Chapter 474 - 443: The Bastard Who Cheated for the Subsidy

Chapter 474: Chapter 443: The Bastard Who Cheated for the Subsidy

Chen Che then inquired about several other matters.

All was well In the Valley.

After all, while his disappearance was a major event, he had only been gone for a month or two—not enough time for too much to go wrong.

"Valley Master, there are still a few Golden Core True Masters outside the Market..."

Ding Fei continued.

Strictly speaking, when a powerful individual entered the territory of another Golden Core True Master, the first thing they had to do was pay their respects. This was mainly to inform the host of their arrival and to show they had no ill intent.

Otherwise.

The lord of the territory would have grounds to act against you.

’How can one let another snore beside one’s own bed?’ This was a universally accepted rule.

"There’s no need. They’ve already left."

Chen Che waved his hand, not at all concerned.

As he returned to the valley, he had already sensed several auras quietly departing.

...

With Chen Che’s return, Jinyun Valley settled down again.

At first, many people had doubted the news of his return, but soon, a wanted notice issued by Jinyun Valley shattered everyone’s misgivings.

It concerned two Golden Core True Masters who had attacked Jinyun Valley. Any Cultivator under the valley’s jurisdiction was authorized to report sightings to the valley in exchange for a reward.

Additionally.

Two incredibly clear portraits were also circulated along with it.

"It seems this Valley Master has truly returned."

"That’s right. Without Valley Master Chen presiding, Jinyun Valley would never dare to issue such a notice. Ah well, let’s get out of here. Looks like that opportunity is gone..."

Of course.

Even those who remained skeptical soon had the truth confirmed by the Golden Core True Masters who had witnessed Chen Che’s return with their own eyes.

...

「Half a month later」

Chen Che received several pieces of news in succession regarding the great battle of Golden Core True Masters at Faqian City.

Interestingly, the first piece of news actually came from Duobao.

It turned out that after they had left.

Another great battle had occurred on Celestial Beam Mountain. According to Duobao, he was ganged up on by the several Golden Core True Masters who remained, so he flew into a rage and killed seven of them, completely shattering Celestial Beam Mountain in the process.

But the Golden Core True Masters who survived that day told a different story:

They claimed they never attacked Duobao at all. Instead, the Interim Sect Leader had asked them why, since they had seen him, they hadn’t come to pay their respects.

But unexpectedly, as they were hurrying to Celestial Beam Mountain to pay their respects, Duobao suddenly lashed out, killing several Golden Core True Masters in a row. They were no match for him and had no choice but to flee.

Both sides told a different story, and the truth remained a mystery.

Chen Che, however, was more inclined to believe the latter version. It was obvious Duobao had taken his anger out on the other Golden Core True Masters because Chen Che himself had gotten away unscathed.

"Heh heh, that Duobao..."

Chen Che scoffed, but his wariness of the man only grew.

’The man is utterly treacherous.’

’Taking out his anger on others is one thing, but to actually use ’paying respects’ as a pretext to lure those Golden Core True Masters to their deaths is another.’

’I’ll have to be on my guard in the future, lest he tries the same trick on me.’

Chen Che thought to himself.

The second piece of news concerned the aftermath of the battle with Yu Zhen.

Since all the Golden Core True Masters who participated in the battle had disappeared, the outside world was completely unaware of the outcome. But after Chen Che’s personal account on Celestial Beam Mountain, it naturally caused a sensation.

Of the thirteen Golden Core True Masters who fought, only two had survived.

With Chen Che having returned to Jinyun Valley, the remaining Golden Core True Masters began searching for Xiao Chan.

However.

During this time, a few rumors began to circulate. Some speculated that Chen Che and Xiao Chan had worked together to annihilate the other Golden Core True Masters. But this theory was so outlandish that no one believed it.

’There are still quite a few clever people out there.’

Chen Che clicked his tongue inwardly.

’People who could deduce such a thing weren’t just grasping at straws. They must have drawn conclusions from past events.’

However, this was not a good thing.

’Often, you don’t need evidence. A few rumors or a bit of speculation is enough for some people to use as a pretext to cause trouble.’ After some thought, Chen Che once again issued a kill order for Xiao Chan in the name of Jinyun Valley.

This would also prevent Duobao from using the rumor as a pretext to make a move.

As for the third piece of news, it was related to Huang Shiwo.

Someone had witnessed him in the Chu State region, setting up a Grand Array in an attempt to capture a Six-tusked White Elephant. The battle was so intense that mountains crumbled, but the creature still managed to escape.

Chen Che had heard of this Six-tusked White Elephant.

It was a Fierce Beast affiliated with the Mist Rain Tower, named for its six silver tusks. Every summer, it migrated to Chu State to feast on a type of Spirit Fruit called the Rosa Banana. Compared to the violent temperament of other Fierce Beasts, the Six-tusked White Elephant was considered relatively docile.

But that didn’t mean it was weak.

The Vice Tower Master of the Mist Rain Tower had always wanted to tame it but had never succeeded. Huang Shiwo’s own failure was further proof of its strength.

Chen Che was pleased. Not only was this report sufficiently complete, with plenty of follow-up details, but most importantly, it had been provided by Jinyun Valley’s own intelligence network.

This meant the establishment of his intelligence network was already showing results.

The only unfortunate part was that after Huang Shiwo pursued the Six-tusked White Elephant into Mist Rain Tower’s territory, all news about the matter completely dried up.

’I need to assign more people to this...’

’The intelligence network can’t just be based in the Primordial Sect’s territory. It must gradually expand outward so I can have my finger on the pulse of the outside world.’

Chen Che lifted his brush and recorded the matter.

Barring any surprises, the intelligence network would become Jinyun Valley’s primary strategic initiative. As for the Six-tusked White Elephant, he wasn’t going to lose sleep over it. If he wasn’t mistaken, that furnace of Pills was being refined for the Sect Leader’s Nascent Soul Formation.

With this attempt having failed, Huang Shiwo had only two choices: one, fight the Mist Rain Tower for the Six-tusked White Elephant.

Two, give up and find another target, but suitable Fierce Beasts were hard to come by.

If it was the former, it was very likely to lead to war with Mist Rain Tower.

If the latter, there would at least be a period of peace.

But no matter what.

He had already forced Duobao to promise that he, Chen Che, could remain in the valley to recuperate for a while.

Generally, the more powerful a person, the more they valued their reputation; their words were as good as law. Of course, there were also those who treated their words like farts. Whether Duobao would go back on his promise was yet to be seen.

...

...

After handling matters In the Valley, Chen Che departed for Earth Element Star.

The second year of his master’s program had few scheduled classes—only one or two every couple of months. Most of the time was dedicated to independent research. By this point, many students had already begun receiving job offers from major corporations.

A master’s degree from one of the Four Greats was extremely prestigious.

All the top-tier companies had sent Chen Che offers, with the majority coming from corporations specializing in Pills—his direct field of study. There were also quite a few from Weapon development firms and Cultivation-assistance software developers.

As the dignified Valley Master, he had no interest in becoming a corporate drone, so he rejected them all.

For now, his plans on Earth Element Star were twofold:

First, stay at the school.

This was also the option he was most inclined toward.

The Zhurong Daoist School’s collection was simply too profound; it housed nearly every Cultivation Technique on Earth Element Star. He could hole up here like a legendary Sweeping Monk and study them at his leisure.

This was the most stable path, and also the choice of most outstanding students.

Second, explore the stars.

But space was vast and full of too many unknowns.

Furthermore, such exploration was classified as top-secret by the Immortal Sect. One wasn’t qualified to even learn about it without reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

Having not yet finished exploring the other world, Chen Che currently had no intention of exploring the cosmos.

After class, Sister Li specifically asked Chen Che to stay behind. She informed him that the final form of the Taichu Haoyue Sword he had submitted had passed preliminary tests and was confirmed to be viable.

Once it went through the formal process, the Immortal Sect’s education department would begin amending the Cultivation Technique’s official records. Before long, it would be re-released, and the technique would officially be restored to Tier Four status.

When that time came, a medal would also be sent over.

Of course.

What surprised Chen Che the most was that the truly tangible reward was permission to select another Tier Four Technique.

"It’s not time yet. It has to go through the whole process... As for how long, it could be half a year at the shortest, or three to five years at the longest. The Immortal Sect has specialized testing personnel. I’ll hurry them along for you when the time comes."

Before he could even open his mouth, Li Tingyu had already guessed Chen Che’s thoughts:

"At most, I can raise your priority for a faster review. And don’t complain. In the past, someone claimed to have completed a technique, but it turned out to have major side effects. That’s why the review process for techniques is so strict and time-consuming now."

"Understood."

Chen Che inwardly cursed the person who’d scammed the system before, but he consoled himself with the thought that the reward wasn’t going anywhere. For him, it was just a matter of time.

...

...

Feeling a little disappointed, Chen Che returned to Yunzhou.

Stepping out of the main hall, Chen Che crossed a hundred zhang in a single stride, arriving directly at the rear mountain.