Chapter 151: Chapter 144: How to Live Longer?

He scrolled down the news feed, and every link was about failed Foundation Establishment attempts.

The only difference was:

Some failures belonged to nobodies, while others bore the names of geniuses.

In fact, a good number had even died from their bodies exploding.

Of course.

There were successful ones, too.

’No wonder!’

After scanning for a moment, Chen Che spotted an eye-catching link among the numerous news articles:

[Chen Zhuo’s Rush to Foundation Establishment Potentially Linked to Ye Zhihan]

He clicked on it and, just as he’d suspected, it was pure clickbait.

The entire article was nothing but speculation and conjecture, with no substantive evidence whatsoever:

The only thing supporting this claim was the news from the previous day that Ye Zhihan had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment. The article used this to speculate that the top students from the Four Great Middle Schools were all secretly competing, none wanting to fall behind.

That was why he had impulsively attempted Foundation Establishment without being fully prepared.

’Ye Zhihan already reached Foundation Establishment?’

Chen Che thought for a moment, then typed in a few keywords.

Sure enough, the first result was the news: "Congratulations to our student Ye Zhihan on his successful Foundation Establishment." It was an official post from the Zhurong Middle School website, but it was only that single, simple sentence.

’It seems he won’t be able to participate in the October Immortal Sect combat tournament...’

He let out a long sigh, slowly opened the file Li Xiaoshuang had given him, and deleted Chen Zhuo’s name from the "Foundation Establishment Preparation Group."

He considered every student in that group a potential rival.

Although an accident had removed one of them, he felt no joy. Instead, a sense of sorrow for one of his own kind washed over him.

’Even on Earth Element Star, the success rate for Foundation Establishment isn’t one hundred percent!’

According to the file, although the student had been impulsive, he had been preparing for Foundation Establishment for several months.

Based on his Cultivation Realm, his chances of success should have been far higher than that of an ordinary student.

And yet, he still failed.

After a long period of contemplation, Chen Che’s resolve hardened. No matter what, he had to get that Golden Dragon Carp. He would not repeat the mistakes of others!

...

The daily news on Earth Element Star moved quickly, and besides, a genius like Chen Zhuo was too far removed from the world of ordinary students.

So, after just two days, no one was talking about it anymore.

All the students went on with their Cultivation as usual.

The only exception was Li Xiaoshuang, who called Chen Che over. He first checked Chen Che’s Cultivation, then used the incident to remind him to wait for a foolproof plan before starting. He warned him not to attempt Foundation Establishment rashly, as one accident could destroy his entire future.

Chen Che, of course, readily agreed to everything.

However,

upon returning to Yunzhou, he immediately began collecting the Materials for the Dragon Fish Pill.

Of course, Foundation Establishment Pills existed in both Yunzhou and on Earth Element Star.

However, while the Foundation Establishment Pill was only a Tier Two Middle-grade Elixir, not a particularly high Grade, its Materials were precious and limited in both realms. They were snatched up the moment they appeared. For this reason, Chen Che had always planned on refining one himself.

But now that he had discovered the Golden Dragon Carp, he naturally chose the superior option.

Thanks to his status as a Pill Master Tributor, with the Pill Shop as a convenient cover, he only had to instruct Ding Fei to add a few Materials to the notice board. Immediately, many people went out to gather or hunt them and sell the Materials back to the Pill Shop.

In just a few days, he had gathered half the Materials needed for the pill.

But a few of the ingredients were harder to collect and might take several more days.

Xiao Chan continued to set up and close his stall every day. Anyone who didn’t know his true identity would never guess, no matter how hard they tried, that this obsequious tofu pudding vendor, who even had customers default on their tabs, was actually that notoriously vicious Evil Cultivator.

However, since their agreement, Chen Che had started visiting his stall.

"It really is quite good."

Chen Che finished a bowl of tofu pudding and nodded slightly.

"We only select the finest soybeans. That’s how our tofu pudding ends up softer and tastier than regular tofu."

Xiao Chan held out a bowl and asked softly, "Another bowl, Tributor?"

"One must eat in moderation. Some other time!"

Chen Che slowly shook his head.

The two exchanged a look, then immediately averted their gazes. Xiao Chan’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly and smiled.

"Tributor Chen speaks wisely..."

Chen Che tossed down his payment and left, which Xiao Chan accepted with a chuckle.

To the other patrons, the exchange seemed perfectly ordinary. No one knew they had just been negotiating when to go fishing, with one suggesting "tonight" and the other "some other time." It was far simpler than using voice transmissions or secret signals.

Moreover,

even if someone overheard, they wouldn’t suspect a thing.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly noticed a fish stall. The vendor looked somewhat familiar.

"What are you doing selling fish here? Where’s your Big Leader?"

The stall owner, who was hawking Spirit Fish, quickly stood up when he saw Chen Che.

"To answer Tributor Chen, the Big Leader went to catch a Fish Dragon yesterday and was dragged into the water. We don’t know if he drowned or got eaten by it, but there’s been no sign of him. Once he was gone, our crew disbanded, and the other stalls took all our business."

"My condolences."

Chen Che shook his head.

He recognized the man as one of the Loose Cultivators who had been trying to capture the Little Chick that day. He’d only asked because several fishing crews on the Black Water River had been trying to catch the Golden Dragon Carp recently.

He just hadn’t expected...

Then again, it made sense. The Golden Dragon Carp had a Cultivation equivalent to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, and in the water, it had the home-field advantage, making it extremely difficult to catch.

The Little Chick had tried to catch it once, and if it hadn’t fled quickly, it, too, would have been dragged into the water.

"Is that so?"

The nearby vendors who overheard were stunned and began asking questions.

"Of course. That Fish Dragon is too ferocious; it can’t be caught. Several crews have suffered heavy losses."

The vendor chattered on, "And it’s incredibly cunning. It hides when there are lots of people and only comes out when there are a few. Even some disciples from the Primordial Sect were outsmarted by it! It’s a shame. Our crew was just getting started, and now we’re finished."

For a moment,

a small crowd of listeners gathered around him.

Of course, Chen Che knew these people were likely unaware of the Golden Dragon Carp’s true purpose; they just saw it as something unique. Rare and exotic beasts could often fetch a high price.

Take a gamble, and you might strike it rich.

Or you might lose your life.

Such things were all too common in the Cultivation World.

"Boss..."

As he stepped into the Pill Shop, he saw a young man sitting and drinking tea, engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with Ding Fei.

"You have an old acquaintance here to see you."

"An old acquaintance?"

Chen Che frowned, sizing up the young man for a moment before confirming he didn’t recognize him. "And you are?"

"My name is Dan Guanqing. My elder brothers were Dan Guanliang and Dan Guanyun. Er... I heard my two brothers mention that, when they were alive, they admired Tributor Chen more than anyone."

The young man quickly rose and bowed respectfully.

"I have taken the liberty of visiting you today specifically to pay my respects, Tributor Chen. I also heard you were collecting certain Spiritual Medicines, so I have brought them as a gift. I hope you will do me the honor of accepting them. I also hoped to ask for a bit of your guidance."

At the same time,

he took out several exquisite Jade Boxes, placed them on the table, and slid them open.

Inside were the very Materials he had added to the notice board.

’He’s here to give gifts and curry favor?’

’He’s certainly got more sense than his two dead brothers.’

"What guidance do you seek?"

Chen Che nodded slightly.

Dan Guanqing’s face lit up. "I want to know how a person can survive here for a long time."

His two brothers had been as dumb as rocks. One relentlessly pestered Meng Qingxuan even though he knew she wasn’t interested. The other was arrogant and domineering, refusing to tone it down even after arriving here. As a result, both had mysteriously disappeared.

He, on the other hand, was smart enough to come pay his respects and find a patron first.

As the saying goes, the first meeting makes you strangers, the second makes you acquaintances.

If he could win Chen Che’s favor, he could use that connection to remain in Jinyun Valley, even if the other Princes tried to cause trouble for him later.

"Simple."

After a moment of thought, Chen Che gave his advice, based on the causes of death of Dan Guanliang and Dan Guanyun:

"First, understand your situation."

"Second, accept reality."

Having received his advice, Dan Guanqing left the Pill Shop, overjoyed.

"That kid’s sharp. He’ll definitely live longer than his two brothers,"

Ding Fei commented.

"Not necessarily." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Chen Che propped his chin on his hand and slowly shook his head. "Between natural disasters and man-made calamities, who can say? Sometimes, being clever isn’t enough to ensure a long life. One wrong step, and you’ll vanish without a trace."

Ding Fei thought about it and realized it was true.

Regardless, Dan Guanqing’s arrival had greatly sped up his collection of Materials. Now, only one last ingredient remained.

’Soon!’

Chen Che stroked the Jade Boxes, his eyes filled with anticipation.

’Once all the Materials are gathered, all that’s left is to catch the Golden Dragon Carp. With the Dragon Fish Pill in hand, reaching Foundation Establishment will be a certainty.’

「Time passed quickly.」

Meng Qingxuan returned to her family, saying she would be back in a few days. Dan Guanqing, proving to be much more sociable than his brothers, had already integrated himself into the local circle, becoming fast friends with Sun Hao and Bian Feiyun.

The second shipment from the Wuyin Ore Mine was delivered to Jinyun Valley.

This time, only seven or eight Loose Cultivators had died.

The team leader, Chu Gong, returned with news that Hu Yao had broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Before leaving again, Chu Gong replenished his ranks and took another two hundred Loose Cultivators with him. The entire mine now had a workforce of about four hundred miners.

As for the transported Ore, it wasn’t sold to the Primordial Sect but was instead delivered to Ye Jingzhou.

This sparked a great deal of discussion.

The quantity of Ore from two shipments was substantial. What kind of Magical Treasure was the Valley Master planning on refining?

Xiao Chan asked two more times about their plan, but Chen Che kept putting him off.

The final Material had yet to arrive.

「In the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.」

「Cave Mansion.」

"Haaa..."

Chen Che let out a long breath. Finishing his daily Cultivation, he habitually glanced at the Micro Crystal Brain.

[Name: Chen Che]

[Realm: Qi Refining Eighth Layer (37.19%)]

[Qi and Blood: Qi Refining Eighth Layer (49.35%)]

[Divine Sense: Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer (1.71%)]

’My Divine Sense has reached the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer. And besides that, this little guy has reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer...’

Chen Che glanced at the Little Chick.

Thanks to its "identity" being cleared, it could now hunt openly. Combined with being fed Pill Pills, its strength and Realm were also advancing at a steady pace.

"Boss, someone delivered the last Material today."

Ding Fei greeted him the moment he stepped into the Pill Shop.

At the same time,

he presented a bleeding, still-warm Spiritual Fox heart.

"It’s complete!"

Chen Che’s face lit up with joy at the sight. He turned to Ding Fei.

"Have Old Xiao send me over a bowl of tofu pudding..."

When he heard Ding Fei relay the message, Xiao Chan’s eyes lit up as well.

This meant:

They would move tonight!

「That night.」

The two of them arrived at the Black Water Riverbank.