Chapter 120: "So you're the Grand Master, right?"

Chapter 120: "So you're the Grand Master, right?"

Obtaining a Sword Cultivation Heritage was basically a sure thing for the Scholar.

With the little tricks taught by Old Man Cao, and the Scholar's recent experiences of great ups and downs, he perfectly met the requirements for the Sword Cultivation Heritage, making it almost certain.

The three Nascent Soul bodies were basically all set.

The ten Attribute Scrolls for pill forging were also prepared.

He had obtained the Eight Directions Fruit and the Malevolent Wood.

He also possessed the Dao Foundation, the Seven-Colored Entry, and a strand of Divine Providence.

Now, he only lacked six Second Rank Golden Cores, and this stringent condition was finally met. He had gone through a lot for this Tenth Rank Golden Core, and the time for harvest was finally approaching.

Although Second Rank Golden Cores were hard to find, it shouldn't be a problem to obtain six of them within a year.

Chen Qiu didn't think further, but instead focused his attention on casting his rod again. He needed to catch eight pink fish to qualify for the hidden Rainbow Gateway in the eighth gate. He had only caught one so far.

There were still seven more to go.

At that moment, not far away, another lucky person reeled in a fish that constantly changed between gray, green, and rainbow colors. This time, the lucky one had learned from the previous unlucky person's experience.

With a determined expression, he chose the rainbow-colored fish.

And so,

The fish that kept changing between the three colors finally turned into a gray fish once more and transformed into a copper coin.

The unlucky person standing nearby, with a gloomy and regretful expression, had initially regretted not choosing the rainbow fish. But upon witnessing this scene, he froze for a moment, then suddenly broke into a sincere smile, feeling genuinely happy.

Suddenly, his mood seemed to improve significantly, though he didn't know why.

His slightly damaged Dao Heart instantly felt healed, as if a divine physician had mended it.

"Finally, eight of them!"

After catching numerous fish of various colors, Chen Qiu finally caught the eighth pink fish. At this moment, his storage ring quietly held seven Divine Path Detox Pills.

He had no immediate use for them, but they could play a decisive role if needed in the future.

After catching the eighth pink fish, he didn't hesitate and immediately put away the pink fishing rod into his storage ring. He turned and rushed towards the cabin, heading straight for the hidden gateway of the eighth gate! Time was running out.

There was less than half a shichen left before the Mystic Realm closed.

For the first time, he felt that the time in the Mystic Realm was too short; he wished it could last longer.

-

"Hidden Gateway: Eighth Gate, defeat five Golden Core Third Layer fish monsters within a hundred breaths."

-

"Boom!!"

The moment the gateway's misty panel dissipated, Chen Qiu instantly detonated the five white Attribute Scrolls he had just caught. The Lightning Summoning Art was a single-target attack, and by detonating the Attribute Scrolls, he unleashed the Lightning Summoning Art with all his might at the Golden Core Peak, but he could only release one attack, unlike his ability to simultaneously cast thousands of them.

If he had detonated the Attribute Scrolls and unleashed the Nine Toxins Soul Annihilation Spell with all his might at the Golden Core Peak, he could have defeated all five Golden Core Third Layer fish monsters with just one scroll, as the Nine Toxins Soul Annihilation Spell was an area-of-effect attack.

However, the advantage of the Lightning Summoning Art was its near-instantaneous activation.

Unlike the Nine Toxins Soul Annihilation Spell, which required summoning green demon fire in the air and then directing it towards the enemy, he wasn't sure if the five fish monsters would launch a Divine Sense attack. For him, an instant attack was naturally a safer choice, even if it meant consuming a few more white Attribute Scrolls.

But it didn't matter.

When using the pink and golden fishing rods later, he had caught several more red fish that transformed into white Attribute Scroll jade slips, more than enough for his needs.

In this kind of battle,

Whoever strikes first gains the advantage.

And he was clearly faster.

The five Golden Core Third Layer fish monsters instantly turned into wisps of green smoke and vanished into the sky. As the mist enveloped the empty deck once more, he reappeared in the cabin.

The eighth room, which he had passed through, had disappeared without a trace.

It seemed that only one person was allowed to possess the Rainbow Fishing Rod in this Mystic Realm, but this rule made little difference as no one even possessed the purple fishing rod, which could catch medium-grade Spirit Stones. He noticed that only two people had the blue fishing rod, while the rest mostly had green and yellow fishing rods.

No one had the red fishing rod, which could catch white Attribute Scroll jade slips.

Chen Qiu, standing in the cabin, looked down at the Rainbow Fishing Rod in his hand. Its colors matched the Seven-Colored Entry within his Dao Foundation, and the fishing rod before him was also composed of seven intertwined colors.

It felt like holding a warm jade.

The entire rod was crystal clear and had shortened, now about the length of a longsword, making it look nothing like a fishing rod.

-

"Rainbow Fishing Rod."

"Can catch Rainbow Fish at its highest level. Has reached its limit and can be taken out of the Mystic Realm."

-

The Rainbow Fishing Rod had reached its maximum level, and its quality could no longer be upgraded. However, an additional line appeared on the panel, stating that it could be taken out of the Mystic Realm.

A hint of joy flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes.

He genuinely liked the fishing rod in his hand; it didn't seem like an ordinary object. Even if it had no other use, it would be a great keepsake to play with in his free time.

Moreover, only the Rainbow Fishing Rod could be taken out of the Mystic Realm.

He didn't believe for a second that this Rainbow Fishing Rod would be completely useless.

The Mystic Realm's duration was now less than half a shichen, and there was no time to ponder these matters. Chen Qiu strode towards the edge of the deck, the Rainbow Fishing Rod in his hand emitting a vibrant rainbow glow that drew everyone's attention.

Almost everyone had lost interest in fishing and was now staring at the Rainbow Fishing Rod in Chen Qiu's hand.

They wanted to see what kind of fish the Rainbow Fishing Rod could catch, even though they knew the Mystic Realm was about to end. Despite knowing they should focus on their fishing and mind their own business, their innate curiosity got the better of them, and many couldn't help but glance over at Chen Qiu from time to time.

Finally—

After pulling up several large fish of various colors, a rainbow fish with its scales shimmering in the sunlight was hooked. It was dragged from the azure sea and landed on the deck, its tail slapping against the wood, creating a spray of water that formed a faint rainbow in midair.

Soon, the rainbow fish thrashed a few times on the deck and transformed into a golden core amidst a white light.

"It's a Golden Core!" exclaimed a nearby cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, his eyes gleaming with fervor and his breathing quickening. "With this Golden Core, I can form a Second Rank Golden Core after entering the Golden Core stage!"

"Most Golden Core experts have a First Rank Golden Core. Only a few possess a Second Rank Golden Core, which is overwhelmingly superior. At the same level of cultivation, a First Rank Golden Core would have little chance against a Second Rank Golden Core."

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators showed little reaction to the Golden Core.

However, some cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment with great perfection cultivation had eyes red with envy, as if the word 'jealousy' was written on their faces. One of them, with a throat that kept rolling, sighed deeply after a long while, his expression dazed as he muttered.

"What a pity. This time, we're not allowed to attack each other."

"Otherwise, I would have been able to achieve the Second Rank Golden Core and have no regrets in this life!"

"..."

Chen Qiu gave the speaking cultivator a strange look and then turned his attention back to the deck. He also felt it was a pity, but he couldn't help but grin, suppressing his excitement. He carefully placed the Golden Core into a jade box and stored it in his storage ring.

In his eyes, this was no ordinary Golden Core.

There were two cloud patterns on its surface.

This indicated that it was a Second Rank Golden Core!

The rainbow fish caught with the rainbow fishing rod could transform into a Second Rank Golden Core, something he had never imagined. He only needed six more Second Rank Golden Cores to meet the requirements for a Tenth Rank Golden Core.

Now, he had caught one more, leaving him with just five to go.

"Moreover..."

Chen Qiu clenched the rainbow fishing rod in his hand, took a deep breath, and didn't say anything else. Instead, he cast his fishing line into the distance with force.

He had less than half a day's worth of time, and he wasn't just going to catch one Second Rank Golden Core.

At this moment, Scholar and the others had stopped fishing and were grilling chicken from their storage rings.

Why keep fishing? What was the point?

Fishing for half a day only earned them a few Spirit Stones. It would be better to take a break.

"Qiu-ge's ten..."

Fei Long looked back at Chen Qiu with a sigh, but he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, noticing the numerous gazes around them. He lowered his voice and said, "Qiu-ge's collection is almost complete."

"Once it's complete, I can't imagine anyone in Great Xia who could beat Qiu-ge."

Scholar shook his head with a smile, "I'm not sure. I've never even seen a Third Rank Golden Core. Qiu-ge's collection is beyond my understanding. I can't imagine the power of that thing."

"I just want to return to Fat Province as soon as possible and claim the glory I left behind."

"Damn..."

"Hugging this thigh is truly comfortable." Scholar suddenly felt a sense of regret. "I don't know why I was so arrogant and insisted on being a solitary Sword Cultivator. If only I had met Qiu-ge earlier."

"Hehe."

Fei Long smiled but said nothing, though his heart couldn't help but mock, 'Qiu-ge was probably still working as a laborer in his previous life.'

No, the first time Qiu-ge met him, he said he was a freelancer, not a laborer.

He didn't ask further at the time, but he would ask about this freelance job when he had the chance.

Finally—

When Chen Qiu caught the seventh rainbow fish, just as its body transformed into a white light and became a Second Rank Golden Core, the entire secret realm slowly became ethereal, and a powerful repulsive force enveloped everyone.

The secret realm had ended.

As Chen Qiu quickly grabbed the Second Rank Golden Core that had fallen on the deck and placed it into a jade box, throwing it into his storage ring, the repulsive force suddenly intensified a thousandfold. His head spun, and his vision blurred. When his sight returned, he found himself in a desolate wilderness, eighty miles away from Mountain Opening City.

The area was filled with wasteland, with no official roads in sight.

In the distance, an abandoned temple covered in spider webs stood, and several white-eyed crows perched on its eaves, staring at them.

After the secret realm ended, all participants were randomly teleported to any corner within a hundred miles. Chen Qiu and his group were likely considered a team and teleported together.

"Phew!"

The long period of tension and focus finally came to an end. Chen Qiu let out a sigh of relief, stretched his sore body, and then checked his storage ring, his face breaking into a wide grin.

The gains from this secret realm encounter were truly abundant.

He loved this secret realm encounter.

He had acquired a substantial amount of Spirit Stones:

25 medium-grade Spirit Stones and 3,702 low-grade Spirit Stones.

Most of these Spirit Stones came from the various colored fish he caught after upgrading his fishing rods.

Including this haul, he now had 50 medium-grade Spirit Stones and around 21,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.

Among them, Ning Taiping alone contributed over 10,000 low-grade Spirit Stones. Unfortunately, Ning Taiping's storage ring didn't have any medium-grade Spirit Stones, likely because he had used them all when breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

Additionally, there were 9 random white Attribute Scrolls.

He had caught 16 in total, used 7 in the secret realm, and now had 9 left. With just one more Attribute Scroll, he would have ten.

He also obtained 7 "Eight Directions Fruits" and 7 "Celestial Path Detox Pills," which weren't needed now but would surely be valuable in the future.

Chen Qiu's greatest harvest was, of course, the seven Second Rank Golden Cores he had fished out.

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu took stock of his harvest, his expression slightly odd as he remained silent. So many seven-colored items?

These seven Second Rank Golden Cores, together with the three he already had, totaled ten Second Rank Golden Cores, even exceeding the requirements for forming a Tenth Rank Golden Core.

"Perfect!"

Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the scholar and the others, "Let's head to Fat Province. We'll find a place there for the scholar to recover his cultivation, and then I'll take him to the Sword Cultivation Heritage."

There were still two days until the Talented Youth Competition.

The competition would only start the day after tomorrow.

The sun had already descended halfway down the mountain, and Chen Qiu, feeling a bit dazed, gazed at the setting sun and murmured, "Something feels off."

The progress was much faster than he had imagined.

His original plan was to skip this year's competition and make a decisive move next year, but now it seemed like things were progressing much faster than he had planned.

He had intended to spend a year gathering the conditions for forming a Tenth Rank Golden Core.

Now, in just a few days, he was almost there.

If he could form the Tenth Rank Golden Core before the competition began and successfully enter the early Golden Core stage, he truly wanted to know if all the talented youths from Great Xia combined could defeat him.

It was time to show the talented youths of Great Xia what a true prodigy was.

Tsk, scary.

He imagined in his mind how he would fare if he were an ordinary Golden Core cultivator facing an opponent with a Tenth Rank Golden Core. Even in his imagination, it was intimidating.

They traveled through the night without delay.

When the moon rose halfway up the sky, they re-entered Fat Province, a place they hadn't visited in a long time. Instead of going to an inn, they entered the little world to help the scholar protect his Dao Foundation.

At the rear of Mock Heaven Sect.

The scholar, after circulating his Heart Method to cleanse the impurities in his Dao Foundation caused by the excessive consumption of Qi Supplement Pills, knelt and swallowed a Divine Path Detox Pill. As he circulated his Heart Method, a black mist rose from his head.

This black mist was the toxins being forced out from the depths of his Dao Foundation.

After several incense sticks' worth of time.

The scholar slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and energized. He looked at Chen Qiu with gratitude, then, with a confidence he had never felt before, he clenched his sword fingers and shouted towards the nearby bushes.

"Kneel!"

A familiar incantation, but a different sword technique.

The Green Blade in the scholar's sleeve seemed more excited than ever, trembling as it shot into the sky, reaching a height of several dozen zhang. The sword trembled again, and hundreds of light swords with powerful sword intent and the shape of the Green Blade instantly appeared in the air.

The scholar shouted again, "Lotus Sword Formation!"

The hundreds of light swords in the sky changed positions in an instant, forming a sword array in the air. Then, as the scholar's pupils suddenly contracted, the light swords disappeared into the nearby bushes in the blink of an eye.

Along the way, all the tree trunks and leaves were sliced into pieces by the powerful sword intent.

With just this one strike—

All the tree trunks along the path collapsed.

"Hmm?" Fat Dragon's expression turned odd as he unconsciously said, "Is that it?"

It wasn't that the technique wasn't powerful.

With the scholar's current cultivation at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment, having such a technique was already far beyond his peers. However, after witnessing Chen Qiu's overwhelming Thunder Dragon Strike, this Lotus Sword Formation seemed like child's play in comparison.

The scholar chuckled and patted Fat Dragon's shoulder, leaving the others with a casual wave as he walked towards the direction of Mock Heaven Sect without looking back, "Sword Cultivators never look back, farewell."

The next moment!

"Boom!!!"

The bushes that had been pierced by the hundreds of light swords suddenly exploded with deafening blasts. Countless blinding rays of light shot out from deep underground, following the cracks, and the entire area of several dozen zhang of forest was blown into the air, turning into powder.

A deep pit, ten zhang wide, was left behind.

At the bottom of the pit, one could still feel the intense sword intent.

This strike was not something an ordinary Third Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve; it was at least the full power of a Seventh Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator!

This was no small matter!

". . ."

Fat Dragon looked at the scholar's departing figure, his lips twitching slightly, "This kid is showing off to us."

Just then, the scholar quickly teleported to his brother's side and reappeared beside Chen Qiu, feeling a bit embarrassed. He clenched his fist and coughed lightly, "Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu... I won't say much about my gratitude."

"I'm going to the Sword Cultivation Heritage now to obtain that Nascent Soul body for you."

"Is that possible?"

Chen Qiu smiled and looked at the scholar, "Shouldn't you wait until you recover your Golden Core cultivation first?"

"No need," the scholar shook his head, "The difficulty of the Mystic Realm is determined by the cultivator's level. Although my cultivation is only at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment, the difficulty will also be at the Third Layer. It will be easier."

"Good."

Chen Qiu and the others exited the little world and ventured deeper into the Endless Ice Plain, heading towards the Mystic Realm. This was his third time entering the Endless Ice Plain.

The first time, he had obtained the Law Cultivation Heritage.

The second time, he had annihilated over a hundred thousand evil tribes.

This third time, he was helping the scholar obtain the Sword Cultivation Heritage.

At the entrance of the Mystic Realm.

After Chen Qiu shared some hidden techniques about the Sword Cultivation Heritage that outsiders didn't know, he patted the scholar's shoulder and said with a serious expression, "Good luck, it's all up to you."

"I'll do my best."

The scholar took a deep breath and stepped into the Mystic Realm with a resolute expression.

It was already past midnight.

The Reputation Ranking had disappeared, and he couldn't receive the Celestial Path Cultivation Pill anymore. Those 200 people were still in his little world, waiting for him to break through to the Golden Core stage, after which there would be no one in Great Xia he needed to fear. At that time, he could release them all.

There was an exploding entry, and with his Golden Core Early Stage cultivation, he could unleash a full-power strike equivalent to a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Without a Nascent Soul Cultivator from Great Xia to stop him, who could?

".”

Chen Qiu took out a rocking chair from his Storage Ring and lay on it, gazing up at the dense dark cloud in the sky. He was enjoying this moment of comfort, as his cultivation had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.

He no longer needed to worry about cultivation.

It had been a long time since he had nothing to think about, lying quietly here, indulging in the passing of time, which was a luxury. If time was the most precious thing in the world, then wasting time was the greatest happiness.

Fat Dragon, on the other hand, was starting a campfire and roasting roast goose with his scholarly younger brother.

"Do you really like eating grilled meat that much?"

Chen Qiu turned his head towards Fat Dragon helplessly, always feeling that Fat Dragon seemed to be eating grilled meat all the time.

"No."

Fat Dragon smiled and said, "It's just that when the fire is lit, there's a warm atmosphere, and it's quite cold here. Roasting some fire can make it a bit warmer."

Chen Qiu stopped talking and just felt quite comfortable at this moment. The vengeful spirits on his body did make him feel cold, and the fire did make him feel more comfortable, but it wasn't warm enough.

He took out three pieces of Malevolent Wood from his arms and threw them into the fire.

"Burn this, let's be extravagant tonight."

"Feel the sensation of Spirit Stones burning."

Although he didn't know the true value of these items, seeing the Evil Tribes' crazed behavior, they were definitely worth a lot of Spirit Stones. This was true extravagance, but what made him helpless was that many people in Fat Province were even more extravagant! They were really using these things as firewood, truly wasting celestial treasures. If the Evil Tribes knew that the people of Fat Province were using these items for warmth, they would probably die of anger on the spot.

It had to be said—

Malevolent Wood was indeed suitable for burning. The moment it was added to the fire, the surrounding temperature rose significantly, and he instantly felt warm.

Chen Qiu, who had been tense for a long time, saw that the Tenth Rank Golden Core was about to take its place, and his mind and body relaxed involuntarily. He lay on the rocking chair in a daze.

He fell asleep with the ice plain as his bed and the dark cloud as his blanket, drifting into a hazy slumber.

After noticing that Chen Qiu had fallen asleep, Fat Dragon also lowered his voice and turned to the scholarly younger brother beside him, whispering, "Hey, you're clearly the scholarly younger brother, but why do you look much older than him?"

"Your goatee is too thick, isn't it?"

"And your personality is so different from the scholar's. Can I ask, are you two blood brothers?"

However, the scholarly younger brother seemed not to have heard, sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring blankly at the campfire in front of him, lost in thought.

Fat Dragon stared at the scholarly younger brother with an expressionless face for a long time before suddenly laughing.

"I know who you are."

"You're the Grand Master, right?"

Upon hearing this, the scholarly younger brother finally showed some emotion, turning his head towards Fat Dragon, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"Did I guess right?"

Fat Dragon's eyes sparkled with excitement as he began to reason, "The scholar doesn't actually have a younger brother. The reason the scholar believes he has a brother and has such deep affection for you is because one of your attributes has the ability to hypnotize and even modify memories, right?"

"And you are the Grand Master!"

"You stayed by the scholar's side to cultivate him into Great Xia's first Sword Cultivator and create opportunities for him to meet Ji Jianian, so that he could enter the Human-Sword Unity realm with the help of Ji Jianian's Celestial Beauty effect."

"But this plan failed, and you shifted your focus to Ji Taiping. However, since the plan failed, why do you still stay by the scholar's side?"

"Let me think."

At this moment, Fat Dragon felt many thoughts flashing through his mind, and suddenly, he grasped one of them: "Unless... the scholar's downfall is also part of your plan. You know that to obtain the Sword Cultivation Heritage, one must experience great ups and downs and, during the lows, not fall into despair but maintain their initial determination!"

"You are the mastermind behind all this!"

"Then Ji Taiping is just a whetstone you designed for the scholar. If nothing unexpected happens, when the scholar returns to the Golden Core stage, he will use Ji Taiping as his stepping stone!"

"And you've been instilling certain ideas into Ji Jianian, so that one day he will suddenly realize that the person who saved him was actually the scholar, and the Celestial Beauty effect will also transfer to the scholar."

"At a critical moment, you will rely on these two variables to push the scholar to become Great Xia's number one Sword Cultivator!"

"Is all this your plan, right?"

"The scholar always thought that Ji Taiping was the Grand Master's choice for Great Xia's first Sword Cultivator, but he never knew that the Grand Master's true target was him all along, and Ji Taiping was just a whetstone prepared by the Grand Master for the scholar!"

Fat Dragon's speech became faster and faster, as if he had uncovered the truth. His body even subconsciously moved closer to Chen Qiu, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief as he looked at the scholarly younger brother.

"You are truly terrifying!"

"Does the scholar know that you are the Grand Master?"

".”

The scholarly younger brother silently withdrew his gaze from Fat Dragon, not refuting a word. He remained silent, sitting in his original spot, holding a twig and occasionally poking at the charcoal in the campfire.

"That's not right."

Fat Dragon suddenly shook his head again, "The logic doesn't add up. You and the scholar have a bloodline attribute, which can't be faked. You must be blood brothers."

"But—"

Fat Dragon's expression suddenly became strange again, "Even if you are the scholar's younger brother, it doesn't affect the fact that you are the Grand Master!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end