After the old man left, the door of the entire house opened, and a man in a white robe appeared before everyone. The man respectfully said, "Greetings, everyone. I am a branch elder. You can call me Elder Tianliu. I will now lead you into the main headquarters."
Tianliu appeared respectful. These people were disciples of the main headquarters, with noble status. He was merely an elder in the branch. If he offended them and they held a grudge, his position might be jeopardized. It was better to appease them and at least leave a good impression. Even if there were no benefits, there would be no harm, right?
This behavior was typical of the previous old man, a classic sycophant. Chen Tian and the young man's expressions remained unchanged. The others looked at the elder with a hint of curiosity. Afterwards, led by the elder, Chen Tian and the others walked out of the house. Tianliu said indifferently, "Once you enter the Tianji Pavilion, there is no time limit for exiting. You are now free to purchase what you need, enough for about two months. This city is called Bai Di City, the largest city in the Central Region. You can find everything you need here. Now, disperse. We will gather here tomorrow, and I will take you to the main headquarters."
Tianliu followed the flow, and everyone began selecting their necessities, such as cultivation resources. Two months without being able to leave the Tianji Pavilion meant being confined within it, which would be stifling. Chen Tian walked on the ground of Bai Di City, observing his surroundings and the various shops. Chen Tian had no need to purchase anything. Two months was a short period, and as for cultivation resources, Chen Tian was not lacking. This was his main body, and Chen Tian could increase his realm day by day through the "Crossing the Ocean" technique, which others would perceive as cultivation. Chen Tian did not require it.
As Chen Tian passed a shop, a system notification sounded in his mind. Chen Tian was speechless. In a world of this planar tier, why would the system issue two consecutive quests, and with rewarding positions at that? Chen Tian did not refuse and turned back to the shop he had just passed.
The shop was unremarkable, with various weapons and armor displayed on shelves. Beside them were some small items, making it look like a general store that had everything. The shop was named Yuan Ming Shop. The owner was a middle-aged man with a beard and tattered clothes, lying on a lounge chair, fanning himself with a small fan.
"Look around if you wish!"
The middle-aged man spoke indifferently, exuding extreme laziness, as if he didn't care whether there were customers or not. Chen Tian ignored him and went to the miscellaneous items section of the shop to observe. He found a withered tree branch on a shelf. Chen Tian picked up the branch, and the system notification rang in his mind. Chen Tian knew that this was what he was looking for.
He approached the owner and asked, "Boss, how much does this cost in Crystal Spirits?"
Crystal Spirits were the currency of trade on the Bei Yuan Continent. Crystal Spirits were diamond-shaped, thin crystal slices, transparent in appearance. Crystal Spirits contained immense power, but cultivators could not absorb this power, hence they became a medium of exchange. Chen Tian did not have Crystal Spirits on him. He communicated with Tian Dao mentally, and millions of Crystal Spirits appeared from his storage ring. Chen Tian's lips curved upwards. Now he had money to buy things.
"Three hundred Crystal Spirits, firm price!"
"Alright, here are three hundred Crystal Spirits. Take it!"
The moment Chen Tian produced the Crystal Spirits, he froze for a moment before recovering. He then placed the tree branch into his storage ring. The owner's eyes revealed shock, but he recovered within a second. Chen Tian caught this fleeting emotional glance, realizing that this shop owner was no ordinary person!
There was no such thing as storage rings on the Bei Yuan Continent. Cultivators who reached the Saint realm would form an inner space within their bodies, where they could store inanimate objects. Chen Tian's age and appearance did not suggest he was a Saint realm cultivator. It was laughable; which Saint realm cultivator was not an ancient monster? Saints comprehended the laws of heaven and earth, requiring time and experience. Each realm advancement took ten years, and the further one progressed, the longer it took.
The owner was shocked that Chen Tian possessed a means of storage. Such technology did not exist on the Bei Yuan Continent. It seemed he had found the person he was looking for, but the person had already taken the item and didn't require his deliberate arrangement.
"Alright, alright, you can leave!"
The young man waved his hand, signaling Chen Tian to leave the shop. Chen Tian did not want to attract trouble, and since there was no animosity, he left the shop. The moment he stepped out, a voice rang out, "Kid, stop. Hand over that tree branch to this old man, will you?"
An extremely old man, his face riddled with wrinkles, leaning on a cane, appeared behind Chen Tian. Chen Tian felt the old man's vitality and the surrounding wood element law power, and he knew the old man's intentions.
He said indifferently, "If I may be so bold, holding onto a withered tree branch won't help you break through."
Chen Tian saw the old man's condition at a glance. The tree branch contained wood element law power, a considerable amount. However, in Chen Tian's eyes, it was still too little. But in this continent where law power was weak, this abundant law power was something every Saint cultivator desired.
This old man cultivated the law of wood, but it seemed he had reached his limit. His realm could not break through, and he was on the verge of death. Chen Tian could see that the old man wanted to use this tree branch to break through. Unfortunately, Chen Tian's discernment was sharp; if he gave the branch to the old man, his talent was insufficient for a breakthrough. He would be stuck at this point for the rest of his life!
The old man paused for a moment, his expression becoming even more sorrowful. He lamented, "I know I cannot break through my realm. I only wish to use the wood element law on it to extend my life by a few months, if possible."
"Rest assured, young friend, I, Mu Shengren, will not snatch something from a junior like you. My reputation would suffer if word got out. I just wish to live a few more months to make some preparations."
Mu Yuanzi looked pleadingly. Deep within his heart, Chen Tian communicated with the system: "System, has the fusion of the tree branch been completed?"
"Ding, this system has extracted its primal energy the moment the host completed the mission. The host can rest assured that the tree branch can be gifted to others."
Upon hearing the system's voice, Chen Tian took out the tree branch and tossed it directly into Mu Yuanzi's hand, saying, "There is an opportunity for breakthrough; it depends on whether you can seize it."
Chen Tian's figure left the vicinity of the shop, disappearing from Mu Yuanzi's sight. Mu Yuanzi looked at the withered tree branch and was instantly astounded. The once withered branch had sprouted new buds. Yes, new buds. This was not there before.
He frequented that shop and knew what this withered branch looked like. But now, it had sprouted buds. A flash of inspiration struck Mu Yuanzi, and he knelt in reverence, "Thank you, senior, thank you for this opportunity!"
Without a second thought, Mu Yuanzi knew it was the work of the young man he had just met. After all, the withered branch had only grown green leaves and buds after he purchased it. Mu Yuanzi saw hope for a breakthrough and was extremely excited.
Chen Tian wandered around for a day. For Chen Tian, helping a human was an easy task. The person had a chance for breakthrough. He had infused his wood element law into the withered tree branch. Whether the person could break through depended on Mu Yuanzi's own comprehension. However, Chen Tian believed he would succeed. Chen Tian had seen something different in Mu Yuanzi's eyes earlier, which was why he had decided to help him.
At night, Chen Tian and the others returned to their initial room, which was a large inn. Their rooms were on the highest floor. Everyone had parcels of various sizes.
Chen Tian and the mysterious young man were empty-handed. Chen Tian had a storage ring. Chen Tian looked at the young man, guessing he also had similar methods and storage items, as he was from another plane and was a child of destiny. Even here, the power of destiny would affect him slightly, making him incredibly lucky.
For instance, he might get rich by simply walking, or find treasures by chance. He was the legendary Emperor of Luck!
Children of destiny were favored by destiny, and destiny would do everything in its power to cultivate them into the strongest beings.
Chen Tian did not dwell on other thoughts. He took out Crystal Spirits, the white crystal slices, which emanated a faint aura. He sensed the white airflow and thought with doubt, "This is spiritual energy, the spiritual energy of the immortal cultivation world. Why is it appearing on the Bei Yuan Continent? It's so strange. Could it be due to the space-time rift?"
Chen Tian fell into thought. Things that did not belong to the Bei Yuan Continent were appearing one after another. It seemed the Bei Yuan Continent held secrets that Chen Tian was unaware of. Chen Tian had a hunch that he would uncover something astonishing on this trip.
Chen Tian stored the Crystal Spirits in his storage ring and asked Tian Dao for more chips. Such pure spiritual energy appearing in Huaxia would allow those at the Human Immortal realm to improve rapidly. It was beneficial for Chen Tian, as Crystal Spirits could only serve as currency on the Bei Yuan Continent, while Chen Tian could use them to cultivate a powerful guard.
The sun rose, and it was the same as usual. Chen Tian did not go to see the mysterious young man. When Tianliu opened the door, everyone's spirits perked up. Tianliu looked at everyone and saw that they had purchased most of what they needed. He said with satisfaction, "Good, now we head to the Tianji Pavilion's main headquarters."
With that, Tianliu produced a token, which he crushed in his hand. A vortex appeared out of thin air. Tianliu said sternly, "Now, line up and enter the teleportation vortex one by one. The other end of the vortex is the Tianji Pavilion's main headquarters."
Everyone entered the vortex one by one. Chen Tian felt a flash of light as he entered the vortex. When the light dissipated, a nine-story pavilion appeared before everyone's eyes. Chen Tian recognized it immediately. The entire Tianji Pavilion headquarters was a small world, and the headquarters resided within this small world.
As expected of one of the top major forces, Chen Tian at least acknowledged their strength.
"Ahem! I am your reception guide. I will now take you on a tour of the Tianji Pavilion."
An elder, resembling a butler, appeared. The elder was dressed in a blue robe. The Tianji Pavilion had different colored robes indicating different levels of Tianji fortune. The blue robe indicated that the elder's Tianji fortune was only at the blue level.
The elder led everyone on a tour of the Tianji Pavilion, explaining the information about various places. This felt to Chen Tian like being a tour guide. Was he a butler? He was clearly a tour guide.
After a general introduction, the elder looked towards the pavilion with a proud and confident tone, saying, "This is the Tianji Pavilion's main headquarters. That nine-story pavilion is an unparalleled treasure, brought back by the Pavilion Master from the Tianji Secret Realm. The cultivation speed inside is hundreds of times faster than outside."
"If any of you become a disciple of the Pavilion Master or an elder, you will have the opportunity to cultivate in the nine-story pavilion, the Tianji Tower. I hope you all work hard."
"Now, except for the two of you, everyone else will be an inner disciple. You, and you, I will take you to meet the elders."
The elder's gaze fell upon Chen Tian and the young man. Chen Tian remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the Tianji Tower. At first glance, Chen Tian saw nothing special about it. However, when he activated his divine eye, Chen Tian saw the entire Tianji Tower shrouded in black energy. Chen Tian frowned. The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion was not a good person. Knowing the dangers of the Tianji Tower, he still used it. Had he become a subordinate of the Evil Spirit race?
Chen Tian still needed to verify this. Normally, ordinary cultivators who entered the Tianji Tower to cultivate would indeed have their speed increased a hundredfold, but the erosion of the evil spirit energy would also be faster, and assimilation would be quicker. After all, who would refuse powerful strength? If you were given immense power and the ability to possess everything, would you refuse?
No one would, right!
Chen Tian looked at the Tianji Tower, and various thoughts flashed through his mind. He finally calmed down and decided to uproot the entire Tianji Pavilion force. Such an organization could not be allowed to exist.
Led by the elder, Chen Tian and the young man entered the Tianji Tower. On the first floor of the Tianji Tower, there were nine elders and one middle-aged man. The middle-aged man stood in the center, while the nine were seated on both sides. Based on their ranking, the first on the left was the Grand Elder, followed by the Second Elder, seated according to their rank.
There was one elder per floor of the Tianji Tower. With nine floors, there were nine elders. As for the Pavilion Master, he did not reside in the Tianji Pavilion to cultivate. The moment Chen Tian entered the Tianji Tower, he subtly used his divine eye, which possessed the ability to conceal the heavens. Chen Tian was not afraid; the other party could not perceive Chen Tian's methods.
"It seems it's as I thought."
Chen Tian was basically certain that the Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion had become a subordinate of the Evil Spirit race. His entire origin was of evil spirit origin. Human origin was pure white, but his soul could not even be seen. It seemed he had completely transformed into an Evil Spirit.
The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion felt someone peeking at him, but he couldn't figure out who it was.
Was it one of the elders present? Impossible. The elders couldn't evade his spiritual power detection; their every word and action were under surveillance. When the feeling of being spied upon disappeared, the Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion turned his gaze towards Chen Tian and the young man. Chen Tian met the Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion's gaze, his eyes devoid of any expression or fluctuation.
The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion felt a slight interest in Chen Tian. The way he looked seemed to be directed at him. He didn't seem to have any enemies.
"Interesting, interesting!"
The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion chuckled inwardly and then said, "Both of you may enter my Tianji Tower. Now, the nine elders, you can each choose one to apprentice under and grow."
The young man decisively chose the Grand Elder. Chen Tian chose the Ninth Elder. The lower the floor of the Tianji Tower, the less the aura. Chen Tian dared not go to the top floor. During his weakened state, once his clone reached the Gathering Grade realm, it would be the end of the Tianji Pavilion.
For now, he would focus on recuperating his injuries.