Secret Abode

The remnant sunset glow faded away.

A bright moon slowly rose.

Qin Yuan sat absentmindedly on the rooftop.

Two hours passed.

The corners of his eyes gradually grew damp, yet he remained completely unaware.

He merely slowly rubbed the crescent-shaped piece of green jade in his palm.

—This was a gift from Senior Sister before she departed on her travels.

Over the years.

Qin Yuan had always kept it close.

But now the jade remained, while its owner was gone.

After a long while.

Qin Yuan finally came back to his senses.

He concealed the tears in his eyes and suppressed the grief in his heart.

Carefully, he pressed the green jade against his chest.

He murmured softly, "Lin Tunan..."

In an instant.

Countless violent emotions surged within him, and his gaze became increasingly ruthless.

The next day.

Qin Yuan knelt before Chen Sheng.

"Master, this disciple intends to go to Linglong Immortal City."

"I have come to bid Master farewell."

Chen Sheng looked at the determined expression on his disciple's face and did not stop him.

He merely instructed him in a low voice.

"Go. You must be cautious and careful."

"Your enemy is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Without sufficient strength, you must lie low."

Qin Yuan nodded solemnly.

"This disciple understands."

With that, he turned and left.

In the days that followed.

Chen Sheng remained constantly vigilant.

He did not know what kind of person Lin Tunan was.

Since Chen Sheng had been able to learn information about the other party.

If Lin Tunan were willing to put in the effort.

It should not have been difficult for him to learn about them as well.

Chen Sheng silently considered.

"Though we are separated by tens of thousands of miles, the chance of him exterminating us all is small, but not nonexistent."

"So much time has passed. Perhaps someone is already waiting for me outside the Market Town."

"No matter what, I will stay within Qianji Market."

"This place belongs to the Qinghua Sect, so its safety is more assured than elsewhere."

In the blink of an eye.

Several Springs and Autumns passed once more.

Over the past few years, everything remained peaceful.

Chen Sheng received several "perfectly ordinary" invitations to go out.

One of them was even from a Foundation Establishment elder of the Yuquan Zhou Clan.

He refused them all.

Too many ordinary invitations were no longer ordinary!

Chen Sheng stayed safely tucked away in the Market Town and did not take a single step outside.

He did not seek Foundation Establishment in this life.

But he still had decades of lifespan remaining.

There were many things he had yet to do, and he had no wish to die halfway through.

As time passed.

Within the Pill Workshop.

Several juniors in the family had also reached the appropriate age.

They began studying alchemy.

Chen Sheng taught them carefully.

Now that Qin Yuan had traveled far away.

Chen Sheng had promised his father-in-law to pass down the Alchemy Skill.

Naturally, he could not break his word.

Besides, how could the family endure without a profitable craft?

The Fire Room.

Chen Sheng watched the juniors practice the Flame Control Technique.

One after another, they formed hand seals, drew forth fire, split the flames, stacked the flames...

Every step appeared highly practiced.

"Good, just like that. Keep it steady!"

Chen Sheng instructed them one by one, explaining the tricks involved.

Time passed swiftly.

By noon.

Huang Wangyou brought them cooling iced tea.

With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the heat in the room and spoke gently.

"Come have some tea and cool down."

Chen Sheng clapped his hands.

"All right, go have some tea."

The youths immediately rushed toward Huang Wangyou with a loud cheer.

"Thank you, Grandmother!"

"Thank you, Grandmother!"

Looking at the well-behaved juniors.

Huang Wangyou revealed a gentle smile.

"Drink slowly. Don't rush."

"No one is going to take it from you."

Several years had passed.

Huang Wangyou had visibly grown thinner.

A sickness of the heart truly was difficult to cure.

Chen Sheng also stepped over, promptly drank a bowl, and praised it loudly.

"Delicious. It still tastes the same as before."

Huang Wangyou chuckled softly, a trace of nostalgia appearing on her face.

"Do you remember when you and Huayao studied the Flame Control Technique with father? I was the one who brought you drinks then as well."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng also felt somewhat nostalgic.

The scenes of learning back then remained vivid in his mind.

"Yes, and in the blink of an eye, more than forty years have passed."

"Time really flies!"

Huang Wangyou nodded lightly.

"Junior Sister Huayao left too soon. Lately, I keep thinking of her."

"In a few days, let's go sweep her grave."

Li Huayao's grave was at the eastern corner of the Market Town, not far away.

Chen Sheng nodded at her words.

"All right!"

A few days later.

The two returned from sweeping the grave.

Huang Wangyou's mood improved considerably, and she pulled Chen Sheng into playing chess with her for half the day.

Chen Sheng was happy to accompany her, hoping she would be cheerful.

Not until evening.

Did Chen Sheng take out Introduction to Formations.

And study it painstakingly.

His gaze settled on the basic formation diagrams within. Then he took several small Formation Flags and a Formation Disk from his Storage Bag.

He began attempting to set up a formation.

"The Minor Maze Formation requires five Formation Flags to be placed according to the Five Elements Directions. The Earth Flag goes in the center, the Wood Flag to the east, the Fire Flag to the south..."

Chen Sheng muttered to himself as he began arranging the formation.

Time slowly passed.

He planted the last Formation Flag.

But when the spiritual power from his fingertips entered the flag, its golden surface merely trembled. Not even the faintest halo lit up.

"Failed again!"

"I even used a Formation Disk. Formations are too difficult!"

Chen Sheng shook his head helplessly.

The Formation Disk was essentially equivalent to turning the formation directly into a half-finished product. He only needed to complete the most basic placement of the Formation Flags.

Even so, it was still difficult.

After several more attempts.

Chen Sheng finally succeeded in setting up the formation.

On the chessboard, five Formation Flags shimmered with halos. Mist swirled within them, ready to alter their directions at any moment.

Chen Sheng smiled.

"Finally succeeded."

He was preparing for his next life.

As this life drew closer to its end.

Chen Sheng began considering this life.

He would use formations together with mundane mechanical techniques to establish a Secret Abode in a hidden place, storing within it the various cultivation resources, Dharma Artifacts, and other things he had accumulated in this life.

In his next life, he could take them out directly.

And swiftly complete his initial accumulation.

A few days later.

The backyard.

Chen Sheng wore a dark black training robe.

As usual, he began cultivating the Crimson Flood Dragon Burning River Seal.

After several years.

And repeated practice.

He could barely perform the second seal, the Wave Breaking Seal, though he was still far from mastering it completely.

At this moment.

Chen Sheng's spiritual power slowly circulated through his body.

Like a spring tide gathering force before surging forth.

"The Wave Breaking Seal emphasizes using clever force to stir the waves, rather than forcing them head-on. Unfortunately, the water veins here are weak, making it difficult to display its full power."

The various secrets of the hand seal surfaced in his mind.

The hand seals in Chen Sheng's hands immediately changed, and a faint crimson halo curled around his fingertips.

He turned his wrist, and the halo in his palm abruptly condensed into a palm-sized crimson Seal Shadow.

Though the Seal Shadow appeared ordinary, it carried a scorching, heavy force.

"Rise."

Chen Sheng gave a soft shout and flicked his wrist.

The Seal Shadow immediately shot through the air.

Midflight, it suddenly transformed into a Sky Covering Great Seal and struck the Stone Roller in the courtyard squarely.

With a soft pop, the Stone Roller instantly shattered into four pieces and was forcibly crushed several feet into the ground.

Its power surpassed every method he had used before. It could be called a Trump Card.

Chen Sheng's eyes lit up:

"Good! As expected of a top-grade Daoist technique!"

"My hard work in cultivating it hasn't been wasted."