The First Doppelganger, Purchasing Property

After the Doppelganger Chen Fan left the small courtyard, he navigated a few turns through the narrow alleys and arrived at the marketplace.

The Doppelganger Chen Fan possessed the same intelligence as Chen Ze, and he quickly located the shop responsible for selling houses within the market.

As the Doppelganger Chen Fan stepped into the shop, a clerk immediately came forward to greet him.

"Greetings. Are you looking to buy a house or rent one?"

The clerk sized up the Doppelganger Chen Fan. In truth, the clerk was also a cultivator, though his cultivation was not particularly high, sitting only at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

However, he found himself unable to sense the Doppelganger Chen Fan's cultivation level, and the figure before him was intentionally obscuring his face.

For a moment, the clerk could not determine whether Chen Ze was a mere mortal or a high-level cultivator.

The Doppelganger Chen Fan spoke indifferently: "Buy a house."

Upon hearing that it was a purchase, the clerk felt a surge of joy; selling a house naturally yielded a higher commission than renting one.

"Do you have a specific house in mind? Or perhaps a preferred area?"

The Doppelganger Chen Fan replied directly: "Somewhere close to the City Lord's Mansion would be best."

"Close to the City Lord's Mansion?" The clerk looked at the Doppelganger Chen Fan with suspicion. What was this person planning?

"Being near the City Lord's Mansion is safer, isn't it? I'm a rather timid person." The Doppelganger Chen Fan realized the clerk had misunderstood something and quickly explained.

"Oh, now that you put it that way, I understand. The security near the City Lord's Mansion is indeed the best."

After speaking, the clerk produced a map and continued, "Take a look. This shows the distribution of properties our shop currently has for sale in Wannan City."

As he spoke, the clerk spread the map out for the Doppelganger Chen Fan to see.

"Once you have selected a location, I can take you to view the property."

The Doppelganger Chen Fan nodded, scanning the map for the distribution of houses, focusing primarily on the area around the City Lord's Mansion.

A moment later, the Doppelganger Chen Fan set his sights on two properties, both located very close to the City Lord's Mansion.

"What are the prices for these two?"

The clerk glanced at the two properties Chen Ze had pointed out.

"The prices for these two are quite similar, both around 200 Low-grade Spirit Stones. Which one would you like to see first?"

The Doppelganger Chen Fan weighed the cost in his mind; the price was reasonable. "Either is fine."

Afterward, the clerk took the Doppelganger Chen Fan to view the two properties.

Comparing them, the Doppelganger Chen Fan found no significant difference; they were roughly the same size, with the only variation being that one courtyard was slightly larger than the other.

These details were unimportant; as long as it was near the City Lord's Mansion and security was guaranteed, it would suffice.

Soon, the Doppelganger Chen Fan paid the 200 Low-grade Spirit Stones and chose the one with the larger courtyard.

The clerk handed a Jade Token to the Doppelganger Chen Fan, which served as the deed of ownership for the property.

The Jade Token contained a special restrictive mark that an ordinary person could not forge; these tokens were issued directly by the City Lord's Mansion.

In Wannan City, the Jade Token was the only thing that mattered, not the person holding it, meaning Chen Ze could easily resell it in the future if he wished.

The clerk quickly finalized the property paperwork, and the Doppelganger Chen Fan took the Jade Token and returned to fulfill his orders.

The vision between the doppelganger and Chen Ze was shared; after the Doppelganger Chen Fan left, Chen Ze had been monitoring him the entire time.

Chen Ze was satisfied with the results of sending the Doppelganger Chen Fan out to handle matters alone, and it solidified his decision.

In the future, many things can be left to the doppelganger to handle.

After the Doppelganger Chen Fan returned, Chen Ze swapped outfits with him.

He left the Doppelganger Chen Fan in the dilapidated house, just in case Shopkeeper Tong sent someone else to look for him there.

Chen Ze, now wearing the Doppelganger Chen Fan's clothes, arrived at the residence he had purchased near the City Lord's Mansion.

Chen Ze took out the property Jade Token and used his Spiritual Sense to trigger the restriction within it, causing the mansion's main gate to swing open.

Chen Ze walked into the residence and looked around. "The money was well spent. This mansion is not only close to the City Lord's Mansion, but the decor is also quite decent."

Chen Ze used his Spiritual Sense to trigger the token again, and the mansion gate closed behind him.

After wandering around the residence, Chen Ze walked to his bedroom, feeling quite satisfied.

The soundproofing here was excellent, so he didn't need to worry about disturbing others while cultivating.

The 200 Low-grade Spirit Stones were well spent; the mansion was fully equipped with all the necessities of life, saving Chen Ze the trouble of purchasing them himself.

On the way over, Chen Ze had already bought some ingredients.

He prepared a hearty dinner, and after finishing his meal, he returned to his room to sit in meditation and cultivate.

Another three days passed.

During these three days, Chen Ze did not step outside; he spent the entire time in constant cultivation.

What he needed now was time, as his means of self-preservation were still too few.

He did not know how many more cards Shopkeeper Tong had up his sleeve, and now was not the time for rash action.

He believed that Zhang Tai's disappearance would surely draw Shopkeeper Tong's attention.

Shopkeeper Tong had yet to arrive, which gave him just enough time to build up his strength.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ze had not been idle during these three days, keeping the Automated Training Room running with twenty-four hours of cultivation.

He himself spent twenty hours a day cultivating, leaving only four hours for rest.

His Ignition Art had reached Perfection; after hitting a proficiency of 5,000 uses, it had advanced from Grandmaster-level to Legendary-level.

Now, with Legendary proficiency, he could use Ignition Art 100 times with his current pool of spiritual energy, and its power was no longer what it once was.

Name: Chen Ze

Cultivation: Qi Refining Third Layer 60/100

Talent: Earth-element Low-grade Spiritual Root

Technique: Xuantian Record (Minor Accomplishment) 1/400

Spells:

Ignition Art (Legendary)

Breath Concealment Art (Grandmaster) 4700/5000

Earth Shield Art (Proficient) 1/200

Heart Piercing Stab (Proficient) 1/200

Myriad Things Space: Level 1

After reviewing the system interface, he saw that Breath Concealment Art was nearing Perfection, and the proficiency of his Xuantian Record had reached Minor Accomplishment; everything was progressing steadily.

His cultivation speed would not have been this fast if not for the effects of those few Qi Gathering Pills; consuming one could save him three hours of cultivation time.

However, no matter how good the elixir was, Chen Ze dared not overindulge, as he understood the principle that every medicine has its own toxicity.

Chen Ze went to check on the growth of his spiritual herbs; the planted herbs had already reached ten years of age, and a portion of them had matured and were ready for harvest.

This time, Chen Ze chose to enter the Myriad Things Space with his physical body rather than just his consciousness.

While practicing Breath Concealment Art these past few days, Chen Ze had not been idle, using every spare moment in the Myriad Things Space to study methods for cultivating spiritual herbs.

The fifteen years of planting experience left behind by the original owner had provided him with significant inspiration.

He discovered that some of these spiritual herbs could have their seeds saved, while others could continue to grow as long as their root systems remained intact.

But he could not simply pull them up like he had done with the Spirit Rice.

After entering the Myriad Things Space, Chen Ze didn't even have time to feel the difference between entering with his consciousness versus his physical body.

He immediately began harvesting the herbs; there was no choice, as entering the Myriad Things Space with his physical body consumed 1 Point every ten minutes.

Between his current Spirit Stones and Points, he didn't even have enough to stay in the Myriad Things Space for a full day.

Soon, Chen Ze finished harvesting the herbs and had already planted the new ones.

Chen Ze checked the consumption of his Points, "Not bad, it only cost 3 Points."

Chen Ze had no time to dwell on it and quickly withdrew his physical body from the Myriad Things Space.