Chapter 501: The Dharma Assembly Begins
Chapter 501: The Dharma Assembly Begins!
A single technique was all it took for Jiang Chen to drastically reevaluate the man standing before him.
Calculations suggested this cultivator’s realm and raw combat power eclipsed the likes of Chi Huo and Zhao Chengdao by a terrifying margin. He was absolutely not a rank-and-file disciple.
He had to be Core.
Or perhaps even a Personal Disciple.
Qing Xuan’s eyes narrowed into a crescent smile. “Is there an issue?”
Jiang Chen snapped back to the present. “What exactly is that Magical Artifact?”
Qing Xuan offered a faint smile. “This is the Daiyu Fan. The wind it conjures does not chill, the water it summons is never turbid, and the birdsong it carries holds no discord. It manifests a self-contained world for my exclusive use.”
Jiang Chen drew a sharp breath. “Is it really so extraordinary, or is everyone from the Hidden Dao Sect this heaven-defying?”
Qing Xuan explained, “No. My master bestowed it upon me when I first entered the world.”Jiang Chen nodded thoughtfully. “It seems your master is truly formidable.”
Qing Xuan did not wish to reveal too much to a stranger, so he held out the ink bamboo. “Let us leave that aside. Please help me see what is wrong with it.”
Since the man before him was unfathomable, Jiang Chen did not rashly use his Spiritual Power. Instead, he reached out and touched the bamboo, using the System’s ability to analyze it.
The results appeared almost at once.
Ink Bamboo
Faint white spots appearing
Spirit liquid condensed and turbid
Spirit resonance weak
Turbid aura invading the roots
Spirit veins obstructed
After reading the results, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.
Qing Xuan paused, then asked curiously, “What is it?”
Jiang Chen said gravely, “Rather than the ink bamboo being ill, the problem lies with the fan itself.”
Qing Xuan was surprised. “There is a problem with the fan?”
Jiang Chen considered it for a moment. “Has it recently come into contact with any impure aura?”
Qing Xuan fell into thought. After a long while, he nodded. “Yes. Half a month ago, I went to Southern Heaven City and encountered an incident there…”
He then briefly recounted what had happened.
Southern Heaven City was a vast city.
It had a population of millions and was home to numerous cultivation clans, factions large and small, and Loose Cultivators, making it exceedingly prosperous.
Rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures that were difficult to find elsewhere could often be found there.
During this visit, however, Qing Xuan unexpectedly encountered two cultivators fighting. He paid little attention at first, but one of them later self-destructed. Although the scattered aura did not harm him, the Daiyu Fan absorbed all of it.
Not long afterward, the ink bamboo began to show signs of trouble.
Jiang Chen pressed, “What kind of aura was it?”
Qing Xuan thought for a moment. “Half yin-cold and half chaotic.”
Jiang Chen said with certainty, “You encountered evil cultivators.”
Qing Xuan nodded slightly. “Thinking back, those two did seem like evil cultivators. How should it be treated now?”
Jiang Chen considered the matter carefully. “Treating only the ink bamboo will not work. The disruptive aura inside must be purged before it can fully recover.”
Qing Xuan’s eyes brightened. “It seems I was right to seek you out.”
Jiang Chen continued, “To be safe, we will use the Three Cleansings and Three Nourishments method.”
Qing Xuan looked at him questioningly. “Three Cleansings and Three Nourishments?”
Jiang Chen explained, “Cleanse the turbidity, cleanse the spirit veins, and cleanse the purity.
Nourish the roots, nourish the meridians, and nourish the intent.”
In truth, this was Jiang Chen’s first time encountering such a problem, and he had no prior knowledge of it.
He could only rely on his own judgment, combine it with the information provided by the System, and make a decision.
Whether it would work could only be known after trying.
Qing Xuan put away the ink bamboo and folded the fan, then rose and cupped his hands. “It seems I will have to trouble you for some time.”
Jiang Chen also rose and returned the salute. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Qing Xuan smiled and waved a hand. “Next time. I still need to visit Wind Cliff.”
Jiang Chen did not insist. “Very well. I will see you out.”
Before long, the two reached the exit of the valley.
After leaving the range of the formation, Qing Xuan glanced back and saw Jiang Chen standing there as though he had merged with the whole of Red Leaf Valley, without the slightest sense of disharmony.
He recalled how Jiang Chen had discerned the Daiyu Fan’s condition without using any Spiritual Power.
It was clear that this lone Spirit Farmer possessed considerable ability.
…
…
Originally, the Cloud Sea Sect’s higher-ups had planned to use the Canglan Sea as a harsh training ground for their disciples, hoping they would perform better at the Thousand Sects Dharma Assembly.
No one expected Mystic Heart City to explode.
Of the tens of thousands of core and formal disciples sent by the three major immortal sects and the many attached cultivation sects, only ten survived.
Even the famous Qin Hao had gone missing, with no word of whether he was alive or dead.
As a result, the scale of this year’s Dharma Assembly was much smaller than expected.
They even stopped sending disciples to other locations.
Instead, dueling platforms were set up in three places: the Flower Sea, Fire Peak, and the Black Lake.
The Flower Sea was spacious, so it held the largest number of Qi Condensation disciples.
The Black Lake came next, gathering tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Fire Peak already had nine arenas, which were just right for Golden Core battles.
Although Jiang Chen had no intention of going to the Flower Sea to watch the Qi Condensation matches, he had still secured many stalls there in advance.
He had Miao Huayu and the others take the Spirit Weapons, Spirit Pills, talismans, and Spirit Wine he had prepared beforehand and sell them there. As usual, they divided the goods into several packages.
There was the Qi Condensation Novice Package.
And the Foundation Establishment Advancement Package.
As for a Golden Core package, it was not that Jiang Chen could not make one. He simply did not dare sell too much. Goods at that level would draw too much attention, so he only released a few batches of high-quality Golden Wine to take advantage of the excitement.
At the moment, Jiang Chen was accompanying Ruo Qunshuang, Jin Fugui, Chen Bo, Tie Zhu, Li Xianglin, and the others to the Foundation Establishment arena at the Black Lake.
Since Ruo Qunshuang wanted to test her blade, Jiang Chen, as her ‘husband,’ naturally had to support her properly. Otherwise, he would have a hard time explaining himself that night.
He had prepared plenty of Spirit Weapons, Spirit Pills, and talismans for her.
To outsiders, it looked as if he had spent a great many Spirit Stones to buy them.
In reality, he had secretly refined them all in advance.
Jiang Chen reached out and gently patted her head. “Remember, if you cannot win, just admit defeat. There is nothing shameful about staying alive.”
Ruo Qunshuang’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Mm.”
Tie Zhu, standing beside them, immediately tried to imitate him with Li Xianglin. “Remember, if you cannot win, just admit-“
Li Xianglin swatted his hand away and rolled her eyes. “I haven’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet, you idiot!”
Jin Fugui glanced at Chen Bo and smiled bitterly. “Well, it looks like the two of us are just lonely strays by the roadside now.”
Chen Bo remained completely calm. He was already used to being alone. “You forgot. I am Xianglin’s older cousin.”
Jin Fugui’s mouth twitched. “As expected, you did not understand what I meant at all.”
Chen Bo shook his head solemnly. “No, I understood. I simply refuse to be called a dog.”
Jin Fugui sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Forget it. Talking to you is bad for my mood. I’m going to line up.”
Before long, Ruo Qunshuang and Tie Zhu went to register for their matches.
Li Xianglin headed off toward the Qi Condensation arena at the Flower Sea.
Only Jiang Chen and Chen Bo remained in the spectator seats.
“Senior Brother!”
“En?”
“Has there been any news of Senior Brother Chen Tian?”
“Yes. A message came a month ago. He had just left a secret realm.”
“Speaking of which, he has been traveling outside for several years now, hasn’t he?”
“Five years already. I wonder when he will return to the sect.”
Qin Hao’s disappearance had dealt Chen Tian a heavy blow.
After all, the two of them had always been close.
Who would have thought that someone they had once chatted with, eaten with, drunk Golden Wine with, and discussed cultivation with would simply vanish one day?