Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Wang Chen talked his way out of Aunt Lu's insistent plan to set him up with her niece, after much trouble.

It left him sweating profusely, feeling even more exhausted than after a killing.

Wang Chen couldn't quite understand it.

He had just moved to the neighborhood, and it hadn't been a month since he bought his current residence. He wasn't familiar with his neighbors, and the appearance he had adopted was very ordinary. Why was she so eager?

In fact, he had underestimated his own importance.

Even though Wang Chen had concealed his cultivation level, what others saw was the seventh tier of Qi Cultivation.

A high-level Qi Cultivator belonged to the upper echelon in Dongwu Fortress and was bound to be highly regarded.

Most importantly, Wang Chen was amiable and polite, lacking the arrogance common to many high-level cultivators.

Because he was alone, he naturally became the darling of the neighbors.

It was only natural for any family with an eligible daughter or niece to entertain the thought.

In the world of cultivators, the strong are revered and strength often determines one's social status.

This rule was most evident in the fortresses of the Outer Domain.

Most Loose Cultivators had lowly origins, with no prestigious ancestry or bloodlines to boast of—whomever had the stronger fist was the boss.

Thus, marrying off a daughter or relative to a young, high-tier Qi Cultivator would undoubtedly elevate their stature within the fortress.

Moreover, Wang Chen was a pleasant person, so the ladies would not suffer by marrying him.

Everyone had this in mind; Aunt Lu was just the first to make a move!

In the following days, Wang Chen endured the "harassment" of a group of aunties, some of whom even brought over potential matches for him to see.

They all but delivered the brides to his bed!

Wang Chen could have become a groom at any moment, had he wished it!

In light of these circumstances, Wang Chen turned down all matchmaking proposals and announced that he would go into seclusion to cultivate.

Finally, he had some peace and quiet.

Of course, he had no intention of actually going into seclusion, having already dug a secret tunnel that allowed him to leave Dongwu Fortress without anyone noticing to seek out cultivation sites.

Wang Chen's first destination was an area similar to Falling Thunder Peak, fraught with dense thunder and lightning.

While Wang Chen's knowledge of the Outer Domain was limited and he lacked an experienced guide, he did possess a very practical magic artifact—the Cloud Sun Thousands of Miles Geomantic Chart!

He had exchanged this artifact for five hundred Merit Points previously. Once deployed, it could show the user's current location, as well as nearby terrain and landmarks.

The displayed area covered the vast territories under the purview of the Upper Sect!

Even though the Upper Sect had fled, this artifact remained extremely useful, especially for Wang Chen, guiding his search for cultivation resources like a beacon.

Many landmarks shown on the Cloud Sun Thousands of Miles Geomantic Chart were meticulously annotated.

Such as minefields, hunting grounds, and places inhabited by Monster Beasts and Evil Wraiths, among others.

With this artifact, Wang Chen locked onto his first exploration target.

Wind-Thunder Valley.

Wind-Thunder Valley was over seven hundred miles from Dongwu Fortress, with fierce winds and violent thunderstorms year-round.

It was an ideal location for him to cultivate the Five Suns Qian Thunder.

One early morning, Wang Chen sneakily left the fortress and, in a secluded area, summoned a Silver Spirit Flying Shuttle.

The Silver Spirit Flying Shuttle, like the Willow Leaf Flying Boat, was a Flying Artifact. However, the shuttle's speed far surpassed the boat's and served as an excellent means of travel and escape.

Wang Chen's Silver Spirit Flying Shuttle had been confiscated from a disciple of Guiyuan Gate.

He removed the original owner's seals, imprinted his own mana signature, and after some refinement, became proficient in its use.

The Spiritual Light emitted by the Flying Shuttle instantly enveloped Wang Chen, carrying him forward swiftly like an arrow released from a bow.

The Willow Leaf Flying Boat allows users to stand while flying, while users are enshrouded when using the Silver Spirit Flying Shuttle, which is more akin to Sword Flight, so it's particularly fast.

Its drawback is that casting spells in the air isn't as convenient as with the Willow Leaf Flying Boat.

Wang Chen didn't mind, as his primary concern was to hasten his journey.

The Silver Spirit Flying Shuttle dashed through the air like lightning, and in just over half a two-hour period, it drew near to the destination.

Actually, the speed could have been even faster, but that would have consumed too much mana.

From afar, Wang Chen could see thunderclouds gathering over the valley ahead, and with the sight of lightning bolts striking down into it, he knew he had not gone to the wrong place.

Just as he slowed down and decreased altitude, preparing to land and proceed on foot into the valley, two streaks of light suddenly shot towards him at a rapid pace.

He saw two cultivators, clad in mysterious black Taoist robes, one to the left and the other to the right, positioning themselves a hundred paces away from Wang Chen, vaguely forming a pincer attack.

One of the cultivators shouted, "Stop there, anyone who approaches the Five Peaks Mountain Dojo ahead!"

Five Peaks Mountain?

Wang Chen paused, bewildered, "Since when did Wind-Thunder Valley become a dojo of your Five Peaks Mountain?"
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Wind-Thunder Valley was only a little over a thousand miles from the Cloud Sun Old Land, and strictly speaking, was part of the core territory overseen by the Cloud Sun sect, having no connection with the Five Peaks Mountain located tens of thousands of miles away.

"It is now."

That Five Peaks Mountain cultivator said arrogantly, "This dojo has been allotted to us by the Upper Sect. From now on, only disciples of Five Peaks Mountain are allowed to enter. Beat it!"

Seeing Wang Chen's appearance as a Loose Cultivator, his disdain was obvious.

Wang Chen thought for a moment and then retreated.

He had come to Wind-Thunder Valley solely to cultivate the Five Suns Qian Thunder, with no intention of further provoking a sect.

After all, there were other areas dense with thunder and lightning to choose from.

"Hold on!"

However, to Wang Chen's surprise, just as he turned to leave, the other Five Peaks Mountain cultivator shouted sharply, "You look like a remnant of Cloud Sun, hand over your Storage Bag for inspection immediately, or don't blame us for being ruthless!"

He formed a spell with his hands, his fierce gaze locking onto Wang Chen, revealing his high nine-tier Qi Cultivation level!

The prior cultivator, understanding the intent, spoke solemnly, "If you are innocent, we will let you go."

The two of them played off each other, treating Wang Chen as easy prey.

Wang Chen let out a quiet sigh.

The Five Peaks Mountain used to be an ally of the Cloud Sun sect.

Now they were turning their faces, more merciless than anyone!

Of course, Wang Chen was well aware that their suspicion of him being a disciple of Cloud Sun was just a pretext to extort him, treating him like a lamb on a chopping board, easy pickings.

Seeing Wang Chen not reacting, the Five Peaks Mountain cultivator questioning his Cloud Sun identity shouted sternly, "I'm giving you one last chance; don't make me force you to take the hard way!"

Before the word "way" had fully left his mouth, the Qi Cultivation nine-tier cultivator from Five Peaks Mountain found his vision completely dominated by a dazzling pale golden sword light.

All the hair on his body stood on end, with overwhelming fear engulfing his heart and mind.

This Five Peaks Mountain cultivator had never imagined that a mere Loose Cultivator would dare to launch an attack against him.

Taken completely by surprise, he could only cast the Spirit Light Armor on himself as fast as possible.

The next moment, the Five Peaks Mountain cultivator felt the world spinning as his body lifted into the air, weightless.

Then he saw a headless corpse below him!

His consciousness then plunged into an abyssal chasm.

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The second release is here.