Chapter 106: "Young friend, you're still a bit lacking."

Chapter 106: "Young friend, you're still a bit lacking."

"You have successfully passed the third trial."

These words echoed in Chen Qiu's mind, indicating that he had successfully cleared the third trial of the Law Cultivator's heritage.

The Law Cultivator's heritage consisted of five trials in total.

Having passed three trials, Chen Qiu was now just two trials away from obtaining the Law Cultivator's heritage.

"Huff," Chen Qiu took a deep breath, his expression resolute and stern, preparing to face the unknown fourth trial. He had a premonition that this would be his closest chance at acquiring the Law Cultivator's heritage.

With the first three trials behind him, he knew that he had to pass the remaining two, even if it meant revealing all his hidden cards. Failure was not an option this time.

"Ah!"

Fat Dragon lay lazily on the rocking chair at the entrance of the Mock Heaven Sect, chewing on a dogtail plant, his gaze fixed on the chaotic sky above. "Is the Law Cultivator's heritage really this time-consuming? Qiu-ge still hasn't come out yet."

"There are only five days left until the Heaven's Pride Ranking Competition begins."

"If Qiu-ge doesn't hurry, he might have to wait until next year's competition."

"I think waiting until next year is a good idea too. By then, Qiu-ge will definitely have reached the Golden Core Stage. No matter who he faces from the Heaven's Pride, it won't be a problem for him, don't you think?"

Fat Dragon turned his head towards the Scholar's brother, seeking a response.

Ever since the Scholar touched the Sword Bone, he had been fixated on it, spending all his time near it, eating, drinking, and even relieving himself there. He seemed to have gone mad, muttering phrases like 'I've understood' and 'Now I see' from time to time.

No one knew what he had truly understood.

So, Fat Dragon could only chat with the Scholar's brother, but this guy was like a silent gourd, never uttering a word no matter what topics Fat Dragon brought up.

"Oh, right!"

Fat Dragon suddenly remembered something and turned to the Scholar's brother with curiosity. "We've been together for so long, and I still don't know your name."

"What should I call you?"

Unsurprisingly, the Scholar's brother remained silent, as usual.

Fat Dragon sighed and lay back down on the rocking chair, speaking to himself, "Never mind, it's fine if you don't want to tell me your name. I'm actually curious about something else."

"If—"

"You were sitting in the position of the Grand Master of Great Xia, and you had the 'Fabricate Lies' entry. What kind of lie would you weave to deceive the world?"

"This lie would gain widespread acceptance, even among high-level cultivators."

"So, in Great Xia, which consensus could match such a grand deception?"

"For example, what if Great Xia isn't actually a prison? Or what if the Golden Core Peak sword cultivators sent to investigate are just a figment of someone's imagination? No, not many people know about this, and the news hasn't spread far enough."

"Is there any news that has spread widely?"

Fat Dragon chewed on the dogtail plant, deep in thought as he entertained himself. There were no demons or female cultivators around, so he couldn't improve his cultivation; he could only daydream here.

Just then—

"Yes."

The Scholar's brother, who had been silent as a gourd, suddenly spoke up in a deep voice, "For example, what if Great Xia doesn't even have a Grand Master?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Fat Dragon glared at the Scholar's brother.

"Great Xia..."

But soon, he froze in place, then got up and sat back down on the rocking chair, deep in thought. This was indeed a grand deception. Everyone in the world knew that Great Xia had a Grand Master, but in reality, Great Xia didn't have one. Was this considered a grand deception?

After pondering for a long time, he suddenly smacked his forehead and lay back down on the rocking chair.

"Forget it."

"Let's leave these questions to Qiu-ge to think about. Why don't we think about what to eat tonight instead?"

"I feel like having some noodles."

"Hey!"

Fat Dragon jumped up and headed into the Mock Heaven Sect with excitement. "You know, I'm quite good at making noodles. Wait for me!"

"Fourth Gate, Heart Trial."

"A qualified Law Cultivator, even if they fall to the lowest point, should have the determination to stand up again."

"You will lose all your memories and return to the cultivation world as an ordinary mortal. If you can break through to the first level of Foundation Establishment within a year in the dream, you will pass the trial."

The voice resounded in Chen Qiu's mind, and before he could react, his eyes went blank, and he collapsed, lying flat on the sea surface.

The ethereal and bone-chilling elder in mid-air watched Chen Qiu without any emotion.

In life, there are countless opportunities.

No cultivator who rose from the bottom to reach the Golden Core Stage could guarantee that they would achieve the same result if they were given another chance. The path of cultivation was filled with too many opportunities.

Every cultivator who rose from the bottom to the Golden Core Stage had experienced countless fortuitous encounters.

But if given another chance, how many of them could walk the same path again?

The elder in mid-air remained silent, gazing down at Chen Qiu lying on the sea surface. It was clear that Chen Qiu didn't have a wealthy background or any backing from a powerful force.

No one told him how to pass the trials.

Nor did anyone provide him with the corresponding treasures for each trial.

Relying solely on his own serendipitous encounters since his humble beginnings, he swiftly and efficiently passed the first three trials. But if you were to return to being an ordinary mortal, could you still stand up?

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the scenes Chen Qiu had experienced in his dreamland suddenly appeared in mid-air, fast-forwarding through his journey.

He wasn't aware of Chen Qiu's previous adventures, but this didn't hinder his observation of Chen Qiu's performance in the dream, starting anew.

"Hmm."

The elder gazed at the image of Chen Qiu, who was sweating profusely as he laboriously chopped wood, and nodded in appreciation. At this moment, Chen Qiu had been chopping wood for 29 days in the dream, diligently saving up for his first batch of medicinal pills.

This little guy was quite down-to-earth.

Unlike the previous trial-taker, who, upon entering the dream and losing all memories, went to the government office and awakened a useless entry. His first instinct was to beg on the streets. Who knows what that trial-taker had experienced to choose to beg as soon as he lost his memories?

But just then—

In the dream, on the 30th day, Chen Qiu, who had been chopping wood for 29 days, suddenly threw down his axe and roared in anger.

"To rise above others, chopping wood is futile!"

"To get rich, start by killing!"

He then picked up his axe and charged towards the local bullies not far away.

". "

On the 30th day in the dream, Chen Qiu successfully entered the Qi Condensation First Stage and awakened the white entry, "Heaven's Missing Person."

He then gathered all the orphaned beggars in the small county town, forming a mobile gang. Whenever they encountered lone local bullies, they would swarm them. This went on for half a year.

Chen Qiu had already reached the Qi Condensation Fifth Stage.

Then, he ventured into a secret realm alone, learned new techniques, and greatly enhanced his strength. After leaving the secret realm, he sought out those bullies he couldn't defeat before, and day after day, he killed those he could, and fled from those he couldn't. He would return to kill them once he was strong enough.

His combat experience rapidly increased.

In the sixth month, Chen Qiu found himself surrounded. He gouged out his own eyes, increasing his senses fivefold and significantly boosting his combat power. He fought his way out of the encirclement.

With the help of the young beggars he supported, he went out to beg for healing pills and barely managed to recover. After ten days of recovery, he immediately plunged into the newly opened Celestial Dao Secret Realm.

By the time he emerged, he had reached the Qi Condensation Eighth Stage.

Wielding a Spirit Treasure,

His strength increased once more, and with a sinister smile, he cleared out all the local bullies nearby. Then, leading his group of young beggars, he headed to a larger city nearby and continued his quest to eliminate all the local bullies one by one.

He killed those he could defeat on the spot.

For those he couldn't, he jotted down their names in a small notebook, planning to return and kill them later.

And so—

Every day was spent either in combat or on the way to the next battle. At the end of the twelfth month in the dream, Chen Qiu finally attained Foundation Establishment and let out a sinister laugh as he picked up his broadsword and marched towards those bullies he couldn't defeat before, without stopping or slowing down.

"Did I pass the trial?"

Chen Qiu woke up, floating on the sea, and looked around to remember where he was. The experiences he had just gone through flashed through his mind, as if they were all still vivid.

After reviewing everything once more, Chen Qiu finally smiled, stood up, and looked up at the elder floating in the air, "Senior, I should have passed this trial, right?"

"Hmm."

The elder looked at Chen Qiu with a complex expression and asked softly, "In the dream, why didn't you go to the government office to awaken an entry? Awakening an entry at the government office is free, so why go through the trouble of chopping wood?"

"Er..."

Chen Qiu scratched his head and said softly, "What if I awakened an evil or demon cultivator entry and was executed on the spot?"

"Since you could calmly chop wood for 29 days, it shows you're not an impatient person. So why did you suddenly give up chopping wood on the 30th day and decide to kill people instead?"

"No, I wanted to kill people from the second day, but I felt I might not be able to defeat others, so I practiced chopping wood for a month. That way, I could be more skilled when it came to killing people later."

The elder remained silent for a long time before speaking again. He just waved his hand lightly.

He felt that today's emotional fluctuations were more than the sum of the past few decades. Was it because of old age? Why did his heart feel so easily stirred up?

"You have successfully passed the fourth trial."

After confirming that he had passed the fourth trial, Chen Qiu heaved a sigh of relief. Without wasting a moment, he sat cross-legged on the spot, took out a handful of Qi Supplement Pills from his pocket, and started chewing them vigorously.

Simultaneously, he rapidly absorbed the spiritual energy from the spirit stones scattered around him.

His Dao Foundation's spiritual energy had been depleted by the third trial.

He couldn't absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth in this place.

He could only restore his spiritual energy quickly through spirit stones and Qi Supplement Pills. Although he didn't know what the fifth trial would be, it was always a good idea to replenish his spiritual energy.

However, the elder seemed to notice that Chen Qiu currently had no spiritual energy and didn't immediately announce the content of the fifth trial. Instead, he waited until Chen Qiu had replenished his energy before his lips trembled, and a familiar voice resonated in Chen Qiu's mind.

-

"The Fifth Gate, Forbidden Trial."

"To obtain the Law Cultivator's heritage, you must pass through five trials, and this is the final one."

"By overcoming this trial, you will gain access to the Law Cultivator's heritage."

"After a cup of tea, there will be ten thousand puppets attacking you simultaneously. Among these puppets are Formation Cultivators, Law Cultivators, Body Cultivators, and others. You need to survive for half a shichen under the siege of ten thousand puppets with cultivation levels equal to yours."

-

"Huh!"

Upon receiving the details of the fifth trial, Chen Qiu felt slightly relieved. It seemed similar to the third trial, and his spiritual energy had fully recovered. He was ready to face such a challenge again!

Moreover, this fifth trial did not restrict his "Shrink Earth Technique" and "Slippery Hands" entries, giving him even more room to showcase his skills.

However, after a cup of tea, as he was fully prepared and waiting for the ten thousand puppets to emerge from the seabed again, the sea beneath his feet remained calm and peaceful, showing no signs of the puppets.

Chen Qiu looked up at the guardian elder floating in mid-air, feeling slightly puzzled.

For some reason, after the fifth trial began, the guardian elder did not disappear like he had in the previous trials. Instead, he remained in mid-air, and only when he noticed the confusion in Chen Qiu's eyes did he speak indifferently.

"The puppets are gone, destroyed by you."

"I will take the place of the puppets in this trial. I will suppress my cultivation to the Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment, matching your level. If you can survive for half a shichen, you will pass."

After saying this, the elder's cultivation began to drop until it stabilized at the Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment.

"Are you ready? I'm going to—"

Before the elder could finish his sentence—

"Kill!!!"

Chen Qiu's face turned red as he pointed at the elder and launched his attack.

"Lightning Summoning Art!"

"Nine Toxins Dark Soul Technique!"

"Double Spellcasting!"

"Tenfold Spellcasting!"

"Focused Power!"

"Spirit Energy Aura!"

He unleashed the same techniques he had used earlier.

"Hmm?"

The elder's feet trembled slightly, and a flash of golden light appeared beneath him. His body then appeared dozens of zhang away, easily evading this wave of attacks. However, when he saw the lightning dragons drawing a bizarre arc in the air and charging towards him, he raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a bit surprised: "A Foundation Establishment cultivator with Divine Sense Lock?"

But he didn't panic.

Golden light flashed beneath his feet, and after teleporting dozens of times, the attacks dissipated in mid-air without any further reinforcement.

"Your skills are not bad, but that's about it."

The elder crossed his arms behind his back and turned to look at the gradually dissipating lightning dragons in the air, smiling lightly: "This is indeed a bit unfair to you. After all, the 'Golden Light Earth Penetration' is not a technique that Foundation Establishment cultivators can master. Winning against you like this is a bit unsportsmanlike."

"This is already your strongest attack, right?"

"But I have no choice."

"You destroyed all my puppets, so I have to take action myself."

"Remember, little one, in this world, there is no absolute fairness. Even if I suppress my cultivation to the Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment, you still have no chance of defeating me."

"Try again next time."

"Moreover, as a Law Cultivator, it's reasonable to know 'Golden Light Earth Penetration.' Who's to blame if you don't know it?"

The guardian elder scanned the sea below but couldn't find Chen Qiu's figure, feeling a sense of unease. Golden light flashed beneath his feet, and his body appeared dozens of zhang away.

There, he saw—

Chen Qiu sitting on the shoulder of a First Layer Golden Core Vengeful Spirit, showing his teeth and smiling gently at the elder: "It's fine. I understand. As a Law Cultivator, knowing the 'Golden Light Earth Penetration' movement technique is perfectly normal."

"But it's also reasonable for a Law Cultivator to summon some vengeful spirits, right?"

"What do you think?"

"."

The guardian elder stood silently, his face expressionless. His eyelids twitched slightly, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I forgot to tell you, normally, in the fifth trial, those ten thousand puppets would combine at the last moment, greatly increasing their cultivation."

"So, based on your Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment cultivation, the strongest opponent you would face at the final moment should be a Second Layer Golden Core puppet."

"But you've destroyed the puppets."

"So, reluctantly, I'll take their place."

As he finished speaking, the guardian elder's aura began to rise rapidly until it stabilized at the Second Layer Golden Core cultivation. Thick and powerful spiritual energy emanated from his body, exuding a terrifying might. He approached Chen Qiu step by step, stopping three zhang away and smiled:

"Since it's reasonable for a Law Cultivator to summon vengeful spirits..."

The next moment—

The entire sea suddenly surged with countless terrifying waves, forming sea monsters in the air that roared ferociously. Behind the guardian elder, these sea monsters continued to swirl, and with just this one attack, it was enough to completely destroy the First Layer Golden Core vengeful spirit beneath Chen Qiu.

Not even a speck of it remained.

"Then, as a Law Cultivator, it's reasonable for me to know a few tricks and play with some sea monsters, right?"

"Why don't you try again now?"

The guardian elder looked at Chen Qiu with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"No problem."

Chen Qiu's smile became even more gentle as he waved his hand. Two panels, shrouded in clouds, appeared in mid-air, containing the "Self-Destruct Entry" and "Celestial Dao Beauty Effect" entries.

"You can even control the Sea Dragon, and as a Law Cultivator, it's only reasonable that I can self-destruct some of my entries, right?"

"Do you want to try again now?"

". . ."

The gatekeeper elder looked at the two entries floating above Chen Qiu's head, "Self-Destruct Entry" and "Heaven's Missing Person," and remained silent. When combined, these entries could unleash the power of a full-force strike from a Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivator.

Chen Qiu was only at the Second Layer Golden Core, so naturally, he couldn't withstand it.

However—

The elder laughed again, "I'm sorry, young friend, I forgot to tell you. Normally, the last puppet in the fifth trial also has a Frenzy Stage. During this stage, its cultivation will increase significantly once more."

"According to your Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer cultivation, it's roughly equivalent to a Fourth Layer Golden Core."

"Look."

"How do I deal with this?"

As his words fell, the gatekeeper elder's cultivation suddenly soared to the Fourth Layer Golden Core, and an even more formidable aura burst forth from his body without restraint. He then stroked his white beard with a smug expression.

"Now it's settled. With my Fourth Layer Golden Core cultivation and protective spells, I can easily withstand your self-destruct attack from the Sixth Layer Golden Core. Even if I get injured, capturing you will still be as easy as turning my hand."

"Young friend, you're still a bit lacking."

"What a pity."

"Is that so?"

Chen Qiu, sitting on the First Layer Golden Core Vengeful Spirit's shoulder, had an even gentler smile on his face. With a casual wave, five cloud-covered panels reappeared in mid-air.

"I also forgot to mention that I have more than just one entry for self-destruction."

"And..."

"Why don't you take a look at that little thing on the sea?"

Chen Qiu pointed at the sea's surface.

On the calm sea, there was an array disc lying flat.

"Flame Seven Kill Array Disc."

"It can be activated at any time."

"Once activated, it can kill a Fifth Layer Golden Core cultivator."

This was a little trinket he had obtained from the owner of the Ask Heaven Market back then, and it was just in time to use it now.

Chen Qiu showed his teeth and smiled gently as he looked at the gatekeeper elder, "Then, senior, besides the combination and frenzy, what other tricks does your puppet have?"

"Do you want to try again?"

"After the frenzy, another Sixth Layer Golden Core puppet is born. For a Law Cultivator, this is also very reasonable."

". ."

The ethereal and bone-chilling gatekeeper elder twitched his lips as he looked at the multiple cloud-covered entries above Chen Qiu's head, the First Layer Golden Core Vengeful Spirit sitting beneath him, and the array disc on the sea that could be activated at any time.

He also took a glance at Chen Qiu's Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer cultivation.

And his own Fourth Layer Golden Core cultivation.

Chen Qiu had almost suppressed him by a whole cultivation realm. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but feel his face turning red. He waved his hand and pretended to be calm, "Nonsense! How can a puppet give birth?"

"The combination and frenzy are already the limits."

"Do you think I made up all this talk about the puppet's frenzy and combination just to scare you?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Forget it."

The elder waved his hand in annoyance, "Congratulations, you've passed the fifth trial. As a Law Cultivator, what kind of messy tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

"Thank you, senior."

A flash of excitement and joy crossed Chen Qiu's face.

He hadn't expected that he could actually pass the Law Cultivator's heritage trial. This was a trial that no one had passed for over a thousand years, and he had passed it so easily?

It didn't seem that difficult at all.

At least, it was much simpler than he had imagined. If it were only this difficult, it shouldn't have gone a thousand years without anyone passing.

Before entering, the voice in his mind had told him that the trial's difficulty would adjust according to his cultivation. If a Golden Core cultivator were to attempt it, the difficulty was unclear.

At least, that's how it was for now.

He thought that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could pass easily if they had his unique entries like "Dan Tian Expansion (Unique)," "Vengeful Spirit Summoning," "Step-by-Step Advance," "Slippery Hands," and "Focused Power." They would also need to prepare a Golden Core Vengeful Spirit and an array disc capable of killing a Fifth Layer Golden Core cultivator in advance.

For now, he still didn't know what this Law Cultivator's heritage had to offer. The Scholar had also said that he didn't know what the heritage entailed.

This Law Cultivator's heritage, aside from everything else, even if it had nothing, just the "Golden Light Earth Penetration" and "Transforming Sea into Dragon" techniques were enough for him. He wasn't greedy.

What he lacked the most at the moment was a body cultivation technique. Although he already had a body cultivation technique and an entry that could substitute for it, both were random, making them unstable. He needed a more stable body cultivation technique.

And at that moment—

That familiar voice echoed in his mind once more.

"You have successfully passed the fifth trial."

"You have completed all trials and successfully obtained the Law Cultivator's heritage."

PS: Typos will be corrected later. It's the 15th, so please consider casting a monthly vote if you can. I bow in gratitude!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end