Chapter 57: Great Increase in Cultivation Realm

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Great Increase in Cultivation Realm

Yan Ying’s breakthrough to the next Realm took a full three days.

During these three days, Chu Fan also discovered changes in his own body. When he performed Introspection and saw the changes within his Dantian, he was not only pleasantly surprised but also utterly shocked.

If he still hadn’t figured out by now that it was all because of the brew the Hundred Flowers Wanderer had given them, he would have wasted the last twenty-three years of his life.

It was hard to imagine. That old man had just poured a few mouthfuls of brew for them, yet the progress in their Cultivation now rivaled a height others couldn’t reach in their entire lifetimes.

No wonder the Hundred Flowers Wanderer was so famous in the Central Domain!

And no wonder Yan Ying had said that even her master, the Palace Master of the Celestial Dao Palace, would have a hard time begging a single mouthful of brew from the Hundred Flowers Wanderer!

’Thinking about it, he actually felt a small pang of regret. If he had really agreed to become the Hundred Flowers Wanderer’s disciple, would he have had an endless supply of this brew?’

But the regret only lasted for a moment. As he had said before, he had no intention of taking another master in this lifetime.

He now also understood what that fleeting flash of light in his mind had been. It was an epiphany regarding the Martial Dao, an opportunity to knock on the door to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Unfortunately, his current accumulated insights into the Martial Dao were still insufficient. If his level of insight had been high enough, everything would have fallen into place naturally, and that light wouldn’t have vanished in a flash.

Chu Fan didn’t feel any resentment or frustration; on the contrary, he was filled with ambition.

"Thank you!"

After breaking through to the next Realm, the first thing Yan Ying said upon opening her eyes was to thank Chu Fan.

She had never spoken to Chu Fan in such a tone before.

"Why thank me? It’s because you drank the Hundred Flowers Wanderer’s brew that you improved so quickly," Chu Fan said, waving his hand dismissively.

"But if it weren’t for your roasted muntjac, how would we have attracted the Hundred Flowers Wanderer? If your roasted muntjac hadn’t been so delicious, why would he have traded his precious Hundred Flowers and Hundred Fruits Brew for it?" Yan Ying said.

"That was just a coincidence, wasn’t it?" Chu Fan laughed a little awkwardly.

"Did you have a breakthrough too?" Yan Ying asked.

Chu Fan shook his head and said, "My previously accumulated insights are still not enough."

"By the way, who exactly is this Hundred Flowers Wanderer? Why is his brew so potent?" Chu Fan asked.

Without holding anything back, Yan Ying recounted everything she knew about the Hundred Flowers Wanderer.

The Hundred Flowers Wanderer’s original name was Lao Yisheng. It was a strange name, likely not given by his parents. Otherwise, why would they choose a name with such an inauspicious meaning?

However, the first half of his life truly lived up to his name; he toiled for more than half his life.

He was already over three hundred and seventy years old. There were surely people on this continent older than him, but definitely not many.

As a child, he was adopted by a courtesan who was also a Cultivator. She was an expert in the way of a hundred flowers, able to create all sorts of long-lasting fragrances. Combined with her own good looks and the unique scent she carried, she had a constant stream of clients.

After being adopted by the courtesan, Lao Yisheng was sent to the Hundred Flowers Valley. (Of course, more than three hundred years ago, the valley wasn’t called that; it only became known as the Hundred Flowers Valley after the Hundred Flowers Wanderer became famous.)

Once there, the seven- or eight-year-old Lao Yisheng was put to work planting, nurturing, and picking flowers.

From that time on, Lao Yisheng formed an unbreakable bond with flowers.

Thanks to his innate talent and penchant for study, after he reached adulthood, he discovered that flowers and herbs had many more uses.

When the essences of different types of flowers or herbs were mixed, they would emit different fragrances or have different effects.

By chance, while testing a medicine on himself, he completed his Foundation Establishment and sensed the existence of True Qi.

From then on, he became unstoppable.

He nearly destroyed himself hundreds of times but miraculously managed to heal himself each time.

However, because he lacked a Martial Dao lineage, he didn’t enter the Fusion Realm until he was over a hundred years old, and only reached the Nascent Soul Realm at one hundred and eighty.

As for his current Cultivation Realm, no one knows.

He almost never fought with anyone, and it was said he had never killed a person.

Besides, he didn’t need to use martial force or his Cultivation to kill. He could probably make someone drift into a final, blissful dream just by casually concocting a floral scent.

Because of this, no one dared to offend him lightly.

Furthermore, he had forged many good connections, healed countless people, and was an upright person, so he had no enemies to speak of.

Chu Fan was filled with emotion after hearing the story.

The world was truly vast and full of wonders. It was just as the Xiezhi had told him: the universe is so immense that everything one experiences in a lifetime is not even a drop in the ocean.

People like the Hundred Flowers Wanderer, or Ascendant Xingfeng’s master, the legendary woman known as the King of Ten Thousand Beasts.

’How many other eccentrics who became famous through such incredible experiences were there in this world?’

After Yan Ying finished her story, she suddenly thought of something and let out a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking that the Hundred Flowers Wanderer is actually quite the glutton," Yan Ying said.

"Well, it’s normal for people to have their own unique tastes," Chu Fan said.

"What about you? What are you particularly fond of?"

"Swords, I guess!" Chu Fan thought for a moment before replying in all seriousness.

"And you’re fond of dressing as a man, aren’t you?" As Chu Fan said this, his voice trailed off toward the end.

Because he saw Yan Ying glaring at him as if she wanted to eat him alive.

After a long moment, Yan Ying sighed. "Sigh... I don’t really have a choice in the matter. Anyway, let’s not talk about it. We were probably out for many days after drinking the Hundred Flowers Wanderer’s brew. We should get going and figure out the date, so you don’t miss your ’important business’."

Hearing Yan Ying’s words, Chu Fan’s heart tightened.

The two of them immediately set off on their journey.

As a result, they didn’t even notice that the Hundred Flowers Wanderer had been wreaking havoc on the area for several days.

...

In the National Capital of the Da Zhao Kingdom, an auction house named Mr. Hong’s Auction House had, after several months of operation, become the unrivaled talk of Lu Yang City, capturing eighty percent of the market share from other auction houses.

From the very beginning of its planning, this auction house had aimed to become the largest. It directly purchased the biggest restaurant in Lu Yang City, located near the Palace City, and spent a fortune renovating it.

The owner had renovated the ten-plus-acre establishment into an incredibly luxurious, comprehensive auction house that integrated retail, auctions, a restaurant, and an inn.

It caused a sensation on its opening day, not just for its lavish decor, but also for the items auctioned off.

There were three stalks of three-thousand-year-old ginseng, more than ten types of Spirit Medicines that people had only heard of but never seen in apothecaries, as well as weapons that could slice through iron like mud, precious curios, and more.

The grand opening not only attracted the dignitaries and elites of Lu Yang City, but many people from Cultivation Sects also came after hearing the news.

After that, a large-scale auction was held every ten days, gradually building its fame and establishing Mr. Hong’s credibility. In addition to the items put up by the auction house itself, many clients also consigned rare and precious items to be sold.

October 28th marked the tenth auction held by Mr. Hong’s Auction House since its opening. They had released news in advance that this auction would feature three Top Class Masterwork elite weapons: a sword, a saber, and a pair of maces.

This news spread across more than half of the Eastern Domain, and many Cultivation Sects mobilized upon hearing it. These few days were estimated to be the liveliest Lu Yang City had been since its founding several thousand years ago.

On the top floor of the auction house’s commercial building facing the street, three men were seated in a luxurious private room, attended by three very beautiful young women standing by their side.

In the center sat a man with a large potbelly and a baby face.

This man was the main proprietor behind the auction house, Liu Yicai.

To Liu Yicai’s left sat Ji Bufan, who had a handlebar mustache and looked like a Confucian scholar.

To Liu Yicai’s right sat Ying Xiao, an exceedingly cold young man.

Liu Yicai dismissed the young women, then stood up and walked to the window. After looking around, he turned back and said with a smile to the other two, "I didn’t expect you both to come to my place."

Ji Bufan said, "My lord, you may be in big trouble."