Chapter 298
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Chapter 298: Settling Down
Wang Chen stayed in Xian City for only two hours.
Though the name of the city at the foot of Yulong Mountain was charming, it left him with a deeply unpleasant impression.
Noisy, restless, complicated, and filthy—it was a place that felt like sinking into mud, tainting even his heart of the path.
After gaining a basic understanding of the situation in Xian City, he decisively left.
Once outside the city, Wang Chen soared westward, searching for a suitable place to settle.
Near Xian City, there were many houses, most hidden within the dense forests, their forms barely discernible through the shadows.
Clearly, some cultivators, like Wang Chen, disliked the city’s environment and chose to live outside its confines.
Xian City had no walls and no governance from immortal sects or families. Anyone with sufficient strength could claim a piece of land and build a home.
As a result, the city sprawled endlessly, chaotic and slum-like.
Wang Chen flew about fifty miles before selecting a secluded and hidden spot, intending to build a shelter.
To his surprise, he stumbled upon an abandoned cave.
The entrance was obscured by thick vegetation, making it easy to overlook.
At first, Wang Chen thought it was merely a natural cave, but after clearing away the vines at the entrance, he discovered it was artificially carved and surprisingly spacious.
Inside, it was divided into distinct areas: a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a quiet room for cultivation.
However, the floor was blanketed in thick dust, and spider webs clung to the cave walls. As he entered, a few startled bats took flight.
To make it habitable, a thorough cleaning was essential.
But finding such a ready-made dwelling was a stroke of luck, and Wang Chen felt no disdain for the task.
He hung two Obsidian Lamps on the cave walls and then employed the Cleansing Technique to purge the filth within.
Piles of debris were swept out of the cave by his magic, scattering into the nearby woods.
In just the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, Wang Chen had cleaned the cave from top to bottom!
His Cleansing Technique even gained over ten experience points in the process.
Next, Wang Chen retrieved tables, chairs, and other furnishings from his storage bag, quickly arranging the space into a livable state.
But his work was far from finished.
Wang Chen summoned the Wind and Thunder Sword and carved out a thick slab of rock from the cave wall.
He shaped it into a sturdy stone door to seal the entrance.
That night, Wang Chen settled into the cave.
The next morning, he began digging a tunnel.
This was no mere whim—the area around Xian City was far from safe. Magical beasts often descended from Yulong Mountain to attack solitary or isolated cultivators.
This was why, despite the city’s poor conditions, most cultivators still chose to crowd within its bounds.
The cultivators of Xian City regarded magical beasts as prey, frequently venturing into the mountains to hunt.
In contrast, the magical beasts of Yulong Mountain saw the cultivators as a delectable feast!
Some of these magical beasts were ferocious and greedy, endowed with intelligence rivaling that of humans, making them formidable adversaries for the cultivators.
To ensure his safety, Wang Chen excavated three hidden chambers and five tunnels of varying lengths beneath his cave dwelling.
The longest tunnel extended to an exit ten miles away!
Despite the enormity of the task, Wang Chen, leveraging his Purple Palace Level cultivation, completed the project in a mere five days.
In the deepest hidden chamber, he installed a formation plate.
This high-level Qi Training spirit gathering formation plate was acquired through contribution points during his time at the Yunyang Sect.
Although the high-level Qi Training spirit gathering formation did not align with Wang Chen’s current cultivation level, it was certainly better than nothing.
In the days that followed, Wang Chen devoted most of his time to cultivation within the hidden chamber of his cave.
He made occasional trips to Xian City.
On one hand, he sought to gather information.
On the other hand, he needed to procure essential supplies, such as the Three-eyed Giant Python and Cloud-striding Tiger for concocting Dragon-Tiger Strengthening Soup.
Xian City was home to numerous battle cultivators who relied on hunting magical beasts for sustenance or to trade for resources.
The variety and abundance of magical beasts on Yulong Mountain were remarkable, including the rare Three-eyed Giant Python and Cloud-striding Tiger, which Wang Chen could often purchase fresh in Xian City.
Moreover, spiritual herbs and materials were plentiful, making it easy to assemble the ingredients for Dragon-Tiger Strengthening Soup.
Wang Chen quickly exhausted his remaining spirit stones!
Thus, he returned to his former trade, once again engaging in the business of talismans.
Wang Chen had specifically researched the market and discovered that the most sought-after talisman in Xian City was the Protection Talisman.
This was quite understandable.
As the saying goes, "live off the mountains if you depend on mountains, and live off the water if you depend on water." Most cultivators in Xian City relied on Yulong Mountain for their livelihoods, with hunting, herb gathering, and mining being their primary sources of income.
However, frequent travels through the mountain paths inevitably led to encounters with powerful and ferocious magical beasts.
Consequently, the demand for Protection Talismans soared.
After all, spirit stones could be endlessly earned, but one’s life is singular, and a single talisman at critical moments could mean the difference between life and death.
No cultivator would hesitate to invest in such protection.
Of course, with high demand came intense competition in the market.
Thus, Wang Chen unveiled his trump card.
He meticulously selected the finest talisman paper and talisman ink, employing his Perfected Level Talisman-making Technique to craft Protection Talismans and Armor Horse Talismans.
The Armor Horse Talismans, designed for swift escapes, also enjoyed robust sales in Xian City.
Wang Chen bundled the two types of talismans together, offering a set of two for ten spirit stones!
This pricing was significantly higher than that of his competitors, and initially, there were few takers.
However, Xian City was teeming with cultivators, many of whom were discerning.
Just as in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators, once the first few brave souls tried Wang Chen’s talismans, his products quickly gained traction, earning stellar customer reviews.
Thereafter, whenever he set up his stall in the marketplace, his talisman sets would sell out swiftly.
Wang Chen’s once-depleted storage bag was soon replenished.
Rather than hoarding the spirit stones he earned, Wang Chen used the majority to purchase the spiritual materials he required.
With a daily dose of Dragon-Tiger Strengthening Soup, Wang Chen’s progress in cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method accelerated significantly, bringing him ever closer to the fifth-level Invulnerable Vajra Realm.
In addition to focusing on the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method, Wang Chen also diligently practiced his primary technique, the Preheaven Five Element Technique.
As for the techniques he had already mastered—Cave Truth Technique, Spirit Concealment Technique, Spirit Light Shield, and Air Snatching Technique—he continued to grind for experience points.
Days passed uneventfully, so peacefully that it surprised Wang Chen.
However, the unexpected was soon to occur!
Shortly after the onset of winter, heavy snow blanketed the region surrounding Xian City, and temperatures plummeted.
The snow fell incessantly for three days and nights, cloaking the vast landscape and undulating mountains in thick layers of snow.
Many magical beasts entered hibernation, but a significant number began descending the mountain in search of food.
The clashes between cultivators and magical beasts suddenly intensified!
