Chapter 524 - 685 :

After saying this, Chen Tianfang offered a purple sandalwood box. "This is the item for trading for the Qinghua Pill."

Wentian opened it. Inside was a porcelain bottle and a sheet of pale yellow paper.

He checked them one by one, surprise appearing between his brows. "A high-grade pill. The Chen family is thoughtful."

"Daoist Jianyi can identify it with merely a sniff. It seems you are an alchemist with profound Alchemy Dao attainments."

"Daoist Changge overpraises me. Then our trade this time can be considered complete. Later, my Jianyi family will hand these to the consignor."

Chen Changge nodded slightly. "If only looking at the trade, it has indeed ended. But I, Chen Changge, will remember this favor from your Jianyi family. If you have matters in the future, you may come to the Chen family and find me.

"Or if anyone in your Jianyi family wishes to enter the Azure Wood Sect, my Chen family can also help.

"This Chen still has some connections in the Azure Wood Sect."

Wentian smiled faintly. "In another half month, it will be the once-every-ten-years disciple recruitment of the three sects, and a trial will be held at that time.

"Those who stand out will be absorbed into the three sects."

Chen Changge said, "That is indeed so. But if the Jianyi family does not wish to undergo the trial, my Chen family has an inner disciple quota that can be gifted to the Jianyi family."

"Grandfather, the Jianyi family only moved to Yunxi Town in recent years. Their population is thin, and they currently have no Qi Refining disciples," Chen Tianfang said.

"So that is how it is."

Wentian cupped his fists and smiled. "What Family Head Chen said is correct. Therefore, for this three sects trial, my Jianyi family does not plan to participate. Many thanks for Daoist Changge's goodwill.

"However, there is one matter this Jianyi indeed wishes to ask.

"It is about the Heavenly Spirit Fruit on this pill formula. This Jianyi has never heard of it."

Chen Changge smiled. "Whether there is Heavenly Spirit Fruit elsewhere, this Chen does not know. But if Daoist Jianyi wants to find it within the Tiancang Sect's sphere of influence, the only way is to enter the Tiancang Secret Realm.

"The Tiancang Secret Realm allows only those below Golden Core to enter, and one person can only enter three times in their life.

"One of the targets for the Tiancang Sect and Azure Wood Sect disciples every time they enter is the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, and competition is extremely fierce."

"The most recent time is half a year from now. Each sect's disciples will compete for quotas to enter the secret realm. The Tiancang Sect will also release twenty-one quotas to the Tiancang Seven Cities, three quotas per city, to be competed for publicly."

Chen Tianfang added.

"Another sixty years have passed so quickly?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Public competition? Secret realm quotas are precious. Why would the Tiancang Sect not directly assign them internally?" Wentian asked.

Chen Changge chuckled lightly. "This matter is related to the opportunities in the secret realm."

"Opportunities in the secret realm are obtained by those with fate. At the very beginning, naturally, they all belonged to Tiancang Sect disciples, but the gains became fewer and fewer later. Yet one time, they gifted quotas to the other three sects.

"In the end, disciples from all three sects obtained secret realm opportunities.

"The word fate is extremely mysterious.

"Even if one is a disciple from a Foundation Establishment aristocratic family, if one can obtain a quota to enter, they may also receive greater opportunities than Golden Core aristocratic family disciples, three sect disciples, or even Tiancang Sect disciples."

"Daoist Jianyi, you are interested in the Tiancang Secret Realm." A mysterious meaning appeared at the corners of Chen Changge's mouth.

"Who does not want to enter a secret realm? Unfortunately, it depends on luck. After all, with the Seven Cities competing, it will inevitably be extremely fierce. This Jianyi is not skilled in killing and fighting, and with my insignificant ability, I probably have great difficulty obtaining a quota."

Chen Changge did not say more.

Before long, the two bid farewell and left.

"Grandfather, what do you think of the Jianyi family? Are they worth befriending?" Chen Tianfang asked.

"You are the Family Head now. Speak of your view." Chen Changge said calmly.

"Leaving aside the friendship from the Qinghua Pill, the Jianyi family is developing extremely rapidly and is backed by Firecloud Perfected One. According to Grandson's investigation during this period, Yunxi Town will most likely bear the Jianyi surname in the future.

"Of course, if they want to truly sit firmly, the Jianyi family still needs a Golden Core cultivator overseeing them.

"Otherwise, it will only be glory for one or two hundred years."

"It seems you agree with being on good terms with the Jianyi family."

"Yes."

Hearing this, the corners of Chen Changge's lips lifted. "Then go and do it. Wentian is not simple. My innate spiritual sense is astonishing and can sense hidden crises.

"The pressure Wentian brings me is even somewhat greater than Feng Juechen back then."

"How is that possible?!" Chen Tianfang cried out in surprise, staring at Chen Changge's face in disbelief. "Grandfather, you are a heaven's chosen who comprehended a trace of divine ability power."

"Heaven's chosen? If I were truly a heaven's chosen, how could I have sat uselessly for sixty years without the slightest progress?" Chen Changge laughed self-mockingly. "From comprehending divine ability power to condensing a divine ability seed, this step is a heavenly chasm!

"Wentian looks approachable, but in truth, his schemes run deep, and he is smooth and thorough. He has definitely also comprehended divine ability power. For a person of his character, he either does not act, or once he acts, he must have great certainty."

"He has hope of divine ability Core Formation?!"

"Those who comprehend divine ability power at Foundation Establishment all have hope of divine ability Core Formation, but how many can truly accomplish it? You only need to remember this matter in your heart. Do not tell others.

"If the Jianyi family later learns that others found out through our Chen family that Wentian is walking the path of divine ability Core Formation, not only will we be unable to befriend them, we will instead offend them."

"Grandson understands."

"In this world, either you pressure me, or I pressure you. Back when our Chen family's Old Ancestor formed his core, countless aristocratic families wanted to befriend my Chen family and form marriage ties.

"Yet after he suddenly fell, my Chen family was coveted and suppressed by others."

As he spoke, killing intent appeared between Chen Changge's brows. "Which family do we visit first?"

"The Mo family. The Mo family's hands are stained with the lives of several of my Chen family clansmen!" Fierceness appeared in Chen Tianfang's eyes.

"Then we go to the Mo family!"

"It happened by chance. With my foundation, this one high-grade Spirit Nourishing Pill is enough. However, if Deling and the others want to break through the Foundation Establishment divine sense limit, I fear they will need to consume multiple high-grade Spirit Nourishing Pills at the same time to have a chance."

As for whether this method could succeed, Wentian did not know either.

But in the end, this pill was greatly beneficial to the Jianyi family.

That day,

After Wentian instructed the trading company to collect Spirit Nourishing Pill materials, he entered the cultivation quiet room and went into seclusion.

He sat cross-legged on the praying mat, holding a cyan jade-colored high-grade Spirit Nourishing Pill in his palm. Fine light patterns flowed over the surface of the pill, releasing wisps of mist-like spiritual energy.

Wentian took a deep breath and placed the Spirit Nourishing Pill into his mouth.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his throat, transforming into a warm and gentle current that rushed straight into his brow. The instant it entered his sea of consciousness, the originally calm sea of consciousness suddenly boiled!

Where the warm current passed, his stagnant divine sense seemed like withered wood nourished by spring rain and began to grow wildly.

Its volume expanded by thirty percent in only a moment, yet it was no longer loose mist. Instead, it gradually condensed into half-transparent droplets.

"It is here!"

Wentian suddenly closed his eyes. Under the Spirit Nourishing Pill's medicinal force, the divine sense droplets surged like a tide toward the barrier at the edge of the sea of consciousness.

During the first impact, the barrier emitted a pale white halo. The droplets shattered into countless tiny beads, and tearing pain came from the depths of his sea of consciousness.

Blue veins bulged on Wentian's forehead, and his knuckles turned white from clenching his fingers, but he gritted his teeth and did not stop.

He could clearly sense that the barrier was sturdier than expected, but a nearly imperceptible crack also appeared in it from the impact.

Even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment completion could not possibly touch the Foundation Establishment divine sense limit.

As for breaking through, it was impossible without a great fortune.

Examples were rare divine sense techniques, or sacred pills that nourished and increased divine sense, such as the Spirit Nourishing Pill.

Wentian attacked the divine sense bottleneck again and again.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

"Break!"

Finally, amid a deafening rumble, the sea of consciousness barrier completely shattered!

The shattered barrier transformed into light specks filling the sky and was absorbed by his divine sense. Wentian's divine sense rapidly grew stronger and transformed.

Half a day later,

Wentian slowly opened his eyes, and a faint golden light flashed between his brows.

He tried releasing his divine sense outward. His golden divine sense was like invisible threads, instantly piercing through the formation of the seclusion room and probing scenes dozens of li away.

It could even extend nearly a hundred meters underground.

One had to know that divine sense encountered great resistance when probing underground. The deeper it went, the stronger the resistance became. In the past, when he had Foundation Establishment completion divine sense, it could at most extend twenty or thirty meters underground.

Joy appeared on Wentian's face. A breakthrough in divine sense was beneficial for alchemy, comprehending the Withering-Flourishing divine ability, combat, and so on.

After leaving seclusion,

He heard about the Chen family's matters.

The Mo family, Mu family, and several other families had all been visited and challenged by the Chen family ancestor, Chen Changge.

The Foundation Establishment completion cultivators in their clans had all been defeated by Chen Changge.

The Mo family even had a Foundation Establishment completion elder die.

As for Chen Changge's situation, they roughly knew, and they all guessed that the lifespan pill that had appeared at the Jianyi Trading Company auction had been bought by the Chen family.

After all, aside from the Azure Wood Sect and Tiancang Sect, only the Chen family would have the Spirit Nourishing Pill and its formula.