Chapter 43: Chapter 39: Ancient Battlefield

"Gentlemen, please leave; we are closed for today. Come early if you wish to visit tomorrow."

Chu Zheng glanced at the newcomers, lifted the curtain, and stepped out, beginning to usher the people away.

Those waiting outside sighed, resigned to their fate, and left. Those who came here did so in disguise, each with their own unspeakable secrets. No one would cause trouble, for if a mishap were to leak out, it would mean complete ruin.

In the blink of an eye, the space in front of the medical hall was empty and desolate.

"Why has it taken you so long to come and see me?"

The door was barely closed when Chu Zheng, not waiting for Fu Quanliang to speak, asked first, "Well? What about the Song Family's matter? What was said?"

"Do you think you can just leave the sect whenever you want? As soon as you exit the sect gate, you must have an elder's permission slip. This time, I barely managed to secure a mission, which is how I was able to leave."

Fu Quanliang explained somewhat helplessly, then continued:

"After verifying my identity, the elder simply asked how I had managed it. I told them I'd found several martial masters to help in secret, first seriously injuring them with a spirit talisman, then joining forces to finish the job."

"That's it?"

Seeing Fu Quanliang had nothing more to say, Chu Zheng could not hide his surprise, "And they believed that?"

"They did."

Fu Quanliang responded with a sense of speechlessness, "What else did you expect?"

For an Outer Sect Disciple like him, it was already an exceptional case to have an Inner Sect Elder personally inquire about the matter.

Although this achievement had earned him a greater degree of respect from many Outer Sect Disciples, fundamentally, nothing had changed.

Still possessing a Lower Quality Immortal Bone, he was destined not to make waves in the sect; he still had to undertake missions to support himself.

Snap back to reality, Chu Zheng casually asked another question, "Have they found out the cause of Song Lingqing's death?"

"Dead?"

Fu Quanliang was startled for a moment, then shook his head emphatically, Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"No, no, no, she's not dead. I heard that Elder Qin Feng is the one who's not far from death."

"Not dead?" Chu Zheng couldn't hide his astonishment.

"Yes, but she might as well be. I've heard that when Uncle-Master Qin Feng carried her back, her meridians were completely destroyed, and her Immortal Bone shattered, leaving her with only a breath of Yuan Qi which Elder Qin Feng barely managed to sustain."

Fu Quanliang shook his head, expressing pity, "The sect expended great effort to save her, even resorting to the sect's secret treasure pills, supplemented by the Ten Thousand Years Spirit Spring, but they only managed to preserve her life, not the Immortal Bone."

"Now, her position in the sect is quite awkward. She is listed as a True Disciple, but she's essentially disabled. There are, if not a hundred, at least seventy to eighty disciples vying to replace her and become True Disciples of the Inner Sect."

True Disciples, prestigious beings, protected by Inner Sect Elders and disciples of the Supreme, enjoying endless resources, able to turn the tide at will, are the backbone of the Phantom Spirit Sect's future.

Song Lingqing, now unfit for her status, was merely occupying the position without contributing, and it was only a matter of time before she was pushed out.

One could foresee that her fall from the status of True Disciple was imminent. Even her identity as an Inner Sect Disciple was uncertain and she might plummet to the very bottom.

"No wonder."

Chu Zheng nodded slightly, understanding that such a fate was no different from death itself—that must be why the Night Light Pavilion had slowed its actions against the Song Family.

He had technically only met Song Lingqing once when she had helped him open the first door to this world.

What a pity, how unpredictable life can be.

Chu Zheng gathered his thoughts, then asked offhandedly, "What about my joining the sect? Any news on that front?"

At first, he had not known about the existence of Illusory Spirit City outside the Phantom Spirit Sect, and now his eagerness to join the sect wasn't as strong as before.

In Illusory Spirit City, one could still access the Immortal Path.

"The sect plans to recruit a group of Odd-jobbers from Illusory Spirit City soon."

Fu Quanliang nodded, then suddenly changed the subject:

"However, I suggest you wait a bit longer."

"Why?" Chu Zheng was somewhat puzzled.

"This batch of odd-jobbers is requested by the Han Family, specifically for mining work. It's in an ancient mine shaft with many skeletons buried within, at least tens of thousands of years old, from an ancient battlefield. It's extremely dangerous,"

After speaking, Fu Quanliang couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased with himself.

This was insider information, and ordinary Outer Sect Disciples couldn't possibly know about it unless they were as well-informed as he was.

"You said how many years ago?" Chu Zheng zeroed in on the critical point, his eyes almost brimming with light.

"An ancient battlefield from tens of thousands of years ago."

......

......

East of Illusory Spirit City.

The sun was setting in the west, nearing dusk, with the colors of the sky growing increasingly magnificent.

Formation patterns flowed through the void, barely perceptible, drawing in spiritual energy from all around.

The eastern city bordered the Phantom Spirit Mountain Range, and the area was markedly different from the other three city districts. Merely staying here required the payment of one Lower Quality Spirit Stone per day.

"You want me to pay for all of this?!"

Fu Quanliang couldn't believe what he was hearing from Chu Zheng, unable to grasp how someone could be so stingy.

Although he was rolling in spiritual currency, he couldn't even bear to part with a single Lower Quality Spirit Stone.

As an Outer Sect Disciple of the Phantom Spirit Sect, Fu Quanliang naturally didn't need to pay Spirit Stones to enter the eastern city, but he couldn't bring guests without paying their share. That was the rule, and Chu Zheng's portion still had to be paid.

"Save where you should, spend where you must. We'll need a lot more Spirit Stones in the future,"

Chu Zheng was unfazed, gesturing for Fu Quanliang to hand over the Spirit Stone.

One Spirit Stone was enough for an entire Song Family. Fu Quanliang always remembered the analogy he had made, as this was no small sum.

Speechless, Fu Quanliang reluctantly handed over two Lower Quality Spirit Stones to his fellow sect member.

They would be staying here for two days.

Once inside the eastern city, Chu Zheng immediately sensed the difference. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged, invigorating the Yuan Qi within his body.

After a brief circulation of qi through the Grand Circulation, Chu Zheng marveled at the discovery that his cultivation speed here was at least twice as fast as in the outside world.

This was just the area outside the Phantom Spirit Sect. If he were inside the sect, the spiritual energy would undoubtedly be even richer.

Glancing at the sky, and seeing there was still time, Chu Zheng casually set up a stall on a bustling street, placing a small flag: "Buying old Magic Artifacts at low prices, family heirlooms need not apply."

The profit from Magic Artifacts was far greater than running a medicine hall. Broken artifacts, mostly useless due to their engraved arrays, were just scrap metal, worth only a few to several dozen Spirit Stones at most.

Only down-and-out Martial Masters lingering in the area would spend Spiritual Currency on such junk. Even in their ruined state, these artifacts were still regarded as divine weapons in ordinary mortals' eyes.

A complete Low Grade Magic Artifact, no matter how poor the quality, would still cost at least five hundred to eight hundred Spirit Stones.

Restoring them completely through his repair panel, the resale value could yield profits hundredfold.

Fu Quanliang had come down from the mountains on a mission and had tasks of his own to complete. After spending an hour or two with Chu Zheng on the street corner, he got up and left.

Seeing little business around, Chu Zheng multitasked, pulling up the repair panel and dedicating all of today's repair attempts to the Xuan Tian Seal.

[Name: Chu Zheng]

[Cultivation: First Order, Initial Stage]

[Cultivation Techniques: Great Circulatory Qi Guideline (Sixth Order/Incomplete), Dragon-Tiger Body (Fourth Order/Incomplete)...]

[Divine Skills: Xuan Tian Seal Third Form (Fifth Order/Incomplete), Transmute Stone to Gold (First Order), Invisibility Technique (First Order)]

[Repair Master: First Order (230/1000)]

[Remaining Daily Repair Attempts: 0]

[Currently Repairable: Xuan Tian Seal Third Form (200/300), Great Circulatory Qi Guideline - Upper Volume (0/1000), Dragon-Tiger Body - Middle Volume (0/500)]

At this pace, in twenty more days, the Xuan Tian Seal, this divine skill, could finally be fully restored.