Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

Jiang Shi changed his demeanor at the city gate.

He used the "Hundred Illusions and Thousand Faces Technique" to transform himself into a middle-aged rogue cultivator with an ordinary appearance and his cultivation level suppressed to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

With an old storage bag hanging from his waist and wearing a gray Taoist robe, he blended into the crowd entering the city and was inconspicuous.

The city walls of Xuanyu City are very high, made of bluestone, and are ten zhang high.

The city gates were wide open, and two rows of guards stood on either side, all of them at the Foundation Establishment stage.

As Jiang Shi walked over, a guard glanced at him but did not stop him.

Even if a Golden Core cultivator suppresses their cultivation, their aura is still far superior to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The guard sensed that the person in front of him was not someone to be trifled with, so he looked away.

Upon entering the city, Jiang Shi first took a walk around the streets.

Xuanyu City is three times larger than Canglin City, with wide streets and shops lining both sides.

There are vendors selling magical artifacts, elixirs, and talismans—you name it, they have it.

Most of the pedestrians on the road were cultivators, with the majority in the Qi Refining stage, and quite a few in the Foundation Establishment stage as well. Occasionally, one could see a Golden Core stage cultivator walking by, accompanied by attendants, making quite a grand entrance.

Jiang Shi stopped in front of a teahouse.

The teahouse is called "Qingyin Pavilion," and it has three floors. It's very popular.

He went inside and found a corner to sit in the lobby on the first floor.

The waiter ran over; he was a young man in the Qi Refining stage. He respectfully asked what kind of tea he would like.

"A pot of second-grade spiritual tea," Jiang Shi said.

The waiter responded and quickly brought over a pot of tea. The tea was emerald green and rich in spiritual energy; it was a second-grade lower-level spiritual tea. Jiang Shi poured himself a cup and sipped it slowly, while listening to the conversations around him.

Teahouses are the best place to get information.

"Have you heard? Chen Xuan from the Chen family has come to Xuanyu City and is staying at the Yuelai Inn in the north of the city," a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the next table said in a low voice.

"Chen Xuan? Which direct descendant of the Chen family in Zhongzhou?" another person asked.

"That's him, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, one of the best among the younger generation of the Chen family. I heard he's here for the Tianbao Pavilion's auction."

"The auction is still three months away, why are you here so early?"

The two chatted and drank tea.

Jiang Shi remained calm and made the conversation a memory.

He sat for a while longer, listened to some idle chatter, but found nothing useful, so he paid the bill and left the teahouse.

Yuelai Inn, north of the city.

Jiang Shi didn't approach; he only glanced at it from a distance.

The inn was small, with two floors. Two Foundation Establishment stage guards stood at the entrance, each wearing a Chen family badge around their waist.

The entire inn was shrouded in a faint spiritual light, as an array prevented spiritual senses from probing it.

He carefully scanned it with his spiritual sense and immediately withdrew it.

There were multiple Golden Core stage auras emanating from the inn.

There were at least two paths. One was steady and profound, like the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, while the other was more profound and had a faint sense of oppression, indicating the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Jiang Shi understood that Chen Xuan had a protector by his side, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, who would be difficult to deal with.

Jiang Shi left and found an inn nearby to stay in.

The room was small, containing a bed, a table, and a futon. Jiang Shi sat cross-legged on the futon, closing his eyes to rest.

He needed three months to figure out Chen Xuan's whereabouts and find an opportunity to strike.

Over the next few days, Jiang Shi changed his appearance every day and observed the area around the Yuelai Inn.

Chen Xuan rarely went out and spent most of his time in the inn.

He occasionally comes out, but he is always accompanied by guards.

Unbeknownst to others, an old man in a gray robe was secretly following Chen Xuan not far away.

The old man in the gray robe had a gaunt face, sharp eyes, and walked silently.

This person is none other than Chen Xuan's protector!

Jiang Shi glanced at it once and then looked away, not daring to look any longer.

A cultivator in the late stage of the Golden Core realm possesses extremely keen spiritual sense; even a few extra glances could detect their presence.

On the fifth day, Chen Xuan finally made a move.

He left the inn with his guards and the old man in gray robes, heading south of the city.

Jiang Shi followed far behind, keeping his distance and not daring to get too close.

Tianbao Pavilion is the largest auction house in Xuanyu City. It is a three-story wooden building with a grand interior.

Two Foundation Establishment stage guards stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Chen Xuan arrive, they quickly bowed and invited him in.

Jiang Shi didn't go inside. Instead, he found a teahouse across the street, sat down, ordered a pot of tea, and waited patiently.

An hour later, Chen Xuan came out, looking rather unpleasant, as if he had discussed something unpleasant.

He boarded the carriage and headed north of the city.

Jiang Shi paid the bill and followed behind.

Over the next few days, Chen Xuan visited Tianbao Pavilion twice more.

She always looks unwell when she comes out.

Jiang Shi guessed that he was probably discussing some business, but they hadn't reached an agreement.

A few days later, Jiang Shi received a telepathic message from Fang Jiuyue at the inn.

"Senior Brother Jiang, are you in Xuanyu City?"

"exist."

"Chen Xuan has a late-stage Golden Core cultivator protecting him. Be careful. That person is an outer sect elder of the Chen family named Chen Boyuan, who is at the peak of the late-stage Golden Core realm."

Jiang Shi was silent for a moment, then replied, "Understood."

He put away the communication jade tablet and continued his cultivation.

Inside the dantian, the five-colored golden pill slowly rotated, and the five elements of true essence circulated in the meridians.

With each cycle, the true essence solidifies by one degree.

Since forming his Golden Core, his cultivation has been steadily improving. Although he is still far from the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, his magical power is 20% stronger than when he first broke through.

The mysterious giant clam rested quietly deep within the dantian, its shell bearing indistinct patterns, as if it were asleep.

The mysterious giant clam rested quietly deep within the dantian, its shell bearing indistinct patterns, as if it were asleep.

It has remained silent ever since it helped Jiang Shi fend off Ling Xuzi's probe.

Jiang Shi tried to communicate with his spirit, but there was no response.

He stopped paying attention to it and focused on his cultivation.

Time passed day by day.

A month later, Jiang Shi had figured out Chen Xuan's patterns of action.

Chen Xuan visited Tianbao Pavilion every five days, staying for an hour each time, taking the same route, and bringing the same people.

The two guards, both in the late Foundation Establishment stage, are insignificant. The gray-robed elder, Chen Boyuan, is the biggest obstacle.

With Jiang Shi's current abilities, it's still not enough to deal with a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

He needed an opportunity, an opportunity when Chen Boyuan couldn't attend to Chen Xuan.

A few days later, Jiang Shi spotted a stranger outside the inn.

The man was dressed in black and wore a bamboo hat, so his face was not visible. He stood opposite the inn for a while, and then left.

Jiang Shi scanned the person with his spiritual sense and found that the person was at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and the aura was unfamiliar, indicating that the person was not from the Chen family.

These past few days, this person has been secretly keeping an eye on Chen Xuan.

Jiang Shi realized that someone was tailing Chen Xuan, and he wasn't the only one.

He secretly observed for several days and discovered that there was more than one person watching Chen Xuan; there were at least two groups.

One group was the man in the black-clad man in the straw hat, and the other group was a larger group of men in black, with a stronger presence.

Jiang Shi did not act rashly, but silently noted down the whereabouts of these people.

As the auction drew closer, more and more cultivators entered Xuanyu City, and the streets became lively.

More Golden Core stage cultivators were also present, some attending the auction, others just there to watch the spectacle.

Jiang Shi knew that the opportunity was coming soon.

He is waiting.

He would wait for those who were eyeing Chen Xuan to make the first move, and then he would take advantage of the chaos.