Chapter 405: The Hidden Victor and the Major Rain Spell
Before long, Qin Hao and the elite disciples of the Cloud Sea Sect brazenly paraded the massive, thousand-foot-long flood dragon corpse right through the main gates of Mystic Heart City.
Their arrival instantly caused a massive sensation, sending shockwaves through the entire populace.
“By the heavens, is that an actual flood dragon?”
“I’ve heard the deep-sea races have a strict hierarchy…”
“They do! The Dragon Clan rules supreme, followed by the Mermaids, then the Turtles…”
Whether they were disciples of the major Immortal Sects or rogue Cultivation vagabonds, everyone stared in utter disbelief, craning their necks to scrutinize the mythical beast. After all, tales of flood dragons and true dragons were legendary, but witnessing one in the flesh was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
Playing his part flawlessly, Jiang Chen casually strolled out of the Sea Demon Pavilion. Seeing the crowd mesmerized by the colossal corpse, he seamlessly blended into the throng, acting like just another gawking bystander.
Nearby, Zhao Lie’s face darkened with open displeasure. “You Cloud Sea Sect disciples certainly went out of your way to steal the spotlight this time.”
Qin Hao offered a magnanimous, utterly impeccable smile. “When facing demonic beasts, all cultivators stand united in common hatred. Why draw lines between you and me?”
Hearing such a flawless, righteous justification, Zhao Lie opened his mouth but found absolutely no angle to retort. Seething quietly, he spun on his heel and marched away, dragging his Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect disciples with him. He had no desire to stand there and act as a backdrop for their glory.Seeing the situation, Su Ningshuang of the Inviting Moon Immortal Sect quietly did the same, conceding the venue, the limelight, and the crowd’s adulation to the Cloud Sea Sect. Openly dragging a flood dragon corpse through the streets served exactly this strategic purpose, and she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction.
Suddenly, Long Ao spotted Jiang Chen hiding in the crowd and waved enthusiastically. “Junior Brother Jiang! Get over here!”
Jiang Chen shook his head, instinctively taking a step back. “I didn’t lift a single finger in the hunt. I won’t steal your glory.”
What a joke, Jiang Chen thought coldly. I want to be as invisible as humanly possible. Walking over meant standing at the absolute epicenter of the city’s attention. Even if he wasn’t the star of the show, sharp-eyed observers would remember his face. The sectarian climate in Mystic Heart City was a powder keg right now; minimizing his presence was the only logical play.
Besides, he had already successfully extracted and assimilated the flood dragon’s bloodline. His objective was flawlessly complete. The smartest move now was to find a quiet excuse to leave the city altogether.
Later that evening, the Cloud Sea Sect hosted a lavish victory banquet, extending open invitations to all core and formal disciples stationed in Mystic Heart City.
However, attendance was painfully thin. The core disciples from the other two major sects were suspiciously absent, citing a myriad of flimsy excuses. Zhao Lie and Su Ningshuang completely ignored the invitation, though they sent a few token lower-ranking disciples to attend. It was a calculated display of posturing—expressing their intense displeasure without officially severing diplomatic ties.
Hidden away in the back kitchen, Jiang Chen worked furiously, churning out dishes that bordered on genuine spirit cuisine. Every guest who tasted the food was left singing its praises, yet the identity of the master chef remained a closely guarded secret.
At the head table, Qin Hao set down his cup of Spirit Wine and glanced at Chen Tian. “Pass down a strict order to all our disciples. No boasting, no arrogance. We’ve taken the prize; now we must maintain a low profile to avoid inciting further resentment.”
Chen Tian nodded slightly. “Understood, Senior Brother.”
Qin Hao paused, tapping the table thoughtfully. “Although Junior Brother Jiang did not directly participate in the hunt, he provided the critical intel. We cannot shortchange his reward.”
Chen Tian took a slow sip of his Spirit Wine, a knowing smile touching his lips. “Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, Senior Brother, I already have his compensation arranged for after the banquet.”
“Excellent,” Qin Hao approved.
The banquet dragged on from the afternoon until the sun finally dipped below the horizon. As the guests gradually filtered out, Chen Tian slipped into the back kitchen, catching Jiang Chen secretly gorging himself on the leftovers.
“Keeping all the best cuts for yourself, I see,” Chen Tian teased.
Jiang Chen offered an unabashed, greasy grin. “Just finishing off the scraps, Senior Brother. It’d be a sin to waste it.”
Chen Tian chuckled, waving his hand before shifting to business. “Junior Brother Jiang, you saw the sectarian friction today. The other two sects flat-out refuse to recognize our hundred-year fishing rights over the Spirit Gathering Abyss.”
The opinions of the minor Cultivation sects were entirely irrelevant; only the major players mattered in this resource war.
Jiang Chen nodded calmly. “Whether the sect secures the rights or not, I accept the outcome.”
Chen Tian’s eyes flashed with genuine appreciation. “I’m relieved you see the bigger picture. However, I can’t let you walk away from this expedition empty-handed, can I?”
Jiang Chen blinked in surprise. “Senior Brother means…?”
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Tian produced three items and laid them on the prep table.
A heavy, leather-bound book. A shimmering Spirit Weapon. A single, massive scale.
“Compensation?” Jiang Chen asked, his pragmatic mind already evaluating the goods.
“You previously asked me about acquiring a Golden Light Talisman,” Chen Tian explained. “While I can’t simply hand out high-tier spirit talismans, this is the Hundred Convergences Spirit Talisman Compendium. It contains all the necessary novice-level foundational knowledge you need to begin crafting them yourself.”
Jiang Chen felt a genuine pang of gratitude. “I didn’t expect you to remember that, Senior Brother.”
Truthfully, while Jiang Chen possessed a monstrous talent for runic arrays and puppetry, his theoretical knowledge regarding traditional spirit talismans was woefully hollow. This manual perfectly bridged that gap.
“The second item,” Chen Tian continued, “is a 5-pattern Spirit Suppression Ring. It operates as an integrated offensive and defensive Spirit Weapon. The third is a scale harvested directly from the back of the flood dragon we just killed.”
Chen Tian had agonized over this selection. First, Jiang Chen possessed a Water Spirit Root and an interest in talismans, making the compendium ideal. Second, Jiang Chen aggressively avoided combat and exploration, meaning his defensive capabilities required a substantial upgrade. Finally, while he didn’t fight the dragon, his crucial information was the sole reason the sect secured the kill.
Time slipped away, and the dead of night settled over the city, the silence broken only by the rhythmic crashing of the ocean waves.
Lying in his bed, Jiang Chen—bolstered by his Foundation Establishment Perfection stamina—had zero intention of sleeping. Instead, he relentlessly studied the Major Rain Spell manual.
He quickly discovered a massive shortcut. Thanks to the bloodline enhancements of his new Flood Dragon Transformation, the notoriously complex and esoteric Major Rain Spell now read like a children’s picture book.
Orthodox Cultivation dictated that a farmer must first lay an absolute, unshakable foundation with the Minor Rain Spell before even attempting to comprehend the Major Rain Spell. Previously, Jiang Chen had arrogantly skipped that step, resulting in agonizingly slow progress despite the buffs from his Water Spirit Root and Dragon Carp Transformation.
But now, backed by the innate, weather-manipulating authority of a flood dragon, the spell’s runic structure practically unraveled itself in his mind.
He pulled up his system interface.
Major Rain Spell: Novice
Effect 1: Increases the growth speed of spirit plants.
Effect 2: Repairs foundational soil damage.
Effect 3: Rainwater contains trace amounts of Water Spirit Qi.
[Consume 11 years of Lifespan to raise Major Rain Spell to Perfection?]
“Yes.”
Instantly, his consciousness was submerged in the profound depths of an Epiphany. Decades of theoretical trial and error, meteorological manipulation techniques, and atmospheric insights flooded his brain, seamlessly integrating into his muscle memory.
When his eyes snapped open, the upgrade was complete.
Remaining Lifespan: 812 years
Major Rain Spell: Perfection (Max)
Effect 1: Spirit Rain Moistens Fields
Effect 2: Rain Curtain Barrier
Effect 3: Torrential Rain Impact
Special Effect 1: Spirit Rain Takes Form
Special Effect 2: Clouds and Rain Gather Thunder
Special Effect 3: Corrosive Rain Erodes Bone
Special Effect 4: Sweet Dew’s Blessing
Jiang Chen let out a long, deeply satisfied exhale. “Finally done.”
With this, he could effortlessly sustain a regular, highly concentrated rainfall within his portable space, drastically spiking his Spirit Farm’s crop yields while continuously repairing the soil’s spiritual integrity.
More importantly, it provided the ultimate political cover. If he was ever forced to utilize the flood dragon’s terrifying Stirring Up Wind and Waves ability in public, he could smoothly pass it off as an insanely overpowered mastery of the Major Rain Spell.
Rain is the physical form of water. Clouds are the soul of water.
Capable of nurturing life or extinguishing it, of moistening the earth or eroding bone to dust—this was the true terror of the Major Rain.