txolops Chapter 6 is filled with calamity! A calamity befalls the cultivator!
Chapter 6 is filled with calamity! A calamity befalls the cultivator!
Chapter 6 is filled with calamity! A calamity befalls the cultivator!
Silent all night.
As dawn broke outside the window, Xuankun Mountain was shrouded in a thin mist.
Lin Chuan slowly finished his practice, his aura becoming even more solid than yesterday.
After circulating the Fire Separation Technique for three major cycles, he could clearly feel that the spiritual energy in his body was approaching saturation. Under the continuous erosion of the medicinal power, the invisible barrier in his dantian showed slight cracks.
"In three to five days at most, I will definitely be able to break through to the eleventh level of Qi Refining." Lin Chuan opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing.
He was satisfied with the increasingly abundant magical power within his body, and was about to get up and stretch his limbs when golden light appeared before his eyes precisely on time:
Today's divination result: Moderately inauspicious.
[The divination reads: Today there is an auction at the Yellow Maple Valley market. Your friend Ren Qing invites you to go to the market, but on the way back you are ambushed and both you and Ren Qing return severely injured.]
Mid-air ominous!
Lin Chuan's pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing paused slightly.
This was the first time he had seen a "misfortune" hexagram since he obtained the golden finger of divination, and it was even a "moderate misfortune"!
"Returning severely wounded..." he murmured, repeating the divination text, his brows furrowed.
Ren Qing's image simultaneously flashed into my mind.
The other person was not tall, with a round face and small eyes, and always had a shrewd and calculating smile.
The two lived in the same Xuankun Mountain and were both late-stage Qi Refining cultivators; they did have some contact with each other on a regular basis.
In his memory, Ren Qing had borrowed thirty spirit stones from him three months ago, saying he wanted to buy a mid-grade magic weapon, and had not returned them yet.
"Market auction... robbery of cultivators..." Lin Chuan stood up and paced around the room.
Huangfeng Valley Market is located on the outskirts of the Taiyue Mountains and is directly under the jurisdiction of the sect, so it is generally safe.
However, during the auction, cultivators from all over the country gather, and the place is a mixed bag, making it easy for them to be targeted.
Moreover, cultivators often become even wealthier after an auction, making it the perfect time for them to make their move.
"Since we knew about the danger beforehand, we should naturally avoid it."
Lin Chuan quickly made a decision: "I will remain in seclusion today, and will not go to any place that invites me."
He walked to the window and pushed it open.
The morning breeze caresses my face, carrying the unique fragrance of mountain grasses and trees.
A streak of light flew past in the distance, heading straight for the outside of the mountain gate. It must have been a cultivator from Xuankun Mountain who had made his way to the market early in the morning.
He would naturally reveal the time of the calamity, and regardless of whether others believed him or not, just explaining the source of the information would be troublesome enough.
If they were to be targeted by someone with malicious intent, the consequences would be unimaginable.
……
Around 3:45 AM, a slight fluctuation suddenly came from the shielding formation outside Lin Chuan Courtyard.
"Senior Brother Lin, are you there? It's me!"
A familiar voice came from outside the formation, carrying a hint of deliberately feigned cheerfulness.
Lin Chuan's eyes narrowed.
coming.
He straightened his robes, dispelled the array, and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Standing outside the door was Ren Qing.
He was wearing a brand new blue robe today, with a bright white jade pendant hanging at his waist, clearly having dressed up carefully.
Ren Qingyuan's face was beaming with smiles, her small eyes narrowing into slits: "Senior Brother Lin, you look great today!"
"Junior Brother Ren."
Lin Chuan nodded calmly. "Did you need something?"
"Hey, that's great!"
Ren Qing stepped forward, his voice low but unable to hide his excitement, "Senior Brother Lin, do you know there's an auction at the market today! I heard the grand finale is a top-tier defensive magic artifact, along with several bottles of high-grade pills. Shall we go take a look?"
As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning Lin Chuan's expression, and he added, "Even if you don't buy anything, it's good to broaden your horizons. I heard there's a merchant caravan from Yuanwu Kingdom this time, bringing quite a few rare items!"
Lin Chuan sighed inwardly, but shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother Ren, but I'm short on money lately, and I've used all my spirit stones on cultivation, so I won't join in this fun."
"Eh—"
Ren Qing drew out his words, his smile unwavering, "Brother Lin, what you're saying is true. There are so many treasures at the auction; it doesn't cost a penny to look at them."
He reached out to pat Lin Chuan's shoulder, but Lin Chuan dodged to the side.
"Junior Brother Ren, I have indeed encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation recently, and I am about to go into seclusion for a few days."
Lin Chuan looked directly at Ren Qing: "Why don't you stay today and we can exchange cultivation insights? Why waste time at that auction?"
After all, the two had known each other for a while, and Lin Chuan didn't want the other to suffer this ordeal.
Ren Qing was taken aback, her smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "We can exchange ideas anytime. This auction only happens once a month, it would be a shame to miss it."
Seeing that Lin Chuan remained unmoved, he rolled his eyes and changed his tune: "Senior Brother Lin, to be honest, I went to the market this time to inquire about the Foundation Establishment Pill. You know, which Qi Refining cultivator doesn't look forward to that day..."
He emphasized the words "Foundation Building Elixir" with particular emphasis.
Lin Chuan remained unmoved upon hearing this.
Ren Qing was deliberately using the Foundation Establishment matter to lure him.
"Foundation Building Pills aren't something you see at auctions, are they?"
Lin Chuan shook his head. The Seven Sects of Yue Kingdom have extremely strict control over Foundation Establishment Pills, and there are no Foundation Establishment Pills available on the market.
"Even if they existed, it wouldn't be for you or me. Junior Brother Ren, how could someone with our cultivation level possibly covet Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Ren Qing's smile finally faded.
He frowned, his tone becoming more impatient: "Senior Brother Lin, why are you such a spoilsport? I kindly invited you to come along, but instead of going, you're here lecturing me."
He took a half step back, looked Lin Chuan up and down, and suddenly sneered: "Oh—I see, Senior Brother Lin is afraid of spending spirit stones, right? Well, your Lin family nowadays... Heh, I understand, I understand."
These words already carried a hint of sarcasm.
Lin Chuan's eyes turned slightly cold, but he stopped trying to persuade him.
Everyone has their own destiny; he has done his best.
"Since Junior Brother Ren insists on going, then let him go."
Lin Chuan said calmly, "But before I leave, there's something I need to remind you, Junior Brother—you should return the thirty spirit stones you borrowed from me three months ago."
Ren Qing's expression suddenly changed.
He clearly hadn't expected Lin Chuan to bring up the debt at this moment. His round face twitched, and his small eyes widened: "Senior Brother Lin, what... what do you mean by this?"
Lin Chuan extended his hand, "I'm currently purchasing pills to break through my bottleneck, so I'm short on funds. Since Junior Brother Ren has spare money to attend the auction, he must be well-off. Please return those thirty spirit stones today."
"You!" Ren Qing's face flushed red.
He looked at Lin Chuan's outstretched hand, then at the direction of the mountain gate, clearly caught in a dilemma.
The auction is about to begin, and he really wants to go.
Thirty spirit stones is no small amount. If he returns them to Lin Chuan now, he will have far fewer spirit stones available for his trip to the market.
After a few breaths of stalemate, Ren Qing gritted his teeth, pulled a spirit stone bag from his storage pouch, and slammed it into Lin Chuan's hand: "Here! Thirty stones, not one less! Senior Brother Lin, you're really no fun at all!"
He didn't even count, which clearly showed he was angry.
Lin Chuan scanned the bag with his divine sense to confirm the number was correct, then put away the spirit stone bag and said indifferently, "Paying back debts is a matter of course. Junior Brother Ren, take care."
Ren Qing glared at Lin Chuan, said no more, turned around, boarded a leaf-shaped flying magic artifact, and flew towards the mountain gate without looking back.
The light quickly disappeared into the clouds.
Lin Chuan stood in front of the courtyard gate, gazing in the direction where Ren Qing had disappeared. After a long while, he gently shook his head.
He has done everything he could to be kind and righteous.
Everyone must take responsibility for their own choices; no one else can bear the consequences for another.
Then, Lin Chuan turned around and went back to the courtyard, restarting the concealment formation.
He sat back down cross-legged on the futon, took out a Golden Source Pill and swallowed it, then closed his eyes and began to circulate the Fire Separation Technique.
Today, I will peacefully retreat into seclusion.
As for the market auction, the robbery and killing of cultivators...
Those things were no longer relevant to him at that moment.
Within his dantian, spiritual energy surged like a tide, impacting the ever-thinning barrier.
The sunlight outside the window gradually rose higher and then slowly slanted westward.