Chapter 119: The Lesser Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique Acquired, An Unexpected Letter

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you heading out as well?"

Zhao Shanhe was remarkably enthusiastic upon seeing Zhou Changwang.

Zhou Changwang nodded but remained silent.

As expected, despite his silence, the other man continued, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I wonder if you have given my previous proposal any thought? Things have changed, however. I have brought two friends along, and we plan to set off today. If you are willing to join us... well, let's say I will give you thirty percent of the proceeds. Furthermore, I don’t mind telling you that I went to observe the site again recently and discovered that a Hidden Spirit Yin Vein has formed at the heart of the tomb. It has reached the second-grade level, which means it is highly likely to produce third-grade heavenly treasures.

"When I first entered, I discovered Earth Yin Spirit Grass growing there—plenty of first-grade, and some second-grade as well. Now that I have basically confirmed it is a second-grade Hidden Spirit Yin Vein, it is very likely to produce third-grade Earth Yin Spirit Grass. This item is one of the essential spiritual materials for Foundation Establishment. Are you truly not interested?"

"Not interested."

Zhou Changwang first shook his head, then looked at him with a faint, enigmatic smile. "You are telling me all of this—are you not afraid that I might leak the information?"

"I am not afraid. Because that place is known only to me. An ordinary person couldn't find it even if they tried. Besides, when it comes to dealing with Yin corpses, few can match my methods. As long as a Foundation Establishment powerhouse doesn't intervene, I am confident I can retreat unscathed." Zhao Shanhe smiled confidently as he spoke.

"Your methods are truly profound, Fellow Daoist." Zhou Changwang merely cupped his hands in a salute.

Whether he believed it or not was another matter entirely, but he had already made up his mind not to get involved. If the man were weak, he would have to look after him, and if he were strong, he would have to be even more on his guard.

"In that case, I shall take my leave. It is a pity; I truly recognize your strength. If you were willing to join, our chances of success would be much higher. After all, not just anyone can kill a bug king."

With that, Zhao Shanhe cupped his hands and turned around, appearing ready to depart.

Zhou Changwang frowned. He knew this remark was a pointed reference to his past killing of the bug cultivator Xue Tong. If it had been earlier, he might have been cautious, fearing that the incident would leak and cause trouble. But now, with chaos looming over the marketplace and so much time having passed since the death of that bug cultivator, who would even care? Moreover, in two days, he would be leaving the Fengming Dock marketplace. Once he was far away, why would he care about what happened here?

Zhao Shanhe’s steps faltered slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He had expected that by bringing this up, Zhou Changwang would surely call him back—whether out of caution or as a warning. He had been confident that he could use his silver tongue to draw the other party into his team to explore the tomb and hunt for treasures.

Alas, his plan fell through. The other party clearly did not want to deal with him, and he had no choice but to sigh in frustration and walk away quickly.

Not until Zhao Shanhe was far away did Zhou Changwang walk down a small path toward the main street of the South District. Shortly after, he entered the East District and saw the location of the Bai Family Trading Company from a distance.

The marketplace seemed to foresee the coming chaos; the flow of people on the streets was noticeably thinner. Aside from the marketplace guards, there were very few people about. Maintaining his Breath Concealment Technique to keep his cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining, Zhou Changwang strode into the trading company.

Half an incense stick later, Zhou Changwang walked out with a faint trace of joy on his face. The Lesser Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique was his. He hadn't received a discount—it cost seven hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones, not a penny less. But to him, being able to successfully purchase this technique was already a stroke of luck. Given the current atmosphere of the marketplace, he suspected that in a few days, even if he wanted to buy it, he might not be able to.

With the technique now in hand, he could follow Shen Xinyue and the others out of the marketplace without any worries.

"It is a pity that when I asked the manager of the Bai Family Trading Company earlier, I didn't get any news about the advanced version of this technique, the Greater Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique." A hint of regret appeared on his face. After obtaining the Lesser version, he couldn't help but inquire about the Greater one. Since there was a 'Lesser,' there must be a 'Greater.' The Lesser version was a high-grade first-grade technique, so the Greater version would surely be a second-grade technique.

Unfortunately, the manager did not deny the existence of the Greater Five Elements Thousand Thunder Technique, but he did not reveal whether his firm possessed it.

"Even if I knew, it would be meaningless for me right now. A second-grade technique requires at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator to practice. I am still far from that realm."

Zhou Changwang sighed, then quickly put the thought aside. He collected his composure and, just as he was about to leave, he looked up and saw the patrol captain, Yan Zhenxi. After a moment's thought, he stepped forward to greet him. "Uncle Yan."

The man looked at him, nodded, and said, "Ah, it's Changwang. I heard you've been making quite a name for yourself lately."

"Oh?" Zhou Changwang was stunned. He had been so low-key recently; where could the attention have come from?

"Some time ago, a niece of mine participated in the Spirit Plant Hall's exam and told me what happened. She said a spirit planter who was previously just a spirit farmer performed quite ordinarily in the first few tasks, but in the final one, he shocked everyone. He completed the exam in just half an hour, far surpassing the favorite, the 'leader' Gao Mingyi, and took first place. He even received one of the three Qingyuan Tokens that the Qingyuan Sect grants annually to the Spirit Plant Hall, which allows him to participate directly in next year's entrance exam to become a sect disciple. I asked who this person was, and my niece said, 'Zhou Changwang.' I thought, a former spirit farmer named Zhou Changwang—isn't that the child of my old acquaintance?"

Yan Zhenxi looked him over. "I didn't expect you to have such talent. You’ve truly impressed me."

"Uncle Yan, you flatter me. It was just luck that I managed to take first place," Zhou Changwang said, waving his hands.

"Luck? You are being too modest. I have seen Gao Mingyi myself; his plant-tending skills are recognized by many high-grade spirit planters. And beyond him, I heard that the Gong family girl, Gong Baixue, also participated. She is the granddaughter of the second-grade alchemist Gong Fan; her status is quite noble. Her teacher, Zhang Yin, is a second-grade low-level spirit planter. How could her skills be weak?"

Seeing that Zhou Changwang was not proud, but rather calm and steady, Yan Zhenxi felt even more appreciative. "Nephew, how old are you now?"

"Eighteen." Zhou Changwang frowned.

"Eighteen, not young anymore. Are you married? I know a family..."

Zhou Changwang hurriedly interrupted. "Uncle Yan, thank you for your concern, but I have no such thoughts right now. If there is nothing else, I must take my leave." He quickly cupped his hands.

He was going crazy. A blind date warning? He had experienced plenty of these before he arrived in this world, and he didn't want to live through the horror of being "arranged" now that he was in the world of cultivation.

"I suppose I was a bit hasty." Yan Zhenxi touched his nose, then seemed to remember something. "Think about it. However, the marketplace is not peaceful lately; it would be best for you to go out less. If something were to happen... you can come to my estate to take shelter."

"Understood, thank you for the warning, Uncle Yan." Zhou Changwang bowed and left.

Once he had parted ways with Yan Zhenxi, he felt a bit helpless. Their connection stemmed from his father, who had worked under Yan in the past. It was only because of that memory that Yan had shown him favor. At the time, while he thought having such a powerful elder might be useful, he never intended to rely on him. But this was the second time they had met, and he hadn't expected Yan to have heard of his success in the spirit planter exam, leading to this awkward attempt at matchmaking.

Still, the man had no ill intentions and had even offered him protection. He couldn't say much against that.

After leaving the Bai Family Trading Company, Zhou Changwang passed by the rogue cultivator market. Watching the bustling activity, he realized that perhaps the conflict between the Bai and Chen families was happening entirely in the shadows; only a few could "see" or "perceive" it and prepare in advance. Most bottom-tier cultivators lacked the "channels" to understand the situation, and even if they did, what could they do? They couldn't leave the marketplace, and the travel costs to other markets were not cheap. He was one of the few who had received the news and possessed the means to leave.

With a sigh, he headed toward the outer perimeter of the marketplace for the first time. He intended to revisit his old "home." It wasn't because he had left something behind, but because he had buried a Green Leaf Token there—an item he had retrieved from the storage bag his father had left him. At the time, he hadn't known what the token was and feared it might bring trouble, so he had buried it near the house. Now that he knew it was the identity token of the Green Leaf Alliance, and that there was no immediate danger, he wanted it back. He could even use it to maintain another identity within the alliance.

Revisiting the old place, Zhou Changwang remained calm. The outer perimeter of the marketplace had not changed a bit since he left. The difference was that as he walked through these streets and alleys, he no longer felt the panic and tension of his initial days. Although it had only been half a year since he left, his strength had undergone a world-shaking change.

Fifth level of Qi Refining! Numerous perfected spells! Several magical artifacts on his person! And the record of killing the bug king Xue Tong, who was comparable to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator! At least in the outer perimeter, he feared no one.

Of course, he remained cautious. As a low-tier cultivator who had lived here for over a decade, he wouldn't be arrogant.

He reached his old neighborhood easily and recognized his former courtyard at a glance. A family of three was living there now. A middle-aged woman was hanging clothes in the yard, and a young boy was practicing the introductory Qi Refining exercise. This exercise was the foundation for ordinary mortals to enter the Qi Refining realm—a combination of movement and meditation. It was perfect for children to slowly gather spiritual energy and build a foundation. Just like himself, he had spent five full years practicing this exercise before he could enter the first level of Qi Refining and begin the Five Elements Technique.

Zhou Changwang glanced at the child. Under his Spirit Eye Technique, the boy's aptitude was clear: Metal, Wood, Earth, and Fire—a four-attribute spiritual root. His talent was much better than his own had been.

"Are you Zhou Changwang? It’s been a while; where did you move to?"

At that moment, a voice came from behind him. He turned to see his former neighbor, the wife of "Brother Mu"—the man who had rushed to the inner city during the night of chaos and returned missing an arm.

"I moved to the inner city," Zhou Changwang explained with a smile.

"The inner city? Little Qian moved there too. Did you move together?" the woman asked teasingly.

"Not at all." Zhou Changwang shook his head and politely asked about her situation. He learned that since the night of chaos, Brother Mu had given up his dreams of becoming a great cultivator and was now working hard to pave the way for his son. With his fifth-level Qi Refining cultivation, even missing an arm, he could support his family. Their son had been found to have a three-attribute spiritual root, so the family was full of hope.

"Oh, right. Some time ago, a letter arrived for you—it must have been from your father. We didn't know where you’d gone, so we couldn't deliver it. Now that you're here, you can have it."

The woman called out to the middle-aged woman in the yard. "Xiao Qing, this is the previous owner of your house. Remember the letter that arrived? It was from his father. He's here now, so give it to him."

"My father's letter?" Zhou Changwang was stunned. He hadn't expected to receive mail in this world. A flicker of anticipation stirred in his heart.

"Oh, right! Okay!" The middle-aged woman nodded and ran into the house, returning quickly with a thick leather envelope.

Zhou Changwang saw that the seal was slightly loose, guessing she had already read it, but he didn't mind. He was just grateful she had kept it. In the world of cultivation, he didn't expect anyone to respect privacy.

"Thank you for keeping it safe. I have a few spirit talismans here; they aren't worth much, but please take them as a token of my gratitude." Zhou Changwang pulled out a Fireball Talisman and a Lightning Talisman for the middle-aged woman, and a Golden Light Shield Talisman for the neighbor, the wife of Brother Mu.

"Zhou, you are too kind!" The neighbor recognized the Golden Light Shield Talisman, which was worth twenty low-grade spirit stones in the marketplace, and was quite moved.

Zhou Changwang waved his hand and left without further ado. Before departing, he found an opportunity to dig up the Green Leaf Token he had buried.

"This token belonged to Zhang Fenghua. He was clearly a member of the Green Leaf Alliance..."

Zhou Changwang examined the token and poured a bit of spiritual power into it. It was refined instantly. A flash of light emanated from the token, and information flooded his mind: "Master Fenghua, first-grade mid-level, 325 points."

As expected. The information of the previous owner was still there. "Master Fenghua" was the title Zhang Fenghua had left on the token, and "first-grade mid-level" represented his strength. The 325 points were the credits earned from missions.

He could transfer these points to his own token or keep this one to act as "Master Fenghua." The Green Leaf Alliance was a loose organization; it didn't care about the true identities of its members as long as they completed missions.

"Good. Another token means another hidden identity. It will be useful."

Zhou Changwang intended to use his "Changlong" identity for tasks that wouldn't expose his true power, and the "Master Fenghua" identity for more dangerous tasks where he could go all out.

"This is common in the cultivation world. There is a 'Hundred-Face Daoist' who is rumored to have at least five identities within the alliance. Two is nothing."

Just as he was about to put the token away, it glowed faintly, conveying a direction.

"Hm? The end of the month already? The second black market meeting is about to begin."

He followed the direction, heading toward a dense cluster of houses in the outer perimeter. He changed his appearance using his Bone-Shrinking Disguise Technique and set off.

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