Chapter 126: Chapter 120, Tao Te Ching Da Luo Edition【Third update, please subscribe】_1
The Dragon Girl was stunned. Sha Chen was actually using the True Dragon Body Forging Technique to cultivate his physique, and his body was covered with dragon scales. He had actually cultivated the body of a true dragon. It was incredible, terrifyingly so.
The Dragon Girl said in astonishment, "How is this possible? Could it be that you are also of my Dragon Clan?"
Sha Chen replied, "No. By a stroke of luck, I obtained some dragon blood, then acquired the Cultivation Technique, and I’ve been cultivating ever since."
The Dragon Girl was dumbfounded and utterly shocked. In confusion, she asked, "You are not yet of high standing; how could such fortune fall into your lap?"
Sha Chen smiled. "As the saying goes, heaven looks after those who work hard. I’ve been cultivating so diligently that even heaven couldn’t stand by without helping, so fortune naturally came knocking."
The Dragon Girl was half-convinced. She then knelt on the ground and kowtowed. "General, could you pass on the True Dragon Body Forging Technique to me? This is a technique of my Dragon Clan, and it has disappeared."
Sha Chen smiled. "Sure. Since I’ve already passed it on to Ao Lie, I don’t mind one more."
The Dragon Girl was overjoyed, her breathing growing heavier. If she could learn this technique, her strength would increase by more than a hundredfold, and her future would be limitless. Most importantly, if she could bring this technique back, her clan might not force her to marry Wu Qu Xing, and she would be free.
Sha Chen seemed to read her thoughts. "This technique will only be passed on to you, no one else."
The Dragon Girl quickly asked, "Why?"
"I don’t want the Dragon Clan coming after me," Sha Chen replied.
The Dragon Girl was taken aback but understood Sha Chen’s concerns. An outsider possessing a lost technique of the Dragon Clan was indeed a problem.
She then said worriedly, "But if my Dragon Clan were to cultivate this technique, it would surely elevate the entire clan’s strength to another level."
Sha Chen said, "I’ve already agreed with Ao Lie that once he comes out of the abyss, he can pass down the technique, but it must be in his name."
The Dragon Girl was ecstatic. This was equally good. She then said, "General, you could have just honestly told my Dragon Clan elders. The technique is yours; they can’t do anything to you. They would even revere you as a benefactor."
Sha Chen shook his head. "I don’t want to."
"Why is that?" the Dragon Girl asked.
"I don’t want others disturbing me, whether it’s well-meaning or malicious. I don’t want any of it. Just pretend I’m dead," Sha Chen answered.
At that moment, when the Dragon Girl looked at Sha Chen again, she revered him as if he were divine, her respect immense. Such high moral integrity, a man indifferent to fame and fortune—it was as if he were a Saint of the world. Though he did not have a Saint’s strength, he had the demeanor and detachment of one. The Dragon Girl felt deep admiration and, for the first time, felt genuine respect and esteem for Sha Chen. She also dared not offend him again. She even silently reprimanded herself for having misunderstood Sha Chen.
I previously thought he was a man who only cared for profit, disregarding the life and death of others, only acknowledging wealth. It was truly a sin.
Just as she was ready to accept the Cultivation Technique Sha Chen was about to impart, he suddenly said, "By the way, this technique is the result of my fortune. I presume you wouldn’t accept it for nothing; after all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?"
The Dragon Girl was startled; that was true. But since Sha Chen was willing to pass it to her, she would still accept it.
Sha Chen then said, "Since you don’t want a reward without work, I will reluctantly accept your willingness to pay for it. What resources are you willing to offer for this Cultivation Technique? It is a priceless treasure lost by your Dragon Clan, so the price cannot be low."
The Dragon Girl was dumbfounded. That was true. The True Dragon Body Forging Technique was incredibly precious. Even if she sold the entire Dragon Palace, she couldn’t afford it. But how could she possibly afford it?
Seeing her dilemma, Sha Chen said, "Let’s do this: you can give me an IOU. Once you have learned it and can safely return, you can repay the debt."
The Dragon Girl, conflicted, asked, "How much should I owe then?"
Sha Chen said tentatively, "A thousand stalks of First-class Immortal Elixir? Don’t give me that look; it’s negotiable. Please haggle."
The Dragon Girl replied, "The entire Dragon Palace might not be able to produce a thousand stalks, and what I can get is even less."
"You can pay in installments," Sha Chen suggested. "You can collect resources for me after you leave. With your increased strength, it won’t take long to gather enough."
The Dragon Girl fell silent.
"Enough, enough," Sha Chen said. "Eight hundred stalks... five hundred stalks! I can’t go any lower."
Actually, it could be less, he thought. But demeanor is key—haggle a little, don’t just outright refuse! That’s what Sha Chen was inwardly hoping for.
After a moment of silence, the Dragon Girl said, "Alright, then a thousand stalks it is. Agreed. Once I grow stronger and go out to gather resources, I will repay you slowly."
Sha Chen was stunned. Is this girl really raising the price? I had already halved the asking price, tearfully willing to earn five hundred stalks of First-class Immortal Elixir from her!
Yet the Dragon Girl said, "I will not allow the True Dragon Body Forging Technique to be sold cheaply; it is a precious treasure of my Dragon Clan."
Tears of gratitude fell from Sha Chen’s eyes as he clapped his hands in an oath. "Impressive spirit! I too cannot bear to see it sold cheaply. Princess, you know its value."
Next time, bring a few more such generous fools, please, Sha Chen silently prayed. Then, he imparted the True Dragon Body Forging Technique to the Dragon Girl.
It had to be said, the Dragon Girl’s talent was far superior to Ao Lie’s by more than just a little. No wonder Guanyin had set her sights on her, taking her as a Disciple and keeping her by her side at all times. In half a year, she had mastered the True Dragon Body Forging Technique, and her strength had improved by leaps and bounds. Transforming into an Azure Dragon and coiling within the palace, her power surged. Sha Chen himself envied such rapid advancement.
The Dragon Clan is indeed the Dragon Clan, he mused. Such Cultivation Techniques are the most suitable for them. Even with Zulong Essence Blood, I can hardly bring out the full potential of such techniques. In terms of physical enhancement, I’m actually not as good as her. No, I can’t be discouraged when she is working so hard. I must continue to cultivate.
The Dragon Girl stopped bothering Sha Chen, and he was able to cultivate in peace. The two of them were like neighbors who never interacted, like two distinct rivers, or even more like strangers who kept to their own affairs. Although they cultivated together, they did not disturb each other and improved side by side.
「Time swiftly passed; three years went by.」
The Heavenly Court had long issued a decree for Wu Qu Xing to propose marriage at the Dragon Palace, only to find that the Dragon Girl had run away from her wedding, which made them absolutely furious. Feeling greatly humiliated, their anger was boundless. After causing a huge disturbance in the Dragon Palace, they went to the Heavenly Court to file a complaint. The Dragon Clan, too, panicked and quickly offered an explanation to the Heavenly Court, stating they had been searching for several years without success and were helpless.
The Jade Emperor was enraged and directly issued a decree denouncing the Dragon Clan. He also demanded the Dragon Clan provide an account and told Wu Qu Xing to be patient, assuring him that the Dragon Girl would definitely marry him.
Wu Qu Xing, however, was furious. After waiting another year with no word from the Dragon Clan, he felt greatly humiliated. He believed the Dragon Clan had no intention of marrying the Dragon Girl to him and even wanted to humiliate him, so he went to the Dragon Palace several times to cause trouble. The Dragon King himself was injured as a result, and the Crystal Palace was damaged multiple times.
But the Dragon Girl was nowhere to be found.
In the end, the Heavenly Court also dispatched people to search for the Dragon Girl’s whereabouts and proclaimed that as long as she returned, they would forgive the Dragon Clan’s offense and let bygones be bygones.
However, after another year, there was still no news.
The relationship between the Dragon Clan and Wu Qu Xing deteriorated further, and the Heavenly Court was also extremely angry. The Jade Emperor often summoned the Dragon King to the Heavenly Court for a scolding. The Dragon Clan’s days became even more difficult.
「In the Flowing Sand River」
Two more years had passed since the wedding wasn’t completed, and Sha Chen had already received the "Tao Te Ching." The system seemed to recognize that he had helped the Dragon Girl this time and naturally awarded him the prize. Sha Chen was thrilled and couldn’t wait to study the Tao Te Ching. Although it was the Da Luo section, it was still arcane and abstruse. Luckily, as the host of the system, Sha Chen could barely understand such a profound section of the Tao Te Ching. These were a Saint’s notes and insights. After reading it, Sha Chen felt his Cultivation was like being aided by divine assistance. His practice became even more effortless. As a result, his cultivation resources were being depleted more rapidly, and he was close to running out.
「About five more years passed.」
Sha Chen furrowed his brows. The resources I can use to increase my Cultivation have nearly run out. Reliance on the daily conversions from Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart and the small rent income is simply insufficient.
How he wished for more tenants like the Dragon Girl so he could collect more money. He also hoped the Dragon Girl would leave soon to gather resources and pay off her debt. Once he had a thousand stalks of First-class Immortal Elixir, perhaps he could directly break through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm. It wouldn’t be like now where, despite having the insights of the Da Luo section, his improvement faced immense difficulties without enough resources, forcing him to simply bide his time. Having talent and insights but no resources made Sha Chen feel like a skilled woman unable to cook without rice.
Sha Chen looked toward the Dragon Girl in the palace. Seeing she was still engrossed in Cultivation, he felt both satisfied and dissatisfied.
She brought so many resources for Cultivation and never stops, not even giving me a chance to borrow some, he thought. Sha Chen had already contemplated asking the Dragon Girl to borrow cultivation resources, but he felt the likelihood was minimal. Why haven’t Seventh Mother and Di Yong returned yet? Could the Black Bear Spirit and Zhu Bajie have perished overseas? Every one of them has been silent. I wonder, do I actually miss them?
With a shake of his head and a sigh, he finally turned his gaze to the mountainous pile of Spiritual Medicine and Immortal Herbs in the storage room. These items could not increase his Cultivation level; most had special effects, such as healing wounds, invigorating yang, enhancing beauty, or treating poison. The effects varied, and the quantities were huge. Without leaving his home, Sha Chen had no use for them. With crops growing season after season for over a hundred years, they had accumulated like a mountain. How he wished all these resources could turn into Divine Power that could be absorbed and refined—that would be marvelous!
Suddenly, Sha Chen’s eyes lit up with joy. Haven’t I mastered the Dan Scripture? Over the years, I’ve learned quite a lot. Though I can’t produce truly profound Elixirs yet, I’m familiar with common ones. If I turn these into Elixirs and then, when Seventh Mother and the others return, sell them to exchange for what I need for Cultivation, wouldn’t that solve the problem?
Sha Chen, ecstatic, decided to act immediately. He began to attempt Alchemy.
With the Shennong Danjing in his grasp, and possessing the Samadhi True Fire along with the Nine-dragon Divine Fire Cover, refining some ordinary Elixirs was not a big problem, despite lacking an Alchemy Furnace.
Following that, Sha Chen embarked on his lengthy journey of alchemical exploration. However, the number of times his Alchemy attempts ended in explosions far outnumbered his successful creations of Elixirs. This gave Sha Chen endless headaches.