After returning to the villa, Chen Chuan began sorting through the items he had brought back. Besides what he needed for his own cultivation, he had also picked up various goods and gifts for his acquaintances.
This time, he had brought wellness and health items for his aunt and uncle. Longyou Dao was rather well known for mild traditional health formulas and calming, mood-soothing incenses, both of which were highly sought after in the outside world.
He had originally planned to purchase some before leaving, but to his surprise, Longyou Dao had presented him with a generous supply of premium goods. On top of that, they had opened a long-distance purchasing channel for him; if he ever needed more, they would commission third parties to provide overland or air freight delivery.
Notably, Longyou Dao had conferred upon him the title of Temporary External Security Consultant. With this title, it was entirely aboveboard for corporations to provide him with dedicated shipping services, and in theory, he could enter and leave Longyou Dao's Center City at any time without filing advance notice.
Chen Chuan knew full well that Longyou Dao likely harbored deeper intentions. Having witnessed Jibei Dao successfully break free from the council's shackles, they had developed ideas of their own.
In truth, Longyou Dao was not alone; other Center Cities certainly entertained similar thoughts. That was precisely why the municipal councils of those cities had reacted so vehemently earlier—they feared setting off a chain reaction of imitation, especially with Jibei Dao standing before them as a successful precedent.
For the Government Affairs Hall, having the Skyline was exceedingly advantageous. Even from the perspective of certain global conglomerates and foreign corporations, they were not necessarily averse to seeing this unfold.
True, without the municipal council, they would lose a convenient mouthpiece. But once the Skyline Project succeeded, it would bring vastly more resources, a larger and more centralized market, accompanying advantages in information and transport, and lower operational costs—yielding seemingly far greater gains. As for whether this harmed the nation's interests, honestly speaking, those global conglomerates and foreign companies had no regard for such concerns.
After taking out the gifts for his aunt and uncle, Chen Chuan explained their uses in detail. Glancing at the two little ones waiting eagerly off to the side, he smiled and had a row of large crates wheeled in from outside.
This was a scale-model kit produced in Longyou Dao: a miniature timber-frame classical building scaled down to size. It had to be assembled piece by piece according to blueprints. The structure was actually quite substantial, spanning multiple stories. Once completed, children could easily fit inside, and it could be set up anywhere they chose.
All children dreamed of having a secret hideout of their own, and the chance to build it with their own hands was an irresistible temptation.
Beyond engaging their minds, it also offered good physical exercise—more than enough to burn off the two little ones' excess energy.
Sure enough, the moment Nian Mo and Nian Lu opened the crates, they burst into cheers. Spreading the exquisite hand-drawn blueprints across the floor, they sprawled on their stomachs, earnest little faces locked in deep discussion as they planned out the build, completely forgetting about the snacks beside them.
After chatting with his aunt and Nian Fuli about what he had seen and heard in Longyou Dao, Chen Chuan headed down to the storeroom. He had brought back quite a haul this time, and it required careful sorting and arrangement.
Among the items were gifts for others: ancient northern cult rituals dating back to the Middle Antiquity era recovered from the secret hoard, a vast collection of old Xuan Sect scriptures, and several highly unusual esoteric materials. He had already read through much of it on the journey back, and he planned to hand it over to Bureau Director Lei later.
The importance of esoteric rituals went without saying. By comparison, however, Jibei Dao's Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau held a relatively low status. The root cause was that the bureau suffered from deep internal problems, leaving its director in an awkward position—unable to participate directly in the security decision-making group and often relegated to the sidelines. But if Bureau Director Lei could resolve these internal issues during his tenure, another seat might well open up for him.
Chen Chuan inspected the items first, contacted Bureau Director Lei, and arranged personnel to deliver them to the designated location.
With that settled, the next matter was the gifts for Senior Cao.
From the hoard, he had picked out various classic texts and scrolls preserved since Emperor Gao's era. Beyond rubbed copies, there were unique copies and rare editions, totaling ten collector's scroll paintings, twenty volumes of zither scores and chess manuals, and over fifty volumes on horticulture, handicrafts, and diverse arts.
Quite a few of these works had remained locked away in the hoard since Middle Antiquity, unseen by the outside world; even emperors of subsequent dynasties had never laid eyes on them. Their value to collectors and artists was immense.
Given his position, it was improper for him to contact Senior Cao directly, as doing so might bring trouble to the man. Mailing the package directly to Senior Cao avoided all such complications.
He spent over an hour supervising the shipment. Afterward, he dismissed everyone, shut the heavy storeroom doors, and turned on the industrial bay lights overhead. The brilliant glare instantly flooded the space with intense illumination.
He personally pried open a large crate resting in the center, revealing the Lianshan branch nestled upon a porcelain base tray, still bearing its untouched mutated tissue and alchemy ingredients.
Technical experts in Longyou Dao had already appraised it for him. Just as he had surmised, most of what hung from the two Lianshan branches were alchemical substances and materials needed by practitioners pursuing the Visage of the Divine.
Because a fair portion could not be ingested directly, Longyou Dao had traded them for equivalent values in high-energy nutrients and foodstuffs.
Of what remained, he planned to set some aside for Mr. Zhuan, another portion for Mr. Mask, and he had also managed to prepare a share for Mr. Xue, which he would deliver in person when time permitted.
For now, the Lianshan branch would remain here until the planting site inside his villa was renovated, after which he would transplant it.
In addition, he had obtained a substantial sum of money, pharmaceuticals, and mutated weapons. The mutated weapons would serve as future rewards for his team members, while a portion of the funds and medicine would be channeled into the Purist Faction branch.
Chang Dong currently managed the branch's finances, bringing accounts every month or two for Chen Chuan to review, sign off on, and verify expenses. Aside from routine overhead, most funds were tied up in investments, leaving day-to-day operations rather tight and constraining the branch's growth.
He therefore decided to provide personal backing, instructing Chang Dong to acquire small blocks of corporate shares and secure fixed assets—such as basic martial arts gyms and commissioned agency firms. Developing the branch well would, in the eyes of higher-ups, naturally reflect his competence as branch director.
Taking several items from the Lianshan branch, he placed them into a briefcase and exited the storeroom.
Dusk had fallen. He ate dinner with his aunt and uncle, then descended alone into the underground meditation chamber.
He recalled the invitation from the Linax Federation that Qi Weizhao had mentioned earlier that day, as well as the traitor within the Purist Faction branch.
Handling either matter demanded formidable strength; reaching the realm of the Longevity View as soon as possible was his foremost priority.
Having returned from Longyou Dao, he had an abundance of ingredients and resources. Even if he consumed them without restraint, he wouldn't need to hunt in the hunting grounds until at least next January.
Furthermore, the esoteric transmission he had obtained from the secret hoard allowed him to temper his spirit visage even outside the fissure, ensuring no cultivation time was wasted. While this increased his body's energy expenditure, the ample material reserves he now possessed rendered that concern moot.
After drinking a warm brew infused with rust honey, he picked up the Xuejun Saber, slashed open a fissure with a single stroke, took his briefcase, and stepped inside. Once settled on the other side, a flash illuminated the center of his brow, and his colossal spirit visage manifested around him.
Following his clash with Yuwen Yuanqi, his spirit visage's strength had noticeably increased compared to before. That life-and-death battle had undeniably deepened his understanding and mastery of it.
Just as he prepared to begin his training, something caught his attention. Reaching inside his coat, he drew out the Body-Dwelling Pill and examined it. The pill pulsed faintly, drifting wisps of light outward as though guiding him toward something.
After a moment of contemplation, he put it away.
Perhaps something truly lay in that direction, but venturing deeper into the fissure was not in his current plans. Without sufficient strength, even self-preservation might prove difficult there.
Pulling the briefcase over, he popped it open to reveal the mutated tissues freshly harvested from the Lianshan branch.
These mutated tissues were primarily meant for alchemy, so without proper processing, they could seldom be ingested on their own.
Take the white sac resting in the top compartment of the briefcase, for instance. Known as "Susu," it appeared to be a single solid mass, but was actually aggregated through a specialized alchemical technique from the tongue tips of over a thousand golden finches, the blood of rare creatures, and a microscopic parasite.
Only in the old era could anyone afford such extravagance. Golden finch tongue tips possessed potent efficacy, leading to massive overhunting in the past, and they were now exceedingly rare. Although new species spawned continuously in the Melded Lands, they did not necessarily offer comparable value.
The potency of Susu was extraordinary. If taken without neutralizing herbs and foodstuffs, it could trigger aberrant, uncontrolled overgrowth of one's mutated tissue.
With modern techniques, commissioning someone to process and compound it would not be difficult, but doing so would make it easy for others to deduce his current cultivation progress.
Fortunately, he still had the Nine-Apertures Lotus Seeds. Consuming one alongside it completely eliminated the risk, enhancing the efficacy of his cultivation without any lingering worries.
Reaching down, he picked up the sac and peeled away the temporary biological membrane wrapping it. Instantly, an intense aroma permeated the space. Fortunately, a field exclusive to him had already formed here, preventing the scent from drawing anything unwanted from outside.
Lifting the substance to his mouth, he swallowed it down, then took out a lotus seed and ingested that as well.
In mere moments, his breathing grew slightly hurried, his blood coursed faster, and the mutated tissue across his body began to burn hot.
Chapter 970