Buzz~
Spiritual light flickered as a Golden Finger Panel appeared before Chen Ping'an.
Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: Jade Balance Late Stage—Spirit Pattern Spirit Fruit (Nine Patterns) Martial Arts: Turbulent Phoenix Dance - Yin-Yang Pivot Entry Level (0/8640), Seven Kill Heavenly Dipper Fist Entry Level (0/1440), Overlord Saber Great Accomplishment (0/3200), Seven Absolute Divine Skill Great Accomplishment (3565/4800), Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Art Perfection, Soaring Dragon Movement Technique Perfection, Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill Perfection, Dragon Elephant Overlord Body Art Perfection, Three Points of Human Tribulation Finger Perfection
"3,565 points!"
Chen Ping'an's gaze narrowed slightly, a faint sharp gleam flashing within it.
It had been around ten days since he had taken up his post in Leiming, and his cultivation of the Seven Absolute Divine Skill had advanced steadily.
At this pace, in another greater half month or so, he would be able to cultivate the Seven Absolute Divine Skill to perfection.
At that time, given his current martial path circumstances, he was expected to take another solid step forward and enter the First Breakthrough Gate—the Spirit Pattern Condensation Realm!
Anticipation appeared on Chen Ping'an's face as he rose from the stone platform, which was over a zhang wide.
He was currently in the Cultivation Quiet Room beneath the residence.
This Cultivation Quiet Room covered a considerable area and had been ingeniously arranged, with stone-door mechanisms and hidden passageways.
With the Golden Finger Panel's assistance, Chen Ping'an had little need for martial practice. Thus, what he chiefly expected from the Cultivation Quiet Room was privacy and safety.
In truth, with Chen Ping'an's current realm, in Thunderous Roar Great City, surrounded by True Essence and shielded by spirituality, his safety and privacy were already sufficiently guaranteed.
Still, no one would ever complain about having a few more safeguards.
This Cultivation Quiet Room was discreetly located, its walls thick and heavy, and it had been built from special materials. It could ward off the prying eyes of ordinary Grandmasters and even some Veteran Grandmasters.
If one did not know the Quiet Room's exact location, even the probing of a Top Grandmaster could be blocked for a while.
Such an effect was of little practical use to Chen Ping'an. Still, having this Cultivation Quiet Room as cover was a fine choice for him.
The main theme of his arrival in Leiming was cultivation first and external resources second: steady progress, solid foundations, and peaceful growth.
Both the title of Hidden Dragon Heavenly Talent and the shared-injury mechanism between him and the Heavenly Luo Saintess made him urgently desire greater strength.
Today was Chen Ping'an's day off, so he did not need to go to the Thunderclap Town Pacification Office.
If there were truly urgent matters, someone would come to report them. As for important but non-urgent matters, those below him would not disturb him. They would organize them in advance and, when he appeared at the Thunderclap Town Pacification Office tomorrow, give him a systematic report along with recommendations and plans for him to choose from.
As for routine affairs, Chen Ping'an naturally did not need to trouble himself with them. He only needed to control the overall situation, while those below him would handle everything properly.
Chen Ping'an walked to one side of the Cultivation Quiet Room and pressed a mechanism. The heavy stone door before him slid apart to either side, vanishing from sight.
Chen Ping'an stepped through the stone door in an excellent mood.
These past days, aside from making considerable progress in the Seven Absolute Divine Skill, he had also completely achieved Refining Success with the Top Divine Weapon, the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags.
He had also officially mastered the fourth function of this set of Top Divine Weapons. When fully activated, it triggered a divine wonder that used the command flags' space as its boundary, slightly increasing the strength of the flags' refiner.
As for the duration of the enhancement, it depended on the divine wonder's lasting time and the depth of the activator's spirituality.
With the Golden Finger Panel's aid, Chen Ping'an had also undergone the first purification of the Turbulent Phoenix Dance Yin-Yang Pivot technique. His spiritual foundation was incomparably robust, making him an ideal match for the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags.
After refining the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags, Chen Ping'an had briefly tested the power of their fourth divine wonder inside this Cultivation Quiet Room.
With the supply restricted to a limited scale, he discovered that his combat power could rise by nearly half a level. Its effect was roughly equivalent to taking an Exploding Essence True Pill, and even surpassed a Burning Blood Great Pill.
If he spared neither True Essence nor spiritual wear and tear and went all out, Chen Ping'an estimated that this enhancement would increase significantly further. In a great battle, the power he could unleash should surpass that of an Exploding Essence True Pill, second only to Spiritual items and Great Medicinal Treasure Pills that burst forth with spirituality.
Completing the refinement of the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags meant that Chen Ping'an had gained another trump card.
In his ordinary state, he could now unleash the combat power of a Storm Cloud Great Grandmaster. Though he did not know his exact ranking, he was surely not at the bottom of the Wind and Cloud Grandmaster Rankings.
If he fully activated the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Art and manifested the Ten Thousand Demons True Body, both his combat power and defensive capabilities would increase by a considerable margin.
His overall combat strength would rise by more than a single level.
In such a state, he would undoubtedly rank among the forefront of the Storm Cloud Great Grandmasters.
And under such circumstances, if he further received the divine wonder's aid from the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags, his combat power would advance another step.
Moreover, Chen Ping'an possessed methods such as the Exploding Essence True Pill and Thousand-Year Stone Milk. If he acted at all costs and gave it everything he had, his combat power would be difficult to estimate!
When he had fought the Heavenly Luo Saintess before, he had already been no ordinary presence on the Wind and Cloud Grandmaster Rankings.
Afterward, his Martial Path Realm had risen, he had inscribed nine spirit patterns, and he had undergone another purification of his True Essence and spirituality. His foundation and reserves had greatly increased.
Now that he also possessed the complete Top Divine Weapon, the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags, his combat methods truly could not be evaluated in a short time.
His exact ranking and combat power would only become clearer after he fought with all his strength.
After all, not a single person who could ascend the Wind and Cloud Grandmaster Rankings was easy to deal with. The trump cards in their hands, the resources they had accumulated, and their Dao Protecting Treasures would absolutely not be few.
Especially those Storm Cloud Great Grandmasters ranked near the top. They might possess heavy treasures for protection. Chen Ping'an's foundation was strong and his combat power formidable, but compared to those old monsters who had accumulated strength for three or four hundred years, he still lagged far behind in wealth and reserves.
Even so, based on Chen Ping'an's current realm and foundation, he could still ignore some treasures and narrow enormous gaps in combat power.
And this was while he had yet to enter the First Breakthrough Gate.
If his Martial Path Realm rose another step and his body and physique strengthened further, his combat power would undergo another breakthrough.
As for those old monsters on the Wind and Cloud Grandmaster Rankings, nearly every one of them had pushed their own combat power to its limit. To take another step forward, every step was fraught with a thousand hardships and ten thousand difficulties; there was nowhere left to advance.
Apart from enhancements from external objects and breakthroughs in major realms, they had little room left to improve themselves.
Compared to their standing still, every day Chen Ping'an lived would undoubtedly bring new life force and hope.
Whether it was external objects, realm, physique, or methods, Chen Ping'an had far too much room for improvement.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Chen Ping'an left the Cultivation Quiet Room and arrived in a room within the three-courtyard residence. The Cultivation Quiet Room lay beneath the main house, linked by a mechanical passageway, making his daily trips in and out exceptionally convenient.
Besides the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags, Chen Ping'an had also officially begun refining the Gale Knee Guard. Compared with the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flags, a Top Divine Weapon, this ordinary Divine Weapon was naturally far easier to refine.
Especially with Chen Ping'an's martial foundation, his progress was like progressing a thousand miles a day. In another few days, he should be able to refine this Divine Weapon completely.
Both are Divine Weapons, yet their different grades affected the speed of refinement. Furthermore, for the same Divine Weapon, the difficulty of refinement differed greatly depending on one's Martial Path Realm and spiritual foundation.
With his high-realm foundation, Chen Ping'an's speed in refining an ordinary Divine Weapon went without saying.
Once the Gale Knee Guard was fully refined, Chen Ping'an planned to formally tackle the refinement of the Black Mystic Iron Mask. This concealment-type Divine Weapon had come from the Heavenly Luo Saintess, traded for using her black veil.
In terms of grade, it was even above a Top Divine Weapon and was worth no less than an ordinary heavy treasure.
If he could fully refine it, it would have an enormously significant effect on Chen Ping'an, especially on his Alternate Identity.
In Chen Ping'an's plans, whether he sought demon beast blood or attended top-tier auctions, this Black Mystic Iron Mask would play a crucial role.
Only with the Alternate Identity's cover could he spend his fortune without restraint, participate in auctions, and seek resources.
Whether it was Snow Spirit Leaf, Dao Protecting Treasures, or any other spiritual resource, he would need this treasure.
Cultivating techniques, refining Divine Weapons, strengthening himself, seeking external resources.
Every calculation was progressing steadily according to Chen Ping'an's plans.
"My lord." After he left the residence, a carriage was already waiting outside.
Xiong Sanrang, a great axe slung across his body, respectfully came forward to greet him.
Chen Ping'an gave a slight nod without saying more and boarded the carriage.
Xiong Sanrang had transferred with him from Northern Cang to the Thunderclap Town Pacification Office and was to assume the post of an officer at the Supervisory General Office. However, due to the timing, his formal Transfer Order had not yet arrived. Thus, for now, he served at Chen Ping'an's side as the head of his guards.
The Thunderclap Town Pacification Office was, after all, unlike the North Azure Town Pacification Office. Though Chen Ping'an held high authority, he was not in the top position. There were many matters that could not be decided by his word alone.
Of course, given his current influence in the Thunderclap Town Pacification Office, if he were willing to speak up, Wu Benqing would likely be happy to give him this favor.
Still, there was truly no need to owe Wu Benqing a favor over such a matter.
If Chen Ping'an had intended to befriend Wu Benqing, this exchange of favors would have been beneficial for their relationship. But he had no such thoughts after coming to Leiming.
Furthermore, although Wu Benqing was indeed a bona fide Great Grandmaster, in Chen Ping'an's eyes, he was merely so-so.
In terms of conventional combat power, Wu Benqing had not even reached the level of a Top Great Grandmaster. Only by exhausting every method and acting at all costs could he possibly touch that level.
Sitting in the carriage and looking at the five-courtyard grand residence beside him, Chen Ping'an thought of Guan Dongxiang, the Northern Land Swordsman currently heading deep into the northern lands to recruit private guards for him.
Having advanced into the ranks of Giants, he was entitled to retain private guards and Personal Guards.
By common reasoning, he could wholly use this as a foundation and gradually establish a force that belonged to him.
But his martial path progress was too rapid and his positions changed too frequently. It was destined to be difficult for him to cultivate his own trusted circle over the long term.
Many matters could only be left to those below him.
Matters like building a force held little meaning for him in the short period of time.
As for matters that took years of accumulation, he could handle them as circumstances allowed. But if they required him to expend extra effort, there was little point.
As the saying went, when the time came, Heaven and Earth lent their strength. Once he rose to prominence, there were many things he would not need to spend effort on; other forces would naturally act of their own accord.
Whatever resources or channels he wanted, there would be people and forces to arrange them for him properly.
The core reason he currently felt that his channels were insufficient and his pursuits hampered was that his strength had risen too quickly. His public strength and his true needs were severely mismatched.
As a result, many matters could not make use of his public influence, or even if his true needs were pursued through public forces, it would be difficult to gain much benefit.
If this point were ignored, based on his public strength and needs, obtaining most materials would truly be no more than a word from him. Even if something required a bit of effort, it would never be overly difficult.
Take Divine Weapons, for example. So long as he did not excessively pursue the top-tier or Powerful Divine Weapon category, auctions were regularly held in Thunderous Roar Great City, and Divine Weapons were not uncommon among their finale items.
Even Powerful Divine Weapons would eventually come up for auction if one waited patiently.
Given Chen Ping'an's position in Leiming, if he had a need and wholeheartedly pursued it, this would not be difficult at all!
But Chen Ping'an's true needs lay in Top Divine Weapons, which left his current resources and authority somewhat unusable.
There were only two ways to resolve this problem. One was to drastically elevate his public status, greatly raising the level of forces he interacted and dealt with on a daily basis.
That way, it would become far easier for him to seek many things. Even without borrowing external forces, the Town Pacification Office alone could satisfy many of his needs. Once he formally entered the Northern Border Pacification Bureau system, the resources in its internal treasury would be enough to fulfill the vast majority of his requirements.
But if he did so, the risks he encountered would also grow exponentially. If he had not possessed the Golden Finger Panel, he might have chosen that route—trading status for resources and playing the game of taking one step first, then staying steps ahead.
But now that he had the Golden Finger Panel, he could walk a broad road to the heavens through peaceful growth. Naturally, he would not take such a risk.
Or rather, so long as he had a choice, he would not walk this path.
That left only one other method to resolve his current contradiction.
If his hidden Alternate Identity could join one side's force, it would resolve this issue to a great extent.
Naturally, there was much to consider in joining. The best arrangement would be an unrestricted affiliation in the capacity of an honorary guest. That would keep the risks controllable and the returns foreseeable.
Yet Chen Ping'an had always harbored reservations about this method and had not acted on it for a long time.
Though having his Alternate Identity join a force would be effective, it would also bring risks. The exact circumstances required extensive scrutiny and assessment.
Based on this, Chen Ping'an had a better idea that relied on his existing connections and resources!
And the key to all of it lay with the Seven Absolute Divine Skill and the Black Mystic Iron Mask.
After leaving the residence and boarding the carriage, Chen Ping'an headed for the Gu Family's premises.
Previously, he had bundled and sold off a large number of resources. After Gu Qingchan appraised them, they were valued at over thirty thousand Origin Crystals. At the time of the transaction, he had received only half the Origin Crystals.
Now, seven or eight days had passed, and Gu Qingchan had sent word that the remaining balance could be settled ahead of time.
It had to be said that the Gu Family was truly wealthy and powerful. Even a branch in Leiming could command such an enormous amount of Origin Crystals.
In merely seven or eight days, without affecting the operation of their trade, they could gather such a sum in liquid funds.
"Greetings, Son-in-law!"
"Greetings, Son-in-law!"
"..."
As the saying went, the first meeting was unfamiliar, the second familiar.
This time, when Chen Ping'an visited Gu Qingchan, he was undoubtedly far more at ease with the place.
Along the way after entering the Gu Family's premises, Chen Ping'an deliberately memorized the surrounding environment and routes, preparing for his later plans.
In the rear garden behind the Jade Pavilion deep within the premises, Chen Ping'an saw Gu Qingchan once again.
Gu Qingchan looked a bit more elegant today.
Wearing an Ice Blue Dress, the color of the clearest lake beneath a freezing sky, her skin was whiter than snow. Set off by the ice-blue gown, it looked all the more crystalline and translucent. Standing beside a clear pool, she scattered fish food lightly with hands like bright jade, watching the fish in the pond scramble to feed.
"Senior Gu." As usual, Chen Ping'an greeted her respectfully.
Gu Qingchan ignored him, scattering the last of the fish food from her hand before finally turning around.
"Ping'an, you're here."
Gu Qingchan lifted her hand slightly, and the maidservant beside her retreated at once.
Not long afterward, only Chen Ping'an and Gu Qingchan remained beside the pond.
The two exchanged pleasantries, which need not be mentioned.
"This is the remaining balance. Take a look."
Buzz~
With a flash of spiritual light, an exquisitely crafted Hundred Treasures Pouch appeared before Gu Qingchan and slowly floated toward Chen Ping'an.
"Thank you, Senior Gu."
Chen Ping'an respectfully bowed and accepted the Hundred Treasures Pouch containing the Origin Crystals.
As soon as his spirituality probed inside, he found that not a single Origin Crystal was missing. The amount precisely matched the remaining balance.
At this level of transaction, a Hundred Treasures Pouch had become nothing more than an incidental item included in the trade.
If a profound light realm cultivator were present, they would surely sigh with boundless emotion.
The objects they had dreamed of all their lives were merely things casually gifted during a transaction.
Only after glimpsing a corner of the heavenly palace could one understand how uneven the world truly was.
Gu Qingchan seemed to have no intention of chatting further, and their exchange did not last long.
However, Chen Ping'an subtly perceived that compared to a few days ago, Gu Qingchan's realm seemed to have risen another notch.
No wonder she was in the mood to feed fish here. Her realm had broken through, and she was in high spirits.
After leaving the Gu Family's premises, the Origin Crystals Chen Ping'an could freely deploy officially exceeded eighty thousand.
Such an amount, if one spoke solely of personal wealth, could be considered quite respectable among Great Grandmasters, but it could not possibly be considered the very best.
After all, the old monsters among Great Grandmasters had accumulated strength for who knew how many years. They might not possess much liquid capital, but in terms of total wealth, they might not have less than this amount.
Only—
What Chen Ping'an possessed was genuine, freely deployable liquid capital. He could use it anytime, anywhere, without needing to trade, sell assets, or borrow against collateral. Nor did he need, like those forces, to undergo layer upon layer of approval and notify all the Elders before he could use it.
So long as Chen Ping'an wished it, he could take it out and use it at any time.
This quantity of Origin Crystals was entirely under his sole control.
Even those old monsters on the Wind and Cloud Rankings would not dare claim with certainty that they could produce eighty thousand Origin Crystals in liquid funds.
On one hand, many old monsters were not lone wanderers. They had younger generations to cultivate and lineages and forces to support, consuming vast amounts of resources in the process.
On the other hand, whether it was Dao Protecting External Objects, medicinal pills, or spiritual items, all required immense resources. If the old monsters wished to maintain their combat power or advance further, they needed even greater expectations, which meant even more consumption.
The fundamental reason Chen Ping'an had managed to save so much liquid capital was that he had places to earn from, but nowhere to spend it.
What he could buy did not interest him, while what interested him could not be bought.
To break this situation, he would need to put considerable thought into it.
Besides the 80,000 in cash flow, Chen Ping'an also had quite a few resources and supplies that could be sold off, such as the congratulatory gifts he had only recently received from various factions.
If these supplies were sold one by one, they could fetch a considerable sum as well.
However, this time, Chen Ping'an did not bundle them up and sell them to Gu Qingchan.
For one thing, they were both in Leiming. He had only just accepted their gifts, then turned around and sold them off—it would more or less be a sign of disrespect. He did not care much about such things, but so long as it did not affect the fundamentals, he would still spare the various parties their dignity.
After all, whatever their reasons, a gift represented their goodwill. He had risen from humble beginnings step by step, so when it came to matters like this, he still had a measure of empathy.
Secondly—and more importantly—he simply was not short of money at the moment. He had no need to sell these supplies to achieve some personal goal; selling them was an entirely optional move. There was no need for him to rush.
Worth mentioning was that when Chen Ping'an left the Gu Family residence, there was an extra letter in his hands.
Gu Qingchan had given him the letter, stating outright that it had been sent from the Gu Family in Azure Dragon Province City. As for who had sent it, she did not say.
Yet the moment Chen Ping'an accepted the letter, he had already formed a faint suspicion.
He climbed into the carriage and opened the letter. Sure enough, it was exactly as he had expected.
The letter had been sent by his not-yet-wed wife, Gu Qingcheng, the Gu Family's current prodigy.
This letter was also Gu Qingcheng's response to his previous invitation.
With no surprise whatsoever, Gu Qingcheng had declined his invitation to Leiming.
When he had sent the letter before, Chen Ping'an had felt that his words were somewhat abrupt. By the time he wanted to revise them, however, the letter had already traveled too far, and it was too late.
He had not held overly high expectations about whether he could invite Gu Qingcheng in the first place.
After all.
The thought flashed through Chen Ping'an's mind, and a trace of helplessness appeared in his smile.
Still, although Gu Qingcheng had rejected him, it was not without reason, and the words in her letter were exceedingly tactful.
"I have long heard that Leiming boasts a thousand peaks competing in beauty and ten thousand ravines with flowing springs. Upon seeing your handwritten letter, Qingcheng was filled with delight and yearned to go there. Yet yesterday, while strolling idly through the rear garden, I saw a spirit flower bloom, its stamens trembling gently. Something stirred within my heart, and I gained an incidental insight. I stand at the threshold of a breakthrough, so I fear it will be difficult for me to make the journey anytime soon."
Though Gu Qingcheng had tactfully declined him in the letter, she also mentioned something else, carrying the faint sense of an agreement.
"Though this trip leaves me without the chance to travel with you, there is also a thought in Qingcheng's heart. When we meet again in Canglong someday, I wish to drink green plum wine with you beneath a peach tree, hang a wooden raft from its treetops, and tie a knot of shared hearts as we await the future."
Furthermore, Gu Qingcheng had enclosed a gift along with the letter.
A gift of extraordinary significance.
This was a transitional chapter. I originally wanted to write more, but as I wrote, I realized something was wrong with my state, so I stopped for now. I'll adjust myself a little.
Oh, right. Tomorrow night is when the monthly pass results will be announced. Fellow Daoists who are interested can participate over the next couple of days.
Over these past few days, fellow Daoists have successively sent rewards: Happiness Brings Good Luck, Mr. V, Dream of That Year, Love Like Flowing Water, STRIVE-Time, Yuko Araki's Boyfriend, Fu Wen-DE, A Chinese Elm Samara, The Working Beast Who Cannot Lie Flat, Happy Group Bro, and several fellow Daoists with numerical IDs. Thank you, everyone.
I'll strive to adjust my state and head toward more exciting developments soon.
Before you continue