Chapter 645: Fellow Daoist, May Your Journey Be Peaceful! (I)

Beyond Magnetic Essence Valley at Cloudless Mountain, Luo Chen descended upon a wisp of spirit cloud, concealing his form as he quietly observed the man sitting cross-legged in the valley below.

"It's really Miao Wen," he murmured.

Miao Wen was an Outer Hall steward of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, and once the administrator in charge of mundane affairs at Dahe Market's Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. In that remote yet bustling market city, his cultivation might not have been the highest, but his position had been unparalleled. Even figures like Mi Shuhua or Zhou Qing, whose cultivation surpassed his, had shown him courtesy for the sake of his station.

Yet now, the man who had once been meticulous in appearance and elegant in bearing looked utterly wretched. The matted hair, dirt-streaked face, and torn robes showed no trace of the sword cultivator's grace he once possessed. The golden cloud-patterned shoes on his feet were ripped apart, revealing blackened toes. The robe embroidered with the sect's insignia was torn here and there, and the insignia itself was the sole remaining mark of what he had once been.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Mud streaked his face, and flecks of blood and flesh clung to the corners of his mouth. Anyone who saw him would only take him for a wild wanderer. Who would have thought that he had once been an Initiate admired by tens of thousands of rogue cultivators in Dahe Market?

Luo Chen studied him closely, then murmured in surprise, "His cultivation..."

First stage of Foundation Establishment, and it seemed to still be declining! But Luo Chen remembered clearly that Miao Wen's cultivation had never been so low—he was at the third stage of Foundation Establishment back in the day, only one stage lower than Mi Shuhua and still considered among the stronger cultivators in Dahe Market. After forty years, even if his progress had stalled, it should not have declined.

A flicker of thought crossed Luo Chen's eyes. "Could it be because he has stayed too long in Magnetic Essence Valley, without spirit energy to sustain him? Or perhaps..."

Suddenly, Luo Chen saw Miao Wen begin to shiver. A faint chill swept through the air as wisps of black, tangible yin qi drifted out from the man's body. As the yin qi leaked out, the dull haze in his eyes cleared. Yet the clarity lasted no longer than a moment before the yin qi returned, streaming back into his body like a parasite clinging to the bone, impossible to drive away.

Luo Chen's brow furrowed. That yin qi was familiar; something similar had once surrounded Bai Meiling. But the yin qi in Miao Wen's body was far denser, at least a full tier stronger.

The yin qi of a third-tier Ghost King?

The thought surfaced in Luo Chen's mind. As if in a haze, he recalled the day when three Ghost Kings had risen over Dahe Market, draping the inner city in endless darkness. That battle had been catastrophic!

The Falling Cloud Sect had sabotaged the city's grand formation and released the three Ghost Kings. Adept Linghu Jie had controlled them with his puppet arts to slay Elder Pang Renxiong of the Sword Sect. That single battle had reduced Dahe Market's inner part to ruin.

By the end of that day, the once prosperous city had become a ghost city. Of the thousands of cultivators within, only a few survived, people protected by outer-domain sects. All others, even Elder Pang Renxiong and True Inheritor Luo Tianhong, had fallen. Luo Chen himself had later obtained the Ghost General formed from Luo Tianhong's remnant soul. He had never imagined that Miao Wen had survived that calamity.

"But from the looks of it, life has been worse than death for him..."

Luo Chen shook his head and dropped his concealment. After confirming Miao Wan was no threat, he descended into the valley. The spirit energy within was so thin it was almost nonexistent, making him instinctively uneasy. Yet his gaze locked immediately on Miao Wen; his arrival had clearly startled the man. Miao Wen's face twisted between cruelty, fury, despair, and panic.

"

Wuhuuhee... Ughhhhh.....

"

Hearing those meaningless sounds, Luo Chen could only sigh. "To live in such pain... whatever grievances lay between us, it becomes hard to hold hatred now. In any case, the yin qi in your body will be of great use to me. So... allow me to free you from this suffering."

Seeing Miao Wen twitch, as if to flee, Luo Chen flicked his wrist and sent forth a black banner.

"Little Ling, set up the Soul-Bewitching Grand Formation!"

"Yes, Master!" Bai Meiling's voice rang from within the banner.

The moment the banner struck the ground, black mist began to spread outward in waves, swiftly engulfing the entire Magnetic Essence Valley.

Within the black mist, Luo Chen turned his wrist once more. A cracked bronze mirror floated from his palm, its surface dim yet filled with faint light. In the blink of an eye, that light expanded and wrapped around Miao Wen's figure, trapping him completely within its glow.

Luo Chen's fingers moved swiftly through a series of seals while a low chant flowed from his lips. A faint glimmer shone in his Spirit Eyes as he fixed his gaze on Miao Wen, who stumbled in panic, roaring like a trapped beast.

"Mirror Flower Water Moon, draw the soul into the dream. Ghosts and gods, question the heart, and lay bare the true self! Begone!"

With a soft shout, Miao Wen's entire body froze under it. His body sagged and slumped into a seated posture. From within the Divine Ghost Heartmirror, a clear sword cry rang out, "We who walk the path of the sword must not be bound by worldly things. Loyalty lies only with the blade!"

***

In a small courtyard, a young boy was led inside to have his spirit roots tested. After a long wait, a cultivator inside said faintly, "Metal, water, and earth spirit roots. Aptitude is mediocre. Not suitable for initiation."

The boy dropped to his knees with a thud, eyes firm. "I am willing to serve as a menial apprentice in the Sword Sect, only let me remain upon Jade Emperor Mountain!"

"Senior Brother, give the boy a chance!"

The boy was allowed to stay, spending his days sweeping and cleaning. In his spare time, he practiced the Sword Sect's Outer Hall sword technique. Thus, for ten years he guided qi into his body, and at the fourth stage of Qi Refinement, he was finally admitted within the sect as an outer disciple.

After becoming an outer disciple, his chores piled high, yet he did not give up cultivation. He cultivated without rest for decades, and when he entered the Qi Refinement disciples' minor tournament, his superb swordsmanship and unyielding will won him a special promotion into the inner hall by a Sword Sect elder.

Becoming an inner disciple should have been a moment of joy, a sign that his path toward the Dao had truly opened. Yet the change in environment brought new pressures. They were no longer the mediocre Outer Hall disciples but diligent prodigies blessed with exceptional talent.

Set against them, Miao Wen seemed ever smaller. The effort and endurance he had once been proud of were no longer unique; others matched or even surpassed them. He had believed that by working three times as hard, he could catch up to those with dual or heavenly spirit roots. However, those geniuses also trained relentlessly under their elders, and their resolve was no weaker than his.

Hard work trumps natural talent, but what about those who have talent

and

work hard?

In daily cultivation, setbacks came one after another. With advancing age, the hope of Foundation Establishment faded. When the sect's once-in-sixty-years grand tournament was held, Miao Wen had already reached the ninth stage of Qi Refinement, yet he was defeated battle after battle beneath the swords of the peers who had once trained beside him.

Failure itself was not terrifying; what truly terrified him was losing the chance to obtain a place for the Foundation Establishment resources. With his age past the prime for advancement, the sect's resources no longer tilted his way. Once more, he returned to the Outer Hall. As an outer disciple once promoted by special exception, he had been a legend, admired by countless others; to slink back in disgrace under the same gazes was simply unbearable.

"There are true prodigies in this world. The notion of 'hardworking prodigies' is nonsensical; true prodigies work just as hard as anybody else. Only through effort can potential be tempered, turning talent into greatness. From the day my spirit roots were tested in that little courtyard, I had already lost completely."

On the night he returned to the Outer Hall, Miao Wen sank into utter dejection. Although he continued his daily cultivation, it was no longer driven by will but by habit. His thoughts drifted away from the Dao of the sword. They turned instead toward scheming, flattery, influence, and wealth.

After all, the world beyond the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had taught him that the sword was not the only path. Thus, at the age of eighty, he chanced upon a Foundation Establishment pill discarded by an inner disciple. Fortune favored him, and with that single pill, he managed to break through despite being far past the ideal age for it!

Afterward, his convictions hardened. The sword was not the only way; other paths could still achieve the Great Dao. As an Initiate, Miao Wen was qualified for an Inner Hall disciple status despite his age. Yet he declined that title and chose instead to serve as an Outer Hall steward, a role others saw as servitude.

After that, he took over many Outer Hall affairs. From sect errands to nearby market enterprises, he eventually earned the sect's trust and was posted far afield to run a Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion alone. Dahe Market was his farthest and most dangerous posting, but even so—no,

precisely

because of that, he considered it a place of utmost opportunity.

During his years there, he befriended cultivators from other domains who were stationed for their sect holdings, drew local rogue cultivation forces under his influence, and gathered vast resources and wealth. He even acquired several heaven-and-earth spirit medicines capable of extending lifespan. Among them was the Six-Leaf Heavenly Emperor Lotus gifted by Mi Shuhua of the Poshan Gang. Through such spirit medicines, he forged connections with the sect's upper ranks, securing permission to remain at Dahe Market long term. From then on, his pursuit of profit only grew more intense.