Chapter 112: A Miracle Unfolds

Chapter 112: A Miracle Unfolds

For instance...

A bracer with hundreds of capillary needles hidden within, ready to pierce his body at his mental command. With this, he could restore his spirit energy to full in just three breaths.

Although the "Slippery Hands" entry would cause uncontrollable teleportation...

He could simply retreat to his Little World when his spirit energy was depleted, replenish it within three breaths, and then charge back into battle, making it perfect.

This was the true perpetual motion machine.

Chen Qiu made a mental note to find an Artifact Cultivator the next day to design such a Spirit Treasure.

With that, he exited the Little World.

Sitting cross-legged on the inn's bed, he gazed at the night sky, awaiting the Heavenly Will Blessing.

There were 512 Foundation Establishment Low Rank Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, unchanged from the previous night. It seemed the hype around these people was gradually waning.

Many things were like this; even the most interesting topics eventually lost their discussion momentum.

The Fame Ranking Chart had a mechanism where, once listed, one's fame points wouldn't decrease, even if no one discussed them anymore, unless someone else's fame surpassed theirs.

Chen Qiu had only risen one rank on the Fame Ranking Chart, indicating that the Celestial Mandate Scroll's effect had reached its limit. He still had 10 Foundation Establishment Middle Rank Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.

Chen Qiu swallowed one Foundation Establishment Middle Rank Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, activated his cultivation technique, and began to slowly cultivate again.

Two hours later...

"Huff!"

Chen Qiu opened his eyes, exhaling a cloud of turbid air. He had absorbed all the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from the night's blessing, and his cultivation had reached...

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Ninth Level (47.5%)



He was just half a step away from the Foundation Establishment Apex.

With the arrival of the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills the next day, he would have just enough. In fact, if he consumed a Golden Core pill now, he could instantly reach the Foundation Establishment Apex, but that seemed unnecessary.

There wasn't much difference between the Foundation Establishment Ninth Level and the Apex for him.

"Just seven more."

Chen Qiu looked at the jade boxes in his arms, each containing a Second Rank Golden Core pill, and murmured in a daze. Just seven more, and he would have nine Second Rank Golden Core pills.

He had thought he would only get one Second Rank Golden Core pill that night.

To his surprise, there were two. Honestly, he hadn't expected this, a truly unexpected joy.

The array disc's might was overwhelming, and he hadn't had time to collect everyone's storage rings and bags. Most of them had melted in the flames, but he had taken special care of Ning Wuping and the other Artificers with their extravagant clothing.

These people had a total of 23 storage rings, now quietly resting in his Little World.

The two entry scrolls from the auction were in one of the storage rings, but whether there was one or two inside was uncertain. Ning Wuping clearly didn't seem to want the white forging technique inscription, probably because he already had it and wouldn't crush it to inscribe it into his Dao Foundation.

But the other green forging technique inscription...

Ning Wuping seemed to want it. Chen Qiu hoped this young man wouldn't be too hasty and crush the scroll immediately after purchasing it.

Otherwise, he would miss out on one entry scroll.

After roughly tallying his gains, he stored everything in his Little World, then turned to gaze out the window at the starry sky.

A smile graced his eyebrows.

Soon, dawn broke.

A piece of news had spread throughout Fat City the previous night and continued to rapidly reach other nearby cities.

Cauldron Peak, named after its resemblance to an Artificer's forge, was a sacred place in the hearts of Fat Province's Artificers. The night before, it had been razed to the ground by a powerful formation.

Ning Taiping, one of the top ten Artificers at the Foundation Establishment Apex in Fat Province, along with his entire family, including Young Master Ning, had been annihilated overnight.

Nearly a hundred Artificers who had attended the ceremony were nowhere to be found.

At the site of Cauldron Peak, a sign was planted.

"I'm a Buddhist; I don't kill."

"Who said that?"

"They did."

"—Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu."

Nearly a hundred people had attended the ceremony at Cauldron Peak that night, but only Chen Qiu and a few others survived. The rest were nowhere to be found.

Chen Qiu, instead of going into hiding, left behind this sign, as if challenging all Artificers in the world.

The night's catastrophe resulted in the tragic deaths of many young Artificers in Fat Province. Senior Ning, who was destined to become a Golden Core Artificer, also perished, along with the Golden Core Cultivators who had accompanied him.

In no time...

Many sects and families received this news.

This was the first time so many Artificers in Fat Province had been killed by others. Artificers were usually respected wherever they went, and such a tragedy had never occurred before. An invisible undercurrent began to stir throughout the province.

"Interesting."

In the Fat City Lord's mansion, a middle-aged man with a large, round head and body couldn't help but chuckle as he read the news brought to him: "Ning Taiping wanted to step on Chen Qiu's momentum and build his own.

"But instead, he ended up boosting Chen Qiu's momentum."

"After recently acquiring the Law Cult Heritage and causing a stir in Fat City, Chen Qiu's reputation will no longer be that of a lucky loose cultivator. It might even be enhanced with something like 'ruthless, formidable, and mysterious.'"

"This is quite interesting."

The elder standing behind him hesitated, "Master, won't you take action? You're one of the top ten among the 365 city lords of Great Xia. With your 7th-level Golden Core cultivation, capturing Chen Qiu would be effortless."

"Why should I intervene?"

The middle-aged man, somewhat perplexed, turned to the elder behind him, "I have no grudge with him. Why should I interfere out of the blue? Even if you're about to relieve yourself, you'd do it with intention, right?"

"You won't just suddenly lift your butt and relieve yourself, will you?"

"I have no reason to act, so why should I?"

"Well..."

The elder hesitated for a moment, then said, "He's killing people on your territory, which is a sign of disrespect towards you."

". . ."

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes at the elder, his expression blank, then leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I understand that you're an Artifact Cultivator, and I can empathize with you to some extent. But he didn't kill anyone within Fat City. Even if I wanted to get involved, I'd have no reason to."

"Moreover, Ning Taiping was the first to destroy Ning Wuping's humanity, creating a mortal enemy. No matter how you look at it, he's in the wrong."

"Besides, His Majesty sent me here to guard the Endless Ice Plain, not to deal with such trivial matters."

"The Endless Ice Plain..."

The elder looked up and gazed towards the south, murmuring, "Master, ever since you became the lord of Fat City thirty years ago, the Grand Master has prophesied that Fat Province will face a catastrophe. Countless demons will emerge from the depths of the Endless Ice Plain and slaughter everyone in the province."

"But..."

"So many years have passed without any signs, and even Golden Core Apex Sword Cultivators who ventured into the depths of the Endless Ice Plain never returned. What kind of demons could possibly survive there?"

The middle-aged man scoffed, "If I knew, I'd be the Grand Master myself."

"Brother Qiu."

At that moment, Chen Qiu and his companions sat at the same meat soup shop as the day before, seemingly unaffected. The scholarly man looked at Chen Qiu with a nervous expression and whispered, "I've been researching for the past two days, and I think I've found a way to restore my cultivation."

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows, tilted his head towards the scholar, and smiled, "That's great news! I was waiting for you to obtain the Sword Cultivator's heritage and give me that Nascent Soul body."

"I still need two more Nascent Soul bodies, and I have no idea where to start."

"This is such good news, why do you look so glum? Do you need a lot of Spirit Stones? Don't worry, I have them."

"No, it's not that."

The scholar shook his head, a bit embarrassed. After a brief pause, he spoke with determination, "Brother Qiu, the Heavenly Dao Treasure you gave me has almost completely suppressed the toxins in my Dao Foundation."

"But my legs have been corroded by toxins for many years, rendering them useless."

"To restore my cultivation and embark on the path of Sword Cultivation again, I must first replace my bones and cleanse the toxins. If I can exchange the Sword Bone from Mock Heaven Sect with my own bones..."

"I can stand again and resume my cultivation journey."

"Ordinary human bones won't do, but that Sword Bone is extraordinary. Moreover, if I integrate this Sword Bone into my body, my Sword Intent will become even more powerful. However, the Sword Bone will no longer be passed down, as it will fuse completely with me."

"Only after my death will it reappear in the mortal world."

"Hey."

Chen Qiu shook his head helplessly, "I thought it was something major. That Sword Bone was meant for you anyway. You can decide what to do with it. None of us are Sword Cultivators, and we never intended to pass it down."

"But bone replacement sounds a bit scary. Are you just going to swap them like that?"

"Without any other preparations?"

He really wanted to say that the Sword Bone had been exposed to the elements for tens of thousands of years, who knows how many bacteria it carried, and if it was safe to just swap bones like that. But then he remembered it was a Sword Bone, and it made sense.

If Sword Intent could kill people, it could surely handle some bacteria.

"I'll need some assistance."

The scholar nodded, "I'll need some Heavenly Materials to aid the process, some items to stop the bleeding, and about three hundred Spirit Stones."

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu immediately stood up, settled the bill, and took the scholar to gather the necessary items.

Inside the Little World.

Chen Qiu had already acquired all the Heavenly Materials the scholar needed. At that moment, the scholar was seated cross-legged in a clean room, with the Sword Bone, as tall as him, placed beside him.

"Who's going to do it?"

"I'll do it myself."

The scholar sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation technique several times before taking a deep breath. His fingertips trembled slightly, and a long sword shot out from his sleeve, instantly piercing his thigh and extracting the bone.

His entire leg became as soft and boneless as a chicken claw coated in red oil.

He then cut off the Sword Bone's leg bone and inserted it into his right thigh.

He repeated the process with his left leg.

". . ."

A glint of admiration flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes as he looked at the scholar's slightly pale, bloodless face and tightly pressed lips. This guy had a high tolerance for pain! Just watching him made Chen Qiu feel a chill.

The scholar seemed as casual as if he were eating a meal.

Half an hour later.

The Sword Bone was reduced to just a head, quietly resting on the bedside, while the rest of its bones had been transplanted into the scholar's body.

Fat Dragon spoke up, puzzled, "Won't you replace the skull?"

"It's enough."

The scholarly man's body was covered in wounds that had yet to heal, and blood had spilled all over the ground. Despite this, the scholar was in a state of extreme excitement, his legs trembling as he moved them, "My legs can move! My legs can move!"

"I'm not a cripple anymore!"

Ordinary people's bones, even those of beasts, would be instantly crushed into powder by the powerful sword intent within his body. Only this sword bone, after being washed by his sword intent for tens of thousands of years, could withstand the cleansing of his sword intent.

This allowed him to walk again.

And it even nourished himself.

"Brother Qiu."

The scholar's face was flushed with excitement, and he even shed tears of joy. After studying it for a while, he stood up and knelt on the bed, his upper body straight and proud as he looked at Chen Qiu with a determined yet hoarse voice.

"Thank you, Brother Qiu, for bestowing upon me the sword bone."

"I, Scholar..."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Chen Qiu turned to look at the scholar's legs, where the wounds had not yet healed. Due to the kneeling, he could even see the ghastly white leg bones protruding from the wounds, and he quickly waved his hand, signaling the scholar to lie down, "I understand, I understand. You don't need to keep expressing your loyalty. Just lie down and recover quickly."

"Getting the Sword Cultivator's heritage as soon as possible is the best way to repay me."

With the help of a large amount of heavenly materials, the scholar's injuries healed quickly. Even though the wounds had not fully healed, the scholar could barely contain his excitement. He got up, walked out of bed, and began pacing around the courtyard of the disciples' dormitory.

He walked with a slight tremble, still unaccustomed to walking after years of immobility.

"This is great."

Fat Dragon, sitting on a small stool, looked at the scholar in the courtyard and said in a daze, "Brother Qiu, you're about to reach the Golden Core stage, and Scholar is also recovering his cultivation. You both have a bright future ahead."

"You too."

Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Dragon and said impatiently, "Don't worry, I won't forget about you. In a few days, I'll get you a batch of female demons for dual cultivation."

At that moment, the scholar also approached him with difficulty.

"How is it?"

"It's great," the scholar replied with a genuine smile, his mouth stretching almost to his ears, looking extremely excited. "Now that I'm no longer a cripple, my spiritual energy no longer leaks. I can utilize more spiritual energy, and all I need to do now is remove the remaining toxins from my Dao Foundation."

"But I don't know what kind of pill can cure this kind of toxin yet."

"At least now I can reduce the number of Qi-replenishing pills I need to take, which will make our journey faster."

"That's good."

Chen Qiu smiled and said, "As for the pill, let's see if we can find a Pill Cultivator to take a look."

"But now—"

"We should find an Artifact Cultivator first."

Half an hour later.

Outside Fat City, Chen Qiu, with a serious expression, squatted down and looked at the old man curled up on the ground, shivering in fear, "You're Li Jia, right? I heard you're the second-best Artifact Cultivator in Fat City."

"Mhm."

The old man, his eyes filled with fear and his body uncontrollably trembling, replied. Once, someone told him that people only remember the first, and never the second. He really wanted to refute, 'Nonsense!'

He had been remembered by someone, and by a notorious person at that!

The news of Chen Qiu annihilating the entire Ning family, including nearly a hundred Artifact Cultivators, had spread throughout Fat City overnight. How could he not know about it? How could he not recognize him? He even had his portrait distributed to his disciples and grandchildren.

So that they would be more careful and not provoke those they shouldn't.

But he hadn't done anything, and yet he had been targeted by this notorious person.

He had been rejoicing that he would become the number one Artifact Cultivator in Fat City. He had just crafted a wooden plaque with the words "Fat City's Number One Artifact Cultivator" for his seclusion room, but before he could hang it on the wall, he was captured by the notorious person and brought to this remote wilderness.

It seemed that the third-best Artifact Cultivator in Fat City was about to rise to the top.

"Don't be afraid."

Chen Qiu gently patted the old man's shoulder and smiled, "I need you to forge a Spirit Treasure, an arm guard, with some special requirements."

He repeated the idea that had come to him last night before speaking.

"Can you do it?"

"Yes, I can."

The old man nodded vigorously, his head bobbing like a rattle drum, "No problem, I can definitely do it."

After understanding the design requirements, his impression of the notorious man in front of him became more concrete. A normal person would never forge such a torture device. Although he didn't know who this device was intended for, just thinking about it made him feel pain.

"This communication is going quite smoothly."

Chen Qiu turned to Fat Dragon and smiled, "It's rumored that Artifact Cultivators in Fat Province are quite arrogant, and one must beg and plead to have them forge a Spirit Treasure. But it seems that rumors aren't always accurate. This senior here has the demeanor of a true master, and communicating with him is like a refreshing spring breeze."

The old man didn't know how to respond, so he forced out a smile that was even uglier than crying.

"How much is the forging fee?"

The old man's head started shaking vigorously again, "Your request is simple. I won't charge any Spirit Stones. Consider it as an apology for the disrespectful actions of those ignorant Artifact Cultivators last night."

"That's good."

Chen Qiu stood up and laughed, "Bring your tools, I'll wait here for you. Begin."

Half an hour later.

Chen Qiu released the old man and sat in the inn, playing with the arm guard. It was a low-rank Spirit Treasure, just as the old man had said, not very powerful, but its strength was just right for him.

As soon as he put on the arm guard, life energy surged into his mind, and over a hundred steel needles pierced his body. Since it was a Foundation Establishment Low-grade Spirit Tool, it ensured that it would injure him while not causing too much harm.

In less than three breaths, his life energy was instantly replenished, much faster than any Qi-replenishing pills or spirit stones. Moreover, it was free of impurities. This seemingly ordinary Foundation Establishment Low-grade Spirit Tool would undoubtedly become an essential asset in his future prolonged battles.

"Excellent," Chen Qiu said with satisfaction as he wore the arm guard under his left sleeve. From the outside, no one could tell that this arm guard possessed defensive capabilities; it was merely a Foundation Establishment Low-grade Spirit Tool, and he shouldn't expect too much from it.

It was already noon, yet the entire Fat City remained eerily quiet.

Chen Qiu looked out the window with a puzzled expression, "Those Artifact Cultivators boasted about having many people behind them. Why hasn't a single one come seeking revenge?"

He had planned to attract the Golden Core Cultivators backing them.

Then, he intended to raid some sect and family without powerful formations, knowing that Artifact Cultivators were wealthy, and he couldn't help but covet their riches.

Indeed, this was a land of abundance.

With abundant life energy, the people here were also full of vigor.

Shaking his head, he stopped speaking and turned his gaze inward to inspect his body. He hadn't chosen the Entry after breaking through the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment; he had been busy and hadn't had the time to look at it until now.

At this moment, in the northernmost part of the Great Xia—

In the endless desert—

A young Brown Bear stood on a high platform, basking in the excited cheers of countless Brown Bear tribe members. Not far away, in the heart of the desert, countless Spirit Rice swayed gracefully.

"Son, you've succeeded," the young bear's father exclaimed, sharing in his excitement as he patted his son's shoulder. "I apologize for ever doubting you. I never imagined you could actually grow Spirit Rice in the desert!"

"This is a miracle!"

"A problem the Demon Race has struggled with for so many years, and you've solved it!"

"Son, have you seen the adoration in the eyes of our tribesmen? You've already replaced me as the leader of this tribe, and soon, you might even become the king of the Brown Bear Race!"

The young bear's mouth, covered in fur, curled up slightly. Standing on its hind legs, its eyes, cold and filled with battle intent, gazed towards the direction of Xuzhou, "I've always said that the Demon Race must unite!"

"Starting with the unification of the Brown Bear Race, becoming the king of the Brown Bear Race is just the beginning, not the end."

"Father, please select some robust Brown Bear tribesmen. I want to train an army, arm them to the teeth, and they will become the backbone of my Demon Race army and my trusted followers."

"When the Demon Race army marches into Xuzhou—"

"The glory of the Brown Bear Race will spread across the entire continent!"

As the young bear passionately expressed his aspirations, his imperial aura became almost palpable. However, he didn't notice that the Brown Bear tribe members, who had been cheering excitedly below the platform, gradually fell silent, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked at their new leader.

Even the old tribe leader looked at the young bear with puzzlement, "Son, I have a question. What's the purpose of your military training?"

"Hmm?"

The young bear frowned and turned towards his father. Although he didn't fully understand, he raised his furry paw and said coldly, "Of course, it's to invade the Great Xia and occupy that fertile land in Xuzhou!"

"To carve out a homeland for the Brown Bear Race!"

"What's the purpose of conquering territory?"

"Endless food!!!"

The young bear spoke with unwavering determination and fervor.

"But..."

The old tribe leader pointed to the distant Spirit Rice swaying in the desert, "Don't we already have endless food?"

"Under your leadership, son, we succeeded in growing vast fields of Spirit Rice in the desert in less than ten days, and we've even had a bountiful harvest. With so much food already, why risk the lives of our tribesmen by invading the Great Xia?"

". . ."

The young bear's mouth twitched, and after a long silence, he spoke softly, "It's a miracle."

"A miracle that unites the Demon Race. My original intention was to use this miracle to strengthen the unity of the Demon Race, not for them to live happily in this endless desert, relying on this rice."

"I understand what you mean, son. What I'm saying is, since we already have an infinite supply of food, why invade the Great Xia?"

". . ."

The young bear stopped speaking and walked expressionlessly to the side of the platform. He leaped into the air, drawing a graceful arc, and buried his head in the sand, motionless.

He felt a bit tired and homesick. He wanted to go home.

It was difficult to lead them.

During that person's speech, didn't he stir up the crowd's emotions with half a million loaves of bread? Why couldn't he do the same?

Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer, breaking through to the Ninth Layer, the choice of three Entries, forgot to write, thanks to the reader for reminding me, will add it tomorrow, a small patch, sorry.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end