Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Wang Chen reached out with a grasping motion, and a large lump of soft mud was sucked over, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

A section was immediately cleared ahead.

Wang Chen was able to advance forward and repeated the operation he had just performed.

Looking across the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, setting aside Golden Core True Persons and Nascent Soul True Immortals, even among Purple Mansion Superiors, it would be hard to find many who could compare with him in the mastery of Mudstone Technique.

The Mudstone Technique, at the level of Great Perfection, had been refined to a divine and mystical degree by Wang Chen.

Moreover, with the improvement of his cultivation realm, the speed at which he now excavated tunnels had increased several times compared to when he was at the Sunset Peak estate.

Most importantly, Wang Chen had more than a dozen storage bags hanging on him!

These specially emptied storage bags, which could hold a vast amount of the softened stone and mud, greatly increased his efficiency.

Taking into account the gradually approaching great calamity, Wang Chen, who planned to cultivate in Dongwu Stockade until his breakthrough into the Mansion, was ready to recreate the brilliance of his digging career and carve out a vast labyrinthine lair.

His progress on this project had already surpassed one third, and the tunnel he was currently digging was the second escape passage.

This secret tunnel extended from beneath Wang Chen\'s home and went north, reaching deep into the mountains.

The tunnel, extending a hundred feet beneath the ground and never seeing the light of day, saw Wang Chen working hard to excavate like an industrious mole.

It was as if he had returned to his time at the Cloud Sun Sect\'s Outer Sect.

It was only when the mana in his dantian was nearly exhausted that Wang Chen stopped working, returning from the newly dug tunnel to his secret chamber, where he practiced his techniques and breathed deeply to recover.

Once his Qi Sea was replenished and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had all returned to their optimal state, the long night had also passed.

He returned to the house above ground, where he performed a simple wash.

In fact, many cultivators use Cleansing Technique to clean their bodies, which is easy and effortless.

But Wang Chen retained the habit of his past life, and whenever conditions permitted, brushed his teeth with a brush made from pig bristles and tooth powder mixed with bamboo salt twice daily, morning and evening.

In addition, washing his face, warming his feet, and bathing pretty much followed the preferences of his previous life.

Although such practices have no substantial meaning for a cultivator—with his physique, even a hundred years without cleaning would not lead to any periodontal diseases—

Wang Chen was still willing to waste a little time on them.

Perhaps some things have seeped into his divine soul, and not even rebirth could erase them!

After he finished washing up, Wang Chen went out to eat breakfast.

Recently, he discovered that a breakfast shop two streets away served beast meat biscuits and tofu pudding that tasted amazing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The moment Wang Chen stepped out of his house, he heard the crisp sound of a clapper from the alleyway.

It had just started to dawn, and almost simultaneously, doors of the adjacent houses opened as several women came out with their Night Fragrance Barrels.

They greeted each other and chatted and laughed.

"Taoist Friend Chen, good morning!"

One of the women, with a face like a silver platter and a plump figure, brightened up when she saw Wang Chen, who had just left the house.

She quickly set down her Night Fragrance Barrel and gave him a salute.

Although Wang Chen had an ordinary appearance, his cultivation level of the seventh layer of Qi Cultivation made him the top presence in this alley, warranting respect even though he had only recently arrived.

Wang Chen coughed, nodded in return, and said, "Good morning, Taoist Friend Chen."

Wan Xiu was his assumed name.

And this woman was the neighbor across the way, the lady of the Chen family, with a cultivation level of the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation.

With that, Wang Chen quickened his pace towards the end of the alley.

Because the cart to collect Night Fragrance was about to come by, and the smell was truly soul-stirring!

Most of the residents living in this alley were cultivators.

The conditions in a Loose Cultivator\'s stockade are incomparable to those of the Immortal Gates; life is much harder here.

Three meals a day, very few Loose Cultivators can afford to have Spirit Food for every meal, not to mention abandoning grain by consuming pills and herbs.

To fill their stomachs, most people have to eat Tribute Rice and other foods with very little spiritual energy content.

This inevitably leads to the hassle of the cycle of the five grains.

Then there are those who specifically purchase the Night Fragrance from cultivators to sell to the Spiritual Plant Farmers both inside and outside the stockade for use as fertilizer in the fields.

It\'s said that the fermented "Human Fertilizer" works quite well, significantly increasing the yield of rice.

The environment in the Loose Cultivator\'s stockade just can\'t compare to that of the Immortal Gates, which occupy Spirit Veins.

People here must figure out every possible way to use any available resources to sustain their lives and cultivation.

Since coming to Dongwu Stockade, Wang Chen has deeply felt this!

When he stepped out of the alley, he brushed past a swaying ox cart.

Wang Chen had heard in the teahouse that the Night Fragrance business in Dongwu Stockade was monopolized by cultivators surnamed Xu and Ding, and the profits were quite substantial!

The rat has its path, and the snake has its ways; don\'t think that Dongwu Stockade is just a place where Loose Cultivators gather, the waters here are also very deep.

After passing through two streets, Wang Chen arrived at the breakfast shop.

Though it was just dawn, the canopy was already filled with diners.

"Senior Wang, please come inside."

Seeing Wang Chen, the shop owner who was busy making "Fried Evil Wraiths" in front of a frying wok, immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, "The same as yesterday?"

"The same."

Wang Chen took a seat and said, "Add an extra Beast Meat bun."

The Beast Meat bun, made from Spirit Rice and Monster Beast meat, was much more expensive than ordinary buns.

Of course, it tasted much better, too.

"Alrighty!"

The breakfast shop owner, at the third stage of Qi Cultivation, called out to his wife, who was at the second stage of Qi Cultivation, "Five Beast Meat buns, three Fried Evil Wraiths, and a bowl of sweet tofu pudding!"

Wang Chen chuckled lightly to himself.

The so-called "Fried Evil Wraith," in fact, just a doughnut - and the way to make it was taught to the owner by him.

The name "Fried Evil Wraith" was purely Wang Chen\'s own little bit of wicked humor.

After the breakfast shop owner tried making it under Wang Chen\'s guidance and succeeded, it quickly became popular among the guests.

So he was particularly enthusiastic and courteous to Wang Chen.

And not just because Wang Chen was highly cultivated.

Soon, five buns and three doughnuts, along with a large bowl of steaming sweet tofu pudding, were served.

Allowing Wang Chen to indulge to his heart\'s content.

In fact, compared to sweet tofu pudding, he preferred the salty version with soy sauce, fritters, seaweed, pickles, green onions, and other condiments mixed in.

But he couldn\'t gather all those condiments, and it was a far cry from the taste in his memory.

In comparison, sweet tofu pudding was an adequate alternative.

The Beast Meat bun was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a sweet and savory juice providing a rich taste.

The doughnuts were crispy and delicious, pairing well with the sweet tofu pudding, which could easily soothe the stomach.

Such a simple breakfast left Wang Chen wholly satisfied, feeling as if life itself had been elevated.

After paying for the meal, and amidst the enthusiastic goodbyes from the owner, he hurried towards the market district of Dongwu Stockade.

Today Wang Chen was planning to set up a stall there, and if he was late, there would be no space left.

----------

The first update is here.