Encounter

The next day.

Guang'an Prefecture Port.

As Cloud-Treading Beast Carts loaded all kinds of spirit mines onto the Azure Dragon Cargo Ship one after another, Chen Xianhe watched the clan members bustling about aboard the ship, then turned to Chen Daoxuan. "The journey back to Twin Lakes Island is long. I wish you smooth sailing!"

"Mm."

Chen Daoxuan nodded. "Thirteenth Uncle, take care of yourself as well. Once the family's Artifact Forging Workshop is built and our Magic Artifact production stabilizes, I'll bring the refined Magic Artifacts to you."

"Don't worry. With the Magic Artifacts you gave me yesterday, the Artifact Shop can hold out for quite some time."

Chen Xianhe stroked the Storage Bag at his waist and smiled.

Chen Daoxuan glanced at Thirteenth Uncle's Storage Bag and thought to himself, This small amount of Magic Artifacts will be nowhere near enough.

The Magic Artifacts he had given Chen Xianhe yesterday were some of the finer pieces he had refined over five years of learning Artifact Refining: twenty-three Low-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts and eleven Medium-grade First-tier Magical Artifacts, thirty-four in total.

To Chen Xianhe, that was already an enormous number. Their market value was roughly three thousand Spirit Stones, perhaps even more in reality due to the shortage of high-quality Magic Artifacts on the market.

Chen Xianhe felt that so many Magic Artifacts would be enough to support the Artifact Shop for some time after opening.

But clearly, Chen Xianhe had still underestimated the demand Guang'an Prefecture immortal city's Rogue Cultivators had for high-quality Magic Artifacts.

In Chen Daoxuan's view, tossing this handful of Magic Artifacts into the vast Magic Artifact market of the Rogue Cultivator Market would not even raise a ripple before they were instantly swallowed up.

Of course, Chen Daoxuan could not say such speculation aloud. Otherwise, if the Magic Artifacts failed to sell when the time came, he would be slapped in the face.

"By the way,"

As though remembering something, Chen Xianhe changed the subject. "Daoxuan, why did you name the family's Artifact Shop the 'Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Shop' instead of Chen Clan's artifact shop?

Do you mean that our family's main Magic Artifact product from now on will be Flying Swords?"

"That's right!"

Chen Daoxuan nodded in explanation. "In the Myriad Star Sea, under the influence of the Qianyuan Sword Sect, more than ninety percent of cultivators use Flying Sword-type Magic Artifacts. The Flying Sword Magic Artifact market is the broadest.

The reason I chose this name is that I want our Chen Family to carve out a place in the Flying Sword Magic Artifact market."

As for more profound matters like brand value, Chen Daoxuan could not explain them clearly to Chen Xianhe in a short while, so he simply did not bother.

Commercial development in Guang'an Prefecture immortal city was still at a relatively primitive stage. No matter what they sold, most shops had rather vague names.

For example, the Wu Clan Magic Artifact Shop, such-and-such pill shop, such-and-such treasure pavilion, and so on.

There was almost no Magic Artifact Shop devoted to selling a single category. In other words, there was simply no concept of specializing in a vertical market here.

The Chen Family's Artifact Shop, however, targeted a highly specific consumer group—Rogue Cultivators and descendants of small families.

This consumer group had two major characteristics.

First, they were immense in number.

Second, they did not have high requirements for the grade of Magic Artifacts.

And those two points were precisely the Chen Family's greatest advantages.

A massive consumer base meant extremely high demands for product output; otherwise, the consumer market could not be met.

Low requirements for Magic Artifact grades meant that Chen Daoxuan, a high-grade first-tier Artifact Forger, could meet the production requirements.

Coupled with the Chen Family's specialized sale of Flying Sword-type Magic Artifacts, Chen Daoxuan believed that the "Rainbow Sound Flying Sword" Magic Artifact brand would become an instant hit!

Half an hour later.

On the stern deck.

Chen Daoxuan waved toward Chen Xianhe's gradually blurring figure, then turned and returned to the cabin.

The Azure Dragon's cabin was divided into three levels.

The first and second levels were cargo holds, the largest areas of the ship.

The third level was the passenger cabin, where the crew lived.

Chen Daoxuan also lived on the third level. But unlike ordinary Chen Clan members, who had to squeeze five people into one room, Chen Daoxuan's cabin was a luxurious single room.

Seven days later.

The Southwest Sea Area of the Myriad Star Sea.

The Azure Dragon sailed through wind and waves across the boundless sea.

Inside the cabin.

Chen Daoxuan sat cross-legged on a Pouf, his eyes tightly shut.

Unable to cultivate the Returning Origin Technique while sailing through the Myriad Star Sea, Chen Daoxuan devoted all his energy to cultivating the Chasing Wind Sword Art.

It had to be said that the Chasing Wind Sword Art's breakthrough to the Great Accomplishment stage had greatly boosted his strength.

Otherwise, relying solely on that high-grade first-tier Flying Snow Sword, he could at most have severely wounded the Bloodspot Sea Serpent. One strike killing it outright would have been impossible.

Therefore.

Chen Daoxuan became even more attentive in his cultivation of the Chasing Wind Sword Art.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

Chen Daoxuan opened his eyes as his Enlightenment ended.

"I never expected cultivation to become so difficult after the Chasing Wind Sword Art reached the Great Accomplishment stage. Two Enlightenments only barely raised the Flying Sword's power increase from sixty percent to eighty percent."

Chen Daoxuan sighed.

In truth.

As early as the second Enlightenment, Chen Daoxuan's Chasing Wind Sword Art had reached the Great Accomplishment stage, increasing the Flying Sword's power by sixty percent.

Then, after two more Enlightenments in succession, it had only gained another twenty percent increase in Flying Sword power. Chen Daoxuan could not help feeling somewhat discouraged.

One had to know that this was the result of cultivation with his Comprehension increased tenfold.

Without relying on the Primordial Enlightenment Scripture's ability to store Comprehension, if Chen Daoxuan had cultivated on his own, even another ten years might not have been enough for him to raise the Chasing Wind Sword Art from Great Accomplishment to its current level.

"No wonder this Sword Art contains no record of the Perfection stage. Perhaps even the creator of this Sword Art did not believe later generations could cultivate it to Perfection."

Chen Daoxuan shook his head.

Indeed, for a Qi Refining cultivator, cultivating a first-tier Sword Art to the Perfection stage was truly asking the impossible.

Generally speaking, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who invested immense effort might be able to cultivate a first-tier Sword Art to the Perfection stage.

But there was no need whatsoever.

They were already qualified to cultivate more profound second-tier Sword Arts or second-tier spells.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator only needed to spend a few years cultivating a second-tier Sword Art to the Minor Accomplishment stage, and its increase to a Flying Sword's power would already be no weaker than that of a first-tier Sword Art at Perfection.

Why go far afield when the answer lay close at hand?

After practicing the Chasing Wind Sword Art he had just comprehended in the cabin, Chen Daoxuan rose and headed outside.

At that moment.

A mournful, beautiful song rang out beside his ears, and Chen Daoxuan felt his head spin.

"Not good!"

Chen Daoxuan fiercely bit the tip of his tongue, instantly clearing his mind.

When he sprinted onto the Azure Dragon's deck and swept it with his Divine Sense, he discovered that aside from himself, every clan member on the ship had collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

From above.

Beneath the Azure Dragon, shadow after shadow swam through the seawater, packed so densely that their number could not be counted.

Most of those shadows were over a zhang long. They were clearly not human.

Listening to the mournful song by his ears, Chen Daoxuan took out the Flying Snow Sword and silently recited the Primordial Enlightenment Scripture, resisting the song's assault on his Sea of Consciousness.

But in the next instant, his will to resist was shattered.

A robust figure with a human body and fish tail stepped upon surging waves and appeared before him.

Beside that robust figure stood a petite figure.

"It's you!"

At the sight of the person before him, Chen Daoxuan's heart sank bit by bit.