Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Chapter 1024: Chapter 19: Across 10,000 Rivers and 1,000 Mountains_2

“Let’s not rush to talk about payment yet. For what purpose are you hiring me? This must be clarified first.”

“I need to go to Yu Long Mountain to conduct some business.” The wealthy merchant said with a full smile.

Yu Long Mountain is the stronghold of the Eastern Emperor Path. What kind of business is this merchant up to there? It must be some dealings with certain insiders of the Eastern Emperor Path, but he’s afraid of being robbed or even killed, so he hired me to accompany him.

Chen Guanshui understood this well, so he nodded and said:

“Very well, but within this Southern Border, poisonous miasma is thick. As ordinary folks, if you can’t pass through it, you can’t proceed on your journey.”

“No worries, Immortal.” The merchant immediately declared, “I have already obtained a method to counteract the miasma from the local Miao people. There’s absolutely no problem in this regard.”

Chen Guanshui questioned him further to ensure that this person was indeed just an ordinary merchant before nodding in agreement.

Following the merchant to the warehouse, soon three men came out carrying luggage.

Chen Guanshui observed them closely and confirmed that one of them was a porter, carrying the heaviest and most numerous parcels.

The other two were well-trained men from the martial world, carrying sidearm blades and bows and arrows. Judging by the shape of their clothes, they were likely wearing leather armor underneath.

While he was assessing them, they were also scrutinizing him, but due to their unfamiliar relationship, neither spoke first.

The merchant gave some instructions to one of the men; everyone carried their luggage and began the journey.

Upon reaching the edge of the miasma, the merchant and others took out detoxifying items—a grayish pill, placing it on the tongue without swallowing, keeping it at the root of the tongue.

The merchant even wanted to give one to Chen Guanshui, but he declined it directly with a wave of his hand.

The so-called miasma poison is actually Yimu poison. Regardless of how much invades the body, a mere circulation of the Five Elements Divine Light through the meridians can expel it completely.

Seeing that Chen Guanshui could breathe freely in the miasma without elixirs, one of the two guard men privately called the merchant aside and said worriedly:

“Master, where did you find this godsend?”

“What do you mean?” The merchant asked with a frown.

“He’s not afraid of the miasma at all,” the guard said.

“For cultivators, not fearing miasma is quite normal, isn’t it?” The merchant was puzzled.

“It’s not that simple!” The guard quickly explained, “The Shushan Sword Immortal, you know about them, right? In half a month, they’ll come again.”

“Why do they always strike in the winter? It’s because the miasma recedes deep in winter, so there’s no need to worry about detoxification… When even the Shushan Sword Immortals can’t handle the miasma, this person acts as if it’s nothing, can he be compared to ordinary cultivators?”

“This…” The merchant hesitated.

The price he agreed upon with this person wasn’t much compared to what he had paid to hire cultivators in the past! If this person’s cultivation level was really high, why did he settle for just a few spirit stones?

Or maybe, this person doesn’t care about spirit stones at all? Is he after my goods?

“I don’t agree with Brother’s view,” the other guard chimed in, “If the Shushan Sword Immortals fear the miasma, why are the local Miao people unafraid? Are the Miao people mightier than the Shushan Sword Immortals?”

“Exactly!” The merchant suddenly realized, laughed, and said, “Whether one can handle the miasma depends on the method, not strength. It’s just like the secrets of doing business: hard for some, easy for others; it doesn’t explain much about capability.”

The older guard had nothing to say, but he insisted, “Master, I’m not sure either. I’ve traveled far and wide for many years, and I pride myself in judging people quite well; this one is definitely no ordinary cultivator. We’ll see as we travel.”

“Judging people?” The merchant laughed, “How many people have you judged compared to me? I’m a businessman!”

“I didn’t mean it that way, I meant in terms of danger…”

The three of them were chattering quietly at the back, while the porter silently carried the luggage the whole time.

Walking ahead, Chen Guanshui held the Summoning Sword in his hand, using it like a machete to chop away obstructing branches and roots.

If the people from Shushan saw this scene, they would surely be enraged: “Are you just abusing the Fuxi Divine Sword like that?”

“Tell me,” Chen Guanshui suddenly had a whimsical idea and asked the Summoning Sword, “Is there a way to obtain the Sun True Obscure Sword while keeping the Sun True Fire aflame?”

If the Sun True Fire were to extinguish, there would be no barrier between the Eastern Emperor Realm and the Cultivation Realm. Should the Eastern Emperor Realm invade from the boundary gate across the heavenly chasm, the karmic consequences might fall on him.

That’s why Chen Guanshui couldn’t easily go after the Sun True Obscure Sword.

“I don’t know.” the Summoning Sword pondered and said, “Perhaps we could try a formation?”

“A formation won’t work.” Chen Guanshui decisively rejected, “It can deal with the restrictions of the Demon Locking Tower, or the Heart of the Earth Chaos, because the opposition is lifeless.”

“But over at the Eastern Emperor Realm, there are living demons. If we use an unchanging formation to seal the Boundary Gate, it will eventually be infiltrated and cracked by them.”

“I also don’t know what to do then.” the Summoning Sword replied and said.

Hearing this, Chen Guanshui sighed deeply several times and said:

“If Ah Jing were here, surely I wouldn’t be at a loss!”

“Rubbish!” the Summoning Sword immediately said, “The Boundary Gate of Sky Abyss is an ancient relic, a thing from the same era as the Heavenly Dome, what could she do?”

“Sword Master, you already have the Summoning Sword, don’t covet the Sun True Obscure Sword, alright? Whatever difficulties he can solve, I can solve; and what I can’t solve, he is also powerless against. What’s the point of you trying hard to acquire him?”

“This you don’t understand.” Chen Guanshui leisurely said, “He might be useless, but I can’t be useless. Do you know what it means to open the compendium?”

“If he heard these words, he’d surely strike you dead with a sword.” the Summoning Sword jibed.

“Where do you think Ah Jing might be now?” Chen Guanshui casually asked.

“I don’t know.” the Summoning Sword said, “Perhaps she’s hiding somewhere refining the Heaven-Mending Stone.”

“Did she not tell you her whereabouts before she left?” Chen Guanshui testedly asked.

“Nope.” the Summoning Sword answered briskly.

“Really no?” Chen Guanshui doubtfully asked.

“Falsely no.” the Summoning Sword chuckled, “She said she ran to hide under the deep sea right beneath the East Sea sky leak, once the Heaven-Mending Stone is refined, she’ll immediately fix the sky leak, it’s up to you whether to believe it, Sword Master.”

“I don’t believe it.” Chen Guanshui immediately said, “This world is vast, why hide beneath the deep sea under the sky leak? That place is far from Divine Land, if something is missing in the refining process, she’d have to return to Divine Land to gather, how troublesome!”

“Humph.” Seeing he couldn’t be deceived, the Summoning Sword laughed and said, “Sword Master you’re right, this world is vast, she could hide anywhere.”

“But if she wants to mend the sky, sooner or later she’ll have to go to the sky leak place, so it’s definitely right to wait for her there.”

“Let’s see.” Chen Guanshui waved his hand and said.

He suddenly looked towards the distance, vaguely remembering that passing through the valley ahead, and crossing two rivers, was the location of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

Recollecting the past when he disguised as Wei Dongliu and went on the expedition with his companions to the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, Chen Guanshui couldn’t help but sigh.

Back then, merely a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, his cultivation realm was pitifully low, yet he had Jiang the Witch by his side, laughing and talking all the way.

Now he is esteemed as a Nascent Soul Elder, while Jiang the Witch has become a Heavenly Demon. Their relationship has already broken; there will be no reunion in the future, alas!

“Immortal?” Seeing him stand there for a long time, a wealthy merchant cautiously asked.

“Nothing’s wrong, let’s go.” Chen Guanshui waved his hand and said.

On the other side, within Shushan.

As the day of the southern expedition nears, many Sword Immortals have already begun to prepare and get ready.

Foundation Establishment cultivators aim to gain Purple Mansion Spiritual Medicine from the Southern Border, Golden Core True Persons intend to use the battle to break through bottlenecks, and even the Nascent Soul Elders have been organized with plans to head to the Boundary Gate, to see if they can get the Sun True Obscure Sword from the last Sun Sword Master.

Every year’s traditional event has naturally been no exception this year.

An Zhisu quietly sat under the tree in front of the Qingluo Peak temple gate, the Flying Smoke Sword laid flat across her knees.

The old tree above her had decayed; there were no green leaves on it, rough like rock.

Her hair was completely white, without a trace of impurity, heavy like snow.

Suddenly, An Zhisu raised her head and looked towards the south.

Her gaze traversed through the steep mountains, landing beneath the clouds on the horizon, like an eagle soaring across the long distance.

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com

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