Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Chapter 651 - 635: Communicating with the "True Immortal Realm" [Congratulations to fellow reader Lingtiao Pavilion Qingyuanzi for advancing to Grandmaster]

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"Amazing! Truly worthy of the reputation as the most potent of all magics, the Thunder Technique. Such power can almost rival the Tier Three Magic of the Five Elements Magic!"

Atop the sand slope, Zhouyang looked at the charred corpse of the sand bandit on the ground, his face full of amazement.

He had long heard of the incredible power of lightning magic, and that few other magics of the same tier could compare to Thunder Technique in terms of potency. Only today did he realize that Thunder Technique’s fame was truly deserved and not mere embellishment.

However, though lightning magic is immensely powerful, its difficulty in cultivation is also equally unrivaled among many magics.

Generally speaking, only cultivators with spiritual root attributes of wind and thunder can more easily learn lightning magic.

For cultivators like Zhouyang, whose spiritual root attributes lean towards the Five Elements, it isn’t impossible to learn lightning magic, but the difficulty would be more than ten times that of wind and thunder attribute cultivators. Even if they learn it, the magic released would be much weaker than that of cultivators with wind and thunder attributes.

Because of this, although many cultivators covet the power of lightning magic, there are very few willing to waste a significant amount of time on it.

Moreover, to make a spirit talisman that incorporates lightning magic requires not only high proficiency in magic and talisman-making skills from the talisman maker but also the use of spiritual materials containing wind and thunder forces as a carrier.

Due to these conditions being so stringent, thunder talismans that seal lightning magic have always been the most expensive among spirit talismans of the same tier, even sometimes reaching the price of a higher tier spirit talisman.

Even so, they are often in short supply, and buying one often depends on luck.

The Tier Two High-Grade "Thunder Strike Technique" spirit talisman in Zhouyang’s hand was given to him by the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan, handed to him as a trump card for self-defense before he descended the mountain.

At that time, when giving him this rare thunder talisman, the old clan leader had specifically warned him not to use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Little did he expect that he would use up this spirit talisman, which had been cherished by the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan for decades, in less than a month after leaving.

"What a waste! If I had known the thunder talisman’s power was so great, I might have let that guy go!"

Remembering the solemn expression on the old clan leader’s face when handing him the thunder talisman, Zhouyang suddenly felt a tinge of regret.

Although sand bandits deserved death, using a precious Tier Two High-Grade Thunder Talisman just to kill one seemed like a loss, no matter how it was looked at!

But the deed was done, and he couldn’t change it. He could only half comfort and half expectantly hope that the storage bags on the three sand bandits’ bodies would provide some surprises, otherwise, he truly would have lost out big time today!

In truth, this was the first time in his two lifetimes that he had killed someone, and he had killed not one but three, and they were all cultivators.

Perhaps due to his upbringing, he did not feel any repulsion towards the act of magical combat and killing. Seeing the sand bandits’ corpses on the ground did not cause him any discomfort.

Back at the Qingping Mountain Oasis, the miners bitten to death by Gold-Eating Rats had met truly miserable ends. Many didn’t even have complete corpses. Though he was upset at the sight back then, he did not have any particularly adverse reaction.

After all, with magical power safeguarding the body, cultivators are free from diseases. Even if psychological reasons caused adverse reactions in the body, magical power could quickly suppress them.

Shaking his head, choosing not to dwell on such insignificant matters, Zhouyang tidied the corpses of two sand bandits on the ground, ensuring nothing was missed. He burned the corpses to ashes with a flame and used "Earth Escape Technique" to burrow underground, searching the body of the sand bandit he had killed by surprise attack with the Armor-Piercing Dagger. Then, satisfied, he returned to the tent at the bottom of the sand slope to assess his gains.

Unlike sect cultivators and clan cultivators, who have fixed abodes to store belongings safely, loose cultivators must always carry their entire wealth with them, lest they risk losing everything when they step out.

As such, Zhouyang found not just three, but ten storage bags from the three sand bandits.

Among these ten storage bags, three had a volume of ten feet, six had a volume of five feet, and one had a volume of three feet.

After he opened all the 10 storage bags he acquired, he found them filled with a mixed assortment of stuff, from golden cups and jade bowls for eating and drinking to large ox-hide tents and jujube wood beds, everything was available.

However, the most abundant items were Golden Pearl Rice and frozen demon beast meat. It seemed like the three sand bandits were afraid of starving in the desert, as each of them carried enough Golden Pearl Rice and demon beast meat to last one person three to five years!

"No wonder the elders in the clan always had a peculiar tone when mentioning loose cultivators, showing disdain and even mockingly calling them beggars and wanderers of the cultivation realm!"

"Carrying these pots and jars and a large amount of spirit rice beast meat, don’t they just resemble beggars and wanderers?"

Zhouyang looked at the storage bags stuffed with mundane items useless to cultivators and felt both amused and deeply disappointed.

He hoped to find some valuable items in these storage bags to make up for the Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Talismans and a Thunder Talisman he had used. Now it seemed that idea was a bit hard to realize.

Loose cultivators are just loose cultivators. If they were rich, they wouldn’t fall to the state of becoming sand bandits. Although even becoming a sand bandit wasn’t something anyone could do.

But, even a mosquito’s legs are still meat, and a bread bun, no matter how unpalatable, is still food. After thoroughly ransacking the 10 storage bags, Zhouyang did find some worthwhile cultivation spiritual objects.

Among these spiritual objects, the most numerous were low-grade spirit stones, with two or three hundred pieces, along with bottles of Tier One and Tier Two Spirit Elixirs for various purposes, presumably worth a hundred spirit stones.

Furthermore, Zhouyang found several Tier Two Spirit Talismans the three sand bandits hadn’t used yet and some artifact refining and alchemy materials they had presumably stolen and hadn’t had the chance to pawn off.

These materials, if not refined into magical artifacts or elixirs, were worth only a dozen or twenty spirit stones, but since Zhouyang himself was an Artifact Refiner and his father an Alchemist, using them well could increase their value several times.

Additionally, inside the three sand bandits’ storage bags were eight low-tier cultivation techniques, a few cultivation insights and commentaries, and two travelogues recording some strange events in the cultivation realm. Zhouyang noticed that six of the techniques were already in the Zhou Family’s Scripture Cave, so donating the remaining two to the clan could earn him twenty low-grade spirit stones as a fee for his efforts.

Calculating meticulously, including the Tier Two Magical Artifacts he seized from the sand bandits and the value of the 10 storage bags themselves, he realized his goal of breaking even was achieved, and there was even a significant profit.

"Killing and arson lead to riches, while bridge building leaves no corpse. The ancients did not deceive me!" Zhouyang sighed deeply and decided to retract his earlier comments.

Loose cultivators may be poor, but even a bad ship has three pounds of nails!

After all, the three sand bandits were all late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators and had been robbing for years, amassing some wealth.

If he didn’t count the life-saving talismans and elixirs that his elders gifted him, his own assets might not exceed those of the three by much.

Even looking at the entire Zhou Family, excluding the two Foundation Establishment cultivators Zhou Minghan and Zhou Xuanhao, only the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation elders could confidently surpass the three sand bandits in personal wealth.

After tallying up his gains, Zhouyang incinerated all the useless miscellaneous items in a single fire, then packed the remaining useful items into two large-capacity storage bags to hang at his waist. He strung the remaining empty storage bags together with a rope and hung them on the back of the Shatuo Beast’s sack, planning to dispose of them at the family shop when he reached the Baisha River Oasis.

As a clan cultivator, he enjoyed the benefit that any treasures acquired outside, as long as they had legitimate origins and did not involve cultivators from other clans or sects, could be sold at the clan’s shop, with just a half-percent commission taken by the clan after the sale.

If loose cultivators wanted to sell their treasures, regardless of where they came from, they could forget about getting a fair price if they took them to a shop in the marketplace. At the very least, the price would have to drop by thirty percent before a sale could be made.

If luck ran out, or if they lacked experience and brought stolen goods snatched from clan or sect cultivators to legitimate shops, they risked being identified and having their goods confiscated, ending up in the hands of the marketplace’s law enforcement cultivators for interrogation. If proved guilty of murder and robbery, their lives could be over.

Because of these reasons, loose cultivators, when finding spiritual objects outside, often preferred to waste a lot of time in the marketplace’s stall area, slowly selling their goods, rather than going to shops to be extorted. Only when they couldn’t sell anything and urgently needed spirit stones would they reluctantly seek out shops to be fleeced.

However, staying in the marketplace required paying spirit stones to its administrators. If they lingered too long without selling their wares, the only option left for loose cultivators was to meekly accept being fleeced in the end.

Thus, being a loose cultivator in the cultivation realm was indeed a tough and miserable affair.

Zhouyang was incredibly grateful for being a clan cultivator. Although the Zhou Family wasn’t some large clan, compared to the lowest-level loose cultivators in the cultivation realm, having the clan as a support meant he wasn’t too harshly exploited.

The fierce battle with the three sand bandits hadn’t consumed much of Zhouyang’s time. Instead, it was the process of tallying the spoils from the sand bandits that took half the night.

With dawn breaking, after he finished counting his gains, he didn’t linger at the site. He packed up the tent, mounted the Shatuo Beast, and continued on his journey.

The Baisha River Oasis stretches over three thousand two hundred miles from east to west and more than one thousand seven hundred miles from north to south, with a population of several million. It is a prominent large oasis within the Boundless Desert Sea.

This oasis is named after a river running through it from north to south. The river originates from Baituo Ridge in the southern part of the oasis and flows north into Golden Water Lake. It is named Baisha River due to the abundance of fine, white sand as pristine as jade found in the river.

It’s said that over a thousand years ago, the Baisha River Oasis was only about half the size it is today. It was later expanded by cultivation families occupying the oasis, who, through continuous manpower and resources for millennia, increased its size to the current extent through artificial reforestation.

As of now, apart from the Purple Mansion Clan of the Chen Family of Baituo Ridge, the oasis also hosts four Foundation Establishment Clans dependent on the Chen Family and dozens of small clans composed of Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators. Including the thousands of loose cultivators who depend on the oasis marketplace for their livelihoods, the Baisha River Oasis is virtually a self-sufficient, small-scale cultivation realm.

With the presence of a cultivator marketplace and the deterrence provided by the Chen Family Ancestor, Chen Yaohui, a Late-Stage Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, the Baisha River Oasis does not prohibit the comings and goings of external cultivators.

However, since millions of mortals also reside in the oasis, the Chen Family and its dependent cultivation families have specially set up reception points at conspicuous spots on the four sides of the oasis. They dispatch clan cultivators to guide visiting cultivators to the marketplace, preventing them from disturbing the mortals.

If one fails to enter the Baisha River Oasis through these reception points and is discovered by the patrols of the Chen Family cultivators, they will be fined with spirit stones at the least and may be considered an invader and killed on sight at the most.

That day, outside a southern reception point of the Baisha River Oasis, a young man in white riding a Shatuo Beast arrived.

The young man, riding on the back of the Shatuo Beast, bore the wearied look common to those who cross the vast desert sea to reach the oasis.

It wasn’t until he saw the majestic palatial buildings on the distant mountain peaks that his spirit was lifted, and a look of excitement and thrill appeared in his eyes.

The young man was Zhouyang, who had been traveling in the desert for several dozen days. It was forty-two days since he left the Yuquan Lake Oasis.

After being attacked by sand bandits one day, he had a smooth journey in the following days, only needing to slay two low-sighted Tier One Desert Demon Beasts, without encountering any further dangers.

However, due to the necessity of consuming his divine sense to navigate daily, the continuous forty-two-day journey through the desert had left him mentally exhausted, urgently needing a safe place for a proper rest.

And the reception points set up by various families at the fringes of the Baisha River Oasis were undoubtedly excellent places to rest.

"Greetings Fellow Daoist, I am Chen Fangping of Baituo Ridge, appointed by my clan to receive fellow Daoists from all directions. May I ask for your esteemed name? Do you have any sect or background?"

Outside the magnificent Reception Hall, Zhouyang, who had painstakingly climbed to the mountain peak, met the Chen Family cultivator stationed there.

Since the task was merely to guide visiting cultivators to the marketplace, the Chen Family’s requirement for the cultivation level of those assigned to this duty was not high. Zhouyang observed that this Chen Family cultivator, Chen Fangping, seemed a decade or so older than himself, appeared amiable with a plump white face, and had a cultivation level of only Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation.

Nonetheless, having the support of the Chen Family of Baituo Ridge as a robust backing, Chen Fangping maintained a calm and composed attitude even when facing a cultivator of Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation like Zhouyang.

Zhouyang was unsurprised by this. If he were in the same position, with the backing of a Purple Mansion Stage family ancestor, he wouldn’t bow low before a peer cultivator younger than him unless the person was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.

He returned the gesture with a friendly smile, addressing warmly, "So it’s Brother Fang Ping from Baituo Ridge. I am Zhouyang of the Yuquan Lake Zhou Family. By my family’s orders, I have come to take over managing the Zhou Family’s ’Jade Spring Pavilion’ at Jinsha Marketplace in place of my father, Zhou Xuanhao. This is my identity token."

Upon hearing Zhouyang was from a familial alliance clan with the Chens, Chen Fangping’s expression shifted. After taking the identity token handed over by Zhouyang and reading the information left by Foundation Establishment Cultivator Zhou Minghan within, he broke into a smile.

"So it’s Brother Zhouyang from the Yuquan Zhou Family, my apologies, my apologies. Though my cultivation is humble, I have heard of your esteemed father, a renowned Tier Two Top Grade Alchemist. I hadn’t imagined that at such a young age, you’ve already started to inherit your father’s career. A tiger father indeed does not have a dog son!"

Having lived long-term in the Baisha River Oasis, Zhou Xuanhao’s reputation as a Tier Two Top Grade Alchemist was widely recognized among various families. Thus, upon realizing that Zhouyang was Zhou Xuanhao’s son and seeing his Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation at such a young age, Chen Fangping’s attitude improved significantly.

While returning Zhouyang’s identity token, he warmly extended a hand, gesturing, "Brother, you must be weary traveling all the way from Yuquan Lake Oasis. No further words—this way, please. I’ll arrange for food and drink to welcome you and wash away the journey’s dust."

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Brother Chen. I thank you in advance."

Zhouyang accepted his token without hesitation and followed Chen Fangping into the Reception Hall. As for his Shatuo Beast mount, mortals employed by the Chen Family were there to take it away for proper feeding.

Inside the hall, Zhouyang, under the guidance of a maid, proceeded to the back hall to enjoy a hot spring bath. Returning to the front hall in fresh attire, he found a table laden with delicious dishes prepared by Chen Fangping.

The meal consisted of medicinal dishes made from Demon Beast meat, Hundred-Year Yellow Ginseng, Centennial Spirit Ginseng, and other Tier Two Spirit Elixirs, with rice steamed from Golden Pearl Rice. After dining, Zhouyang and Chen Fangping addressed each other as brothers. Onlookers unaware might believe they were old friends of many years!

But even among real brothers, we should settle accounts honestly, right? I, Chen Fangping, consider you my brother, Zhouyang. Are you comfortable eating for free?

When Zhouyang received the bill from Chen Fangping after eating to his heart’s content, his facial expression was quite something.

He was a bit puzzled earlier; it was just their first meeting. Even if Chen Fangping wanted to befriend him because of his father, Zhou Xuanhao, the meal seemed a bit too lavish.

However, at that time, the other person had already started eating, and Zhouyang was indeed tempted by the array of delicious foods, so he didn’t think much of it, assuming the Chen Family was wealthy and unconcerned about such matters.

It wasn’t until he saw the bill that he suddenly realized he had been tricked.

Chen Fangping wasn’t trying to befriend him; it was clearly a meal trap!

Now that he thought about it, Chen Fangping’s earlier enthusiasm was indeed a bit too much.

The Zhou Family and the Chen Family were technically allies, but the truth was, the Zhou Family was like a lackey working for the Chen Family. Although Chen Fangping’s cultivation was low, he was still an authentic Chen Family member, and without any profit motivation, there wasn’t any need for him to lower himself to curry favor with Zhouyang!

Thus, the reality could only be that Chen Fangping, upon hearing that Zhouyang’s father was a Tier Two High-grade Alchemist, Zhou Xuanhao, had decided Zhouyang was a wealthy target to fleece, which explained the lavish hospitality aimed at swindling him out of a lot of money.

After all, with the Chen Family as a backing and on his home turf, they really weren’t afraid of Zhouyang daring to dine and dash.

After figuring all of this out, Zhouyang’s expression gradually returned to calm. After the meal is consumed, there’s no way to renege on payment, especially since it’s just a meal. Zhouyang wasn’t so poor that he couldn’t afford to pay for a meal.

"Brother Chen, good trick! I am impressed, impressed!"

He looked calmly at Chen Fangping, who was also looking at him with a calm expression, gently cupped his hand, and handed over the dining fee amounting to over a hundred spirit stones.

Upon receiving the spirit stones, Chen Fangping’s indifferent face suddenly lit up with a smile, as he said with a grin, "Brother, you truly live up to being an outstanding member of the Zhou Family. Such generosity is impressive! I’m set on being friends with you. Should you need anything in the Baisha River Oasis in the future, feel free to ask me. Though my cultivation isn’t high, I can still say a few words to my father."

"Oh, may I know who your esteemed father is?" Zhouyang’s expression shifted as he looked at Chen Fangping some surprise.

This round-faced deadpan fatty with thick-skin and dark heart, could he be a Second Generation Immortal?

"My father is Chen Ping’an!"

Chen Fangping’s face flashed with pride as he revealed a name that made Zhouyang’s expression change dramatically.

"Chen Ping’an! Could it be the Chen Ping’an who slew the Tier Three High-Grade Demon Beast ’Golden-eating Toad’ with a single sword strike?"

Zhouyang couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, his face full of astonishment.

"Indeed!" Chen Fangping seemed very satisfied with the change in Zhouyang’s expression and nodded proudly.

"So, Brother Chen is actually the son of Elder Chen. No wonder..." Zhouyang looked at the proud, round-faced fatty with a strange expression, thinking that it was no wonder this rascal, with his mere Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation, dared to swindle a cultivator at the Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation level.

It’s because, apart from the Chen Family’s tiger skin, he also leaned on this big tree, Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an is no ordinary person; he was one of the Chen Family’s dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, with cultivation reaching the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment. He is the top Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Chen Family, second only to the Chen Family Ancestor. His most glorious achievement was with a Tier Four Flying Sword, "White Rainbow Sword," slaying the Tier Three High-Grade Demon Beast renowned for its defense, "Golden-eating Toad" in a single strike.

With such a prominent father, Chen Fangping could walk horizontally in the Baisha River Oasis, as long as he didn’t offend a Purple Mansion Cultivator. Naturally, he wasn’t afraid of Zhouyang, a mere junior cultivator from a Foundation Establishment Clan.

Observing the changes in Zhouyang’s expression, Chen Fangping knew what he was thinking, but he didn’t mind. After all, it’s merely the truth.

He squinted his eyes and, with a friendly demeanor, walked over to Zhouyang, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "How about it? Now, little brother, do you still feel you’ve lost out? By inviting me to a meal, you have the opportunity to connect with my father. This is definitely a major gain! You must know that with my father’s status, even your Zhou Family’s Clan Leader would find it quite challenging to meet him!"