Chapter 134: I Have No Such Thoughts for Now

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: I Have No Such Thoughts for Now

All eyes fell on Yang Haichen, and he felt the immense pressure.

However, after confirming Liu Chen’s attitude, Yang Haichen nodded and agreed. When he first arrived in the central area, this very courtyard had been chosen for him by Xie Xichen. The ways of the world were truly unpredictable.

"Then I must thank you, Junior Brother Yang."

Xie Xichen breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the situation outside, the atmosphere in this courtyard was quite harmonious. Furthermore, he wouldn’t have to worry about people showing up under the guise of visiting, only to mock him.

"Senior Brother Xie, you’re too kind."

Yang Haichen shook his head but ultimately said nothing more.

Liu Chen watched the three of them slowly enter the house. He had prepared four portions of Spiritual Cuisine; he couldn’t just have three of them eat while Xie Xichen watched.

"For the Spiritual Cuisine that Senior Brother Xie enjoys here, each portion will be recorded as four thousand Spirit Stones on his tab."

Seeing Liu Chen return to the house, Ren Xunchun immediately took out a ledger and began to write. If things continued this way, Xie Xichen would become the Inner Sect Disciple with the second-highest debt in Purple Cloud Valley after the trial.

"There’s such a good deal?"

Xie Xichen’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He hadn’t actually considered getting a continuous supply of Spiritual Cuisine before. The Purple Cloud Valley disciples had a tacit understanding not to keep running up their tabs, partly because the final struggle for the pillars of light was about to begin, and partly out of embarrassment.

"If Senior Brother Xie prefers to just watch us eat, that’s also an option."

Yang Haichen sat in his chair, full of anticipation. Unlike Ren Xunchun and Xie Xichen, the Spiritual Cuisine he enjoyed at least wouldn’t come with an explicit price tag. However, he would definitely have to gather some resources for Junior Brother Liu after leaving Fire Dragon Valley.

"How much is your tab now?"

Sitting to the side, Xie Xichen couldn’t help but ask. By his calculations, the Purple Cloud Valley disciple with the highest debt should be Yang Haichen, followed by Ren Xunchun.

"I don’t have a tab. Junior Brother Liu and I formed a partnership for selling Spiritual Cuisine back on Purple Bamboo Peak."

A slow smile spread across Yang Haichen’s face. Ren Xunchun glanced at him and silently continued his accounting. Xie Xichen’s mouth twitched as he turned to look at Ren Xunchun.

"If all goes well, Senior Brother Xie will have the second-highest debt in Purple Cloud Valley. I’m number one."

Ren Xunchun closed the ledger and spoke with a hint of resignation. This sort of thing still made him a little embarrassed. He estimated it would take him several years, perhaps even a decade, to pay off this debt.

That was assuming he stopped receiving Spiritual Cuisine after leaving Fire Dragon Valley. Otherwise, he would probably never be able to clear his debt.

"I see."

Xie Xichen didn’t press for the specific amount. It was currently the fourteenth of September, and there were still sixteen pillars of light left to activate. At a rate of one per day, this would continue until the thirtieth of September. The daily cost for Spiritual Cuisine would be twelve thousand Spirit Stones. Even if the activation of the last pillar signaled the end of the trial, that was still sixteen days away.

That amounted to 192,000 Spirit Stones. Factoring in his previous tab, the total would be at least two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

An amount like that was something not even a True Disciple could produce in a short time, let alone an Inner Sect Disciple. True Disciples usually had their own enterprises, and if you calculated the total value of their assets, it would surely exceed this amount. But they couldn’t just sell off the businesses they relied on for their retirement in Purple Cloud Valley.

Although it felt like a bottomless pit, Xie Xichen still didn’t refuse breakfast. It might cut off his supply of Spirit Stones for his future cultivation, but as long as his Cultivation level steadily increased, there would be plenty of people willing to provide him with Spirit Stones directly.

"By the way, Junior Brother, have you really not considered looking for a Guardian?"

After he had eaten his fill, Xie Xichen couldn’t help but ask as he looked at Liu Chen. If he could become Liu Chen’s Guardian, he would be able to consume an endless supply of Spiritual Cuisine in the future. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his cultivation speed would advance by a thousand miles a day.

"A Guardian? What’s that?"

Liu Chen glanced at him. Although he could tell from the name that it had something to do with ensuring his safety, he felt he didn’t need a Guardian. ’However,’ he thought, ’if I don’t want to expose my Cultivation, I might really need to make some preparations for when I leave Purple Cloud Valley later on.’

"Spirit Chefs—no, to be more precise, most Masters of Arts aren’t skilled in combat. When you are promoted to a True Disciple, Junior Brother, in addition to your allotted quota of Servants, you should also be granted a spot for a Guardian.

A Guardian’s purpose is to ensure your safety. If you are willing, Junior Brother, I believe many Inner Sect Disciples would be eager to become your Guardian in advance."

Xie Xichen looked over expectantly. He considered himself to be quite strong and believed he met the criteria to become a Guardian.

"We can talk about it when the time comes. I have no such thoughts for now."

Liu Chen shook his head. ’This is the first I’ve heard of it. Still, Inner Sect Disciples get a quota of two Servants, so True Disciples must get even more. I’m only an Inner Sect Disciple right now. An official Guardian position will have to wait until I become a True Disciple, which will probably take quite some time.’

"What a shame."

Xie Xichen sighed in resignation. Yang Haichen and Ren Xunchun stared at him calmly. It was obvious the guy had just been volunteering himself for the role, but Junior Brother Liu hadn’t agreed.

At this thought, an idea sparked in Ren Xunchun’s mind as well. ’If I became his Guardian, my future cultivation would surely be faster. More importantly, I might be able to figure out just how this junior brother detoxified me back then.’

However, since his junior brother had no such intention, Ren Xunchun wouldn’t take the initiative to do anything. At least that way, he wouldn’t make a mistake.

After breakfast, everyone in the courtyard went about their own business. Xie Xichen, who had been about to say something more, watched the other three return to their rooms one by one. He stared blankly at the sky for a moment before deciding to follow their lead and went back to his own room to cultivate.

This continued until dinner, when Xie Xichen finally found an opportunity to speak.

"Tomorrow at midnight, Thunder Mountain and Qingxu Hall will clash. Junior Brother, there’s no need to prepare extra Spiritual Cuisine."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."

Liu Chen nodded. In fact, he had already prepared it. But since it wasn’t needed, it wouldn’t be a problem to have it as a midnight snack or as tomorrow’s breakfast.

After dinner, Liu Chen returned to his room and cultivated his Meridian Passage Technique according to his original plan. If everything went smoothly, he would be able to break through to the Meridian Passage Late Stage—the Perfection stage of the Meridian Passage Technique—a few days after leaving Fire Dragon Valley.

Then, he could try to walk the Peak Path once more.

「Shortly after 9 p.m. on September fourteenth, the hour of midnight arrived, marking the beginning of the fifteenth.」 A new pillar of light abruptly appeared. Disciples from both Thunder Mountain and Qingxu Hall appeared near the pillar with incredible speed and began to clash.

While the battle at the volcano raged, Liu Chen closed his eyes and focused on comprehending the two Magic Veins of the Soul Control Technique: one for refining a Soul Slave, and the other for signing a Soul Contract.

Having reached Perfection in the Soul Control Technique, all the parts of the Magic Veins that were previously unclear had now become completely transparent to Liu Chen, who now understood them fully.

But after figuring it all out, Liu Chen found it utterly absurd. Once he understood the working principles of the Magic Veins, he finally knew what the so-called Spirit Ghosts truly were, and why they could increase one’s cultivation speed.