Geniuses Always Have to Face Troubles Unlike Anyone Else

Coincidentally, this happened less than a quarter of an hour after Xiao Chen entered the Ten Thousand Immortals Archipelago.

A figure in the distance came forward to greet them.

The newcomer was none other than Heng Yi True Monarch, who greeted him with a smile and clasped hands.

After exchanging several polite and tactful remarks, she then subtly inquired about Xiao Chen's purpose in coming.

There was nothing we could do; the Nether Sky Sea incident happened too suddenly.

So much so that after the news spread, everyone was somewhat uneasy.

After learning that Xiao Chen was merely settling old scores, and that he also had a minor conflict with the Ten Thousand Immortals Island Jin Family.

Heng Yi True Monarch breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "There's no need for Fellow Daoist Xiao to handle such a trivial matter personally."

"Just let me know, and I'll have my staff handle it."

For him, the biggest worry is the possibility of a situation where communication becomes completely impossible.

As long as Xiao Chen can provide a plausible reason on the surface, everything is negotiable.

Moreover, in the Cultivation World, revenge is considered a matter of course and a matter of course.

"Forget it, no need to make a fuss, I can do it myself."

Xiao Chen waved his hand, declining the suggestion. "It's just a small thing, it doesn't take much effort."

Heng Yi True Monarch immediately chimed in, "Look at my loose tongue, always spouting nonsense and offering nonsensical ideas."

"Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. It's definitely more satisfying and cathartic to take revenge personally."

"Then I won't take up any more of your time, fellow cultivator."

"The Jin Family is in that direction, about 12,000 li away."

As he spoke, he also gave directions.

Just as Xiao Chen said, dealing with the Jin Family was a piece of cake.

In less than 15 minutes, the warehouse was completely cleaned.

Xiao Chen counted the Spirit Stone and was immediately surprised. "A Golden Core Lineage can actually save up 2.33 million Spirit Stone. They must have done a lot of bad things."

Thinking back to the Jin Family cultivators' tacit act of repaying kindness with enmity, they must have done similar things many times before.

Therefore, it seems that after this round of liquidation...

Not only has Xiao Chen settled old grudges from previous years, but the environment of the entire Storm Sea should also improve considerably in a short period of time.

After all, with so many villains gone, even if new villains emerge in the future, there will at least be a relatively stable period of peace and stability.

That is indeed the case.

After Heng Yi True Monarch revealed the main reason why Xiao Chen took action, for the next few years, large and small forces and cultivation Lineage began to strictly restrain their disciples.

This has greatly improved the Living Environment for the independent cultivators in the Inner Sea compared to before.

After leaving the Ten Thousand Immortals Archipelago, Xiao Chen headed straight for the Dragon Slaying Sea to attend the banquet.

The journey was smooth sailing, without any obstacles encountered.

The Soul Division Sword Pavilion has also made full preparations.

Since there was plenty of time, Lie Que True Monarch simply cleared out the entire side peak and demolished and rebuilt all the pavilions and towers on it.

He diligently guided his disciples who specialized in bricklaying.

They have put their heart and soul into creating a warm and bright academy, where Fire Spiritual Power flows, making it very suitable for Fire Element Cultivator to live in.

They even used an array to plan the flow of Spiritual Qi, causing the Fire Spiritual Power on this side peak to be highly concentrated, condensing into a faint red mist in the sky directly above.

It looks increasingly ethereal and otherworldly, like a paradise on earth.

"Ah... Daoist Lie Que, you are too kind."

Xiao Chen was taken aback at first glance, but fortunately he immediately guessed the other party's intention.

It's likely that he witnessed the perfected Crimson Sky Mountain Severing Palm at the Heavenly Sound Sect, which led him to subconsciously identify himself as Fire Spiritual Root cultivator.

This isn't a big problem for him.

While others may have specific requirements for their cultivation environment, Xiao Chen is different. He Condense True Essence using the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method>, which costs him Spirit Stone.

Therefore, it has no effect regardless of the external Spiritual Qi environment.

"Not at all, not at all Dragon Slaying Sea is located near the outer edge, so the overall conditions are relatively simple. I'm just glad Daoist Xiao doesn't mind."

Upon hearing Lie Que True Monarch first responded with a smile, then changed the subject. "Most of my disciples are dull-witted; I need to keep an eye on them first."

"Please wait in the courtyard for a few hours, fellow Daoist. We will discuss this further at the banquet."

After saying this, he got up to take his leave, seemingly to prepare for the promised Spirit Fish Banquet.

However, not long after Lie Que True Monarch left, Xiao Chen had just entered the courtyard to tour it and hadn't even had a chance to go inside and sit down.

Then, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside.

Immediately afterwards, a young man wearing a tall mountain-shaped hat and a red robe with auspicious cloud patterns arrived at the gate of the Daoist temple.

"Bang bang bang!"

He first raised his hand and knocked on the already open door, then bowed to Xiao Chen, who turned around to look.

He then introduced himself unhurriedly, "My name is Luo Qihui, a contemporary practitioner of Qinghe Temple."

"I have come today on the orders of my sect to pay my respects to the Demon Burning True Monarch."

As he spoke, he deliberately released his Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivation aura to demonstrate his strength, while bowing slightly to show his respect.

"Oh~?"

Xiao Chen was initially surprised, then returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "So it's Fellow Daoist Luo in person. I've long admired your sect."

"Fellow Daoist, please don't stand on ceremony, please come in."

"I've heard so much about you" is just a figure of speech, of course.

In fact, it was only not long ago that Xiao Chen learned from the Yin Corpse Sect's Scripture Pavilion that there were several relatively active Hidden Dao Heritage within the Storm Sea.

For example, the Flame Manipulation School, and then there's the Qinghe Temple, which took the initiative to come to us.

It is said that there are also some rather secluded sects such as the Jade Dawn Sect and the Academy of Self-Knowing.

However, the Yin Corpse Sect knew very little about these Hidden Dao Heritage; they were almost limited to simply knowing that such a thing existed.

On the contrary, the Heavenly Sound Sect's Scripture Pavilion contained records of relevant information they had obtained from Hundred Herbs City and the Demon Subduing Sword Sect.

It was mentioned that Qinghe Temple has a long history, but it rarely holds events on ordinary days.

They are basically only active for a year or two every hundred years or so.

The main purpose is to acquire some basic resources from the outside world to supplement our supplies, and incidentally, to select a few 'destined' cultivators in the mortal realm to take back with us.

Most of the time, they are young children with good natural talents.

Occasionally, they will select rogue cultivators who demonstrate good character during the trials.

As a result, several folk tales about mysterious immortals and encounters with them have been preserved in some places.

However, the fact that they sent people into the mortal world less than a century ago to specifically search for Xiao Chen is clearly different from their usual approach.

I don't know what their purpose was.

Because there was a brazier in the very center of this Daoist temple, and a viewing pavilion was built around it.

So Xiao Chen pointed directly to the stone benches in the pavilion and led the other person to sit down.

"I had heard before I came that you are a young and promising person."

Luo Qihui spoke up first, "Who would have thought that you would look even younger than the rumors suggest, fellow Daoist?"

"Indeed, heroes have always emerged from among the young; the ancients were right."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately waved his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, you flatter me. I was just lucky and managed to gain some insights during my seclusion."

The two chatted idly for two rounds.

I've gotten a little familiar with it now.

Luo Qihui finally changed the subject and began to state his purpose. "To be honest, I have come here today to visit you, fellow Daoist, to discuss other important matters."

"This is a long story, mainly involving some past events."

"Furthermore, I'm not good with words, so I might be a bit long-winded when I speak. Please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen smiled and nodded slightly, indicating that the other party should speak freely.

So Luo Qihui started by talking about the establishment of Qinghe Temple and briefly described some important changes that followed.

Although it was clear that he was trying to keep it brief.

However, nearly 500,000 years have passed since Qinghe Temple was first established.

Therefore, no matter how concise it is, it still sounds somewhat bloated and unpleasant.

After listening to the whole thing, Xiao Chen roughly understood two things.

The first thing is that they have been hiding for a very long time since Qinghe Temple chose to withdraw from the world more than 300,000 years ago.

Over time, they accumulated some cultivation resources.

In the past two years, many Golden Core True Person have emerged within the sect, making the original island somewhat overcrowded.

Therefore, they began to rethink whether it was possible to re-engage with the world.

Against this backdrop, they wanted to inquire about Xiao Chen's views on the future situation of the Lightless Sea and the Cloud Pool Sea.

The second thing is that Qinghe Temple pays close attention to changes in the external situation and to outstanding figures in the world.

At the same time, although they have not yet fully decided whether to emerge into the world, they are already preparing to establish a Stronghold in the outside world.

If Xiao Chen is willing, he can come here and register as an Honorary Elder, without having to do any work.

All related benefits are negotiable and can be paid according to the highest standards.

If there are special circumstances requiring his help, we will consult with him and offer him a fair additional compensation.

Ultimately, whether or not to agree to help is entirely up to Xiao Chen.

You can refuse if you don't want to, and you don't need a reason.

It can be said that they offered very favorable terms.

Of course, these two things can also be simply understood as one sentence.

That means Qinghe Temple is already preparing to emerge, and has begun recruiting soldiers and horses and absorbing Guest Elder ahead of time.

Of course, the reality is definitely dozens of times more complicated than this, but that's the general idea.

"Um... I think it's great that your organization has this idea."

Xiao Chen wasn't particularly interested in these things, nor did he really want to be a Guest Elder: "However, I don't actually know much about these things, so I probably can't offer any useful advice."

"As for the Honorary Elder position, I'm not considering that for now."

"The main issue is the time commitment, and I also really don't have the extra energy."

Simply put, he maintains a neutral stance.

They will neither support the emergence of Qinghe Temple, nor will they stand up to oppose it.

Upon hearing this, Luo Qihui breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Before he came here, his biggest worry was that Xiao Chen and the forces behind him would openly oppose him.

If they already have plans for the Lightless Sea and the Cloud Pool Sea.

The entire plan of Qinghe Temple would be disrupted, and they might even be forced to seek a more suitable opportunity.

There was no other way; we couldn't very well fight Xiao Chen to steal the Spirit Vein.

Let's not even talk about how many True Lord are standing behind him.

He couldn't possibly handle this alone.

Upon hearing Xiao Chen's neutral opinion on the matter of Qinghe Temple's emergence into the world, Luo Qihui finally put aside his worries and became even more determined to leave the world.

Since such a golden opportunity has presented itself, we must seize it.

There are only so many Fourth-Order Spirit Vein in the Eastern Domain. If you miss this opportunity, who knows how long you'll have to wait?

Of course, Luo Qihui hadn't forgotten his second purpose and continued his enthusiastic sales pitch, "Daoist Xiao may have some misunderstanding about our Honorary Elder."

"Actually, this matter is not busy at all, and it will not take up your time or energy."

"To put it bluntly, I just want to borrow your name as a protective shield to deter potential villains."

"Aside from the occasional need for you to show your face and lend some clout."

"In reality, there will be no more trivial matters to bother you, and it will definitely not affect your cultivation."

Is it really that direct?

Xiao Chen was slightly surprised by his straightforwardness, but he still politely declined the suggestion. "Well, let me think about it slowly."

"It might not be appropriate to give you a direct answer right now."

Although, in Luo Qihui's words, this Honorary Elder sounded like a free lunch.

I can totally agree to it and get a free cultivation resource.

However, Xiao Chen knew very well that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

If I agree to this, who knows what trouble I might encounter in the future.

It wasn't that he was worried about getting into trouble, but simply that he didn't want to expend too much energy and also felt it wasn't worth it.

First of all, Xiao Chen actually has quite a few cultivation resources at his disposal.

Besides, how much salary can Honorary Elder who don't do any work actually receive?

He didn't even need to ask the price to know that it wouldn't be much.

For him, it wouldn't be said that it was dispensable, but it was certainly insignificant.

Secondly, Xiao Chen's situation is completely different from that of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, he has a problem that no one else has.

You should know that, given his current condition, it won't be long before he's able to break through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Although he didn't know how long it would take to break through to the Spirit Transformation, he was very confident in himself and believed that he would succeed sooner or later.

That's where the problem arises.

If Xiao Chen agrees to become Honorary Elder of Qinghe Temple, what level of strength should be used as a benchmark for his offer?

Should it be the Nascent Soul Middle Stage?

Or is it highly likely that he will break through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage within two years?

Or perhaps a future Nascent Soul Great Perfection expert, or even Spirit Transformation Venerable?

If the price is too low, then Xiao Chen will be at a loss.

But if the price is too high, will Qinghe Temple be able to accept the price regarding future cultivation levels?

I'm afraid that's impossible.

Just kidding, who knows when you'll actually break through? There's no such logic to it.

For ordinary cultivators, this is not a problem.

Because it often takes ordinary cultivators decades or even centuries for their strength to change, and only then will this situation arise.

But Xiao Chen is different.

He might break through in less than two years, and even after that, he might continue to break through within two years.

Although it sounded like a fantasy to outsiders, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

Sigh, his rapid breakthroughs have brought him extra trouble!

Xiao Chen sighed inwardly. Geniuses always have to face the troubles of being different; perhaps this is what they call being envied by the heavens.

"I understand, I was too hasty in asking."

Luo Qihui immediately smiled and agreed, "This kind of thing definitely needs to be decided after careful consideration."

"However, I can state my position in advance."

"Qinghe Temple always welcomes fellow Daoists. Whenever you wish to come, we can discuss it."

He naturally understood the refusal in Xiao Chen's words.

But after only a brief period of disappointment, he came to terms with it.

After all, from the very beginning, Luo Qihui didn't expect to achieve both of his goals just by coming to meet him once.

He was already quite satisfied to have obtained the important information that Xiao Chen maintained a neutral stance through today's conversation.

As for winning them over and gaining more support, that can be left for next time.

As the saying goes, haste makes waste.

Pushing too hard might only backfire.

Therefore, Luo Qihui only said a few general polite words afterward.

Then he took the initiative to get up and say goodbye, "I really hit it off with Fellow Daoist Xiao today. I wish I could stay and talk all night long."

"However, I have important business to attend to this time, so it is really inconvenient for me to stay any longer."

"If there is another opportunity next time, I will come to pay my respects to Fellow Daoist Xiao again."

Xiao Chen didn't try to stop him, and smiled as he saw him off.

Then, less than fifteen minutes later...

Lie Que True Monarch appeared just in time and immediately apologized, saying, "Daoist Xiao, I'm truly sorry."

"The main reason is that my previous master had a past relationship with Qinghe Temple, and since they came specifically to ask for my help, I really couldn't refuse, so I let him into the temple."

"If his words or actions have offended you, I apologize in advance."

"In addition, this is Ten Thousand Year Red Ginseng that he specially sent to me to pay my respects to my fellow Daoist."

"I have no right to accept this. Please accept it as an apology."

Is that true?

Xiao Chen was a little surprised that Luo Qihui would actually be willing to take out a Fourth-Order Spiritual Item just to see him.

It should be noted that Red Ginseng that is over 5,000 years old is already considered a mid- Fourth-tier Mid-grade Spiritual Material.

This Ten Thousand Year Red Ginseng is only worth more, at least equivalent to three or four ordinary 5,000-year-old salvia miltiorrhiza plants.

However, this is indeed a strength of some Hidden Dao Heritage.

If Xiao Chen wasn't mistaken, there should be a dedicated Spirit Herb Garden on the secluded island of Qinghe Temple, where a batch of Fourth-Order Spirit Medicine were specially planted.

The purpose is to have something presentable as a stepping stone when cultivating relationships with outsiders in the future.

These high-grade spirit medicine are especially favored by advanced Alchemist.

The only pity is that Xiao Chen still has a lot of room for improvement in Pill Dao.

Moreover, now that he has the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method>, he has little time left to study Pill Dao.

Unless we can acquire Hextech that will aid in our cultivation of the Dao Arts, we'll probably have to keep pushing it forward.

Actually, we had a fairly pleasant conversation.

Xiao Chen waved his hand. "So there's no need for apologies or anything like that, it's not that serious."

"As long as there aren't any more sudden 'attacks' like this, everything will be fine."

Um?

What kind of expression is that?

Xiao Chen noticed that after he finished speaking...

Lie Que True Monarch's expression was somewhat strange, a mixture of embarrassment and a forced smile.

No, there are other people?

Xiao Chen had thought this was a Spirit Fish Banquet, the key being the Dragon Blood Red Cod King, and that he was just there to eat fish.

But judging from this situation, he might actually be the key.

Or rather, people seem to pay more attention to him as a person than to the Dragon Blood Red Cod King.

Hmm, no big problem!

Xiao Chen casually put away the Ten Thousand Year Red Ginseng: "Tell me honestly, who else came?"

"And is this the only spirit medicine herb?"

Since things have come to this point, I guess I should at least collect a meeting fee.

"Daoist Xiao truly has keen insight!"

Lie Que True Monarch immediately smiled and took out another Blazing Rock Lotus Crystal: "Actually, Daoist Xiang from the Flame Manipulation School has also come and would like to meet you at the banquet."

"This is Fire-element Spirit Item that he brought specially."

"However, this was originally intended as a gift to you, fellow Daoist. It should have been given out in installments. It's not that I intentionally hid it from you."

The value of Blazing Rock Lotus Crystal and Ten Thousand Year Red Ginseng is basically the same.

Whether it was tacit understanding, coincidence, or something they had discussed beforehand, it's hard to say.

But none of that mattered anymore; since they were willing to give it, Xiao Chen simply accepted it.

Who would complain about an extra Fourth-Order Spiritual Item?

Anyway, he doesn't mind.

"Okay, when will the banquet begin?"

Now that he had accepted the gifts, Xiao Chen immediately asked about the time to meet.

"The other dishes and wine have been prepared and are located in the center of the Sect Hall."

Lie Que True Monarch immediately replied, "The only one that takes a while to prepare is the Dragon Blood Red Cod King; I estimate it will take about fifteen minutes."

"We can go there now, or we can go later."

"Everything will be based on your opinion, fellow Daoist."

Realizing that Xiao Chen was not angry, Lie Que True Monarch was overjoyed.

Despite all his efforts, he ended up not getting a single spiritual item.

In fact, since he arranged this meeting, both Luo Qihui and Xiang Yiyang owe him a favor.

At the same time, sending out the spiritual object to ensure that Xiao Chen is not angry is equivalent to making a profit without any investment.

Anyway, Lie Que True Monarch was still content. He had already gained two favors for free, and it was the worst thing to be too greedy in life.

The two arrived together in the Sect Hall.

The spacious round table was already laden with 364 dishes, only the main course in the center was missing.

However, apart from Xiang Yiyang, who was already waiting in the hall, there were no maids or servants present.

This was probably to prevent the subsequent conversation from being accidentally leaked.

After all, rather than choosing to believe in their loyalty to the Soul Division Sword Pavilion, it's better to prevent them from becoming acquainted in the first place, thus eliminating the possibility of spies leaking secrets to the outside world at the source.

"Daoist Xiao, it's been a long time!"

Hearing the commotion, Xiang Yiyang had already stood up. "Six years have passed since we parted ways on Heaven Star Island."

"But I will always remember your heroic figure when you unleashed the Sky-rushing Palm."

"Especially the scene where he shattered the Grand Void Cloud Light Barrier with his Golden Core Cultivation, truly made me feel inferior and left an unforgettable impression."

"I also often regret that I didn't make friends with fellow Daoists on the island and discuss Fire Method together."

"It's a pleasure to meet you again today; it fulfills a wish I've had for years."

Xiao Chen did it quite discreetly at the time, and all outsiders, unaware of the Mechanical Grappling Claw, assumed that he shattered the Grand Void Cloud Light Barrier with his Sky-rushing Palm.

This is precisely why the rumor spread that he was pursuing the Path of Enlightenment.