In the main headquarters of the Chen Clan Comrce Association in Three Elents Immortal City, Chen Xixing had just learned about the death of the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends from the Communication Jade Talisman, and he slapped the table fiercely, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
His aura of Fake Pill fluctuated slightly, and he imdiately called out loudly towards the door: "Soone co!"
Two stewards in gray robes entered quickly, bowing to greet him: "Chairman."
Chen Xixing spoke with unquestionable authority:
"Imdiately send out orders to all branches and Market points in the Northern territories to spread the word of the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends’ demise."
"Emphasize that these fiends attacked mbers of the Chen Clan and seized spiritual materials, for which Master Micro-Image invited assistance to kill them, and their heads have been sent to Nine Cloud Peak!"
"Additionally, inform all branches that in two months, we will simultaneously hold small auctions at the three major Markets including Giant Deer Market and Black Water City, where three High Tier Realm-Breaking Pills personally refined by Master Micro-Image will be on offer!"
"Yes!"
The two stewards responded in unison and quickly left.
Soon, the Communication Array outside the main headquarters of the Comrce Association glowed with Spirit Light, and ssages spread out like a web.
The branch in Northern Giant Deer Market imdiately arranged for cultivators to post notices at the Market entrance while the Black Water City location had clerks subtly ntion the matter in taverns and teahouses...
The news spread like wildfire, reaching all major Markets in the Northern territories within a day, especially Giant Deer Market, where Chen Xilong had been attacked, becoming the focus of much discussion.
In the "Gathering Immortals Tower" at the center of the Market, several Golden Core Cultivators sat around a table by a window on the second floor, with Spirit Tea and snacks laid out, yet the conversation couldn’t stray from the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends.
"Tsk tsk, who would have thought that the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends, who road the Northern territories for decades, would et such a tragic end this ti!"
A Golden Core Early-stage cultivator in a blue robe held a teacup, his tone full of emotion.
He had once witnessed the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends intercept cultivators with brutal ans which left him trembling in fear, and now, upon hearing of their downfall, he couldn’t help but feel a certain satisfaction.
Seated across from him was a Golden Core Mid-stage cultivator with a short beard, who gently shook his head at these words:
"They brought it on themselves! Daring to ss with the Chen Clan and robbing spiritual materials needed by Master Micro-Image — weren’t they just courting death?"
He took a sip from his teacup, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes:
"Master Micro-Image is the Hall Master of a Nascent Soul Grand Sect, a Tier Three Supre Top Level Grandmaster specialized in Realm-Breaking Elixirs, who has helped countless cultivators break through bottlenecks over the years."
"His network is so vast that few in the entire Yue Country can compare, and he can casually summon two helpers to instantly slay the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends. Who dares provoke such power?"
A female cultivator in a purple robe sitting nearby chid in with curiosity:
"I heard that it was Master Celestial Sword from the Myriad Swords Sect and Loose Cultivator Master Yun Xiao who killed the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends?"
"Master Celestial Sword is a Late-stage Golden Core Sword Cultivator who has comprehended Sword Heart and Sword Intent, while Master Yun Xiao’s Tracking Technique is unparalleled in the region. With these two joining forces, the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends certainly had no way out."
The blue-robed cultivator put down the teacup, lowering his voice:
"Indeed!"
"I also heard from the Chen Clan Comrce Association’s Fake Pill tributor that in a few days, the Chen Clan will host an auction in our Giant Deer Market, featuring Realm-Breaking Pills personally refined by Master Micro-Image!"
"They say that these pills increase the probability of breaking through from Mid-stage to Late-stage Golden Core by thirty percent, much better than ordinary Realm-Breaking Pills on the market!"
"Really?"
The short-bearded cultivator’s eyes lit up. He had been stuck in the Mid-stage Golden Core for thirty years and lacked high-quality Realm-Breaking Pills. Hearing this, he imdiately beca interested:
"If such great items are available, even if the price is high, I must compete for them! With Master Micro-Image’s reputation, the pill quality is absolutely guaranteed."
The female cultivator in purple also nodded in agreent:
"The Chen Clan is truly using the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends incident to establish their power, both warning Northern cultivators of the consequences of provoking them and offering high-grade elixirs to draw more people to trade with the Comrce Association. It’s a masterfully calculated move."
"But with Master Micro-Image backing them, it’s no wonder the Chen Clan Comrce Association’s business is flourishing."
Outside the elegant room on the street, cultivators occasionally stopped to look at the notices posted by the Chen Clan Comrce Association, their discussions rising and falling.
So marveled at the Chen Clan’s power, while others planned to attend the auction two months later. Even those small forces that once coveted the Chen Clan’s business had curbed their ambitions by now.
Seeing the fate of the Celestial Bamboo Double Fiends, none of them dared to provoke the Chen Clan anymore.
Inside the Giant Deer Market branch of the Chen Clan Comrce Association, Chen Xixing looked at the bustling scene outside, feeling imnsely satisfied.
He knew that after this event, the Chen Clan’s prestige in the Northern territories would rise another level, ensuring smoother expansion of future businesses.
...
Years passed in the blink of an eye.
The crimson doors of Danming Hall slowly opened in the morning light, in front of the twelve Cyan Jade Desks inside the hall.
Several gray-robed stewards had long stood waiting, bowing deeply, with glazed scrolls stacked on the desks, emitting a faint Spirit Light that recorded Danming Hall’s monthly affairs.
Chen Sheng, dressed in a dark alchemist’s robe with Pill Patterns embroidered on the cuffs, entered the hall. His gaze swept over the scrolls on the desks, and he walked straight to the main seat.
Steward Li at the forefront quickly approached, holding an immaculate White Jade Scroll in both hands:
"Hall Master, this is the summary of the elixir requests by the Inner Sect Disciples for this month. The demand for ’Qi Storage Pill’ has increased by 30% compared to last month, and we need to replenish fifty furnaces of ’Strengthening Essence Pill.’"
Chen Sheng took the Jade Scroll, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he comprehended all its contents. With a gentle tap of his fingertip on the Jade Scroll, a faint golden Mana was injected, marking the items needing priority:
"Accelerate the refining of the Qi Storage Pill at the Pill Workshop. Replenish the Strengthening Essence Pill from the Pill Storage. Arrange for additional refining if the stock is insufficient..."
"Understood!"
Steward Li bowed in acknowledgnt, then handed over another scroll.
"This is the spiritual materials procurent list sent from the Collection Hall. There is a large demand for ’Thunder Spirit Grass’ and ’Profound Iron Sand.’ They say it’s for auxiliary materials preparation for the annual competition."
Chen Sheng nodded and swiftly arranged, "Procure according to the list, personally supervise it, and ensure the quality of the spiritual materials."
He handled affairs swiftly and decisively, approving all the accumulated scrolls within the hall in less than half an incense stick’s ti.
He handed the last Jade Scroll back to the steward, stood up, and said, "The subsequent matters are entrusted to you. If there are any thorny issues, communicate with ."
The several stewards bowed in unison: "Farewell, Hall Master!"
Watching the departing figure of Chen Sheng, Steward Li and Steward Wang exchanged smiles, with not a trace of dissatisfaction in their eyes.
They were long accustod to this Hall Master’s style of a "hands-off manager"—although Chen Sheng was not often in the hall, he always grasped the core of affairs accurately and treated his subordinates generously.
The monthly stipend was much higher than that of stewards in other halls, with additional spiritual material rewards quarterly, and he occasionally shared insights in the Dao of Alchemy or Arrays with them.
Steward Wang, having been stuck as a Tier Two High Grade Alchemist for many years, was guided successfully by Chen Sheng to refine a Tier Two Top Level Elixir. Such treatnt made them willing to manage hall affairs for him wholeheartedly.
Leaving the Dan Ming Hall, Chen Sheng turned into a stream of light, rushing towards Nine Cloud Peak.
The Mountain Protection Array outside the dwelling automatically opened a path, and when he stepped into the Cloud Sea, the grand array closed again, completely isolating the world’s noise.
The Cloud Sea of Nine Cloud Peak resembled rolling White Jade, with layers upon layers of cloud waves dotted with twinkling Spirit Light.
Standing atop the Cloud Sea, Chen Sheng took a deep breath, and his aura abruptly changed.
The previously peaceful aura faded away, replaced by a wild and domineering montum, like an awakened ancient Flood Dragon, causing the surrounding cloud waves to churn violently.
"Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand!"
Chen Sheng uttered in a low roar, raising his right palm slowly, where a dense, faint golden Mana was gathering. As the Mana flowed, ancient and rugged patterns faintly erged.
With a sudden claw strike downward, his five fingers ford into a claw shape, fiercely grabbing toward the Cloud Sea below.
"Screech!"
A piercing sound of air being torn apart rang out, and the Cloud Sea was forcefully torn open, creating a chasm.
Even more astonishing, at the mont the claw wind descended, the void actually developed fine wrinkles, and subsequently split open three hair-thin black cracks.
The edges of the cracks flickered with faint purple Spirit Light, like three motionless lightning bolts, suspended steadily within the Cloud Sea without the slightest quiver.
Chen Sheng’s gaze was tightly fixed on the cracks, a touch of joy passing through his heart:
"Not bad, finally able to stabilize for three breaths!"
He had been cultivating this "Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand" for decades. This divine technique not only required tearing the void but also emphasized control over the cracks.
A common cultivator might only manage to tear open a crack, unable to sustain it, with the crack dissipating after just a breath.
Now he could already stabilize the crack for three breaths, nearing the threshold of "control."
He slowly withdrew his palm, carefully sensing the Mana flow while deploying the divine technique.
The essence of the Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand was not brute force but a special technique to condense Mana into a "edge"—to tear open the spatial barrier while suppressing the unrest of the crack with one’s own Mana to maintain its stability.
With complete mastery, one could even montarily control a small section of the void, touching upon a fraction of a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s void control.
Gaining an early comprehension of Void Power would greatly benefit future cultivation, let alone play an integral part in his grand sche of setting up a ’Long-distance Teleportation Array.’
Chen Sheng raised his hand once more, gathering Mana in his palm, this ti deliberately slowing the Mana flow, carefully adjusting the density and angle of the "edge."
Once more, a claw descended, the void split open into three cracks, but this ti, the cracks not only stabilized for three breaths, the unrest at the edges cald considerably compared to before.
"More practice is needed."
Chen Sheng shook his head slightly, without the least bit of slackening.
With a move of his body, he swiftly shuttled through the Cloud Sea, at tis raising his hand toward the void, at tis pausing to observe the changes in the cracks, refining details with each deploynt.
The Cloud Sea churned incessantly under the sweep of his claw wind.
Every so often, black spatial cracks flickered through the Cloud Sea, like short-lived ink-colored threads, adding a sharp edge to the serene Cloud Sea.
He ceased his cultivation only when the sun set in the west, with his domineering aura gradually subsiding, reverting to the gentle appearance of a Grandmaster in the Alchemy Dao.
...
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