Chapter 27, Eighth Layer of Qi Refining

Translator: Raznick

 

Zhou Chun had six months’ notice thanks to Zhou Jiapeng’s warning.

 

He first sought out Peak Head of Ganoderma Peak, Zhou Jiahe, to inquire about the relevant combat regulations.

 

Soon enough, he learned that such dueling matches intended to test younger cultivators usually either banned the use of talismans altogether or imposed strict limits on their quantity and quality.

 

As for pets, there certainly wouldn’t be any restrictions. Otherwise, they’d have no choice but to also restrict the use of artifacts.

 

So, to achieve a high standing in the martial competition, one must not only possess a strong cultivation foundation but also focus on enhancing artifacts, raising spirit pets, and refining their mastery of mystical arts.

 

Zhou Chun’s current set of artifacts was already quite decent, ranking him among the top cultivators in the mid Qi Refinement Stage within the Zhou Clan. However, it wouldn’t be accurate to say he holds a significant advantage.

 

As for the mystical arts of cultivation, the young group registration was limited to cultivators under thirty years old. They were all roughly the same age, and their differences in cultivation likely wouldn’t be too great.

 

If one did indeed encounter an individual with a talent for a particual mystical art, then it could only be attributed to their own misfortune.

 

As for spirit pets, there was no need for further explanation. Unless from a clan like the Zhou Clan that had made its name in beast taming arts across generations, most Qi Refining cultivators couldn’t even afford to keep one, let alone care for and nurture a good one.

 

Zhou Chun thought deeply; in addition to ensuring he reached the Eight Layer of Qi Refining before participating in the martial competition, he also sought to acquire a top-tier artifact for himself.

 

That way, he should have a good chance of ranking high into the young group as long as the top ten were not all many Tenth Layer of Qi Refining cultivators among them.

 

To obtain superior first-grade artifacts, Zhou Chun had only two options: either purchase them at Red Cliff Market or exchange for them through the clan.

 

The Zhou Clan no longer provided spirit coins to its members as part of welfare, but every year they issued clan merits that could still be exchanged for items from the clan treasury.

 

But superior first-grade artifacts were extremely valuable, with a market price of at least three hundred spirit coins.

 

The Zhou Clan had implemented a merit system for only a little over two years. As an ordinary clansman, Zhou Chun was entitled to welfare offerings amounting to twenty merits annually.

 

Even if he take into account the merits he obtained from his previous journey to Red Peach Ridge, it would still fall short of what was required for the exchange of superior first-grade artifacts.

 

Fortunately, even if his merits were insufficient for the exchange, he could also utilize spirit coins to compensate for the deficiency.

 

So Zhou Chun checked his personal assets and found that thanks to the compensation from their previous trip to the Mu Clan, he actually still had nearly eighty spirit coins on him.

 

With over one hundred spirit coins, he could exchange them at the clan treasury for a superior first-grade artifact.

 

As for how to gather a hundred spirit coins, Zhou Chun’s first thought was to borrow money.

 

When someone wanted to buy something essential but didn’t have enough money, most people would think this way.

 

But when Zhou Chun had thought through all possible individuals he could borrow money from, he hesitated again.

 

The cultivators who were close enough with him to ask for help actually weren’t that many.

 

And those few cultivators who could lend him money seem eligible to register for the martial competition.

 

If Zhou Chun were to ask them for money now, unless they themselves had no intention of participating in the event, whether he borrowed or didn’t borrow seemed like it would affect their relationship.

 

[I’ll probe first. After informing them about this news, if they are prepared to join, then I’ll refrain from asking for money.]

 

Zhou Chun immediately began visiting each household one by one after thinking about this.

 

The result was as he had imagined. Upon learning that five clans would jointly host a martial competition, several individuals, including Zhou Zhengyong, expressed their willingness to participate and bring honor to their clan.

 

There were two individuals who didn’t sign up because one had exceeded the age limit and the other was aware that his cultivation level was low.

 

When Zhou Chun mentioned borrowing money, together they could only come up with less than thirty spirit coins.

 

It turned out their own spirit coins had already been used up purchasing pills and other items.

 

Zhou Chun felt reluctant to take the last bit of spirit coins they had for emergencies and thus gave up the idea of borrowing money.

 

Since the clan couldn’t lend him any spirit coins, Zhou Chun had no choice but to consider going to the market.

 

He had several artifacts that he could sell at the market and convert into spirit coins. If he were willing to take a bit more risk by using Spiritual Water to cleanse a century-old herb before selling it, the gap of over a hundred spirit coins could be completely filled.

 

After making up his mind, Zhou Chun began to train with peace of mind and waited until his cultivation reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Stage before heading to the market to carry out his plan.

 

It was about a month later when all members of the Zhou Clan were officially notified about the martial competition organized by the five major clans.

 

According to the rules, all cultivators participating in the magic combat competitions were only allowed to bring five talismans into each match. Among these, the number of superior first-grade talismans was strictly limited to just one per participant.

 

Each clan team could only send ten members to participate in this martial competition.

 

In other words, even if every qualified cultivator from the Zhou Clan registered, they could still only dispatch their elite team and young group, totaling twenty clan members.

 

Because of this restriction, the Zhou Clan must also hold an internal selection tournament first.

 

The date for the selection competition had been set as well, one month prior to the start of the official event.

 

With the announcement of this news, those within the Zhou Clan who were eligible to participate in the event were eagerly preparing themselves.

 

Any Zhou Clan cultivator with a bit of sense understood that this joint event would be an important performance following their establishment in the Mist Province cultivation world within Jing Kingdom.

 

If they could represent the Zhou Clan and achieve a good ranking in the event, not only could they win the prizes prepared by all five clans for the event, but also gain the favor of Clan Leader and Elders, bringing countless benefits in the future.

 

In this situation, Zhou Chun soon learned a piece of very bad news for herself.

 

Those were the superior first-grade artefacts remaining in the clan treasure vault, most of which have been taken. The remaining few were all the kind that no one wants.

 

[The clan is no longer an option for buying items; thus, my only hope now lies in the markets.]

 

Zhou Chun couldn’t shake the shadow of gloom in his eyes as he reluctantly shook his head, abandoning the idea of exchanging artifacts with the clan.

 

Time slowly passed, and after Zhou Chun consumed his eighth Spring Sun Pill, his cultivation finally broke through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

 

At that time, he was still less than two months away from turning twenty-four.

 

At only twenty-four years old, as an Eighth Layer Qi Refining cultivator in the Zhou Clan, his cultivation progression was relatively swift, ranking him among the more accomplished individuals in his generation.

 

Zhou Zhengyong, a few years older than Zhou Chun, had recently achieved breakthrough in his cultivation, reaching the same layer, but this advancement was also made possible with the help of pills.

 

However, after Zhou Zhengyong’s Redtail Monkey took the Blood Spirit Pill, it had reached the level of a superior first-grade demon beast, with its strength greatly increased.

 

After Zhou Chun’s Rock Turtle had ingested all three vials of Beast Spirit Pills, its cultivation was only just on par with that of its master.

 

If solely relying on his cultivation and an average first-grade demon beast, Zhou Chun was clearly outweighed against other clans’ participants in the martial competitions who were at in late Qi Refining Stage. Zhou Chun’s chances of winning seemed rather low in this matchup.

 

After all, other clans participating in the martial competition would have their cultivators at late Qi Refining, and they would undoubtedly possess superior first-grade artifacts.

 

In view of this situation, after breaking through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Stage, Zhou Chun went to Pagoda Peak to visit the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi and informed him of his plan to go to the Red Cliff Market.

 

“Outside Red Cliff Market, ruffians and outlaws run rampant. Zheng Chun, if you plan to go, it’s best to find someone to accompany you. When leaving, be extra cautious and avoid being followed or ambushed.”

 

Within the Central Palace, after gazing at Zhou Chun for a moment, Zhou Daoyi hesitated but ultimately did not deny his request to leave. Instead, he gave him a heartfelt admonition to be cautious when traveling.

 

Zhou Chun, after he spoke, replied solemnly, “I will surely remember Clan Leader’s teachings.”

 

Then he left the Nine Peaks and went straight to the Red Cliff Market.

 

Zhou Daoyi’s admonition, Zhou Chun wouldn’t take it lightly, but the task he was about to undertake this time really wasn’t something that Zhou Clan cultivators ought to be accompanying him.

 

He left the Nine Peaks about a hundred miles away, then got into different clothes and took out a flight artifacts for a quicker pace.

 

Every time he flew out for fifty miles, Zhou Chun would stop to meditate for an hour, restoring his spiritual energy.

 

After spending nearly half a day, Zhou Chun arrived at the outskirts of the Red Rock Mountains.

 

He stood at the edge of the mountain range, gazing in the direction of Red Cliff Market. He couldn’t help but recall his first visit there over three years ago.

 

When he ventured into the market that day, every step filled him with dread. His terror and apprehension overwhelmed him to an extreme point.

 

However, this time, that situation would not happen again.

 

Zhou Chun first found a spot to meditate and recover his spiritual power. Once fully restored, he took a deep drink from the Spiritual Water and then rode his flying artifact up to three hundred and fifty feet in the air. He erected a protective barrier and flew straight toward the Red Cliff Market.

 

This action undoubtedly exposed him to the attention of numerous cultivators in the mountains below.

 

However, upon seeing that altitude, the bandit cultivators all abandoned the idea of attacking.

 

At such a high altitude, they would find it nearly impossible to lock onto their target, and in doing so, expose their own position.

 

Moreover, those who possess these mysterious flying artifacts inspired dread regarding their origins and backgrounds, causing others to hesitate before taking hasty action against them.

 

Thus, even after Zhou Chun flew all the way to Red Cliff Market in one breath and landed outside, he had not encountered any attacks.