Chapter 432: Something Happened
The first day of the new year.
All things lay desolate; the sky was freezing, and the earth was locked in frost.
Jiang Chen climbed out of his warm nanmu wood bed. Since the Fortress handled the daily chores, his only task upon waking was to cook.
Fortunately, there was some food left over from last night; a quick warming over the fire would suffice.
Of course, eating it cold was fine too.
To a cultivator, the temperature of a meal held no meaning. Anything swallowed into the belly would be refined and absorbed without a trace of waste.
Cultivators with Earth Spirit Roots or Metal Spirit Roots would even specifically devour raw ores.
By late morning, Jiang Chen gathered his gifts and stepped out to pay his New Year’s respects.
Chen Bo, Jin Fugui, and Mo Yu had all spent the previous night ringing in the new year at the new market near the Flower Sea. Even if they had returned, they were likely resting or occupied with other matters.
Therefore, Jiang Chen planned to visit them tomorrow. Today, he would call upon Zhu Fuxian first.Ever since his last conversation with Elder Mu, he had wanted to arrange a meeting but lacked a proper excuse. Now, under the guise of a New Year’s visit, he could test the waters.
If he could truly pull some strings, he might secure an Earth-grade cultivation technique without spending a single contribution point.
“If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’m out!”
“Remember, do not let strangers linger.”
“And you lot-especially Da Huang and Wang Zai-behave yourselves. I don’t want to resort to violence on the first day of the year!”
Instructions delivered, Jiang Chen summoned the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost and soared into the heavens.
In the blink of an eye, he shrank to a black speck and vanished over the horizon.
Before long, he passed over his “old home.”
Perhaps because the location was too remote, not a single newly promoted formal disciple had chosen to settle there. It was now thoroughly abandoned.
A short while later, Jiang Chen arrived outside Zhu Fuxian’s Spirit Farm.
As was their custom, he dropped the formal title of “Field Master” in private, opting instead for “Senior Brother Zhu.”
“Senior Brother Zhu, are you in?”
“I’ve come to pay my New Year’s respects!”
“I brought your favorite Ice Heart Jade Pot wine!”
The moment Jiang Chen’s voice rang out, the woven wicker gate swung open on its own.
From within, Zhu Fuxian’s voice drifted out. “Come in.”
Hearing the relaxed tone, Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up. There’s hope!
Carrying his gifts into the bamboo house, he found the older man warming a pot of wine over a small stove.
Clearly, the jars he had gifted last time were not yet finished. It seemed Zhu Fuxian had been rather busy lately.
Zhu Fuxian spoke mildly. “Sit.”
Jiang Chen set the gifts aside and took a seat. He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated, the words catching in his throat.
Zhu Fuxian looked mildly surprised. “What is it?”
Jiang Chen offered an awkward smile. “I prepared a whole list of New Year’s greetings, but I just realized none of them fit.”
Wishing him wealth?
The man oversaw more than ten acres of Spirit Farm!
Wishing him a promotion?
He was already the second-in-command of the entire Spirit Farm!
Wishing him a long life of a hundred years?
The man had already lived for several centuries!
Zhu Fuxian let out a quiet laugh, waving his hand dismissively. “No need for empty pleasantries.”
Jiang Chen gave a slight nod. “Fair enough.”
As he tended to the warming wine, Zhu Fuxian said, “You did well last year. Not only did you detect the disaster early, but you also shattered the promotion records for the outer Spirit Farm time and time again. Even the Field Supervisor has been singing your praises!”
Jiang Chen was genuinely surprised. “The Field Supervisor knows about me?”
Zhu Fuxian offered a meaningful smile. “There are only four people in the management of our Spirit Farm. The Field Supervisor, myself, Elder Mu, and you.”
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but ask, “What about Li Chun?”
Zhu Fuxian pointed toward the roof, gesturing to the heavens. “He now holds a post on the Immortal Peak.”
Jiang Chen pondered this. “Looking at it that way, our management circle is quite small.”
Zhu Fuxian’s tone grew profound. “Small?
Back when there were many, The Zhao Clan rose to power, and The Wang Clan followed suit!”
Hearing this, Jiang Chen instantly understood.
It seemed the Spirit Farm’s leadership had weathered its fair share of bloody purges and power struggles in the past.
Since that was the case, there was no need to dig any deeper into the subject.
For the next hour, the two men drank and chatted idly.
Seeing the time slip away, Jiang Chen finally couldn’t sit still. He took a deep breath. “Senior Brother Zhu, I was hoping to…”
But before the sentence could leave his lips, Zhu Fuxian’s genial smile vanished. His expression froze, hardening into something grave and furious.
Jiang Chen’s expression shifted, briefly wondering if he had somehow offended the man.
A moment later, Zhu Fuxian spoke, his face like carved ice. “Just now, an event occurred that will have disastrous consequences for you, for me, and for the entire sect.”
Jiang Chen hurriedly pressed, “What happened?”
Zhu Fuxian’s voice trembled with suppressed rage. “Mystic Heart City is gone!”
Jiang Chen sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
Zhu Fuxian continued, “The entirety of Mystic Heart City exploded and was instantly swallowed by foul waters. The death toll is currently unknown.”
Shock and bewilderment warred in Jiang Chen’s mind. Wu Lao is dead, Xiao Mei’er is dead, and even the Mirage Dragon abandoned its physical form to flee. Why would a catastrophe like this still happen?
Zhu Fuxian abruptly stood up. “I’m afraid we cannot finish this wine. The Cloud Sea Sect alone had over five hundred disciples stationed in Mystic Heart City!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhu Fuxian transformed into a streak of cyan light, tearing into the highest heavens and vanishing without a trace.
Left alone in the quiet bamboo house, Jiang Chen sat stunned for a moment before slowly rising to his feet. “If memory serves, Senior Brother Qin went there just a few days ago.
And Senior Brother Chu has been hunting demons in the Canglan Sea for ages, trying to break through to an Earth-grade Golden Core.
I hope they are both… alright.”
It seemed the backdoor through Zhu Fuxian was firmly shut for now. He would just have to honestly submit his contribution points to exchange for an Earth-grade technique.
Without delay, he stepped out of the bamboo house.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a biting chill washed over him.
Jiang Chen looked up. The sky was choked with heavy, leaden clouds, radiating an immense, suffocating pressure.
Then, sparse, crystalline snowflakes drifted down from the gloom. They landed on the frozen earth and the bamboo roof, melting in an instant to leave behind tiny, dark wet patches.
Watching the scene unfold, Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Snow?”
He summoned the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost and immediately took flight toward the core management pavilion.
As he flew, the flurry thickened, the fine powder swelling into heavy, goose-feather flakes.
Before long, the entire world fell into a deathly quiet, leaving only the soft, relentless rustle of the falling snow.
By the time he reached Flat Top Mountain, the peaks were already blanketed in stark white.
Jiang Chen stowed the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost and trudged up the stone steps.
Passing cultivators saw him and respectfully cupped their hands. “Happy New Year, Spirit Envoy Jiang!”
Jiang Chen cupped his hands in return. “Happy New Year!”
Soon, he stepped into the grand hall of the palace. The biting cold and the muffled rustle of the snow were abruptly severed, as if the heavy doors had locked the dying world outside.
Jiang Chen didn’t bother with pleasantries. Finding Elder Mu, he cut straight to the chase. “I want to exchange for an Earth-grade cultivation technique!”
Elder Mu blinked in surprise. “Have you consulted the Field Master?”
Jiang Chen nodded. “We just spoke.”
Elder Mu asked no further questions. With a wave of his hand, he brought out every Earth-grade technique available in the pavilion.
There were thirteen in total. Some were exclusive to the Wood Spirit Root, while others catered to the dual cultivation of Water and Wood.
Withering and Flourishing Myriad Wood Art
Vitality Spirit Plant Art
Myriad Leaves Piercing Forest Method
Green Wood Body Tempering Art
Rotten Vine Poison Scripture
Myriad Woods Return to Ruin
Yi Wood Growth Method
Marsh Nurturing Spirit Method
Canglan Plant Flow Chapter
Withered Water Flourishing Wood Scripture
Tidal Spirit Root Record
Rainfall Withering and Flourishing Scripture
Water-Wood Rotation Script
Looking at the profound titles, it was clear-any cultivation technique that reached the Earth-grade had already begun to touch upon the fundamental laws of heaven and earth!