Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Pathways crisscross and winding creeks flow, shrouded in mist against green hills brushed by nature's palette.

At the foot of the rolling mountains lay a village surrounded by a stream and fields.

In the midsummer bloom, the Spiritual Rice in the Spirit Fields grew lush, the verdant stalks rustling in the wind.

Farmers wearing bamboo hats labored in the fields, barefoot children laughed and ran along the ridges, while old oxen grazed by the riverbank, and somewhere a shepherd's flute sang its ancient song.

Wang Chen rode his gray donkey along the country path by the fields.

A gaggle of mischievous children followed, trying to catch the donkey's swishing tail.

But their prank was noticed by the gray donkey, which suddenly bolted forward, splattering the youngsters' faces with mud!

"Waah~"

The outsmarted kids immediately burst into tears.

Instantly, a burly, dark-skinned farmer leapt out, blocking the gray donkey's path, and glared at Wang Chen, "Stranger, this isn't the place for your wild antics!"

His bronzed skin stretched over brawny muscles that swelled with a menacing presence, as if ready to strike at a word.

Wang Chen patted the gray donkey's neck, and it promptly stopped.

He pulled a scroll from his Storage Bag and tossed it to the man: "I'm the new village chief."

The scroll was given to him by Luo Zhen, signifying an opportunity for an entry-level examination.

The examination task was to serve as village chief of this village for three years.

Whether he could join the West Sea Sect depended on his performance over these three years!

"Village chief?"

The muscular man was momentarily dumbfounded.

He took the scroll, not daring to open it, scratched his head and said, "Wait here, I need to ask Great Uncle."

No sooner had he spoken than he ran off like a shot.

Wang Chen was unmoved and hopped down from the gray donkey.

He beckoned to the children behind him.

The three six or seven-year-olds weren't foolish; they had stopped crying during Wang Chen's conversation with the muscular man.

They timidly look at Wang Chen, slowly and respectfully approaching with their heads bowed.

Wang Chen didn't give the little rascals a hard time; he sat down on a roadside rock and handed out three Spirit Fruits: "Tell me about your village."

Seeing Wang Chen's friendly manner and the offer of Spirit Fruits, the children suddenly found their courage.

They crowded around Wang Chen, eager to spill everything they knew about their village.

The village Wang Chen was appointed to was called Datian Village, with a total of three hundred and seventy-six households and over eighteen hundred inhabitants, a sizable village within a ten-mile radius.

The previous village chief had gone missing in the mountains two years earlier, neither dead nor alive, and since then, an elderly man respected for his virtue had been managing village affairs.

A mouth fed holds a soft tongue; the children, rewarded with Spirit Peaches, spoke without inhibition, spilling both the unspeakable and the allowed.

By the time the muscular man returned in a hurry with a group of villagers, Wang Chen had already gained a basic understanding of Datian Village.

"Junior Chen Anhe pays his respects to the Superior," said a white-haired old man with a vine cane, bowing tremblingly to Wang Chen, "I apologize for not greeting you from afar, Superior."

The villagers following behind him bowed in unison: "We've seen the Superior."

"No need for such formalities."

Wang Chen raised his hand, "I shall reside in your village for three years. I hope everyone will work together in solidarity to help me pass the examination."

To say a village of nearly two thousand people went two years without a village chief yet remained untouched by hidden problems would be implausible. And with the villagers split among the Chen, Xu, and Huang families, internal affairs were certainly not as serene and perfect as they appeared on the surface.

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The old man before me appeared to be frail as if a slight breeze could take him away, but his eyes shone with a sharp gleam and exuded a profound presence; having cultivated to the ninth tier of Qi Cultivation, he was definitely not an easy opponent.

Yet, Wang Chen hadn't come to vie for power and profit with the local villagers; he straightforwardly revealed his intentions.

To prevent the other party from conjuring up wild thoughts and secretly obstructing him.

While Wang Chen wasn't afraid, why hide and endure troubles if he could avoid them?

As he spoke, he displayed the aura of a Primary Tier cultivator from the Purple Mansion.

Indeed, Chen Anhe shuddered and bowed even more deeply, "I am willing to serve the Superior!"

Wang Chen immediately retracted his aura and smiled, "Very good."

Escorted by a group of villagers, Wang Chen arrived at Datian Village and moved into the Village Head Residence.

The Village Head Residence was the place where the village head lived, cultivated, and conducted official business—a two-sectioned house of considerable size and layout that stood out in the entire village with its complete array of furniture and furnishings.

By the time Wang Chen arrived, the house had already been cleaned spotlessly, with no speck of dust on the floor.

This was, in fact, quite normal, as there was no shortage of cultivators in Datian Village. Anyone who had learned the Cleansing Technique could easily become master cleaners.

While Wang Chen hadn't seen the entirety of the village yet,

he could sense, on the way there, that Datian Village had the air of a hidden paradise. Read new chapters at empire

Not only was the surrounding environment exceptionally pleasant, but the village houses also shared uniform white walls and black tiles, arranged in an orderly fashion amidst green shade, creating a clean and tidy atmosphere; everything was in perfect order.

That is to say, even in the absence of a village head, the village functioned without the slightest hitch.

Perhaps even better!

This was not necessarily good news for Wang Chen.

Because everything in Datian Village was fine with or without him, what could he possibly do here?

Was he to be a Purple Mansion mascot?

Moreover, Wang Chen faintly felt that the villagers, represented by Chen Anhe, were outwardly respectful but their words, actions, and expressions hid a tinge of rejection.

Clearly, he wasn't welcomed here.

This was, in fact, quite normal!

After settling down, Chen Anhe presented a square seal, "Superior, this is the Village Seal, used to control the Village Protection Array. It has been safeguarded by junior cultivators until now, now it returns to its rightful owner."

The Village Protection Array!

Wang Chen was momentarily taken aback; he had not expected a village to have a large Defensive Array.

Truly worthy of the West Sea Spirit Domain!

Upon inquiring, he learned that this Village Protection Array wasn't very large, its defensive scope limited to just the Village Head Residence and the adjacent ancestral hall, serving as the last line of defense for the village.

Furthermore, the Village Protection Array was usually inactive, only to be activated by the holder of the Village Seal in the most dangerous situations to ensure the safety of the villagers.

"He."

After handing over the Village Seal, Chen Anhe called over a pretty fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl.

With a beaming smile, he said to Wang Chen, "He is the granddaughter of a junior cultivator; let her serve at the Superior's side, doing tasks like bringing tea and water or making the bed."

Well, now!

One sugar-coated bullet after another!

Wang Chen glanced at the shy girl beside Chen Anhe and nodded, "Good."

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The first update is here.

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