Could anyone even imagine it?

Here in the Spirit Herb Hall of the Divine Flame Emperor Palace's Red King Palace, a Great Saint-level Elder was fawning over a newly admitted Novice disciple at the mere Qi Gathering realm, his face plastered with sycophantic flattery.

Had he not experienced it himself, Chu Chen would never have dared to dream up such a scene.

A Great Saint-level powerhouse was a mighty figure who had comprehended the Laws of Space, a supreme expert capable of tearing the void with bare hands and performing spatial teleportation.

Meanwhile, a Qi Gathering cultivator was nothing but a weakling who had just stepped onto the path of Cultivation, barely learning to absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

It was no exaggeration to say that if a Great Saint wished to deal with a Qi Gathering junior, a mere wave of their hand would summon terrifying spatial forces to crush them from all directions.

In a single breath, tens of thousands-even hundreds of thousands-of Qi Gathering cultivators could be ground into meat paste and utterly annihilated.

The two were simply not on the same level; calling it the difference between the highest clouds and the lowest mud was an understatement.

Yet now...

Looking at Elder Zheng Zhi's fawning expression, clearly terrified that Chu Chen wouldn't give him face, Chu Chen took a deep breath, reached out to pat Zheng Zhi on the shoulder, and gave him a thumbs-up.

A Junior, a disciple, a young upstart.

It was an incredibly disrespectful gesture, yet Zheng Zhi beamed with joy.

From this, Chu Chen understood a profound truth. Cultivation, what exactly was Cultivation?

Beyond "Wealth, Companions, Methods, and Land," it ultimately boiled down to worldly wisdom and social connections.

With a powerful background and someone backing you, everything truly flowed as smoothly as water.

Thinking back to his past life, he, Chu Chen, had clearly been the number one Cultivation genius of the Desolate Ancient Continent. He had possessed a Top Grade Full-Attribute Full Spiritual Root and the Chaos God Physique, the absolute zenith of the Desolate Ancient Continent's Ten Great Divine and Saint Physiques...

Yet he had ended up humiliated and tormented to death by the Ye family. He had endured their abuse, bleeding himself dry until his dying breath to refine Chaos Blood Pills for the Ye family, aiding their Cultivation and breakthroughs.

His mind had truly been clouded by foolish devotion. How utterly pathetic!!

"Youwei, since Elder Zheng is offering such profound kindness, let's..."

Glancing at Yu Youwei beside him, whose face was filled with shock and a hint of restraint, Chu Chen waved his hand and said casually,

"Do not refuse him. Take whatever our Chaos Peak can use."

Zheng Zhi quickly nodded in agreement. He didn't display the slightest air of a Great Saint or an Elder; in fact, he was even more attentive than the servants of Chaos Peak.

"Exactly! Lord Chu Chen and I hit it off the moment we met. We are kindred spirits."

"If you act like strangers now, wouldn't that chill this old man's heart?"

It had to be said, there was a very good reason Zheng Zhi had secured his current position.

"In that case, Youwei thanks the Elder on behalf of my Master."

Having received Chu Chen's approval, Yu Youwei broke into a radiant smile. She bowed gracefully to Chu Chen and Zheng Zhi before turning cheerfully to select the Spirit Grass seeds.

After the battle outside the Spirit Herb Hall, Yu Youwei seemed to have brightened considerably. She no longer wore a veil to conceal her face, instead allowing the vicious scar that ran from her ear to her nose to remain exposed.

Strangely enough, what was originally a terrifying wound didn't seem so frightening when paired with Yu Youwei's gentle smile.

In fact, set against her beautiful features and aloof temperament, it presented a kind of tragic, broken beauty.

This wasn't just Chu Chen's imagination; when Yu Youwei bowed and smiled, even Elder Zheng Zhi beside him was momentarily entranced.

Before long, Yu Youwei had selected a full seven large bags of Spirit Grass seeds and presented them to the two men.

"Master, Elder, Youwei has finished selecting the Spirit Grass seeds."

Before Chu Chen could speak, Elder Zheng Zhi waved his hand. His spiritual power instantly lifted the seven bags of Spirit Grass seeds from Yu Youwei's hands, and he examined them carefully.

"Hmm, Blazing Fire Grass, Geng Metal Flower, Profound Moon Green Vine, Blue Wave Cold Water Fruit, and Yellow Essence Earth Dragon."

"Lord Chu Chen, you possess a Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root. Your maidservant has chosen Spirit Grasses containing all five elements. Not bad, not bad at all. Very thoughtful."

But after examining these five bags, Zheng Zhi looked puzzled at the remaining two, frowning slightly.

"But these Wind Spirit Fruits and Thunder Light Flowers contain Wind and Thunder attribute Spiritual Qi. They don't match Lord Chu Chen's Spiritual Root. This..."

When Spirit Plants and Spirit Grasses were planted within a cultivation ground, besides being harvested and consumed upon maturity, they served another, far more important purpose.

As these Spirit Grasses and Spirit Plants grew, they constantly absorbed and gathered specific attributes of Spiritual Qi from the surrounding world. Over time, this caused the Spiritual Qi within the entire cultivation ground to far exceed that of the outside world, greatly benefiting a cultivator's training.

For example, if a Fire attribute cultivator planted a large number of Blazing Fire Grasses in his cultivation ground, the Fire attribute Spiritual Qi there would definitely be much denser than outside.

For a Fire attribute cultivator, their training would naturally yield twice the result with half the effort.

But if a Fire attribute cultivator planted a large number of Blue Wave Cold Water Fruits-which contained Water attribute Spiritual Qi-in his cultivation ground, it would be counterproductive. When absorbing Spiritual Qi, he would have to actively strip away the Water attribute energy just to find the Fire attribute Spiritual Qi suitable for his Spiritual Root.

It had to be understood that for a cultivator, it wasn't about absorbing as much Spiritual Qi as possible, but about finding the Spiritual Qi that perfectly matched one's own Spiritual Root.

If a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root were to absorb Water attribute Spiritual Qi day and night, not only would their Cultivation speed be severely suppressed, but over time, they would face the imminent danger of Qi Deviation and exploding to death.

This was precisely why the more Spiritual Roots one possessed, the faster their Cultivation progressed and the easier it was to break through realms.

Chu Chen publicly claimed to have a Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root, but in reality, he possessed a Top Grade Full-Attribute Full Spiritual Root. This meant he could absorb any attribute of Spiritual Qi without needing to strip specific attributes from the world.

"Lord Chu Chen, it is not that this old man is stingy, but planting these Wind Spirit Fruits and Thunder Light Flowers in your cultivation ground would be of no benefit to your training. On the contrary, it would..."

Before Elder Zheng Zhi could finish, Chu Chen waved his hand, stuffing all seven bags of Spirit Grass seeds floating in mid-air into Yu Youwei's arms, leaving only a single sentence:

"Whether they are useful or not, as long as my maidservant likes them, we'll take them all!"

Though he spoke casually, Chu Chen's eyes were filled with suspicion as he looked at Yu Youwei.

The secret of his Top Grade Full-Attribute Full Spiritual Root was unknown to anyone in the Red King Palace, let alone the entire Divine Flame Emperor Palace. Even Empress Lin Shuwang was unaware.

This Yu Youwei was clearly just an ordinary mortal, yet she had accurately selected Spirit Grasses encompassing seven different Spiritual Qi attributes. This...

Was it a mere coincidence, or was there a hidden secret?

"Lord Chu Chen, what are you saying? If you want them, then naturally, take them!"

Zheng Zhi was greatly alarmed. To prove he wasn't being stingy, he pulled another bag of Spirit Ginseng seeds-brimming with vast blood vitality-from his robes and stuffed it into Yu Youwei's hands.

"Consider these Spirit Ginseng seeds a token of respect from this old man to Lord Chu Chen."

Only then did Chu Chen nod in satisfaction. He patted Zheng Zhi on the shoulder, turned around, and led Yu Youwei out of the Spirit Herb Hall.

After leaving the Spirit Herb Hall, Chu Chen didn't immediately press Yu Youwei for answers. Instead, he headed toward the Spirit Object Pavilion, where the Red King Palace sold heavenly and earthly spiritual items.

Besides finding Yu Youwei, his other purpose for this trip was to visit the Spirit Object Pavilion to purchase spiritual items containing the four elemental attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, and Earth. He needed to absorb them to break through to the Essence Condensation Realm.

As for Fire attribute Spiritual Qi, because he had secretly eaten the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit that Palace Master Bai Yu had gifted to the Empress, his body already possessed more than enough Fire attribute energy for a breakthrough. Furthermore, the excess Fire attribute Spiritual Qi had been absorbed by the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar and refined into Fire Pills for future use.

The Spirit Herb Hall was exclusively for selling Spirit Grass seeds, while the Spirit Object Pavilion specialized in selling heavenly and earthly spiritual items containing various attributes of Spiritual Qi.

Seeds were naturally cheaper, while mature spiritual items were naturally far more expensive.

After all, once Spirit Grass seeds were planted, they required meticulous cultivation and couldn't be harvested until they reached maturity. Time was the most precious resource in this world, something no amount of Spirit Stones could buy.

The rarer and more precious the spiritual item, the longer it took to grow.

"Lord Chu Chen, this old man is Sun Shuo, the Pavilion Master of the Spirit Object Pavilion."

Chu Chen was now an undisputed celebrity in the Red King Palace. Wherever he went, large crowds of disciples would gather and follow him. Thus, the moment he led Yu Youwei into the Spirit Object Pavilion, Pavilion Master Sun Shuo immediately came forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master Sun!"

Chu Chen didn't put on airs either. He cupped his hands in salute, returning the greeting.

This Sun Shuo was also a Saint-level powerhouse, his strength even greater than Zheng Zhi's. He was presumably another Elder of the Red King Palace.

"Lord Chu Chen, this old man doesn't have the deep pockets of that old fellow Zheng Zhi. After all, Spirit Grass seeds aren't worth much."

"But I will say this: anything in the entire Spirit Object Pavilion that catches Lord Chu Chen's eye, I will sell to you at cost price. That generally amounts to a fifty percent discount off the retail price."

"Lord Chu Chen, please do not think this old man is stingy. After all, the Spirit Object Pavilion is not mine alone."

Chu Chen nodded. He knew that a fifty percent discount was already unprecedented in the Red King Palace.

If these spiritual items were given away for free like the Spirit Grass seeds, then given his nature, he would have taken them! Taken them all!!

Even if he couldn't use them himself, he could flip them to others and make a massive profit.

If that happened, the other disciples would have nothing left to use, and the entire Red King Palace would likely grind to a halt.

Presumably, Qi Lao'er had considered this aspect but still needed to ensure Chu Chen's Cultivation resources, which was why he had established this rule.

"Youwei, go and choose!"

At his wave, Yu Youwei nodded in acknowledgment. She bowed gracefully and then began selecting spiritual items containing the power of the Five Elements for Chu Chen.

Chu Chen found that this woman, Yu Youwei, possessed an exquisite, perceptive heart. Not only was she meticulous, but she was also exceptionally skilled at discerning his intentions.

Having her around saved him a great deal of trouble and prevented him from exposing his secrets in front of others.

Before long, Yu Youwei had selected six spiritual items, containing the attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind respectively.

Chu Chen didn't need the Fire attribute spiritual item for now, but once the Fire Pills in the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar were exhausted, he would need more.

Therefore, when it came to spiritual items, the more the merrier. Chu Chen didn't reveal his true thoughts.

Spiritual items containing the power of the Five Elements were the most common, while those outside the Five Elements were relatively scarce. He hadn't expected to find a Wind attribute spiritual item at the Spirit Object Pavilion today. It was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

"Lord Chu Chen, the five spiritual items containing the power of the Five Elements cost one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones, and this Wind attribute spiritual item also costs one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones. That is two thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones in total."

Although also an Elder of the Red King Palace, Sun Shuo was much more composed than Zheng Zhi. He was polite to Chu Chen, but far from groveling, and he spoke concisely.

This, on the contrary, earned Chu Chen's respect.

"After the fifty percent discount, it comes to exactly one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones. What do you think..."

Chu Chen didn't waste words. He brushed his Storage Ring, and one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones cascaded onto the counter, drawing exclamations of shock from the surrounding disciples.

Spending one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones in a single breath-such immense wealth might not make him the absolute richest among the Red King Palace disciples, but he certainly ranked near the top.

Little did they know, these Spirit Stones had all been gifted to Chu Chen by Qi Lao'er when he accepted him as a disciple.

After purchasing what he needed, Chu Chen originally intended to visit the Technique Hall, Dharma Treasure Pavilion, and other locations. But looking at the spiritual items he had just bought, he felt an unbearable itch to cultivate.

With his supreme aptitude, as long as he absorbed and refined these spiritual items, he could break through to the Essence Condensation Realm in an instant.

In the face of a realm breakthrough, so-called Dharma Treasures and techniques were merely external possessions.

Only one's own intrinsic strength was fundamental.

Moreover, only by breaking through to the Essence Condensation Realm could he better cultivate techniques and refine Dharma Treasures.

"Youwei, we return to Chaos Peak."

"Yes, Master!"

......

When the two reached the foot of Chaos Peak, looking up at the towering summit that pierced the clouds, Chu Chen shifted his thoughts and instantly connected with the Heaven-Sealing Formation.

Vast spiritual power surged upward. Borrowing the power of the Formation, Chu Chen waved his hand. Amidst Yu Youwei's startled cry, the two were lifted by the spiritual power and soared into the sky.

In an instant, they arrived at the summit of the peak.

"I am entering Secluded Cultivation. If Zhang San and the others arrive, have them wait outside the secret chamber!"

"Yes, Master!"

Leaving behind those words, Chu Chen took the six spiritual items handed to him by Yu Youwei. Filled with anticipation, he entered the secret chamber and sealed the heavy stone door behind him.

When this stone door opened again, he, Chu Chen, would be an Essence Condensation Realm powerhouse.

Such a terrifying Cultivation speed would shatter every known record on the Desolate Ancient Continent.

And why did he want Zhang San and the others to wait outside the secret chamber?

The corners of Chu Chen's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was both ferocious and terrifying.

He looked like a demon crawling up from the depths of the abyss into the mortal realm.

Hehehe~