Eternal Life: My Talents Can Refresh-Chapter 334 - 166: Upheaval (Part 3)

Afterward, he left Thousand Illusion Island and returned to Feihong Island.

After a while, Chu Ning changed his appearance and concealed his aura to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, then entered Thousand Illusion Island once again.

Then he headed straight for the Drunken Immortal Tower.

Although this Drunken Immortal Tower was mostly populated by mid to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, it was bustling and often a place where one could hear a lot of news.

After entering the tavern and sitting in the hall for a short time, news from all sides began to flow into his ears one after another.

Soon, his divine sense focused, honing in on the conversation of three people sitting at a table behind him to his left.

"Brother Li, the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands has been quite restless lately!"

The speaker was a thin man. Just as he finished speaking, another cultivator with a long horse face chimed in:

"Isn’t it? Two months ago, discord broke out within the Thousand Islands Alliance.

And now, it’s said that over the past month, three or four islands have discovered tier two hidden spirit veins.

The entire Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands seem to be stirring."

Among the three, an older man with some white hair, at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, spoke up.

"Please, fellow Daoists, tell me more in detail. I’ve just returned from a long journey and am not sure what exactly has happened."

"Brother Lu, let me explain in detail." The horse-faced man began to clarify.

"This matter dates back to two months ago when the Cen family suddenly experienced a change.

It’s said that Fairy Cen gained a group of supporters in the Cen family because she has been effectively managing the Cen Workshop for the past two years.

They proposed at the Cen family assembly that Fairy Cen should be the Patriarch of the Cen family."

The old man immediately interjected before the other could continue.

"If Fairy Cen can indeed become the Cen family’s Patriarch, it would certainly be wonderful.

She is the most talented in the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, not only starting the Foundation Establishment at the young age of eighteen, but she is also known to be the top Array Master.

It’s heard she later learned talisman making and alchemy, bringing great success to the Cen Workshop.

In recent years, the most thriving business in the market has been the Cen Workshop."

"Precisely!" The horse-faced man picked up the thread.

"Initially, I also thought it would be wonderful if Fairy Cen could take on the role of the Cen family’s Patriarch, a tale worthy of telling.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as expected.

After Cen Wenquan agreed, Fairy Cen raised another request.

It’s rumored that she asked Cen Wenquan to leave the Cen family."

The old man’s expression showed some surprise, his face full of bewilderment.

"Why is that? Fairy Cen’s actions are quite questionable."

"Indeed!" The horse-faced man shook his head.

"It’s said Cen Wenquan had intended to betroth Fairy Cen to the Chen family’s prodigy, Chen Xinming.

Fairy Cen disagreed, worsening the discord between them."

Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head.

"Cen Wenquan is the current Patriarch of the Cen family. Could he agree to this?"

"Of course not. It’s said Cen Wenquan was not willing to relinquish the position of Patriarch either.

Later, Fairy Cen wanted to take away the Cen family’s array inheritance, leading to a battle within the family.

It’s said Fairy Cen was quite formidable, injuring several Foundation Establishment cultivators, before being wounded and escaping. Since then, she has been missing."

At this, Chu Ning’s brow slightly lifted, a chill creeping into his heart.

On the other table, as the horse-faced cultivator finished speaking, the old man furrowed his brows.

"Where did you get this information? Fairy Cen has a good reputation within the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands, it seems unlikely she would do such a thing?"

"We didn’t believe it at first, either." The horse-faced cultivator answered.

"But later, Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Chen and Shi families stepped forward, confirming they witnessed the event unfold that day.

Moreover, the shopkeeper of the Cen Workshop has been replaced by another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Cen family.

After that, Fairy Cen has indeed not been seen, and gradually everyone believed it."

After hearing this, the old man gave the horse-faced cultivator a meaningful look.

"What Fellow Daoist Li said is true. Such matters are naturally decided by the victors.

But it’s a pity for Fairy Cen, such a gifted woman, in the future..."

"Dear brother, be careful with your words." The horse-faced cultivator quickly reminded.

The old man was taken aback for a moment and refrained from continuing the topic.

Instead, he asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that the Thousand Lakes and Thousand Islands have been lively in the past month, what’s going on?"

Initially ready to leave, Chu Ning decided to listen again.

"Recently, it has been said that four islands have discovered tier two hidden spirit veins..."

The horse-faced cultivator was quickly interrupted by the thin man.

"Brother Li, you’re behind on this. It’s actually five. Yesterday, Purple Bamboo Island discovered a tier two hidden spirit vein.

I also heard that many Foundation Establishment cultivators have already suggested to the Thousand Islands Alliance to hold this year’s Thousand Island Competition earlier."

"Why? Oh, those Foundation Establishment cultivators have their eyes on the newly discovered hidden spirit veins."

... 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Chu Ning sat for a while longer, and upon discovering there were no more valuable insights, he got up and left.

However, he didn’t return directly to Feihong Island, instead, he transported to Colorful Mist Island.

Chu Ning had a rough understanding of the news about Cen Zijin by now.

Even though Chu Ning knew most of the earlier news could be false,

it was highly possible that the eventual fallout between Cen Zijin and her family, and her wounded escape, was true.

For a moment, Chu Ning didn’t know where to look for further intel on her.

However, he recalled their prior agreement to meet on Colorful Mist Island, which might be the only lead he could pursue.

Using the Transformation Technique, he took the appearance of "Liu Ping," who he always used when exchanging talismans, and entered a medium-sized tavern on Colorful Mist Island.

He sat there for nearly an entire hour.

Until suddenly, his brow gently raised,

It was at this moment that a figure appeared at the tavern entrance.

The person was a woman appearing around forty years old, whose appearance was unfamiliar to him.

As soon as she entered, she began to look around.

Upon seeing Chu Ning, she surprisingly seemed delighted and made her way directly towards him.