Chapter Ten

  The Upper Clear Gate is a major sect of Daoism, with numerous branches and a reputation that lives up to its name. Without mentioning the tens of millions of practitioners in this vast territory spanning thousands of miles, the scenery and spiritual practices are diverse and unique everywhere; the grandeur of the Great Way commands respect from all. Even this humble marketplace is extraordinary. All sorts of rare and precious treasures, spiritual materials, elixirs, and divine medicines can be found here, almost everything one could want. However, high-grade spiritual practitioners require rare and expensive items, many desire to buy but few dare to, and even fewer are able to afford them! On the other hand, shops selling lower-grade spiritual items for ordinary practitioners are always crowded with customers. There are not only in-house practitioners but also wandering cultivators from other sects. Therefore, the Daoist marketplace often has inns, wine houses, and tea houses. The architecture of these buildings is also extraordinary, with towers reaching hundreds of feet high and pavilions covering hundreds of acres, intricately carved railings, painted beams, flying eaves, and engraved walls, their design and construction are so ingenious that they leave one in awe.

  Jin Chan'er transformed into a middle-aged man and entered the high-end store. The store's staff were all powerful cultivators, and even the servants were at the peak of their cultivation. The customers were treated with courtesy, and the store did not make any exaggerated claims about its products. Transactions were conducted quietly, without any loud noise. Jin Chan'er walked into a magnificent building with stone steps, bronze pillars, and golden tiles. Above the entrance was a silver plaque with the words "Bai Zhen Lou" written in gold. The handwriting was elegant and refined. Inside the store, the first floor had a large hall made of precious wood, with goods that were not particularly expensive but still rare and valuable. The staff on this floor saw that Jin Chan'er was no ordinary person and welcomed him with a bow, but did not speak. Jin Chan'er released a strand of spiritual energy to scan the area, but found nothing useful, so he walked up to the second floor. On the second floor, the decorations changed again. The floor was made of white jade, the walls were made of ancient wood, and silver shelves held golden boxes with mystical symbols and seals that shone with a soft light. Jin Chan'er tried to use his spiritual energy to probe the contents of the boxes, but was blocked by the seal's power. In a corner of the hall, a cultivator sat in meditation, also not speaking. Jin Chan'er greeted him with a question:

  "Fellow immortal, I'm making my move!"

  "Oh! I dare not! Does the immortal have a buyer?"

  "I just bought one message!"

  "Oh!" The assembly of practitioners asked in surprise:

  "What news does the immortal want to buy?"

  "Is there an immortal's method to calm the soul, refine the spirit and recreate the physical body?"

  "Hmm!"

  The cultivator who was gathering spiritual energy looked at Jin Chan'er with a glance, and after a moment of contemplation, said:

  "I suppose the Upper Immortal has gone to some other immortal realm, and his soul remains here! If he wants to recreate a physical body, it's not impossible, but only those with extraordinary powers beyond the ordinary world can do so."

  "I just want one message!"

  "Hmm! This......"

  Jin Chan'er waved her hand, and a pile of silver appeared on the case in front of the cultivator, totaling five thousand taels.

  "Immortal guest is too polite! A mere piece of news, how dare I accept such a large sum of silver?"

  The cultivator spoke as he swept his sleeve, and the silver pattern disappeared instantly. Alas! The world's ways have changed, people's hearts are no longer ancient. With gold and silver as their mother, where is morality?

  "Can the Supreme Immortal hear about the mysterious scriptures of the realm, 'The Ancient Xian Techniques Record'? My sect's ancestors once said that this was written by a great wise man of the near ancient era, and the collected secret methods and immortal techniques are all astonishing and shocking to the world! Inside, there is even the technique for rebirth of the physical body."

  "Where is this book now?"

  Jin Chan'er's heart tightened, and she asked with joy:

  "This book is actually stored in the library of our Upper Clarity Sect!"

  "Oh, thank you so much!"

  Jin Chan'er finished speaking, turned around and left. The cultivators who were gathered there showed a cold smile on their faces, weighed the silver in their sleeves, and continued to meditate as before, as if no other cultivator had ever visited this shop. And Jin Chan'er also had a smile on her face when she came out of the door.

  "Otherwise, when can we find this treasure trove of books that is as vast as a sea of smoke?"

  He felt greatly relieved and went towards the immortal's residence.

  Three or five days later, Jin Chan'er suddenly went to the library to find Wu Changcai. When she arrived at the library, she was stopped by a practitioner.

  "Big brother, I've come to find Wu Changcai, Wu big brother. Would you mind passing on a message for me?"

  Jin Chan'er said with a smile. The cultivator had never seen such a beautiful female cultivator before, and he stared blankly for half a moment before coming back to his senses. Jin Chan'er just covered her mouth and smiled.

  "Looking for Brother Wu? Oh, he's inside collecting rare books and scriptures. I'll go find him for you, Sister."

  The monk turned his head and took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back.

  "How can I tell Wu Shixiong?"

  "Tell Shifu's senior brother that it is Jin Chan'er's junior sister who has come to look for him!"

  "Oh, Jin Chan'er, my junior sister!"

  That man quietly went to look for Wu Changcai.

  Jin Chan'er carefully observed the treasure trove of books from this Daoist sect and indeed it was extraordinary. There were dozens of buildings, tall and short, scattered about, some majestic, some elegant, some grand, and some small and delicate. The taller ones reached over a hundred feet, looking like precarious towers, while the shorter ones were only a few dozen feet high. Yet, despite their differences, the various buildings did not give off an awkward feeling, but rather complemented each other, blending harmoniously together. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the layout of the buildings corresponded to the eight trigrams, and a faint aura of spiritual energy seemed to emanate from them. Just as Jin Chan'er was about to test the formation with her magic, Wu Changcai came running over, looking excited.

  "My junior fellow disciple has come to visit, I apologize for not going far to welcome you, please forgive me!"

  "Senior brother is too polite! How dare little sister accept!"

  Jin Chan'er smiled and said. Then he extinguished this heart, followed Wu Shixiong to the place where the book was hidden. When they arrived at the front of the array, Wu Changcai held a token in his hand, an ancient, simple, ink-colored jade, with one side carved with cloud patterns and beast shadows, which was a black turtle, and the other side had the four characters "Great Tao's subtle words". This kind of text has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, and now people who can recognize it are very rare. Wu Changcai muttered to himself, but saw that outside the place where the book was hidden, golden light flashed, and suddenly a pavilion appeared, with the token in his hand making a soft humming sound, and a beam of golden light shot out, hitting the eight trigrams and two fish on the doorframe of the pavilion. The two fish swam around, and below the pavilion, a mysterious divine light suddenly appeared, transforming into a door.

  "Please, junior sister!"

  "Thank you, Master Wu!"

  "Junior sister is being polite!"

  Jin Chan'er walked in while speaking, only releasing a wisp of spiritual energy to sense this grand formation. The rolling divine power surged and actually worked. In her heart, she secretly felt shocked, "This formation's powerful might can't stop me, but breaking it will surely be a grand spectacle, startling the old fogies within the Upper Clear Skies Gate, then obtaining the book will become difficult indeed!"

  "Sister, this is a crucial place for our sect, with many precious scriptures and treasured scrolls. That's why our great ancestors created this formation to guard it. The power of this formation is such that even those who have entered the path cannot escape, nor can they resist the harmony of yin and yang!"

  "Exactly as expected!"

  Jin Chan'er praised and said:

  "Those who cultivate within are all loyal and dedicated individuals, carefully selected from among thousands and tens of thousands, with extraordinary skills."

  Wu Changcai said with great satisfaction.

  "Big brother's skills are at their peak at such a young age, almost solidifying his foundation. It makes me feel ashamed, I hope big brother will continue to guide me in the future!"

  "It's nothing, sister, I won't let you down, I will do my best."

  Wu Changcai was overjoyed.

  As soon as they entered the grand hall, a screen stood facing the door. On it was painted a vivid portrait of a Taoist immortal. The immortal's demeanor and bearing were so lifelike that he seemed to be standing right there in the painting. Jin Chan'er gazed at the painting of the immortal with an expression of surprise, as if she wanted to ask where he came from. But before she could even think about it, she was shocked by the realization that there were many powerful practitioners in the mortal world! Therefore, her expression gradually turned into one of reverence.

  As soon as Wu Changcai arrived at the gate, the library came into view. Inside, it was hundreds of feet wide and had a nine-story building with bookshelves stretching up layer upon layer. The number of books is unknown!

  "Ah! Elder brother, this mountain of books, how can one take just one volume?" Jin Chan'er asked with a pretended air of curiosity.

  "Each floor has a catalog of books, categorized by subject, if you want to find a certain book, just look at the catalog, then follow the location indicated and take it, very convenient."

  "Oh, senior brother, may I give it a try?"

  "Nothing is impossible! Please, young mistress!"

  Then Jin Chan'er first read the catalog of each layer. With her strong memory, although it seemed like a messy flip, she had already finished reading the catalog of all layers. Naturally, there were those that interested her greatly, but the secret book called "Ancient Immortal Techniques Record" was only on the sixth floor of this building. She pretended to browse through several other Taoist books before taking out "Ancient Immortal Techniques Record", carefully memorizing it in her heart. As night fell, she returned and sat in contemplation at the Xianju Inn.