Qian Wantong

With the closure of the Cloud Dream Ancient Land, many young martial artists were teleported out.

In just a few days, the news spread like wildfire, from snippets of conversation among the core disciples of various sects to tea stalls and taverns on every street corner.

At first, they were just fragmented words, but after a few nights, these fragments pieced themselves together and were told back and forth, becoming more and more detailed and more and more true.

"Have you heard? This year, Cloud Province has taken over all three palaces of Cloud Dream Ancient Land: the Glowing Light Palace, the Blood Spirit Palace, and the Clear Light Palace!"

"They didn't just occupy the palace; Lin Chen and Li Tianxing beat that so-called Sky Eagle Young Master and Xuanyuan Hou they couldn't even lift their heads."

At this point, the man's voice unconsciously rose, and his spine straightened a bit.

"That's a martial artist from beyond the realm!"

Some, more spirited and generous, declared, "Just for this reason, I'll treat everyone to everything at the tavern today!"

In an instant, those who excelled in the Cloud Dream Ancient Land rose like a new star, shining brightly in the sky of Cloud Province.

Four Seas Merchant Guild, Cloud Province Headquarters.

Clear Frost Pavilion.

It was early spring, and the old tree in the courtyard was sprouting new branches, with sunlight filtering through and casting its rays onto the stone table.

The tea on the table is this year's newly roasted Cloud Summit Green Needles.

The tea leaves unfurled and swirled in the water, releasing a unique and refreshing fragrance.

Beside the stone table, Elder Su put down his teacup and looked at the middle-aged man opposite him.

"Helmsman Qian."

He said, "The Soul-Returning Grass has been put into the secret vault."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Qian Wantong's eyes. "It's been verified?"

"Of course." Elder Su paused, "It has all three leaves, the roots are intact, and the medicinal properties are well preserved."

Qian Wantong nodded slightly, lowered his eyes, and slowly stroked the edge of the teacup with his fingertips, revealing a look of delight.

On the other side, Elder Su watched this scene without saying a word; he knew some of the inside story.

The Soul-Returning Grass was not requested by the Four Seas Merchant Guild, but rather decided by Qian Wantong himself.

This was prepared for a woman.

He had seen that woman before; she stood beside Qian Wantong, with gentle eyes, but he had never seen her again.

After a moment, Qian Wantong put down his teacup.

The fleeting joy in his eyes faded, and his tone returned to its usual composure.

"Tell me, what happened in the Cloud Dream Ancient Land?"

Elder Su sat up straight and reported the news he had gathered from various places over the past few days.

Qian Wantong listened quietly, then asked, "In your opinion, how should they be rewarded?"

Elder Su had clearly been thinking about this for a long time.

"Earth Tier martial arts techniques, you can choose three from the Martial Arts Pavilion."

He paused, then added, "Furthermore, the annual allocation of cultivation resources, including Spirit Stone and Pill, will be increased by another 50%."

After speaking, Elder Su looked at Qian Wantong —this was already a very generous offer.

But Qian Wantong suddenly spoke up, "Why not give him the Nine Heavens Sword Art?"

Upon hearing the words "Nine Heavens Sword Art, "Elder Su's pupils constricted slightly.

The Nine Heavens Sword Art is a top-tier Earth-level cultivation method!

It is one of the treasure-keeping techniques of the Cloud Province Chamber of Commerce, and only the leader has the authority to decide on it.

Even he himself was only at the upper-grade Earth level.

However, judging from Lin Chen's performance in the Cloud Dream Ancient Land, it seems that he has no problem learning this technique.

Elder Su remained silent for a moment, then spoke.

"The Nine Heavens Sword Art requires the condensation of Nine Sword Suns, which places a great burden on Sword Intent, True Essence, and mind. It is probably not an easy task to master."

Qian Wantong nodded slightly. "The Chamber of Commerce's secret vault should contain a corresponding cultivation resource."

Elder Su was taken aback, but then understood.

To cultivate the Nine Heavens Sword Art, one must condense Nine Sword Suns on the True Essence Lake.

Even the most gifted person needs to work hard and persevere to finally achieve this.

However, the Four Seas Merchant Guild naturally possesses cultivation resources, enabling them to condense what would have taken twenty years of painstaking effort into a mere five years.

For young martial artists, being able to complete their training a decade or more in advance is undoubtedly extremely important.

Elder Su replied, "The Chamber of Commerce currently has nine Sword Sun Fruit in its secret vault."

Give him all nine Sword Sun Fruit.

Qian Wantong, "With this item, he will be able to condense Nine Sword Suns within five years."

"Yes," Elder Su said. "I will retrieve it from the secret vault shortly and send it along with the Nine Heavens Sword Art."

Qian Wantong picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"There's something else."

Qian Wantong's tone remained calm and composed, as if he were about to say something completely ordinary.

"I intend to recommend him to the Four Seas General Alliance as Heavenly Martial Realm Seed."

Upon hearing this, Elder Su's tea sloshed, a few drops splashing onto the stone table, revealing his inner turmoil.

It should be noted that the Four Seas Merchant Guild of Commerce has influence throughout the Great Qian Dynasty and possesses astonishing wealth.

The reason why no one dared to trespass upon such wealth was because of the Heavenly Martial Realm warriors.

Currently, the Four Seas Merchant Guild has five Heavenly Martial Realm warriors, two Supreme Elders of the General Alliance, one from the Eastern Continent, one from the Western Continent, and one from Thousand Star Lake.

Nineteen Provinces, tens of millions of martial artists, countless resources poured in, yet only these five remain.

Each and every one of them is a pillar of the Four Seas Merchant Guild, the source of its unwavering strength in the face of external storms.

The Heavenly Martial Realm Seed is one of the best talents selected by the Four Seas Merchant Guild from among the world's elite, a person who is expected to break through the Martial Dao Heavenly Gate in the future.

Under normal circumstances.

To become Heavenly Martial Realm Seed, one must be personally recommended by the Grand Master of a province, and a province can only recommend one person at most.

Even so, across the Nineteen Provinces, among countless second-tier and first-tier potential martial artists, only eleven have been recommended so far!

Elder Su suddenly stood up, somewhat losing his composure for the first time. After a moment, he stood up and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Su Yan understands."

Elder Su paused for a moment, then said, "I will inform Lin Chen of everything we discussed today: the Nine Heavens Sword Art, the Void Spirit Fruit, and the recommendation of the Heavenly Martial Realm Seed."

Elder Su then turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Qian Wantong sat alone for a while.

Then, he got up and walked towards the door deep inside the Clear Frost Pavilion, a door that had never been opened to anyone else.

He pushed open the door and entered. The warm room was small and simply furnished, with a tea table, a bed, and an incense burner.

On the bed, a woman lay quietly.

She looked to be only in her early twenties, with gentle eyes and a slight upturn at the corners of her lips, as if she were simply in the middle of a long dream from which she did not wish to wake up.

More than twenty years have passed.

More than twenty years have passed since the woman fell into a deep sleep.

Qian Wantong sat down on the edge of the couch and quietly watched him.

"A Heng."

After a long while, he said in a low voice.

You'll wake up soon.

Inside a quiet room, Lin Chen sat by the window, leisurely reading a book.

Several days have passed since I returned from the Cloud Dream Ancient Land.

Lin Chen did not devote himself to cultivation, but instead emphasized the balance between work and rest, taking several days to rest.

At this moment, he was flipping through the records of the Cloud Dream Ancient Land, which had been collected by the Four Seas Merchant Guild over the years.

After a moment, Lin Chen slowly closed the book, tapping the cover lightly with his fingertips, his expression thoughtful.