37: Chapter 37 Three Years, Trade Routes Opened

Three years passed.

The Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce had already firmly rooted itself in Wangyue Hall and established a solid footing throughout the entire Southern Region.

Thanks to Chen Xuan leading the effort to open the trade route, a small group of people had actually managed to find a stable path, allowing them to fly over the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, avoid the flying Yao Beasts, and reach the Central Plains.

Nowadays, the strength of the Cultivators across the entire Southern Region was several times greater than before.

However, after the Cultivators from the Central Plains arrived, everything in the Southern Region seemed so backward.

Whether it was Dao techniques, Aptitude, or the rank of Spiritual Veins, they were a far cry from the Central Plains. Only the Heaven And Earth Treasure native to the Southern Region attracted a large number of treasure seekers from the Central Plains whose cultivation had hit a bottleneck.

They spent exorbitant prices on ship tickets to come to the Southern Region to explore for treasures.

At this moment, inside the Fusheng Sect.

"Is there any important business?" A white-haired old man sat upright on a meditation cushion.

The other three were also dressed in fine robes, possessing an extraordinary aura.

These four were the pillars of the Fusheng Sect, and the white-haired old man was the Grand Elder, Feng Tian.

The other three were: Hall Master Zhang, Sect Master Feng, and Hall Master Liu.

A man wearing a lotus crown spoke: "The Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce has successfully opened the trade route to the Central Plains, and Cultivators from the Central Plains have already begun traveling to the Southern Region."

"Back then, the Liuyang Sword Sect came here as refugees from the Central Plains. They have a deep Foundation and are a territory with a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Should we take precautions in advance? The Sect's Foundation is here; we cannot afford any mistakes that would ruin our ancestors' Legacy."

The white-haired old man shook his head: "There is no need for that. In the past, several Senior Brothers traveled north. The Central Plains have a hundred schools of thought blooming, and now that they can spread their Dao here, it is a good thing."

"Furthermore, people from the Central Plains have always viewed our Southern Region as a wild and desolate land; apart from rare herbs and plants, they have no other demands."

The other three nodded upon hearing this, effectively putting the topic to rest.

Hall Master Liu said: "The great Yao Beast in the Tunyun Secret Realm, the Cloud-Swallowing Eagle, is still entrenched there. I have obtained a rare treasure called the Binding Golden Rope, which can bind this beast so it cannot escape."

"Should we eliminate this beast, clear the western Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, and open another immortal city?"

The white-haired old man shook his head: "Clearing the mountains to open paths is a contribution that will last for generations, but this generation lacks successors. We should wait until the next batch of Golden Core seeds matures before making further plans."

Hall Master Liu nodded and said nothing more.

"I heard that the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce is already developing Bloodline refining spirit liquid for Second-Grade Spirit Beasts, Hall Master Liu?" Hall Master Zhang, who hadn't spoken until now, looked over.

"President Wang submitted an application for this, hoping to receive stable support for Second-Grade Bloodlines from the Sect. I agreed, but from now on, all Second-Grade Bloodline refining spirit liquid must be registered with the Fusheng Sect and cannot be sold externally," Hall Master Liu said calmly.

"That is good. The Sect's complete Second-Grade Beast Taming Legacy can be handed over to them, but their lineage must be merged into the Wangyue Liu Clan," the Sect Master said.

Geniuses are common, but trailblazers are rare.

Even in the Central Plains, no one has been able to research spirit liquid that enhances the Bloodline Power of Yao Beasts.

After all, these things belong to innate Aptitude; once they hatch, they are already fixed.

Acquired improvement, even if it is just upgrading a Low Grade Bloodline to a High Grade Bloodline, is an act of creation.

"That is only natural. The Wang family already has one person apprenticed to my Beast Taming and Subjugation lineage."

"Good!"

...

Three years had passed, and his cultivation had not advanced an inch.

Chen Xuan let out a long, depressed sigh.

"Could it be that a Pseudo Spiritual Root cannot cultivate to the ninth level of Qi Refining?"

His eyes revealed a sense of powerlessness.

Chen Xuan had been stuck at the Perfection of the eighth level of Qi Refining for half a year. Half a year ago, he had finally reached the Perfection of the eighth level of Qi Refining, but since then, his cultivation had made no progress.

In these six months, he had cultivated diligently every day, even living with a clear heart and few desires, and consumed many spirit liquids, yet he had made no progress.

After asking Market Master Liu Yunfei, he was shocked to learn that no one had ever heard of a Pseudo Spiritual Root cultivating to the Late-stage Qi Refining.

Chen Xuan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

However, he continued to work hard at his cultivation for several more months.

His Sword Dao cultivation and Talisman attainments were skyrocketing.

Yet his cultivation level remained completely unmoved, as if he had hit an uncrossable chasm.

The daily divination also showed nothing strange; most were about treasure gambling, or Sword Dao legacies, sword techniques, Cultivation Techniques, and so on, which were of little help to Chen Xuan at this moment.

As for the Formation Dao Legacy, Chen Xuan had also purchased a set.

This stuff was really just like mathematics.

He had absolutely no talent for it and simply couldn't understand why setting up a Formation in those positions could mobilize the power of heaven and earth.

He couldn't even see the most basic Dao patterns.

The anxiety in Chen Xuan's heart was immense.

In this life, he had to at least climb to the Foundation Establishment Realm once or twice!

Otherwise, wouldn't it be a life lived in vain?

"The research on Spiritual Roots has also begun. I didn't expect so many people to volunteer to participate in the research..."

Wang Lingxue publicly recruited research subjects in Biyun Market. The pay wasn't high, but the risks were extremely great.

Even so, a steady stream of Spirit Farmers, fishermen, and others came to sign up.

And over these three years, Wang Lingxue had not been without gains.

Guided by the ideas provided by Chen Xuan and through comparative verification, they had initially confirmed that Spiritual Roots were real things.

Furthermore, they were not restricted by the physical body; they were intangible things possessing spirit.

Coupled with the secret techniques related to Spiritual Roots collected by the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce, such as "Seizing Spiritual Roots," "Great Profound Spiritual Root," and others, Wang Lingxue could basically control the manifestation of a person's Spiritual Root through spells.

Through Spirit Eyes, one could see the luster of the Spiritual Root emitted by a person.

The Five Elements attributes were obvious, enveloping the body.

Discovery was the first step; the next was operation and extraction. Those evil techniques were all about refining people, swallowing them whole.

Chen Xuan replied: "That is certainly not the Righteous Path. Once the nature of Spiritual Roots is fully understood, theoretically, one should be able to use Heaven And Earth Treasure to complete one's own Spiritual Root."

He couldn't count on his Spiritual Root.

Chen Xuan's mind stirred, and a bottle of [Jade Linglong], a Dharma-enhancing Medicinal Pill for use in Late-stage Qi Refining, appeared. The pills had three pill patterns on them—they were High Grade Medicinal Pills with very little pill toxin.

After taking them, he just needed to spend some time expelling the toxins.

Chen Xuan naturally knew that taking them would increase the difficulty of his Foundation Establishment, but at the moment, he truly had no other choice.

He adjusted his state of mind.

Chen Xuan swallowed one in a single gulp.

A final stand.

Three months passed.

Chen Xuan refined four Jade Linglong pills in succession, reaching the limit of this Medicinal Pill's efficacy.

At this moment, Chen Xuan's aura broke through the eighth-level barrier; he was already at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

It was just that his Meridians were aching faintly, his Dharma power circulation felt sluggish, and his whole body felt vaguely uncomfortable.

This was the pill toxin.

He took out the qingling pill.

Before expelling the pill toxin, he would not take any more qianyuan pill.

Two more months passed, and only a small portion of the pill toxin had been expelled, but it was the end of the year again.

Chen Xuan was to host the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce's first large-scale auction, right in Wangyue Hall.

Father Wang, Mother Wang, and his mother-in-law were all invited to attend.

Wang Lingxue was also waiting in a private box with Chen Lingze.

Chen Xuan stood in the center of the vast stage and introduced the event to the guests:

"This auction will be hosted by myself, President Wang, of the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce."

"Everything this time is of the finest quality, so everyone, be prepared!"

This time, the auction was fully supported by the Wangyue Liu Clan to establish a high-end image for the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

In the past, due to Chen Xuan's strategy, it had seemed somewhat low-end.

Soon, First-Grade and Second-Grade Magical Artifacts were auctioned off one by one.

Spirit materials, Talismans, and Formations were auctioned off rapidly, flowing like water.

Then came the highlight: the First-Grade Spirit Beast Bloodline potion!

Bloodline spirit liquid!

The entire venue erupted in excitement.