Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 246: Winning is a given, losing is frustrating

The autumn sun is shining brightly, and time never gets old.

Xu Yuanchang walked on the familiar bustling streets. In just one year, this city felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

He was like a stranger passing by, trying to blend into the trivial and mundane hustle and bustle.

There was a sense of detachment and alienation lingering around that affected his state of mind, making him vaguely feel rejected and distant. He understood that this was caused by his cultivation improving too quickly, and was also related to his cultivation being detached from the mundane world.

Being high and mighty is not a bad thing, but it is a little too early for him now.

Walking on the ancient tree-lined avenue on the slope of the Taoist palace, everything and everyone has changed. Meng Chang, the weapon refiner of the Sanchong Building, has gone to the capital, Song Zhiguan has been transferred south, and the lecture hall of Liuyuntai is overcrowded. People are coming and going everywhere, and it has lost its former tranquility and elegance.

I went to the academy again and saw that there were newly recruited boys and scholars everywhere, and there were no familiar faces.

After walking through the streets and alleys, we arrived at the Baijisi in the county town, which had become a vegetable market.

After asking the gatekeepers, Xu Yuanchang went straight to a vermilion courtyard in the middle and met Zhong Jin, who had just taken power.

Several other inspectors were all transferred to the capital to participate in training.

A cup of tea and a smile on our faces.

Xu Yuanchang, who had nothing to do, did not stay long. Zhong Jin was too busy. His subordinates came one after another to submit files and report various issues. Before finishing three rounds of tea, Xu Yuanchang found an excuse to leave early.

The storm is coming, and the clouds are moving in all directions.

In the evening, I went to Wangxian Tower for a banquet. I saw He Shutang, Yan Yuhan, and Yin Quan and Lan Ying'er, who had hurried back from Huanyun Mountain and Liushuang Gorge. There was naturally some fun and drinking and joking.

Qi Xingshan, the host, received a message in the middle of the meal and asked Yan Yuhan to leave in a hurry.

There were too many new recruits, of varying quality, and all kinds of problems and troubles arose.

He Shutang, who had already advanced to the third floor, waved his hand to set up a soundproof ban in the wing room, and asked in a low voice: "Brother Xu, can you tell me something for sure? Is the opening of the Dark Realm Gate this time an opportunity or a disaster? We are in a remote place, with no news, and we can't hear a single word of truth. I'm very uncertain."

Yin Quan and Lan Ying'er looked at their junior brother who was silent and pondering with a smile, and their hearts sank.

They had heard that Junior Brother Xu had climbed up the social ladder and joined the top sect in Daning, Dengxianguan, and had a distinguished status.

Xu Yuanchang raised his wine cup and said, "There is a saying that goes, 'If praying to the gods and worshipping Buddhas is useful, the common people won't even be able to squeeze into the temple gates.' The current situation is that the 'temple gates' are open, so everyone should improve yourselves as much as possible, whether it is strength or protection."

The three of them understood and felt even more depressed.

They had heard so many contradictory news that they finally got the definite answer.

Chief Xu Yuan gave the three some instructions, chatted with them about his experiences on the journey, and talked about the scenery of the Western Plains Holy Land. The welcoming banquet ended early, and the three had to rush back to their respective territories overnight.

If you are in your position, you must find your job.

Under the influence of this great trend, no cultivator can escape.

The next morning, Xu Yuanchang left the city alone without telling anyone.

Liu Xianfeng waited for the reply from Lao Shi and Zhao Jun, and learned that they were busy with important tasks and had no time to come. She was a little disappointed, and had a conversation with Xu Yuanchang who had returned. She decided to calm down and practice, refining the materials purchased from Xiyuan Market into golden camphor wood to enhance her magical powers and talents.

Everyone is busy, even if most of it is useless work, she can't waste her time.

The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is here in a blink of an eye.

Xu Yuanchang carefully examined Danwa's body and confirmed that he had no problems and was recovering well.

The egg baby no longer drools, and his eyes have the lively look of a normal teenager.

Xu Yuanchang confidently poured the remaining 10% of pure residual soul energy into the egg baby's brain, allowing the egg baby to slowly absorb and recover.

The full moon brought families together. After Xu Yuanchang had a sumptuous dinner at his eldest brother's house, he walked back to Bailin Valley on the moon.

Tomorrow he will set off north to complete the task entrusted by Elder Chang, and from then on he can live in seclusion in the countryside with peace of mind.

The whole Daning was in a state of inexplicable restlessness. Without a few fourth-floor masters in charge, it was no big deal for him to look for the descendants of the former Chang family. No one would bother him after having enough food.

These days, he did not enter the Jiuhuan Palace to face Wei Yu and the Shanzhui Ghost General who were suppressed there.

I found that my cultivation level was improving too quickly, which caused my state of mind to be flawed.

Xu Yuanchang was not in a hurry to use the Altar of Creation to absorb Wei Yu's divine power and feed back energy. It would be uncomfortable to eat too much, and it would be a waste. Anyway, Wei Yu was already meat on the chopping board and could not escape from his palm.

In the deep silence of the midnight, Xu Yuanchang, who was sitting cross-legged practicing martial arts, had long, intermittent breathing.

Inside the Fantasy Fairy Ring, there was a crystal stone in the corner that was faintly flashing with colorful light. The rabbit turned into an invisible creature and sneaked out, moving away from its nest and setting up some things on the ground.

After listening attentively for a moment, he confirmed once again that Xu had entered a state of meditation.

An invisible wave slowly descended from the sky, approaching the dark and gloomy altar of creation.

Seeing that it was only a few inches away from the platform, the inanimate God Platform of Creation suddenly glowed with light, and thunder was faintly heard. Before the rabbit could retract the trace of demon consciousness it was exploring, "whoosh", that trace of demon consciousness was lit up.

A bright light, as fast as lightning, followed the demon's consciousness and struck the invisible culprit in the air.

With a loud "crack", the third-order magic stone that the rabbit had placed on the ground suffered an unexpected disaster for him and turned into powder.

Li Dan jumped faster than a rabbit, and burrowed into his den, never daring to show his head again.

The ring space stirred up a series of interwoven light wave electric grids, which were extremely violent and swept across the entire space, knocking the Yingcai crystal stones everywhere.

"You are so cruel, old man Yanshan! I admit defeat!"

The rabbit was so angry that he gnashed his teeth, but he was helpless. He wanted to do some insignificant tricks on the surface of the Creation Altar to get more bargaining chips.

He still underestimated the tyranny of the God of Creation. It was like a mad dog, chasing him and biting him.

But he suffered from the disadvantage of not having a physical body, which made him very passive.

Xu Yuanchang was startled. Without opening his eyes, he probed into the ring space where Noisy was happening.

Ever since he made a minor advancement, his soul and consciousness have surpassed those of an ordinary late-stage third-floor cultivator. Occasionally, he would receive some unintentional advice from Rabbit, and he had tried many times by groping. A few days ago, he was able to separate a few wisps of consciousness and attach them to the surface of the Creation Altar, but he usually did not show off.

Finally, the rabbit couldn't help but make trouble.

The Altar of Creation soon became calm as his spiritual consciousness passed through it.

Only a faint light fluctuation about a foot in size remained in the middle.

That is the core area of ​​the Creation Altar, which is currently out of his control.

Xu Yuanchang retracted the two attached spiritual consciousnesses, silently checked for a moment, smiled and greeted hypocritically: "Fellow Daoist Li, what happened? Are you injured?"

The rabbit hid in its den and didn't show up, nor did he pay any attention to the hateful Taoist priest who asked questions even though he knew the answer and was laughing at him.

"Level 3 Magic Stones are rare. It's a pity that Brother Li used them to steal and do evil things. You should still use them with care. You should remember that treasures are hard to come by. Don't do mean things that will only make people laugh at you."

Xu Yuanchang used his eloquent tongue to rub the rabbit that was caught in the act to the ground, slapping it on the face again and again.

It really feels great.

He finally understood the tyranny of the Altar of Creation, and he used the clumsy method of attaching his spiritual consciousness to the surface of the altar, and no longer had to worry about the rabbit adding marks to the essence of the treasure he refined using the Altar of Creation.

"It's time to sleep, it's time to sleep. You don't sleep so late at night and disturb my sweet dreams." The rabbit shouted angrily while hiding in its nest.

A smile appeared on his lips. His loss of a rubbish phantom stone was worth it. Xu should finally believe the fact that he cannot touch the Altar of Creation. He should let down his guard and use the Altar of Creation to refine the purchased materials.

It is really tiring and exhausting to fight with the little Taoist priest who has a thousand minds.

Winning is what you deserve, losing is frustrating.

The next morning, Xu Yuanchang headed north, leaving Liu Xianfeng in Bailin Valley to practice in peace.

The next day, he leisurely arrived at Dengxian Temple in Pingyan County. After showing his elder card, he was received with great honors by having the gate of the mountain opened. Currently, there is no fourth-floor master in the sect. With his return, he is the one with the highest status in the sect.

The new temple master Zhou Ruchang led everyone out to greet Elder Xu, who had been specifically instructed by Patriarch Meng, and respectfully invited him to the mountain.

After burning incense and worshipping the Taoist ancestors and all the ancestors of Dengxian Temple, registering his name in the jade book, praying to heaven, and completing a series of complicated and necessary rituals, Xu Yuanchang officially became the distinguished elder of Dengxian Temple.

Bailin Valley will be registered under the name of Dengxian Temple and will be the place where Elder Xu will practice in seclusion.

Master Zhou also arranged a mountain with abundant spiritual energy for Elder Xu as his residence for practice and rest, and had disciples take care of the yard, fruit trees and other chores.

Xu Yuanchang stayed in Dengxian Temple for five days, familiarizing himself with the place and browsing through the collection of books and secret manuals, then said goodbye and continued his journey north.

It will be convenient to come over from Bailin Valley to read books in the future. Half a day will be enough.

The current Sitian Temple in the capital is managed by Elder Mei Yuanjian, assisted by two elders from the fourth floor.

This was Xu Yuanchang's first visit to Fengxian City. He toured the streets and alleys to see the capital's atmosphere and scenery. The next day, he found the Sitian Palace and after two reports, he met Elder Mei in the west side hall.

"Master Xu Yuan, Elder Xu, Brother Xu, haha, congratulations, you have come all the way from the Holy Land of Catching Monsters Mountain to come back from me, you must be here to collect a debt, come and sit down, there is no need for those empty formalities."

Mei Yuanjian's words were full of intimacy, and he deliberately changed the way he addressed people three times. He put down the red ink brush in his hand and walked out from behind the wide table.

He was more concerned about Xu Yuanchang, who was favored by Deputy Palace Master Meng, and had already known about Xu Yuanchang's recent situation.

Xu Yuanchang clasped his fists and said repeatedly: "Excuse me for interrupting you. Elder Mei has an important position and is busy with many things every day. I am ashamed that you still remember a small debt."

Mei Yuanjian laughed loudly, took out a small bag of treasures from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Yuanchang who was joining in the fun.

The two parties have equal status, and their interactions and conversations become more casual and friendly.

The fifty-two crystal marrow stones in the bag were the spoils of war that Xu Yuanchang got when he killed a fourth-level monk in the Wuqiu Mountain Area. A fourth-level monk is worth about one or two hundred crystal marrow stones, but the elixirs, materials, and magic weapons can only be discounted by 60%, and Meng Caiqin has to take 30%.

"You are returning to Daning to carry out important tasks. If you need the support of Sitian Palace, please let me know."

"Elder Mei, you are too polite. I will go to a few places and maybe I can help you."

Xu Yuanchang would not reveal that he actually came back to be lazy.

The two men sat down and talked for more than a quarter of an hour, being interrupted from time to time by monks who came to report.

Xu Yuanchang stood up and said goodbye, everyone was very busy.

He would have to stay in the capital for a few more days, waiting for the training monks' rest day to meet with Zhao Jun, Shi Wangchen, Bi He and others.

He had the token awarded by Elder Mei, and happened to be reading books in the library of Sitian Palace for a few days, looking for some information about Guzhu Mountain in Yuanyang County.

……

The sun is scorching in the Western Desert.

Zeng Shanlang ran among the vast sand dunes, raising a line of dust behind him.

He likes the harsh desert environment, which can stimulate the blood flow in his body and increase his efficiency by 30%, whether it is tempering his body or practicing martial arts.

The dark-skinned young man ran into the shadow of the sand dunes, and suddenly took out the magical bow and arrow that he had bought in the market of Jianshan Kingdom from his storage bag. He leaned sideways to the ground and squatted, and the bowstring made a "bang" sound.

A desert eagle circling overhead let out a startled cry and suddenly rose high, but it was unable to dodge the arrow that was as fast as a meteor.

The Desert Eagle was shot in the abdomen and continued to escape by flapping its wings.

The second arrow came in quick succession, hitting the neck of the first-level demon bird and shooting down the desert eagle with tenacious vitality.

"We have meat for tonight and tomorrow."

The young man put away his bow and arrow, a smile appearing on his face.

He took out a short blade and stepped forward, skillfully draining the blood of the dying desert eagle and collecting the fishy-smelling eagle blood in an empty leather pot. He quickly gutted the desert eagle, cut off its sharp claws, peeled off the clean pieces of meat, wrapped them in coarse cloth, and put them into a storage bag.

There were eight physical training apprentices in total. They were dragged into the desert the day before yesterday and separated to undergo survival training.

Each person had only one pot of water, one day's worth of dry food and enough salt for seven days.

Zeng Shanlang lived the most comfortable life. He had collected enough clean water for three days, and collected various plant roots, sand scorpions and other food along the way. He was able to use a trick to hunt a monster bird, increase the meat to improve his life, and survive a few more days.

I heard from the senior team leader that the longer you persist, the better.

Even the smelly internal organs of the desert eagle were retained and used as bait to set traps when it rested at night.

Not daring to waste too much time, the boy wiped his hands with sand and quickly hurried to the next place.

In the distance, there was a figure that seemed to blend into the sky, taking in the entire scene.

"A natural born hunter, worth training!"

……

Tianzhen Mountain.

Meng Caiqin and Xue Chunni had a dispute because of their different opinions on the calculation of the array problem, and neither of them gave in.

Xue Chunni took out the communication talisman and said, "I'm betting a hundred spirit coins, Qin Cai. You will lose miserably. Let me ask Xu Yuanchang. It's not too late for you to admit defeat now. I'll give you one last chance."

Meng Caiqin sneered: "You won't turn back until you hit the wall. Send a message. I will definitely win the 100 spirit coins."

Xue Chunni silently chanted the communication talisman for a while, then raised his hand and sent the message into the air.

"You lose."

"You are the one who lost."

……

Xu Yuanchang had already met Zhao Jun, Shi Wangchen and others who were on leave, and set off to fly to Yuanyang County in the southeast.

A talisman flashed in the air and he reached out to catch it. After a quick check, he found that it was sent by Senior Brother Wu Zhe who was far away in Xiyuan Monster Mountain, asking him to go to Wuqiu Mountain to help kill a Monster Mountain rebel named "Fu Chun".

He is a third-rank beastmaster.

Currently hiding in the Dayu Mountain area.

……

(End of this chapter)