Chapter 105: Chaos Ridge

Ge Qian spent three days in the inn crafting talismans. He managed to produce fifty "Great Fire Python Talismans" at the cost of nearly thirty ruined ones. The cost of production was unimaginably high; any other cultivator would have surely balked at such wastefulness.

On this day, Liu Jie arrived at the inn in high spirits. Seeing Ge Qian, he said excitedly, "Brother Ge, everything is taken care of! After much cajoling and throwing a mountain of spirit stones at Elder Wu Jiang, he finally agreed to secretly teleport you out tomorrow night. As luck would have it, the other elder on duty tomorrow is going to the newly opened Red Dust Pavilion of the Wind and Moon Sect to celebrate its grand opening. It is the perfect opportunity."

Ge Qian patted Liu Jie on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Be more vigilant in your future dealings and tread carefully in all things, lest you suffer a loss."

"Rest assured, Brother Ge, I am growing up too," Liu Jie said, rising to his feet. "I will see you at the teleportation array tomorrow night. I shall take my leave now."

Ge Qian saw him out, returned to the room, and sat cross-legged. He swallowed a "Yuan-Gathering Pill" to restore his spiritual power. The continuous days of crafting talismans had taken a toll that anyone would find hard to bear. No matter what tomorrow held, he had to restore both his spiritual power and physical strength to their peak to prepare for any unexpected events.

The next night, during the third watch, Ge Qian paid for his room, checked out of the inn, and headed straight for the teleportation portal.

The teleportation portal was built in the center of Heavenly Cauldron City. It was heavily guarded; without a token of passage, no one could even draw near.

Ge Qian arrived before a magnificent three-story building. It was engraved with numerous runes that glowed softly in the night, giving it an exceptionally sturdy appearance and hinting at its formidable defensive capabilities.

At that moment, Liu Jie was looking around anxiously. Seeing Ge Qian arrive, he quickly hurried forward and said, "Follow me. Everything is ready."

Ge Qian nodded and followed him closely. They entered through the back door, wound through several corridors, and arrived in a grand hall where a small formation shimmered with light.

A gaunt, heavily wrinkled old man sat quietly in a chair, seemingly lost in thought. He was a cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Entering the room, Liu Jie said, "Elder Wu, this is the friend I told you about. He looked after me in the past, so I consider this a way to return the favor."

Wu Jiang swept his divine sense over Ge Qian. Finding nothing unusual—just an ordinary cultivator at the fifth layer of the Qi Gathering stage—he relaxed and said, "It seems the counterfeit elixir trade is quite lucrative. This is the first time I have seen a rogue cultivator who could produce so many spirit stones."

Unwilling to take any chances, Wu Jiang had specially sent a subordinate to investigate Ge Qian's background. The description provided by the innkeeper had dispelled all his doubts.

Ge Qian stepped forward quickly and said, "Our line of work is actually quite difficult, and we live in constant fear. However, the profits are indeed substantial. A friend in Five Mountains City has put me in touch with a major client, so I must rush over. Because my trade makes many enemies, I have no choice but to teleport in secret. Please rest assured, Senior, once this transaction is complete, I will definitely return to express my gratitude properly."

Hearing that he would be properly rewarded, Wu Jiang was pleased and said, "It is rare to see someone so thoughtful. I shall help you this once. Step into the center of the formation."

Feigning joy, Ge Qian quickly stepped into the center of the formation, affixed a teleportation talisman to himself, and waited obediently to be sent.

Wu Jiang had already embedded spirit stones into the formation. With a casual flick of his fingers, he cast a hand seal. The formation lit up, and with a flash of spiritual light, Ge Qian vanished.

At the other end in Five Mountains City, the formation suddenly flashed with spiritual light, and Ge Qian stepped out. The layout and setup of the formation here were virtually identical to those in Heavenly Cauldron City.

A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, who had been meditating with closed eyes, opened them and sized Ge Qian up. "Are you Wu Jiang's distant nephew?"

Liu Jie had already arranged the cover story beforehand, so Ge Qian smiled apologetically and said, "You are correct, Senior. Elder Wu Jiang is indeed my uncle. I hope you will look after me."

The old man nodded and said, "Of course. If you need to return to Heavenly Cauldron City, just come find me again."

"Thank you, Senior. I will certainly trouble you then. If there is nothing else, I shall head off to find my buyer," Ge Qian continued to spin his lies.

"Go on then," the old man said.

Ge Qian left the Beast Taming Sect's teleportation portal and found an inn to stay at. After all, the past few days had been exhausting, spent entirely on crafting talismans and meditating to recover. He fell into a deep, restful sleep and returned to the Heavenly Star Sect the next day.

Upon returning to the Heavenly Star Sect, Ge Qian headed straight for Chaos Ridge.

Chaos Ridge rose hundreds of feet high and spanned dozens of miles. The trees growing here were bizarrely shaped, and only one species could survive in this environment: the Sourwood.

This was because the spiritual energy in this area was exceptionally chaotic. However, Ge Qian liked this place; it was practically tailormade for him. His "Six Paths Sword Art" required him to absorb various kinds of spiritual energy to temper his own body.

Ge Qian spiraled down on his flying sword, landed, and sheathed it. He walked through the dense forest, searching for a suitable location to excavate a cave dwelling.

As he was walking, two people suddenly emerged ahead of him. One was a cultivator at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was short, stout, and plain-looking—none other than Elder Lu Buyu, who was in charge of distribution at the Hall of Merit. At this moment, he was glaring at Ge Qian in anger.

The other person was even more familiar. He was handsome but exuded a cold aura. He glared at Ge Qian with venomous hatred, as if wishing he could swallow him whole. It was Lu Xin, who had still not managed to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ge Qian smiled faintly and said, "What brings you two to my territory? Could there be some treasure hidden here?"

Lu Buyu said coldly, "There is indeed a treasure, and it is you, Ge Qian. As long as my nephew refines you, he will be able to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage. Wouldn't you say you are a treasure?"

Lu Xin laughed maniacally, his eyes bloodshot. "Everyone else has advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, while I alone remain a mere Qi Gathering cultivator. But heaven always leaves a path open. I have obtained an ancient demonic art, the 'Realm Usurpation Art.' Once I refine you, I will seize your cultivation realm and advance to Foundation Establishment!"

"Demonic cultivation techniques indeed carve out alternative paths for rapid advancement," Ge Qian teased. "But such heaven-defying arts must surely carry taboos. Otherwise, wouldn't the demonic path have conquered the world long ago? Be careful not to lose the bait along with the fish. If you end up looking neither human nor ghost, you will be in a truly pathetic state."

Lu Xin's face paled, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. Ge Qian's words had clearly struck him like a steel dagger straight to the heart.

Lu Buyu frowned and said, "Nephew, you must think this through. Practicing this demonic art means stepping onto a path of no return. You will have to refine others every time you wish to advance."

Lu Xin gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle, I have no way back. Ge Qian already knows about this. If word gets out, both of us will be dragged to the Hall of Punishment. We might as well go all the way and refine him. Once I advance to Foundation Establishment, I will have the chance to enter the family treasury and retrieve the 'Nine-Leaf Ginseng' for you. If you consume it, you might even be able to advance to the Core Formation stage!"

Hearing the mention of the Core Formation stage, Lu Buyu was visibly swayed. His aura surged with restless, murderous intent. He said, "Ge Qian, you have only yourself to blame for offending my nephew. For the sake of his advancement to the Foundation Establishment stage, I have no choice but to kill you."

Ge Qian's aura erupted with a boom. He said coldly, "Do you two really think you have me cornered? Lu Xin, it is time to settle the karma between us."