Return to Hundred Herbs City, Gathering Together

Xiao Chen had heard about the Metal Stone Pill before.

They also knew that the situation in the Holy City was special, as it was a gathering place for almost all the elites of the New Cultivation World.

However, he previously believed that it was merely a larger gathering place with more high-level cultivators.

It was only this time that he realized that such a gathering seemed to have brought about a fundamental difference.

When a place gathers a sufficient number of high-level cultivators for a sufficiently long period of time.

That place will then take on a completely different appearance, and at the same time generate many new demands and conditions.

As the saying goes, quantitative change leads to qualitative change!

That's why the Yan Family worked so hard to create the Blazing Flame Warship, a weapon of war designed to fight against multiple Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

That's why the He Family was able to afford the enormous losses caused by repeated failed attempts at improvement, and finally found a feasible Metal Stone Pill Recipes.

This is definitely not just because they are one of the Seven Great Clans and possess abundant resources.

More importantly, the existence of the Holy City provided a reason for doing so.

If it were any sect in the Eastern Domain, they would absolutely not do such a thing.

Of course, they might try it, but if they fail once or twice, they will immediately give up the idea and cut their losses.

For example, Hundred Herbs City wouldn't think about improving a similar ancient Pill Formula.

Even if they work hard to create it, it's difficult for them to recoup the time and effort they've invested and the loss of the spiritual items.

However, the He Family need not worry about not having a market in the future.

As long as they can master this new Pill Formula, they will have no shortage of Nascent Soul True Lord bringing their life savings to trade.

From at least the Lineage's perspective, it's worthwhile to do so.

If we look at it over a longer period, they can not only recoup their losses, but they should also be able to make a substantial extra profit.

This difference in mindset, stemming from the different overall environments, is the fundamental reason for the different situations in the Two Realms!

Of course, there's an even more important point.

That is, this new type of Three Talents Spirit Strengthening Pill is a very useful thing for all cultivators who aspire to break through to the Spirit Transformation, including Xiao Chen!

No wonder the Shattered Gold True Monarch said that this gave him something to look forward to.

If a relatively stable supply can be established using spirit ore as raw material, that would certainly be a good thing.

In particular, Xiao Chen is not afraid of competing with other True Lord at all; he is only afraid of not having the opportunity to compete.

This is obviously good news for him; it all depends on when the He Family is prepared to put the property up for public sale.

However, since they have already announced this news openly, they may have already made the necessary preparations.

I believe that day is not far off, it might even be within a month or two.

The only problem is that something so new probably won't be available to the outside world for a while.

If Xiao Chen wants to get his hands on it, he might need to make a trip to the Holy City in person.

Especially considering the new Three Talents Spirit Strengthening Pill, it will almost certainly attract competition from other Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

This is really not something you can delegate to someone else.

Firstly, if one's cultivation level and strength are insufficient, one simply lacks the ability to compete.

For example, even if Chen Fan were to break through to the Nascent Soul now, as Newly Promoted Nascent Soul, he still wouldn't be able to possess strength far exceeding his current level like Xiao Chen himself.

Secondly, if you ask someone else for help, they may not necessarily do their best.

After all, fighting over something like that is a risky business that can offend people.

Even if you seek help from the Rebellious Immortal Alliance, they will likely prioritize meeting the needs of their own people and are unlikely to resell the product to outsiders.

Therefore, after careful consideration, it really seems that Xiao Chen has to handle this matter personally to make things more reliable.

At the same time, it concerns the Dao Path, and therefore deserves his utmost attention.

Of course, this matter is important, but there's no need to rush it.

First of all, the He Family has not announced their intention to sell the company, nor have they discussed the terms of the transaction.

Secondly, although the new Three Talents Spirit Strengthening Pill is good, the Cultivation World is vast, and there are more than just this one kind of Breakthrough Spirit Pill.

Xiao Chen might be able to obtain other similar elixirs from other places, such as the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven.

Although there are no relevant clues at the moment, there is still some hope.

However, whether in the Holy City or the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven, there is a possibility of encountering Spirit Transformation Venerable.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen felt it was necessary for him to create a False Identity in the New Cultivation World in advance, just in case.

Although he didn't really want to go to the Holy City, and he might not even need to use this False Identity in the future.

But no one can predict the future.

We should adopt a "better safe than sorry" approach to avoid the awkward situation of not being prepared when we might need to go to the Holy City in the future.

Judging from this, I should go back and visit Master Cai again later.

Since we're going to use False Identity, we should start planning early. The earlier we start, the more prepared we can be, and the less likely we are to be discovered.

With his mind preoccupied, Xiao Chen didn't feel like staying any longer.

After chatting with the Shattered Gold True Monarch for a few more minutes, he took the initiative to get up and say goodbye.

They left with a list of auxiliary materials and returned to Pingyi City.

As long as the Cai Family cooperates, it is not difficult to carry out the forgery of identities.

Not only did Master Cai not object, but he also actively offered advice and suggestions.

If they can achieve in-depth cooperation in this way, it would be quite beneficial for them.

At least until the False Identity causes problems, there's basically no need to worry about being abandoned after using someone else's services.

The entire disguise plan was quickly devised, with all the details handled by Master Cai himself to ensure it could withstand investigation in the future.

The most difficult part was actually helping Xiao Chen come up with a fake name.

Master Cai has no say in this matter.

It's up to Xiao Chen to decide.

The problem is, he's not very good at naming things.

The previous Chen Xiao was clearly not up to par; as a ' Cai Family member,' he definitely needs to have the surname Cai.

Xiao Chen pondered for a long time but still couldn't come up with a good name.

Finally, they decided to follow the Cai Family's generational naming conventions. "Among the current generation of the Cai Family, those around thirty years old, what generational naming convention do they belong to?"

Mr. Cai immediately replied, "Most of them are from the 'you' generation."

His reminder made Xiao Chen remember that the woman he had met at the Cai Family's gate last time was Cai Youzhu's wife and daughter from the seventh branch.

If that's the case, then things are much easier to discuss.

"I've always preferred to win people over with virtue, so let's just call myself 'Virtuous'."

Xiao Chen instantly thought of a nice-sounding and easy-to-remember fake name, "Full name: Cai Youde, what do you think?"

Actually, he originally wanted to call Cai Youqian (meaning "Cai Has Money").

Firstly, because I do have a lot of Spirit Stone on hand, and secondly, because I can more reasonably raise the price during future bidding.

Since I'm already considered wealthy, it's normal for me to raise prices significantly, right?

Unfortunately, after careful consideration, Xiao Chen realized that the name seemed somewhat inappropriate, mainly because it did not conform to the naming conventions of a large family like the Cai Family family.

The most important aspects of False Identity are security, mediocrity, and the ability to avoid attracting attention.

So he settled for the less common pseudonym Youde.

After all, martial virtue is also a virtue.

Although Xiao Chen is young, he does indeed value martial ethics.

They rarely resort to sneak attacks; they always crush their enemies through sheer strength and honesty.

"This is a good name; it won't attract attention if you say it out loud."

Master Cai also felt good about it.

For large Lineage, names like "virtuous," "talented," and "polite" are so common they're practically everywhere.

But it is precisely because it is so common that it appears so stable and predictable.

And so the matter was settled.

Next, Xiao Chen took a rather ordinary bamboo hat from the Cai Family's warehouse.

Then, he deliberately wore a straw hat and followed an elder of the Cai Clan Elder to take a tour of Pingyi City.

Pretend to be a young disciple who has come out with Lineage elder to observe the family business.

He deliberately chose to walk in areas with more people, trying to make sure that most of the independent cultivators in the city could see him.

Meanwhile, within the Cai Lineage, Master Cai also orchestrated a series of disguises.

For example, in the warehouse accounts, some low-level spiritual items with unknown whereabouts are falsely reported as lost, including Foundation Establishment and other Breakthrough Spirit Item.

For example, adding names to the spare family genealogy in the study and aging it.

This is to ensure that even if an insider comes to spy on the Warehouse or study in the future, they will not notice the problem, and may even be misled instead.

Xiao Chen stayed at the Cai Family's house for about ten days, simulating real-life experiences to fill in any gaps in his knowledge.

Along the way, he also followed Master Cai to secretly visit a family friend, pretending to seek guidance on cultivation.

After completing the initial camouflage, they found a safe place to return to the Storm Sea.

It was only the end of mid-February.

Since the Exchange Meet was scheduled for the end of the month, Xiao Chen simply focused on cultivating for a few more days.

They didn't set off for Hundred Herbs City until February 26th.

We traveled at a leisurely pace and arrived just in time for the morning of the 27th.

Six years have passed, and Hundred Herbs City still looks exactly the same as it did back then, almost completely unchanged.

Xiao Chen's gaze swept over the string of somewhat familiar shops, and for a moment, he felt a surge of emotions.

Looking back, when he first arrived in the Eastern Domain, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people, and this was the first place he stayed.

In order to participate in the Hundred Herbs Secret Realm, I stayed there for quite a while.

Therefore, looking at the entire Storm Sea, the place Xiao Chen was most familiar with was Hundred Herbs City.

At that time, he was only at the Early-stage Golden Core realm and was still envious of Fourth-Order Spiritual Item.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, advancing by more than an entire Major Realm.

He had already collected hundreds of different Fourth-Order Spiritual Item in his personal Storage Ring.

A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind, and I truly felt a sense of things having changed.

"Senior, would you like to catch some of the finest White Jade Little Azure Dragon to eat?"

The patron at the shop entrance, seeing Xiao Chen standing and looking around, immediately greeted him, "This is one of the most famous Spirit Wine in our Hundred Herbs City."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen also became somewhat interested.

He bought eight large jars of liquor back then, and for a period of time he would have several cups almost every day.

Of course, it's not for indulging in alcohol, but to assist in spiritual practice.

It wasn't until later, when the wondrous uses of the Demon Core were discovered, that it was able to replace it.

Now that we're standing here again, it feels like fate. "Okay, then give me a jar."

Upon hearing this, the usher beamed with joy. "Thank you for your patronage, senior. A whole jar of White Jade Little Azure Dragon wine will be yours for two thousand Spirit Stone."

After receiving the Spirit Stone, the clerk immediately ran all the way to carry out a large jar of Spirit Wine from the shop.

Xiao Chen immediately opened the jar and took a small sip from the whole thing.

Yes, it still tastes the same as before.

His act of drinking from a jar in the street naturally attracted the attention of some independent cultivators.

However, Xiao Chen ignored them, put away the Spirit Wine, and went directly to the City Lord Manor.

After he left, a rogue cultivator asked curiously, "Daoist Zhang, didn't you think that senior's appearance was exactly the same as the portrait of Demon Burning True Monarch?"

However, Fellow Daoist Zhang was standing nearby, did not have time to answer the question.

Instead, he immediately took two steps at a time and rushed to the shop entrance with two other cultivators who also reacted quickly.

Then he shouted directly at the clerk, "Give me ten thousand... no, twenty thousand Spirit Stone worth of Spirit Wine!"

"It must be from the same batch as the previous jar; earlier or later won't do, it has to be from the same batch!"

Normally, the older the wine, the more valuable it is.

However, for them, the same Spirit Wine purchased by the Demon Burning True Monarch was clearly the most precious.

The clerk hadn't yet realized what was happening.

In a daze, three Golden Core True Person dragged him away and swept up all the remaining thirty-odd jars of Spirit Wine from the same batch.

Before he could even figure out why business was suddenly so good today...

Looking up, I saw that the three seniors from before had actually set up a stall right in front of the shop.

The Spirit Wine, originally priced at two thousand per jar, was immediately relisted at a high price of six thousand Spirit Stone.

He was utterly dumbfounded; he was completely stunned.

Is this even allowed?

However, these were just minor incidents for Xiao Chen.

He had already arrived inside the City Lord Manor.

The guards at the entrance had already seen his portrait, and immediately bowed and greeted him respectfully before leading him into the Tea Hall.

Then another elderly man, who seemed to be a butler, took over the guidance and led him to the small garden in the backyard.

The design here is truly unique.

Before passing through the moon gate at the garden entrance, one can only smell the fragrance of flowers, but cannot see the blossoms themselves.

However, upon entering, a vast expanse of Zi Yan spiritual flowers immediately came into view.

For a moment, the sheer number of flowers was overwhelming, leaving one unsure which one to admire first.

"Daoist Xiao has arrived! Please, invite him in!"

Withered Leaf True Monarch was one of the first to arrive here, and he was currently sitting in the Long Pavilion in the middle of the garden, chatting with the other True Lord.

Upon seeing this, he was the first to stand up and greet them warmly.

The others followed suit and greeted them.

Xiao Chen noticed that although the Exchange Meet last for three days, there were no restrictions on whether one arrived early or late.

However, all the True Lord of the Inner Sea, including Withered Leaf True Monarch and Hidden Ice True Monarch were in the Lightless Sea, had already arrived early on the first morning.

It seems they also attach great importance to this Exchange Meet.

Among the Nascent Soul True Lord that Xiao Chen could recognize, Xiang Yiyang had also arrived at the scene.

Only City Lord Huo's good friend, Lantern-Bearing True Monarch, and Luo Qihui of Qinghe Temple have not yet arrived.

Besides them, there were two other True Lord present, one old and one young, both of whom looked somewhat unfamiliar.

At this moment, they all stood up with the others, smiling and nodding slightly at Xiao Chen.

Let me introduce myself to you.

Huo Xinghuai spoke up promptly, "This is the Demon Burning True Monarch, who has become famous throughout the world in recent months. Everyone should already know him, so I won't go into details."

He first walked up to the old man. "This is the former sect master of the Demon Subduing Sword Sect."

"He has almost mastered the Demon Subduing Sword Canon to its fullest extent, especially his Thousand Peaks Sword Qi, which is incomparably sharp. Therefore, everyone calls him the Thousand Peaks True Monarch."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately cupped his hands in greeting. "So it's Fellow Daoist Qianfeng, I've long admired your name!"

"I've long heard of the Demon Subduing Sword Sect's reputation, and seeing them today, I can confirm their righteous aura. They truly deserve to be called a prestigious sect."

The two exchanged a few more polite words.

Huo Xinghuai then approached the young man at the opportune moment. "This fellow Daoist is also a Sword Cultivator, none other than the Southern Swordsman, one of the so-called North-South Twin Swords."

"His uniquely cultivated 'Carefree Flowing Sword Intent' is unparalleled in the world."

Therefore, he acquired another elegant title – Azure Pine Sword Master.

Xiao Chen clasped his hands in a fist salute again, still saying that he had long admired the name of the master.

Although he had never actually heard of the nickname "Azure Pine Sword Master," he still had to say it politely.

A sedan chair is carried by many people; may you be happy, I be happy, and everyone be happy.

In particular, this Azure Pine Sword Master doesn't look very old, and his life force is quite active. He seems to be less than a hundred years old, and he may have the potential to break through to the Spirit Transformation stage in the future.

Of course, that's not the point.

The key point is that he is a rogue cultivator, yet he has reached his current level at such a young age, which must have been due to some kind of fortuitous opportunity or fortuitous encounter.

Since that's the case, perhaps we can trade with him for some good stuff.

Xiao Chen planned to keep an eye on what items he would bring to the Exchange Meet later.

If they're just ordinary spirit items to make up the numbers, then we can discuss private transactions during the later free trading session; we might get some unexpected gains.

"Daoist Xiao, come over here. We've specially saved a good seat for you."

After Huo Xinghuai finished his introduction, he went to the middle of the Long Pavilion and gestured for Xiao Chen to sit in the middle seat on the right.

To facilitate the display of the spiritual items at the Exchange Meet, a long and low mahogany table and many chairs were added inside the Long Pavilion.

Xiao Chen noticed that most of the True Lord who had arrived earlier were seated on the left side.

Only reclusive Hidden Dao Heritage Successor and independent cultivators such as Xiang Yiyang, Ink Plum True Monarch, Azure Pine Sword Master, Withered Leaf True Monarch sat on the right side.

He also noticed that the number of seats on the left was just right, while there were currently nine empty chairs on the right.

Judging from this situation, there may be nine more Nascent Soul True Lord coming next.

Goodness, can this room really be full?

It should be noted that the number of True Lord in the Eastern Domain is already small, not as abundant as in the New Cultivation World.

Xiao Chen guessed that Huo Xinghuai had probably prepared all the people who might come.

If everyone could come, the total number of people would probably be close to thirty.

With so many True Lord gathered together, it can truly be called a grand event.

Not long after Xiao Chen arrived, several more True Lord arrived outside.

Luo Qihui arrived first, his aura fluctuating, clearly indicating that he had just been traveling at full speed.

Accompanying him was a True Lord dressed in a bright yellow robe, whose appearance was distinct from everyone else's.

Even Huo Xinghuai, the Sect Master, couldn't recognize him.

Fortunately, Luo Qihui took the initiative to act as a middleman and introduced everyone's companions.

The visitor turned out to be the current abbot of Qinghe Temple, whose full name was Luo Jingxing.

If we're going by seniority, he should be Luo Qihui's second uncle.

While warmly welcoming the guests, Huo Xinghuai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had the foresight to prepare extra chairs in advance.

However, shortly afterward, the Northern Swordsman Biyi True Monarch, and the Three White-Bearded Immortals, along with other guests who had been arranged in advance, also arrived one after another.

They greeted each other and had just sat down.

Vice President Gu of the Azure Mist Commerce Association arrived with two friends.

I don't know if they calculated it perfectly, but they arrived almost exactly at the beginning of the 9:00 AM start of the Exchange Meet.

"City Lord Manor President Gu is an honor to my humble abode!"

Huo Xinghuai immediately went to greet them, offering flattering words while glancing sideways at the two unfamiliar True Lord.

They all looked quite young, but they had lost the youthful vigor that was unique to teenagers.

I'd estimate he's between two and four hundred years old.

The man on the left wears a Star Crown, Cloud Pattern Crane Cloak, and holds a paper fan in his hand; he looks quite elegant.

A spiritual light flowed around him, while several faint auras of pressure emanated from him.

That's because they didn't deliberately conceal their cultivation level and Spirit Artifact, so their Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation level and the powerful Qi Mechanism unique to Fourth-Order Spirit Tool were naturally revealed.

The one on the right is just as impressive.

Leaving aside the fact that they are both Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators...

He wore Lotus Crown, Seven-Colored Flowing Cloud Feather Robe, a moon-white cloak, and a Nine-Ring Jade Belt around his waist.

Just by looking at him, you could tell he was incredibly wealthy.

Of all the cultivators Xiao Chen had ever seen, only Seven Crane True Monarch could surpass him.

Besides that, I can't find a second one.

Even the Yin Corpse Sect's Yang Jiu True Monarch was only ahead in cultivation level; his aura was far inferior.

Good heavens, where did all these people come from?

Xiao Chen was genuinely surprised—this couldn't possibly be a rogue cultivator, could it?

But is there still such a powerful force in the Eastern Domain?

Could it be that it came from the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven?

"These two fellow Daoists are clearly extraordinary. Could they perhaps come from the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven?"

Huo Xinghuai was even more curious, so he simply asked directly.

However, Vice President Gu shook his head. "My two friends heard that our Hundred Herbs City was going to hold Exchange Meet, so they came with me to join in the fun."

"It's not convenient to disclose their specific identity at this time."

"Alright, I'll only tell City Lord Huo today, and introduce him to everyone when the time is right."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and created a Spiritual Power Barrier, then gave a separate presentation within the barrier.

Huo Xinghuai's eyes widened immediately, as if he had heard some unbelievable news.

His smile then widened even further.

After removing the Spiritual Power Barrier, I immediately helped coordinate the positions.

They arranged three consecutive chairs for the three of them on the right side, and deliberately placed them in the front row closest to the head of the table.