Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Detailed Account of the Lower Realm

Chen Ansheng was not afraid.

He bowed to the young man, his usual submissive demeanor showing as he said, “Back to you, Master Wang. I found this black stone quite round and would like to take it back to play with, if that’s alright?”

The young man with the Wang surname shrugged slightly and grasped the air, making the black stone fall into his hand.

Chen Ansheng’s heart began to race.

This was a treasure he had dug up himself; could it really just be taken away by someone with the surname Wang?

Fortunately, the young man checked it with his celestial energy, and in his perception, it was just an ordinary stone, containing no celestial spirit energy.

“Hmph.”

The young man with the Wang surname glared at Chen Ansheng and tossed the stone onto Chen Ansheng’s chest.

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Chen Ansheng appeared calm on the surface, bending down to pick up the stone, but deep inside, he was overjoyed, repeatedly agreeing.

After the inspection, the crowd gradually left the mining area.

There were countless miners in the celestial realm, most working one month and resting the next, rotating their duties.

Typically, the amethyst mines deep underground were accompanied by poisonous energy; working there for years would take a toll on anyone.

Ordinary miners needed one month to purge the poisons from their bodies before they could continue working.

Leaving the mining area.

The sunlight was blinding, and the wilderness appeared desolate.

At such times, Chen Ansheng felt lost.

Without a fixed place to stay, once he left the mining area, he didn’t know where to go.

“I can’t tell if this is a real cross-boundary stone or if someone is playing a prank on me.”

Chen Ansheng thought to himself.

Then he shook his head and murmured to himself, “I dug this stone from the deepest mine; no one has ever been there before, so it’s unlikely someone is pranking me. I’ll find a secluded place to test it later.”

“Kid, what are you daydreaming about?”

At this moment, Li Zhengyang’s voice came.

Chen Ansheng turned around and smiled awkwardly, saying, “I have nowhere to go, so I thought I’d linger a bit. By the way, Brother Li, where are you going later? To meditate and purge the poison, or to do odd jobs?”

During this month of rest, some went home to reunite, some meditated to purge toxins, and others took the opportunity to do odd jobs to earn a few more celestial crystals.

Li Zhengyang walked over, speaking with swagger: “I’m no beast of burden, doing odd jobs? I’m going drinking!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ansheng wanted to inquire more about the lower realm, so he said, “Then I’ll treat you! I hope Brother Li will honor my invitation.”

Li Zhengyang looked at Chen Ansheng strangely: “What’s your scheme, kiddo? Why would you treat me to drinks out of nowhere?”

Chen Ansheng grinned, “I haven’t heard enough about your glory in the lower realm; I want to hear more stories about it.”

Li Zhengyang understood that this naïve kid likely wanted to hear tales of “Fox Third Miss” and “Lin Xian’er.” As he lamented having no one to drink with, and with a fool ready to pay for drinks, why not indulge?

“Let’s go!”

Li Zhengyang agreed readily.

The two of them went together to a small tavern outside the mining area.

With dishes and drinks prepared, Li Zhengyang downed three large bowls in quick succession.

“Pfft, pfft, pfft… dammit, if anyone in the lower realm dared to serve me this shitty wine, I’d skin them alive.”

While drinking hugely, Li Zhengyang began to complain.

“It can’t be that bad, Brother Li. I heard the lower realm lacks spiritual energy; no matter how bad the wine is, it can’t be worse than mortal wine,” Chen Ansheng opened the conversation.

“You know nothing.” Li Zhengyang shot him a glare, “Do you really think the lower realm is a place where birds wouldn’t defecate? That’s the case for low-level cultivators! If you’re at the peak, all the resources of the entire realm are at your disposal. There may be few good goods, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist!”

“That makes sense.” Chen Ansheng nodded and then asked, “Brother Li, you must have collected a lot of treasures in the lower realm. Can you show me some to broaden my horizons?”

Li Zhengyang wasn’t worried about Chen Ansheng having any ill intentions; he was at the sixth level of celestial cultivation with powerful martial arts and didn’t fear a young kid at the third level.

However, he did not agree, explaining, “There’s nothing worth seeing; anything valuable has long been sold out.”

Chen Ansheng’s eyes lit up; could things from the lower realm still be sold for a profit in the celestial realm?

So, he probed, “Are things from the lower realm not looked upon by many? How could they still sell for money?”

Li Zhengyang ripped off a leg of celestial goose and bit down, speaking muffled, “Kid, stop looking down on the lower realm all the time. Let me tell you, there are dozens of scarce alchemy and crafting materials in the celestial realm that can be found in the lower realm; those things are worth a lot.”

“Ai, it’s a pity that if I had known this back then, I could’ve brought tens of thousands of pounds up here, and I wouldn’t have to suffer through this crap!”

Chen Ansheng immediately became interested, asking, “No way, how could there be things in the lower realm that aren’t in the celestial realm? Brother Li, tell me more.”

“Hey, why are you so stubborn?” Seeing Chen Ansheng’s skeptical face, Li Zhengyang slowly stated, “For example, Blood Stone Sand, Poison Heart Grass, Savage Bull Horns, and Black Ice Water… These items are useless in the lower realm but are deemed treasures by alchemists and smiths in the higher realms. Isn’t that strange?”

Li Zhengyang rattled off dozens of names in one breath, and Chen Ansheng mentally noted them all.

In fact, it wasn’t just Li Zhengyang; every ascender would probably feel a sense of regret upon learning this.

After a few cups of wine, Li Zhengyang recalled his own misfortunes over the years and felt increasingly frustrated.

“If one day I could return to the lower realm, which beast would wish to ascend? Look at this plate of rotten veggies; it costs a celestial crystal! It’s practically robbery! Kid, do you know how much one celestial crystal is worth in the lower realm?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Hehe.” Li Zhengyang let out a bitter laugh and slowly pulled out a celestial crystal, saying, “This one celestial crystal is enough for you to buy a top-tier spirit mountain and ten maidens at or above the tribulation period. Do you understand its significance?”

Chen Ansheng’s head buzzed.

One celestial crystal had such a high value!

Over the years, Chen Ansheng had accumulated six thousand five hundred celestial crystals; if he spent them all in the lower realm, wouldn’t he be as rich as a sovereign?

“How can it be worth so much!” Chen Ansheng found it hard to believe.

“Foolish kid. As the saying goes, what is rare is valuable. Celestial crystals naturally are scarce in the lower realm, having been plundered countless times by those great lords of the celestial realm, all but vanishing. Moreover, it only takes ten crystals to help a peak Great Ascendance cultivator successfully pass tribulation and step into the celestial realm. Do you think it’s not worth the price?”

Li Zhengyang spoke the truth.

Throughout history, countless great ascenders had perished during their tribulation.

Ten celestial crystals meant securing a stable celestial position; such value wasn’t surprising.

“Worth it, definitely worth it!”

Knowing the reason, Chen Ansheng nodded affirmatively.

“Actually, none of this is important; it’s just a pity for my old brother’s ladies, like Lin Xian’er; that feeling is so much better than those women from Lingfeng Tower…”

Li Zhengyang began to tell tales of his romantic past in a disjointed manner.

Perhaps due to being slightly drunk, he was far more shameless than Chen Ansheng had anticipated.

After all, Chen Ansheng was a young and passionate boy, and listening to him made his blood surge, stirring restlessly.

“The lower realm is really that wonderful.”

As Li Zhengyang’s voice grew faint in his ears, Chen Ansheng fell into a series of beautiful daydreams.