Chapter 317: Gui Xu

Shen Chongzhou waved a hand. “You little rascal, stop trying to sound me out. I’m giving it to you, plain and simple, with no ulterior motives. If, in the future, you manage to refine some powerful Miracle Elixirs, you can gift me a few. Other than that, forget it.”

‘So it’s true, this First Senior Brother is sharp.’ “Don’t worry, that’s no problem at all. May I ask what Dharma Gate you cultivate, Senior Brother? And what are your preferences? That way, if I come across anything suitable in the future, I can keep First Senior Brother in mind?”

Shen Chongzhou said, “I won’t bother telling you about my pre-Foundation Establishment days. Right now, I cultivate the Tai Xu Returning to Truth Technique. Junior Brother, surely you don’t have some pointers for me?”

Since he’d put it that way, Chen Qingyang could only reply, “Of course not, of course not. I wouldn’t dare presume. I’ve just always been curious… why doesn’t First Senior Brother have even a single disciple for Miscellaneous Tasks? You always come and go alone.”

“Alas!” Shen Chongzhou sighed. “I used to, a long time ago. Just not anymore. Once you see through certain things, they lose their meaning. So… when you’re not supposed to see the truth, you absolutely must not. Don’t let yourself get trapped in misery.”

His words held a deep meaning, but Chen Qingyang had no idea what he was referring to.

‘There was something he wanted to ask of his First Senior Brother, but he wasn’t sure if the man would agree.’

“Understood. First Senior Brother, how about this? The land will still be yours. I’ll just clear it for Spirit Fields, build a Dao Field, and do my daily Cultivation there. If you ever want to visit, First Senior Brother, I’ll stay out of your way…”

Here, Chen Qingyang paused for a moment. “Even better, all the Miscellaneous Task disciples I recruit here can be placed under your name, First Senior Brother. They will follow your commands, serving as your Children, ready for any task. After all… a great Foundation Establishment Master can’t be expected to do everything himself, can he?”

As soon as he said this, Shen Chongzhou knew what he was scheming. “I just remarked on how unpredictable you are, and you immediately pull a stunt like this. I swear, the other thirty-six of us senior disciples combined don’t have as many ideas as you!”

Sect law dictated that one had to be a Foundation Establishment Master to have Children, and certainly to accept Disciples and impart True Skills. Chen Qingyang wanted those three youths to learn something—a Wind Control Technique, a True Skill, anything to make their future work easier and not harm their prospects. But he himself was simply not qualified.

‘It was only as they were speaking that this idea came to him, a way to negotiate with his First Senior Brother. He figured that before him, no one in the Tai Xu Sect had ever tried to operate under the borrowed name of a Foundation Establishment Master.’

‘It’s fine if he doesn’t agree the first time. I can just find another way to ask him in the future. There’s bound to be an opportunity.’

“First Senior Brother, why not look at it from another angle? This is a win-win. The more effort I pour into this place, the more you stand to gain. In the end, isn’t it all yours anyway? If you ever want it back, First Senior Brother, I’ll leave without a fuss!”

“Heh!” Shen Chongzhou laughed again. “You rascal. You’re borrowing my name, but you spin it to sound like I’m taking advantage of you. You should be thinking about what you can offer *me* first.”

Chen Qingyang quickly replied, “That’s why I asked about your preferences just now, Senior Brother, but you didn’t give me a clear answer!”

Shen Chongzhou gave a knowing smile. “I’ve already granted you such a huge favor. I can’t let you just take more from me for free. That’s not my style. If you insist on asking about my preferences, well… I happen to be in need of a wisp of Earth Deity. I wonder, can you get that for me?”

Hearing this, Chen Qingyang’s brows furrowed tightly.

‘He wanted to steal that thing, too, but his Conscious Fish now had a True Flame Body and could only store Fire-attribute Items, like Fire Element Essence.’

‘If the Earth Deity so much as touched it, it would inevitably be absorbed and converted into Cultivation. Otherwise, there was no way it could pass through that Array’s barrier.’

‘Unless his, Chen Qingyang’s, Cultivation reached a level where he could easily control a portion of the Array and personally go in to retrieve the Earth Deity. And if he had that kind of Cultivation, would he need to be humbling himself like this just to operate under the name of a Foundation Establishment Master?’

“How about… you think of something else, Senior Brother? I can’t do that. Tell me something I *can* do.”

But Shen Chongzhou just stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “I don’t care. That is my one and only request. If you can’t do it, then there’s no need for us to discuss this any further.”

He was clearly trying to make him back down in the face of difficulty.

The first reason Chen Qingyang was willing to go to such great lengths was for those three youths. They had followed him and placed their trust in him, so it was only right that he fight for an opportunity on their behalf.

Secondly, if he nurtured them carefully, they would surely become very useful in time.

‘One day,’ he thought, ‘I’ll become a Foundation Establishment Master. I’ll have my own Dao Field, and I’ll even need my own Disciples.’

‘It wasn’t for power or profit, or for fame and fortune. He simply wanted a piece of land to plant some Spirit Fields and research his Immortal Grade Elixirs.’

“So if I can really get the Earth Deity, you would dare to accept it, Senior Brother? Aren’t you afraid of being punished by our Master?”

Shen Chongzhou laughed, clearly not believing him. “Then go ahead and get it. I just won’t tell him, that’s all. Oh, Junior Brother, if that Li Qianxue were awake, I’m sure you’d have the ability. But right now, you must be joking with me!”

Little did he know, Chen Qingyang was dead serious. “Senior Brother, we have a deal, then. You can’t go back on your word.”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, Shen Chongzhou became suspicious. “Junior Brother, can you really get an Earth Deity? Who would give it to you?”

Chen Qingyang said, “Senior Brother, nothing’s set in stone yet. No need to take it seriously for now.”

“Oh, you…!” Shen Chongzhou sighed.

With a wave of his hand, he brought Chen Qingyang back to the small courtyard on the mountaintop.

“Junior Brother, there is one more thing I need to make clear. You are an Inner Sect Disciple, after all, so the Sect has tasks to assign you. Now that you’ve had a breakthrough in your Cultivation, you’ll have to register it with the Sect. With your Essence Condensation Second Realm Cultivation, assignments will surely come your way.”

“That Li Guang Jade Talisman our Master bestowed upon you, while not as profound as the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, is a solid Protective Magical Artifact. When you’re out in the world, things are uncertain, so you must carry it with you for complete protection. You’ve only just entered the Inner Sect, and you had no master in the Outer Sect, so you surely don’t have many Magical Artifacts. You don’t have much to rely on.”

‘First Senior Brother is truly worthy of being the Vice Sect Leader, worrying about every disciple. It feels like with him around, Master Jing Yuan is a completely hands-off boss.’

“Rest assured, Senior Brother. I’m always cautious. I won’t take needless risks.”

There were some things Shen Chongzhou didn’t know. For example, besides those two items, Chen Qingyang also had the Jade Peach Incense Burner, the Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword, and the Tai Hao Qingxu Seal that he had never used. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I will definitely act with caution. These assignments you mentioned… don’t tell me they’ll have me dealing with the Demon Sect?”

Shen Chongzhou shook his head. “Not necessarily. After all, our Tai Xu Sect governs such a vast territory. Occasionally, one or two of the Immortal Sects under our command will rebel, and when trouble arises, someone has to go and solve it.”

“Also, beyond Dragon City to the north, there are always Alien Races trying to invade our Daoist Sect. And there are Arrays everywhere that need people to maintain them… In short, you’ll come to understand in time. The Cyan Nether State alone is much larger than you or I can imagine, to say nothing of the One Hundred and Eight States outside of the Cyan Nether Continent…”

The Nine Heavens, Ten Lands, and One Hundred and Eight States formed the entirety of this world. The final destination for Cultivators also lay within these Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Master Jing Yuan had mentioned this last time during his sermon at the Tai Xu Elemental Separation Conference on Cyan Bamboo Peak.

Among the Ten Lands, there was one called Gui Xu.

Gui Xu was further divided into seven continents, with the Cyan Nether Continent being one of them. What was usually referred to as “beyond the heavens” was a reference to the other Nine Lands and Nine Heavens, not the other six continents of Gui Xu.

Those other six continents existed in the same world as the Cyan Nether Continent, but they were not connected to each other. Their relationship was like that of six landmasses floating in this world.

It was truly one of the marvels of this world!

Leaving no stone unturned, First Senior Brother went into lecture mode, explaining everything that Chen Qingyang didn’t know.

“…All of this should have been taught by our Master during his sermons. But in recent years, you’re the only new disciple he’s taken, so the sermons have become less and less frequent…”

As he listened, Chen Qingyang’s mind drifted to Ji Rang, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Senior Brother is becoming more and more like our Master, while our Master is becoming more and more like you. The things that should be our Master’s responsibility are all being done by you.”

Shen Chongzhou glared at him. “Let me tell you, from now on, don’t listen to Fourth Junior Brother. He’s always spreading slander about our Master. I’ll have to have a good talk with him tomorrow!”

‘I never even mentioned Ji Rang’s name. I wonder if this counts as collateral damage for him.’

“Yes, First Senior Brother.”