Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 138 Cave Mansion
Chen Li quickly offered a humble response.

Xia Hongyi said some polite words and didn't rush to talk about serious matters. He picked up on the topic and chatted about this and that, occasionally asking about Chen Li's past experiences. While talking, he compared the information with what he had collected and secretly tried to figure out what the other person was like.

"...I used to hang out in Green River Village, but the situation there deteriorated and monsters ran rampant. It was only a few years ago that I joined the Yu family's group and migrated to Luanluo City." Chen Li knew that this was a necessary background check, so he explained everything in detail, with a polite and respectful attitude.

"The Yu family?"

"A Foundation Establishment family that came to Green River Village to escape the chaos of war." Chen Li said casually, "Otherwise, it would not be easy for them to leave Green River Village."

“I know about Green River Village. It’s a remote and dangerous place, with no one around.” Xia Hongyi said gently, “It’s quite remarkable that Fellow Daoist Chen was able to successfully establish his foundation as a rogue cultivator.”

Chen Li then offered another round of modesty.

Xia Hongyi was satisfied.

Based on the information gathered, the other party is a typical local rogue cultivator.

His growth trajectory is traceable; he belongs to no sect, has no connections, and has no ties to the Longevity Sect. He is certainly not a spy sent by any other sect.

"Fellow Daoist, you're new to the True Soul Sect, so I imagine you have many trivial matters to attend to. I won't chat any longer!" Xia Hongyi said, asking him to wait a moment. He then went into the inner room and waited for about ten minutes.

He then returned, retrieved a storage bag, handed it over, and said with a smile:

"I have already registered you. Inside, there is a set of our sect's second-tier low-grade robe, ten bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, and a high-grade spirit stone. These are your welcoming gifts. There is also a guest elder identity token and a jade slip. The contents of the jade slip will help you familiarize yourself with the sect as quickly as possible."

As for the cultivation method, you will be able to choose it yourself from the Scripture Pavilion when the time comes, using your Guest Elder Token.

The True Nature Sect has five foundation-building techniques that lead directly to the Golden Core stage, including those from the former Longevity Sect. Each technique has its own strengths and weaknesses, requiring utmost caution. I will not presume to advise you further.

"Thank you, Head of General Affairs." Chen Li accepted the gift with both hands and said respectfully.

“No need to be so polite. In principle, I should take you to meet the Ancestor, but unfortunately, the Ancestor is currently in seclusion and it is inconvenient to disturb him.” Xia Hongyi stroked his beard and smiled. “Fortunately, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The initiation ceremony will be held in three days, and everyone can meet then.”

Then Xia Hongyi explained some rules that guest elders should follow and some things to pay attention to. He then summoned a gatekeeper disciple and asked him to accompany Chen Li to choose a suitable cave dwelling.

……

The cave dwelling is located far from the bustling city center at the foot of the mountain. Compared to the noise there, it is secluded and lush with ancient trees and vines. A babbling stream meanders down, and schools of fish and shrimp frolic among it.

"Senior Chen, there are currently seven vacant cave dwellings, each connected to a branch of the third-tier spiritual vein of Luanluo Mountain. It is a top-tier cultivation holy land of the True Realm Sect," the gatekeeper disciple respectfully introduced.

"Let's take a look first!" Chen Li said calmly.

"Yes, senior."

After some searching, Chen Li finally chose a relatively quiet spot to settle down.

He waved for the gatekeeper to leave.

Chen Li, Zhou Hong, and the others then took a good look at the cave dwelling. Although it was called a cave dwelling, most of the buildings were actually outside the cave, with a courtyard of several acres outside. Only the meditation rooms and other places for cultivation were located inside the cave.

"Such abundant spiritual energy! Will we be living here from now on?" Zhou Hong asked happily.

Chen Li nodded and smiled, "Let's settle down first and unpack our things. We'll have plenty of time to look around later."

Then he looked at Zhang Shuniang, who was standing to the side looking a little awkward, and comforted her, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home here."

Zhang Shuniang felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this: "Yes, Uncle."

Next, Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang cleaned up, while Chen Li began setting up the Five Elements Illusion Array according to the calculated directions. He noticed that many Foundation Establishment caves along the way had arrays set up, so he followed suit.

Unfortunately, this kind of first-tier mid-grade formation has little defensive power.

Anyone with a basic understanding of formations can break it; it's better than nothing.

Fortunately, I am inside the Zhenhuan Sect's mountain gate, so there shouldn't be any danger.

Chen Li set up the formation and handed two control tokens to Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang. Once they were refined, the two of them would be able to control the formation and enter and exit freely without being affected by it.

This is why a set of formations is extremely expensive.

Too complicated.

There are eighteen components in the array device and seven control tokens. Each of them is equivalent to a magic weapon. All of them together weigh fifty or sixty pounds. Buying one array is equivalent to buying a whole bunch of magic weapons.

After finishing all this, it was already afternoon. The three of them quickly ate lunch, and then Chen Li went out to visit the neighbors.

……

The first person I visited was an acquaintance.

"My name is Chen Li, a newly arrived guest elder. Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Bai Yuqing opened the formation and was taken aback when she saw Chen Li. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before. "So it's Fellow Daoist Chen. Please come in!"

Upon entering the cave, the two sat down, and a maidservant quickly served fragrant tea before respectfully leaving.

"I had heard people say that a new guest elder was coming, but I didn't expect to meet you in person so soon, and you're even my neighbor." Bai Yuqing smiled stiffly, "Congratulations on your Foundation Establishment, fellow Daoist. It's truly a cause for celebration." Bai Yuqing was clearly a reserved person and not good at socializing at all.

Chen Li, however, was secretly pleased.

A year ago, if he had met this person, he would have had to respectfully call him "senior," and if he said something wrong, he would have had to worry about getting slapped.

Now, the foundation is being laid.

Even the other party has to restrain their temper and feign compliance.

Their social status has changed drastically.

Seeing the other person's unnatural expression, Chen Li couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge, so he kept looking for topics to talk about, rambling on about nothing of substance.

After a long, awkward chat, Chen Li excused himself and took his leave.

Bai Yuqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and got up to see him off. As she reached the door, a thought suddenly struck her, and she exclaimed in surprise, "You're the rogue cultivator from my escort team during the forced labor two years ago?"

"Fellow Daoist Bai has a good memory. I still remember your demeanor from that day very well. Please stop here. I will visit you another day." Chen Li said with a smile and cupped his hands.

"Ah, okay, okay, Fellow Daoist Chen, please take care." Bai Yuqing looked embarrassed.

After seeing Chen Li off and returning to her cave, she still felt somewhat incredulous.

At the time, this person was just an ordinary person in the team and did not attract any attention.

Unexpectedly, he quietly achieved Foundation Establishment a year later!
……

The day passed by with visits and introductions.

night.

Chen Li sat cross-legged in the quiet room.

This quiet room is about three zhang square, and apart from a stone door, all four sides are smooth rock walls.

"This is truly a wonderful place for cultivation!" The spiritual energy here is exceptionally rich; even without cultivation, spiritual energy automatically flows in.

"I'll go to the Scripture Pavilion tomorrow and choose a suitable foundation-building technique."

Even after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he continued to cultivate using the Longevity Technique.

Unfortunately, more than a month has passed since I started Foundation Establishment, but my cultivation seems to have completely stagnated, without any progress.

Chen Li remained silent for a moment.

He took out the storage bag given to him by the True Sect.

He channeled his spiritual energy into it and quickly refined it; the storage bag was just a storage bag.

He took everything out of the container one by one.

A set of second-tier low-grade magic robes, ten bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, one high-grade spirit stone, one identity token, and one information jade slip.

He took the identity token, which was made of black iron and was quite heavy.

One side read "Guest Elder," while the other side showed his name and information. He played with it for a moment, then gently put it down.

Then he took the jade slip.

Completely absorbed.

The jade slip contained a lot of complicated information, and it took Chen Li more than ten minutes to remember the gist of it.

The information he received left him with mixed feelings of joy and worry.

The good news is that newly joined guest elders have a two-year grace period during which they can focus solely on cultivation and ignore everything else. The bad news is that after two years they will have to obey the sect's arrangements.

Corvée labor was only one of them.

In addition, there are the risks of clearing out territories, guarding major markets, and even war.

In this respect, the True Sect treats everyone equally, whether they are sect members who have just established their foundations or visiting guests. No one can escape this treatment; they are all treated the same.

Of course, the rewards for such tasks are exceptionally generous. The annual salary of fifty mid-grade spirit stones is just the basic wage, and the reward for completing a simple task is several times that amount.

"The world is a difficult place; even those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage cannot truly achieve freedom." Thinking of the countless Foundation Establishment cultivators who have died in the past few years—more than he could count on two hands—Chen Li couldn't help but sigh.
"Perhaps only upon reaching the Golden Core stage can one truly roam freely!"

"Sigh, time to sleep!"

He packed his things, got up, and left the quiet room.

(End of this chapter)