Chapter 109: All-or-Nothing Gambit.

Chapter 109: All-or-Nothing Gambit.

"That's good."

Chen Qiu stood up, his face filled with satisfaction as he grew accustomed to the vast Life Energy within his body. At the same time, he made up his mind about his plans for the coming year. Aside from preparing for the next Heaven's Pride Ranking and gathering materials for the Tenth Stage Golden Core Formation, there was another important matter.

He needed to kill more demons to increase his Dao Foundation's capacity to hold more Life Energy.

This year, when he participated in the Heaven's Pride Ranking, he had a good chance of securing a spot in the top three if he used all his hidden cards and luck was on his side.

However, if he were to participate again next year, it would be a complete domination!

He stopped thinking about this and instead turned his attention inward, focusing on the familiar panel that had reappeared above his Dantian, shrouded in clouds.

-

"Cultivation level has greatly increased, officially entering the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment Stage."

"Please select one of the following three random entries within ten breaths."

1:

"Entry Name: All-or-Nothing Gambit."

"Entry Rank: Green."

"Entry Effect: All your entries will be randomly replaced with entries of the same rank, including this entry and gray entries, excluding those that cannot be cleared."

2:

"Entry Name: Excruciating Pain."

"Entry Rank: Gray."

"Entry Effect: Your pain perception will increase fivefold, and the pain inflicted by your attacks on enemies will also increase fivefold."

3:

"Entry Name: Resurrection."

"Entry Rank: White."

"Entry Effect: When you die, your residual soul will unconsciously wander in the Netherworld. After a trillion years, you will be resurrected."

-

".

"What a Resurrection entry," Chen Qiu remarked, his lips twitching as he looked at the third entry.

It was hard to evaluate.

He didn't even know how to describe it; from a certain perspective, this entry was quite powerful, as it was the first he had seen that allowed for resurrection. However, the issue was the duration—wasn't a trillion years a bit too long?

By then, not only would enemies and family be gone, but the very existence of the continent itself would be uncertain.

As the ten breaths were about to end, he chose the "Resurrection" entry. This was the only entry among the three without any side effects, and it could be used as a material for pill concoction.

As for the first entry, he would rather not replace any of his current entries, even if it meant rolling for a new one. Even if the Seven-Colored Entry didn't have any weak ones, and "Gradual Rise" could potentially be exchanged for a Seven-Colored Entry that would instantly boost his combat power, he wasn't interested.

To be frank, even if there were Seven-Colored Entries like "Hundred Layer Spellcasting" or "Thousand Layer Spellcasting," they wouldn't be as valuable to him as "Gradual Rise." This entry had high growth potential, especially for someone at his low cultivation level, making it a suitable choice.

However, once he reached a realm like the Tribulation Crossing Stage, "Gradual Rise" would become useless. If he ever had the chance to randomly exchange "Gradual Rise" for a Seven-Colored Entry, he wouldn't mind.

As for the second entry, it was purely negative for him.

In reality, the enemies who died at his hands were quite fortunate, as they didn't feel any pain. They were instantly melted by his thousands of lightning dragons, leaving no chance for them to experience suffering.

In other words, this entry would only increase his own pain perception fivefold, serving no purpose.

He wasn't a masochist; why would he want to feel that much pain? Chen Qiu, who had originally planned to continue raising his cultivation level, looked at the remaining 251 Celestial Path Cultivation Pills and realized they wouldn't be enough for him to break through to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. However, there was only a little over an hour left until nightfall, when another batch of Celestial Path Cultivation Pills would be bestowed.

By then, it should be just enough.

If the Fame Ranking Chart continued to rise in the next few days, he calculated that he would reach the Foundation Establishment Apex just in time for the start of the Heaven's Pride Ranking, after which he could begin preparing for the Golden Core Formation.

Chen Qiu stood silently, his expressionless face turned towards the Fat Dragon and the Scholar behind him. He had originally wanted to test his idea of an eternal motion machine.

When he needed them as a mobile artillery, the Fat Dragon and the others would continuously supply him with Life Energy by stabbing him with their swords from behind.

However, during the actual implementation, he discovered a flaw.

With the "Slippery Hands" entry in effect, he would automatically teleport with each attack, which was uncontrollable. The eternal motion machine plan failed.

He couldn't afford to self-destruct this entry, as it was one of his few movement techniques.

He had wanted to learn the "Golden Light Earth Penetration" technique from his senior, but was told that it couldn't be taught, without any specific reason given. Instead, he was informed that Sea Water Dragon Transformation involved manipulating the Life Energy of heaven and earth, a method only Nascent Soul cultivators could learn.

"Wait until you reach the Nascent Soul stage, and you too can manipulate the Life Energy of heaven and earth to aid you in battle."

This left him with only two movement techniques: Slippery Hands and Shrink Earth Technique.

"Teach me Sword Riding."

Chen Qiu temporarily abandoned the eternal motion machine plan and turned to the Scholar.

Technically, Sword Riding was a technique that should have been learned upon entering the first layer of Foundation Establishment, but his cultivation level had increased too rapidly. After reaching the first layer, one event after another had kept him busy, leaving him no time to learn the basic techniques that most Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed.

"Alright."

Perhaps it was due to his innate talent in Sword Cultivation, or maybe it was because of his current Life Energy content and his precise control over it, but this Sword Riding seemed a bit too elementary. In just the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Chen Qiu was able to stand atop the sword and soar freely through the heavens.

This meant

that he could barely be considered to have a third movement technique, but the speed of his Sword Riding was indeed not very fast, far slower than Scholarly Flying.

Two incense sticks later.

Chen Qiu and the others returned from the Endless Ice Plain to Fat City under the cover of night. By this time, the sky had already darkened, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets. They checked into a fairly decent inn.

They prepared to rest there for the night.

Although it was quite convenient and safe inside the Little World, it felt a bit uncomfortable.

In the guest room.

Chen Qiu and a few others gathered around, eating the wine and dishes sent by the innkeeper while chatting casually.

"Brother Qiu."

Fat Dragon picked up a duck leg and brought it to his mouth, "Why not find some people to repair the Mock Heavens Sect in a while? Even if we can't fully restore the Clan Protection Formation, at least we can fix the collapsed ruins, so we can have a proper base."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded, adding this matter to his schedule. It was indeed appropriate to repair the Mock Heavens Sect; if they didn't repair the Clan Protection Formation, it wouldn't cost that many Spirit Stones.

The Mock Heavens Sect was located within the Little World, so there was no immediate need to repair the Clan Protection Formation.

However,

it would be easy to leak the fact that he possessed a Little World, so it was best to be cautious. The best approach was to keep the construction team inside the Little World and not let them out until he reached the Golden Core stage and was fearless of anyone.

Even if someone found out he had a Little World, they couldn't do anything to him.

After a satisfying meal.

The two scholars returned to their respective rooms to rest, while Fat Dragon went back to the Little World, preparing to harvest the soon-to-mature Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. It was almost midnight.

Soon, after a few cups of tea.

Fat Dragon was released from the Little World by Chen Qiu. Standing in place, he took out a Storage Bag, shook it, and smiled, "Brother Qiu, there's more today. We've broken through 500, a total of 512!"

Chen Qiu glanced at his ranking on the Fame Ranking Chart.

-

54: Chen Qiu, Fame Value 4.03 million.

-

The rate of increase in his fame value had already started to slow down. A single Celestial Mandate Scroll had made him a household name, but on the Fame Ranking Chart, this was probably as high as he could go.

Those above him were all well-known figures.

To surpass them in fame value.

The fastest way was to kill all those above him. Those above him were either the Great Xia's top Sword Cultivator, the Great Xia's top beauty, the Great Xia's top Formation Cultivator, or the top Alchemy Cultivator.

The Heavenly Will Blessing for the 54th rank was—

"10 Intermediate Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills."

He first took out a Low Rank Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and placed it in his mouth. This time, the increase in cultivation was even lower, only raising his cultivation by 0.1%.

Then, he took out and swallowed an Intermediate Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.

His cultivation progress increased by 1%.

In other words.

This single Intermediate Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was equivalent to ten Low Rank Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.

At the 50th rank on the ranking chart, one could receive the equivalent of 100 Low Rank Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day. Liu Zide had made such a grand plan and spent so many Spirit Stones, yet he could only obtain four to five hundred Low Rank Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills per day.

Chen Qiu even suspected that those at the top of the rankings obtained more than this number daily.

". . ."

Chen Qiu calmly looked at the Fame Ranking Chart. Those at the top were mostly Golden Core Cultivators, and consuming Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills was of no use to them. However, they could bestow them upon their younger family members or sell them for Spirit Stones.

This was how the gap between those with family backing and Loose Cultivators widened.

Without further thought.

After Fat Dragon retired to another room to rest, Chen Qiu once again took out all the Cultivation Pills and began absorbing the Life Energy within them. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he raised his cultivation.

The stronger the strength, the better the axe for chopping wood.

The higher the cultivation, the better the axe for chopping people.

Nearly two hours later, after absorbing all the Cultivation Pills, Chen Qiu opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. Examining his body, his cultivation had reached—

-

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage, Eighth Layer (86.3%)



-

With the arrival of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills the next night, his cultivation would smoothly break through to the Ninth Layer.

In another two or three days.

He would reach the Foundation Establishment Apex, and then he could start saving the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to exchange for Spirit Stones.

Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were useless for Golden Core Cultivators.

Fat Dragon's Entry determined that dual cultivation was the fastest way to raise cultivation, with a ninefold increase. Consuming Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills would be a waste, as Scholarly's injuries hadn't healed, and his cultivation couldn't be raised. As for Scholarly's younger brother, Scholarly hadn't mentioned it, only saying that his brother couldn't use them.

As the morning sun began to rise, Chen Qiu, who had been meditating cross-legged on his bed all night, turned his head towards the window. The sky was already turning a pale white, signaling the break of dawn.

The night had been filled with falling snow, and now, the entire city was blanketed in silver-white, as if shrouded by a mysterious veil, transforming it into a serene and cool winter wonderland. Some early-rising merchants were already out on the streets, hawking their wares.

The scattered cries of the vendors mingled with the warm breath that hung in the air, along with the tantalizing aroma of meat soup.

The atmosphere was so peaceful that it naturally calmed one's heart.

After a night of cultivation, Chen Qiu's cultivation realm had become more stable. One of the benefits of the Heavenly Dao realm was that as long as you weren't a one-day Essence Core cultivator, your cultivation realm would rarely be unstable.

Fat City, downstairs from the inn, there was a meat soup stall.

Chen Qiu and his companions had arrived early, before the streets became too crowded. They sat at the stall and asked the shopkeeper for several bowls of the first batch of meat soup. The sky was still filled with fluttering snowflakes, and in this weather, a hot bowl of soup was the ultimate comfort.

"Ah, this is so refreshing!"

Fat Dragon slowly rotated the porcelain bowl in his hand, sipping the soup from the rim. He couldn't help but open his mouth wide, sucking in a few breaths of cold air to cool down the hot soup before swallowing it with satisfaction.

"Even after I reach the Essence Core stage and no longer need to eat, I'll still come here in the winter for a bowl of this soup."

"It's a real treat for the soul."

"Indeed."

The scholarly man nodded in agreement, just about to say something when he suddenly noticed a flying boat approaching from a distance in the sky above Fat City. Standing on the boat was a towering giant.

Even though the distance made it hard to see the giant's face, Chen Qiu could guess who it was.

"Zhao Yishi? What's he doing in Fat City?"

A look of surprise flashed across the scholarly man's eyes. "Could he be here to challenge the Body Cultivator's heritage?"

"Most likely," Fat Dragon nodded, his expression turning strange. "I bet the Heavenward Sect Master couldn't sit still after hearing that you, Brother Chen, obtained the Law Cultivator's heritage, so he brought Zhao Yishi here as well."

Chen Qiu glanced up and then fell silent, contemplating his next move.

There was a lot to do, and he needed to prioritize. South State was a relatively developed region, rich in life energy, and home to many major sects, especially those specializing in Artificer, Alchemy, and Formation Cultivation.

"Fat Dragon, you and Scholar, go gather some information later."

"Find out about the Eight Directions Fruit and this Malevolent Wood. Where can we get them?"

"Understood."

Both items were essential forging materials for the Tenth Rank Essence Core, and although he had never heard of them, their qualification as forging materials for the Tenth Rank Essence Core meant they were undoubtedly rare. He didn't hold out much hope that Fat Dragon would find any leads, but it was worth a try.

These were treasures that didn't just fall from the sky.

They had to at least make an attempt.

Just then—

"Bang!"

Something fell from the flying boat in the sky, tracing a beautiful parabola before dropping next to Chen Qiu and his companions' stall. It bounced several times on the ground and rolled to Chen Qiu's feet, lying there quietly.

It was a dried-up piece of wood, the kind villagers used for firewood.

Then, a voice of complaint could be heard, gradually getting closer.

"This is Malevolent Wood! Be careful when throwing it around; it's dangerous!"

".

".

".

As the voice reached them, Fat Dragon, Scholar, and the others stood there dumbfounded, staring at the seemingly ordinary piece of wood that had rolled to Chen Qiu's feet, their minds momentarily blank.

First, a Heaven-Dropped Treasure, and now this Malevolent Wood.

Could the heavens really be dropping treasures?

Fat Dragon looked up at the blue sky, feeling a bit dazed. He began to wonder if he should make a wish himself. This was getting too absurd.

Soon—

A middle-aged man appeared from a flash of light. He casually revealed his Essence Core cultivation level and then apologized to Chen Qiu and the others with a smile. "Greetings, fellow cultivators."

"Wait!"

The middle-aged man suddenly froze. "Aren't you Chen Qiu?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhao Dezhu, the Sect Master of Heavenward Sect, and Zhao Yishi, my direct disciple, is like a brother to me."

A warm smile appeared on his face.

"I never expected to run into you here. What a coincidence!"

".

Chen Qiu's mouth twitched. Why did the Sect Master look so casual and friendly? He stood up, his expression turning serious, and bowed respectfully. "Junior pays his respects to the Sect Master."

"None of this junior and senior nonsense," Zhao Dezhu waved off the formalities and sat down at the stall. Then, turning serious, he said, "From now on, call me brother, and I'll call you little brother."

"Even though we've just met, since you're Zhao Yishi's brother, you're my brother too."

"Little brother, I have a question for you."

"How did you pass the Law Cultivator's trial? Are there any tricks or techniques? I want to see if Zhao Yishi can give it another try. He has strong body cultivation talent, and I believe he'll become a world-class Body Cultivator one day."

"

."

After a long silence, Chen Qiu finally turned to Zhao Zongzhu and asked seriously, "There is indeed a little trick to it, but I'd like to ask, where did this Malevolent Wood come from?"

"This thing?"

Zhao Dezhu gave the wood in his hand a strange look. "It's not valuable. It's just a piece of wood that grew in a place of malevolence. When burned, it releases more heat, which is useful for warmth. But the malevolent energy it emits is fatal to ordinary people."

"So, after falling into the lower city, I immediately came down to retrieve it."

"You want it?"

"Yes."

Zhao Dezhu took out a storage ring from his pocket and handed it back, saying, "It's full. I'm giving it to you. Fat City is indeed quite cold, so it's good to have something to keep warm."

Chen Qiu scanned the storage ring with his consciousness and found it filled with Malevolent Wood, its characteristics and appearance exactly matching the information recorded in the jade scroll given to him by the fortune-telling elder. This was indeed the Malevolent Wood required for the Tenth Rank Golden Core.

He had thought it was something precious, but now it seemed that the Malevolent Wood was probably not as valuable as the storage ring.

After a brief pause, Chen Qiu didn't hold back. Instead, he turned to the Chao Tian Sect Master and said sincerely, "The Body Cultivator heritage does have a little trick, which is that you need a strong fighting spirit from start to finish."

"How strong?"

"Even if your legs are broken, your body torn apart, and you're left with only a head, you must use your teeth to bite your enemy to death."

"Is this true?"

"It can't be more true."

"I understand," Zhao Dezhu stood up, his face serious as he bowed to Chen Qiu, "Thank you, brother, for sharing your technique. Well, I won't stay here any longer. In the future, you're welcome to visit the Chao Tian Sect."

"With me in the capital, no one dares to lay a hand on you."

."

Fat Dragon looked at the flying boat, which had turned into a streak of light and was now returning, with a puzzled expression. "Why does the Chao Tian Sect Master seem so strange? He's a bit... unmannerly."

Although this idiom wasn't entirely appropriate, he felt it fit the situation.

As a Golden Core and the leader of a sect, he should be able to walk with his head held high throughout the Great Xia. But he seemed to have no airs about him, which was a bit odd. There's a saying that goes, 'When one is in a high position, arrogance comes naturally.'

Even if you're usually a gentle person, once you sit in that position, you can't help but put on airs.

"I'm not sure," Chen Qiu shook his head and tossed a few silver coins onto the table before getting up and walking out of the shop, heading back to the inn. He planned to have Fat Dragon gather intelligence today and also check if there were any auction houses nearby selling Entry Jade Scrolls.

He hadn't finished his conversation with the Chao Tian Sect Master.

Maintaining a strong fighting spirit could indeed help break through the Fourth Gate, but for the Fifth Gate, a strong fighting spirit alone wasn't enough.

But now wasn't the time to discuss this. After passing the trials, he would obtain a Nascent Soul body, which was what he needed. This matter required careful planning for the future, as it wasn't appropriate to tell the Chao Tian Sect Master about it just yet.

Moreover, even with a strong fighting spirit, it would be difficult to reach the Fourth Gate, let alone the Fifth Gate. A strong fighting spirit was just a technique, not a guarantee of success. The Body Cultivator heritage must have extremely strict trials for Body Cultivators.

He didn't know the specifics of these trials; he only knew the little tricks the fortune-telling elder had told him.

"Sect Master?"

Zhao Yishi, sitting on the flying boat, looked at the Sect Master on his shoulder with confusion. "Aren't we going to attempt the Body Cultivator heritage?"

"Not for now."

The Chao Tian Sect Master remained silent, his expressionless face revealing nothing. Chen Qiu had no reason to lie, so he explained that to obtain the Body Cultivator heritage, one must possess a strong fighting spirit.

This made sense.

As a Body Cultivator, one should inherently hold the belief of breaking through all obstacles with one's fists.

Coincidentally,

His direct disciple, Zhao Yishi, had not a trace of fighting spirit. The "Invisibility Technique" was a spell that became more difficult to cultivate as one's size increased, yet Zhao Yishi, with his massive size, had managed to cultivate it to the Great Perfection Realm.

It must have been a challenging endeavor.

Chen Qiu needed to think of a way to bring Zhao Yishi back to the sect and have everyone put on a show to stir up the fighting spirit within Zhao Yishi's heart.

For instance,

The sect could be annihilated!

All the senior and junior brothers from the past could die at the hands of the enemy!

The senior sister could be humiliated and killed by the enemy!

Even the beloved Lord Sect Master, unable to match the enemy's strength, could perish under their blades!

The Supreme Elder could be slashed to death by the enemy!

Only by making Zhao Yishi feel the crisis of insufficient strength and instilling a deep hatred within him could they ignite the fighting spirit in his heart. Then, with this fighting spirit, they could seize the Body Cultivator heritage!

However,

The Chao Tian Sect Master, sitting on Zhao Yishi's shoulder, turned his head slightly, a hint of worry in his eyes. He was concerned that this plan might backfire, causing the already timid and battle-shy Zhao Yishi to become even more fearful after witnessing such a scene.

That would truly be the end.

Lately, new phrases had been popping up in the capital, and they seemed to roll off the tongue quite smoothly.

PS: Mistakes will be corrected in the next chapter.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end