself in the Hidden Moon Sect, and we will need your help in the future."

"I'll need your help a lot more, Senior Brother! When I need to purchase spirit beast-related treasures like this time, I'll have to lend you my full support."

The storage bag contained only a few items, just talismans worth two hundred spirit stones, which he could draw in a few days.

Excluding his labor costs, the total cost is less than thirty spirit stones.

So he really didn't mind using it as a bribe, rather than just putting on a show.

"Judging from the large number of talismans Junior Brother Chen has produced, he must have a very high level of skill in talisman making."

"I wonder if Junior Brother Chen can draw a talisman to break the seal?"

In the end, the head of the Spirit Beast Mountain's eyes flickered slightly. When his gaze met Chen Xuanzhou's, he unconsciously picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip.

Breaking the Seal!

Upon hearing these three words, Chen Xuanzhou's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Spirit Beast Mountain, that traitor, was already preparing!

That's normal, though. A major event like the invasion of demonic forces wouldn't be decided by a few Nascent Soul cultivators on a whim.

The initial preparations, especially the collection of various supplies, cannot be completed in just one or two days.

The Restriction-Breaking Talisman is a mid-level talisman that is highly effective against most array restrictions.

Chen Xuanzhou had only seen such treasures in the Transmission Pavilion of the Hidden Moon Sect, but had never personally hand-painted them.

As for the reason, there's only one—too busy!

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he has been either researching various cultivation techniques and secret arts or supporting the affairs of his family.

In terms of cultivation arts, he focused more on weapon crafting and formations, and indeed neglected talisman making.

"Junior Brother doesn't have such a rare talisman as the 'Breaking the Restriction Talisman,' but fortunately, he can draw one or two of them!"

However, the senior brother also knew the difficulty of drawing this barrier-breaking talisman. It could be called the most difficult intermediate-level talisman, and even the most difficult one.

Therefore, if you want me to use these talismans as payment, we need to sign a long-term contract, whereby I will provide a certain number of barrier-breaking talismans every month.

Chen Xuanzhou calmly explained the transaction method, making it sound as reasonable and compliant as a chicken pecking at rice.

No one would doubt whether he had drawn this talisman.

"Alright, then we'll..."

As expected, the head of the Spirit Beast Mountain sect also fell into a misconception and did not allow Chen Xuanzhou to reveal his ability to draw talismans.

Instead, they directly signed a contract, trading for seven talismans and one spirit beast.