Chapter 91: Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters

“What a guy, no wonder he was so fearless. He was pulling tricks on me all along.”

Chen Xiyi looked at the talisman in his hand inside the fox grave mound and felt a mix of amusement and frustration.

One hundred meters below the fox grave mound was his Underground Shelter, equipped not only with tables, chairs, and benches but also various facilities like a kitchen, workshop, Laboratory, and more.

It was a secret resurrection point he had built earlier, left behind before going to the town. And now, it came in handy.

Not only here, but there was also one five hundred meters below Cheng Zhen’s Manor, secretly constructed when Cheng Zhen and his companion went to check the Feng Shui for the wealthy merchant surnamed Wang.

With sufficient resources, he naturally spared no expense on the Shelter’s facilities.

Thanks to the Home Protector, he could now freely teleport between these two Shelters.

Although the two Shelters were relatively close, having an extra one offered a greater sense of security.

The talisman in his hand, called the White Cloud Ascension Talisman, served as the key to open the cloud-patterned Wooden Crate given to him by Cheng Zhen. Without this talisman, the crate couldn’t be opened, and forcing it would cause the crate to self-destruct, destroying all the inheritances inside.

Cheng Zhen had given him the White Cloud Ascension Talisman only when he saw that Chen Xiyi had no ill intentions as he turned to leave.

But Chen Xiyi had taken the talisman with a look that said, “Are you crazy?” and then decisively made his escape.

He felt somewhat relieved that he hadn’t considered killing and robbing Cheng Zhen; otherwise, he would have fallen into a trap.

Though the talisman appeared to be a talisman, it was essentially a Ritual Implement. If Chen Xiyi had attacked and Cheng Zhen died, the White Cloud Ascension Talisman would have self-destructed, leaving him unable to open the Wooden Crate.

The Wooden Crate itself was also a Ritual Implement—a storage one.

Using the White Cloud Ascension Talisman, Chen Xiyi opened the crate. Despite its small appearance, the interior was the size of a hundred square meters, filled with neat bookshelves.

“Wow, Cheng Zhen is really stubborn. I meant for him to make a copy for me, but he actually sold me the original.”

It was then that Chen Xiyi understood the weight of the gold.

His intention had been for Cheng Zhen to transcribe a copy for him, but unexpectedly, the other party had sold him the actual inheritance.

“No wonder he was so cautious and even used a Ritual Implement to store it.”

Now Chen Xiyi realized why Cheng Zhen had been so displeased with him. It turned out they had both misunderstood each other’s intentions.

Originally, he had only dug up Cheng Zhen’s ancestral grave and discussed his ancestors’ osteoporosis issues. But now, not only had he discussed it, but he also had to dance on the grave afterward.

Cheng Zhen’s subsequent attitude toward Chen Xiyi was predictable.

Picking up a classic text, Chen Xiyi flipped through it before putting it back. He was pondering something.

What would happen if he placed the Wooden Crate and the White Cloud Ascension Talisman into his Inventory?

After all, this was the first set of usable Ritual Implements he had obtained. The Ancient Compass didn’t count, as it had already been enlightened and communicated into a Fairy/Spirit.

These two also had a bit of Spirituality, but it was incomplete, likely due to insufficient Time. They could be enlightened, and it might even complete a bond, but the bond definitely wouldn’t be top-tier, so Chen Xiyi lost interest in enlightening them.

Placing the two Ritual Implements into the Wooden Crate, Chen Xiyi took out his Alloy Pickaxe and struck the crate.

[You used the Alloy Pickaxe to deal 1 point of Durability damage to the Wooden Crate]

[You obtained: 1 Wooden Plank, Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters]

“???”

Chen Xiyi looked at the items he obtained with a face full of black lines. Why was one item missing?

[Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters]

That was it—just four words, without even an explanation. It was ridiculously unfair.

He clicked to try using it and found that it had turned into a selection interface, with a long row of books displayed.

“Darn, it changed from a physical book to an e-book. Wait, I think I lost out.”

After all, the crate originally had a hundred square meters of space, but after turning into an e-book, that space was gone too.

He had lost out tremendously.

“So, the Homestead System doesn’t support external storage space items? It requires corresponding Modules or Fairy/Spirit to unlock?”

Chen Xiyi’s face grew long. He didn’t mind not gaining, but he absolutely couldn’t stand losing.

After sulking for a minute, Chen Xiyi finally recovered.

“It’s fine, it’s just a storage crate. Even if I don’t put it in my Inventory, I can’t carry it around with me anyway. Besides, I don’t lack that little space.” Chen Xiyi comforted himself verbally but still felt he had suffered a huge loss.

Lying in bed, he browsed the table of contents of the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters. Admittedly, turning it into an e-book made things much more convenient, at least allowing for clearer viewing.

“《Youthful Journey》? Seems to be the founder of this lineage.”

Chen Xiyi clicked on the book titled “Youthful Journey.” It contained various strange tales and knowledge related to Qi Refiners, often explained in the context of regional characteristics.

It was more like a geographical and customs record than a travelogue. After becoming a Qi Refiner, the founder settled down and passed on the Dragon-Settling lineage.

The main principle of Dragon-Settling focused on Yang Qi, stabilizing Human Qi and transforming it into a great dragon. By refining this Qi Mechanism, one could nurture a Primordial Spirit and become a Qi Refiner.

At that point, one could more easily control special Qi Mechanisms like Feng Shui, clouds, and mist. Those with good talent could even gain Innate Divine Abilities, such as summoning clouds and rain, or commanding wind, thunder, water, and fire—essentially becoming a human-shaped dragon.

In other words, it increased affinity with Qi Mechanisms like Feng Shui, clouds, and mist.

This was the benefit of having an inheritance. Chen Xiyi’s Primordial Spirit, cultivated through the generic method in the Book of Changes, was just an ordinary Primordial Spirit without any additional enhancements.

In contrast, the Dragon-Settling Primordial Spirit took the form of a divine being with a dragon’s head and a human body from the start. Unlike Chen Xiyi, whose formless Primordial Spirit still lacked a defined shape.

There was a gap in Qi Commanding, and the disparity was even greater in Spirit Wandering.

The Dragon-Settling Primordial Spirit could wander without needing shaping—it only required reaching a certain level of growth. On the other hand, Chen Xiyi’s formless, blank Primordial Spirit needed shaping first; otherwise, leaving the body directly would harm the Primordial Spirit.

It was like having a character with all skills maxed out, needing only to level up, while Chen Xiyi not only had to level up but also learn skills, grind proficiency, and more.

Chen Xiyi had nothing to say about it. After all, their ancestors had explored and struggled to attain this. How could a Rogue Cultivator like him compare?

He didn’t exactly regret it. Although there was a significant gap, it wasn’t irreparable.

Chen Xiyi knew his limits. Having one Module was already pretty good, and it wasn’t like he couldn’t level up. Besides, wasn’t it better to forge his own path?

Why wish for the impossible?