Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 141: Chapter 139 Zhou Wuyou

“Senior Brother Zhao, what brings you here?”

Ning Daoran stepped outside the courtyard, and nearby, Big Stupid Deer also let out a call as a greeting.

“Junior Brother Ning, Junior Brother Lu.”

Zhao Lichen still carried himself with a modest demeanor and smiled, “I am ashamed to say, despite decades of cultivating at the Foundation Establishment stage, I am still only at the early stage. Recently, I’ve decided to travel and seek opportunities to advance to the mid-stage.”

“What’s wrong with being at the early stage of Foundation Establishment? Fifty years have passed and I’m still at the early stage!” someone said boastfully.

Zhao Lichen laughed heartily, “But you, Junior Brother, cultivate the Evergreen Technique. With endless time ahead, perhaps you’ll have a chance at Core Formation. I’m dull-witted and can’t outlast time.”

“It seems you’ve made up your mind, then I wish you a smooth journey and a long and prosperous path to immortality.”

“Mm.”

Zhao Lichen nodded with a smile.

Ning Daoran then asked, “Senior Brother, how long do you plan to be away?”

“A short trip might take three to five years, a long one could be ten years. In any case, I’ll return once I make it to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.”

Zhao Lichen seemed a bit reluctant, “After staying in the Sect for so long, I really don’t want to leave.”

“Senior Brother.”

Ning Daoran immediately slapped his Storage Bag and took out a Second Order High-Grade Divine Speed Talisman, saying, “When I went down the mountain to undertake a mission, you gave me a Breakthrough Talisman. This time, I’ll give you a Divine Speed Talisman! Please remember, Senior Brother, do not overexert yourself while traveling. If the situation turns dire, flee immediately, and if you really can’t escape, it’s time to use this talisman. Please don’t hesitate to use it.”

The Divine Speed Talisman surged with extremely robust Spiritual Energy.

Such top-quality talismans crafted from high-quality Talisman Paper were clearly premium and valuable.

Zhao Lichen was slightly stunned, “Junior Brother, isn’t this gift a bit too generous?”

“Senior Brother, don’t be polite.”

Ning Daoran rubbed Big Stupid Deer’s head and smiled, “Initially, Senior Brother, you guided Old Lu and me up the mountain. You were our guide on the path of cultivation; it’s only right.”

“Good!”

Zhao Lichen accepted the talisman immediately and said with a fist salute, “May Green Mountains never change, may clear waters flow forever. Junior Brother, let’s meet again when we both reach the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!”

Saying so, he turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the morning mist.

…

Several days later.

News of Han Bing’s advancement to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment came.

Being over eighty years old and at the late-stage meant Han Bing might reach Core Formation before the age of 120!

The entire Purple Cloud Peak was cheering and jubilant for their Junior Sister’s advancement.

The next day, a small feast was held at Purple Cloud Peak.

Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer were invited and presented the Junior Sister with some elixir pills.

During the feast, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Senior Brother from Purple Cloud Peak, implying something, jokingly asked:

“Junior Brother Ning, you began Foundation Establishment earlier than Junior Sister Han. Now that your Junior Sister has reached the late-stage, you’re still at the early-stage. Is the scenery in the early-stage of Foundation Establishment really that good?”

Two other mid-stage Foundation Establishment Elders from Purple Cloud Peak also smiled.

“Senior Brother Lü!”

Han, slightly frowning, said, “My Senior Brother Ning has his own cultivation plan. Why should others point fingers?”

“Junior Sister, that’s not what I meant…”

Senior Brother Lü looked embarrassed and immediately apologized to Ning Daoran.

Ning Daoran didn’t take it to heart. He could knock out such a type with one punch; there was no need to make a fuss.

…

About half a year later.

Another significant event shook the Chaotic Sect.

Senior Sister Jiang Yu successfully advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core!

It had been only twenty years since she reached the mid-stage Golden Core!

Such rapid progress stirred the entire Chaotic Sect!

At this moment, Jiang Yu, wielding the Thunder Fire Treasure Mirror, was in no way inferior to Jiuyun Shangren, the Supreme Elder of the Jiuyun Sect.

Suddenly, with Jiang Yu’s breakthrough, the entire Qingzhou Cultivation World sensed the brewing storm.

Thirty-three years ago, during the righteous-demon war in Qingzhou, the Jiuyun Sect had seized the opportunity to downgrade the Sea Burning Sect to a Lower Sect and devoured three top-tier Spirit Stone mines in Qingzhou!

Their reliance was none other than the fact that Supreme Elder Jiuyun Shangren was at the late-stage of Golden Core.

Now, with Jiang Yu’s advancement to the late-stage Golden Core, this directly elevated the Chaotic Sect to the forefront of first-class Sects, now possessing the capability to contend with the Jiuyun Sect.

Hence, it was time for Jiuyun Sect to relinquish some of the Cultivation resources they had swallowed in Qingzhou.

Moreover, last time during the great Qingzhou competition, Gongyang Yan nearly got assassinated, an incident which Jiuyun Sect might have also had a hand in.

More importantly, Kuizhou was also turbulent.

Several first-class Sects joined forces against Jiuyun Sect, forcing them to retract their strength and recall all the late-stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators stationed at the Soul Devouring Sect and Sea Burning Sect’s Spirit Veins.

Thus, it was the perfect time for the major Sects in Qingzhou to retaliate.

…

While everyone thought a war between Chaotic Sect and Jiuyun Sect was inevitable, Jiuyun Sect unexpectedly showed a sign of weakness first.

Half a month later.

A mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator from the Jiuyun Sect, Master Du Ye, led a group of disciples to the Chaotic Sect and signed an inter-state alliance with Jiang Yu.

Ultimately, Jiuyun Sect handed over two out of the three top-grade Spirit Stone mines they occupied in Qingzhou to the Chaotic Sect.

In return, the Chaotic Sect, in the name of suppressing the Demon Path, sent two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to assist in guarding the Spirit Vein of the Soul Devouring Sect.

Thus, the two powerhouses in Kuizhou and Qingzhou formed a win-win situation.

Jiuyun Sect made concessions, and Chaotic Sect provided manpower; on one hand, maintaining the balance in the two states’ Cultivation World, and on the other, continuing to suppress the Demon Path.

At once, the budding signs of revival from the Soul Devouring Sect were thoroughly quelled.

The previously rumored Soul-devouring Demon, about to return and restore the Soul Devouring Sect with his disciples, went silent again.

It was said that the Soul-devouring Demon had also advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core.

He might have had a chance in a one-on-one fight against Jiuyun Shangren, but now with Jiang Yu added into the mix, the Soul-devouring Demon had no choice but to lay low once again.

…

The shifting winds in the Cultivation World had no impact on Ning Daoran.

But he observed all directions and listened to all sides, understanding the various shifting forces at play.

That day.

In the living room, Ning Daoran picked up the latest issue of the cultivation world newspaper delivered by Xiyu Pavilion, reading it with relish.

The headline news was that an elder of the Soul Devouring Sect, at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, had been killed in the depths of the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range by a righteous cultivator at the Golden Core stage, which made the righteous path cheer.

Beside it were numerous smaller pieces of news.

For example, a Foundation Establishment expert returned to his Cave Mansion to find a demon beast mount parked outside and, in a rage, entered the mansion and fought a fierce three-hundred-round battle with his concubine’s lover before he was subdued.

Or, a Ninth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator led his family cultivators to take down a First-tier top-grade spiritual vein, only to find the guardian of that vein was an early Second-stage demon beast, which led to the annihilation of the Qi Refinement family, and so forth.

The cultivation world never lacked interesting news.

Beside him, Big Stupid Deer also widened its deer eyes, joining its elder brother in reading the cultivation world newspaper.

Over the years, it had not only focused on the cultivation of the Shape-shifting Technique.

It had not neglected its literary cultivation either, having learned many characters from Chen Weimo, and though it couldn’t compose poetry or converse in verse, reading the newspaper was no longer an issue.

“Uncle…”

Shortly after, a figure appeared at the door—it was Chen Weimo.

She looked somewhat solemn.

“What’s wrong, has something happened?” Ning Daoran asked.

“Yes.”

Chen Weimo nodded, “Old Ma… passed away thirty minutes ago…His family from the Ma family is at the door, should uncle meet them?”

“Understood.”

Ning Daoran stepped out of the small courtyard.

“Peak Master!”

Outside, a group of people was kneeling, all descendants of Ma Quanyou.

Although Old Ma’s character was not upright and his motives for cultivation were impure, with half of the money he earned from growing Spirit Rice going to those so-called ‘fairies’,

having dealt with him for many years, Old Ma was in fact not too bad a person.

The reason the Ma family came was only one, the dispute over possession of Spirit Field No. 78.

Ning Daoran, as the current Peak Master of Qiongbi Peak, had the final say on who would take care of that entire tract of Spirit Fields.

However, he had no good impression of the Ma family members.

They were all narrow-minded, with incessant disputes between the second and third branches of the family, even leading to several incidents of fratricidal conflict.

These people staying in Qiongbi Peak would sooner or later become a disaster.

Ning Daoran needed someone who could peacefully cultivate Spirit Rice, someone who was diligent and dependable.

Moreover, none of Ma Quanyou’s descendants possessed a Spirit Root, and even if they were to take care of the Spirit Fields, the yield of Spirit Rice was not optimistic.

“Enough talk.”

Ning Daoran said, “The funeral expenses for Old Ma will be covered by Qiongbi Peak. Now that Old Ma is gone, you should move out of Qiongbi Peak. Each of the three branches will receive a subsidy of three hundred taels of silver, there’s nothing more to discuss.”

“Didn’t you hear?”

Chen Weimo spoke indifferently, “You have three days to move out of Qiongbi Peak. Each household can collect three hundred taels of silver from me.”

Days later.

Spirit Field No. 78 was deserted, leaving only a few dilapidated houses that had once been occupied.

Although the mortals were resentful, who dared to express any complaints?

No one dared to provoke the Peak Master, after all, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, killing a few mortals was almost no different from stepping on a few ants.

…

Days later.

Ning Daoran descended the mountain and went to Xiyu Pavilion to purchase some auxiliary materials for the White Feather Flowing Sound Array.

“Fellow Daoist Ning!”

Chen Ping’er, dressed in a Flowing Cloud Plain Skirt, was breathtakingly beautiful, even more striking after her promotion to Foundation Establishment.

It was unknown whether she had afforded any convenience to the Supreme Elder Lay Practitioner Bai Ming of Xiyu Pavilion.

“Fellow Daoist Chen.”

Ning Daoran was in a good mood and did not wish to get entangled with these women. He simply pulled out the material list for the array.

“Please wait a moment, fellow daoist. I will have someone collect these materials immediately.”

Chen Ping’er smiled gently, “Is there anything else you’d like, my lord? I happen to be free and could accompany you around.”

“That would be fine.”

The two walked side by side, and as they turned a corner, they heard scolding coming from ahead.

A man dressed in the robes of an Outer Elder from the Chaotic Sect was reprimanding a servant.

The servant, clad in the attire of a Xiyu Pavilion subordinate, kept bowing and apologizing, stating that it was his carelessness that had led to the collision.

That Foundation Establishment Elder was someone Ning Daoran recognized, a new star of the Outer Sect who had achieved Foundation Establishment not many years ago.

As he turned his gaze toward the young man, he momentarily paused, feeling an illusion, as the appearance of this young man gradually overlapped with another person he knew, bearing a striking resemblance.

“What’s your name, and what’s your relation to Zhou Qi?” Ning Daoran suddenly asked.

The young man was startled, “My name is Zhou Wuyou… Zhou Qi is my grandfather…”

Indeed, he was a descendant of Zhou Qi.

Ning Daoran scanned him with a glance, noting the young man possessed a Ninth Grade Mixed Spirit, a rather dissipated Spirit Root, with a sensitivity to the Wood Attribute close to the Eighth Grade.

He was a natural for farming!

“Senior Brother Ning, are you here too?” The Outer Elder recognized him.

“Yes.”

Ning Daoran nodded, “Junior Brother, could you leave this person to my disposal?”

“Since senior brother has spoken, of course I will comply!”

…

“Zhou Wuyou, would you be willing to go to Qiongbi Peak to take care of the Spirit Fields?”

“I would, sir! I would!”

Zhou Wuyou kept kowtowing, grateful for the generosity.

Ning Daoran narrowed his eyes, cheap labor had just arrived.