Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 102 An Immense Opportunity to Enhance Cultivation

Why is there still no movement?

Inside the Hall of Righteous Gathering at Qinglang Village, the lights flickered.

Yu Qiantong, the Qingjiao Alliance's envoy and the newly appointed leader of the Changshan branch, leaned lazily against a tiger-skin chair, with a woman on each side forcing a smile. He glanced unfriendly at the trembling Li Qianlang below, his tone revealing obvious displeasure.

"Reporting to the Master."

Upon hearing this, cold sweat beaded on Li Qianlang's forehead. He steeled himself and stepped forward, bowing as he replied, "That Chen Sheng is truly cunning as a fox. I suspect that he may have already seen through some of the tricks, which is why he is holding back."

Previously, he was quite confident in his plan to lure Chen Sheng out of the city using 'innate spiritual energy' as bait.

Because he judges others by his own standards, if he knew that such an opportunity existed in the world, he would definitely fight for it at all costs.

However, the result greatly disappointed Li Qianlang. After the news was released, although it aroused some Foundation Establishment martial artists in Changshan County to make a move, the government remained as steady as Mount Tai and did not react at all, which gave him a great headache.

As for a direct assault on the county seat?

That's wishful thinking.

Looting outside the city can be classified as banditry, and as long as it doesn't escalate too much, the authorities might not be willing to crack down on it. But if they storm into the county town, that would be an open rebellion, a completely different matter, and would inevitably invite a thunderous crackdown.

The Green Wolf Village cannot afford this price.

"Humph."

Yu Qiantong snorted coldly, a fierce aura surging between his brows: "No matter how difficult the process may be, I will see Chen Sheng within three days, no matter what means you use!"

He came to Changshan on the orders of the Azure Dragon Alliance, not just to establish a branch, but also to shoulder the important responsibility of ensuring the smooth flow of waterways through Changshan.

However, the surrounding bandits, both large and small, are now silent due to the government's intimidation, which seriously affects the interests of the Azure Dragon Alliance. If this matter cannot be resolved as soon as possible, how can he explain it to his superiors?

Li Qianlang frowned, racking his brains for a way to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had thought of something, and he hurriedly said, "Master, I have thought of a plan."

"speak!"

Yu Qiantong raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The Yang family."

Li Qianlang slowly uttered two words, and then explained in detail: "According to my investigation, the Yang family of Changshan has now completely submitted to Chen Sheng and can be called the number one powerful family in Changshan. They are currently riding high."

If we hijack the Yang family's merchant ships, the Yang family will definitely not sit idly by. If we fail once, we will try twice, and if we fail twice, we will try three times. I do not believe that the Yang family can keep swallowing their anger forever.

"At that time, the Yang family will surely do their utmost to encourage Chen Sheng to leave the city and suppress the bandits. And as soon as Chen Sheng steps out of the city gates and enters Qinglin River, our opportunity will arrive!"

"I only care about the result."

Yu Qiantong glanced at him and said in a cold tone, "As long as you can lure Chen Sheng out, you will have done a great service. In the future, the position of the Changshan branch leader may be handed over to you."

But if you can't do that."

At this point, Yu Qiantong paused, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Then don't blame me for turning ruthless."

After saying that, he ignored Li Qianlang and buried his head in the breasts of the woman beside him.

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Li Qianlang's face, and he quickly bowed in greeting.

"Yes, Your subordinate will do your utmost to live up to Your Excellency's expectations!"

He couldn't wait to see Chen Sheng fall into the trap.

When Yu Qiantong retires after achieving his goal, wouldn't he then be in charge of the Changshan branch?

Armed Battalion
Chen Sheng sat cross-legged in meditation, focusing his mind on the progress panel in his consciousness.

[Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique - Minor Success (8/500)]

[Basic knife skills perfected (1126/2000)]

[Mastering the Secret Techniques of Toad Fishing (890/1000)]

[Mastery of the Three Ultimate Demon-Slaying Sword Techniques (990/1000)]

The practice of the Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique is different from the previous Golden Bell Body Forging Method. It has twelve less complicated stances. You only need to guide the innate true qi to travel through the meridians of the body along a specific route to continuously temper the physical body.

However, this is only what appears to be simple. The slowness of its cultivation speed was something Chen Sheng experienced firsthand after years of arduous practice.

Without top-tier cultivation resources to assist one, relying solely on absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth and refining primordial crystals, the accumulation of innate true energy is incredibly slow.

Even after several days of arduous training to break through to the Innate Realm, the progress bar has only moved forward a small step.

This made Chen Sheng, who had always cultivated at an extremely fast pace, feel quite uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Xu Yuanhai sent the Snow Lake Flower, which temporarily relieved his urgent need.

He has confirmed that this elixir is genuine.

The only thing that made him hesitate was the method of consumption and how to refine it. Taking it raw was simple and direct, but it wasted a lot of medicinal power. Only by finding an alchemist to refine it into a pill could its effects be maximized.

Unfortunately, he knew nothing about alchemy, and if he wanted to find an alchemist who could refine such spiritual medicine, he would have to go to the prefectural city.

After much deliberation, Chen Sheng decided to be more pragmatic.

After all, cultivation resources only become a true foundation when they are transformed into tangible cultivation abilities.

Just as Chen Sheng took out the jade box containing the Snow Lake Flower, preparing to swallow it directly, deep within his consciousness, the mysterious page of the [Avoiding Misfortune and Seeking Good Fortune] Heavenly Book once again revealed new characters:

【My name is Chen Sheng. When you see this sentence, I will be here because Han Ling'er publicly broke off the engagement, and Xu Shenzhi suffered a huge blow. However, after my guidance, a flame of revenge was ignited in his heart. He wanted to serve me and offered me a secret to show his sincerity.

However, due to past grudges, I did not accept him and ordered him to be refused entry to the camp, thus missing an opportunity to improve my cultivation. I have regretted this ever since.

Ok?
Chen Sheng's gaze sharpened, and he was quite surprised.

Xu Shenzhi did not return to the prefectural city with his father?

Instead, they want to come and rely on me?
Were they completely defeated? Or did their words, which struck at the heart of the matter, truly have an unexpected effect?
He recalled the scene that day, and how he had shown no mercy, severely injuring Xu Shenzhi.

Could it be that just because of those few seemingly sarcastic but actually provocative words, he was so grateful?

Or perhaps, he wanted to use his own power to take revenge on the Han and Wang families?
Chen Sheng's eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought.

As night deepened, the lights of Changshan County gradually came on.

Xu Shenzhi walked aimlessly down the street, reeking of alcohol, looking haggard, and his clothes were slightly disheveled. He was a far cry from the elegant young master of a noble family he used to be.

The blow of Han Ling'er publicly announcing their engagement was far too heavy for Xu Shenzhi.

The two were childhood sweethearts and had known each other since they were young.

To save her life and chastity, Xu Shenzhi even offered up his innate spiritual energy, which he had nurtured for years and was crucial to his own cultivation, to Chen Sheng. But in the end, all he got in return was a perfunctory apology and the annulment of the engagement proposed by Miss Wang herself in front of everyone.

This was tantamount to tearing the Xu family's face off and trampling it on repeatedly! Xu Shenzhi could almost foresee that once the news reached the prefectural city, the Xu family would become a laughing stock throughout Ning'an Prefecture!

He felt even more ashamed when he saw his father's face, which was ashen from suppressing his anger.

Moreover, he has yet to confess to his father about losing his innate spiritual energy.

If this matter is exposed, it will undoubtedly make matters worse.

After a long talk with his father, he chose to stay instead of returning to the prefectural city immediately.

Xu Shenzhi intended to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but he only got more and more drunk. Chen Sheng's cold yet seductive words from that day kept echoing in his ears.

"If you feel humiliated, you should think about how you can get back tenfold or a hundredfold in the future!"

He wanted to avenge himself and make Han Ling'er and Wang Zhilan pay the price for breaking off their engagement.

However, the Wang family has a deep foundation and its influence is deeply entrenched. Not to mention him, even the entire Xu family would appear weak and powerless in front of the Wang family.

The only person he could see who might be able to challenge the Wang family was his former 'enemy'—Chen Sheng!
According to his father's private conversation afterward, this Chen Sheng was suspected to have an amazing background. He was probably in Changshan to gain experience, and his cultivation progress was incredibly fast. Before leaving, his father strictly ordered him not to cause any more trouble for the family.

The Xu family even planned to temporarily set aside the grudge of the Huang family's annihilation.

This gave Xu Shenzhi an idea.

Given Chen Sheng's powerful background and formidable strength, could he use Chen Sheng's power to deal with the Wang family?
However, when he reached the entrance of the military camp, Xu Shenzhi hesitated again.

After all, he had a past conflict with Chen Sheng. Would the other party accept him?
If we go there and are met with indifference or even humiliation, wouldn't we be inviting disgrace upon ourselves?
Reason and impulse clashed fiercely in his mind. Finally, Xu Shenzhi gritted his teeth and smashed the wine jar in his hand to the ground. The sound of it shattering was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

"Fine, let it be humiliating. What could be worse than being publicly annuled?!"

Xu Shenzhi straightened his robes and resolutely walked towards the gate of the military camp.

If Chen Sheng disdains to humiliate him, then he will offer up that secret as a pledge of loyalty.

"Halt! This is a military camp, no unauthorized personnel allowed near!"

As soon as Xu Shenzhi approached the camp gate, the guards shouted sternly and blocked his way with their spears crossed.

Xu Shen instinctively wanted to raise his hand to cover his face, but stopped himself halfway through. He immediately took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a salute to the guard, and tried to make his voice sound calm:

"Please inform Commander Chen that Xu Shen from the prefectural city has come to request an audience."

The guards sized him up a few times. Although his clothes were disheveled and he reeked of alcohol, he possessed an extraordinary air about him. After exchanging glances, one of them said:

"Wait here."

He then turned and went inside to report.

A moment later, the guard returned and bowed to Xu Shenzhi, saying:

"Young Master Xu, the commander requests your presence."

Xu Shenzhi felt a great weight lifted from his heart and secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

"Good work."

Commander's tent

The flickering candlelight illuminated the tent brightly.

Chen Sheng, dressed in the uniform of an eighth-rank military officer, sat at the head of the table with his eyes slightly closed, as if he were resting or pondering the opportunity foretold by the celestial book. In his hand, he was playing with a crystal jade cup containing a fine wine sent by the Yang family.

Chen Sheng only slowly opened his eyes when he heard footsteps and announcements outside the tent.

Xu Shenzhi bowed and entered the tent, his gaze immediately falling on the figure in front of him.

At the same time, a slightly mocking voice rang out leisurely:
"Ah, it's the young master of the Xu family."

Chen Sheng glanced at Xu Shenzhi, who looked rather disheveled, and a half-smile appeared on his lips.

“Before Commander Chen, Shen Zhi dared not presume to call himself Young Master.”

Xu Shenzhi immediately lowered his head, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Young Master Xu, instead of returning to the capital with your father to enjoy a life of luxury, you have come to visit my humble military camp late at night. What brings you here?"

Chen Sheng asked the question knowingly, his tone flat and revealing neither joy nor anger.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shenzhi no longer hesitated. He immediately flung open the front of his robe, knelt down on one knee with a thud, looked up at Chen Sheng, and spoke with a resolute tone:

"Shenzhi has been wandering for half his life, and he only regrets that he was ignorant in his youth and did not know how to judge people, which has brought shame to his family and humiliation to himself. He has come here now to serve under Commander Chen."

"From now on, I will willingly serve as your henchman, at your beck and call, even unto death. I hope you will accept me!"

Chen Sheng put down his wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Xu Shenzhi kneeling before him with interest, chuckling softly:

"Serve me?"

He paused, then spoke with a hint of amusement:

"I am currently just a lowly eighth-rank official. If you join my ranks, you will at most become a ninth-rank deputy commander. Young Master Xu, are you willing to accept this?"

“Shenzhi dared not deceive the commander.”

Xu Shenzhi raised his head, his gaze firm: "With your cultivation, achievements, and potential as a commander, being promoted to the prefectural city and holding power is only a matter of a few months."

Although Shen Zhi's vision was limited, he could still see that the commander possessed the potential to become a hidden dragon. Therefore, Shen Zhi was unwilling to remain merely a subordinate commander and was willing to follow the commander and strive for a better future.

Seeing that Chen Sheng remained noncommittal, Xu Shen steeled himself and hurriedly added:
"If Commander Ruo is willing to accept Shen Zhi, Shen Zhi is willing to offer two opportunities to show his loyalty."

"Oh?"

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued: "Tell me about it."

Then, he leaned back slightly, adopting a listening posture, as if he had everything under control.

Xu Shenzhi took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and said, word by word:

"Firstly, within the Han clan of the prefecture city, there is a 'Hundred-Year Earth Core Lotus'. Its lotus leaves can be used to refine pills and make medicine, and its lotus seeds can be taken directly raw, which can greatly improve innate true qi. For martial artists who have just entered the innate realm, the effect is comparable to a miraculous elixir."

Just one lotus seed is equivalent to the effort of a master of innate martial arts for several months of arduous training. What's even more remarkable is that this lotus seed has a mild medicinal effect and also has the effect of tempering the body.

The Han family has always ground lotus seeds into powder for use in the foundation-building and body-refining of their core members. If a leader could obtain and refine this powder, their cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

At this point, Xu Shenzhi paused slightly, observed Chen Sheng's reaction, and seeing his eyes flicker, he felt somewhat reassured. He then revealed the second, even more astonishing secret:
"Secondly, the eldest daughter of the Wang family, Wang Zhilan, possesses an extremely rare Xuan Yin physique. The cultivation technique she practices is called the 'Ice Heart Jade Cold Scripture.' This technique complements her physique, allowing her to cultivate a wisp of the purest and most refined Xuan Yin essence within her body. If the leader can find a way to seize her Yin essence, he can at least save ten years of arduous cultivation."

Of course, the lower the cultivation level, the better the improvement effect after refining.

At this point, a complex expression flashed across Xu Shenzhi's face, and he gritted his teeth, saying:
"These are all secrets that Han Ling'er inadvertently revealed in the past, which I have kept in mind. Now, I am willing to offer them all to the commander to show my sincerity in serving him."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)