News of the Dragon Fish Pill’s appearance nearly doubled the foot traffic in the Market.

Of course, besides the buyers, there were also many Cultivators who had heard the news and come to join the excitement.

They learned that the Valley was purchasing Fire Attribute Spiritual Objects, so those who had some lying around unused sold them off. In total, nearly a hundred items were collected.

"Excellent!"

Chen Che was very satisfied.

With these Spiritual Objects to aid his cultivation of the Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique, he would save an incredible amount of time.

"I also heard that the Yu Family of Chi State retrieved a ’Starfire Stone’ from Ten Thousand Fire Mountain!"

Rong Zhongxuan explained, "This item is Tier Three High Grade. It’s a Fire-attribute Material that can only be born in thousand-year-old lava, with a total value of no less than twenty thousand Spirit Stones. I’ve heard several factions are preparing to make a purchase."

"I’ve sent someone to make contact. They’re currently considering our offer!"

"Offer them twenty-five thousand!"

Chen Che decided instantly.

A high Cultivation Realm alone wasn’t enough. Overwhelmingly powerful Magic was the true foundation for establishing oneself in this world.

This Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique would become his second trump card, besides the Sword Pill.

"By the way, is Layman Shuilian settled in?"

Chen Che asked casually.

"Very much so. She spends most of her time inside the palace and rarely leaves. She occasionally accompanies Lu Ping’an for a stroll in the Valley or the Market, but she has never once left Jinyun Valley."

Rong Zhongxuan cupped his hands and reported truthfully:

"After news of the Dragon Fish Pill got out, some families tried to buy it by force. Any I couldn’t handle, she turned away. She even eliminated two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who tried to sneak into Jinyun Valley..."

Next, Chen Che handled a number of other accumulated matters.

Hearing that Chen Che had ’come out of seclusion,’ Rong Shisan also delivered the list of this year’s new disciples.

"We opened the gates wide this year and accepted over seventy new disciples into the Valley. Most of them are children from the Market."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

The children of Cultivators have a very high probability of possessing a Spiritual Root. For mortals, that probability is extremely low.

"Starting this year, we will also recruit Servant Disciples."

"Anyone with a Middle Spirit Root or lower will be a Servant Disciple. They won’t receive the benefits of an Official Disciple until they reach the Qi Refining Third Layer, at which point they will be automatically promoted."

Chen Che announced another decision.

Cultivators need to be free from manual labor to pursue their Cultivation.

But with several hundred people living in the Valley, there were still chores like chopping firewood, carrying water, repairing houses, washing clothes, and cooking. These numerous trivial tasks had to be done by someone.

This would also give those with inferior Spiritual Roots a chance to cultivate.

"The Valley Master is truly kind and benevolent."

Rong Shisan said in admiration.

’If it were me,’ he thought, ’someone with a Lower Spirit Root would have to pay at least a hundred Spirit Stones a year to enter the Valley. How could it be so easy to get a Cultivation Technique just by doing some chores?’

It should be known that for the lowest-level mortals, obtaining a single Cultivation Technique required them to go through countless life-or-death struggles.

"What is the cultivation progress of the Valley members?"

Chen Che looked up.

"Excluding the new disciples, two people in the Valley have reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, seventy-six have reached the Fourth Layer, and the rest have all reached the Third Layer. Also, Vice Valley Master Hu and I have both successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

"Including Lu Qinglian from the Sacrificial Hall, my master Rong Zhongxuan, and yourself, Valley Master, the Valley now has five Foundation Establishment Cultivators."

After hearing the report, the corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched.

’Everyone’s cultivation has improved so much, yet my own Realm hasn’t increased by much...’

He was already at the Third Layer when he went to the Meng Family at the end of April.

After that, there was the trip to Ten Thousand Fire Mountain, the busyness of the school term starting, and cultivating the Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique. A full five months had passed, and he had only just reached the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.

Thinking of this, Chen Che took out his Micro Crystal Brain:

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer (0.29%)]

[Qi and Blood: Foundation Establishment Third Layer (38.21%)]

[Divine Sense: Golden Core First Layer (33.79%)]

’But once this busy period is over, I can focus completely on my Cultivation.’

Chen Che stroked his chin and thought to himself:

’With the Ancient Energy-Introducing Technique, I’ll be able to catch up on my lost progress quickly. Plus, I’ve found Peiyuan Pills to continue opening my meridians... The only shame is that there’s still no sign of the Divine Court Wood, and my supply of Divine Court Incense is dwindling with every use.’

Rong Shisan stood with his hands respectfully at his sides, practically drooling with envy.

They called this mirror the ’Celestial Observation Mirror.’ No matter how profound a Qi Concealment Technique you cultivated, as long as you placed your hand on this mirror, your Realm would be revealed instantly, with no way to hide it.

And once you’d placed your hand on it, your Cultivation would immediately be displayed every time you passed by the mirror.

Chen Che glanced at him, and Rong Shisan immediately averted his gaze.

This was the advantage of being a superior.

No matter what strange and bizarre things you brought out, those beneath you wouldn’t dare to ask what they were.

...

"Mr. Che, are you going into seclusion again?"

Chen Che was strolling through the Market with Meng Qingxuan.

Even though it was late at night, the Market was bustling. Brightly lit under the night sky, it had a unique charm.

Meng Qingxuan blinked, looking at him pitifully. Ever since the two of them returned from the Meng Family, Chen Che had mostly kept to himself and rarely appeared, so she cherished the time when he was around.

"I’m not sure. The time I spend in seclusion should be less."

Chen Che told her the truth.

His classes on Earth Element Star were back on track, and the teachers no longer ran over time as they had before, so he should have a lot more free time.

"Really?"

Meng Qingxuan was overjoyed. Catching sight of a shop out of the corner of her eye, she pointed and said, "Let’s go get a bowl of beef noodles."

"Alright..."

Chen Che had no objections.

Although Cultivators were said to be above worldly desires, they still indulged their appetites from time to time.

The stall was quite crowded.

However, they were all Cultivators at the first or second layer of Qi Refining. Judging by their clothes and appearance, they were all at the bottom of the hierarchy. It made sense. Cultivators with even a little wealth would definitely avoid eating common grains to prevent it from affecting their Cultivation.

Besides the noodle stall, there were also stalls for soft tofu and steamed buns...

In the past two months, the Market had expanded by thirty percent to the southeast, and all the food and drink stalls were arranged here. Of course, besides these cheap snack stalls, there were also high-end restaurants.

An undeveloped corner of the Market had even become a ’Ghost Market.’

Many Cultivators set up stalls before dawn and packed up at sunrise.

Most of the items sold were things that couldn’t see the light of day.

In front of the noodle stall, a few Loose Cultivators holding bowls were slurping their noodle soup while gazing at the patrons entering and leaving the restaurant, their eyes filled with envy.

’Once upon a time, I was just like them!’

Chen Che grumbled to himself.

After all, becoming a Cultivator was just the first step out of the lowest rung of mortals.

But as long as there were disparities in Realm and strength, the class divide would never be erased.

Just then, a large group of people approached from both ends of the street. They reeked of fish, carried Fishing Spears on their backs, and some had fish baskets hanging from their waists. They looked aggressive and formidable, and pedestrians hastily made way for them wherever they passed.

Chen Che looked up and saw that the leaders of both groups were Cultivators at the Eighth and Ninth Layers of Qi Refining.

He had expected them to break into a big fight, but instead, the two leaders exchanged a glance and walked into a restaurant called ’Immortal Residence’ together.

The remaining Cultivators stood facing each other.

"What’s going on here?"

Chen Che looked at the old man running the noodle stall and pointed at the groups.

"Sir, you must be new here, right?"

The old man lifted the noodles from the pot and said:

"Those are the two major Fishing Gangs of Jinyun Valley. I heard they’ve argued many times over who gets to fish upstream, but they never settled it. I reckon they’re here to negotiate today, most likely."

"Fishing Gangs?"

Chen Che glanced at Meng Qingxuan curiously. ’How did I not know that Jinyun Valley had a gang like this?’

She shook her head as well, seeming to have heard of it for the first time too.

Still, he found it rather novel that such a force had emerged on his own territory. ’When Jinyun Valley becomes a Golden Core Influence one day, will these fishermen also become a Foundation Establishment Influence?’

"Have they killed anyone? Or bullied people and dominated the market?"

"Valley Master Chen has set the rules: no killing is allowed within Jinyun Valley’s jurisdiction, and that includes the Black Water River. Who would dare to disobey? They’ve fought a few times, but they’re always very restrained. It’s rare to even see a broken arm or leg.

"And because of that, not just the two big Fishing Gangs, but also the Firewood Gang and the Night Fragrance Gang, they all resolve their disputes through negotiation."

The old man smiled as he placed two bowls of noodles on the table, saying cheerfully:

"Please, enjoy your meal."

"There’s a Night Fragrance Gang too?"

Chen Che’s eyebrows shot up.

"Of course there is."

The old man glanced at Chen Che, guessing he was a young master from a large clan who didn’t know about the affairs of the lower class, so he elaborated:

"Jinyun Valley has around eighty or ninety thousand people now. All that waste makes for excellent fertilizer. Plus, with so many people, someone has to gather all the firewood they need. Over time, gangs were naturally born."

’Interesting.’

Chen Che raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"Should we get rid of them?"

Meng Qingxuan asked in a low voice.

"No need."

Chen Che shook his head. "In the social climate of this world, it’s perfectly normal for gangs to form. People naturally form groups of three or five to protect their interests, and Cultivators are no exception."

"Even the Market has its merchant associations."

"If you break up the Fishing Gang, they might just reform as a more secretive regional clique."

"Later, have Ding Fei register these gangs. We need to get a complete roster for each one—no hiding a single member. Otherwise, we’ll hang them from the trees."

The gangs at the bottom are a true mix of good and bad, a place where filth accumulates.

Jinyun Valley’s influence couldn’t reach every corner. Having someone organize these low-level Loose Cultivators actually saved the Valley a lot of trouble. If any of these gang members caused problems in the future, it would be easy to track them down.

Of course,

Chen Che’s move was also an indirect acknowledgment of these gangs’ legitimacy.

"Mr. Che, I want to go check out the Ghost Market."

Meng Qingxuan said after they finished their noodles.

"Sure!"

Chen Che nodded slightly. "Perfect. I was thinking of checking out this Ghost Market myself..."

The two paid for their noodles and turned to walk toward a corner of the Market.

Just then, within the Fishing Gang, a young man with his head lowered, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a Fishing Spear on his back, finally looked up, watching the direction the two had gone.

"Chen Jiang, what’s wrong?" a fellow fisherman asked.

"Nothing, just saw my cousin," Chen Jiang said casually.

"Then why didn’t you go say hello?" the man asked.

’He didn’t say hello to me either!’

Chen Jiang curled his lip.

’Besides, I’ve already joined the Fishing Gang and even earned the favor of the Third Leader. My days of rising to the top are just around the corner. If I go over and acknowledge him now, wouldn’t I just be giving him a chance to latch onto me?’

’One day, I’ll be like the Gang Leader, sitting in a restaurant, feasting on meat and drinking wine from a big bowl. Not like him, stuck eating noodles on the street!’

Chen Jiang thought to himself.