Chapter 102: Even in the World of Immortal Cultivation, There Are Anglers (Seeking Subscriptions)

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Zhou Changwang naturally had no intention of joining any commotion. No matter how tumultuous the outside world became, he simply stayed within his own courtyard, never stepping outside. Thus, in the following days, Zhou Changwang focused on farming and cultivating his talisman arts.

Finally, after seven days, he sensed a subtle movement in his spiritual power.

Cultivation level +1.

“After breaking through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, the growth in strength truly slows down considerably. And this is while eating a single meal of Thunder Spirit Rice each day.”

Zhou Changwang slowly ceased his cultivation, feeling increasingly desperate for a supreme cultivation method. Although his Five Elements Technique was perfected, it only allowed his cultivation speed to rival that of a three-attribute spiritual root cultivator. A top-tier method from the start could match such a cultivator and enable one with five-element spiritual roots to lay a foundation before sixty years of age—a vast difference.

Naturally, he was eager to switch his cultivation method.

Previously, he had no choice.

Now, possessing thousands of low-grade spirit stones, he was naturally inclined to plan something.

He rose and performed the calming charm on the small golden egg as usual.

Immediately, he felt joy and trust emanating from within the egg, but aside from trust, there was hunger and longing.

“Hunger and longing? Hungry? Is the spiritual energy insufficient?”

Zhou Changwang was somewhat puzzled. He did know that the spiritual energy density inside his cultivation chamber was no match for that of Xue Tong’s estate.

“Well, that can be remedied.”

If spiritual energy was lacking, spirit stones could make up for it.

At this moment, Zhou Changwang no longer cared about being frugal and placed three low-grade spirit stones around the golden egg.

Sensing the spiritual energy slowly absorbed by the egg, he breathed a sigh of relief and finally left the cultivation chamber.

In the courtyard.

After completing the Three Forms of the Heavenly Origin Eight Techniques, Zhou Changwang clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking loudly.

He threw a punch.

Immediately, a sharp crack of air rang out. Passing through the wind of his fist was a terrifying force. At a distance of about ten meters, a lantern shattered violently.

Body Refining, third layer.

A few days ago, with the partial mastery of the Heavenly Origin Eight Techniques, his body refining cultivation also broke through to the third stage, imbuing each movement with immense power.

He felt that his current punch could shatter boulders and snap raw iron.

Breaking a paper lantern ten meters away with one punch was thus perfectly normal.

He exhaled slowly.

After a cleansing charm, Zhou Changwang stepped outside.

First, he went to the Shuiyun Pavilion and, through Qian Xiaoyue, sought out Shen Xinyue.

Unfortunately, she was not around. It was said she was busy urgently hiring people to open a furnace and refine pills, intending to turn the previously purchased Spirit Convergence Grass into a spirit pill.

This was to be expected, and since it was due to his own dealings, Zhou Changwang didn’t press further. Then he chatted with Qian Xiaoyue, updating each other on their circumstances.

Of course, the recent assassination attempt on a member of the Bai family was inevitably mentioned.

However, the rogue cultivator had already fled, and capturing them was no easy task. Although the Bai family intensified their investigations and cracked down severely on rogue cultivators, capturing several as examples and displaying them at the market entrance, it was still unsatisfying.

After all, many guessed that the assassination was undoubtedly connected to the Chen family.

Of course, the Bai family might have other countermeasures unknown to outsiders, so speculation was all they had.

At least, the Bai family’s purge of rogue cultivators greatly improved security within and around the marketplace.

The frequency of rogue cultivator appearances also sharply decreased.

After bidding Qian Xiaoyue farewell,

Zhou Changwang headed to the scattered cultivator market.

“This time, indeed, two pieces of news related to Five Elements cultivation methods have surfaced.

One is that someone discovered a top-tier Five Elements technique in the ruins of the Five Elements Hall on Tianya Mountain, a branch of the Tianling Sect.

The person who obtained the technique was a Foundation Establishment true cultivator. But since it’s far away, more inquiries are necessary.

The other is about a fisherman thirty years ago.

The fisherman of Jade Lake, known as Old Man Peng, was also a five-element root cultivator who reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

It is suspected that he cultivated a high-level Five Elements technique.”

Zhou Changwang found Brother Xiu Tuoba, who quickly shared these two pieces of news about advanced Five Elements techniques.

One coincided with the information from Fairy Luoxia, both referring to the Five Elements Hall ruins on Tianya Mountain where someone acquired a top-tier technique.

However, Brother Xiu still needed to investigate further.

Fairy Luoxia said her senior acquaintance knew that person and could assist in scheming.

Between these, Zhou naturally favored Fairy Luoxia’s news.

The other, the Jade Lake fisherman, was only ‘suspected’ of cultivating a high-level Five Elements technique.

Regardless, it was a glimmer of hope. Zhou Changwang hurriedly asked, “Where is this Old Man Peng now?”

Regarding Jade Lake,

Zhou Changwang knew it was a vast lake thirty miles west of Fengmingwu Market, home to many rare spirit fish, especially the White Jade Spotted Fish, prized for its taste and ability to break through bottlenecks and purify a cultivator’s constitution.

He recently saw it on the Immortal Tower’s menu, priced at 238 low-grade spirit stones each, though he hadn’t dared order it...

Besides spirit fish, Jade Lake harbored high-level fish demons, so cultivators fishing there without sufficient cultivation or company risked being eaten.

“Thirty years ago, he disappeared.

I’ve sent inquiries, and should have news soon.

But since it’s been thirty years, and he was already very old then, whether he truly cultivated a high-level Five Elements technique needs confirmation.”

Brother Xiu was candid in his reply.

“That’s good news. I’ll wait for your update.”

Zhou Changwang had no higher demands.

“All right. Come back in five days; there should be more news by then.”

After nodding, Zhou Changwang took his leave.

Since his appointment with Fairy Luoxia was still some time away, he didn’t seek her out but strolled through the scattered cultivator market.

He noticed Chen Yushu’s stall, recalled something, and hurried over.

“Senior Chen,” Zhou Changwang greeted with a slight bow.

“It’s you, kid. What spirit rice do you want this time?”

Chen Yushu seemed somewhat distracted but looked up and asked.

“For spirit rice, pack fifty jin of Crescent Moon Rice for me.”

Though he had enough rice to last over ten days, buying some for reserve was prudent.

Only then did he hesitate slightly and say, “Actually, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

Chen Yushu was unsurprised by Zhou Changwang’s newfound affluence—he’d noticed the previous purchase of defensive inner armor—and began packing the fifty jin of Crescent Moon Rice. He only asked after hearing Zhou’s last words.

“I want to inquire about the standards and preparations for the Spirit Plant Master examination at the Spirit Plant Hall.”

Zhou Changwang smiled and spoke frankly.

He’d taken the matter seriously since Shen Xinyue mentioned the Spirit Plant Master exam.

“Ah? Looks like you’ve made considerable progress since leaving the Spirit Plant Hall.

But that’s natural—progress through practice is fastest. Only by personally tending your own spirit fields can you truly see your shortcomings and improve.”

Chen Yushu was surprised and then explained, “The Spirit Plant Master exam is actually simple.

First is a theoretical inquiry, where examiners ask questions about spirit plant growth. Reading more books will help you pass.

Second is the Three Spirit Plant Techniques: Sprouting, Spirit Rain, and Metal Finger.

They correspond to growth, irrigation, and pest control.

Most need to master these three spells thoroughly to pass.

The third part is tougher.

The Hall gives a batch of seeds for you to choose from and grow.

You must sprout the chosen seed to maturity within two hours.

Most seeds are ordinary and can be quickly rooted and sprouted by spells until mature.

But the batch includes dead seeds, ordinary seeds, and spirit seeds.

Dead seeds won’t sprout at all, while spirit seeds require more spiritual energy and effort but don’t mature in time.

This test demands sharp insight and skill in spirit planting.

Blind confidence picking spirit seeds and failing means you fail the exam.

If you pick spirit seeds and succeed, it shows strong skill, and the Hall may reward you or even take you as an apprentice.”

“I see.”

Zhou Changwang nodded and asked, “How often is the exam held?”

As for being taken as an apprentice by a high-level Spirit Plant Master, he wasn’t interested.

“Usually at the end of each month.

If you register now, you can participate in a few days.”

Chen Yushu shrugged.

“Thanks for the info, senior!”

Zhou Changwang thanked him and, after a casual wave, paid and took the Crescent Moon Rice, departing briskly.

Soon after, he appeared at the Spirit Plant Hall.

Having apprenticed there for years, Zhou knew the exam location.

A steward greeted him, and he quickly filled in his info.

Of course, he also had the five low-grade spirit stones needed for the exam.

That explained why, though having left the Spirit Plant Hall, he hadn’t taken the exam—he knew he wouldn’t pass and didn’t want to waste the spirit stones.

...

“Five days later.

Quite a coincidence.”

Zhou Changwang glanced at the exam date in his hand, then concealed it in his storage pouch.

In the following days, he didn’t leave home, busy tending his spirit fields.

Watching his Thunder Spirit Rice ripen day by day, the grains plump and heavy, hanging heavily on the rice stalks, his mood lifted.

The Spirit Convergence Grass, repeatedly nurtured with Sprouting and Spirit Rain techniques, grew vigorously, improving almost daily.

He estimated it would mature completely in about two months.

“Now, my only hope is that the conflict between the Bai and Chen families delays, ideally until after my batch of Spirit Convergence Grass matures.”

Before planting the Spirit Convergence Grass, he had weighed the risks.

Especially with Qian Xiaoyue’s mention of ‘half a year later’ and recent incidents in the market, all indicating insecurity.

But he lacked spirit stones.

Buying seeds cost about a hundred low-grade spirit stones, and with spirit beast fertilizer, at most two hundred.

Within two to three months, he’d have four to five thousand spirit stones income.

Such profit was hard to resist.

Also, if Shen Xinyue’s estimation was correct, the Spirit Convergence Grass growth cycle would complete before the conflict erupted.

“Still, it’s not completely safe.

Once the Thunder Spirit Rice is harvested, I’ll focus fully on accelerating the Spirit Convergence Grass, striving to mature and sell it quickly.”

Calculating in his mind, after seven or eight rounds of Sprouting, he hastily cast the Spirit Rain technique.

One, two, three...

When he cast the fifth Spirit Rain, he suddenly felt a special imprint appear in his mind.

Simultaneously, a wealth of experience and insights about Spirit Rain flooded his consciousness, as if he had cultivated the spell tens of thousands of times in a short moment.

“This is a spell imprint, a spell seed.

I have perfected the Spirit Rain technique.”

Zhou Changwang realized quickly.

Including Spirit Rain, he now had ten spells with imprinted spell seeds.

He reached out slightly.

Soon, dark clouds gathered in the sky, covering a three-acre area.

As the spell formed, the drifting spiritual energy around him rapidly converged into the clouds and fused within.

Then, with a thought from Zhou Changwang,

a gentle spiritual rain began to fall.

The droplets were small but rich with spiritual energy.

Falling on the Spirit Convergence Grass, they were quickly absorbed.

Faintly, Zhou even sensed joyful emotions from the plants.

“A perfected-level Spirit Rain spell inherently absorbs spiritual energy.

It allows spiritual energy to automatically attach to the rain, turning into spiritual water that irrigates spirit plants.”

Zhou understood the spell’s nature and was delighted.

Normally, Spirit Rain cast by cultivators contains spiritual energy.

But cultivators’ power is limited, so the spiritual energy in each raindrop is sparse.

Therefore, Spirit Rain’s promotion of spirit plant growth is limited.

Now, after perfection, Spirit Rain can absorb surrounding spiritual energy automatically.

The spiritual content is far richer, greatly enhancing growth assistance.

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“Moreover, I can adjust its range.

Reducing the range makes the spiritual energy in the rain much more concentrated.”

Thinking so, Zhou cast again, controlling the rain to cover only three feet.

Countless spiritual energies gathered into the clouds, then transformed into droplets which he directed to fall carefully.

“Each raindrop seems like a nectar of jade—thick and full of spiritual energy.”

Watching the rain, Zhou cast Water Spirit Technique to guide and gather the spiritual rain into a water jar.

He felt the water was fit to drink directly; even low-level cultivators drinking it could slowly improve their cultivation—akin to the legendary spirit spring water.

Setting down the jar, his spirit dog excitedly ran over, drinking deeply and happily, seemingly fully satisfied.

“Excellent spell, excellent spell.

This will greatly aid my spirit plant cultivation.

Seeds soaked in this spiritual water will likely grow with greater potential and higher quality.”

Zhou praised and felt thrilled.

Moreover, at this time, his Three Spirit Plant Techniques—Metal Finger, Spirit Rain, and Sprouting—were all perfected.

In spirit planting, he was not just comparable to a second-grade Spirit Plant Master but far surpassed many first-grade high-level masters.

...

Soon, the five-day period arrived.

Upon waking, Zhou Changwang first looked at the golden egg beside him.

The egg’s appearance had not changed much, but he clearly sensed the life inside was already strong.

Correspondingly, the absorption speed of spiritual energy increased.

The initial three low-grade spirit stones had lasted two days; now, almost three were consumed daily.

Fortunately, he felt the creature inside was increasingly eager to break the golden shell and hatch.

He estimated it would hatch within days.

He looked forward to that day.

“To show such vitality at birth, how powerful will it be when fully grown?”

He pondered, placing more low-grade spirit stones around the golden egg.

After two bowls of Crescent Moon Rice porridge, Zhou finally stepped outside.

Seeing the time was early before the exam, he first visited the Talisman Fate Shop.

In half a month, he had accumulated many talismans.

After burning an incense stick, he emerged with nearly two hundred low-grade spirit stones added to his possession.

He then used the Disguise and Bone Shrinking Technique to change his appearance completely, entering several other talisman shops, ending at the Six Directions Pavilion, Shuiyun Pavilion, and Bai Family Trading Company.

After this busy round, his spirit stones increased by over a thousand more.

“Sure enough, the conflict between the Bai and Chen families intensifies.

Talisman prices have risen significantly since last time.

Especially the first-grade beginner Golden Light Shield talisman, now bought at eighty-five low-grade spirit stones each—that’s just the purchase price.

Unfortunately, with the previous three, I only have seven left...”

Zhou regretted inwardly but couldn’t help smiling.

This round earned him twelve hundred low-grade spirit stones, bringing his total to about eight thousand.

“Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones.

The gap to ten thousand is only two thousand now.”

He finally felt that reaching ten thousand was within reach.

Of course, this windfall was mainly from selling all the Golden Light Shield talismans.

His practice of the Disguise and Bone Shrinking Technique had reached a minor mastery stage.

At this stage, its effect was astonishing—friends couldn’t detect the slightest change in appearance.

This gave him the confidence to enter the three major shops and sell finished Golden Light Shield talismans.

Naturally, after selling, he concealed himself.

He used Conceal Breath Technique to suppress aura, Cleansing Technique to erase any tracking marks, Disguise and Bone Shrinking Technique to alter his form, then Light Body Technique to swiftly distance himself.

After all this, only powerful Foundation Establishment true cultivators could possibly track him.

Thus, half an hour later,

Zhou Changwang appeared again before Brother Xiu at the scattered cultivator market.

“My men have investigated and confirmed that Old Man Peng from thirty years ago cultivated the high-level Five Elements technique, ‘Five Elements Unified Skill.’

But according to a neighbor, after a fishing trip to Jade Lake, he never returned.

The neighbor said that back then, Peng often went fishing for ten days or half a month at a time.

Once he was even injured but refused to say why when asked.

He was a strange, solitary man, only chatty with fellow fishermen; others rarely inquired.

After that trip, he vanished.

The neighbor murmured that the fisherman was likely eaten by fish demons.

As for the technique he cultivated, it seemed to have disappeared with him.”

Brother Xiu shook his head helplessly.

“Did he have any relatives or descendants? Perhaps they still hold a part of his technique?”

Zhou couldn’t help but ask.

“I asked.

He was a lone wolf.

Though I heard from elders that he once had a partner, but they parted ways due to his obsession with fishing.

That partner left Fengmingwu Market long ago.

After so many decades, finding them is nearly impossible.”

Brother Xiu shook his head.

Hearing this, Zhou felt regret but could only accept it.

The cultivation world was fraught with dangers; even strong Foundation Establishment cultivators sometimes perished, let alone ordinary cultivators.

When someone dies, their technique lineage vanishes without trace.

Unless their body or storage pouch is found...

As for family, this world was not like the previous one; even with advanced technology, people sometimes vanished completely. Here, it was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

“Is there any other news about high-level cultivation methods?”

With no other options, Zhou asked.

...

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(The End of this Chapter)