Setting Up a Cultivation Ground

After parting ways with the others.

Chen Sheng traveled alone on horseback, resting by day and traveling by night, avoiding danger as much as possible.

He deliberately avoided every village and official road, choosing only desolate field ridges and rugged, empty valleys.

Those places stretched as far as the eye could see, making ambushes difficult to set and greatly reducing the chance of him being surrounded again.

He occasionally encountered small bands of roaming bandits.

Chen Sheng feared them not in the slightest!

After another three days of hard travel.

Chen Sheng finally reached his destination.

Yan Land.

Cloudwalk Mountains.

Chen Sheng looked at the endless green mountain range in the distance and the primeval forest ahead, where ancient trees blotted out the sky and exuded a dangerous, savage aura.

His taut nerves immediately relaxed a little.

He reined in his horse.

Gently stroking the yellow horse's mane, he murmured inwardly:

"Finally, I'm here!"

"The place I chose truly is excellent."

"Decades have passed, the world has changed, yet these green mountains remain as they were."

This treasured place, which Chen Sheng had found only after painstakingly traversing the wilderness in his Previous Life, possessed geographical advantages that could not be replaced.

Three sides were sheer cliffs that even birds could scarcely cross, while the fourth was surrounded by a primeval forest, a paradise for fierce beasts and venomous insects. It was a natural land of death.

Rarely visited by anyone!

Chen Sheng dismounted.

He swiftly removed the saddle and waterskin, fastening only the necessary ropes, grappling hooks, and short blade to his back.

He whispered a few words into the yellow horse's ear. This Spirit Communication companion seemed to understand his farewell and affectionately nuzzled his shoulder.

Then it headed off on its own to rest in a concealed mountain hollow.

Chen Sheng entered the mountains alone, his steps light as he climbed a perilous cliff like a wildcat.

At the edge of the cliff, strange rocks jutted out, while beneath lay a bottomless Secluded Valley.

Chen Sheng pulled out a thick rope.

He skillfully secured its specially made slipknot.

Then, with a clever exertion of force, he gave it a sharp tug!

Bzzzz—!

The rope instantly tightened, shaking several loose stones free.

Chen Sheng tugged at it a few times to ensure it was secure.

He nodded lightly.

"Not bad!"

Without further hesitation, he gripped the rope with alternating hands, bent his legs slightly, and repeatedly pushed off the cliff face with his toes.

Like a gecko, he descended with agility and speed.

Chen Sheng's movements were precise, calm, and steady.

After several dozen breaths.

His feet landed firmly on the rubble at the bottom of the cliff.

At that moment, he was in no hurry to retrieve the rope.

Chen Sheng looked toward the hundred-zhang waterfall beside the cliff.

His eyes shone with excitement and anticipation.

"I'm here!"

Chen Sheng walked straight to the side of the waterfall, pressing both hands against the cold, slippery cliff wall.

The place was washed by flowing water all year round and soaked in moisture. The stone wall was covered in thick moss and water stains, showing almost no trace of human handiwork.

Only Chen Sheng knew.

That there was something hidden within.

Chen Sheng felt along the wall for a while until he found the right spot.

He extended his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together, and used a peculiar force that carried a certain rhythmic cadence.

On the seamless cliff wall, he slowly tapped out three complex combinations from left to right.

Thud... tap... bzz...

With every tap, his fingertips precisely transmitted a strange vibrational force.

The frequency was exact to the smallest degree!

This was the Resonance Lock Chen Sheng had set up in his Previous Life using the Secret Mechanism Art.

As the final buzzing sound faded.

Rumble—!

A remarkably clear sound of mechanisms interlocking came from within the cliff wall.

Before long.

Behind the cascading waterfall stood a massive stone slab, its surface covered in moss and fitted seamlessly into the cliff face.

At that moment.

The stone slab slowly slid inward, revealing a dark entrance. Water from the waterfall poured down directly above it, forming a curtain of water that perfectly concealed the cave mouth.

"What an excellent Water Curtain Cave!"

"It worked!"

A flash of irrepressible delight passed through Chen Sheng's eyes.

After decades, every arrangement he had made back then was still in use.

Chen Sheng did not enter immediately. He walked back to the sheer cliff where he had descended.

The rope was still hanging from the cliff edge!

He gently untied the slipknot and gave it a hard backward pull.

Whoosh—!

The rope rapidly recoiled upward, eventually falling entirely to the bottom of the cliff, leaving only faint abrasion marks above.

Chen Sheng cautiously cleared away the scattered traces and footprints at the bottom of the cliff.

After confirming that nothing was amiss.

He leaped forward and passed through the icy water curtain.

Inside the cave.

Chen Sheng lit a bronze lamp, turned the mechanism, and closed the stone slab again.

Then, following his memories, he passed through layer after layer of mechanisms.

Ignoring all the worldly gold and silver displayed in the open, he headed for the deepest part of the cave.

Chen Sheng quietly entered a Stone Chamber roughly three zhang across, its four walls smooth and polished.

In the shadows along the western wall was a carefully arranged trap.

Chen Sheng cautiously took a long white Jade Box from the "trap."

He opened the Jade Box.

Inside, several small flags glowing with spiritual light were arranged in All Directions, forming a Spirit Locking Formation.

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, deeply satisfied.

"After decades, not a trace of spiritual power has leaked out."

"Excellent!"

At the center of the Jade Box.

Lay a palm-sized Top-grade Storage Bag!

This was where the secret estate's treasures were kept.

Chen Sheng picked up the treasure he had left behind in his Previous Life without hesitation.

Since he had already voluntarily severed its ownership bond in his Previous Life.

There was no need for any cumbersome process now; he opened it directly.

He took out one treasure-radiant Dharma Artifact after another, along with medicinal pills...

A hearty smile appeared on his face.

Before long.

Chen Sheng took out a Grain Abstinence Pill and swallowed it.

A warm current swiftly spread through his limbs and bones, completely dispelling the hunger and fatigue within him.

"Time to set up the formation!"

Immediately afterward.

Chen Sheng took out a jade core Formation Disk.

As well as sixteen matching, delicate Formation Flags.

"Little Myriad Marvel Spirit Array."

This was a first-tier mid-grade formation, containing the three major effects of Spirit Gathering, concealment, and Breath Concealment.

His experience from his Previous Life remained.

Chen Sheng swiftly arranged the Formation Disk.

Then he walked around the Stone Chamber, following the hidden marks he had carved according to his memories from his Previous Life.

His fingers flew like phantoms.

The sixteen Formation Flags, carrying faint spiritual light, pierced with perfect precision into designated points on the Stone Chamber floor.

The instant the final Formation Flag was planted.

Bzzzz—!

A deep resonant hum rang out within the Stone Chamber.

Centered on the main Formation Disk, an invisible veil instantly formed. Faint light rippled across it as it enveloped the entire Stone Chamber.

Its aura was concealed, sound was isolated, and even the roar of water outside the Stone Chamber vanished completely, leaving behind only a reassuring silence.

At the outermost waterfall, a hazy mist of water vapor quietly formed, blurring one's vision and causing anyone to lose their bearings.

"Next comes Spirit Gathering!"

Chen Sheng thought to himself.

He soon placed a small pile of Spirit Stones at the formation core.

Before long.

The entire formation shone slightly brighter. The spiritual energy within the Stone Chamber seemed to be stirred and gathered by an invisible hand, becoming increasingly active.

It gradually formed a clearly perceptible vortex.

Slowly rotating.

Chen Sheng sensed it for a moment, and his eyes lit up.

"This Spirit Gathering Array is enough to support my needs through the early and middle stages of Qi Refinement."

Before long.

Chen Sheng looked over this simple "cultivation ground."

He felt increasingly satisfied.

In a worldly place, being able to establish such a cultivation ground.

With safety assured and spiritual energy secured.

What more could he ask for?