Cultivation Plans

Spirit Mist Mountain had once been a treasure land rich in spiritual energy. It had originally belonged to a sect.

After the sect's patriarch unfortunately died, the sect could no longer hold Spirit Mist Mountain and was forced to sell it to the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

After taking over, the Four Seas Merchant Guild spent a fortune developing it over several centuries, finally turning it into a blessed haven for cultivation.

Besides its excellent cultivation environment, Spirit Mist Mountain hosted an Earth Martial Realm warrior at the Dao Cliff every six months to expound on the principles of martial arts. Any warrior cultivating there could attend and listen.

Spirit Mist Mountain was a cultivation sanctuary built by the Four Seas Merchant Guild to nurture young warriors, a place where they could set aside distractions and focus entirely on training.

Now that was vision. That was spending without restraint!

Even Lin Chen could not help marveling inwardly.

"As expected of the Four Seas Merchant Guild, with its reach across the Nineteen Provinces and wealth to rival a nation. This is an astonishing undertaking."

Lin Chen was genuinely tempted.

The terms were generous, and the offer showed real sincerity.

He had only just arrived. If he could enter the blessed haven of Spirit Mist Mountain and gain the protection of a giant like the Four Seas Merchant Guild, he could at least cultivate in peace for seven years without fearing for his safety.

Next, he turned to the records concerning the Spirit Pool Baptism.

The Spirit Pool Baptism took place in an Earthcore Spirit Spring deep within the blessed haven of Spirit Mist Mountain.

The spirit liquid in the pool contained the essence of the earth and thousand-year-old Spirit Herbs. It had the remarkable power to cleanse the marrow, transform the bones, and improve one's aptitude for martial arts.

The pool opened only once every ten years, and only rising martial stars with first-class talent potential could receive its baptism.

"Cleanse the marrow, transform the bones, and improve aptitude..."

Lin Chen nodded slightly. That would certainly help him.

True, Lin Chen had a wondrous method called Attribute Allocation.

But his chances of success when breaking through to a new major realm were still affected by his aptitude for martial arts.

If he could improve his aptitude, breaking through to the Earth Martial Realm and the Heavenly Martial Realm in the future would be considerably easier.

"The Four Seas Merchant Guild isn't just keen on investing in promising warriors. It's willing to pour resources into true geniuses."

Lin Chen gradually understood.

The Four Seas Merchant Guild spanned the Nineteen Provinces. With its vast operations and staggering accumulated wealth, it needed sufficiently powerful experts to guard it, or others would set their sights on what it owned.

But someone at the Heavenly Martial Realm was already the patriarch of a major force, with a status far above ordinary warriors. Even for the Four Seas Merchant Guild, winning such a person over would be no easy task.

If it invested in a young person who had yet to mature, however, and that person truly reached the Heavenly Martial Realm one day, the return for the Four Seas Merchant Guild would be immeasurable!

"The tower-climbing trial is in half a month?"

Lin Chen murmured to himself. He had already made up his mind.

He did not leave right away. Instead, he continued reading through the other intelligence, gradually forming a clear picture of the Yunlan region.

Finally, Lin Chen glanced at the catalog entry for the Cloud Province Rising Stars Ranking.

According to the dossier's introduction, Hundred Knowledge Tower compiled the ranking by assessing the cultivation, battle records, and potential of Profound Martial Realm warriors under eighty years old in Cloud Province.

In a sense, it reflected the state of Cloud Province's younger generation. Everyone on the list was considered to have a chance of reaching the Earth Martial Realm and becoming a dominant figure.

Even so, the weakest person on the list had reached at least the fifth level of the Profound Martial Realm.

Lin Chen shook his head.

He was only thirty. He had been cultivating for far too short a time.

The ranking covered Profound Martial Realm warriors under eighty, yet even its youngest entrant was around forty-five.

Lin Chen considered the threshold for making the list. Having entered the Profound Martial Realm in his early thirties, he certainly had a great advantage in age. For now, that was perhaps his most notable achievement.

But that was as far as it went.

He then looked up past records and intelligence concerning the tower-climbing trial itself.

To Lin Chen's surprise, however, it seemed he did not have to pass the tower-climbing trial to join the Four Seas Merchant Guild as other warriors did.

He had spotted a note:

Anyone who demonstrated first-class talent potential or higher could be accepted by the Four Seas Merchant Guild at any time.

Geniuses always had privileges!

"That makes sense. The Four Seas Merchant Guild isn't casting such a wide net to produce more Profound Martial Realm or Earth Martial Realm warriors. It only needs one, or perhaps a few, who reach the Heavenly Martial Realm."

"A warrior with first-class talent aptitude would be a core prospect worth cultivating in any sect or organization. Naturally, the Four Seas Merchant Guild would make an exception for one..."

Having worked it out, Lin Chen smiled faintly.

He did not like special privileges, but if he was the one receiving them, that was another matter.

After all, he had earned his current cultivation step by step through hard work!

What was wrong with enjoying the rewards now?

With that answer in hand, Lin Chen was in no hurry.

He stayed until the sun dipped westward and the sky turned orange. Only after reading through all the intelligence did he return the jade slips to the shelves.

That half day of reading had also given Lin Chen an initial understanding of the Yunlan region.

Its many factions were tangled together, and opportunity existed alongside danger. It was far from the relatively simple environment of Kaiyang City.

But the stage here was larger, the resources more abundant, and the path to becoming strong much clearer.

Near the end, Lin Chen even caught sight of a ranking called the Great Qian Dynasty's Heaven's Chosen Ranking.

It listed the dynasty's truly outstanding figures. Even in all of vast Cloud Province, only a handful had made the list.

Lin Chen merely glanced at it before looking away. That level was still beyond him for now.

All he needed to do was take things one step at a time: reach the tenth level of the Profound Martial Realm first, then set his sights on the Earth Martial Realm.

Lin Chen remained clearheaded. Potential was only potential, a measure of the heights he might reach in the future. Strength was what allowed him to stand on his own right now.

"My short-term goal is to join the Four Seas Merchant Guild, spend seven years building my foundation on Spirit Mist Mountain, and cultivate steadily to grow stronger."

"As for the long term... perhaps I can make the Cloud Province Rising Stars Ranking within twenty years."

Lin Chen settled on his plan.

He then turned and went downstairs, returning the token to the middle-aged steward on the first floor.

The steward took the token with his customary smile.

"Did you find what you were looking for, young master?"

"I learned a great deal."

Lin Chen nodded, then asked, "Is there a quiet inn near the Four Seas Merchant Guild?"

"So that's what brings you here too, young master."

Understanding dawned on the steward, and he handed over a simple map.

"There have been quite a few visitors like you lately. The Four Seas Merchant Guild is holding its tower-climbing trial in half a month, after all. Any warrior who thinks they have some ability wants to give it a try."

He paused, then added:

"But receiving priority training won't be easy. You'd need to be rated at least a second-class genius."

Lin Chen nodded and thanked the steward.

After paying the intelligence fee of three hundred Spirit Stones, he followed the map out of Hundred Knowledge Tower.

He chose a quiet inn near the Four Seas Merchant Guild's branch in Yunlan City and settled in.

He spent a day resting and recovering his energy.

Early the next morning, Lin Chen wasted no more time and headed straight for the grand, imposing branch of the Four Seas Merchant Guild.