Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 136 The True Sect Comes to the Door

A long absence is better than a new marriage.

That night, there were a series of fierce battles, and several rounds of turmoil ensued.

The passion and beauty of the process are beyond description to outsiders.

afterwards!

Zhou Hongjiao nestled languidly in Chen Li's arms, and after a long while, she suddenly burst out laughing.

Chen Li was completely bewildered: "Why are you laughing all of a sudden?"

"I never imagined that my man would become a Foundation Establishment Grandmaster. It feels like a dream," Zhou Hong said softly, her hand tightening around Chen Li's.

"Didn't you always say I was a genius?" Chen Li stroked Zhou Hong's smooth back and laughed, "From now on, our lives will only get better and better, and we'll never have to live in fear like we did back in Green River Workshop!"

That night, the two talked privately all night long.

As dawn broke, Zhou Hong finally succumbed to sleepiness and fell into a deep slumber.

Chen Li had been traveling for several days and hadn't slept all night, yet he was still full of energy. He quietly got out of bed and used a cleaning spell to remove the scent of last night's pleasure.

Then he picked up the robe and was about to put it on when he suddenly discovered that the robe had been torn in several places and was badly worn in many places.

"When did this happen?" Chen Li wondered to himself.

This is a top-grade first-tier robe. The material itself is extremely flexible, impervious to water and fire, and difficult to be damaged by ordinary weapons. Wearing it normally, it can easily last for decades, if not a lifetime.

He thought for a long time but couldn't recall what had attacked him at close range recently.

"Could it be that the robe was damaged during the practice of the Zhou Tian Gang Jin?" he pondered.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that way.

The Zhou Tian Gang Force is different from defensive shields like body shields; the former is close to the body, while the latter is a magical shield that is placed in the air.

The spiritual energy within the body appears gentle and docile, but once it is transformed into protective aura under the influence of secret techniques, it becomes as violent as ignited gasoline.

"It seems that a first-tier robe is completely unsuitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators!" Chen Li thought to himself, "This is another considerable expense."

Fortunately, he still has a considerable amount of savings, including 34 high-grade spirit stones.

Last night, Zhou Hong returned all the money in the house to him.

There's no need to worry about that.

He took out a spare robe from his storage bag and put it on. He then carefully tidied his hair, feeling that it was worthy of his Foundation Establishment status, before leisurely walking out of the bedroom.

He poured himself a cup of spiritual tea and sat comfortably by the door.

It was still slightly dark outside; it was a cool summer morning with a refreshing breeze and fresh air.

In the corner of the yard, a clump of unnamed wildflowers grows carefree and enchanting. Morning dewdrops tremble and roll on the buds, releasing a delicate fragrance.

Chen Li took a sip of the spiritual tea.

It feels like it's been a long time since I've felt this completely relaxed.

A faint sense of peace filled my entire body.

In the entire Changsheng... no, Zhen Huan Domain, there are probably only around thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators, making them extremely rare.

With that step he took, a whole new world opened up before him, a world of boundless possibilities.

His status, position, class, strength, and lifespan were all comprehensively improved, making him no different from any other rogue cultivator.

"Sigh, now I've gotten rid of most of my troubles!"

"However, Foundation Establishment techniques are indeed a problem. I wonder how those Foundation Establishment families obtained them?" Chen Li pondered. "I also need to find out what the True Realm Sect's attitude is towards independent cultivators establishing their Foundation. It seems I'll have to make more visits to various places in the future!"

Fortunately, there's no rush to learn the cultivation method.

Chen Li decided to wait a while before making a decision.

He has only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and has not yet fully adapted to his own power. Moreover, he will be dealing with Foundation Establishment cultivators from now on. As a newcomer to the Foundation Establishment stage, he has to be careful when dealing with such people.

First, I should train Zhou Tiangang's internal energy to the expert level. At that time, its power will increase by another level, and in case of conflict, it will also provide an extra layer of self-protection.

He has self-awareness in his heart.

Although he was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining when he killed Zhou Xutang.

Now he has already established his foundation, and his strength is vastly different from before. However, that time was an assassination attempt, which he had planned for a long time, while the other party was completely unprepared, so it doesn't count at all. In terms of true strength, he estimates that he is only in the ordinary early stage of Foundation Establishment.

No more than the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!
Chen Li leaned back in his chair, sipping tea as his thoughts drifted.

As dawn broke, sensing that the shops in Luanluo City had opened, he downed the now-cold tea in one gulp and went back inside to put down his teacup.

He leaped over the courtyard wall and headed to the shop, ready to dispose of the large pile of spiritual herbs and second-tier demon beast bones he had on hand.

He visited several shops and cleared out all his items, earning a total of over 160 mid-grade spirit stones.
The vast majority of the income came from that second-tier demon beast bone. As for the large amount of spiritual herbs and other miscellaneous items obtained along the way, they only sold for eight mid-grade spirit stones, which was barely enough to make ends meet.

On the way back, I passed Zhang Yan's house and paused involuntarily.

He's back now.

I think it's better to say hello first.

He went up and knocked on the door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" "Old Zhang, open the door!"

"Who is it so early in the morning!" Zhang Yan's gruff voice came from inside. Soon, the door creaked open, and seeing the now even younger Chen Li, he stared in disbelief, pointing at Chen Li as if he'd seen a ghost: "You...you...you..."

"What do you mean, 'you'? Don't you even recognize me?" Chen Li pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pinched his thigh. The sharp pain brought him back to his senses. He quickly closed the door and hurried after him, his face filled with shock and confusion: "You...you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage!?"

"I recently managed to achieve Foundation Establishment and only returned to Luanluo City yesterday, so I came to see you today," Chen Li said with a smile.

"Oh my, what a distinguished guest! Shuniang, your uncle is here, quickly serve tea!" Zhang Yan suppressed his emotions and quickly put on a smiling face.

"Ah, is Uncle back?" A surprised voice came from the inner room. Soon Zhang Shuniang appeared at the door. She was stunned when she saw Chen Li, and her eyes kept staring at him.

"Doesn't it look better now?" Chen Li joked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuniang snapped out of her daze, her face flushing red. She said shyly, "Uncle! I...I'll go make you some tea right away."

As she spoke, she ran back into the inner room like a startled deer.

Sigh, the little girl from back then has grown up and can't take a joke anymore.

"You're such a grown man, yet you have no manners at all," Zhang Yan scolded, then said with a forced smile, "Senior Chen, please don't take offense."

“What’s our relationship? We’ve known each other for years. Calling me ‘senior’ makes us seem distant. Besides, you’re a few years older than me. What happened before will happen in the future. There’s no need for these formalities.”

"No, no, I'm just a Qi Refining cultivator. How dare I address you as a senior? People will think I'm arrogant and ignorant." Zhang Yan quickly waved his hand, looking at Chen Li's young and handsome face, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

The other person is still young, but he has already begun to age.

Chen Li tried to address him that way several times, but Zhang Yan insisted on doing so, so in the end he had no choice but to go along with it. In the cultivation world, the strong are respected and the hierarchy is clear and blatant.

Zhang Shuniang brought over tea, her cheeks flushed: "Uncle, have some tea."

Taking this opportunity, I secretly peeked at it a few more times.

Chen Li thanked her, chatted with Zhang Yan for a while, and then left after sitting for a short time.

……

After seeing Chen Li off.

Zhang Yan closed the courtyard gate, returned to the house with his daughter, plopped down in a chair, and sighed to his daughter, "I never expected Fellow Daoist Chen to have reached the Foundation Establishment stage. It's only been a short time. There's really no comparison between people."

“Uncle has always been this amazing. If it weren’t for the setbacks you had when you were young, you would have reached the Foundation Establishment stage long ago,” Zhang Shuniang said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan felt a surge of frustration.

The daughter has grown up.

They're becoming less and less considerate.

The elbow always points outwards.

"You've held me back when I was young!" Zhang Yan said angrily. "If it weren't for you being such a burden, I would have been... I would have been at the late stage of Qi Refining long ago."

Zhang Yan originally wanted to say "foundation building," but then he felt a little unsure of himself.

After saying that, I felt even more depressed.

"I know Father has worked hard, raising me was not easy and it delayed my cultivation. I will definitely take good care of Father in the future," Zhang Shuniang quickly coaxed in a sweet voice.

"That's more like it!" Zhang Yan's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. "Go, make me another cup of tea!"

……

Chen Li did not deliberately hide the news of his Foundation Establishment, and it quickly spread throughout the neighborhood.

Gu Mengqing and Zhao Chang'er came over one after another to congratulate Chen Li on his foundation building.

Even the Yu family, upon hearing the news, sent a congratulatory gift, though they couldn't attend in person.

Whether it was the Longevity Domain in the past or the True Realm Domain now, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators has rarely changed, with only one new cultivator added every few years. This is even considering the entire domain, including sects.

The chances of it appearing among rogue cultivators are even smaller.

Each one was an unprecedented event.

As a result, whenever Chen Li went out, he could feel all kinds of respectful, curious and awe-inspiring gazes. So much so that if he wanted some peace and quiet, he had to disguise himself before going out. Fortunately, Chen Li didn't go out often.

Before Chen Li could even master Zhou Tiangang's strength to the expert level...

The people of the True Sect have already come knocking on our door.

"Junior Zhang Songlin, External Affairs Steward of the Zhenhuan Sect, greets Senior Chen, congratulations Senior Chen!" The newcomer was a middle-aged Qi Refining cultivator. He looked amiable and was obviously used to welcoming and seeing off guests.

Chen Li welcomed him into his home.

"No need to be so polite, please sit down. May I ask what brings you here to see me?"

"I wonder what your plans are after you've reached Foundation Establishment, Senior? Do you intend to stay in the Realm of True Emptiness or leave?" Zhang Songlin cupped his hands respectfully and asked, "Furthermore, Senior doesn't yet have a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique, does he?"

"I haven't made any plans yet, so please speak frankly!" Chen Li said, frowning.

"I have come here for two reasons. First, to congratulate Senior Chen on achieving Foundation Establishment. Second, to invite you to become a guest elder of the True Realm Sect. The sect will provide you with the cultivation techniques you need and allow you to choose a third-tier spiritual land cave for your cultivation. Once you have stayed for twenty years, you are free to leave as you wish," Zhang Songlin explained his purpose.

P.S.: Sorry it's late today, this chapter is from yesterday.

(End of this chapter)