Shen Changchuan already had a rough plan for what to do next.

However, everything would have to wait until he sold the Spirit Grain and received payment in Spirit Stones.

Still, since he was relying on an acquaintance, it would take some time to find the right people, pull the necessary strings, and handle the negotiations.

Shen Changchuan had no intention of just waiting around and wasting time.

He had another important matter to attend to.

Shen Changchuan spent several Spirit Stones to rent a Cultivation Secret Chamber in the Wu Family Collection.

These Cultivation Secret Chambers were private spaces designed specifically for Cultivators to engage in secluded cultivation.

The Wu Family Collection’s market days attracted Cultivators from far and wide to trade.

Among them, some Cultivators from small villages might have spent their life savings on elixirs that could help them break through a bottleneck.

Naturally, weaker Cultivators or Loose Cultivators couldn’t risk taking such a precious elixir all the way home before consuming it.

After all, the journey was perilous. It would be a disaster if they encountered Tribulation Cultivators and were robbed along the way.

And so, the Cultivation Secret Chambers within the Wu Family Collection came into being.

Although they weren’t cheap, they were excellent places for visiting Cultivators to temporarily enter seclusion and advance their cultivation.

Shen Changchuan had spent a considerable number of Spirit Stones to rent one of these chambers, and it certainly wasn’t because he had nothing better to do.

Inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber.

After a quick check to ensure the surrounding Restrictions were intact and that he wouldn’t be spied upon, Shen Changchuan sat cross-legged on the chamber’s White Jade Meditation Mat, clutching a Jade Bottle that held an elixir.

His gaze, fixed on the Jade Bottle, was complicated.

The elixir in the bottle was none other than the incredibly precious Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill he had unexpectedly obtained a short while ago.

Shen Changchuan’s eyes flickered.

’This Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill is incredibly precious. It’s even useful during the critical breakthrough from the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Peak to the Soul Emergence Realm. It’s a treasure that can’t be bought even for thousands of Spirit Stones!’

’Using such an elixir on me now is an utter waste!’

Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but sigh internally, feeling as if he were squandering a gift from the heavens.

An elixir this precious, even if not saved for the crucial breakthrough from the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer to the Soul Emergence Realm, could still be used to break the bottleneck between the Qi Introduction Middle Stage and Late Stage, allowing a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak to easily advance to the Seventh Layer.

It was most effective when used to overcome a bottleneck and push through to a new realm.

Unfortunately, Shen Changchuan clearly had no intention of saving it for later.

’It would be more useful later on.’

’But for me, what matters most is securing my gains and raising my power and cultivation realm as quickly as possible!’

’Spirit Stones, elixirs... they are all just tools to advance one’s cultivation realm.’

’Taking it now might be a waste in the long run, but it will allow me to take my cultivation to the next level in a short period.’

’And with greater strength comes better opportunities to acquire more resources! There’s no need to hoard it and slow down my cultivation progress just to wait for the perfect bottleneck to break through.’

Shen Changchuan murmured in a low voice, his gaze growing resolute.

Spirit Stones and wealth were merely external tools; only personal strength was fundamental!

He couldn’t help but recall the sudden battle from several days ago.

If the leader of those men in black had taken this Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill earlier and advanced to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, Shen Changchuan himself would likely have been the one to die in that fight!

He never would have been slain, and this precious elixir would never have fallen into Shen Changchuan’s possession.

But alas, there are no ’what ifs’ in this world.

Shen Changchuan’s resolve hardened.

He then took the elixir from the Jade Bottle and swallowed it in one gulp.

Immense Medicinal Power surged through his body.

Shen Changchuan felt his Divine Soul achieve a state of unprecedented clarity, while his body, as if being reforged by the elixir, began to undergo some unknown metamorphosis.

At the same time, his aura began to surge violently.

....

Meanwhile, just as Shen Changchuan consumed the elixir.

The Wu Family Estate. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Reception Hall.

Wu Yuanzhi, the current master of the Wu Family Collection and Patriarch of the Wu Clan, sat at the head of the hall, hosting Shen Zhongshan and his party, who had arrived from afar two months prior.

"Has Brother Shen had any luck finding that Spirit Medicine?" Wu Yuanzhi casually asked Shen Zhongshan.

"Alas, the borderlands are vast and endless. We’ve been running around like headless chickens; how could we possibly find one of the Heaven and Earth Treasures?"

"Perhaps the earlier rumors were just that—rumors."

As he spoke, a hint of resignation crept onto Shen Zhongshan’s face.

"To be frank, Patriarch Wu, we traveled all the way from Tian Nan City for this and have already wasted half a year here without finding so much as a trace. We’re preparing to head back."

"However, although my trip has been fruitless, I, Zhongshan, must still thank Patriarch Wu for his assistance."

As he spoke, Shen Zhongshan stood and offered a cupped-fist salute to Patriarch Wu Yuanzhi, who sat at the head of the hall, expressing his gratitude.

"Ah, Brother Zhongshan, what’s all this? It was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

"Please, sit, Brother Zhongshan. Do sit down."

After the exchange of pleasantries, the atmosphere eased once more.

It was then that Wu Yuanzhi asked, as if by chance:

"Oh, by the way, Brother Zhongshan, I recall there’s a place called Dawan Village that belongs to your Shen Family, correct? I think I heard that its Garrison was recently replaced with a young man. I wonder about his background and origins. We are neighbors, after all, so we might have dealings with each other in the future."

"Dawan Village?"

Shen Zhongshan found the sudden mention of Dawan Village a bit odd.

He didn’t dwell on it, though. They had discussed the matter previously when they were delayed on their journey during the rainy season, so he answered directly:

"Of course, I’m aware of him."

"The current Garrison of Dawan Village is named Shen Changchuan. His origins are quite notable, actually. He is an illegitimate son, one of the many children of our Shen Clan Leader..."

"What?! The Shen Clan Leader’s son?!"

Wu Yuanzhi’s pupils shrank.

His face filled with shock, and he gasped. The motion of raising his teacup froze mid-air.

"In that case, my Wu Family has been discourteous! We should have gone to pay our respects to the young master immediately!"

"You worry too much, Patriarch Wu."

"Though that Shen Changchuan may be the Clan Leader’s son, he is merely the offspring of a lowly maidservant. His status is beneath that of some servants in the clan. With your standing, Patriarch Wu, you could simply summon him. There’s no need to speak of paying respects."

At that moment, a voice full of disdain spoke up.

It was Shen Rongguang, seated just below Shen Zhongshan.

When he spoke of Shen Changchuan, his words dripped with annoyance and sarcasm.

"That kind of lowly maid’s son isn’t even qualified to enter the ancestral hall. A post like the one in Dawan Village is just a bone tossed aside by the First Madam, and he had no choice but to scurry over and accept it. Out here in the wilderness, no one would even notice if he died. If you wish to befriend him, Patriarch Wu, you’d be wasting your time."

"I see... Thank you for the clarification, young brother."

Wu Yuanzhi replied thoughtfully, thanking Shen Rongguang.

His expression, however, was placid, making it impossible to tell what he was truly thinking.