Chapter 449 - 418: The Common Ailment of Major Sects

Chapter 449: Chapter 418: The Common Ailment of Major Sects

Chen Che left the matter of forging the Magical Artifact entirely to Liang Yuan, no longer intervening.

Because the initial materials were difficult to procure, they would have to wait for some time.

The disciples in the Valley were completely unaware of this matter. They only knew that an old, wandering Daoist had taken up residence in the Sacrificial Hall. They didn’t know his Cultivation level, but the Chief of the Forging Hall, Liang Yuan, and his master were extremely respectful toward him.

Furthermore, the back mountain was designated a forbidden area, and unauthorized personnel were barred from entry.

Once the forging matter was decided, Yu Yunko immediately took Yu Sihai to the main branch of the Celestial State Yu Clan.

This served two purposes. First, for him to be formally accepted into the clan. Second, to select suitable clan members to learn Alchemy. Jinyun Valley was famous for Chen Che’s Alchemy Skill, and learning as much as they could—by any means necessary—would be of immense benefit to their family.

Unfortunately, Chen Che had no unique secret techniques in Alchemy; his method was simply to start from the fundamentals.

Any bottlenecks were usually due to a lack of understanding.

What Cultivators in this world learned was mostly unsystematic—a bit from here, a bit from there, with no coherent structure.

Some Loose Cultivator Pill Masters might only master a few dozen Pill Formulas in their entire lives. They would then keep one or two High Tier Pill Formulas as their unique specialty, and if they failed to pass them on in time, the lineage could be lost.

This was why great families and Major Sects had such profound heritages.

But even they often learned without understanding the underlying principles, simply following in their predecessors’ footsteps. Thus, breaking from convention was always extremely difficult.

...

Chen Che first went to the Internal Affairs Hall and gave Ding Fei a few instructions, telling him to treat Yu Qian well.

As long as his requests weren’t excessive, they were to be granted. Although it was impossible to keep him in Jinyun Valley forever, this would at least ensure he wouldn’t treat Jia Chaoyuan and his disciple harshly during the Artifact Casting.

In other news, people from the Lu Family had arrived, preparing to take the Spiritual Boat back for repairs.

After all, the Spiritual Boat had been severely damaged in the battle at the Sea Ruins and the Ancient Island.

"If possible, expand the Spiritual Boat a bit. Install some offensive Arrays or weaponry, and don’t be stingy with the materials. If you run out of Spirit Stones, just have Lu Yuntian come to Jinyun Valley to get more."

Although Jinyun Valley’s finances were already stretched thin after spending nearly a million Spirit Stones on Refining Materials, Chen Che wasn’t stingy when it came to modifying the Spiritual Boat.

It was because at the Sea Ruins, the Spiritual Boat had saved their lives by ramming the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon twice.

This made Chen Che realize that the Spiritual Boat wasn’t just a simple transport vessel; if used properly, it could become a veritable war fortress.

After giving these instructions, Chen Che turned and walked out of the main hall, where he happened to encounter a young disciple. The disciple was dressed in Jinyun Valley robes, wore a Jade Crown, carried a longsword on his back, and had deerskin boots on his feet. He was quite handsome.

"Valley Master!"

A voice filled with pleasant surprise called out. The young disciple then hurried over and bowed respectfully. "Disciple greets the Valley Master."

Hearing the voice, Chen Che turned and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The boy’s current appearance in the Valley was a world away from how he looked back in Faqian City.

When Chen Che had first brought him back from Faqian City, he had been shriveled and skinny, like a beggar.

Now, however, he had the air of a ’star disciple from an Upper Sect’.

Chen Che nodded slightly and smiled warmly. "Zhou Lian, are you getting used to life in Jinyun Valley?"

"It’s like the difference between the clouds and the mud."

Zhou Lian’s expression was deferential, the gratitude in his eyes beyond words.

On the one hand, there was his life in Faqian City—a precarious existence where just surviving was a struggle.

Now in Jinyun Valley, not having to worry about his next meal was the greatest blessing, to say nothing of being able to cultivate. Although his master, the Vice Valley Master, was not often in the Valley, if he ever had questions about his Cultivation, Chief Tutor Rong Shisan and Protector Rong Zhongxuan would patiently explain things to him.

It was just that his physical foundation was too poor.

He had only begun his Cultivation after six months of recuperation in the Valley, so he was currently only at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

"Cultivate diligently. You carry the weight of a blood feud. Don’t be blinded by the prosperity of Jinyun Valley, and don’t let down the hopes your master has placed in you."

Chen Che patted his shoulder and spoke meaningfully.

He knew, of course, that Hu Yao doted on this disciple. Hu Yao had even crushed the Wangxian Pill Chen Che had given him, dissolving it in Spiritual Water to give his disciple a dose each day. Chen Che didn’t call him out on it, but simply gave Hu Yao an extra portion whenever he distributed Pill Pills.

"This disciple will remember."

Zhou Lian cupped his fist, his expression turning serious.

"Go on."

Chen Che waved his hand.

Within Jinyun Valley, people came and went.

Chen Che stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his figure seeming to fade into the background. Even when he brushed past disciples, they remained completely unaware.

Recalling his encounter with Zhou Lian, Chen Che nodded slowly.

As the disciple of the Vice Valley Master, he was subtly favored in the words of both the subordinate families and the other disciples in the Valley, who all tried to curry favor with the young man.

Although Hu Yao had never tried to form a faction, his status naturally created one around him. He was close with Rong Shisan and Rong Zhongxuan, so this faction came to be known by outsiders as the Baogu Sect—the Valley-Protection Faction. All their actions were centered on the interests of Jinyun Valley.

As the legitimate successor to the Baogu Sect, Zhou Lian’s status was naturally extraordinary.

Though young, he remained true to his original purpose and hadn’t grown arrogant, which was truly rare.

「In the blink of an eye, he had reached the back mountain.」

Thanks to the Earth Store Profound Tree, the forest on the back mountain was dense and imposing, its trees growing at an astonishing rate, resembling a primordial jungle. The forest was filled with birds and beasts; there were over two hundred Foundation Establishment Great Demons, and the Qi Refining Demon Beasts were innumerable.

Halfway up the mountain, a thick mist appeared.

Ordinary disciples could not advance past this point. Even if they tried to force their way through, they would find themselves unknowingly walking back out. A few disciples were currently sitting and meditating under a tree, completely oblivious to Chen Che’s arrival.

Before Chen Che, however, the layer of mist parted directly in two.

The view before him opened up. Meng Qingxuan, dressed in simple clothes, sat beneath the Willow Tree Demon, its branches swaying in the wind.

Not far away, a massive Furnace Cauldron seemed to soar into the heavens.

Meng Changtu, Meng Qianxun, Chen Xi, Lu Qinglian, and even Yu Qian had already arrived. Yu Qian stood on top of the Pill Furnace while Meng Qianxun stood to the side, explaining the materials inside. Next to the Pill Furnace, besides a large pile of Taibai Jade Bamboo for fuel, were numerous Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

The preparations for this furnace of Pill Pills were faster than for the Magical Artifact, so it was prioritized on the agenda for today.

Of course, since refining this furnace of Pill Pills alone would take a very long time, Chen Che had simply gathered all the Golden Core Cultivators he knew to lend a hand.

"This furnace of Pill Pills... it’s truly... not just extravagant, it’s on another level!"

Listening to Meng Qianxun’s explanation, Yu Qian couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

The Yu Family had the resources to gather the materials for a furnace of Pill Pills like this, but the consequence would be the immediate paralysis of the entire family’s operations.

"Valley Master Chen!"

The group, deep in discussion, noticed someone enter and immediately stopped their conversation to look up.

Yu Qian concealed the shock on his face and cupped his hands in greeting.

"The extravagance of this Great Pill is simply beyond my imagination. In my nearly one hundred years of travel, I had only ever heard that True Master Chixia refined such Pill Pills. Currently, the only ones who would dare to attempt a furnace of Pill Pills like this are Huang Shiwo of the Primordial Sect and Du Yunsheng of the Star-Picking Sect."

"You flatter me."

It’s always nice to be praised, and Chen Che felt quite pleased.

"Haha, it’s not flattery at all."

Yu Qian stroked his Deer Head Walking Stick and said with conviction, "Huang Shiwo is too old, with little of his lifespan remaining. His Direct Disciples are not ready to take over—there’s a talent gap. The one most likely to succeed him was unable to reach Core Formation for a long time and ended up working himself to death."

"Du Yunsheng was built up entirely through the Du Family leveraging the Star-Picking Sect’s resources. He has an empty reputation, and his Alchemy Skill is overinflated. When refining the Qingxu Guiyuan Pill, nine out of ten attempts are failures. As for his disciples, they’re all sycophants. Anyone with real talent has been pushed out of the Sect."

Yu Qian shook his head.

His century of travels wasn’t just about collecting resources; he was also gathering intelligence from all over.

And while these two Major Sects appeared prosperous on the surface, in reality, they were already suffering from a severe talent gap.

That was why their development had been mediocre for the past hundred years, with hardly any impressive figures emerging. In contrast, their subordinate families were producing one top-tier Cultivator after another. Of course, this was a common ailment for Major Sects.

After all, Cultivators have long lifespans. Once entrenched in power, they become the beneficiaries of the system. Who would be willing to let those below them come and snatch away their status?

"I see."

Chen Che nodded slowly. A thought sparked in his mind: ’In the future, I must ensure Jinyun Valley develops in a healthy way.’ With this resolve, he cupped his hands and said, "Now that the Materials are all prepared, we can begin refining this Great Pill."