CHAPTER 229: CHAPTER 190: 500 YEARS - SEAS CHANGE INTO MULBERRY FIELDS!

In Taiping Prefecture, a sudden appearance of a City God caused both shock and suspicion in all directions.

Some chose to observe cautiously.

Some sought to establish friendly relations.

Some were curious to investigate.

And there were those harboring sinister intentions.

Chen Jichuan ignored them all, focusing on both governance and cultivation.

In terms of governance,

Aside from relying on the Golden Flower Sect, he traveled through the Netherworld and the world of the living, searching for unjustly killed spirits of the past years, carefully selecting those he could make use of. He also scouted among frustrated, aged scholars and martial artists in the living world for talent.

Although it was difficult to find anyone truly exceptional in the short term,

Being the City God, Chen Jichuan had endless time at his disposal.

As for cultivation,

There were countless Daoist temples and shrines within the territory of Taiping Prefecture. Big and small, their foundations were all tied to the prefecture. With Chen Jichuan being the revered City God, who would dare not curry favor with him? A single word from him could bring these temples and sects to ruin, even eradicating them completely.

Faced with the occasional requests of the City God, how could they dare to refuse?

Thus,

heavenly materials and earthly treasures amassed like clouds, flying continuously into the City God Mansion.

Coupled with the City God’s blessing of fortune,

Chen Jichuan cultivated Qi Refinement, external skills, and Daoist skills simultaneously.

Without leaving his residence, his cultivation advanced rapidly.

Taking Qi Refinement, for example:

Back in the Qinling World, Chen Jichuan took five or six years to achieve Qi Refinement. Later, as a sword cultivator, it took twenty years to reach Qi Refinement Third Layer.

From the Third to the Fourth Layer, it took another seven to eight years.

Breaking through from the Fourth to the Fifth Layer took ten years.

Advancing from the Fifth to the Sixth Layer required twenty-five years.

From the Sixth Layer to the Seventh, it took sixty-five years.

In the Qinling World, over a span of 460 years, he cultivated for 230 years, eventually stopping at Qi Refinement Eighth Layer.

In this reincarnation,

with an abundance of treasures, the blessing of City God fortune, and the ability to invite experts from inside and outside Taiping Prefecture to engage in sparring and discussions,

his cultivation progressed at an astonishing pace.

It took him only a year to cultivate Qi Refinement.

Then, breaking through one layer each year, he reached Qi Refinement Third Layer in two years and then Qi Refinement Fourth Layer in another two years.

Advancing from the Fourth to the Fifth Layer took two years.

From the Fifth to the Sixth Layer took four years.

From the Sixth to the Seventh Layer required eight years, and from the Seventh to the Eighth took eleven years.

Altogether, in sixty years—three decades of cultivation—he reached the pinnacle of his previous life, reducing the time it took by seventy to eighty percent.

Sixty years, a single cycle of life and death.

To mortals, it might as well be a lifetime.

But to a deity, it was merely a fleeting moment. To the world itself, it was a flash that vanished almost instantly.

In this era, experts of external skills and Daoist arts were as numerous as oxen in a herd.

In Taiping Prefecture alone, there were many of them,

such as Ding Yangzi

and Yuan Chengzi,

both Ninth and Tenth Layer masters of the Night Travel skill in Daoist arts.

Chen Jichuan frequently interacted with them, discussing Dao, sparring in cultivation, and gaining great benefit each time.

He also collected and studied various texts, meticulously researching and drawing on their strengths.

The speed at which he improved his Daoist cultivation was no less than in his Qi Refinement.

By his fourteenth year, he reached the fifth layer of Night Travel, his peak in his previous life.

In the next forty-six years, he surpassed the Fifth Layer, reaching a new realm at the Sixth Layer of Night Travel.

His Daoist cultivation advanced considerably.

The same was true for his external skills cultivation.

He sought late-stage Core Formation and indestructible external skills experts of this era for sparring and exchange, while also collecting various martial arts manuals and techniques for in-depth study.

Sixty years passed.

He also broke through to the Seventh Layer of Core Formation, reaching the peak of his previous life. Progressing further to the Eighth Layer of Core Formation didn’t seem far off.

However,

his rapid advancement in the early stages was not just due to external advantages, but also because of Chen Jichuan’s past cultivation experience.

Yet once he reached the pinnacle achieved during his past life in the Qinling World, each additional step forward became arduous.

Thus, Chen Jichuan used this rare opportunity to focus on strengthening his cultivation techniques and magical skills.

"In the past, my cultivation progressed slowly."

"Even with ’Creation·Derivation,’ many techniques were difficult to enhance. Refined-level cultivation techniques and mid-level magical skills were still manageable, but at my current level, against cultivators of the same rank, refined-level techniques and mid-level magical skills only prevent me from falling behind—they’re far from giving me a crushing advantage."

"I urgently need to elevate the quality of my cultivation techniques and upgrade the level of my magical skills."

In this lifetime, the circumstances provided a rare chance for him to consolidate and enhance his techniques. Naturally, Chen Jichuan would not let it pass: "External skills and Daoist arts can continue to be cultivated. Qi Refinement, on the other hand, can be used to perfect and strengthen my techniques and magical skills."

Every sixty years marks a cycle.

Chen Jichuan endured arduous cultivation of external skills and Daoist arts, striving to make even greater progress. As for his Qi Refinement, each time he reached the pinnacle of his previous life, he completely utilized it to derive and perfect his techniques.

"Sword Map,"

"Five Forms Eight Techniques Fist,"

"Taiyin Refining Body Technique."

The first techniques to be enhanced were these three, all advancing to the side door level one after another.

According to Chen Jichuan’s knowledge,

in reality, even the top secret techniques of the sects atop Panlong Mountain were at most refined-level techniques, possibly only at the peak of the refined level.

For instance, the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

Its absolute technique, "Sword Map," was refined-level.

Similarly, the Lishui Water Mansion’s "Water Classics Commentary" was also refined-level, yet it was slightly inferior to "Sword Map."

To this day, there had been no rumors of any side door level techniques in Panlong Mountain.

After Chen Jichuan enhanced "Sword Map" to the side door level, at least in terms of the quality of cultivation techniques, he had surpassed the entire cultivation world of Panlong Mountain.

The higher the quality of the cultivation technique,

the more mana produced during cultivation in comparison to peers of the same rank, and the higher the quality of that mana.

In a confrontation,

this naturally translated into a greater chance of victory.

Let alone the fact that Chen Jichuan had advantages not just in techniques; he was also improving his magical skills.

"Wind Thunder Wings,"

"Concealing Technique,"

"Seven Elements Relieving Calamity Ruyi Tiangang Splitting Light Sword Technique."

These three magical skills served distinct purposes: the first, "Wind Thunder Wings," was invaluable for both pursuit and escape;

the second, "Concealing Technique," allowed him to hide;

and the third, the "Seven Elements Relieving Calamity Ruyi Tiangang Splitting Light Sword Technique," was a powerful offensive skill—his most potent attack at present. In combination with the side door level "Sword Map," its power was unmatched.

Crossing ranks in battle was effortless,

while against those of the same rank, he was peerless.

"Derivation!"

"Derivation!"

"Derivation!"

In a frenzy of enhancing techniques and magical skills, Chen Jichuan felt exhilarated and lost track of time.

One cycle of sixty years.

Two cycles of sixty years.

Three cycles of sixty years.

In the first cycle, Chen Jichuan enhanced "Sword Map."

In the second, he enhanced "Five Forms Eight Techniques Fist."

In the third, he enhanced "Taiyin Refining Body Technique."

In the fourth cycle...

In the fifth cycle...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, five hundred years had passed.

...

In the relentless passage of cultivation years, seas transformed into mulberry fields.

The mortal world had undergone countless changes.

Five hundred years ago,

when Chen Jichuan first arrived in this world, the Da Sui dynasty was already in decline. Thirty years after his arrival, it completely collapsed and became history.

Following over twenty years of chaos,

powerful factions rose,

and the world split into three kingdoms.

Eventually, Beirong swept through the north and south, uniting the realm.

The Da Rong dynasty was established and ruled for two hundred years.

But with the aging of the founding civil and military leaders and elite forces, decay became inevitable.

Gradually, unrest started to rise again.

War became more frequent.

Demons and spirits began to resurface and grow active once more.

Over more than two centuries,

Da Rong’s glory waned. The imperial authority barely extended beyond the royal city; each province and prefecture acted independently, effectively turning into feudal domains. All it awaited was a spark, one restless contender, and Da Rong would crumble, throwing the entire world back into warfare.

The cycle of dynastic change

is an age-old pattern.

Residing in Taiping Prefecture, Chen Jichuan had witnessed these five centuries of storms with equanimity, already accustomed to it.

The wealth and splendor, the imperial power of the mundane world,

were nothing more than fleeting illusions, transient and impossible to hold onto long-term.

Only through cultivation could one grasp eternity.

...

In Taiping Prefecture City, within Prince Chen’s Mansion,

lay the residence of the Da Rong dynasty’s "Side-by-Side King."

More than four centuries ago,

when Da Sui fell to ruin and Da Rong unified the realm,

in those four centuries,

particularly during the last two hundred years, Da Rong repeatedly teetered on the edge of collapse, narrowly surviving time and again. This was largely thanks to the general of Taiping Prefecture, Chen Jichuan, who repeatedly led troops to quell rebellions and save the monarch.

During the most tumultuous period,

Chen Jichuan, in just twenty years, rose from an assistant general in a single prefecture to becoming the Left Pillar Country, Grand Herald, and Great Marshal of the World’s Army for Da Rong.

A hundred and ninety-six years ago,

after quelling the Nanchuan rebellion and expanding the territory by five hundred li,

there was nothing left for Da Rong to reward him with.

After months of debates among civil and military officials, they conferred upon him the title of "Side-by-Side King," the first and only non-imperial king in Da Rong’s history.

From that moment on, the glory of Prince Chen reached its zenith.

At the time,

people feared that his towering accomplishments would threaten the monarch, becoming a great disaster.

Yet, over these two centuries,

the "Side-by-Side King" not only refrained from becoming overly ambitious but instead settled in Taiping Prefecture, akin to a pillar stabilizing the nation.

His prestige among the commoners far exceeded that of the Rong Emperor.

In the sprawling Taiping Prefecture,

the people only recognized Prince Chen and paid little heed to the Rong Emperor.

Sadly,

such a virtuous and heroic Prince Chen was not trusted by the Da Rong royal family, facing frequent targeting and suspicion. Ultimately, the royal family and Prince Chen grew estranged,

which led to the royal family falling into its current merely nominal existence.

The four regions remained chaotic.

Spirits ran rampant.

Only Taiping Prefecture enjoyed peace, untouched by demons and monsters.

As a result, refugees from the surrounding lands frequently migrated here, making Taiping Prefecture populous, its population tenfold greater than even the richest Central Plains prefectures.

The prefecture’s territory continued to expand year by year.

The Taiping Prefecture of today was several times larger than it was five hundred years ago.

On this particular day,

in Prince Chen’s Mansion,

"Hoo!"

Sitting cross-legged in meditation, Chen Jichuan once again achieved Qi Refinement Eighth Layer...