Chapter 132
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Chapter 132: Naive
In an instant, all the pores on Wang Chen’s body sealed shut.
The flow of magical energy within his meridians slowed to a near halt, as if on the verge of freezing entirely.
The rhythmic rise and fall of his dantian ceased, akin to the cessation of breath.
Simultaneously, Wang Chen’s heart stopped beating, and his robust Qi and blood seemed to be under a seal.
Not a single wisp of his aura escaped into the surroundings.
The peculiar glances that had been cast his way naturally drifted past.
No one paid any further attention to Wang Chen.
He was clearly walking in broad daylight, meandering through the streets.
Yet, every passerby seemed to look right through him.
It was as though he had become a transparent entity!
This did not mean that Wang Chen had turned invisible, rendering him unseen.
Rather, his presence had diminished to the barest minimum.
Unless he made any conspicuous movements, even if he entered someone’s line of sight, he would easily be overlooked.
This was the destructive power of the perfect mastery of the Breath Concealment Technique!
Wang Chen’s earlier conjecture was not only confirmed, but the actual outcome surpassed his expectations.
Wang Chen suddenly stepped sideways, intercepting a patrolling inner guard cultivator.
He bowed slightly and inquired, "Senior Brother, could you direct me to the inner hall?"
"Ah!"
The inner guard cultivator was startled, nearly striking out at Wang Chen in reflex.
He had not noticed Wang Chen at all before, feeling as though he had just encountered an Evil Spirit.
After a moment’s recovery, the inner guard cultivator replied gruffly, "Just keep walking straight ahead!"
Wang Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Then he stepped aside.
"What kind of person is this?"
The inner guard cultivator muttered as he continued on his way, quickly forgetting about Wang Chen.
Standing by the roadside, a faint smile appeared on Wang Chen’s face.
Perfect mastery truly was an extraordinary level; it endowed a low-level spell with a unique effect.
With this capability, it would be much easier for Wang Chen to blend into the crowd unnoticed in the future.
Besides concealing his true cultivation level, it would also be highly effective for stealth and evasion!
This hundred Virtue points were well spent, truly hitting the mark.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have many Virtue points left now.
As multiple master-level spells were nearing completion, Wang Chen pondered what special powers the perfect mastery-level Metal Finger Technique, Fire Crow Technique, Spirit Light Shield, Shadowless Divine Movement, Great Strength Technique, and Spirit Eye might possess!
He decided to steady himself and seek opportunities to earn some Virtue.
Wang Chen thought silently, suppressing his excitement, and strode forward.
The inner sect headquarters was located at the deepest part of Yunlong City, or rather, the valley.
Upon reaching the end of the road, a vast training ground and a cluster of palace-like buildings came into view.
The grandeur of the layout far surpassed that of the outer sect headquarters.
As a newcomer, Wang Chen inquired around and first found the Elder Teaching Hall.
The number of halls in the inner sect was much fewer than in the outer sect, primarily divided into the Battle Hall, Punishment Hall, Wei Hall, Elder Teaching Hall, and Administrative Hall.
The Elder Teaching Hall managed the library, and he was here to claim another benefit.
According to the rules, any inner sect disciple could learn one spell for free upon entry.
However, this was limited to the Qi Training stage.
The elder overseeing the library was an elderly Purple Palace cultivator.
After checking Wang Chen’s identity token, he lazily inquired, "What spell do you wish to learn?"
Wang Chen had already prepared his answer: "Disciple wishes to learn Sword Control!"
Sword Control was a combat skill that could only be mastered at the high-level Qi Training stage.
Without the free learning benefit upon entry, Wang Chen would need to spend one thousand contribution points to acquire it!
This rare opportunity was, of course, a choice he made after careful consideration.
Currently, Wang Chen’s combat skills, whether it was the Metal Finger Technique, Fire Crow Technique, his talisman tactics, or the Runying Golden Needle, all had very limited attack ranges.
Even if he upgraded all these skills to master level, the improvements would not be significant.
While this was directly related to Wang Chen’s cultivation level, the spells themselves also had great limitations.
In his previous battles, Wang Chen had only engaged in close-range combat.
Thus, his weaknesses in battle had not been exposed.
However, Wang Chen could not expect that all future opponents would only engage him in close combat.
Therefore, mastering long-range attack abilities was a necessity.
Sword Control was undoubtedly one of the strongest long-range attack spells!
It was also a fundamental skill that every sword cultivator must master.
Only by training Sword Control to a certain level could he then learn various flying sword swordsmanships.
Wang Chen had no intention of becoming a sword cultivator.
Although sword cultivators were said to possess the strongest combat abilities, this path was the most dangerous, requiring ongoing battles to hone one’s swordsmanship and heart of the path; a single failure could lead to death with no chance of recovery!
Wang Chen learned Sword Control purely to enrich his combat methods.
Moreover, he had already cultivated Object Manipulation to the master level, and learning Sword Control would yield great results with minimal effort.
Sword Control is indeed an advanced skill derived from Object Manipulation.
The most crucial point is, it’s costly!
“Hmm.”
The elder teaching showed no trace of surprise or doubt. He promptly summoned a Jade Slip and tossed it to Wang Chen, saying, “Go ahead and learn it.”
He had seen countless young disciples like Wang Chen.
Among those who came to the library to learn spells for free, seven out of ten would opt for Sword Control.
Everyone harbors a dream of becoming a sword immortal.
To ride the wind and command swords across the vast azure, to soar like an immortal while all other arts pale in comparison—what a splendid vision!
Yet, when they truly begin to practice Sword Control and flying sword swordsmanship, they come to realize they’ve squandered an opportunity.
Having seen this scenario too many times, the elder teaching saw no need to offer advice; it was simply a waste of breath.
Unaware of the thoughts of this elder from the Purple Palace, Wang Chen took the Jade Slip and pressed it to his forehead, infusing it with his energy to activate it.
The Jade Slip instantly radiated a brilliant light, and a torrent of information surged into Wang Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.
A cluster of method seeds materialized, each soon bound by chains.
Wang Chen, well-acquainted with this process, stabilized the method seeds and promptly withdrew his consciousness from the Sea of Consciousness.
He respectfully handed the Jade Slip back to the elder teaching, saying, “Thank you, senior.”
The elder teaching nodded and with a wave of his sleeve, sent Wang Chen out of the library.
Next, Wang Chen proceeded to the Administrative Hall adjacent to the Elder Teaching Hall to purchase Spirit Rice Seeds.
However, he quickly realized his naivety!
The administrator of the Elder Teaching Hall informed Wang Chen that, according to the inner sect’s regulations, the mid-tier spirit fields in his estate were only suitable for planting spiritual rice and black sesame.
The price for both types of rice seeds was five spirit fragments per acre.
Moreover, to ensure the healthy growth of the spirit rice, he would also need to buy Spirit Fertilizer.
He would have to master two spells, “Spring Breeze and Rain Fertilization Technique” and “Autumn Sunlight Growth Technique,” essential for spiritual plant farming.
Otherwise, cultivating spiritual rice and black sesame would be challenging.
Although orchards didn’t require seeds, the fruit trees demanded even more Spirit Fertilizer.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t yield any bountiful harvest!
Additionally, Wang Chen was required to pay half a year’s rent for the estate, amounting to two hundred and fifty contribution points.
Wang Chen could only encapsulate his feelings about this situation with one word.
Damn!
