37: Chapter 37 Taihe Xiaohui

Next was refining other first-rank Low Grade Magical Artifacts. Chen Changqing spent over a thousand Spirit Stones to buy the Materials for refining Water-Avoiding Beads, and continued to stay in the Immortal Cave to refine them.

With the experience of successfully refining a first-rank Low Grade Magical Artifact for the first time, the difficulty of refining the Water-Avoiding Beads this time was greatly reduced. In just about two months, he reached a level that would have originally taken three months.

After spending five months successfully learning how to refine two kinds of first-rank Low Grade Magical Artifacts, Chen Changqing finally ended his plan to continue Artifact Refining.

After coming out this time, Li Qingling finally emerged from seclusion, and her cultivation had already reached the Qi Condensation 7th Layer.

Chen Changqing clicked his tongue in amazement; this lass's speed to Cultivate was simply too fast.

"Brother, you've finally emerged from seclusion. I have good news to tell you." Li Qingling looked at Chen Changqing in pleasant surprise.

Looking at Li Qingling before him, Chen Changqing recalled how petite and cute this lass used to look. Now, she had grown increasingly exquisite and refined. When she usually didn't speak, especially when dressed in a single white robe, her entire person exuded a cool, peerlessly beautiful temperament.

Every time Chen Changqing caught sight of her, he would involuntarily freeze in a daze. To be honest, it would be fake to say he wasn't interested in Li Qingling. Moreover, the two of them had no blood relation, because Qingling had been found by their parents inside a box within an Immortal Cave back then. At that time, they were also somewhat at a loss, but fortunately, they finally made up their minds to raise her.

"Brother? What's wrong? Is there something dirty on my Face?" Li Qingling asked doubtfully, touching her own Face with both hands, thinking there really was something dirty.

"Uh, no, no. Right, what you mentioned just now about having good news—what good news was it again?" Chen Changqing awkwardly rubbed his head and asked in confusion.

"Oh, right, Sixth Aunt came by once a month ago. She said that in the middle of next month, Taihe Prefecture will host the Taihe Assembly. There will be many novel treasures there at that time, and she wants the two of us to go over and broaden our horizons. After all, a Cultivator cannot just engage in bitter cultivation all the time, or they'll go stir-crazy. Furthermore, you've already reached the Qi Condensation 7th Layer at such a young age. If you only know how to blindly Cultivate bitterly, stepping into Foundation Establishment in the future will also become very troublesome, because Foundation Establishment requires a certain state of mind as well." Li Qingling finished it all in one breath, then picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"Mm, I know. Coincidentally, I've been feeling a bit stifled lately. For the past five and a half years, I've stayed inside the room to Cultivate almost every day and rarely gone outside to stroll around," Chen Changqing said without hesitation. Even without this Taihe Assembly, he would have found an opportunity to go out and stroll, expand his horizons, and improve his state of mind.

Seeing that Chen Changqing agreed to go out, Li Qingling was overjoyed and immediately said she wanted to cook a meal for Chen Changqing.

Upon hearing this, Chen Changqing hurriedly refused. Having tasted the bitterness of this aspect before, he never wanted to try it again.

Li Qingling, who had been stopped, wore a slightly aggrieved expression and just quietly looked at Chen Changqing.

Seeing this scene, Chen Changqing felt a pang of pity, but still instinctively ignored it. He definitely didn't want to taste that deathly unpalatable flavor from before.

Paying no mind to Li Qingling, he turned around and returned to his own room.

Ten days later, Chen Yuanjin arrived at the Talisman Shop. As soon as she appeared, Chen Changqing and Li Qingling perceived her simultaneously and walked out of their respective rooms at the same time.

Today, Chen Yuanjin wore a green robe, and her aura had reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. Over the past five years, under the supply of the Family's resources, her cultivation had risen from the eighth layer of Qi Refining to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and her combat power could definitely rank in the top three within the Family, at least on the surface. However, when she reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, her age already exceeded sixty years, leaving her almost no possibility of Foundation Establishment. Even if she were to Cultivate to the Perfection of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining now, it would still take her several years. By that time, the difficulty for her to achieve Foundation Establishment would be even greater, so she had never had any thoughts of Foundation Establishment.

She didn't have them in the past, nor would she in the future; one could only say she lived in the wrong era. Otherwise, with her Aptitude, if she were in a Foundation Establishment Family, perhaps she would have already achieved Foundation Establishment long ago. This was also the helplessness of the Chen Family back when it was a Qi Refining Family.

The two of them, Chen Changqing, had already prepared well. Not only were they disguised, but they also used the Breath-Hiding Technique to conceal their auras. Under the aura-concealing state, Chen Changqing's cultivation was suppressed to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, and Li Qingling's was suppressed to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

However, Chen Yuanjin knew that one of their cultivations was the Qi Condensation 7th Layer and the other was the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Such a speed of Cultivation made even Chen Yuanjin click her tongue in secret involuntarily.

With this kind of Cultivation speed, even the five major Foundation Establishment families of Qinghe County might not necessarily possess it, or rather, even if they did, they might not necessarily surpass these two.

"Let's wait here for a moment. This time, it's not just the few of us; there are also other clansmen rushing over from the Family, and they will go together as well."

"Mm." The two nodded.

About an hour later, Chen Yuanwu came from Qingyang Mountain to the Talisman Shop. Following behind him were two men and a woman, who were Chen Changxuan, Chen Changyue, and Chen Changjie respectively.

The cultivation of all three had reached the Middle Stage. Especially Chen Changyue, whose cultivation was already at the Perfection of the fifth layer of Qi Refining, yet he merely possessed the cultivation of Four Spiritual Roots. Jumping three layers in five years was already a very remarkable existence.

As for the other two, Chen Changxuan was slightly older than the rest, with his cultivation reaching the Perfection of the fourth layer of Qi Refining, while Chen Changjie was the youngest, several months younger than Li Qingling, yet her cultivation had reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

"Since everyone has arrived, let's set off together!" Chen Yuanjin said indifferently.

Then several people accompanied Chen Yuanjin to head towards the Taihe Assembly.

The Taihe Assembly was held almost once every five years. Generally, those who could obtain invitations to the Taihe Assembly were Foundation Establishment factions, and occasionally there would even be situations where Purple Mansion families went to the Taihe Assembly. These were all acquaintances the Chen Family made through the Li Family.

Ever since the Chen Family became a Foundation Establishment Family, the interactions between the two families had increased day by day—not only business interactions, but also human relations interactions. However, a major part of this reason was because Li Chenghui was the biological younger sister of the current head of the Li Family. With this layer of relationship, the Li Family showed a lot of care and support to the Chen Family, though a portion of the reason still depended on the acquaintance between the Chen Family and Lin Feng.

Just because of Lin Feng, the other few Foundation Establishment families also frequently interacted with the Chen Family. As long as it wasn't a dispute over interests, all the families were happy to give the Chen Family some Face, and the Chen Family was well aware of this, so they rarely encroached upon the interests of the others.

After all, wanting to maintain a sufficiently friendly relationship with several families could not rely solely on the relationship layer of Lin Feng; one's own Family also had to understand how to make friends and how to maintain the relations of both sides.

However, all of this was still rather distant for Chen Changqing. At least for now, he didn't need to manage these things. As long as he cultivated properly and improved his cultivation and strength, that would be the best repayment to the Family.

In the blink of an eye, several people had already moved far away from Qinghe Market, heading towards the direction of the Taihe Assembly.