Chapter 131: The Way of the Sword Cultivator and Thunder Magic

Lu Weier, who was standing to the side, widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing this.

Originally, she had been rather pleased that she was the first to catch a white-jade-spotted fish, easily earning herself one hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. But now, upon hearing that the white-jade-spotted fish caught by Qian Xiaoyue was directly bidden at eight thousand low-grade spirit stones, she felt a wave of speechless shock deep within her heart.

Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Even after toiling in the Six Directions Pavilion for ten years, including all her side earnings, she wouldn't even make half of this sum.

Yet, Qian Xiaoyue had earned this simply by going fishing once?

Given such sheer fortune, it was hard for her not to feel a surge of jealousy. Forcing a smile, she said insincerely, "Xiaoyue, I truly congratulate you."

At this moment, the faces of the others showed a deep shade of envy.

Qian Xiaoyue, however, remained silent. Instead, she cast a helpless, inquiring look toward Zhou Changwang.

In truth, Zhou Changwang was not entirely certain of the specific value of this spirit fish either.

However, eight thousand low-grade spirit stones were definitely not enough.

Because when he had hoisted it up, he could already feel the weight of this spirit fish, which reached a staggering thirteen catties—far exceeding the one caught by Old Man Peng thirty years ago.

Back then, the other party had sold theirs for eight thousand eight hundred low-grade spirit stones. Naturally, this one was worth far more.

"Xiaoyue, this spirit fish is worth a small fortune.

Especially its grade; it has reached the intermediate tier.

An intermediate-tier white-jade-spotted fish is extremely rare and in high demand. Thirty years ago, Bai Yufeng, having consumed too many elixirs and accumulated severe medicinal toxins, had been stuck at the eighth layer of Qi Refining for a full five years. It was precisely because he consumed a first-grade intermediate white-jade-spotted fish that his physique was purified, expelling most of the medicinal toxins. Combined with the fish's natural property of loosening bottlenecks, Bai Yufeng was able to make a breakthrough in one go to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Within ten years, he successfully completed his Foundation Establishment, becoming a true Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Right at this moment, Shen Xinyue spoke up, directly pointing out the utility and actual value of this spirit fish. After a brief pause, she continued, "Xiaoyue, if you sell this spirit fish here, you certainly won't get its true worth.

If you trust me, you might as well keep it in your hands for now. Once we arrive at the Divine Wind Valley Market, I will help you find a buyer.

I guarantee the price will not be lower than ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. How does that sound?"

"Sister Shen, of course I trust you.

I'll do as you say!"

Qian Xiaoyue quickly nodded in rapid succession.

Hearing this, Shen Xinyue affectionately stroked her head, and then glanced at Captain Ge Yuanshan, saying, "Captain Ge, I imagine you were merely collecting this spirit fish on behalf of others.

However, the Fenghua Pier Market is currently embroiled in chaos. While this spirit fish is fine, there is no guarantee it can fetch a high price there.

Of course, if Fellow Daoist is willing to bid ten thousand low-grade spirit stones... although Xiaoyue is like a younger sister to me, it is not my place to say too much. Whether to sell it or not is entirely up to her to decide."

"Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones is indeed a price I cannot offer."

Hearing this, Ge Yuanshan gave a dry laugh and replied.

Indeed, his usual acquisition of spirit fishes was merely to resell them to other fish merchants. With the market in such chaos now and the situation entirely unpredictable, he naturally dared not take such a risk.

Moreover, he could tell that Shen Xinyue's action was clearly intended to 'protect the price' for Qian Xiaoyue.

After weighing the pros and cons, he naturally had no choice but to back down.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, can we discuss the price of your spirit fish now?

To tell you the truth, I have been stuck at this realm for quite some time.

This white-jade-spotted fish is precisely what I need. I won't strive for the intermediate-grade spirit fish worth ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, but I still hope Fellow Daoist Zhou can sell your spirit fish to me. What do you say?"

At that moment, Renren Xiu looked toward Zhou Changwang and spoke.

"Naturally, you can.

As for the price..."

Zhou Changwang first handed the spirit fish—already affixed with a sealing talisman—over to Qian Xiaoyue, and then looked at Renren Xiu, signaling him to make an offer.

"Three hundred low-grade spirit stones per catty?"

Renren Xiu tentatively proposed.

"Very well!"

Zhou Changwang nodded almost immediately.

This was essentially a windfall, and the price roughly matched what Captain Ge Yuanshan had mentioned earlier, so he was not particularly greedy.

Upon final weighing, the white-jade-spotted fish in his possession tipped the scales at just a little over five catties. Zhou Changwang waived the fraction, and promptly netted one thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones.

"With this, the total number of spirit stones in my possession has reached eleven thousand five hundred.

I certainly didn't expect that this trip out would cause the number of spirit stones I hold to increase rather than decrease, rivaling my earnings of over a month prior."

A smile could not help but form on Zhou Changwang's face.

Such a net worth was substantially more affluent than many cultivators at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

...

During a fishing trip, some rejoiced while others sorrowed.

Over the next two consecutive hours, although someone occasionally caught a spirit fish, precious spirit fishes on par with the white-jade-spotted fish never bit again.

Until the first light of dawn broke, the fishing boat set sail once more.

A day later.

The fishing boat docked.

"Head up from here and walk straight ahead, and you will reach the Divine Wind Valley Market."

Once docked, Ge Yuanshan spoke up.

"Thank you, Captain Ge, for looking after us along the way."

Shen Xinyue also cupped her fists in salute.

"You're too kind!"

Ge Yuanshan cupped his fists in return, then immediately turned the boat around and headed back.

"We finally left Jade Lake.

Jade Lake is truly vast, and its danger level is genuinely not low. If Captain Ge hadn't been so experienced and proactively detoured to avoid several dangerous waters, it would have been truly difficult to escape smoothly."

A cultivator from the Water Cloud Pavilion named Lu Yun could not help sighing with emotion.

The people around him nodded in agreement.

All of this was because, as they were passing through a certain expanse of water, they happened to see someone boating across a distant area of the lake.

That person must have been a true hardcore angler: alone on a single boat, daring to seek out fishing spots all around Jade Lake and cast his line.

As a result, their entire group witnessed firsthand how a massive fish monster, easily three zhang in length, bit the boat in two with a single snap, and then, with a mere slap of its tail, killed the angler in the water before swallowing him whole.

The entire process was swift and rapid.

By the time they saw it clearly, nothing remained in place except for a massive expanse of ripples and the wreckage of the small boat.

Through Captain Ge's introduction, they learned that it was a species of fish monster known as the Long-Bearded Black-Horned Fish. Growing to such a massive size, it should have already reached the high first-grade tier.

Such fish monsters posed an extremely high threat level within Jade Lake, and cultivators of the same realm were simply no match for them.

Fortunately, their fishing boat was relatively far from the fish monster, and thanks to Ge Yuanshan steering the helm away in time, they were spared from a battle.

Moreover, according to Ge Yuanshan, fish monsters of this caliber were by no means rare throughout Jade Lake, numbering at least several dozen, if not a hundred, though most lingered near the center of the lake.

In particular, at the Beacon Fire Island in the very center of the lake, there truly were Foundation Establishment-level great monsters entrenched.

Ordinary fishing boats simply did not dare approach and had to take detours instead.

"Alright, the journey ahead will be relatively much safer.

Mostly ordinary mountain forests, and even if we occasionally encounter a few ferocious beasts, they won't pose much of a threat.

Therefore, those who possess spiritual beasts may release them now to save some legwork."

Shortly after, Li Qianyun, the proprietorship of the Water Cloud Pavilion, spoke out.

As she spoke, she gave her spirit beast pouch a tap, and soon, a fire-cloud horse standing fully five feet tall was summoned by her.

This fire-cloud horse was a low-tier spirit beast, but it possessed good stamina, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. If further aided by spells such as the lightness technique, it could even cover three thousand miles in a day, making it exceptionally well-suited for travel.

Of course, not all cultivators possessed spirit beasts, and the majority ultimately had to rely on their own two feet.

Zhou Changwang pondered for a moment before also tapping his spirit insect pouch.

Awooo~!

Then, an excited howl rang out.

Immediately afterward, a spirit hound roughly half a person's height leaped out nimbly.

It was none other than 'Little Heizi', the spirit hound raised by Zhou Changwang. By now, it had essentially grown to full size and completely advanced into the early first-grade tier, brimming with strength.

Following that, it began to whine and whimper in low growls, seeming to pour out its grievances.

It indeed had some grievances to speak of.

Because Zhou Changwang only had a total of three spirit insect pouches—one holding the hundred-year-old red-leaf spirit tea tree, and another housing the Golden-Armored King Cicadas.

In the end, it had no choice but to be squeezed together with that swarm of golden-armored spirit bees.

Although under Zhou Changwang's control, both sides could manage to live in peace, the spirit hound was naturally playful and active, while the golden-armored spirit bees were unaccustomed to cramped spaces, making occasional bumps and friction inevitable.

As for the spirit hound, those golden-armored spirit bees certainly wouldn't hold back; if provoked, they really would sting it, yet it dared not retaliate. Surrounded by a swarm of bees, it had endured a truly terrifying period.

Thus, the past few days had indeed been excruciatingly tormenting for it.

Zhou Changwang naturally understood the situation. With a soft chuckle, he casually cast a soothing spell upon it, and the spirit hound instantly quieted down.

Meanwhile, the others had also summoned their respective spirit beasts one after another.

Of course, among those present, only one or two actually mastered taming techniques. Most were ordinary cultivators; the reason they possessed spirit beasts and spirit beast pouches was simply because they had purchased beast-taming plaques in advance, allowing them to control spirit beasts for travel through the plaques.

The spirit beasts controlled by beast-taming plaques were mostly primary-tier spirit beasts: fire-cloud horses, black-hoofed flowered donkeys, single-horned savage oxen... Within the Water Cloud Pavilion, Shen Xinyue had already made arrangements.

Even Qian Xiaoyue was currently riding atop a fire-cloud horse, though naturally sharing the mount with a female disciple of the Water Cloud Pavilion.

As for Gong Baixue, Zhao Gongpeng, and Renren Xiu, they were all scions of immortal cultivation families and lacked no shortage of spirit beasts. Almost every one of them possessed a white-jade spirit colt, a higher-quality spirit beast. Though still of the primary tier, their speed was vastly superior to that of the fire-cloud horses.

On the scene, conversely, only Lu Weier and Fang Shitong were left without spirit beasts to ride.

In the end, Gong Baixue signaled 'Mother Rong' to lend a single-horned savage ox for the two of them to share... It was worth mentioning that along the way, their relationship had grown increasingly intimate, giving off a strong mutual romantic vibe.

Therefore, facing the request to share a mount, although their faces flushed red, both accepted it in silence.

With that, the group finally set off once more.

Zhou Changwang also seated himself atop his spirit hound.

Although the spirit hound was relatively small in stature, presenting certain inconveniences, it was, after all, a class of spirit beast that had reached the early first-grade tier, possessing tremendous strength and decent speed. Zhou Changwang placed a woven mat on its back and sat cross-legged, finding it surprisingly stable.

After instructing the spirit hound to follow closely along, Zhou Changwang finally had the mental bandwidth to focus on his own cultivation.

Throughout the journey, he had either been traveling or staying aboard the boat, leaving him with very little time for cultivation.

Now, with the spirit hound acting as his mount, he could finally free up his hands.

First was the *Taiyi Golden Armor Technique*. In truth, he was already very close to mastering the basics of this spell during his previous practice sessions.

Especially after a full day's voyage on the fishing boat, he had pondered over this spell endlessly.

Right now, he was merely a hair's breadth away from a breakthrough.

However, after a moment of thought.

In the end, he decided not to 'kick' that final door open.

After all, it wasn't particularly convenient.

In front of numerous cultivators, he did not wish to casually display his spellcasting prowess.

The *Taiyi Golden Armor Technique* was, after all, a high-tier spell. Even at the entry level, the spiritual energy fluctuation it emitted would not be insignificant.

He was currently projecting his cultivation as merely the 'fourth layer of Qi Refining'; directly casting a high-tier spell would undoubtedly shock those around him.

Thus, Zhou Changwang promptly retrieved another jade slip from his storage bag.

"The *Earth Prison Technique*.

This Earth Prison Technique is an intermediate-tier earth-attribute spell consisting of fifty-two rune structures. Once aimed at a target, it can summon an earthen prison to trap the opponent in place.

It truly is a decent auxiliary spell."

Examining the introduction of this spell, Zhou Changwang felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Earlier, he had witnessed the power of Fang Shitong's divine-immobilizing tower artifact, which could directly freeze an enemy's mind and leave them in a state of stagnation for a short period.

It was precisely because of this artifact that he had been able to utilize the Five Elements Thunder-Transforming sealing talisman to strike the seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivator Song Xianchao in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, while he could have similarly resolved the opponent swiftly, it would undoubtedly have involved a few more twists and turns.

To a certain extent, this Earth Prison Technique shared the same binding and trapping functions as the 'divine-immobilizing tower', making it precisely the kind of spellcasting method he needed for combat.

This spell contained only fifty-two rune structures, nineteen of which he had already thoroughly mastered. Therefore, he only needed to learn and master the remaining thirty-three, making the difficulty considerably lower than that of the *Taiyi Golden Armor Technique*.

Zhou Changwang quickly immersed his mind, continually familiarizing himself with the rune structures within.

Half an hour later, he began his formal attempts.

Once, twice, thrice...

Failure! Failure! Failure!

Zhou Changwang's mind remained calm and undisturbed; he had long since grown accustomed to this.

On the other side, the spirit hound beneath him faithfully followed closely behind Shen Xinyue and the others, walking and stopping by turns, appearing utterly well-behaved and showing no signs of falling behind.

In reality, among those riding spirit beasts, quite a few mirrored him by sinking their minds into a calm, meditative state of cultivation.

Any cultivator of the immortal arts who wished to achieve something substantial could not do without diligent study and bitter practice.

No one's cultivation level was achieved overnight; it all required bit-by-bit cultivation and step-by-step advancement.

Only ordinary low-grade cultivators—forced by circumstance to spend a vast amount of time doing manual labor to earn spirit stones for survival—or those with extremely low aptitude who had given up on themselves would maintain their cultivation at a relatively low level year after year.

For instance, Old Xu (Xu Fugui), who lived right next to the spirit fields Zhou Changwang cultivated in the early days, was well along in years, yet his cultivation was merely at the third layer of Qi Refining. This was because he had long since given up on his pursuit of the Dao; even when he occasionally practiced, it was merely to maintain his current realm and prevent his cultivation from regressing.

He had long since pinned all his hopes of cultivation upon his descendants and posterity.

Within the group, everyone was essentially rather 'ambitious', and naturally lacked no diligence. Only a few cultivators assigned to scouting duties remained constantly vigilant of their surroundings, guarding against any potential dangers.

One hour, two hours, three hours passed.

"I have already thoroughly familiarized myself with the Earth Prison Technique and completely mastered its rune structures. I am just a hair's breadth away from officially entering the threshold."

Zhou Changwang let out a soft breath, his heart stirring slightly with excitement.

However.

Just as before, he did not officially cross the threshold into mastering the spell, but instead pulled out yet another jade slip.

This time, it was the *Gravity Technique*.

Like the Earth Prison Technique, the Gravity Technique was an intermediate-tier earth-attribute spell, though it naturally featured a much greater number of rune structures.

Sixty-three in total.

The number of structures he had already proficiently mastered was twenty-two.

Then, employing the exact same routine.

He once again embarked on the process of familiarization and practice.

Time flowed on.

Four hours later.

Zhou Changwang opened his eyes once more.

"The Gravity Technique is also on the verge of being mastered."

With a silent sigh of emotion, he immediately drew forth a third jade slip.

This time, it was a sword cultivator's method: the *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique*.

"The *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique* is not a spell.

Rather, it is a method of driving and commanding flying swords—a true sword cultivator's art.

The primary prerequisite for practicing it is the ability to simultaneously drive three magical artifact flying swords.

Only by being able to simultaneously command three flying swords does one truly possess the possibility of learning this 'sword technique'."

After a long while, Zhou Changwang finally withdrew his mind from the jade slip. Amidst his internal musings, with a flick of his hand, three flying swords materialized in his grasp.

These three flying swords consisted of the intermediate-grade magical artifact sword he usually used, an early lower-grade flying sword he had replaced long ago, and finally, a third sword that was also part of his spoils of war, likewise a lower-grade magical artifact flying sword.

What he needed to do first was to refine all three magical artifact flying swords simultaneously and achieve the ability to command them concurrently before he could formally begin practicing the *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique*.

This was by no means simple.

Refining three magical artifact flying swords was not difficult.

The real challenge lay in controlling all three flying swords simultaneously and utilizing them to slay enemies.

Fortunately, Zhou Changwang's spiritual consciousness was quite formidable, and coupled with the fact that he had long since cultivated the Sword Control Technique to the realm of perfection, his handling and utilization of flying swords could hardly be described as merely proficient—it was entirely second nature.

The three flying swords were quickly refined and brought under his control.

Following that, he focused his spiritual consciousness on commanding the three flying swords one by one.

Once, twice, thrice...

Merely keeping the three flying swords hovering simultaneously around him was no easy task.

Even with his perfection-tier Sword Control Technique, he felt somewhat overmatched.

However, the cultivation of any spell or secret technique was never achieved overnight. Lacking neither patience nor sufficient confidence, he persisted in his attempts over and over again.

He only paused briefly after his spiritual consciousness was entirely exhausted.

Such cultivation practice indeed exerted an immense drain on his spiritual consciousness.

Yet Zhou Changwang relished it tirelessly.

Instinctively, he could perceive the extraordinary nature of this *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique*.

"The *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique* is a sword cultivator's art, and as is universally known, sword cultivation is recognized as one of the supreme arts within the immortal cultivation world.

Only thunder spells can rival it in comparison.

While I do master thunder spells, they are ultimately somewhat monotonous.

If I were to add a sword cultivator's method to the mix..."

Zhou Changwang felt a wave of anticipation in his heart.

Walking on two legs was naturally better than relying on a single one. If he happened to encounter an opponent who was unfazed by thunder spells, wouldn't he be left completely helpless?

Of course, the most crucial reason of all was simply that he possessed the attribute panel.

The problem of biting off more than one could chew simply did not exist in his case.

"Did it work?"

Finally, after thousands of attempts, Zhou Changwang successfully hovered all three flying swords in front of him at the exact same time.

Yet the next step was even more arduous.

It required him to control the three flying swords to rotate, pierce, and intertwine according to a specific, intricate pattern... which was exceedingly complex.

After all, he was still out in the wild, so it wasn't the most appropriate setting to unleash his swords and practice the *Minor Three Talents Sword Technique*.

Therefore, he quickly put the three flying swords away.

Then, for the fourth time, he produced a jade slip.

This time, what he retrieved was an ancient slip.

Ah, the contents within were even more extraordinary, titled the *Underworld Communication Talisman Method*.

This Underworld Communication Talisman Method was a genuine technique for drawing summoning talismans, creating a connection to the nether regions to 'summon' various netherworld entities to fight on one's behalf.

Naturally, the difficulty of crafting such talismans was immense.

Even the simplest and lowest-grade talisman among them, the Hairy Zombie Talisman, was a first-grade intermediate talisman.

Above that were the Slanted Face Ghost Talisman and the Mountain-Driving Ghost Talisman, both of which were first-grade high talismans.

After roughly sorting out the general principles of the *Underworld Communication Talisman Method*, Zhou Changwang finally cast his gaze upon the corresponding talismans.

Naturally, he would start with the Hairy Zombie Talisman...

Just like that, several days passed.

For the most part, Zhou Changwang remained immersed in cultivation.

One by one, spells and talisman-crafting methods were thoroughly mastered by him.

He even found time to study the Golden Light Breaking Oath Technique, familiarize himself with the main alchemical recipes, and peruse the *Directory of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures*.

In short, Zhou Changwang was exceedingly busy.

Only during occasional moments of rest would he slightly relax.

"In another half day's time, we will arrive at the Divine Wind Valley Market, and cultivators will gradually start appearing in the surrounding areas.

Therefore, everyone, remain vigilant."

Up ahead, Shen Xinyue issued a low warning to remind them.

Every cultivator felt their heart tighten, not daring to be negligent.

Undoubtedly, the wild was fraught with peril.

Yet the most dangerous element was not the ferocious beasts.

It was human beings.

It was fine while their group remained clustered together, as ordinary cultivators would not dare to provoke them lightly.

After all, among their group alone, there were five or six high-tier cultivators at or above the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

However, if someone fell behind and became isolated without sufficient vigilance, it would spell extreme danger.

According to statistics compiled by attentive individuals, among those taking risks in the wild, the number of cultivators who died at the hands of ferocious beasts was far fewer than those who perished at the hands of fellow human cultivators.

Out of every ten victims, at least six to seven died at the hands of other cultivators.

Only three parts out of ten perished at the claws of beasts.

"Indeed, the closer we get to the market, the richer the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth becomes."

Zhou Changwang also distinctly sensed that the surrounding spiritual energy had grown considerably denser, and in the distance, he even caught sight of a massive valley.

It seemed to tower at the apex of heaven and earth, capped by a massive mountain whose peak appeared to have been sheared flat by some mighty cultivator.

Atop the summit of that mountain lay a continuous expanse of architecture.

That was precisely the location of the Divine Wind Valley Market.