'I can't get in at all!'
The Cave Master was clearly here, yet he still sealed off a side hall.
This meant that there were probably some valuable items stored inside this side hall.
Pulling out the suicide note again, Chen Che analyzed it carefully. He finally deduced that this side hall was most likely the man's Alchemy Room. The Cave Master had claimed to be a Pill Master, but Chen Che hadn't found a single Pill Furnace despite searching the entire Cave Mansion.
Unwilling to give up, Chen Che paced in front of the side hall's door for a moment before trying to break the Array.
But the Sword Pill's attacks were useless, and even the Demon-Slaying Sword couldn't break through.
'Since I can't open it, I'll just set it aside for a while.'
As usual, he took out his phone and recorded the Sword Pill attacking the side hall. Then, Chen Che decided he would clean the Cave Mansion first.
First, he cremated the Cave Master's remains, placed the ashes in a small urn, and planned to find a place to bury it when he left. As for the canopy bed, he decided to burn that too. After all, sleeping on a bed someone had died in felt a bit too creepy to keep in his bedroom.
Then he used the Dust Cleaning Technique to clean the entire place, inside and out.
As Chen Che sat on the stone platform in the main hall, surveying the newly pristine Cave Mansion, he felt an undeniable thrill. This was a luxury that not even the principal of Xianmen First Middle School could enjoy, yet here he was, experiencing it as a student.
'Time to test the Cultivation effects here!'
Chen Che sat up straight and immediately began circulating the Energy-Introducing Technique.
Instantly, the Spiritual Qi, so dense it was almost a mist, flooded into his mouth and nose like a smoker taking a massive drag. The rapidly growing True Essence inside him made him feel light and euphoric.
He recalled his previous Cultivation efficiency at school and on the back mountain—it was like a turtle's crawl in comparison.
If he cultivated diligently here for a month, reaching the Qi Refining Fifth Layer would be no problem at all.
However, as he was cultivating, Chen Che suddenly had a crucial realization.
'…Right, does this mean I can start expanding my meridians again?'
Before, he had to give up on expanding his meridians because the conditions weren't right.
'But now that I have this Cave Mansion, which is brimming with Spiritual Qi, doesn't that mean I can spare some Cultivation time to work on my meridians?'
'It should be fine.'
But since it was still early, he decided to make a trip to the Jinyun Valley Market to sell the loot he'd gotten from Qing E. He had already spent the money he'd made from selling Spiritual Sand to open this Cave Mansion, and he was now in urgent need of funds.
Years ago, when Elder Jinyun established Jinyun Valley, he divided the areas in Changshan County suitable for Cultivation into three zones.
The centermost zone, with the densest Spiritual Qi, was naturally Jinyun Valley itself.
The second zone was an area extending for dozens of miles around Jinyun Valley, which now served as a gathering place for Loose Cultivators.
As for Changshan County, it was the third zone. Cultivators referred to it as the "outer city" or the "secular world," and it was where villagers and other mortals lived. Although the two zones were only dozens of miles apart, many mortals could never set foot in the cultivation areas their entire lives.
This was because of a layer of natural miasma outside the mountains.
A mortal without any Cultivation would die within moments of entering it.
As Chen Che walked through the miasma, he could see numerous skeletons along the path—the remains of mortals who had wandered in by mistake. He had been here several times before, and it was here that he got his first glimpse of the chaotic and disorderly society of low-level Loose Cultivators.
"Brother Ding Fei, didn't you go back to the secular world to live as a rich man? What brings you back?"
Just then, a greeting came from up ahead.
Two Cultivators had run into each other and were chatting in the middle of the street.
The one being greeted was a man in his forties. He was stout and heavyset, dressed in embroidered robes, and had a very friendly smile, much like a wealthy lord from the secular world.
"Hah..."
The man sighed. "I've been cultivating for over twenty years. I just can't bring myself to give it all up."
His acquaintance saw this and didn't mock him.
Most of the Loose Cultivators in this second zone had spent half their lives just to get a taste of Immortal Fate. If they took just one step back, they could live like an Emperor in the Mortal World. But how many of them were truly willing to give up on Cultivation?
'Isn't that him?'
A flicker of recognition crossed Chen Che's eyes.
This portly man was the very same person who had taken Chen Jiang as a disciple. And because of this, his uncle's entire family had risen in status.
The two of them, having met by chance on the street, exchanged a few pleasantries and went their separate ways.
Chen Che continued across the street.
Several thousand people lived in the second zone.
Of course, they weren't all Cultivators; many ordinary people lived here as well. They were the descendants of Loose Cultivators and, like Ding Fei, they harbored a desperate hope for Cultivation and refused to leave.
It was ironic, really:
In the eyes of the villagers, these "Immortals" surely feasted on ambrosia and exotic delicacies every day. They must travel by treading on auspicious clouds or riding on Qilins and Immortal Cranes.
But in reality, the standard of living for the low-level Cultivators here might not even match that of a wealthy farmer.
"Ten taels of gold for the market entrance fee!"
At the entrance to the Market, a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, around the same age as him, blocked Chen Che's path with a blank expression.
Chen Che already knew the procedure and silently paid the fee. But before entering, he noticed a Gold Cloud pattern embroidered on the other man's sleeve cuff. He couldn't help but take a closer look and started to ask, "Could you be..."
Seemingly guessing Chen Che's thoughts, the other man puffed out his chest and said with considerable pride:
"I am Hu Yao, a disciple of Jinyun Valley! I entered the valley at the age of nine and have been cultivating for eight years now!"
Hearing this, Chen Che immediately recalled that Jinyun Valley had a rule of only accepting disciples with High-Grade Spirit Roots.
But this guy had only reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer after eight years of hard Cultivation. He wasn't even on par with the students from Xianmen High School who had Low-grade Spirit Roots. The gap in teaching quality between the two worlds was clearly enormous.
Of course, he didn't let any of this show on his face.
"A great talent, Brother!"
The atmosphere had been built up so much that it wouldn't do to let it go cold. Chen Che casually added, "From what I can see, you surely have the makings of a Golden Core expert!"
With that said, Chen Che walked away.
But Hu Yao was overjoyed to hear this, his face beaming with delight.
His master had said he was the Jinyun Valley disciple most likely to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm before the age of forty in recent decades. He never expected someone would say he had the makings of a Golden Core expert.
The Jinyun Valley Market was more like a general store.
In addition to some Cultivator supplies, they even sold things like Spirit Chickens and Spirit Rice...
He had been traveling between the two worlds for nearly a year and was already familiar with the market conditions in both.
Although both Yunzhou and the Earth Element Star had Cultivation societies, they were vastly different.
The former was rich in resources but stuck in an agricultural age. The latter was in a technological age but lacked resources. Being a reseller between the two worlds was like smuggling; without sufficient strength, you never knew when you might fall prey to other predators.
As the saying goes, 'only take on what you can handle.' Chen Che understood this principle deeply.
Therefore, he had always acted as a simple "porter of nature," collecting crude raw materials to sell on the Earth Element Star.
Although the profits were small, the risks were equally low.
Chen Che wandered around the Market for a bit, found an empty spot, and laid out his spoils on a stall.
However, the stall was located in a remote corner.
The things he was selling were ordinary, so passersby barely gave them a glance, and no one paid any mind.
He waited for another moment.
Finally, someone approached, but it turned out to be a troublesome customer.