Chapter 152: Four Years Later
After hearing their story, Zhang Chi finally understood the role the Little Soul Reviving Pill had played. He couldn’t help but think to himself, ’They were incredibly lucky.’
If he hadn’t given them the elixir, or if it hadn’t been found, they would have been done for.
Chen Ling’Er and the others also asked about his experiences, but Zhang Chi only said that he had used an array as a base of operations, cautiously searching for Spirit Medicine and holding out until the Exploration was over.
Although Chen Ling’Er and the others found his story unexciting, they no longer saw Zhang Chi as a coward who feared death. In fact, they even admired how steady and careful he was.
After all, even though their own risky venture had been a success with great rewards, they had nearly died.
They ultimately owed their lives to Zhang Chi.
A short while later, Chen Bufan and Zhong Yu returned. Both came to thank Zhang Chi personally.
After Chen Ling’Er’s group inquired, they learned that the two had been taken away for questioning regarding the death of the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator.
It wasn’t just them. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Ten Great Immortal Sects were also summoned, but the investigation ultimately yielded nothing.
The only suspicious individual was a person wearing a mask and a conical hat, but there had been far too many people dressed like that.
Moreover, all anyone knew was that the person had powerful Body Refining. No one had any other information.
The other Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators only knew that the man was a cultivator from the Cyan Cloud Sect.
The Cyan Cloud Sect’s Golden Core Master, however, suspected this masked person didn’t even exist. He even suspected that the nine Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators had ganged up to kill the one from his sect.
Senior Brother Wen, in particular, suspected the masked man was the killer. He even suspected the masked man had beaten him to the punch and plundered the dwelling.
But since the two had signed a Spirit Contract beforehand, he didn’t dare admit to the transaction involving the Beast Hide.
Besides, since the other party had also signed the Spirit Contract, he shouldn’t have been able to explore the dwelling in the first place.
In short, he was completely bewildered. His head ached from trying to figure it out, but he couldn’t make sense of it and could only give up for the time being.
He was even somewhat relieved that he hadn’t actually fought the man; otherwise, it was hard to say who would have come out on top.
After all, Senior Brother Ning of the Cyan Cloud Sect was no weakling. To be able to kill him so silently, the perpetrator was clearly no ordinary figure.
The fruitless investigation left the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Golden Core Masters furious, but helpless.
The Golden Core Masters from the other Immortal Sects feigned sympathy, but inwardly, they reveled in the Cyan Cloud Sect’s misfortune.
Of course, no one could have dreamed that the killer was, in fact, the "Qi Cultivation Disciple" Zhang Chi.
"Wearing a mask and a conical hat, and a Body Refining expert on top of that... Could it be the person who repelled the puppet in three punches?"
"It must be! I thought that person was only at Tier Two Middle Stage Body Refining, but it looks like we seriously underestimated him!"
Chen Ling’Er and the others suddenly recalled the masked person they had encountered, and they all marveled at the thought.
But that was as far as it went. They had no idea the man in question was right before their eyes, discussing the very same incident with them.
Soon, the Floating Airship arrived at Shifang Immortal City.
Afterward, the Azure Dragon Master announced that Zhang Chi, Chen Ling’Er, and the others had passed this round of the Sect’s assessment.
For one, it was too late to rush back to the Sect in time.
For another, the Exploration itself had been the greatest test, more than sufficient to gauge the Cultivation and Combat Power of Zhang Chi, Chen Ling’Er, and the others.
The Sect also granted them a six-month leave. Combined with the time saved from the Exploration ending early, they had more than enough time to take a Floating Airship back to the Sect for a visit.
Furthermore, the Sect would cover the round-trip fare and even award them Contribution Points for the six-month leave.
Those who didn’t wish to return could enjoy their leave here instead, in which case the fare would be converted into Contribution Points.
If they chose to continue their duties during this half-year period, they would receive double the Contribution Points.
Chen Ling’Er and the others jumped at the chance, immediately choosing to remain and guard Azure Dragon Ridge.
After some thought, Zhang Chi made the same choice.
He had nothing pressing to return to anyway, and the round trip would waste six months of Cultivation time.
While he could cultivate on the boat, it obviously couldn’t compare to cultivating in the Azure Dragon Ridge Medicinal Garden.
Besides, he felt that if he returned now, the Sect’s higher-ups, who were starting to notice him, might see through his secrets.
He even performed a special divination about it, and the results confirmed that returning would indeed pose a great risk.
The risk, it turned out, was precisely because of his Turtle Shell Divination Skill.
He had originally planned to go back to exchange for Spirit Plants and the Tier Three divination legacy, but since it was risky, waiting a few more years wouldn’t hurt.
His skill with Spirit Plants was sufficient for now, and advancing the Turtle Shell Divination Skill to level three would require a Tier Three Turtle Shell and a Jade Pendant with a higher endurance limit—things he could neither afford nor needed at the moment.
So, after spending a few days enjoying Shifang Immortal City, Zhang Chi returned to Azure Dragon City with the others.
He hadn’t touched any of the loot he’d obtained from the Exploration yet.
For one thing, with the Exploration just ending, a large number of Spirit Medicines had flooded the market, driving prices down.
For another, he could use many of the Spirit Medicines himself, refining them directly into elixirs.
As for the Magical Artifacts taken from the other cultivators, they were too easily identifiable and thus clearly weren’t suitable to be fenced right away.
At that moment, in the Azure Dragon Ridge Medicinal Garden, Zhang Chi finished taking stock of his gains and began to make plans.
He had gained a great deal from the Exploration. Even though his consumption would increase as his Cultivation rose, he could finally focus completely on his Cultivation.
Coupled with his own Immortal Cultivation skills, and not even factoring in the Spiritual Vein or the Eye of the Spirit Spring, he would be completely self-sufficient in resources like Spirit Stones at least until he reached Foundation Establishment Peak.
Furthermore, he was also nearly set when it came to Core Formation Spiritual Objects.
He already had the Element Condensing Fruit, Profound Light Grass, Demon Companion Flower, Pure Essence Spirit Liquid, Deer Horn Ganoderma, Blue Crystal Grass, and Profound Pure Qi.
The first three were the main ingredients for the Dust Condensing Pill, while the last four were four of the five additional major Core Formation Spiritual Objects.
Thus, he was only missing the final one.
But there was no rush to find it.
For one thing, Core Formation was still a long way off.
For another, he had the Small Heaven-Repairing Pill, which was even better than the fifth Spiritual Object.
And thirdly, such Spiritual Objects were difficult to purchase with Spirit Stones, and he currently had no other means of acquiring one.
So, his only options were to wait until his Cultivation was higher and participate in a High Tier private trading meet, or find a way to obtain it through the Sect.
Of course, the nine Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators from the Ten Great Immortal Sects likely possessed the fifth Spiritual Object, but he obviously had no opportunity to trade with them.
’First, I’ll focus on improving my Cultivation and Alchemy skills. Once my Cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and my Alchemy reaches the Tier Two Peak, I’ll return to the Sect, exchange for the Tier Three legacy, and refine the Dust Condensing Pill myself.’
’With the Dust Condensing Pill in hand, I’ll have no trouble trading for that fifth and final Core Formation Spiritual Object.’
’During this time, I won’t need to participate in any more Explorations or similar activities. I just need to focus on Cultivation in Seclusion!’
And so, Zhang Chi quickly established a clear set of goals.
「A year and a half passed in the blink of an eye.」
Zhang Chi was still in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, but he was now much closer to a breakthrough.
At the same time, he finally allowed his apparent Cultivation to be "revealed" as the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer.
He also "revealed" his Alchemy skill to be at the Tier One Peak, which immediately caused a small stir in Azure Dragon Ridge.
He was suddenly regarded as a minor genius.
This rate of progress was already approaching that of Chen Ling’Er.
Many fellow disciples at the Qi Cultivation Peak came to visit him, and some female disciples even sent flirtatious glances his way, but he brushed them all aside perfunctorily.
Only when Chen Ling’Er, Junior Martial Uncle Hong, and their group came to visit did he personally host a banquet to receive and celebrate with them.
While others were envious of his progress, they weren’t overly surprised.
After all, everyone knew he had been to the Secret Realm and obtained a great deal of Spirit Medicine, so it was considered normal for both his Cultivation and Alchemy skills to advance so quickly.
「Three years later.」
On this day, as Zhang Chi was cultivating the White Bone Divine Forging Technique, the white-boned fiend in his mind suddenly let out a roar. The pressure it emanated grew immensely stronger, and it seemed as if it was about to transition from an illusion into reality.