Calmness Amidst Great Events

"I'm already one hundred and sixty-three years old. Half a month ago, I celebrated my first birthday in this cultivation world. I received a custom-made magic item, a treasure saber, from the Four Tigers shop as my birthday gift. Now, although I look young, I'm actually quite old."

Inside the wooden house, Chen Dengming observed the lifespan displayed on his status panel, feeling a touch of melancholy.

However, he had only lost 163 years of lifespan. In reality, he had only lived for 83 years since his transmigration, so he wasn't that old yet.

His Daoist magic hadn't improved much over the past month of cultivation, mainly because managing the Gu refining had taken up some of his energy.

Although he didn't want to spread his focus too thin, it was impossible to completely avoid such matters and still expect to reap the rewards.

Even so, due to his self-discipline and the fact that he now had resources, unlike in the past when he was so desperate, he had made significant progress in his Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique, completing one-third of it by pouring a large amount of Spirit Stones into it.

As long as he had enough Spirit Stone resources to set up a Spirit Seizing Formation, he could break through to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation in three months. At that point, he would be considered a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Cultivation.

In the Golden Character Workshop, including Xu Ning, there were only four cultivators at or above the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

In addition to that, his Artifact Control Technique and Wood Escape Technique had both been elevated to the "Proficient" level.

As for the Divine Speed Technique, since he had only started practicing it not long ago, he had only reached the "Beginner" level.

His Master-level Gu Refining technique had barely budged. No matter how many Gu he refined, it was difficult to achieve a qualitative change.

Among these Daoist magics, only the improvement of the first-tier, second-level Wood Escape Technique had added five years to his lifespan. The other techniques did not increase his lifespan due to overlap. Chen Dengming's maximum lifespan had thus reached a considerable 222 years.

"Just a little longer. I'll cultivate peacefully for another month, get the income from the second wave of Gu dividends, and the secret market will be opening soon. Once I find some treasures, I can leave. I can't get caught in the vortex of the Zhu and Luo families."

Chen Dengming closed his eyes slightly, calming his mind. His body then assumed the posture of a two-finger stand. He continued to cultivate in this state.

One could see that he was supporting his entire body with just two fingers. All his muscles were tensed like steel wires, with lines appearing beneath his skin. His essence, energy, and spirit were completely concentrated. His entire body trembled slightly as Spiritual Energy continuously poured into him, and his pores began to secrete fine beads of sweat.

Soon, another five days passed, and the weather gradually entered the bitter cold of winter.

The temperature plummeted, becoming even more frigid.

The relationship between the Luo and Zhu families deteriorated faster than the temperature dropped.

At least, it exceeded Chen Dengming's expectations.

This indicated that the marriage alliance between the Luo and Luo families had completely fallen through, and one could imagine the resentment of that male cultivator from the Luo family.

Chen Dengming had read similar plots in novels before, dismissing them as jokes at the time. But now that such a plot was actually unfolding, he felt like he himself was the joke.

Failing Foundation Establishment combined with a broken engagement – that male cultivator from the Luo family must be in a lot of pain right now.

If the Luo family suffered, the Luo family would have to pay a price, and the Zhu family would have no more reservations. In the end, the ones who would suffer the most would be the small rogue cultivators caught between these major powers.

Therefore, Chen Dengming truly did not want to suffer along with that male cultivator.

Recently, the Zhu family had become increasingly brazen, deciding to reclaim the resources they had lost in the past. Cultivators from both families had directly clashed in the Secret Copper Mine area.

This copper mine had been occupied by the Luo family for years, with cultivators guarding it daily. However, during this surprise attack by the Zhu family, the Luo family suffered a minor loss, and the Secret Copper Mine area was almost lost.

After the news spread, the gathering place was in turmoil, and the atmosphere became tense.

The Iron Forest Hall and the Flower Rain Gate, two factions heavily supported by the Zhu family, became even more arrogant, acting like dogs relying on their master's power. They even directly robbed some factions of their businesses and resources, including the Gu business protected by the Golden Character Workshop.

This naturally angered Xu Ning greatly, but he did not act rashly for the time being, seemingly having received some instructions from someone behind the Luo family.

Chen Dengming became so low-key that he didn't even go to the Gu refining grounds anymore.

Forget being called "Chief Chen," even if someone called him "King Chen," it wouldn't matter.

What kind of life was he risking for a few dozen low-grade Spirit Stones a month?

He quietly hid in his two-courtyard residence to cultivate.

The perimeter walls of the entire courtyard were adorned with Formation Flags set up by Jiang Qiang. Spiritual light flickered all around, creating a peaceful, tidy, and fragrant environment, a secluded and elegant place that no one could pry into.

One day.

A knock sounded on the courtyard gate.

After confirming the identity of the visitor, Chen Dengming performed a hand seal and cast a spell. Instantly, the Formation Flags planted on the courtyard walls fluttered, and a wave of Spiritual Energy spread out.

With a "creak," the courtyard gate opened, and a faint spiritual light flashed and disappeared.

"Brother Chen."

A tall, slender figure appeared behind the gate and respectfully bowed to Chen Dengming as he entered. Then, he went inside to begin inspecting the formation disk.

Chen Dengming walked beside him and said casually, "Qiangzi, how confident are you about breaking through to the third level of Qi Cultivation?"

The person who entered the courtyard was none other than Jiang Qiang, Chen Dengming's subordinate from over a month ago.

The protective and warning formation array for the entire courtyard was also the Three Talents Guard Array set up by Jiang Qiang.

With this protective formation, Chen Dengming dared to cultivate peacefully at night.

Otherwise, he feared that cultivators from some faction might disregard the rules and forcibly abduct him for Gu refining.

Therefore, Chen Dengming highly valued this subordinate. Whenever he left the residence, he would invite Jiang Qiang to guard and inspect the formation array, and also to cultivate peacefully.

After all, the Spiritual Energy in the city's residences was much stronger than in the wilderness or shantytowns.

Furthermore, Jiang Qiang had a fire-element Spiritual Root. Whenever Chen Dengming cultivated in the residence using the Spirit Seizing Formation, there would be a lot of residual Spiritual Energy of the water, fire, and earth elements in the courtyard. Jiang Qiang's cultivation would not only be convenient but also wouldn't conflict with Chen Dengming's.

"Brother Chen, I feel like I'm almost there. In the next half a month to a month, I should be able to break through."

Jiang Qiang meticulously inspected the formation disk and Formation Flags while respectfully replying.

He was grateful for Chen Dengming's regard and assistance, and was willing to work and risk his life for him.

"That's good. It's been quite turbulent lately. Once you reach Qi Cultivation third level, we'll be able to watch each other's backs better. Go on, let's get in touch again after you break through."

As Chen Dengming spoke, he tossed three Low-grade Spirit Stones to Jiang Qiang.

These served as both wages and funds to support Jiang Qiang's development.

Maintaining relationships was a two-way street. Since Jiang Qiang worked diligently to refine formations for him, Chen Dengming naturally wouldn't be stingy.

"Okay, Brother Chen! Actually, you don't need to give me so many Spirit Stones. I haven't even used up the last batch you gave me..."

Jiang Qiang awkwardly accepted the Spirit Stones, then suddenly hesitated, "Brother Chen, there's something I heard that I'm not sure if I'm being overly suspicious or if I should remind you."

"Oh?" Chen Dengming asked, surprised. "What is it?"

Jiang Qiang frowned. "I overheard some bounty Cultivators talking. It seems your Golden Character Workshop intends to form an alliance with the Merchant Alliance to open up the market in the Jingxiu Workshop area. They'll be transporting a batch of goods there soon, and some bounty Cultivators are eyeing it greedily."

Chen Dengming's heart stirred. "You heard this from bounty Cultivators? What did they look like?"

Jiang Qiang gave a wry smile. "Brother Chen, when bounty Cultivators gather to exchange information, they're all very cautious. Everyone has plenty of enemies. For someone like me, who's a wanted criminal, if you hadn't instructed me to infiltrate this group before, I wouldn't have dared. How could I reveal my true appearance?"

"Mm."

Chen Dengming nodded slightly. Seeing that Jiang Qiang had repaired the formation disk, he said, "I understand. You may go. Stay at the safe point outside the Gathering Place. I'll contact you again if anything comes up."

Jiang Qiang nodded, pulled down his hood, and quickly left through the back door.

"The news about the Golden Character Workshop and the Merchant Alliance forming an alliance to develop the Jingxiu Workshop market is currently known only to the middle and high-level personnel of both sides. Recently, due to the influence of the Zhu Family and Luo Family, the plan hasn't even been finalized, yet it's already reached the ears of bounty Cultivators."

Chen Dengming paced within the courtyard, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.

From Jiang Qiang's words, it was clear that some bounty Cultivators had set their sights on the batch of goods jointly produced by the two families.

This was simply audacious.

Even though bounty Cultivators were all desperate outlaws, daring to target the Golden Character Workshop and the Merchant Alliance was no longer a simple matter of being desperate. It was likely...

Moreover, where did they get this information?

"A few days ago, Xu Ning again asked me to escort a merchant caravan to Jingxiu Workshop, but I managed to decline... Besides me, who else could possibly be involved in this plan?"

Chen Dengming's brows furrowed. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked up at the silver-gray sky that seemed to tightly enshroud everything in the winter, feeling an increasing sense that a storm was brewing and the situation was about to change drastically.

He could either continue to stay comfortably within the Gathering Place, guarding his current assets, and be caught up in trouble when the change occurred.

Or, he could decisively withdraw immediately, abandon the next batch of profits from the Gu refining field, and cut his losses.

When facing major events, one must remain calm.

"When faced with urgency, slow down. When facing major events, remain calm. When faced with difficulties, adapt. When facing smooth sailing, be restrained..."

Chen Dengming slowly calmed his mind.

He had read numerous strategy books and possessed over a century of experience, knowing that at this juncture, he couldn't rush his decisions.

The more anxious he became, the more likely he was to make the wrong choice.

He then changed his clothes and trimmed the Bamboo Slice Gu in the bamboo grove within the courtyard.

He went to the small garden, dug open the soil, and observed the Spirit Stone Gu, which had been completely infused with poison, nodding slightly.

Immediately, he stood in the courtyard, cast a Divine Speed Technique, and began to practice.

While practicing, his mind became even clearer.

The faster his movement, the calmer his mind became.

Whoosh--

His figure moved rapidly like the wind within the courtyard, the resulting gusts of wind stirring up the fallen leaves, creating quite a spectacle.

After about three cups of tea, his speed began to slow down.

The current entry-level Divine Speed Technique could only increase his movement speed by about double.

However, even so, the effect was already very impressive.

After all, his own movement speed was already faster than a gale, leaving no trace on the snow. When propelled by Spiritual Energy at the Qi Cultivation third level, he could cover over twenty zhang in a single breath.

After using the Divine Speed Technique, he could now cover fifty zhang in a single breath, truly appearing as graceful as a startled swan and as agile as a swimming dragon. Ordinary Cultivators at the Qi Cultivation third level would only despair when facing his speed in combat.

After practicing the Divine Speed Technique a few times, Chen Dengming's Spiritual Energy had been depleted by about twenty percent.

With a movement, he seemed to become a gust of wind, "crouching" and stepping through the air, his robes fluttering as he swept towards the cold pond in the courtyard.

His gaze, sharp as lightning, locked onto a broad-bladed saber with an ancient and simple design in the pond water.

This was none other than the mid-grade Magic Item saber he had custom-ordered from the Four Tigers Magic Item Shop—the Ice Spirit Blade!

(To be continued! More updates in the morning!)