Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 67 It's really tough for us rogue cultivators.

Chen Ye patiently waited for the terrifying screams inside the cave to completely dissipate before stepping onto the warning array outside the cave entrance.

As his foot landed, the magic circle was instantly triggered, emitting a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Not long after, the three cultivators walked out of the cave side by side.

Lu Fusheng spotted Chen Ye at a glance, and a bright smile immediately bloomed on his face, his enthusiasm making it seem as if they had been close friends for many years.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you've already emerged from seclusion? I was thinking that you must have exhausted a lot of energy when you entered the valley, and you should have rested for a few more days."

As Lü Fusheng spoke enthusiastically, he gestured to Chen Ye, and the four of them found a place to sit down by the flowerbed outside the cave.

Chen Ye acted as if he knew nothing about what was happening inside the cave, and calmly drank tea and chatted with the three of them.

Lu Fusheng had nothing fancy to offer, just some simple stone chairs and tables, and the tea was just ordinary. Yet, Chen Ye felt a long-lost sense of comfort welling up inside him.

He hadn't had such a leisurely time in a long time.

He had tea with Su Chunyi before, and at first he was worried that he would say the wrong thing and have her chop off his head. Later, he was preoccupied with the affairs of Cui County and couldn't calm down.

Being able to sit around with a few friends and chat leisurely now feels like something from a past life.

Although they had only just met, all four of them were independent cultivators, and they quickly became familiar with each other when they talked about cultivation-related topics, just like old friends.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Ye formally met two other cultivators, Hou Lu and Chang Shou.

Chen Ye found the two names amusing.

"Longevity" and "prosperity" are both auspicious and beautiful meanings. When combined with Lü Fusheng's name, the three names together form "Fu Lu Shou" (福禄寿), which is quite a coincidence.

Chen Ye originally thought that the three of them meeting here was purely by chance, but he didn't expect Chang Shou to suddenly laugh self-deprecatingly and explain, "To be honest, I didn't originally have this name. But after getting to know this young brother Lü Fusheng, I saw that he had entered the Qi Sea Realm at such a young age, and I thought that he must be a person with great fortune, so I thought I would share in his good fortune, and that's why I changed my name."

Hearing this from the side, Hou Lu quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, that's right, you really shouldn't disbelieve it. After Brother Chang changed his name, his life went smoothly, and even his cultivation became much easier. Seeing this, I also changed my name. Now that the three of us are together, it's a perfect union of fortune, prosperity, and longevity."

Chen Ye found it novel and interesting, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is it really that amazing?"

The oldest among them, Changshou, was the most unrestrained. Tapping his teacup, he said, "Don't you believe me? For cultivators at the Qi Sea Realm, living to two hundred years old is the limit. Most of us ordinary rogue cultivators exhaust our lifespans and still can't fill our Qi Seas."

"I originally thought I would be the same, unable to break through before my lifespan ran out. But since I changed my name, my cultivation speed seems to have really accelerated. I am already 174 years old this year, and I even have the opportunity to try the Gang Sha Body Refinement."

Lu Fusheng retorted, "These are all far-fetched interpretations. If they really had such an effect, all the ascended predecessors should be named Fu Lu Shou (福禄寿)."

Hou Lu said, "You're just having good luck, and you won't admit it, afraid we'll be jealous? Brother Chang can say he's just comforting himself, that a better mood makes cultivation faster. What about me? I've had great luck since I changed my name!"
"The day after I changed my name, I discovered that a senior had reached the end of his lifespan and passed away in a cave. According to the rules of Hundred Seas Valley, he had no relatives or disciples, so I buried him and inherited his estate. Good heavens, it was worth a full two hundred Azure Pearls!"

Chen Ye's smile was somewhat awkward.

He heard from Lü Fusheng that renting a pill-refining furnace in Baihai Valley for a day required ten Azure Pearls, and pills refined using such a high-level pill-refining furnace often took more than half a year to refine.

The pills he casually gave away when he first entered the valley were worth far more than several hundred Azure Pearls.

The pills in his hand were merely everyday items carried by disciples of the Burning Incense Sect.

For them, having the opportunity to break through when their lifespan is about to end is considered extremely lucky; if they accidentally find the legacy of their predecessors, even a mere two hundred Azure Pearls are considered "great luck".

This is what is meant by a rogue cultivator.

They are not necessarily dumber or lazier than others, but simply because they lack elixirs and exquisite secret techniques, they can only waste their lives in vain in the long river of time.

It's no wonder that Lü Fusheng was so obsequious when he met the disciples of the Burning Incense Sect.

For independent cultivators, a single treasure casually bestowed as a reward by a disciple of a prestigious sect could change their fate, or even determine their life or death.

Chen Ye thought to himself that if he hadn't had so many fortuitous encounters along the way, he would probably still be toiling away every day, slaughtering pigs and cattle to refine blood pills, and constantly on edge, fearing that he might encounter a "righteous cultivator" like Wei Changsheng who would hurt people at the drop of a hat.

Among powerful sects, those who can cultivate to become immortals are one in ten thousand; and for independent cultivators, those who can live for more than two hundred years are extremely rare.

Just like the senior who passed away in meditation that Hou Lu encountered, he must have never broken through to the Qi Sea Realm in his entire life and exhausted his lifespan in the cave.

Chen Ye couldn't help but recall a poem he had read in his previous life: "Flying light, flying light, I urge you to drink a cup of wine."

I do not know the height of the blue sky or the thickness of the yellow earth.

Only the cold moon and warm sun come to fry people's life.

Thinking this, Chen Ye felt a mix of emotions.

Unable to laugh, he could only silently lower his head, take a sip of tea, and pretend to savor its bitterness.

The three, Fu Lu Shou, were oblivious to Chen Ye's presence and enthusiastically introduced the Hundred Seas Valley to him. Most independent cultivators were like them, finding a place in the valley to cultivate in seclusion, and having little interaction with others except for a few close friends.

However, every now and then, there would be a gathering in the valley where people would exchange ideas and trade for the cultivation techniques and rare treasures they needed.

Chang Shou explained, "Brother Chen, you've come at just the right time. There's a gathering coming up soon, and I've heard that all five major sects of the righteous path will send disciples to participate. If you're lucky, you might get a lot of good stuff."

Lu Fusheng said enviously, "Brother Chen doesn't need to join in the fun like we do. He already has a good relationship with the disciples of the Incense Burning Sect."

Lu Fusheng still remembered that when Chen Ye entered the sect, two disciples of the Incense Burning Sect greeted him warmly, but he was completely ignored. The difference was obvious at a glance.

"Really? The Incense Burning Sect?"

"That's really enviable."

……

Seeing the three of them looking like this, Chen Ye quickly explained, "Brother Lü, you misunderstand. My relationship with the Incense Burning Sect is actually not good. The two people who came that day were not friends, but came to cause me trouble."

Fu Lu Shou and the other two all smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

It's not uncommon for the Incense Burning Sect to cause trouble for independent cultivators, but I've never heard of them needing to put on a smiling face and feign politeness when they do.

Why should these arrogant disciples of major sects be so humble?

If the Incense Burning Sect were to release even a little information, Chen Ye would find it impossible to make any progress in Hundred Seas Valley.

Chen Ye was afraid that if Fu Lu Shou and the others misunderstood and tried to use this to curry favor with the Burning Incense Sect, he would be in real trouble.

Chen Ye had no choice but to emphasize, "The three of you really shouldn't misunderstand. My relationship with the Incense Burning Sect is indeed not good, and I'm afraid it might implicate you. I have a past conflict with Wei Changsheng of the Incense Burning Sect..."

Chen Ye explained his feud with Wei Changsheng in detail, which greatly shocked Fu Lu Shou and the other two.

I never expected such a convoluted story; this feud has certainly run deep. And I never imagined Wei Changsheng would be so unreasonable, killing without giving anyone a chance to explain. Does he really think the lives of rogue cultivators don't matter?

Chen Ye said helplessly, "Looking back now, I was a bit reckless at the time. I only thought that I had the Qinghe Sword Sect backing me up, so I offended Wei Changsheng. I just didn't expect him to chase me all the way to Baihai Valley."

Lu Fusheng said, "Brother Chen, what's wrong with you slaying demons and eliminating evil? The only mistake is that Wei Changsheng is arrogant and domineering. Can he still be considered a righteous disciple? He's not even as good as us rogue cultivators."

Hou Lu chimed in, "Over the years, the reputation of the Incense Burning Sect has indeed been getting worse and worse. I heard that they have stopped holding their once-every-ten-year Inquiry Ceremony. I wonder if they want to be seen as a heretical sect."

Chang Shou, being older, was not so radical. He simply stroked his beard and sighed, "How can the distinction between righteous, demonic, and unorthodox sects be so clear? Apart from the Qinghe Sword Sect, everyone seeks immortality, and immortality is indiscriminate in terms of good and evil. The righteous path has many rules, few disciples, and difficulty in passing on its traditions. We unorthodox cultivators are carefree, but we lack resources and our cultivation is difficult. There is no perfect solution in the world."

Chen Ye also felt a bit emotional; the path of cultivation was indeed difficult, especially for independent cultivators.

As the four of them were sighing and lamenting, Chen Ye suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"finally found you."

Chen Ye turned around and saw Mo Suixin standing behind him, looking at him with cold eyes.

I recommend a book to a friend, "The Tyrant's Godly Tycoon".

This is a pure love story with multiple female protagonists. The author said that it is a pure love story, but people under 18 are not allowed to read it.



(End of this chapter)