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

Chapter 81 The Whereabouts of the Master

When Chen Ye arrived at the Incense Burning Sect's headquarters, it was already dusk.

Even with a spirit beast to take them around, it still took most of the day to get here. This Hundred Seas Valley is just too big, unbelievably so.

This might be the work of immortals.

The storage bag is like a mustard seed in a vast expanse; if the entire Hundred Seas Valley is considered a large storage bag, then it makes sense.

Chen Ye usually likes to think about these kinds of random things, and he will think about the principles behind everything he sees.

Whether you can figure it out or not is another matter; the process of thinking about it is quite interesting.

Chen Ye dismounted from Black Whirlwind and walked towards the enormous archway carved from white jade. From afar, the archway was magnificent, its entire body as white as jade. Although there was smoke and incense swirling around it, the two characters "Burning Incense" in the center seemed to penetrate the haze and be clearly imprinted in Chen Ye's eyes.

This must be the effect of some kind of magic. Chen Ye could see the words "burning incense" when he was still in the sky.

This is perhaps the style of prestigious sects: to display their names openly and honestly so that everyone can see them clearly.

But Chen Ye didn't really like this kind of flamboyance. He preferred the hazy beauty of being in the mountain but not seeing it, which gave him a sense of being an immortal.

As he approached, Chen Ye arrived at a long staircase before even reaching the archway.

The hundreds of steps made the archway look like a heavenly gate, and Chen Ye was the mortal who looked up at the heavenly gate.

As Chen Ye stepped onto the steps, a figure appeared in the smoke-shrouded archway.

The man wore a dark blue robe embroidered with gleaming gold patterns, a pearl crown on his head, and a whisk that swirled with light and shadow as he stood at the highest point, looking down at Chen Ye.

Bathed in the hazy glow of fireworks, he appeared as if a celestial being had descended to earth.

Seeing the radiant light on Chen Ye's face, the man knew that he was just a junior cultivator who had just entered the Qi Sea Realm. So he casually said, "This is the territory of the Incense Burning Sect. We do not receive outsiders."

Chen Ye could hear the arrogance in his tone, and that familiar feeling returned; most of the sycophants he had met in his previous life were like that.

Chen Ye did not argue with him. Instead, he took out the jade pendant given to him by Su Chunyi from his storage bag, carefully hung it on his waist, and took off the sword box on his back. He pretended to check it and revealed the sharpness of the sword.

After this series of actions, the Fenxiang Sect disciples, who had just been holding their heads high, were now all smiles.

He hunched over and hurried down the stairs, a broad smile on his face, and said to Chen Ye, "So you're a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect! My apologies for my rudeness. May I ask if you're here as a visitor, or..."

This tone is completely different from before.

Chen Ye smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. I am not a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect, but I have some connections with the Qinghe Sword Sect. I am here because I have an appointment with Miss Mo Suixin of your sect. Please inform her that Chen Ye has come to visit."

Upon hearing Chen Ye's denial, the arrogant thoughts of this Burning Incense Sect disciple resurfaced, but upon learning that he had come to see Mo Suixin, he immediately suppressed his arrogance.

Mo Suixin is the chief of the Seven Star Hall. Regardless of his cultivation level, he is the highest-ranking person in the area.

If what Chen Ye said is true, then this is someone he absolutely cannot afford to offend.

With this in mind, the man's smile remained unchanged as he warmly invited Chen Ye inside.

After climbing the steps and entering the white jade archway shrouded in smoke, a huge incense burner comes into view.

This incense burner stands like a majestic small mountain beneath the archway. Its body is several meters wide, and its thick bronze walls are engraved with various animal patterns.

If you look closely, you can feel that the carved auspicious beasts are like living creatures, ready to leap out of the incense burner at any moment.

The smoke all around came from this huge incense burner, but Chen Ye didn't feel any choking from the smoke at all. On the contrary, he felt refreshed and didn't know what kind of incense was burning inside.

After bypassing the incense burner, Chen Ye continued on his way with the disciple of the Incense Burning Sect who was leading the way.

Along the way, flowers bloomed in abundance, and strangely shaped pines and rocks were scattered in a pleasing manner. Chen Ye was led to an elegant little building.

As soon as Chen Ye sat down, a crystal-clear teacup floated down from the shelf and landed steadily on the table next to him.

The cup was full of tea, and the temperature was just right.

Is this teacup some kind of magic weapon?

Chen Ye had witnessed what luxury truly meant. This teacup alone, if sold in the underground black market of Baihai Valley, would probably be worth several hundred Azure Pearls, almost comparable to the "top-grade" Dry Bone Cicada.

As expected of a celestial sect, their actions and manners are always meticulous.

Sipping tea, he teased the black whirlwind on his shoulder.

Black Whirlwind was clearly affected by the elegant and tranquil environment, and its lively energy subsided considerably.

It used to like to quack a few times, but now it stands quietly on Chen Ye's shoulder, its posture upright and its head straight, its pair of dark and bright eyes looking straight ahead.

Her reserved demeanor suggested she didn't want to embarrass Chen Ye.

Chen Ye found it amusing; this little crow was much smarter than he had expected.

Thanks to Black Whirlwind's warning, otherwise, if that strange snake had bitten me, I might have lost my life.

Chen Ye stroked Black Whirlwind's feathers and said to him, "When we get back, there will be plenty of pills." Upon hearing this, Black Whirlwind instantly perked up, excitedly spreading its wings and opening its previously tightly closed mouth.

Just as he was about to let out a loud cry, he swallowed it back and immediately resumed his previous reserved and elegant demeanor.

Chen Ye laughed and said, "Where did you learn all this?"

Just then, a voice came from beside me: "Like master, like pet. Pets naturally learn from their owners."

Chen Ye turned to look at the doorway and saw Mo Suixin standing there, giving him a slight smile.

The girl was just as composed as when they first met.

Back then, she seemed like a stone, but now that stone has perhaps warmed up a bit; at least you can see a slight curve at the corners of her mouth.

Chen Ye was about to bow in greeting, but Mo Suixin said instead, "Look, this crow is just like you. You weren't so polite when you were taking advantage of us, but now you're all reserved."

Chen Ye gave an awkward smile and then said, "If Miss Mo is still holding a grudge, then I can only offer you another drink as an apology."

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Mo Suixin couldn't help but recall the time they drank together, and felt her ears burning. She quickly changed the subject.

"Did you come to see me today to continue learning divination?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "That's one thing. Also, I was asked by a friend to inquire whether the Incense Burning Sect has any Vajra Powder for sale."

"Diamond Powder?" Mo Suixin recalled the screams she had heard that day and understood who Chen Ye was asking for the medicine for.

Mo Suixin said, "You've only just arrived at Baihai Valley, yet you're already asking for Vajra Powder for others. You should know how precious this item is. You've only known each other for a few days, how can you be so close?"

Chen Ye explained, "A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend, but even half a sentence is too much when talking to someone with whom you don't get along. The friendship between gentlemen is not judged by the length of time. Miss Mo, please don't misunderstand, I didn't come empty-handed, I just wanted to ask about the price so I can go back and make some preparations."

Mo Suixin nodded and said, "We do have Vajra Powder. There will be many precious pills up for auction at the gathering in a few days. However, I'm afraid this item is too expensive for ordinary rogue cultivators to afford."

"About how many are needed?"

"Given the prices in Hundred Seas Valley, it would cost at least 50,000 Azure Pearls to bid for it."

"fifty thousand?!"

Chen Ye was shocked by the price. He had spent half a day browsing the underground black market, and the most expensive magic item was only priced at eight thousand. The Vajra Powder, which was supposed to aid in body tempering, was priced at fifty thousand?
Mo Suixin explained, "This is just the lowest price. If someone bids, the price will be hard to say. Since ancient times, cultivation level has been the most important thing, and pills that can help people break through their cultivation level are naturally the most expensive."

Chen Ye secretly pondered that Mo Suixin's words were not unfounded.

No matter how powerful a magical artifact is, how exquisite a secret technique is, or how rare a spirit pet is, they are all just external possessions and cannot directly improve one's cultivation level.

Cultivators seek longevity; no matter how much material possessions they accumulate, they will eventually become someone else's when their lifespan ends.

The rare and precious materials that can aid in cultivation are actually longevity-promoting items, so their high price is quite reasonable.

Chen Ye had been thinking of getting one for himself if the price was right, but now it seems he can't afford it.

However, Chen Ye has not yet reached the point where he needs to use the Vajra Powder, so there is no need to worry about this gain or loss.

Having received Mo Suixin's reply, Chen Ye considered himself to have helped Fu Lu Shou and the others, and then asked about the matter he was concerned about.

“Miss Mo, I’ve come here today to ask you to do my divination.”

Mo Suixin's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she asked, "Do you want me to calculate your fortune again so you can take advantage of me again?"

"No, no, young lady, you've misunderstood. I'm really not that kind of person."

Mo Suixin looked completely disbelieving.

Chen Ye explained helplessly, "Previously, you calculated that I had lost a magic treasure, and even had Wei Changsheng test me. I just want you to help me find out where this magic treasure is."

Mo Suixin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and casually agreed.

"You're lucky; there's still one divination left to be performed today. However, one of the previous divinations has already come true, so this third one might not be accurate."

Chen Ye quickly said, "It's alright. The young lady said that if a diviner doesn't believe in divination, it's better not to have it done. Whatever result you get, I'll accept it."

"So you did remember what I said." Mo Suixin said, then raised her slender hand and began to perform divination by counting on her fingers.

After a short while, Mo Suixin showed a puzzled expression.

Chen Ye sensed something was wrong and quickly asked, "What did you divine, young lady?"

Mo Suixin shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I calculated that your treasure is in Hundred Seas Valley, but that doesn't seem to make sense. You lost your treasure before you came to Hundred Seas Valley, so how could this magic weapon be here?"

Chen Ye also found it unbelievable. It sounded like trying to find a sword by marking the boat, but could the sword really have gone with the boat?

However, Chen Ye still pressed on, "Did the young lady calculate where this magic weapon is located in Hundred Seas Valley?"

Mo Suixin said, "It's very close, not far... Wait, this location and distance seem to be at the Qinghe Sword Sect's base."

(End of this chapter)