Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Luo Zhen came and went as he pleased, leaving behind lingering echoes as his figure faded into the distance.

After the high-ranking Purple Mansion left, Wang Chen summoned He to clean up the aftermath and then went to bed himself, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

A dreamless night passed.

The next morning, he was awakened by the loud noise of gongs and drums coming from outside.

"Master, a lot of people have arrived outside,"

He reported with wide eyes to Wang Chen, "They have surrounded our house!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Wang Chen was secretly perplexed.

On the first day of the lunar new year, in the freezing season, who would come to encircle the village head residence without better things to do?

Before he had time to get up and check, he heard a voice from outside reach his ears, "Superior Wang on high, I am Song Wude, acting on the orders of Family Head Song Yuanshan, to congratulate the Superior on his illustrious ascension to the Immortal Gates of the West Sea and the achievement of his supreme Daoist endeavor!"

Wang Chen felt a chill in his heart and immediately instructed, "He, open the main door to welcome the guests!"

Just last night, Luo Zhen had come to gift him the identity plaque of an Inner Sect Disciple of the West Sea Sect, and early this morning, someone had already come to offer congratulations.

Moreover, the visitor bearing gifts was also a Purple Mansion!

He quickly changed into a set of purple robes and went to the front courtyard to meet the guest.

He saw a man with curly whiskers stride into the courtyard with his head held high; upon seeing Wang Chen, he immediately clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Superior Wang, I hope you'll forgive Wude's bold intrusion."

Wang Chen smiled and returned the courtesy, "My friend, you're too polite, please come inside."

The whiskered man had an imposing air about him, his mana finely concentrated like none other; had it not been for Wang Chen's exceptionally sharp senses, he might not have been able to discern the man's cultivation realm.

Mid-tier Purple Mansion!

"Thank you, Superior,"

The man with curly whiskers waved a hand backward, "Bring them in!"

A line of men dressed in blue filed in, with two carrying a large vermilion gift box between them, a total of eight boxes.

These gift boxes were neatly arranged in the front hall.

"Just a modest token of respect,"

Song Wude bowed again, "On behalf of Family Head Song Yuanshan, I send his regards to you, Superior!"

A gleam flashed in Wang Chen's eyes, "Head of the Song family is too courteous."

Actually, he had no idea who Song Yuanshan was, but the intention of the visitor was undoubtedly clear.

Perhaps noticing the confusion in Wang Chen's heart, Song Wude smiled and said, "Our family head serves as the County Magistrate of Wan City..."

Through his explanation, Wang Chen learned that not only was Song Yuanshan the clan leader of the Song family in Wan City, but he had also long been serving as the County Magistrate responsible for public security and the capture of thieves, a position equivalent to that of the assistant to the County Magistrate, exercising authority at the local level.

In other words, a local power!

After introducing the identity of Song Yuanshan, Song Wude had the servants open each of the gift boxes in turn.

In the first box, it was completely filled with glittering Spirit Stones!

Although the capacity of the box was limited and the number of Spirit Stones was not that great when calculated, the visual impact was very strong.

Inside the second box were Spirit Rice, but not ordinary Spirit Rice—it was tier-two Purple Essence Rice.

The value of this box of Spirit Rice was certainly no less than that of a box of Spirit Stones!

The third box, the fourth box, the fifth box...

Wang Chen roughly estimated that the total value of the eight gift boxes was no less than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones!

After a moment of thought, Wang Chen said, "Without merit, one should not accept rewards. The generous gift from Head Song is too much, I'm afraid I cannot accept it."

He didn't know the County Magistrate of Wan City at all, there was no friendship to speak of, and accepting such valuable gifts for no reason would mean owing a huge favor and karmic debt, which was actually not worth it.

Wang Chen had never been the type to look only at short-term gains; the magnanimous gift made him suspect the other party's intentions.

Wang Chen had obviously been prepared for Song Wude's refusal, immediately presenting a letter: "This is a letter from the Family Head that he entrusted me to bring to the Superior," he said, "Once the Superior reads it, he will understand."

Song Wude was also a Purple Mansion Superior, and his cultivation realm was even one tier above Wang Chen's.

But in front of Wang Chen, he showed a very humble attitude.

Wang Chen took the letter and read through it once.

In the letter, the Wan City County Magistrate was very polite, first congratulating Wang Chen for becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of the West Sea Sect, then expressing a wish to ask him to purchase some cultivation resources; the rest was about exchanging messages.

The eight gift boxes were considered a fee for Wang Chen's troubles.

Over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, that indeed was quite a laborious task!

Wang Chen was clear in his mind; perhaps the other party really did need cultivation resources from within the West Sea Sect and wanted to extend their channels of information, but at the end of the day, they were investing in him as a newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple.

Song Yuanshan had been very implicit, but Wang Chen easily saw through it.

After thinking it over, Wang Chen waved his sleeve and collected the eight gift boxes into his Storage Bag: "Since it is the Song Family Head's kind intentions, then Wang will shamelessly accept."

There were tens of thousands of miles separating the Central Region and the borderlands, and messages took a significant amount of time to travel to and fro.

Since the other party was so sincere in wanting to invest in him, Wang Chen decided not to be pretentious and accepted the generous gift openly and honestly.

Song Wude cheerfully said, "It should be so."

Just as Wang Chen was about to instruct He to serve some good tea to this "bringer of wealth," he suddenly heard a voice from outside: "Superior Wang above, this humble one is Fang Xiaoyue, sent by Family Head Fang Hantao, to congratulate the Superior on his glorious ascent to the West Sea Immortal Gates, and on achieving the supreme path of cultivation!"

Wang Chen couldn't help but look at Song Wude—Are you using the same set of congratulatory words?

Another Purple Mansion, another local magnate!

Song Wude's expression was far from pleasant, and he barely managed a smile: "County Magistrate Fang also likes to join in the fun, eh?"

So it was the County Magistrate!

Though it felt very odd, Wang Chen couldn't possibly turn away a visitor.

To his amusement and slight annoyance, this County Magistrate had also sent over eight large boxes.

When Fang Xiaoyue entered and saw Song Wude, the two of them glared at each other with eyes as wide as saucers, almost on the verge of drawing swords and crossing blades right then and there.

They clearly had previous grievances against each other.

But they did not come to blows, which would have been a serious affront to Wang Chen.

Fang Xiaoyue also brought a letter for Wang Chen.

Wang Chen didn't play favorites, accepting it just the same.

Where there are lice, one doesn't itch; having accepted from one family, it naturally followed to accept from the second.

After Fang Xiaoyue, several more groups came, all bearing gifts.

Every gift-giver was a local magnate from Wan City, each with similar objectives: essentially to establish a good relationship with Wang Chen, the newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple.

Wang Chen was getting a bit overwhelmed by the situation. He decided to welcome them all; as long as they didn't come with ill-intent or wicked thoughts, he would accept every gift.

If anything, he could just make a list and find opportunities to repay them later.

After the fifteenth of the first lunar month, Wang Chen was to travel tens of thousands of miles to the vast Central Region and enter secluded cultivation in the Inner Sect of the West Sea Sect.

By then, his consumption of cultivation resources would skyrocket!

The Path of Cultivation to Immortality, wealth, mana, companions, land—of the four essential words of this aphorism, the first, "wealth," truly was indispensable.

On the first day of the New Year, Wang Chen spent in a cycle of greeting guests, receiving gifts, greeting more guests, and receiving more gifts.

Time flew, and before he knew it, the fourteenth of the first month had arrived.

Now, there was only one short day left before Wang Chen was to leave Datian Village for the boundless prospects of the Central Region.

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The first update is hereby delivered.