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Dwelling No. 1024.
The gate was tightly closed.
A yellow ox lay leisurely at the corner of the wall, occasionally snorting loudly.
A dozen or so yards away.
The youth Chen Yang and his sister Chen Ying were tending to the magical land. His previously oppressive mood beca bright and cheerful with the arrival of the dwelling's owner.
"Yingzi, I will definitely break through to the Innate realm and beco a disciple under Senior Sun!"
A month ago, a Loose Cultivator ca from outside, wanting to plant on this plot of magical land.
Truly becoming a wanderer without a source of Spirit Stones, the hardships of becoming a cultivator were insurmountable. Chen Yang tried everything to delay, but still couldn't stop the sect's rules, and he was about to lose the land on which he survived.
A few days ago, Senior Sun moved into the dwelling and told the Marketplace he did not wish to be disturbed.
The Loose Cultivator was very understanding and went to rent other magical land, solving Chen Yang's problem efficiently.
Upon hearing these words, Chen Ying's brow furrowed slightly, "Our family has suffered consecutive illnesses and deaths, surely soone is doing us harm. Now that it's just you and , why don't we leave the Marketplace?"
Chen Yang slowly shook his head, and said firmly.
"I won't leave. I must restore our ancestor's glory!"
The ti of the striving always passes swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, a whole sixty years went by.
That day.
An elderly Chen Yang with grizzled hair was tending to the magical land with his children and grandchildren, always bursting into hearty laughter whenever he looked at his grandson.
After thirty years of arduous cultivation of martial arts, he still had not broken through to the Innate realm. Fortunately, Chen Yang had the magical land to rent out, which easily led to marriage with his mortal wife.
He fathered four sons and three daughters in succession, all of whom had no Spirit Root.
Chen Yang's fervor of his earlier years had been spent, and he only prayed for "Senior Sun" to live a long life, so that these two acres of magical land could be passed on for more generations.
Who would have thought that fortune would fall from the sky, and the eldest grandson actually possessed a Spirit Root? Even with a Four Spirit Root, it could ensure the prosperity of the Chen family for a hundred years.
"You must thank Senior Sun, he is our family's great benefactor."
"What does Senior Sun actually look like?"
As his son spoke, he looked toward the dwelling not far away, which had been closed since he could rember, including the yellow ox at the gate, unchanged for more than thirty years.
"This... I can't quite rember," said Chen Yang.
Chen Yang was certain he had seen Senior Sun, but it had been too long, and he vaguely rembered that Senior Sun looked quite young.
Marketplace rumors said.
Daoist Master Sun was in his forties or fifties, his cultivation had reached the later stages of Qi Refinent, certainly a person of exceptional talent, and there was hope for Foundation Establishnt in the future.
The family was talking.
Suddenly, they heard a creaking noise; turning their heads, they saw the dwelling's gate open, and out walked a blue-robed old Daoist.
Zhou Yi also noticed the dozen or so mbers of the Chen family and nodded with a smile, then leapt onto the back of the yellow ox.
"Old bull, let's go."
Clouds and smoke appeared under the hooves of the yellow ox, and it soared into the sky, flying towards Tianyang City.
Seeing his benefactor finally leaving the dwelling, Chen Yang pulled his grandson along to give thanks, but all he saw was a figure riding away on the back of the ox.
Stunned for a long ti, he lowered his head and said to his grandson.
"Did you rember his appearance? If you see Senior Sun in the future, be sure to repay his kindness!"
...
Riding on the back of the yellow ox, Zhou Yi began to ponder how to continue his cultivation.
Thirty years ago, by eating a century-old Spiritual dicine as als, he had forcefully pushed the Guiyuan Technique to the thirteenth layer.
Qi Cultivation Great Perfection, with no further progress possible.
No matter how he ran the Cultivation Technique, he couldn't increase his Mana by a bit, not even if he bit into a millennium-aged Spirit Ginseng, it was of no help.
Zhou Yi had not ended his seclusion, instead, he turned to cultivating the Divine Bull Transformation.
Perhaps it was because the bloodline of the yellow ox was extraordinary, or perhaps because Zhou Yi's body had accumulated too many Spiritual dicines, the efficiency of Body Refinent far surpassed Qi Cultivation. It only took seventy years to cultivate to Great Perfection, and after testing its power, he finally erged from his seclusion, satisfied.
"With my talent, even if I reached Qi Cultivation Great Perfection, three to five Foundation Establishnt Pills might not be enough."
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"Moreover, each ti a Foundation Establishnt Pill appears, not to ntion selling for a sky-high price, it also triggers a bloody struggle. Those Qi Refiners whose lifespans are about to end would fight with all they have, and who knows, they might actually break through the defenses of the Divine Bull Transformation."
"In the end, one must rely on refining it themselves!"
Over the years, Zhou Yi had taken on various disguises and inquired about the origins of the Foundation Establishnt Pill everywhere, with all clues pointing to the Dan Ding Sect.
Occasionally, Foundation Establishnt Pills would circulate in the marketplace, but they were never from legitimate sources. So said they were illicit goods obtained through murder and plunder, while others claid they were bait used by the sects to string along loose cultivators.
The implication was clear: with the Dan Ding Sect monopolizing Foundation Establishnt Pills, cultivators in Cloud Continent had to rely on others for their advancent.
"First, I'll try to find a recipe for the Foundation Establishnt Pill. If that's truly impossible, I can exchange rits for the status of a registered disciple. As for ti, let's set fifty years. By then, this identity would have lived out its lifespan!"
As Zhou Yi contemplated, the ox had already flown above Tianyang City.
...
Half a year later.
In the southeast corner of Tianyang City, a street-facing shop hung up a new sign.
There Is a Tavern.
Behind the solid wood counter, Zhou Yi was reading a storybook with relish, not even looking up when a custor arrived.
"Shopkeeper, what kind of wine do you sell here?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a strong build and hands as big as fan leaves, evidently a rare master of External Martial Arts.
In Tianyang City, mortals aspired for innate martial prowess, and so those who practiced Inner Strength made up ninety-nine percent of the population. After all, with the rules of the Dan Ding Sect in place, there was no threat to life on the surface.
"Crimson Fla Wine, for dine-in only," Zhou Yi said, pointing to the sign behind him that listed the years and prices.
Crimson Fla Wine originated from the Chihong lineage. After decades of research and formula refinent, spirit ginseng aged a hundred years had been successfully incorporated into the brew.
The wine was fiercer, poured into a bowl as red as fla, hence the na Crimson Fla Wine.
The man was startled by the expensive price: "For a ten-year vintage, it costs one spirit stone per catty, that's too expensive!"
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "You could trade sothing for it."
As he spoke, Zhou Yi picked up a brush and added a sentence beneath the prices: We accept all kinds of goods!
"I don't have anything!"
The man's gaze grew sharp, he shook his head repeatedly, and left the tavern as if fleeing.
The residents of Tianyang City, whose ancestors had once been wealthy for generations, if they were still struggling in the marketplace, it ant that their family still possessed so inheritance.
Many shops in the city, like Zhou Yi's, accepted barter transactions. Each year there were rumors of soone selling relics from their ancestors, either in the hope of breaking through to Innate level, or just to enjoy worldly pleasures.
Even if the forr failed, they would still be respected, while the latter were despised as prodigal sons.
But Zhou Yi didn't see it that way. Innate was only the first step on the path to immortality. What lay ahead was a thousand tribulations and a hundred hardships, and there was no guarantee that a family would outlast mundane inheritances.
"Next, it's just a matter of waiting!"
The tavern opened without ceremony, and though nothing much happened in Tianyang City, the news quickly spread.
Half a month later.
Soone ca to the tavern offering to sell an ancestral spiritual object—a jade stone bottle exquisitely crafted with mysterious patterns engraved on its surface, which would burst into dazzling spiritual light when infused with mana.
"Our ancestors once lived lavishly, having produced two Foundation Establishnt real persons. This is a treasure one of them left behind. Before passing, our ancestor's last words were that his lifeti of knowledge was hidden within the bottle, and heirs with the talent could inherit it!"
The man spoke with genuine emotion, sighing as he said, "Unfortunately, the later generations are incompetent and cannot perceive the mysteries within the bottle. Fellow Daoist, how many spirit stones will you offer for it?"
Zhou Yi laughed as he received the jade bottle, observed it carefully, and then shook his head and said.
"I apologize, but my limited vision doesn't see its worth. You should try another shop."
The man argued for a while longer, but seeing Zhou Yi continually shaking his head with a smile, he uttered so strange words and left with the bottle.
It wasn't many days later.
The man mysteriously suffered a robbery, his limbs all broken, and the family heirloom bottle smashed to pieces. Subsequently, several swindlers who had visited the tavern all encountered mysterious disasters.
The enforcent team conducted a cursory investigation but was unable to find the perpetrator and thus let the matter rest.
Zhou Yi's tavern suddenly beca much quieter.
"The thods of forging and counterfeiting in Tianyang Market are far inferior to those of the Little Dan Mountain, too crude!"
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