112: Chapter 71 Emerging from Seclusion

Chen Xuan walked to the edge of the Spirit Spring pool, washing away the thick grime on his body.

Eight times of steaming, each time forcing out a large amount of Impurities from within his body.

These Impurities were the Innate filth within his Spiritual Root; for every bit that was steamed away, his Spiritual Root became that much purer.

He lowered his head to look at his reflection in the pool water.

It was a young face, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, a refined appearance, but eyes as deep as an ancient well.

A sixteen-year-old face, a Soul of several hundred years.

Chen Xuan changed into a cyan Daoist robe, secured his hair crown, and hung the Three Bright Moon Sword at his waist.

He glanced at the hourglass; seclusion had taken twelve days.

There were still three days until the auction.

Just right.

Chen Xuan removed the defensive Formation of the Immortal Cave and pushed the door open to exit.

The morning light was blinding; he squinted and took a deep breath of the crisp air of Qingming Peak.

Spiritual Qi entered his lungs, transforming into magical power that flowed into his Dantian, where the ball of light spun happily.

Liu Cui was squatting at the doorway again, holding a stack of communication talismans in her hands.

Seeing Chen Xuan come out, she stood up abruptly, her eyes wide open.

"Young Master, you finally came out!"

She handed over the communication talismans, her fingers trembling.

"If you didn't come out any longer, Young Miss would have torn down the Conquest Hall."

Chen Xuan took the communication talismans and looked through them one by one.

Those from the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce, Senior Sister Wen Yao's, Xiao Ye's, and over a dozen from Liu Lili.

He first opened the communication talisman from the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

"The auction starts in three days; the three Presidents need to arrive one day early."

The timing was just right.

He then opened Senior Sister Wen Yao's.

"Junior Brother, come to the Conquest Hall after leaving seclusion; Revered Master has instructions for you."

Chen Xuan put away the communication talismans and walked toward the Conquest Hall.

Liu Cui trotted along behind him, muttering.

"Young Master, Young Miss said to message her the moment you left seclusion. I did, so why hasn't she come yet?"

Chen Xuan did not answer, his pace not slowing.

At the entrance of the Conquest Hall, Senior Sister Wen Yao stood on the steps, dual swords hanging at her waist, her long hair tied in a ponytail, the three red lotus petal marks between her brows particularly striking in the morning light.

She watched Chen Xuan approach, her gaze lingering on him for a moment.

"Eight turns?"

"Eight turns."

Senior Sister Wen Yao nodded, revealing a rare trace of approval.

"Revered Master is waiting for you in the back hall."

Chen Xuan walked into the back hall, where Master Liu Yun sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, with white hair and white brows, possessing an immortal aura.

Seeing Chen Xuan, his gaze narrowed slightly.

"Eight-turn Steaming Sea, a sixteen-year-old at Qi Refining Perfection."

"You are the Disciple with the most solid Dao Foundation under my tutelage in five hundred years."

Chen Xuan bowed in salute.

"This Disciple does not dare accept such praise."

"Whether you dare or not is your business; whether I judge it so is mine."

Master Liu Yun raised his hand, and a jade talisman flew toward Chen Xuan.

"This is the admission token for the auction; you can freely enter and exit with this token."

"Additionally, there may be people from the White Lotus Sect sneaking into this auction, so be careful."

Chen Xuan took the token and stored it in his Storage Pouch.

"This Disciple understands."

"Go now, your Senior Sister is waiting for you outside."

Chen Xuan exited the back hall and walked to the entrance of the Conquest Hall.

Liu Lili was just descending from a streak of light, wearing a water-blue dress, a jade hairpin inserted in her bun, looking as bright and beautiful as someone who had stepped out of a painting.

Seeing Chen Xuan, her eyes instantly turned red.

"You finally know to come out!"

She rushed over and punched Chen Xuan in the chest.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you!"

"Twelve days."

Chen Xuan caught her wrist, not dodging.

"I was counting."

Liu Lili sniffled and held back her tears.

"What good is counting if you won't come out early anyway."

"I will."

Chen Xuan released her wrist and smiled.

"I promised Senior Sister I wouldn't make you wait too long."

Liu Lili huffed, but most of the grievance on her face dissipated.

"Let's go, the flying ship is waiting at the ferry."

The three boarded the flying ship, which slowly rose, turned, and flew toward Fusheng Immortal City.

Chen Xuan stood by the ship's railing, watching Qingming Peak get smaller and smaller in his view.

The pavilions, Immortal Caves, and Yanfa Hall on the mountain had all shrunk into tiny dots.

Clouds swept past below, obscuring the entire Liuyang Sword Sect.

Liu Lili leaned beside him, also watching that sea of clouds.

"Junior Brother, have you reached eight-turn Steaming Sea?"

"Yes."

"Then are you going to attempt Foundation Establishment soon?"

"After the auction ends, I will enter seclusion."

Chen Xuan's gaze fell into the distance, where a faint golden line lay at the junction of sea and sky.

That was the morning sun rising.

Liu Lili was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"Junior Brother, do you think we can still be like this after Foundation Establishment?"

Chen Xuan turned to look at her.

There was a trace of unease in her eyes, like a child afraid of losing a toy.

"Yes."

He answered very firmly.

"Foundation Establishment is only the beginning, not the end."

"The road ahead is still long; if Senior Sister doesn't want to walk it, I will pull you along."

Liu Lili giggled and flicked his forehead.

"Who needs you to pull me? I can walk myself."

The flying ship flew over the sea for a day and a night.

On the evening of the second day, the silhouette of Fusheng Immortal City appeared in view.

Chen Xuan stood at the bow, looking at the brightly lit Immortal City, a familiar feeling surging in his heart.

In his second life, he had lived here for decades.

Now revisiting this old place, it was still the same city, still the same people, but he was no longer the President Wang of those years.

He was Chen Xuan, a Golden Core Disciple of the Liuyang Sword Sect, a Sword Cultivator with an Innate Sword Bone.

The flying ship landed at the air harbor.

The three disembarked and walked toward the headquarters of the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

The headquarters was in the center of the Immortal City, a nine-story pavilion, with carved beams and painted rafters, magnificent and golden.

Two rows of Qi Refining Cultivators stood at the entrance of the pavilion, wearing uniform cyan outfits with Magical Artifacts hanging at their waists.

Liu Lili looked at the pomp and clicked her tongue.

"The Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce is truly wealthy, using Qi Refining Cultivators as guards, twenty of them at that."

Chen Xuan did not respond.

This pomp was a rule he had set in his second life.

At that time, he said that a chamber of commerce should have the dignity of a chamber of commerce, and the gatekeepers were the face of the chamber of commerce.

Now this rule still existed, and his face still remained.

But no one knew that the person who set the rule had already undergone Reincarnation.

The four walked into the pavilion; there were already many Cultivators waiting in the main hall.

There were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Qi Refining Cultivators, and several elderly men with profound auras, clearly representatives of various major Families.

A middle-aged man wearing the chamber of commerce uniform came up to greet them and bowed in salute.

"Immortal Master Chonghe, the three of you, please follow me."

He led the four up the stairs, all the way to the top floor.

The top floor was the meeting hall for the three Presidents, where idlers were not allowed.

The middle-aged man pushed open the door and retreated to the side.

Master Liu Yun entered first, with Chen Xuan and the other two following behind.

Inside the meeting hall, President Liu Yishou and Yao Shuang were already there.

The two were drinking tea, and seeing Master Liu Yun enter, they hurriedly stood up to salute.

"Immortal Master Chonghe, long admired."

Master Liu Yun nodded and sat down in the main seat.

Chen Xuan sat down beside Senior Sister Wen Yao, and Liu Lili sat next to him.

President Liu Yishou cleared his throat and spoke.

"This auction has a total of one hundred and fifty auction items, thirty more than originally planned."

"The Fusheng Sect added a batch of second-tier Magical Artifacts at the last minute, and the Qingcang Sect also sent over a few second-tier Spirit Beasts."

"The three finale items remain unchanged: the second-tier Spiritual Artifact Qinghong Sword, the third-tier Cultivation Technique Cangming Art, and the ascension spirit liquid."

Yao Shuang continued.

"Security is jointly managed by the Fusheng Sect, Liuyang Sword Sect, and Qingcang Sect, with five Golden Core Masters overseeing the venue inside and out."

"The White Lotus Sect has been restless again recently, and this auction is very likely to become their target."

"Fellow Daoist Liu Yun, your task is still to keep an eye on the Loose Cultivators; if there are any suspicious people, report them immediately."

Chen Xuan nodded.

His Dharma Eye could see through a Cultivator's cultivation level and background; those who hid their identities to sneak in could not hide from him.

The meeting lasted for half an hour, and all the details of the auction were finalized.

Chen Xuan walked out of the meeting hall and stood at the window, looking at the night view of the Immortal City.

Brightly lit and bustling with noise.

This Immortal City was still as lively as in his memory.

But the liveliness was theirs; he had nothing.

No.

He had something.

He had the Dao Foundation of eight-turn Steaming Sea, the Physique of Innate Sword Bone, and the certainty of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

He still had a very, very long road to walk.

Chen Xuan turned around and walked toward his room.

Tomorrow was the auction.

He needed to rest well and conserve his energy.

And take the opportunity to see if there was anything he needed.