Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

After handing over Mu Kui to Pang Zitong, Wang Chen strolled around Cloud Dragon City.

Just as Pang Zitong had said, the items sold in the shops, especially the cultivation resources, all had increased in price to various extents.

He then made a trip to Cloud Mountain City.

The situation was the same there.

If Wang Chen were to sell the millet and black sesame rice he had hoarded now, he could earn hundreds more spirit stones!

However, there wasn't the slightest bit of joy in his heart.

Even though the rise in prices seemed superficially insignificant,

Cloud Mountain City was as bustling and lively as ever, with cultivators streaming through the streets like schools of fish, restaurants and teahouses booming with business, and people living and working in contentment, creating a picture of prosperity.

But Wang Chen felt that beneath this peaceful facade, there lurked an undercurrent invisible to him!

Ignorance fears nothing.

His problem was that he knew a little, yet was unable to lift the veil of truth.

Even though Wang Chen had an optimistic nature and a steadfast spirit, under the influence of an instinct akin to that of a wild beast, he remained restless in subsequent days, significantly reducing the effectiveness of his cultivation efforts.

Originally, he had planned to advance to the ninth-tier of Qi Cultivation by now, but that plan had to be postponed.

This intuition wasn't without basis.

It stemmed from a warning by Bai Susu, the Great Monster, as well as from his own observations, thoughts, and reflections!

With his daily cultivation disturbed, Wang Chen, breaking from his usual habit of staying home, traveled back and forth to the Inner Sect Main Hall, Sunset Peak, and the three cities of the Outer Sect.

First, he used the Merit Points he had accumulated to exchange for two high-level Qi Cultivation spells in the Scripture Pavilion.

They were "Five Suns Qian Thunder" and "Binding Skill".

"Five Suns Qian Thunder" is a canonical Thunder Magic of the Cloud Sun Sect with profound and mighty power. Like the Thunderbolt Sword Technique, it can be cultivated from the Qi Cultivation Stage all the way to the Purple Mansion Realm.

Therefore, only Inner Sect Disciples had the qualifications to learn it.

To obtain this Dharma Technique, Wang Chen paid a whole one thousand Merit Points.

Five Suns Qian Thunder complements the Thunderbolt Sword Technique very well, and together they significantly enhance the potency of a Flying Sword.

Moreover, Five Suns Qian Thunder has exceptionally strong restraint and destructive power against Evil Wraiths.

Thunder Magic has a quick casting speed and attacks are fierce and swift, making it a top-notch combat method.

As for the "Binding Skill", it is a control spell useful for capturing enemies and combat.

Valued at six hundred Merit Points.

Next, Wang Chen exchanged for a set of high-level Qi Cultivation Spirit Gathering Formation Plates.

These Array Plates are portable, easy, and quick to set up, and can even be used for cultivation with spirit stones in Spiritless Lands.

They were prepared for escaping!

The two spells and one set of Array Plates consumed the majority of Wang Chen's Merit Points.

He didn't keep any of the remaining points.

He exchanged them all for Pills.

Not just that, Wang Chen also took advantage of the rising prices of Magic Artifacts to sell all the spoils of war he had previously seized and bought another batch of cultivation resources, Talisman Paper, and Talisman Ink.

After all these transactions, he had greatly reduced his private stash, leaving only three Storage Bags.

They were used to store different items and equipment.

At the start of his preparations, Wang Chen felt somewhat anxious, hesitant, and indecisive.

But as his preparations became more and more thorough, that anxiety and hesitation completely vanished.

Wang Chen had even thought of a contingency plan!

What followed was waiting.

Waiting for Master Chang Chun to emerge from seclusion.

Wang Chen set a deadline for himself.

If within ten days his master had not emerged, then he would have to leave without saying goodbye.

On the morning of the seventh day, a streak of Sword Light suddenly appeared in the front yard of Wang Chen's home.

He received a flying sword message!

The small sword, just a foot long, bore the message from Chang Chun for him.

Without any hesitation, Wang Chen quickly summoned his Willow Leaf Flying Boat and headed straight for Cloud Dragon City.

In the Inner Sect Affairs Hall, he took on a task to guard a region!

Though the Cloud Sun Sect was considered a lower-ranking sect in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

it still governed tens of thousands of miles of territory and even had control over a mortal country—Great Qian!

Great Qian spanned vast territories, had a population of tens of millions, and was divided into thirty-seven states and one hundred twenty-six prefectural cities.

Since its establishment over seven hundred years ago, Great Qian had always looked up to the Cloud Sun Sect for leadership.

The latter was akin to the overlord of Great Qian.

Under normal circumstances, the Cloud Sun Sect did not intervene in the internal affairs of Great Qian,

on the condition that Great Qian regularly and fully offered its tributes.

Such tributes included Tribute Rice, Black Iron, white jade, purple clay, among other materials, as well as boys and girls with excellent Root Bone!

Moreover, the Cloud Sun Sect regularly dispatched its disciples to station in the states and prefectural cities of Great Qian.

On one hand, to monitor the collection of tribute and to demonstrate the sect's presence,

and on the other hand, to eliminate Evil Wraiths and Demon Cultivators, helping to maintain local stability.

Yet, it was a grueling task.

To sit in power and enjoy respect might sound wonderful, but the mortal world and the world of Immortal Cultivation were entirely different.

With no Spiritual Energy in the mortal realm, the cultivation environment was extremely harsh. Stationed in Great Qian's prefectural cities, one couldn't hope to improve one's Cultivation Level, and just maintaining one's current realm was hard enough!

Since this duty was significant, only Inner Sect Disciples were eligible, and because most were reluctant to take it up, vacancies were always available, and the task was perpetually listed in the Sect Affairs Hall.

But now, Wang Chen couldn't find a task more suitable for himself!

The Cloud Sun Sect was still intact, and he certainly couldn't abandon everything and defect, struggling to survive in the Outer Domain.

That would be the worst choice.

By taking up the position in Great Qian, he could legitimately stay away from all the troubles and unpredictable dangers of the Cloud Sun Sect.

Once the task's term was up, Wang Chen could return.

A few days before, he had visited the Sect Affairs Hall twice and carefully selected several target tasks,

and the stationing duty in Great Qian was one of them.

Today, after receiving the flying sword message from Chang Chun, Wang Chen decisively made the decision to make a run for it!

Without delay, after taking on the task, he immediately went through the necessary procedures.

Since the task was tough, the compensation provided by the Sect Affairs Hall was quite generous. In addition to a set of Heavenly Master equipment, Wang Chen also received a batch of Qi-Nourishing and Nourishing Origin Pills, as well as Talismans for dealing with Evil Wraiths and Demon Cultivators.

The task's duration was three years, and upon completion, he would also receive a reward of three thousand Merit Points!

Of course, there were additional benefits to be had while guarding the states and prefectural cities of Great Qian.

Nevertheless, aside from the thirty-seven state cities assigned by the Inner Sect Main Hall, among the one hundred twenty-six prefectural cities below, thirty-two positions were still unspoken for.

Having done his research beforehand, Wang Chen chose to guard a middle-ranked prefectural city.

After completing the procedures, he then went to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and entrusted his manor to their care.

Though he would lose most of the autumn harvest,

the manor would still belong to him during his absence on the task.

Shortly after he left the Sect Affairs Hall, a group of Inner Sect Disciples appeared in the task hall.

The guard duties, once scorned by everyone, were snapped up in a very short time,

so much so that those who arrived a bit late didn't even get a chance to vie for them!

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The second update is here.

PS: The chapter title in the last update was inadvertently incorrect; I will need to contact the editor to make a correction, but it does not affect the reading.