156: Chapter 115 Opening a Shop and Diligent Cultivation!

The night wind in Nanming Port was very cold.

It carried the scent of sulfur, blowing from the direction of the volcano cluster, weaving through the stone houses at the pier.

Chen Xuan sat cross-legged in the center of the stone house, closing his eyes to look inward.

The five-colored light of the Purple Mansion flowed within his Dantian; the four imageries of City Wall Earth slowly rotated in the Purple Mansion, while the four imageries of Heavenly Fire flickered with light.

His Foundation Establishment Seventh Stage cultivation had already stabilized.

He opened his eyes and looked into the distance from the window.

In the direction of the volcano cluster, a dark red light flickered.

That was the afterglow of magma, and also the heartbeat of this land.

Liu Lili pushed the door open and entered, carrying a bowl of soup in her hands.

The soup was still steaming, and the fragrance of medicine permeated the air.

"Junior Brother, drink some soup."

Chen Xuan took the bowl and drank it in one gulp.

"Senior Sister, how did the matter with the shop go?"

Liu Lili sat down beside him and took out a Jade Slip from her Storage Pouch.

"I found one. There is an empty shop on the east side of the pier. The location is good, close to the pier, and there is a lot of foot traffic. The landlord is a Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, surnamed Zhou, who did business in Spirit Materials in Nanming Port before the volcanic eruption. He said he could rent the shop to us for three thousand Spirit Stones a year."

Chen Xuan nodded.

"Not expensive."

Liu Lili smiled.

"I also didn't think it was expensive. So I signed for three years directly."

She took a bunch of keys from her Storage Pouch and dangled them in front of Chen Xuan.

"We can open for business tomorrow."

Senior Sister Wen Yao walked in from the neighboring stone house, her twin swords hanging at her waist, her long hair tied into a ponytail.

"Are the Medicinal Pills ready?"

"Ready." Liu Lili patted her Storage Pouch. "Fifty bottles of Foundation Establishment Second Stage healing pills, thirty bottles of Foundation Establishment Second Stage Qi Gathering pills, twenty bottles of Foundation Establishment Second Stage Miasma-avoiding pills, plus various Foundation Establishment First Stage Medicinal Pills, totaling over two hundred bottles. Enough to sell for a while."

Senior Sister Wen Yao nodded.

"I will help you watch the shop tomorrow."

Liu Lili shook her head.

"Senior Sister, your cultivation is more important. I can handle the shop business."

Senior Sister Wen Yao was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Call me if you need anything."

She turned and walked out of the stone house, her back as straight as a sword.

Chen Xuan looked at her back, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart.

Senior Sister Wen Yao was always like this; she didn't say much, but every sentence was solid.

Liu Lili leaned on his shoulder and said softly.

"Junior Brother, what do you think we should name our shop?"

Chen Xuan thought for a moment.

"Let's call it 'Yunji Pill Shop'."

Liu Lili raised her head and looked at him.

"Isn't that too simple?"

"Simple is easy to remember." Chen Xuan's tone was very calm. "In business, the name is not important. What is important is that the goods are genuine."

Liu Lili thought about it, then nodded.

"That's true."

She stood up and patted the dust off her skirt.

"Then I'll go hang the sign tomorrow. You continue your cultivation."

Chen Xuan nodded.

Liu Lili walked to the door and looked back at him.

"Junior Brother, get some rest early."

The door closed behind her.

Chen Xuan closed his eyes and continued to comprehend the Meteor.

His Divine Sense spread toward the sky, connecting to the star power of that star.

It was very slow, but very steady.

He was not in a hurry.

The next morning.

Yunji Pill Shop opened on the east side of the pier.

The shop was not big, only two rooms.

One room for displaying goods, one for receiving guests.

Liu Lili stood behind the counter, wearing a water-blue long dress, a jade hairpin inserted in her hair bun, her smile bright.

Xiao Ye was greeting guests at the door, having changed from his usual silence, his mouth as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey.

"This Fellow Daoist, come in and take a look. Foundation Establishment Second Stage healing pills, unique in the Southern Border after the volcanic eruption, you can't buy them outside."

"This Senior, Foundation Establishment Second Stage Miasma-avoiding pills, three for only one hundred Spirit Stones, thirty percent cheaper than in the north."

"This Fairy, Foundation Establishment First Stage beauty-retaining pills, produced by the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce, effect guaranteed."

Senior Sister Wen Yao sat in the corner of the shop, her twin swords across her knees, closing her eyes to rest.

She was not very good at greeting guests, but sitting there, she was the best sign.

A female Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage walked in, wearing a ragged Daoist robe, with burn scars on her face.

She stood in front of the shelf for a long time, picked up a bottle of Foundation Establishment Second Stage healing pills, looked at the price, and put it down again.

Liu Lili noticed.

"Fellow Daoist, if you want this bottle of Medicinal Pills, I'll give you a discount."

The female Cultivator raised her head, her eyes slightly red.

"Really?"

"Really." Liu Lili walked out from behind the counter, picked up the bottle of Medicinal Pills, and stuffed it into the female Cultivator's hand. "Eighty Spirit Stones, the original price is one hundred and twenty."

The female Cultivator's tears fell.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist. When the volcano erupted, my husband was burned by magma to save me, and the injury hasn't healed to this day. I have searched all over Nanming Port, and no pill shop has Foundation Establishment Second Stage healing pills. Those merchants from the Central Plains want to sell a bottle for two hundred Spirit Stones; I can't afford it."

Liu Lili held her hand.

"In the future, if you need anything, just come. Our Medicinal Pills here will always be cheaper than others."

The female Cultivator nodded vigorously, wiped away her tears, counted out eighty Spirit Stones from her Storage Pouch, and placed them on the counter.

She hugged the bottle of Medicinal Pills and walked quickly out of the shop.

Liu Lili looked at her back and was silent for a long time.

Chen Xuan stood at the door of the shop, watching this scene.

A complex emotion surged in his heart.

In his second life, he had seen many such scenes in the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

Those Loose Cultivators, those Cultivators from small and medium-sized Families, running around for a few Medicinal Pills, for a few Spirit Stones, humble and subservient.

It wasn't that they didn't work hard; they just didn't have resources.

It wasn't that they didn't have talent; they just didn't have Opportunity.

This world was never fair.

But that was not a reason for them to give up.

Nor was it a reason for him to give up.

Liu Lili walked over and leaned against his side.

"Junior Brother, that female Cultivator reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"You."

Chen Xuan turned his head to look at her.

"Me?"

"Yes." Liu Lili nodded. "When I first met you, you were just like this. Clearly poor to death, yet refusing to accept my gifts. Clearly injured, yet bracing yourself and saying you were fine."

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment.

"I was indeed poor back then."

Liu Lili chuckled.

"And now?"

"Not rich now either." Chen Xuan's tone was very calm. "But much better than before."

Liu Lili reached out and flicked his forehead.

"Be content."

Days passed by one by one.

Business at Yunji Pill Shop got better and better.

The Cultivators of Nanming Port spread the word, saying that there was a pill shop on the east side of the pier with good Medicinal Pills, fair prices, and a kind proprietress.

Every day, people came to buy medicine in an endless stream.

There were Loose Cultivators, Family disciples, merchants from the north, and Cultivators returning from adventures deep in the volcano.

Liu Lili was so busy that her feet didn't touch the ground, standing behind the counter from morning till night every day.

But she never complained of being tired.

Every time Chen Xuan asked her, she always said "not tired."

Then she would continue to greet guests, continue to calculate accounts, and continue to make soup.

Chen Xuan saw it in his eyes and kept it in his heart.

Every morning he went to the port to practice his sword, in the morning he comprehended the Meteor, in the afternoon he practiced the Haohai Sword Art, and at night he practiced the Foundation Establishment Second Stage Formation.

Occasionally he would help Liu Lili watch the shop, occasionally he would go to the pier to stroll around and listen to the new things in Nanming Port.

Senior Sister Wen Yao was also cultivating.

She was much more diligent than before arriving in the Southern Border.

She got up before dawn every day to practice her sword and didn't stop until mid-morning.

In the afternoon she meditated in the stone house, and at night she comprehended the Liu Clan secret technique.

Her aura grew stronger day by day.

Chen Xuan could feel that she was only a layer of paper away from the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

One morning two months later.

When Senior Sister Wen Yao was practicing her sword at the port, the red lotus petal mark between her eyebrows suddenly lit up.

The red light was like blood, blooming between her eyebrows.

Her aura climbed sharply.

Foundation Establishment Early Stage Peak, breaking through! Foundation Establishment Fourth Stage!

Middle Stage!

Senior Sister Wen Yao put away her sword, stood in place, and closed her eyes.

The sea breeze blew her long hair, fluttering in the morning light.

Liu Lili ran out of the shop and saw Senior Sister Wen Yao, her eyes lighting up.

"Did Senior Sister break through?"

Senior Sister Wen Yao opened her eyes and nodded.

"Broken through."

Liu Lili rushed over and hugged her.

"That's great!"

Senior Sister Wen Yao rarely showed a smile, reaching out to pat Liu Lili's back.

"Thanks to the environment of the Southern Border. Although the Spiritual Qi here is thin, the Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi is rich. The Liu Clan secret technique I cultivate requires the assistance of Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi. In other parts of the Southern Region, it might not have been possible to break through in three years."

Chen Xuan walked over and bowed in greeting.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister."

Senior Sister Wen Yao looked at him, her gaze calm.

"Junior Brother, you are also close."

Chen Xuan nodded.

From Foundation Establishment Seventh Stage to Foundation Establishment Eighth Stage, there was still a distance to go.

But the direction was correct, so the road was not far.

After Senior Sister Wen Yao broke through, news came to Nanming Port.

The miasma began to dissipate.

It didn't scatter all at once; it faded bit by bit.

Like ice melting into water, like fog dispersing in the morning.

Chen Xuan stood on the pier, looking at the distant volcano cluster.

The Peaks were looming in the gray-black clouds, but the outlines were much clearer than two months ago.

The height of the miasma was dropping.

Rising from the ground to mid-air, from mid-air to high altitude.

In a few more months, Cultivators below the Golden Core stage would be able to go deep into the volcano.

Liu Lili walked to his side and handed him a Spirit Fruit.

"Junior Brother, after the miasma dissipates, are you going into the volcano?"

"Yes."

"To find Xiao Muting?"

"Yes."

Liu Lili was silent for a moment.

"I will go with you."

Chen Xuan turned to look at her.

"Senior Sister, the depths of the volcano are very dangerous."

"I know."

"You might die."

Liu Lili reached out and flicked his forehead.

"I said before, wherever you go, I will go."

Chen Xuan looked at her for a long time.

Then he smiled.

"Okay."

The speed at which the miasma dissipated was faster than expected.

Three months later, the miasma over Nanming Port had already dissipated for the most part.

Sunlight shone through the clouds, falling on the scorched ground, shimmering with golden light.

This was the first time in five years that the Southern Border had seen sunlight.

The Cultivators of Nanming Port walked out of their stone houses, stood on the pier, and looked up at the sky.

Some were laughing, some were crying, some were kneeling on the ground with their hands clasped together.

The female Cultivator with the burn scars on her face stood in the crowd, holding a baby in her arms.

The baby was very small, as small as a cat.

She looked at the sky, tears streaming down her face.

"Child, look, the sun."

The baby babbled, reaching out its little hand to grab the beam of light.

Chen Xuan stood in the distance, watching this scene.

A wave of warmth surged in his heart.

After destruction comes rebirth.

The volcanic eruption destroyed the Southern Border, but it did not destroy the people here.

They lived, they persisted, they rebuilt their homes on the ruins.

This was the resilience of the Cultivator.

And it was also the resilience of the Human Race.

After the miasma dissipated, Nanming Port became lively.

More and more Cultivators came from the north, bringing supplies, bringing Magical Artifacts, and bringing a longing for Opportunity.

They wanted to go deep into the volcano to find the Spirit Objects left behind after the volcanic eruption.

Fire-attribute Spirit Stones, Fire-attribute Spirit Materials, Fire-attribute Spirit Medicine.

These things were precious before the volcanic eruption, and even scarcer after the eruption.

Chen Xuan had met a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator from the north at the pier.

The man was surnamed Meng, over forty years old, with a rough appearance and shrewd eyes.

He brought three Qi Gathering Cultivators, carrying bags, preparing to enter the volcano.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also going to the volcano?" The Loose Cultivator surnamed Meng looked at the three bright moon sword at Chen Xuan's waist, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes.

Chen Xuan shook his head.

"Not going. Waiting for someone."

The Loose Cultivator surnamed Meng nodded and did not ask further.

He took the three Qi Gathering Cultivators, boarded a small flying boat, and flew toward the direction of the volcano cluster.

Chen Xuan watched the flying boat disappear into the horizon and withdrew his gaze.

He turned and walked back to the shop.

Liu Lili was calculating accounts behind the counter, her fingers clicking on the abacus.

Seeing Chen Xuan come in, she looked up.

"Junior Brother, someone came to pawn something just now."

"What thing?"

"A Fire Spirit Pearl." Liu Lili took out a jade box from under the counter and opened it.

Lying in the jade box was a pearl the size of a fist, completely crimson, emitting a faint light.

Fire Spirit Pearl, Foundation Establishment Second Stage Spirit Material, can be used to refine Fire-attribute Magical Artifacts, can also assist in the cultivation of Fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques, and is even one of the Materials for the Heavenly Dao Golden Core.

Chen Xuan picked up the Fire Spirit Pearl and weighed it in his hand.

"The quality is good. Who pawned it?"

"A Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, surnamed Zhao. He said he picked it up on the outskirts of the volcano and wanted to exchange it for some Spirit Stones to buy Medicinal Pills." Liu Lili paused. "I gave him five hundred Spirit Stones. He said it was too little. I said this is the price, take it or leave it. In the end, he pawned it."

Chen Xuan smiled.

"Senior Sister, you are becoming more and more like a Chamber of Commerce President."

Liu Lili rolled her eyes at him.

"Learned it from you."

Chen Xuan put the Fire Spirit Pearl back into the jade box.

"Keep it. It might be useful in the future."

Liu Lili nodded and put the jade box into the counter.

Three months after the miasma dissipated, a major event occurred in Nanming Port.

More than a dozen Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators gathered together to discuss establishing a Sect.

The leader was named Zhou Yuan, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, who was the Clan Chief of a small Family in the Southern Border before the volcanic eruption.

After the volcanic eruption, his Family was all gone, leaving only him.

He had lived on the ruins for five years, relying on a sword and a Dao Heart.

He said that life for Loose Cultivators in the Southern Border was too bitter.

No Sect protection, no Spiritual Vein for cultivation, no resources for Breakthrough.

To survive, they could only stick together.

Not joining The Three Sects, but establishing their own Sect.

A Sect for the people of the Southern Border.

This proposal was responded to by many people.

The female Cultivator with the burn scars on her face was the first to stand up and support it.

Her husband's injuries were mostly healed, and the child was healthy.

She said she didn't want to be alone anymore.

Being alone was too bitter.

The Loose Cultivator surnamed Meng also returned from the volcano, bringing back many Fire-attribute Spirit Materials.

He heard Zhou Yuan's proposal, was silent for a long time, and then nodded.

"Count me in."

One after another, more than twenty Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators joined.

They began to choose a site, began to build a temple, and began to formulate Sect rules.

Chen Xuan stood on the pier, looking at the buildings under construction in the distance.

His heart was filled with emotion.

This was the vitality of the Cultivation world.

The Three Sects thought the Southern Border was destroyed and abandoned it.

But the people here did not give up.

They rebuilt their homes on the ruins and found hope in despair.

One day, a new Sect would be born in the Southern Border.

Not a vassal of The Three Sects, but a Sect of the Southern Border people themselves.

Liu Lili stood beside him, also looking at those buildings.

"Junior Brother, do you think they can succeed?"

Chen Xuan nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because they have no way out." Chen Xuan's tone was very calm. "People with a way out will retreat when they encounter difficulties. People with no way out can only charge forward."

Liu Lili was silent for a moment.

"You are right."

She leaned on his shoulder and said no more.

Just at this moment, a transmission talisman flew from the north and landed in Chen Xuan's palm.

His Divine Sense probed into it.

There was only one sentence in the talisman.

"Remnants of the White Lotus Sect are active in the depths of the Southern Border volcano, suspected to be repairing the teleportation array. Be careful. — Revered Master."

Chen Xuan's pupils shrank slightly.

Remnants of the White Lotus Sect.

People of the Immortal Master Kumu.

They were repairing the teleportation array.

If the teleportation array was repaired, more Buddhist Sect Cultivators would come from the Central Plains.

By then, the Southern Region would truly be finished.

Chen Xuan crushed the transmission talisman and turned to walk into the shop.

Senior Sister Wen Yao was wiping her sword in the corner and looked up when she saw him come in.

"Junior Brother, what happened?"

"People from the White Lotus Sect are repairing the teleportation array. Revered Master told us to be careful."

Senior Sister Wen Yao's hand paused.

"When to make a move?"

"Wait a bit longer." Chen Xuan sat down on the meditation cushion. "Wait for the miasma to completely dissipate, wait for the news from Xiao Muting to be clearer. Entering now is too risky."

Senior Sister Wen Yao nodded.

"I'll listen to you."

Liu Lili walked over from behind the counter and sat down beside him.

"Junior Brother, are you going into the volcano?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Soon."

Chen Xuan closed his eyes and looked inward.

The five-colored light of the Purple Mansion flowed in his Dantian.

The four imageries of City Wall Earth trembled slightly.

The four imageries of Heavenly Fire flickered with light.

His Foundation Establishment Seventh Stage cultivation had already stabilized.

He needed more time, more imageries, and stronger cultivation.

But time waits for no one.

Immortal Master Kumu was waiting.

The White Lotus Sect was waiting.

The Buddhist Sect was waiting.

He could not wait too long either.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes, took a Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch, and swallowed it.

The medicinal power dissolved in his abdomen, flowing to his limbs and bones.

He closed his eyes and sank into cultivation.

There was not much time left.