Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 582 - 576: How Strong is Your Master【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Passes】_1

Sha Chen remained calm and composed as he continued his cultivation.

The Nine-winged Mosquito brought a significant amount of resources, enough for him to cultivate for two or three years.

Two or three years might seem short, but Sha Chen's history of growth had always been swift. Two or three years of uninterrupted cultivation, with resources sufficient and considering someone at Sha Chen's level, one can imagine that the cultivation resources must be quite ample. It was just that Sha Chen had to shortchange the Nine-winged Mosquito somewhat, hence he claimed there were fewer resources.

However, this time Sha Chen only secluded himself for half a year of cultivation when someone came to visit, and this visitor actually made Sha Chen quite happy.

Immortal Taiyi was shouting outside the Flowing Sand River.

Sha Chen gave a faint smile, manifested an avatar outside his cave dwelling to meet Immortal Taiyi, and used his spatial power to create a small space for the two to converse.

When Immortal Taiyi saw Sha Chen again, he noticed his domineering physique and the overbearing aura. Compared to before, he seemed even stronger. His heart was shocked, and at the same time, he felt some astonishment and disbelief. In just a few decades, had Sha Chen improved so significantly?

Immortal Taiyi directly broached the subject, "May I ask what level of cultivation the River Lord has now reached?"

Sha Chen's expression was strange as he said, "What, is the Sect Hierarch plotting to pry into my secrets to see if I'm weak enough to be forcefully taken?"

Immortal Taiyi chuckled and then shook his head, saying, "The River Lord jests, I am merely interested in the River Lord's strength."

"Every time I see the River Lord, I feel that your character and aura have completely changed, with each visit marking a huge advancement, and I can't help but be curious," Immortal Taiyi continued.

Sha Chen replied indifferently, "What do you think, Hierarch? What realm do you think I've reached?"

Immortal Taiyi pondered, then answered, "I cannot tell. I could not tell last time and neither can I this time."

Here, it was just Sha Chen alone meeting Immortal Taiyi, who seemed quite at ease. But Sha Chen could see that Immortal Taiyi was not as casual as he appeared, and was even somewhat constrained and vigilant.

Understanding this, Sha Chen said, "Is it that you can't tell, or you don't dare to say?"

Immortal Taiyi was taken aback.

Sha Chen continued, "With your strength, insight, and methods, Hierarch, is it that you can't find out my current strength?"

"Many of my followers are out there, and you must know the realms they have reached. In addition, Nezha has followed me for quite some time now, and you're also clear about his strength."

"Can it be that you haven't been in contact with Nezha, or perhaps the Hierarch turns a deaf ear to the outside world and focuses solely on Qingwei Sect?"

After a moment of silence, Immortal Taiyi replied, "The River Lord truly has discerning eyes; nothing can be hidden from you."

"Indeed, I have met Nezha and have even investigated certain individuals, but all I know is that they have significantly improved and their strength has multiplied many times," he admitted. Shaking his head, he continued, "I don't know more than that, and since they fight their own battles outside, they also conceal some of their strengths, and the exact depth is beyond my knowledge."

Sha Chen chuckled and then invited Immortal Taiyi to enjoy some tea.

Following that, he said, "Since the Hierarch has asked, I won't hide it any longer. Fortunately, a decade ago, my cultivation reached the Peak Quasi-Saint realm."

Peak Quasi-Saint! HISS. It really was Peak Quasi-Saint.

The eyes of Immortal Taiyi were filled with shock, his heart gave a jolt, and he was somewhat incredulous and astonished at this revelation. After watching Sha Chen for a while, he sighed deeply and said, "No wonder, no wonder with the River Lord's strength, you could send Xianglong and Maitreya into the cycle of reincarnation."

He added, "No wonder the River Lord dares to challenge Saint Zhunti and turn him away at the door. It turns out the River Lord has reached the Peak Quasi-Saint level; with such strength, indeed you have the capital to contend for supremacy in this world."

Sha Chen, however, said, "My strength is for self-preservation, not for contending for supremacy."

"And since you already know about these matters, it must be Lord Yuan Shi who told you. Now that your master is aware of this, what does he plan to do?"

Sha Chen, being extremely clever, instantly knew that the knowledge Immortal Taiyi had must be connected to Lord Yuan Shi. Thus, he asked this question.

Without concealing anything, Immortal Taiyi answered, "My master plans to meet you, but that was a few years ago, and he still hasn't come, which does leave me puzzled." He furrowed his brows; he really couldn't understand why Lord Yuan Shi kept saying he wanted to meet Sha Chen, but had yet to make an appearance, which he found quite strange.

Upon hearing this, Sha Chen became alert.

Lord Yuan Shi indeed intended to come; it seemed he had truly attracted Lord Yuan Shi's attention. But with his current strength, what kind of attitude would Lord Yuan Shi adopt towards him? Knowing that even Tongtian Hierarch had changed his approach significantly towards him when his cultivation was only at the Initial Quasi-Saint and Mid-level Quasi-Saint stages, he had completely abandoned the idea of taking him as a disciple. Although somewhat unwilling, he had not given up entirely. Sha Chen felt that, with his current strength, Tongtian Hierarch had even less to offer him. If Lord Yuan Shi had any self-awareness, he would not propose anything improper.

However, Sha Chen was more inclined to believe that Lord Yuan Shi's intentions might not be so straightforward; he feared it wasn't as simple as taking on a disciple. Moreover, if Lord Yuan Shi really did come, who could guarantee that he would be as forthright as Tongtian Hierarch, not to take offense if rejected? Lord Yuan Shi's character was indeed somewhat questionable.

Sha Chen said, "Your master knew about this several years ago and wanted to meet me, but he has not come yet. What do you think he is waiting for?"

Immortal Taiyi shook his head.

Sha Chen then continued, "If he does come, do you think I should meet him or not?"

Immortal Taiyi still shook his head.

Suddenly, Sha Chen asked, "Who is more formidable, your master or Saint Zhunti?"

Immortal Taiyi was left confused by the sudden question about the two Saints' strengths.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I truly don't know that. They're both Saints. If there's a difference in strength, I estimate it wouldn't be by much." He then added, "However, my master's strength is definitely among the top three among the Saints."

Sha Chen chuckled; he understood now. But inwardly, he felt a weight, as Lord Yuan Shi's strength should be above Saint Zhunti, at least above the version of Zhunti that hadn't fused with Ancestor Subhuti. Although he could fend off Zhunti here, he might not be able to withstand Lord Yuan Shi.

However, Sha Chen believed that since Lord Yuan Shi said he was coming but hesitated to do so, he must be aware that this place wasn't easy to tread upon. Or perhaps he was delayed by some other matter.

Sha Chen, without dwelling on it further, extended his hand and said, "Let's talk about this matter another time. Since you have come, you must have brought the items, right?"

Immortal Taiyi was caught off guard by Sha Chen's rapid change of subject. After hesitating for a moment, he nevertheless produced some Qiankun Bags and Universial Rings and handed them to Sha Chen.

These were resources collected by Qingwei Sect over the past century, half of which were to be given to Sha Chen according to their agreement.

Sha Chen opened the bags and rings to see a multitude of items included, much more varied than those brought by the Nine-winged Mosquito. Not only was the variety greater, but so was the quantity, though the quality was somewhat less impressive.

In terms of overall quality, these resources were only about twenty to thirty percent more than those provided by the Nine-winged Mosquito, which would allow him to cultivate for only an additional year or so. Nevertheless, it was better than nothing. What somewhat consoled Sha Chen was the fact that Immortal Taiyi knew he did not need resources outside of his cultivation and therefore did not bring any just to fluff up the count. Unlike the resources from the Nine-winged Mosquito, a third of which were useless to him—appealing to look at but not in practice.