Chapter 51
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Chapter 51: The Groundhog
On the tenth day of the seventh month, the beginning of autumn.
It was an auspicious day for travel, moving into a new home, and breaking ground.
At the morning hour, the resonant toll of the Dingyang Bell echoed through the inner and outer mountain gates.
The Yunyang Sect suddenly dispatched five flying ships and a hundred Purple Palace masters, embarking on an expedition to the outer regions under the leadership of Mu Qingqiu.
Accompanying them were thousands of elite Qi Training cultivators.
The entire Yunyang Sect possessed only about a dozen magical flying ships, two hundred masters, and three Golden Core cultivators.
Mu Qingqiu, renowned as the "First Sword of Tianyun," wielded unparalleled combat strength within the sect.
Thus, this expedition represented half of the Yunyang Sect’s might!
Due to the Yunyang Sect’s grand and unsubtle display, news swiftly spread throughout the mountain gates.
Countless people were left anxious and terrified.
…
Wang Chen practiced the Five Element Technique at home, striving to break through to the fifth level of Qi Training.
…
Three days later, news arrived that Mu Qingqiu’s forces had traversed eight thousand miles in the outer regions, consecutively raiding four nests of the gray-eyed thieves, destroying two temples, and exterminating over ten thousand followers of the dark gods.
Moreover, Mu Qingqiu personally intervened and slew a Golden Core evil cultivator!
This battle could be hailed as the most glorious victory since the Yunyang Sect’s destruction of the Three-Eyed Sect.
Thus, the Yunyang Sect upheld the honor of the First Sect of Tianyun.
When the news of the great victory returned to the mountain gate, Yunshan City erupted into a celebration with fire trees and silver flowers, more boisterous than the New Year.
…
Wang Chen practiced the Vajra Fist at home, working diligently to achieve small success in his realm.
…
Five days later, the expedition army returned triumphantly.
The sect leader of the Yunyang Sect, the high-ranking Golden Core master Ji Guantao, emerged from seclusion to welcome them a hundred miles outside the mountain gate.
At the same time, he announced a week of grand celebration, waiving entry fees for loose cultivators into the city.
Yunshan City nearly burst with the throngs of people flooding in.
The Harmony Sect’s female cultivators announced a promotional discount, reducing the all-night fee from twenty spirit fragments to just ten.
The threshold of the Fragrant Pavilion was nearly trampled down.
…
Wang Chen practiced the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method at home, striving to break through to the Jade Bone realm.
Half a month later, five fully-staffed pioneering teams departed from the mountain gate and ventured into the outer regions to expand the territory for the Yunyang Sect.
Merely six days later, one of the pioneering teams discovered a large purple copper mine.
The Grandmaster of the Yunyang Sect issued a decree to generously reward the pioneering cultivators.
One young Qi Training cultivator, who had made significant contributions, was promoted to an inner sect true disciple!
As the news spread, the remaining five pioneering teams quickly became highly coveted.
Countless outer sect cultivators flocked to join them.
…
Wang Chen diligently worked on improving his skill proficiency at home.
…
Crack!
With a crisp sound, a stone harder than gold shattered into pieces in Wang Chen’s hands.
He exhaled deeply, and his swollen right arm quickly returned to its normal state.
【Earth and Stone Technique·Experience +1】
【Great Strength Technique (Proficient): 199/200】
【Earth and Stone Technique (Basic Level): 299/300】
Over the past month, aside from tending to the spirit fields, Wang Chen rarely ventured outside.
Most of his time was spent at home.
Regardless of the turmoil in the outside world, he remained steadfast in his cultivation.
Without allocating any points,
Wang Chen fully mastered the Spirit Eye, Object Manipulation, Fire Crow Technique, and Cleansing Technique.
The Earth and Stone Technique even reached the pinnacle of its basic level!
It is worth noting that during the process of advancing the Earth and Stone Technique from proficient to basic level, Wang Chen did not allocate any points.
He relied entirely on hard work and perseverance to break through the bottleneck!
This was also his first spell skill to achieve proficiency and basic level without consuming any Virtue points.
Initially, Wang Chen had planned to rely on points to advance from proficient to basic level and from basic level to advanced level.
Instead, he set a new personal record.
This experience made Wang Chen fully realize the importance of effort!
However, he decided not to persist in advancing from basic level to advanced level.
He directly allocated points!
【Virtue (Breakthrough): 38】
【Earth and Stone Technique (Major Success): 0/400】
Add more points!
【Virtue (Breakthrough): 37】
【Great Strength Technique (Minor Success): 0/300】
As Wang Chen gazed at the refreshed data on his Cultivation Panel, he clenched his fist with determination.
The Great Strength Technique had been a byproduct of his diligent practice of the Earth and Stone Technique.
Once considered a rather lackluster spell, it had rarely seen use in the past.
However, after mastering the Vajra Fist,
Wang Chen realized that the Vajra Fist’s power was significantly amplified when combined with the Great Strength Technique.
Thus, he made the decision to elevate it to the minor success level.
The advancement of each of his spell skills had undeniably bolstered his combat prowess.
The effort he had poured into the past month had truly paid off!
Feeling the increased bulk of his arm, Wang Chen retrieved a blueprint from his storage bag.
This was the "Doomsday Bunker Blueprint" he had sketched during his spare moments.
With the Earth and Stone Technique now at major success, the construction of the bunker was promptly prioritized.
Though Wang Chen had scarcely ventured out recently,
his visits to Old Master Sun had kept him well-informed.
The Yunyang Sect was currently thriving, its prosperity as radiant as the midday sun.
Neighbors chatted about the triumphs brought by the Golden Core true master, and the Three Preparatory Teams and pioneering teams were frequent topics of conversation.
Many envied the cultivators who had joined the two camps.
They were particularly envious of the young Qi Training cultivator who had discovered the vast purple copper mine and risen swiftly to prominence.
They seemed to have forgotten the calamities wrought by the land rhinoceros and the gray-eyed thieves just over a month ago,
and the hardships caused by reduced harvests and skyrocketing grain prices.
Some even mocked the Loose Cultivators who had flocked to the city to avoid entrance fees.
Feeling superior within the mountain gate, they couldn’t help but gloat.
But Wang Chen had not forgotten.
He felt no pride, no complacency, and remained ever vigilant!
Without delay, he set to work.
Wang Chen decided to place the bunker’s entrance within his bedroom.
First, he moved his bed aside, then pried up the blue bricks that paved the floor.
The bunker’s entrance was crucial as an escape route; it needed to be both hidden and easily accessible.
Wang Chen planned to install a flip board connected to a mechanism linked with the bed board.
When he retired for the night, if danger arose, he could simply pull a lever at the head of the bed, causing him to roll directly into the tunnel for a swift escape.
This design was inspired by Jin Yong’s classic novel, "The Deer and the Cauldron."
Of course, Wang Chen had no intention of hiding a queen beneath his floor.
After removing all the floor tiles, he retrieved the custom excavation tools he had ordered from the city.
And so, he began to dig!
At this point, the Great Strength Technique, which he had advanced to minor success, proved its worth.
Empowered by this spell, he wielded the shovel with remarkable speed, digging as swiftly as a small excavator.
As for the soil he excavated, Wang Chen first stored it in his now-empty storage bag.
Once the storage bag was full, he planned to pile the soil outside against the courtyard wall.
Wang Chen intended to reinforce and heighten the courtyard walls once the bunker was complete.
Though the walls alone couldn’t fully deter Evil Spirits, even the slightest barrier that bought him a moment’s reaction time was well worth the effort!
After disposing of the soil, he returned to his bedroom to continue digging.
After digging down an average of three feet,
Wang Chen employed the major-success-level Earth and Stone Technique to reinforce the tunnel walls.
Day after day,
Wang Chen, like a determined groundhog,
dug tirelessly within his small domain.
