Dongting Immortal Clan

However, Guan Chengfu was not present when they arrived at the scene.

Chen Changhe stayed for a few days, and on the fifth day of the month, the steward of the courtyard came to report.

"Second Master Chen, the Ferry has gathered enough passengers and can depart at noon."

Upon hearing this, Chen Changhe nodded slightly and went to the Chenjianjiang ferry crossing alone.

The boat was moored on the shore, with only Guan Shuiqing, who was punting the boat, squatting there smoking. The old man's eyelids were still drooping. When he saw Chen Changhe coming, he grinned, revealing his sparse yellow teeth, as if to say hello.

"Is Fellow Daoist Chengfu not here?"

"He went to Yuezhou a few days ago and should not be back for another two weeks."

Guan Shuiqing exhaled a puff of green smoke and slowly said:

"The fare is sixty spirit pearls, round trip included."

Chen Changhe nodded and took out sixty spirit beads from his storage bag and handed them over.

Guan Shuiqing didn't look closely; with a flick of his sleeve, he put it into the storage bag at his waist.

"Let's get on the boat. Once the others arrive, we'll set off."

Chen Changhe silently boarded the ship.

Five people were already seated on the boat, all dressed as independent cultivators with low cultivation levels. They turned to look at Chen Changhe, who seemed unfamiliar to them, before closing their eyes to rest.

Chen Changhe found a corner to sit down and closed his eyes.

Before long, the boat was full of people, and the runes on the Cloud Ferry Boat lit up as it slowly took off.

Two hours later, the cloud-crossing boat landed steadily on the familiar open space at the foot of Deer Horn Mountain.

"Tomorrow at the end of the 11 PM, this old man will still be here waiting for you all," Guan Shuiqing said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Chen Changhe thanked him, turned and walked into the market. He paused briefly under the archway, his gaze sweeping over the passing crowds, silently thinking to himself.

"I only have five spirit stones and six Azure Gold Pearls on me."

These are the valuables our family has accumulated over this period of time.

I have three things to do in Xian City.

"First, we need to continue searching for a new martial arts technique."

Last time I came in a hurry and found two magical artifacts for my elder brother, but I spent all my money and had to put the search for cultivation techniques on hold.

This time, however, he was determined to find a suitable method of cultivation.

Now Chen Changhe has come to a realization: with his aptitude, he probably will never be able to refine his Qi in this lifetime if he continues to cultivate the Taiyin Refinement Formation Technique. It would be better to change his cultivation method as soon as possible and find a method that offers the hope of entering the Innate Realm.

With the help of the wooden child's spiritual energy absorption, the speed of breaking through the Jade Spring and refining the golden marrow will be much faster.

For a family to establish itself in Yunmeng, someone needs to step forward and support the family.

Guan Chengfeng's words of advice from that day still ring in my ears.

"Not every cultivation family can maintain its position under the rule of the Taixu Sect for long."

"When one family is promoted, another is demoted."

"Zhou Yan granted the Chen family some favors because of Hu'er, tacitly allowing me to exchange gold and pearls for supplies. But he is, after all, a high-ranking cultivator from a celestial sect, and his thoughts are unpredictable. Who knows if he won't change his attitude, or perhaps transfer me elsewhere?"

"If the Chen family hadn't had any alchemists to support them at that time, their downfall would have been imminent..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chen Changhe walked on the bluestone path, his pace neither fast nor slow.

The market was still bustling, with vendors calling out their wares incessantly from the scattered stalls.

The shouts of vendors selling talismans, elixirs, magical artifacts, and mythical beasts rose and fell in a continuous stream.

A rusted copper coin sword, mud-covered herb roots, a noisy, colorful bird in a cage...

The sheer variety makes it difficult to distinguish the genuine from the fake.

His gaze swept across the area quickly, noticing a few interesting things, but he didn't linger.

Finding bargains at street stalls relies on a keen eye; nine out of ten places there are scams.

Even if there were any leaks, he might not be able to pick them up.

Instead of trying your luck here, it's better to buy from a store for peace of mind.

Chen Changhe walked through the stalls and up the stone steps to the shops on the mountainside.

The houses here are neat and orderly, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and banners fluttering in front of the doors, bearing large characters such as "Dan", "Qi", "Fu", and "Zhen".

Every shop had a waiter standing at the door, who would greet people with a smile when they came in, but would not pull or entangle them.

Chen Changhe glanced around and entered a shop with the words "Gong" and "Fa" hanging on its signboard, which read "Lingwen Pavilion".

The shop is elegantly furnished with antique shelves arranged in a staggered pattern. A voluptuous and beautiful woman sits there, wearing a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and her hair is styled in a high bun. When a customer enters, she gracefully rises, her phoenix eyes sparkling with allure.

"What would you like to see, fellow Daoist?"

The beautiful woman's voice was soft and sweet. She bowed respectfully, her cleavage revealing a striking, barely concealed cleavage.

"The cultivation method of the Spiritual Treasury Realm requires a balanced and tranquil approach, and can be cultivated directly to the fifth realm, the Life Palace."

Chen Changhe withdrew his gaze and said in a calm tone.

Seeing his refined demeanor and cool gaze, the beautiful woman chuckled, took a pale blue jade slip from the shelf, and introduced it:

"Fellow Daoist, please take a look."

"This is the 'Azure Wood Everlasting Spring Technique,' which can condense the Azure Wood Dharma Image. In the future, it is hoped that it can absorb the innate Qi of the Yi Wood to refine Qi and build a foundation. It is valued at eight hundred spirit pearls."

Chen Changhe took the jade slip, probed it with his spiritual sense, and glanced at it briefly.

The technique was standard and unremarkable, without any outstanding features or obvious flaws.

He put down the jade slip and shook his head.

"Anything else?"

The beautiful woman immediately presented another crimson jade slip:

"This is the 'Crimson Cauldron Flame Technique,' which can condense the Crimson Cauldron Dharma Image and use the Qi of Bing Fire to seek the innate Dao. Its power is considerable."

"However, cultivation requires a large amount of fire-attribute spiritual materials to make rapid progress. The price is nine hundred spirit pearls."

Chen Changhe shook his head again.

His magical power is predominantly of the Yin and cold water element, which clashes with this fire-based technique, making his cultivation twice as difficult and half as effective.

That would suit the eldest brother better.

However, my elder brother has already switched to studying the "Purple Fire Earth Qi Technique" sent back by Hu'er, which directly points to innate Qi cultivation, so he doesn't need this technique.

Seeing that he was not satisfied, the beautiful woman handed him another white jade slip.

"Then you might want to take a look at this 'Qi Cultivation and Longevity Secret'."

"It can also be cultivated to the Life Palace, condensing the Azure Origin Dharma Image. In the future, it can absorb innate pure energy and enter the Qi Refining stage. Priced at... three hundred spirit pearls."

Chen Changhe was stunned for a moment.

"Three spirit stones?"

Yes, that's right.

The beautiful woman's eyes flickered, and she sighed:

"This cultivation method combines the five elements, does not consider aptitude, is balanced and harmonious, and can be adapted to many paths of cultivation in the future."

"It's cheap because it's a popular exercise and widely practiced."

"If you, fellow Daoist, are unsure which cultivation method to choose, this one is the most suitable."

Chen Changhe took the jade slip and probed it with his spiritual sense.

The cultivation method is divided into five levels, corresponding to the five realms of spiritual energy. The key points are clearly explained and the steps are clearly defined.

Although it is not a top-tier cultivation technique, it is reliable and will not cause qi deviation or require special spiritual aptitude.

More importantly, it's inexpensive.

It only requires three hundred spirit pearls, which is equivalent to three spirit stones.

Even buying some fragmented jade slips from a random street vendor would cost this price.

"Is this a simplified version?"

Chen Changhe looked up and asked.

There are already two cultivation methods in the family, both of which are lengthy and complex. Compared to them, this method is much simpler.

The beautiful woman nodded:

"It is indeed the commonly used simplified version."

"If you require a complete interpretation of the pass with annotations and detailed explanations from senior cultivators, then fifteen spirit stones will be required."

"The simplified version only contains the main text of the cultivation method; the subtleties and dangerous challenges within must be understood and pondered on one's own."

Fifteen spirit stones.

Chen Changhe fell silent.

All he had on him was worth no more than eleven or twelve spirit stones.

Once you buy the cultivation technique, you won't have money to buy anything else.

"I'll take this one."

Without further hesitation, he took out three spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

The spirit stone was small, about the size of a thumb, and bluish-white in color, with a faint fluorescent glow.

With a gentle wave of her delicate hand, the magical stone vanished, and her smile grew even more radiant.

"Fellow Daoist, you're quite forthcoming. Would you like to see anything else? I could also give you a more detailed introduction..."

Her tone was soft and sweet, but her words carried a hidden meaning.

Chen Changhe bowed respectfully.

"No need."

As his figure disappeared into the crowd, the beautiful woman leaned against the counter, her fingertips lightly tracing the table where the spirit stones had just been placed. A strange light flashed in her eyes as she murmured to herself:

"What exquisite magical power..."

"I wonder which family he belongs to. I really want to cultivate with him properly..."