Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 361: Chapter 358: In Hand

’This level of strength is quite impressive. Before his last breakthrough, if Wu Tianhao hadn’t used that Secret Technique of his, he might not have even been a match for these two...’

Shen Changchuan mused to himself as his gaze fell upon the battle erupting in the arena ahead.

Back when he’d gone to the Demon Beast Forest to complete that search mission, Shen Changchuan had spent a month with Wu Tianhao deep within the Demon Beast Forest.

Through the many battles they had experienced, he had gained a rough understanding of Wu Tianhao’s strength.

In his opinion, Wu Tianhao’s strength back then was only about on par with these two.

That was an incredible feat!

After all, Wu Tianhao’s Cultivation Realm back then was at the Soul Emergence Third Layer.

And in the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm, he was considered a genius.

His strength was likely far greater than other Soul Emergence Third Layer Cultivators.

Yet these two before him,

were only at the Soul Emergence Second Layer.

’Rumor has it that because of the great war three hundred years ago that destroyed the Xiangshan Sect, the earth veins of the Tian Nan Domain were damaged, and the Immortal Cultivation Realm suffered a heavy blow...’

’On top of that, the Tian Nan Domain is located near the Barbaric Land, far from the heart of cultivation civilization in the Southern Great Domain, so its level of the Immortal Dao is lagging behind.’

’Now that I see this, that sentiment doesn’t seem to be without reason.’

’These two may be famous geniuses in the Heisei Domain, but they aren’t among the absolute top tier. This alone is quite telling...’

Watching the battle before him, a complicated look appeared in Shen Changchuan’s eyes.

Following the destruction of the Xiangshan Sect—the overlord of the Tian Nan Domain—by the Yuqing Immortal Sect three hundred years ago, the local powers under the Xiangshan Sect’s command hardly escaped the disaster; they were almost completely purged.

As a result, the major powers in today’s Tian Nan Domain Immortal Cultivation Realm—like the Shen Family, the Nangong Clan, the Xiangshan Sect, and the Celestial Dragon Gang, each presided over by an expert at the Divine Travel Realm—are all forces that have only risen within the last three hundred years.

Their foundations and heritage,

are naturally much weaker than those of the thousand-year-old clans and Sects from other regions.

It was understandable, then, that the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm ranked last among the Southern Great Domain’s Thirty-Six Domains.

’Fortunately, I’m an exception.’

Shen Changchuan mused internally.

Although these two were strong, even possessing the ability to fight against Soul Emergence Third Layer Cultivators, before him, Shen Changchuan, they were still nothing special.

A Perfection Tier Two Skill and numerous Treasure Artifacts might have given them the power to surpass ordinary Soul Emergence Realm Cultivators, but in front of Shen Changchuan, it was nothing special.

At this point, even Shen Changchuan himself couldn’t say for sure just how profound his foundation was.

But he was certain of one thing:

if he were to enter the arena, he could take down both of them within ten to twenty breaths.

’Mo Tianfeng? Mo Lingfeng’s older brother? And only at the Soul Emergence First Layer Late Stage? What a pity. The next time we meet, the gap between us will only have grown wider...’

Just as Shen Changchuan was leisurely watching the fight, he overheard the conversations of the surrounding Cultivators—the sort of gossiping passersby who seemed to know everything about everyone—and learned that the Nanyang Sect disciple in the arena was named Mo Tianfeng, and that he had a younger brother named Mo Lingfeng, who was also one of the prodigies of the new generation.

Furthermore, his younger brother was even more talented than him.

Back when he was at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Peak, he had fought a Soul Emergence First Layer Cultivator to a standstill.

What’s more, two years ago, he had already advanced to the Soul Emergence Realm...

This gossip, naturally, reminded Shen Changchuan of an opponent he had encountered several years ago. Before his own advancement to the Soul Emergence Realm, he had gone to a place called Five Mountains Pass near the Heisei Domain to acquire a Soul Emergence opportunity known as the Dream Traveling Immortal.

That genius from the Nanyang Sect, Mo Lingfeng.

The proud and arrogant youth had been defeated by his hand. As he left, he declared they would fight again at the future Yuqing Immortal Sect grand tournament...

Now, it seemed, his opponent’s chances of getting a win back were probably nonexistent.

Shen Changchuan chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

He didn’t give it another thought.

...

The arena battles, which had captured the attention of nearly every Cultivator in Fangxian City, served to build up the buzz for the upcoming auction.

In the following days, Shen Changchuan could feel the fervent atmosphere within Fangxian City.

However, having seen the spectacle and gained a clearer perspective on his own strength, Shen Changchuan had no intention of sticking around for more of the commotion.

He returned to his temporarily leased immortal’s cave to rest and recover.

He would either meditate in Cultivation, ponder his Gu Techniques, or study Alchemy.

He patiently waited for the auction to begin.

But as the saying goes, the tree may wish for calm, but the wind will not subside.

During this time, a female Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator named Shi Miaoying, a woman with a slender figure and a bewitching face, came to his door under the pretext of getting acquainted.

She was extremely enthusiastic, saying that if Shen Changchuan needed anything, he could just ask her, as she could handle almost anything.

She also recommended a private association to Shen Changchuan, explaining that its members could trade amongst themselves and help one another out. If they had any good items, she explained, they wouldn’t have to put them up at the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion’s auction and let them take a cut for nothing...

The woman naturally exuded a trustworthy aura.

In her speech, she said some things that even tempted Shen Changchuan.

If things were as she described, there would be considerable benefits for him.

After all, he still had no leads on the main ingredients for the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu he wanted to refine.

And so,

Shen Changchuan refused.

’Are you kidding me?’

’In an unfamiliar place, a stranger just runs up and tries to pull you into some organization.’ ’How naive would you have to be to join without the slightest hesitation or wariness?’

’He’d heard plenty of stories in his past life about those ”pig-butchering” scams, where you’re the only real person in a group chat and everyone else is just a sock puppet.’

After turning her down and seeing her off, Shen Changchuan hung a ”Secluded Cultivation, Do Not Disturb” sign on the entrance of his leased immortal’s cave, refusing all visitors.

「A few days passed in a flash.」

The auction began.

The venue was packed, and the bidding reached one climax after another.

There were even a few items that made Shen Changchuan’s eyes burn with desire, each one’s appearance triggering waves of gasps and fervent discussion.

For example, the legacy of Tier Two Alchemy, Elixirs that could improve one’s aptitude like the Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill, the Soul Emergence Pill that enabled advancement to the Soul Emergence Realm, powerful Cultivation Techniques, Secret Techniques, Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, and more.

But Shen Changchuan never made a bid.

Not until the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Jade appeared.

He decisively raised his placard.

The bidding went all the way up to two hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones, until finally, no one else bid against him.

Shen Changchuan won it smoothly.

It went so smoothly that he was a little surprised.

’No one tried to drive up the price just to cause trouble?’

But then again, this seemed to be the norm.

Having won the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Jade, Shen Changchuan had no intention of staying any longer.

The remaining items at the auction were good, but with what few Spirit Stones he had left, he couldn’t compete for them.

So he simply paid, collected the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Jade, and left.