I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 269: Material Issues, The Celestial Venerable Arrives

After leaving Venerable Zi Yun’s estate, Shen Xian received a message from Zhao Wuchen confirming that the lease for the Profound Fire Cave had been secured.

Rather than returning to the Leisure Cloud Abode, Shen Xian headed straight for the Artisan’s Workshop district.

His walk through the streets was markedly different from his first arrival. Cultivators stepped aside, bowing respectfully.

“Master Wang!” A Fourth-Rank refiner stopped and cupped his fists deep. “Your display of the ‘Nine Flames in One Furnace’ at the Chamber banquet was legendary! This junior is in awe!”

Shen Xian nodded politely and continued walking.

Further down the street, a group of young apprentices spotted him. They went silent, awe-struck, until one bold youth shouted, “Master Wang! Are… are you accepting disciples?”

They knew he had already taken four Fourth-Rank disciples. If he could raise them, imagine what he could do for raw talent!

Shen Xian paused.

Building a sect was part of the plan, but not yet. He needed stability first.

“I will,” Shen Xian said, his voice carrying clearly. “But not today. Wait until my workshop is open.”

The apprentices cheered. “We will wait, Master!”

Shen Xian smiled faintly. Reputation was indeed the most powerful currency in the cultivation world. A few days ago, he was a nobody. Now, he was a celebrity.

He arrived at the stone mountain on the edge of the district.

The Profound Fire Cave sat halfway up the slope. The array patterns carved into the rock face were eroded and cracked, leaking chaotic fire qi that distorted the air.

Shen Xian stood before the entrance, his eyes glowing with spiritual light.

“Let’s see the damage.”

He touched his brow. A thread of Divine Sense extended, snaking into the broken runes.

In his mind’s eye, the chaotic scribbles resolved into a broken schematic.

It’s a variant of the ‘Nine Revolutions Earth Fire Formation’, Shen Xian analyzed. But the original architect was sloppy. The energy channels are unbalanced.

He raised a hand and traced a golden rune in the air. The floating sigil resonated with the wall, projecting a holographic blueprint of the array.

If I force a repair, the pressure will blow the mountain apart. I need to fix the core.

He pushed his Divine Sense deeper, following the ley lines into the heart of the mountain.

ROAR!

A violent surge of fire qi lashed out, striking his mind like a physical blow.

“Hmph!”

Shen Xian snorted. The Li Fire True Seal between his brows flared. Inside his Dantian, his Nascent Soul opened its eyes and unleashed a wave of suppressive will.

The backlash shattered instantly.

Shen Xian withdrew his sense. He had his diagnosis.

To stabilize this mess, he needed three things:

Earth Core Fire Marrow: To act as a stabilizer for the magma flow.

Profound Dark Ice Iron: To harmonize the conflicting temperatures.

A Fifth-Rank Formation Plate: To serve as the new brain of the array.

Shen Xian frowned.

These were rare treasures. The first two were Fifth-Rank materials, difficult to find even in the Sacred City. And a Fifth-Rank Formation Plate? That was a strategic resource. Cultivators usually kept them as life-saving trump cards, not construction materials.

I can suppress it temporarily with the Burning Heaven Cauldron, but for a permanent fix… I need to spend money.

He sighed. He felt like a pauper again. Every Spirit Stone spent on the workshop was one less stone for his ticket to the Sky Dome Sacred Land.

But there is no choice. Without a workshop, I cannot earn. It’s an investment.

He turned to leave, planning to visit the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce to source the materials.

Suddenly, the world went still.

The noise of the street cut out. The wind died. The spiritual qi in the air froze solid.

Shen Xian looked up.

Above the Leisure Cloud Abode, the clouds were churning violently. A figure in dark robes descended from the sky.

It was an old man. He looked ordinary, but the space around him twisted and cracked with every step he took. Golden lotuses composed of pure Law bloomed beneath his feet, then shattered into void fissures.

“Void Refinement Domain!” a cultivator screamed, falling to his knees.

Around the old man, thousands of invisible sword shadows materialized, each one radiating enough power to kill a Soul Formation cultivator instantly. At his waist hung an ancient bronze mirror that reflected the images of nine heavenly palaces—a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.

The pressure was suffocating. Nascent Soul cultivators on the street vomited blood as their protective auras collapsed under the weight of the old man’s mere presence.

“The Wei Family Patriarch!” someone whispered in terror. “He’s here for revenge!”

Shen Xian narrowed his eyes.

This was Wei Tianshan. A Celestial Venerable.

The display of power was impressive. The old man wasn’t just walking; he was breathing in sync with the Heavenly Dao, causing the spiritual tides of the city to rise and fall with his chest.

But Shen Xian didn’t kneel. He stood straight, his expression calm.

If Wei Tianshan was stupid enough to attack him after he had visited Venerable Zi Yun, the Wei Family would have been destroyed long ago.

Wei Tianshan’s Divine Sense swept the area. He frowned when he saw Shen Xian standing unbowed. But as he recognized the face, his expression shifted.

The terrifying pressure evaporated instantly. The killing intent vanished.

Wei Tianshan landed softly, transforming from a god of destruction into a kindly grandfather in the blink of an eye.

“Young Friend Wang!” Wei Tianshan called out, hurrying over with a warm smile, his posture humble. “I was looking for you!”