Chapter 135: Seeking Death

Chapter 135: Seeking Death

Just then—

"The third stage."

"Since ancient times, only 108 people have been selected for the Heaven's Pride Road. This stage will rank participants based on their Golden Core ranks. The bottom 108 will be eliminated, and in the case of equal Golden Core ranks, their cultivation levels will determine their fate."

"..."

Chen Qiu's expression turned peculiar as he gazed at the cloud-shrouded panel before him. The previous two stages had at least some subjectivity, and even if one's strength was lacking, they could employ certain means to improve their ranking.

But this stage...

It was straightforward and brutal, selecting the top 108 solely based on Golden Core rank.

In other words, those with lower Golden Core ranks would have no chance to enter the Heaven's Pride Road, not even making it through the preliminary screening of the mystic realm?

Just how strict was this selection for the Heaven's Pride Road?

However, Chen Qiu wasn't worried.

After all, it was impossible for anyone to have a higher Golden Core rank than him. He was only slightly concerned about the possibility of his Golden Core rank being exposed. When the Great Xia Nation's prison cage was eventually broken, the crisis awaiting him might be just a tiny bit more severe.

The stone tablet quickly displayed the leaderboard again.

"Third Stage Golden Core Rank Leaderboard."

"Rank 1: Mock Heaven Sect Patriarch Chen Qiu."

"Rank 2: Dao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shier."

"Rank 3: Bestow Heaven Sect Holy Son Zhang Mo."

The situation Chen Qiu had worried about didn't occur; the leaderboard only showed ranks without specifying Golden Core ranks.

Seeing this, Chen Qiu couldn't help but grin.

He hadn't expected to top the leaderboard three times.

If nothing unexpected happened, that Dao Sword Sect True Disciple was probably on the verge of breaking down. It was evident that the other party possessed both a high Golden Core rank and formidable personal strength, making them a top-tier Heavenly Prodigy of their generation. Such Heavenly Prodigies rarely experienced setbacks.

Having been suppressed three times in a row, the other party would likely need to take some time to adjust their mentality and repair their Dao Heart before resuming cultivation.

As Chen Qiu had predicted, at that moment, the Dao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shier stood before the stone tablet in the Green Stone Plaza with a fierce expression, gazing at the sky and roaring, "Inside job! Inside job!!!"

"This Chen Qiu is definitely not normal! There must be some kind of inside job going on!"

He was the true Heavenly Prodigy of the Xuantian Continent.

When the third stage panel appeared, he was delighted to finally secure the top rank, but he still worried about his Golden Core rank being exposed. His Golden Core rank was the Dao Sword Sect's top secret, something outsiders couldn't possibly know!

He was the Dao Sword Sect's peerless sword cultivator, nurtured by the sect's millennia-old heritage.

He possessed an Eighth Rank Golden Core.

His plan was to make a name for himself on the Heaven's Pride Road, then cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage and find the path to immortality.

He was an Eighth Rank Golden Core, and as far as he knew, there were only a handful of such cultivators on the entire Xuantian Continent. Those who possessed Eighth Rank Golden Cores, besides him, were all well-known ancient monsters.

He had suppressed his cultivation to the peak of the Golden Core stage, specifically to participate in the Heaven's Pride Road and then advance to the Nascent Soul stage after its conclusion.

This meant that Chen Qiu couldn't possibly have the same Eighth Rank Golden Core as him; he must have a Ninth Rank Golden Core!

Was this possible?

He had never seen a Ninth Rank Golden Core on the entire Xuantian Continent; he had only vaguely heard from his elders that there had been one in the distant past, but none had appeared in thousands of years.

Moreover, in the previous two stages, Chen Qiu had passed with ease within a breath.

This further confirmed his suspicions. This Chen Qiu was definitely not normal; there had to be some kind of inside job. But this was a Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm; could there be inside jobs even here?

No matter how much Li Shier roared at the sky, no one paid him any attention, and there was no response.

"This is quite interesting."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly as he looked at the third stage leaderboard.

He was also curious about the Golden Core ranks of the other Heavenly Prodigies. The highest rank in Great Xia was only Fourth Rank, so these Heavenly Prodigies from the Xuantian Continent might have ranks in the nineties. Although he knew their Golden Core ranks were lower than his, he was still curious by how much.

He hoped these people wouldn't suffer damage to their Dao Hearts. He himself had been inexplicably pulled into the Heaven's Pride Road by the Celestial Prodigy Token, so if anyone was to blame, it should be that evil Heavenly Prodigy.

Soon, another cloud-shrouded panel slowly appeared before them.

"The preliminary screening of the Heaven's Pride Road is now complete."

"All Heavenly Prodigies will receive their ratings. The 108 Heavenly Prodigies who passed the preliminary screening will be ranked."

"The Celestial Prodigy Token is now bound to its owner. If the token is lost and falls into the hands of others, they will be unable to enter the Heaven's Pride Road."

"Heavenly Prodigies who lose their Celestial Prodigy Token will also be unable to enter and will be considered to have forfeited."

"One year later, the Heaven's Pride Road will officially open, and the rankings will determine the entry order."

"..."

"Mock Heaven Sect Patriarch Chen Qiu, Rating: Heavenly Prodigy 100."

"Preliminary Screening Heavenly Prodigy Rating Leaderboard"

"Rank 1: Mock Heaven Sect Patriarch Chen Qiu, Heavenly Prodigy 100."

"Rank 2: Bestow Heaven Sect Holy Son Zhang Mo, Heavenly Prodigy 17."

"..."

"Rank 6: Dao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shier, Heavenly Prodigy 4."

"..."

"Rank 72: Fu Kui Sect Inner Sect Disciple Li Hui, Mortal Prodigy 87."

Accompanied by a flash of white light, everyone was expelled from the mystic realm. This preliminary screening of the Heaven's Pride Road consisted of three stages, and the participants were rated as Heavenly Prodigies, Earthly Prodigies, and Mortal Prodigies based on their performance in these three stages.

The number following the title of Heavenly Prodigy indicated the strength among those with the same title, with 100 being the highest and 1 being the weakest.

Li Shier had performed well in the first and third stages, but due to Chen Qiu's influence on his mental state in the second stage, he ultimately received a rating of Heavenly Prodigy 4.

As for Chen Qiu, he had nearly perfect performances in the first and second stages, and in the third stage, with the same Celestial Ultimate Twelfth Rank Golden Core, he also achieved a perfect score.

Perfect scores in all three stages.

Even if he had scored one point less, becoming a Heavenly Prodigy 99, it would still be considered a deliberate target by Heaven, and no one could find any fault with it.

At this very moment, within the secluded chambers of the Dao Sword Sect, Li Shiershi's face was grim, his entire being exuding a dense killing intent. With a sword strike, he shattered the restrictions of his own cave abode and, looking at the servants waiting outside, spoke in a cold and measured tone.

"Go investigate someone named Chen Qiu and that damn Mock Heaven Sect!"

"I want him dead!"

This scene unfolded almost simultaneously in numerous sect families. Many of the Talented Youths, whose Dao Hearts had been damaged, emerged from the mystic realm with dark expressions, their hearts burning with an unnamed fire.

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became.

Unless Chen Qiu was torn to pieces, they would never be able to swallow this humiliation!

Kill Chen Qiu!

In an instant, this became the consensus and heart demon of all.

To achieve Nascent Soul, one crucial condition is to be free of heart demons. Chen Qiu had become a heart demon in their minds, and they felt that they couldn't achieve Nascent Soul unless he was eliminated. They had suppressed their cultivation for so long to participate in the Talented Youth Road, not to miss the chance of Nascent Soul forever.

"Brother Qiu!"

At this moment, in a room of the Flying Fish City Inn, Fat Dragon and the others were surprised and worried when they saw Chen Qiu reappear. They gathered around him, asking, "Brother Qiu, you're finally back. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chen Qiu replied with a calm expression, shaking his head. There was a hint of emotion in his eyes. Although he had mocked the Talented Youths in the mystic realm to make them lose their Dao Hearts, he knew that any one of them brought to Great Xia Country would be an unparalleled genius.

Not to mention, he had witnessed Li Shiershi, a Golden Core peak cultivation, slaughtering over 900 Golden Core peak puppet clones. This was an extremely terrifying feat.

In the entire Great Xia Country, there weren't even that many cultivators at the Golden Core peak.

This meant that if Li Shiershi came to Great Xia, with enough time, he alone could wipe out the entire country without suffering significant injuries.

Although the puppets had the same cultivation level, they were weaker than humans.

But even at their weakest, they were still Golden Core peak puppets, not to be underestimated.

Of course, although he could annihilate ten thousand puppets of the same cultivation level in an instant, he was different. He was certain that Li Shiershi was a formidable opponent, and if he didn't improve fast enough, he would be crushed by Li Shiershi in the future.

". . ."

Chen Qiu lowered his head in deep thought, silent. He was currently at the third level of the Golden Core stage, and the Talented Youth Road was a year away. It was mandatory, just like this time, unless he discarded the Celestial Prodigy Token.

If his cultivation didn't reach the Golden Core peak by then, he would only face a beating.

He took a deep breath and shook his head.

He stopped thinking about it.

He'd see what happened when the time came. He felt it was unlikely to reach the peak within a year, and he didn't know what the rewards for the Talented Youth Road were. If his cultivation didn't reach the Golden Core peak, he would discard the token and not participate.

If his cultivation reached the required level, he would go.

He still had some flexibility in his choices.

Then, he turned his attention to the panel floating above his dantian, shrouded in clouds. After breaking through to the third level of the Golden Core, he had been directly transported to this mystic realm. He hadn't chosen a term right away, wanting to keep his options open in case he encountered any challenging trials.

But...

All three trials were simple.

There wasn't much difficulty, as it was just the preliminary screening realm, so he didn't get a chance to gamble.

"Cultivation greatly increased, formally entering the third layer of the Golden Core stage."

"Please choose one of the following three random terms within ten breaths."

1:

"Term Name": Self-Derived One.

"Term Grade": Yellow.

"Term Effect": You cannot be predicted by any divination methods.

2:

"Term Name": Self-Derived Forty-Nine.

"Term Grade": Blue.

"Term Effect": Each time someone tries to divine about you, they will receive incorrect and chaotic random clues.

3:

"Term Name": Self-Seeking Death.

"Term Grade": Green.

"Term Effect": When your Golden Core self-destructs, its power will be amplified tenfold and cannot be interrupted.

". . ."

Chen Qiu silently looked at the three terms that appeared randomly after breaking through to the third layer of the Golden Core. He was relieved that the Senior Elder of the Flower Offering Sect hadn't chosen the 'Self-Seeking Death' term, or he might have been injured if he hadn't retreated into the Little World immediately.

Among the terms, the blue grade was higher than the yellow grade.

The first and second terms were both meant to conceal the secrets of heaven and prevent divination. To be honest, he needed terms like these, especially after learning that the Array Cultivator guardian, Old Man Cao, might be the Grand Master.

He felt a faint sense of dread towards Divination Cultivators because no one knew what they might divine.

With a term to conceal the secrets of heaven, he could effectively counter Divination Cultivators. As long as their cultivation wasn't overwhelmingly higher than his, they wouldn't be able to divine him.

Without hesitation, he chose the second term.

"Self-Derived Forty-Nine."

Let the divination begin.

"Let's go."

Then, he turned to Fat Dragon and the others, "Let's go to Fat City and find Liu Zide."

With nothing else to do, he wanted to check on Liu Zide and the others.

On the way, Chen Qiu placed many items from the Little World into his Spirit Artifact. Although the Little World was larger and more organized, many mystic realms would sever his connection to it.

This meant that if he needed something from the Little World while in a mystic realm, he might not be able to retrieve it, which could be fatal in critical situations.

It was safer to keep items in the Spirit Artifact, even if it meant wearing multiple rings on his fingers, which might attract attention. But it was better than losing his life due to this issue.

The journey was uneventful.

As the sun descended halfway down the mountain and dusk approached, they had already arrived at Feicheng. Using the Sound Transmitter Token, they quickly contacted Liu Zide and arranged to meet.

"So many?" Chen Qiu's eyes flashed with surprise as he looked at the several Spirit Artifacts that Liu Zide handed over, each containing at least tens of thousands of Malevolent Wood.

"This is considered a small amount," Liu Zide said with a serious and respectful expression. "Malevolent Wood is quite common in Feizhou, and it's not considered a valuable item. It's mainly used for heating in some families and sects. If we were to go all out and acquire it in large quantities, we could get even more."

"But if we do that, the price of Malevolent Wood will skyrocket, and others will likely join the acquisition as well."

"So we've been telling stories in Feizhou these past few days."

"The story we've been spreading is that two young masters from different families had a disagreement and started arguing. To compete in wealth, they both agreed to use Spirit Stones to purchase useless items, such as Malevolent Wood."

"This way, they can showcase their financial prowess."

"Although the acquisition process is slower, the price of Malevolent Wood is still within a controllable range. We plan to change the story after some time, and we've also been slowly acquiring Eight Directions Fruit. We've already collected three of them."

"One of them was acquired by the 'Heavenly Pavilion' at Fat Dragon's request, and it was delivered to me according to your instructions, Chen Qiu."

"If you're in a hurry, we can speed up the process, but the price might increase."

"No need," Chen Qiu said with a smile as he took the Spirit Artifact and threw all twenty thousand pieces of Malevolent Wood into the Little World's backyard. Then, he handed Liu Zide a Spirit Artifact containing 4,000 Spirit Stones.

"Take these Spirit Stones and acquire more slowly. If you exceed the amount, just keep going and I'll reimburse you when I come next time."

"Keep the prices stable."

"By the way, find me some people. I want to take them to renovate a sect. It's a large sect, and ordinary mortals won't be able to handle the task. Find some specialists who are experienced in sect construction."

"Okay," Liu Zide nodded seriously. "I'll contact you immediately when I have news."

After parting ways with Liu Zide, Chen Qiu casually found an inn in Feicheng and checked in to prepare for his cultivation that night.

This time, they had learned their lesson and wore face masks, preventing the situation of being surrounded by others from happening again.

One must learn from their mistakes.

The same error couldn't possibly be made twice.

Soon, as the midnight hour struck, the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill automatically arrived, and Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, swallowed one of the pills. He began his arduous cultivation for the night, circulating his cultivation technique.

By the time the sun rose, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. His cultivation progress had reached—

- Cultivation: Golden Core Stage, Third Layer (45.3%).

In a few more days, his cultivation would increase again.

However, as his cultivation progressed, the effectiveness of the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill weakened. Without other opportunities, he estimated that it would be difficult to reach the peak of the Golden Core Stage and achieve Great Perfection before the Talented Youth Path.

After entering the Golden Core Stage,

The experience gained from killing monsters was almost non-existent, or perhaps completely gone.

After slaying countless Sea Tribe monsters, his cultivation progress hadn't increased by even 0.1%. No wonder many Golden Core cultivators preferred to stay in seclusion for cultivation instead of venturing out. Only Qi Condensation cultivators were eager to hunt monsters daily.

By now, the sun had risen.

Chen Qiu stepped out of the guest room and saw Fat Dragon and the others already waiting in the corridor. "Let's go. Since we're in Feicheng, we should definitely have some more mutton soup."

Then, he turned to the scholar beside him and patted his shoulder with a slightly surprised expression.

"Good job! Your cultivation progress is much faster than mine. You've already reached the Fifth Layer of Foundation Establishment."

"All thanks to you, Chen Qiu."

The scholar also smiled, feeling quite pleased. "If it weren't for the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills you gave me, my cultivation speed wouldn't have been this fast."

"That's great," Chen Qiu nodded. Soon, the three of them arrived at a stall in Feicheng.

"Fat Dragon," Chen Qiu took a sip of mutton soup and picked up a dry biscuit before turning to Fat Dragon. "The demoness in the Little World has already awakened. Why haven't you started cultivating with her?"

"I'll go after we finish eating," Fat Dragon replied, nodding heavily. "I wanted to go yesterday during the day, but when you arrived in Feicheng, you went straight to your room to cultivate. I didn't get a chance to tell you about it."

"Alright, let's go after we're done eating. It's been so long, and you've only reached the First Layer of Foundation Establishment. It's embarrassing for me to have such low cultivation when I'm out and about."

After the meal,

Chen Qiu and the others headed to the outskirts of Feicheng and entered the Little World.

They approached the demoness who was bound to a rack with iron chains, her five limbs restrained.

"Squeak, ahhhh!" The demoness, with her face contorted in a fierce and hysterical manner, let out inhuman screams as she couldn't speak human language.

There was an essential difference between the Demon Race and monsters.

Even at the Foundation Establishment Stage, members of the Demon Race had their spiritual intelligence awakened and could speak human language. In contrast, monsters, even if they reached the Golden Core Stage and transformed into human forms, couldn't speak human language, and their spiritual intelligence was inferior to that of the Demon Race at the Foundation Establishment Stage. They often relied on their instincts to act.

"Then I'll go?" Fat Dragon turned to Chen Qiu and the others, asking tentatively.

"Yes, go ahead."

"I feel a bit embarrassed with you guys here."

"How about we turn around?"

"Okay."

After a few hundred breaths,

The scholar, with a blank expression, looked at Fat Dragon, who had already advanced to the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment, and sighed lightly. "He's naturally suited for this."

Indeed, the ninefold cultivation speed was somewhat intimidating.

This was the power of Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation.

If one could meet the strict conditions of possessing the strength of nine bulls and the yin energy of nine females, the eighteenfold cultivation speed would be even more awe-inspiring. In dual cultivation, one would be eighteen times faster than others.

It's impossible to compare.

After observing for a moment, Chen Qiu and the others confirmed that the demoness was indeed unable to release her spirit sense and cultivation within the spiritual treasure. Satisfied, they left the little world without any worries.

They didn't have a habit of watching others.

However, the demoness was, after all, a Fifth Level Core cultivator. The advantage of having a higher cultivation level was that she could help Fat Dragon's cultivation progress faster, but the drawback was that if she broke free, she might easily slap Fat Dragon to death.

After confirming that there wouldn't be any unexpected incidents, they didn't linger and left the little world, heading towards Fat City.

After a casual stroll, they returned to the inn to cultivate.

Cultivation was the main melody of life.

By the time the next day dawned, Chen Qiu's cultivation progress had reached—

Cultivation: Third Stage Golden Core (75.3%).

By tomorrow morning, his cultivation would break through to the Fourth Stage Golden Core. He was taking one step at a time, steadily advancing towards the peak of the Golden Core stage. Once he reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, he would be invincible in the Great Xia Kingdom, and no one would be able to pose even the slightest threat to him.

This morning.

Only Chen Qiu, the scholar, and the scholar's younger brother were sitting at a roadside stall, quietly savoring lamb soup. Fat Dragon was nowhere to be seen.

"Fat Dragon is truly formidable."

The scholar's expression was complex as he spoke, "From yesterday morning to this morning, it's almost been 12 hours, and he hasn't stopped for a moment."

Chen Qiu also sighed lightly.

"Fat Dragon is a hard-working person. Our cultivation speed has increased so quickly because of him. Only his cultivation, which has entered the First Stage Foundation Establishment, hasn't moved much. Although he doesn't say it, he must be envious inside."

"Now that there's a chance to quickly improve his cultivation, he won't give up."

"I understand."

"As the saying goes, Heaven rewards the diligent. Those who work hard will surely be rewarded."

Just then—

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu frowned and looked up, seeing dozens of cultivators transforming into streams of light and shooting towards the Endless Ice Plains from different directions. He then followed the direction they were flying and sent out his spirit sense to scan a wide area.

A Third Stage Golden Core cultivator releasing his spirit sense without restraint would undoubtedly attract the attention of many other Golden Core cultivators.

But he didn't really mind.

Spirit sense was meant to be used. If he was worried about offending others and didn't use it, what was the difference between having spirit sense and not having it? If someone felt offended, they could come and say it to his face.

He wouldn't dare to use it in the capital.

There were too many powerful cultivators there.

But in Fat City, on the outskirts of the Great Xia Kingdom, he wasn't afraid of anyone.

Soon—

He quickly discovered that a large number of cultivators had gathered at the edge of the Endless Ice Plains. On the surface of the Endless Ice Plains, a thick layer of ice had partially melted, revealing a passage with obvious signs of artificial excavation.

The passage was filled with steps.

On the walls, every three zhang, there were two incense sticks burning with demon oil.

It led deep underground, its destination unknown.

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu's eyebrows relaxed, and without the slightest hesitation, he threw a handful of silver to the shopkeeper and led the scholar and the others towards the Endless Ice Plains. It seemed like some mystic realm had appeared.

The appearance of a mystic realm meant an opportunity.

An opportunity meant it was his.

If he didn't hurry, it meant others would take his opportunity.

After a dozen breaths—

Accompanied by a green sword light that transformed into a stream of light and shot from the horizon, piercing into the edge of the Endless Ice Plains, Chen Qiu and the others instantly appeared at the location of the green sword light.

After landing, Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings.

At this moment, many Foundation Establishment cultivators had already gathered here, and there was even a Golden Core cultivator.

Originally, this Golden Core cultivator had a cold expression, and his Golden Core cultivation was not concealed, suppressing the Foundation Establishment cultivators who could only stand fearfully to the side. But with Chen Qiu's arrival,

The familiar face and the Third Stage Golden Core cultivation made this Golden Core cultivator immediately reveal a flattering smile. He hurried over to Chen Qiu, his expression respectful and reverent, "Brother Qiu, you're here too."

This was their first meeting, but in the shadow stone, he had seen Chen Qiu many times.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu lightly nodded, glanced at the surrounding Foundation Establishment cultivators looking at him, and then at the man in front of him with a First Stage Golden Core cultivation. His eyes glanced at the passage entrance exposed due to the melting ice at the edge of the Endless Ice Plains, and he spoke softly.

"You came early. Tell me what's happening now."

"It's not a Heavenly Dao mystic realm."

The Golden Core cultivator didn't dare to delay and shook his head, explaining immediately, but then hesitated, "It seems like an ancient ruin."

"A long time ago, in unofficial records, there was a passage that said the Endless Ice Plains had cities and powers a long time ago, but suddenly, overnight, they were sealed under a thick layer of ice."

"Now that the ice has melted, this passage has been revealed. The passage obviously has signs of artificial excavation, and below it might be the ruins of an ancient era."

"The steps in the passage can block spirit sense."

The man didn't continue.

But Chen Qiu understood what he meant. This cave entrance might correspond to the ruins of a long-ago building, which meant there might be things from several versions of the Heavenly Dao before, such as the "Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pill."

These were all rare items.

Things like the "Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pill" and "Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill" had different levels of rarity in different versions of the Heavenly Dao. With the changes in the Heavenly Dao versions, these previous pills gradually became out of print because they were no longer produced.

In ancient ruins, one might be able to find such things.

This was also why so many cultivators had gathered here.

Every time an ancient ruin opened, it would attract many people to explore.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end