Farewell

"What?"

"You're leaving this place?"

"Is there danger?"

"What kind of danger?"

"Damn!"

There was a reason the Big White Rat and the Brocade Mouse had suddenly appeared before Wang Chen.

After a round of chicken talking to ducks—a painfully difficult exchange between man and mice—

Wang Chen finally understood what the couple meant.

They felt this place was no longer safe.

They were preparing to move.

They had come to say goodbye to Wang Chen.

And Xiao Bai had even expressed the hope that Wang Chen would leave with them.

Leave this place?

Go where?

Wang Chen could not help feeling lost.

He trusted the Big White Rat.

But the world was vast. Other than this tiny home, where else could he find a place for himself?

Though this was the outermost region of Yunyang Spirit Land, it was still under the sect's protection.

To say nothing else, the Dingyang Bell in Yunyang City rang twelve times a day without fail, deterring Evil Spirits.

The original owner had been a spirit planter for five years and had only heard rumors from his neighbors of Evil Spirits harming people.

As for demonic creatures and savage beasts, they were nowhere to be seen.

Cultivators who wished to hunt Demonic Beasts had to venture deep into the Tianyun Mountain Range to find them.

There were even Guard Hall disciples patrolling within the sect gates.

So long as one did not court death by stirring up trouble and simply worked the fields and farmed honestly, it was quite safe.

But once one left the sect gates, the situation was entirely different!

Wang Shaoyuan had told the original owner many times just how dangerous the Outer Region was.

Every year, quite a few Yunyang Sect disciples vanished while traveling outside for training, hunting, treasure-seeking, or missions.

Neither living bodies nor dead ones could be found!

Wang Chen could not possibly abandon the ten mu of Spirit Fields at home, which were nearly ripe, and run outside to become a Rogue Cultivator, could he?

He was only at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.

He had not even mastered the most basic protective spell, Spirit Light Shield Armor. Only two Spirit Stones remained in his Storage Bag, and he had pitifully few Talismans and Pills. How could he survive and protect himself in the perilous, unpredictable Outer Region?

As for going to the safer Yunyang City or inner sect, that was even less realistic.

Living in Yunyang City was no easy matter.

Even the worst communal sleeping bunks at the city inns cost one Lower Spirit for a single night.

Sleeping on the streets would get one arrested and conscripted into hard labor.

Housing in the city was even more outrageously expensive, utterly beyond what Wang Chen could hope for now.

And the inner sect...

Wang Chen did not even dare think about it!

He could not help patting the Big White Rat on the head and sighing. "Xiao Bai, you've given me a difficult problem!"

After enduring one calamity, Wang Chen only wanted to be a cowardly cultivator, quietly farming and gradually increasing his strength.

Yet even such a simple wish was not easy to fulfill.

"Squeak, squeak."

The Big White Rat seemed to understand Wang Chen's feelings and gently touched his palm with its nose.

Offering comfort.

Wang Chen clenched his fist. "I know. Thank you!"

After turning the matter over and weighing the pros and cons, he decided to wait and see.

Wang Chen brought the Xiao Bai Couple into the kitchen.

He took out around thirty jin of Demonic Beast Meat from his Storage Bag, cut it into chunks, blanched and braised it, turning it into fragrant dried meat.

Afterward, he packed the dried meat, along with fifty jin of Spirit Grain, into the small Storage Bag.

Tied to the Brocade Mouse—carrying the pack was naturally the husband's job.

"Xiao Bai, once you've moved into your new home, bite the bag open."

Wang Chen told the Big White Rat, "The rice and meat inside should be enough to see you through the winter."

Once the Storage Bag was damaged, everything stored inside would fall out.

Xiao Bai had saved Wang Chen's life.

He truly had nothing with which to repay it, so this was the only way he could do so.

"Squeak, squeak!"

The Big White Rat stood upright and clasped its paws toward Wang Chen, its eyes shimmering with tears.

It was clear that it, too, was reluctant to part with Wang Chen.

Wang Chen waved his hand. "Go on."

The Xiao Bai Couple left.

They slipped into the rat hole behind the woodpile and vanished into the dark tunnel.

Wang Chen felt a pang of emptiness.

Though they had not known each other for long.

In his heart, he had already regarded Xiao Bai as family.

But the world rarely went as one wished.

It was not until nightfall that Wang Chen finally shook off the melancholy of parting.

He considered it carefully.

The danger Xiao Bai had warned him of was not yet pressing. With no better way out, all he could do for now was work hard to increase his strength and build up the means to protect himself!

Perhaps because a fierce, striving spirit was pent up inside him.

That night, when Wang Chen once again visualized the True Form Diagram within the "Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma" with all his strength, he swiftly grasped a trace of the profound mysteries of the Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon!

The Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon was one of the Vajra guardians of the Buddhist Sect. Its physical body was incomparably powerful, and it excelled at divine arts that slew demons, banished devils, and annihilated Evil Spirits.

The first three levels of the "Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma" were respectively: Bronze Skin, Jade Bone, and Golden Body.

Once mastered, it would not only allow one to use flesh and blood to withstand the bombardment of Magic Tools, but also resist the possession and corrosion of evil demons!

Without question, it was an exceptionally profound body-tempering technique.

If this technique had not concealed a pitfall, Wang Chen could never have bought it for a mere thirty Spirit Stones.

And comprehending the mysteries of the Heavenly Dragon did not count as truly entering the path.

The Cultivation Panel showed nothing at all.

He took out that bottle of Vajra Butter.

A person could cultivate three powers: physical strength, Mana, and Soul Power.

Physical strength referred to Qi and Blood Power.

The purpose of Vajra Butter was to stimulate Qi and Blood Power to the greatest extent possible, thereby tempering the body and strengthening the physique.

Wang Chen removed every piece of clothing he wore.

He poured the golden-yellow butter from the bottle and evenly spread it all over his body.

He did not even spare his scalp.

Then he repeatedly patted his body, allowing the medicinal power of the Vajra Butter to seep into his skin, flesh, and muscles more quickly.

As the medicinal power spread, Wang Chen immediately felt as if he had been cast into an infernal furnace.

Every inch of his skin and every muscle trembled involuntarily. His bones felt as though ants were crawling over them, while the blood within him suddenly surged faster and faster, its temperature climbing steadily.

In but a moment, Wang Chen was like a boiled shrimp, his skin turning scarlet red!

Numbness, itching, soreness, pain...

All manner of sensations raged through his body, severely testing his will!

Wang Chen struggled to keep his mind clear. Following the introductory formula for the first level of the "Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma," he guided the Qi and Blood Power stimulated by the butter through his entire body.

His muscles continuously contracted and swelled, while great beads of sweat seeped from his pores.

By the end, tiny droplets of blood had even seeped out!

Endure. Keep enduring.

He did not know how much time had passed when Wang Chen suddenly felt his entire body lighten. All the pain and strange sensations within him vanished without a trace.

Physique +1

New changes then appeared in the technique section of the Cultivation Panel.

Techniques:

Primary: Five Elements Technique (Level 4): 8/400

Side: Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma (Level 1): 0/100

The newly initiated "Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma" had not been categorized as a skill.

Instead, it belonged to the category of cultivation methods.

This meant that raising the "Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma" would consume Heavenly Merit.

However, Wang Chen had no time to pay attention to the changes in the Cultivation Panel.

He was carefully experiencing the improvements this cultivation method had brought him.

As well as the changes!

The first update is here.

PS: I went for testing today and stood in line for a long time.

Here, I wish all my reader friends safety, health, and that all your wishes come true!