The recent ordeal with the Dragon Tooth Guard, though it had only spread within a small circle, had made Jiang Chen's name an unavoidable topic of conversation for everyone.
However, Jiang Chen couldn't care less about the storms brewing outside.
Now he had a noble status and a residence—in the Tiangui Kingdom, he finally had a foothold. Everything was falling into place.
"My next goal is to break through to the Spirit Realm. With my foundation, breaking through to the Spirit Realm shouldn't be a problem. The most critical point is the opening of the Spirit Sea. The state of my Spirit Sea will determine how far I can go on the martial path in the future. Unfortunately, I've had limited dealings with Spirit Realm powerhouses so far, and I don't have a very intuitive understanding of the strong cultivators at this level in this world."
Jiang Chen tried hard to recall. Back in the Eastern Kingdom, he had exchanged blows with Spirit Realm disciples from the Purple Sun Sect. After arriving in the Tiangui Kingdom, he had fought Spirit Realm disciples from the Qianlan Northern Palace as well.
Of course, the Qianlan Northern Palace was merely a mundane dojo of the Treasure Tree Sect. The so-called Spirit Realm powerhouses there were all half-baked—barely scratching the surface.
Only Liu Can had truly stepped into the first tier of the Spirit Realm. The others were all half-step Spirit Realm.
The disciples of the Purple Sun Sect, on the other hand, were each stronger than the last.
"Xu Zhen wasn't all that impressive—not much stronger than Liu Can, a first-tier Spirit Realm cultivator. Yu Jie's cultivation should have reached the second, maybe even third tier of the Spirit Realm. And the last one to appear, Chu Xinghan, was far more powerful than Yu Jie. He was probably at the fourth tier or even higher. But judging by the power they displayed, their abilities seemed quite limited, always confined to the water attribute. Could it be that their Spirit Seas were shaped from the very start to prioritize the excavation of water-attribute potential?"
The Spirit Realm powerhouses he had encountered were truly few in number, and those willing to exchange martial insights in a calm and friendly manner? He hadn't met a single one so far.
Of course, Jiang Chen was different from other martial artists in this world. His understanding of the martial Dao even surpassed that of the world's most elite powerhouses.
Although he couldn't cultivate in his previous life, he had used his vast theoretical knowledge to train countless geniuses who dominated across the Myriad Heavens Planes. Any one of those geniuses, if transported to this plane, could probably crush the top experts here without breaking a sweat.
So Jiang Chen had that confidence. He wasn't lost or confused.
"Last time during my enlightenment, I came to understand that the so-called Twelve Meridians True Qi is actually a bridge—a process of transforming from mortal to spirit. The Spirit Realm is merely the first step in shedding one's mortality. To truly gain the power to command the Myriad Heavens Planes and reshape reincarnation... who knows how far that road still stretches..."
Jiang Chen knew all too well how long this martial path would be. Even though he had advantages others didn't, this was a journey that tolerated no carelessness whatsoever.
"I have memories from my past life—that's my edge. But the resources in this plane are clearly scarce. I need to leverage my advantages and gather the best resources this world has to offer, putting them to my own use."
Jiang Chen understood that the martial path was not only a battle against heaven, but also a battle against other people.
Resources were finite, but cultivators were born in endless succession. Infinite people competing for limited resources—some would become dragons, and some would turn to ashes.
As for his extortion just now, Jiang Chen had thought it through carefully.
Killing a small fry like Lü Wuji would only provide momentary satisfaction. In Jiang Chen's eyes, Lü Wuji was nothing more than a cockroach flailing about. If he wanted to kill him, there would be plenty of opportunities.
But the spiritual medicines he had squeezed out were something Jiang Chen desperately needed.
Breaking through to the Spirit Realm would require a process, and he needed certain aids to shorten the journey and avoid unnecessary detours.
"Young Master, that strange old man from Qingyang Valley is here again."
Just as Jiang Chen was deep in meditation, Xue Tong came to report.
Jiang Chen had already made return visits to both the Qianlan Southern Palace and the Duobao Dojo. As for the old man Fei from Qingyang Valley, Jiang Chen had deliberately left him hanging, making the old man grow anxious.
Jiang Chen had read the old man's psychology perfectly. He intended to tame this old fellow, so he'd been stringing him along, letting him come of his own accord.
"Jiang Chen, you brat—you're really something, aren't you? Tell me, old man Fei, did I show loyalty or not? I went and got into a fallout with Shangguan Yi over your affairs. And what do you do? All these days, and you can't even give this old man an explanation. It's infuriating, absolutely infuriating!"
The eccentric old man was gulping down tea by the mouthful while grumbling, his shifty eyes darting at Jiang Chen with a cunning glint.
"Elder Fei, you can't blame me for that. You know perfectly well I just arrived at the Royal Capital. All sorts of troublesome messes have been piling up in my face. Look at this last business—if you hadn't stepped in, whether I could have gotten out of the Black Prison Area of the Dragon Tooth Guard at all would have been questionable."
These were words Elder Fei loved to hear. He gave a smug chuckle, then seemed to remember he was supposed to be here in protest and that maybe he should look more serious?
He immediately put on a stern expression. "Jiang Chen, last time you told me to come find you at the Royal Capital, and here I am. So about that matter—how are you planning to handle it?"
"Old man, do you have any idea how terrible your acting is? Drop the whole brooding act—that's a real skill, and it's not something you can pull off."
Elder Fei rolled his eyes and slouched back in his chair with his legs spread wide. "Anyway, if you don't give me a proper answer today, this old man is crashing at your place. From now on, I'll eat your food, sleep in your bed. You go to the latrine, I'm following. You go find a woman, I'm right there too. I've made up my mind to stick to you like glue."
Jiang Chen was speechless. When it came to brooding, this old eccentric was hopeless. But when it came to shamelessness? He was an absolute master.
"Old man, are you really going to be that ruthless?"
"Heh heh—thin skin, empty belly; thick skin, full belly. This old man may not have many skills, but I've got plenty of thick skin." The old man wore it not as a shame, but as a badge of pride.