A Sword Comes From the West, Its Might Overwhelms Great River

Just beat them to a pulp, and that would settle it!

Qin Liangchen spoke with great boldness, his confidence evident in every word.

Luo Chen was only half-convinced.

But on careful thought, Qin Liangchen had risen from humble beginnings, built a home and career in the complex, difficult place that was Great River Market, and had even sent his son into the Fallen Cloud Sect, a major sect second only to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

He must have possessed abilities beyond the ordinary.

As news spread by word of mouth over the past few days, the rules for the Eighteen Death Matches between the two gangs had all been revealed.

Only those below Foundation Establishment were permitted, and there were no restrictions on methods.

The sole restriction was likely the number of talismans used, strictly limited to ten.

This had been proposed by Mi Shuhua of the Mountain Shattering Gang.

He was probably worried that, backed by the Connecting Cloud Commerce Alliance, the Great River Gang would throw around money like dirt and equip its participating cultivators with piles of talismans.

Compared to spells and magic artifacts, talismans activated faster and were no less powerful than spells of the same tier.

If someone really prepared dozens of talismans and fought a Spirit Stone war, the sight would be simply too beautiful to behold.

No Qi Refining Stage cultivator could launch a counterattack beneath a blanket bombardment of talismans.

He had already given the warning, so Luo Chen could not keep nagging on about it.

In truth, as an outsider, there was no way he could know more than the Mountain Shattering Gang's High-Level Personnel.

Even the inside information Sun Shou had casually told him might not have been entirely accurate.

The two chatted for a while longer when the fragrance of food drifted out from the kitchen.

"Dinner!"

Luo Chen immediately scampered home, carrying out the Braised Vermicelli Pig Hind Leg that had been stewing all morning. This meal did not count as mooching—he had contributed a dish too!

"Come, try your sister-in-law's cooking. Before Little Hu entered the sect, what he could not bear to part with most was his mother's home cooking."

Qin Liangchen warmly urged him on. Luo Chen did not stand on ceremony and picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.

"Mmm, not bad. Delicious!"

Murong Qinglian smiled and shook her head, then poured each of the two men a cup of watered wine.

Qin Liangchen drank first, then picked up a piece of the meat Luo Chen had braised.

"You live alone, so I'm afraid you usually just make do with your meals. If you ask me, from now on..."

His eyes widened, as though there were no flavor in his mouth at all.

Then he impatiently picked up another huge chunk of meat, this time chewing it carefully.

"It melts in your mouth, rich without being greasy. There's even a faint medicinal fragrance in the meat, fresh and invigorating like mint."

"Wife, Little Luo's cooking seems even better than yours!"

His praises poured forth without end. Qin Liangchen had no idea what restraint was, and his chopsticks kept darting down.

Murong Qinglian was rather surprised. These days, there truly were not many independent cultivators willing to put such effort into food.

After tasting a bite of Luo Chen's meat, she too narrowed her eyes.

"Little Luo Fellow Daoist, your meat is truly delicious."

Luo Chen chuckled, not modest in the slightest.

In fact, his cooking really did seem unbelievably good.

Perhaps it was thanks to being mixed Sichuan-Chongqing blood in his previous life. Under his mother's constant nagging from childhood, he had developed excellent culinary skills.

He might not have been particularly skilled at handling ingredients, but when it came to seasonings and spices, he had thoroughly grasped the essence of Sichuan cuisine.

Later, he had even relied on his cooking skills to find himself a beautiful girlfriend.

Unfortunately, after going to a big city to struggle and strive, life had not consisted of food alone.

Ah, the past was like wind. Better not to mention it!

After transmigrating here, Luo Chen discovered that the ingredients in the Cultivation World were truly top-tier.

All manner of spirit beast meat, demonic beast meat, vegetables, and fruits had been infused with spiritual energy, each possessing its own unique flavor.

The original owner of this body had also held unique insights into certain medicinal herbs.

Combining the two, Luo Chen could use his limited resources every few days to improve his meals.

The occasional snacks he made, such as beef jerky and stir-fried Bitter Hazelnuts, had all received praise from Wang Yuan, Chen Xiuping, Gu Cai Yi, and the others.

Logically speaking, cultivators did not place much importance on the desires of the palate.

But in truth, that was only true for high-level cultivators.

Low-level cultivators could not live on wind and dew, fasting for a hundred years.

Furthermore, because they constantly drew in and circulated the violent spiritual energy of the outside world, their meridians were often damaged during refinement.

Thus, dietary supplementation was quite popular among low-level cultivators, second only to pills and Medicinal Baths.

Luo Chen was especially so. No matter how difficult his days became, he had rarely gone without Spirit Rice and demonic beast meat.

Without food containing spiritual energy, this body's already poor aptitude would likely have been unable to endure the hardships of cultivation long ago.

The three ate, drank, and chatted.

When they learned that Luo Chen was a pill refiner, Qin Liangchen and his wife were both extremely surprised.

Luo Chen was also curious about what work the two of them did now.

After asking around, he learned that they were actually doing business as well.

"The Ancient Origin Mountain Range is rich in resources. Back then, my wife and I led people to seize Purple Moon Lake, where a kind of Spirit Fish is abundant."

"Although the gang takes more than half the profits, the portion left over alone is enough to support our family's cultivation."

His boastful words carried no small amount of pride and satisfaction in their past hunts in the mountains.

From this mere tip of the iceberg, Luo Chen roughly understood why the Great River Gang and the Connecting Cloud Commerce Alliance coveted the Mountain Shattering Gang's safe routes into the mountains so desperately.

Just one Spirit Fish-producing area allowed the Qin couple, both at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, to live such prosperous lives.

And that was after the Mountain Shattering Gang had taken most of the profits, leaving the Qin Family with only a tiny share.

Looking at the larger picture, the Mountain Shattering Gang had over a thousand members and had spent more than a century cultivating the Ancient Origin Mountain Range.

With wave after wave pressing forward, who knew how many medicinal herb growing grounds and patterns of demonic beast activity they had mastered?

Those were all benefits enough to make anyone's eyes turn red!

As the three chatted, they suddenly raised their heads at the same time.

A shrill cry exploded like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Then, at the edge of their vision, a streak of golden light shot from the western horizon like a falling star, hurtling straight toward Great River Market.

"What is that?"

The golden streak was so fast that it had been at the ends of the earth one moment, then right before their eyes the next.

Luo Chen sprang to his feet in haste, staring intently at the golden streak.

About five breaths later, the golden streak slowed, trailing a faint mark carved through the air as it plunged into the depths of the Marketplace like a bird returning to its nest.

Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion!

Qin Liangchen stepped to his side. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, he gazed at the white trail left in the clear sky and drew a deep breath.

"A sword cultivator—a sword cultivator of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. And a Golden Core Sword Cultivator who has upgraded his Sword Pellet into a magic treasure and rides Sword Light through the air!"

A Sword Pellet Magic Treasure, traveling by Evasive Light.

A Sword Comes From the West!

Luo Chen's mind shook.

This was the first time he had witnessed the power of a high-level cultivator in this world.

It had only been a fleeting glimpse, but the thunderous force of breaking through the air, the bearing of coming and going unhindered, left his heart unable to settle for a long while.

"Among cultivators of the same tier, sword cultivators possess the strongest attacks and the fastest escape speed. It is precisely because the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect has so many such high-end fighters that it can gain a foothold at the edge of the Million Mountains."

Qin Liangchen gestured as if surveying the realm, then stroked his chin. "This Golden Core Immortal should have come to preside over the opening of Great River Market's Dao Discussion Stage."

Luo Chen asked curiously, "Would a mere Dao Discussion Stage really warrant the dispatch of a Golden Core Immortal?"

"Haha, Little Luo, that is where you are mistaken." Qin Liangchen laughed and pointed at the sealed-off small mountain behind the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. "The Dao Discussion Stage is one of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's few major industries. Once it opens, if it is run properly, it can earn a great many Spirit Stones."

"Furthermore, while each Marketplace only has a sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator holding the fort, their facilities are basically constructed according to Golden Core Cultivator standards."

"For example, the City Protecting Array in Great River Market's Inner City is a Golden Core Array capable of defending against a Tier 3 Beast King."

"It is only because sword cultivators have difficulty advancing that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect cannot assign corresponding Golden Core Cultivators to every Marketplace."

He understood. The facilities were Golden Core-grade.

But there were too few people in the sect, so they could only have Foundation Establishment Cultivators stand guard.

"This Golden Core Immortal probably arrived first only because he was too fast."

Qin Liangchen gazed toward the distant horizon, speaking thoughtfully. "With the Dao Discussion Stage opening, there should also be many Inner Disciples and outer disciples responsible for trivial matters coming over."

As expected of a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator who had traveled through other regions—his knowledge and experience far surpassed those of ordinary low-level cultivators.

Just as he had predicted, roughly half an hour later, several Evasive Lights faintly appeared west of Great River Market.

Around seven Evasive Lights of varying colors escorted an enormous flying vessel as it slowly approached Great River Market.

This "slowly" was only in comparison to the speed of that Sword Comes From the West just now.

In reality, they were still incredibly fast.

From the moment they first came into view until they stopped above Great River Market, less than half an incense stick's time had passed.

Such an unconcealed, grand procession naturally drew the attention of all Great River Market.

Countless people raised their heads, their gazes fixed on the seven figures standing atop flying swords and the flying vessel circling overhead like a shadow.

Then, large numbers of figures appeared atop the flying vessel.

One Qi Refinement Cultivator after another either controlled flying sword magic artifacts or used the Wind Riding Art to emerge from the vessel.

Then, like mayflies, they entered the Inner City one after another.

After everyone had left, the flying vessel gradually shrank, as though summoned back by someone, and shot into the towering Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.

At that point, not a single person or object remained in the sky.

It was as though the scene from before had been nothing but an illusion.

Yet within Great River Market, whether local independent cultivators or visiting cultivators, everyone knew that this place had welcomed its true master.

The name of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect pressed heavily upon every heart.