Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

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All things in the world, including all of humanity, cannot escape the law of "true fragrance."

Wang Chen was no exception.

After clarifying the rights and obligations of his family's patronage, he still accepted the engagement letter that Xu Xinlan handed over with both hands.

He left his own magical seal on it.

"Thank you, Superior."

Xu Xinlan's eyes brimmed with emotion as she stooped deeply in a grand bow, "From now on, the Xu Family entrusts its care to you!"

It was evident that the young woman was overjoyed, her gaze filled with relief and delight.

She must have been under great pressure lately.

"No problem," said Wang Chen, handing the engagement letter back to her, "If you encounter any unsolvable issues in the future, just send me a message."

According to the agreement in the engagement letter, Wang Chen would serve as a patron for the Xu Family for three years.

During this period, he would receive thirty percent of the income from the operations of the Xu Family's properties each month.

Plus three taels of the Essence of the Five Elements!

Wang Chen didn't care where the other party's Essence of the Five Elements came from, but such a natural treasure was undoubtedly of great benefit to his cultivation.

In return, during these three years, Wang Chen had the obligation and duty to resolve any troubles the Xu Family encountered.

Troubles within his capabilities, that is.

If the Xu Family remained peaceful and untroubled, then Wang Chen's cultivation in the Sect would not be affected at all.

It would be equivalent to receiving patronage for nothing!

It was precisely because Xu Xinlan's offer was quite generous, coupled with the temptation of the Essence of the Five Elements, that Wang Chen ultimately signed the engagement letter.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Xu Xinlan was very tactful, "If there are no issues, I would not dare to disturb the Superior."

Wang Chen nodded, "Good."

With that, the matter was settled.

After Xu Xinlan took the engagement letter and left, Zuo Xiaomo raised his cup to express his thanks to Wang Chen, "Senior Brother Wang, I apologize for the trouble."

"It's nothing," replied Wang Chen, lifting his cup, "I'm also taking advantage of the benefits."

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

Having downed his cup of Spiritual Wine, Wang Chen asked, "Junior Brother Zuo, when will you participate in the Outer Sect examination?"

Long ago, he had promised to be Zuo Xiaomo's "Taoist Protector" and protect him during his participation in the Outer Sect examination at the Nine Dragons Land Palace.

However, after such a long time, there had been no movement on Zuo Xiaomo's part.

It was as if he had forgotten about it.

So Wang Chen was somewhat puzzled, and now that they had met, he naturally inquired about it.

"I was just about to discuss this with you," said Zuo Xiaomo as he put down his cup with a wry smile, "The Outer Sect examination for this year has been postponed to the beginning of next year. The Nine Dragons Land Palace is now sealed by the Sect, and disciples are strictly forbidden to enter."

Wang Chen was surprised, "What happened?"

The Nine Dragons Land Palace was located three hundred miles south of Wanling City, beneath the ruins of a massive ancient city. The scale of the palace was vast.

Because of the restrictions set in the immense palace, the higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the greater the suppression they experience there.

For thousands of years, the West Sea Sect had been investing substantial human and material resources in exploring and uncovering the secrets of this land palace.

Their gains were substantial.

And the main explorers were Qi Cultivation and Purple Mansion cultivators.

In the task halls of the Inner and Outer Sects' main halls, tasks involving the Nine Dragons Land Palace were plentiful.

It had long become an adventure playground for the disciples of the West Sea Sect!

But the playground was not all fun—many peculiar and evil monsters lurked within the Nine Dragons Land Palace, and coupled with the unique environment, it was a highly dangerous place.

Just half a month ago, an evil surge unexpectedly erupted within the palace, causing massive casualties among the cultivators who were training and exploring inside.

The Xu Family's patron had perished in this disaster!

Therefore, the West Sea Sect sealed the entrance to the palace, deciding to reopen it only after the causes had been thoroughly investigated.

At the same time, the Outer Sect examination date was postponed.

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"So that's how it is."

Wang Chen had an epiphany, having focused on his cultivation for a while and, without friends in West Sea City and not participating in the social interactions among sect members, he inevitably found himself out of the loop.

It was only now that he'd learned of such an incident.

"The Nine Dragons Land Palace will definitely reopen."

Zuo Xiaomo said, "When the time comes, I'll still need Senior Brother Wang's help to uphold it."

Wang Chen nodded, "Of course."

He had thought he would pay back Zuo Xiaomo's favor before the New Year, but it turned out that it would have to be postponed until after.

Another New Year was approaching.

Continue your journey with empire

Wang Chen's mind wandered for a moment.

How quickly time flies!

Back at his residence in West Sea City, in the quiet room, Wang Chen took out the freshly acquired Essence of the Five Elements.

He couldn't wait to try out the cultivation effects of such natural treasures.

Stored in the Spirit Jade Bottle, the Essence of the Five Elements resembled rock milk in a semi-solid state; Wang Chen had seen the method of extracting this spiritual liquid in ancient texts and immediately used the Object-Controlling Technique to extract a dab the size of a fingertip.

He then swallowed it and started to refine it with his mana.

The Essence of the Five Elements contained an extremely high purity of the five elements' forces, which, upon dispersal, integrated with Wang Chen's mana in an instant and traveled through his meridians to reach every limb and bone.

Wang Chen felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, completely enveloped in a warmth that made him extremely comfortable.

He really wanted to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

But he was very clear that if he truly fell asleep, this Essence of the Five Elements would have been wasted.

Therefore, Wang Chen focused his mind and spirit, activated the Innate Five Elements Skill, and allowed the mana imbued with the essence of the five elements to circulate through his body in a complete cycle, thoroughly absorbing the efficacy of this heavenly material and earthly treasure.

It took nearly four hours for Wang Chen to completely refine the Essence of the Five Elements he had ingested.

[Innate Five Elements Skill Experience +1]

The effect of the cultivation left Wang Chen extremely satisfied.

Not to mention the addition of 1 point of experience, he distinctly felt a fundamental and essential improvement in his mana.

The extent of the improvement was small, but this was just the beginning. If he ingested the Essence of the Five Elements over the years, the increase in his mana would undoubtedly be tremendous.

Unfortunately, Wang Chen could only get a tiny regular supply every month.

He estimated that this bottle of the Essence of the Five Elements would only suffice for about ten or so cultivation sessions, which was far from enough for daily use.

However, Wang Chen was also very content.

Given the current pace of cultivation, the third layer of the Purple Mansion was bound to break through in an even shorter span of time.

In the days that followed, Wang Chen continued his cultivation.

The New Year arrived, unexpectedly.

In actuality, within the Inner Sect of the West Sea Sect, perhaps due to the great distance from the mundane world, there was not much of a festive atmosphere.

West Sea City was almost the same as always.

But the Outer Sect was much livelier, especially in great Immortal Cities like Wanling City. With streets and alleys decked out in lights and decorations, people's faces beamed with joy as they shopped with abandon for New Year goods, creating a bustling and noisy scene.

The day before New Year's Eve, Wang Chen received a message from Xu Xinlan.

This cousin of Zuo Xiaomo, Wang Chen's "employer," invited him to her home as a guest.

To spend New Year's Eve together.

Wang Chen considered it.

And he agreed.

Many cultivators, aside from their practice, had nothing else and were thoroughly detached from the mortal world.

But Wang Chen was not such an ascetic cultivator.

Cultivators are still human; unless they have cultivated to a truly transcendent state, they cannot be completely untouched by the worldly dust.

Cultivation is about leaving the world, but being in the world is also cultivation!

It's hard to stay unaffected by the mortal world while living in it.

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The second release is here.

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