Chapter 139: Foundation Building Sixth Layer · Xuantian Immortal Palace

Chapter 139: Foundation Building Sixth Layer · Xuantian Immortal Palace

"A pity about this magic robe", Xiao Chen sighed, bending down to retrieve Lu Wuqiang's storage bag.

Truthfully, this was the strongest enemy he'd faced so far. In their final clash, the opponent had resisted the longest, even using talismans to escape by draining Xiao Chen's mana. Another Foundation Building Late Stage cultivator might have succeeded, but his opponent likely hadn't expected Xiao Chen's false core, which doubled his mana reserves.

Through sheer bombardment, Xiao Chen had shattered the top-grade magic robe. As Lu Wuqiang drew his last breath, his summoned divine general and yellow turban warrior dissolved into mana. Xiao Chen first collected the golden melon thunder hammer from the corpse, then waved his hand to recall the brocade handkerchief, retrieving the radiant golden light pearl inside.

"Radiant light shining—truly a treasure, but now mine", he mused, nodding in satisfaction before cleansing the battlefield with a scarlet flame bomb.

"Senior Sect Brother, are you unharmed?" Lin Ping An called, peering from a volcano crater while clutching a round shield. "What caused such a commotion?"

Xiao Chen landed calmly beside him. "All resolved."

"What about the Forbidden Realm? Was the restriction restored?"

Lin Ping An exhaled in relief, retracting his round shield while dismantling a temporary defense formation. "Got it fixed."

"Junior Sect Brother Lin, did you study formations as a secondary path?"

"Senior Sect Brother jokes. I'm not that skilled—just learned a couple defense formations for safety."

They leapt back into the volcano crater. Lin Ping An formed a hand seal. "Open!"

The restriction shimmered white, then nothing.

"Hey, open!"

"Hmm? Open!"

As Xiao Chen turned to ask, blinding white light erupted, followed by a torrent of spiritual energy. Like a volcanic eruption, it hurled both men backward. A white light pillar, dozens of feet wide, pierced the heavens, announcing the Forbidden Realm's activation across a thousand-mile radius.

Lin Ping An slapped his thigh. "Darn, there was a hidden restriction!"

"This reveals the Forbidden Realm's location, attracting nearby cultivators", Xiao Chen warned.

"No worries. Within two thousand miles, we're likely the only ones here."

"How long will this last?"

Lin Ping An inspected the scene, sighing. "Judging by the scale, probably an hour."

"Fine. Good things come to those who wait."

Xiao Chen settled on a flat rock to refine his new top-grade magic artifacts, especially the radiant golden light pearl, which required nurturing with his own mana.

Lin Ping An's assessment proved accurate. An hour later, the light pillar swiftly shrank and vanished.

Looking down the crater, they saw a scene akin to the Yan Chi Secret Realm—ripples like water waves revealing streams and blooming flowers within the Forbidden Realm.

Xiao Chen and Lin Ping An entered the portal side by side. Instantly, the world spun. Space itself seemed to warp.

When Xiao Chen turned, Lin Ping An had vanished. He now stood in an ancient small room with a stone tablet, a sealed wooden door, and no windows. Yet the room was brightly lit, revealing tiny inscriptions on the tablet:

Welcome to Xuantian Immortal Palace. To pass the first trial, enter the hall and survive a quarter-hour against three Foundation Building Late Stage puppets. Succeed to proceed to the next hall.

You have one hour to decide. Failure to act results in disqualification.

Use the registration brush on the tablet's back to record your name and open the door.

"A trial?" Xiao Chen tested the door, finding it sealed by a formation. The tablet, taller than a man, bore a brush across its top. Dozens of names already adorned its back, with new ones appearing—Tian Wenyu, He Qianlan. The latest: An Ping.

After fifteen minutes, Lin Ping An's name hadn't appeared.

"Interesting." Xiao Chen picked up the brush, writing "Chen Xiao" in an empty space.

Golden light flickered. His handwriting and the brush vanished, replaced by "Chen Xiao" at the latest position. In that quarter-hour, over a hundred names had appeared.

"So many entered the Forbidden Realm? Could Xuantian Immortal Palace have multiple entrances?" Otherwise, even those seeing the light pillar wouldn't arrive so quickly.

The door creaked open, revealing an empty hall. Three white-glowing walls faced him. As Xiao Chen stepped out, a new wall sealed his retreat. The front wall's white glow shifted to red, timing precisely to a quarter-hour.

Three holes opened in the floor, raising puppets forged from black iron—each at Foundation Building Eighth Layer, wielding broadswords.

Across Xuantian Immortal Palace's outermost layer, over a hundred candidates faced similar trials. Though the puppets lacked spells, their thick hides resisted magic attacks. The confined space soon left many cultivators injured.

Lin Ping An, shield raised and command flag waving from a corner, muttered, "Thankfully learned some defense formations."

Nearby, a muscular youth wielded a xuanhua axe effortlessly, blocking all attacks. Others relied on talismans or spirit beasts. Only one youth stood apart—using sheer strength to dismantle the puppets one by one.

"As the elders predicted, the puppets' materials have decayed. They can be forcibly disassembled", he remarked.

As the puppets fell, the wall ahead rose, revealing a corridor. The youth strode out, reading two lines above:

Second Line: Chu Yuebin—Rating of Excellence, two quarter-hours.

"Who took first?!" Chu Yuebin frowned, spotting the top line:

Chen Xiao—Rating of Excellence, one quarter-hour.

"Chen Xiao?" He scowled, recalling—no Chen family existed in Jingkong Sea. "Could he be from Wanxian Island?"

An hour earlier, a white pillar had erupted near Jingkong Sea, drawing cultivators to the Xuantian Immortal Palace, which had opened decades early.

"Still, a rival makes things interesting", Chu Yuebin shrugged, striding into the corridor.

Two paths forked ahead. A white light descended, and a mechanical voice intoned:

"Chu Yuebin, welcome to the second trial. Reach the Mind Inquiry Hall within two hours. Failure results in disqualification. Time starts now."

A stone tablet detailed the trial: Celestial Fortune. Only one path led to the hall, requiring luck to choose correctly.

Xuantian Immortal Palace's inscription read: "The Immortal Palace needs no disciples with poor fortune."

Chu Yuebin's ancestor had once chosen wrongly, cursing bitterly. But Chu Yuebin, prepared, released a spirit fish that darted leftward.

"Perfect! With this pathfinding fish, I'll tie Chen Xiao's time." He slapped a second-grade flying feather talisman on his leg. Though the palace forbade flying swords, the talisman doubled his speed.

Reaching the corridor's end, he read:

Chu Yuebin—Rating of Excellence, one hour.

Normal cultivators barely finished in two hours, but his talisman halved the time. Yet above it:

An Ping—Rating of Excellence, fifteen minutes.

"Who's An Ping?!" Chu Yuebin gaped. No An family existed in Jingkong Sea. "Where are these people coming from?!"

Nearby, Lin Ping An muttered, "Chen Xiao again—only three ke zhong (forty-five minutes) to finish? Cultivation is dangerous indeed. If this were a life-or-death chase, I'd be doomed."

He resolved, "Back home, I must strengthen my escape techniques. No more reckless adventures until I master them."

After making his decision, Lin Ping An carefully pushed open the door and stepped into the third trial—the Mind Inquiry Hall.

The moment he entered, he saw a painting depicting a bustling metropolis. Suddenly, he forgot who he was, as if he had stepped into the painting itself. Within it, he experienced the life of an ordinary person.

Born into a destitute family, he endured hunger and cold. When he finally grew older, a wandering immortal master declared him devoid of a spirit root, dashing his hopes of cultivation. Later, while tilling a field, he accidentally discovered a Demon Cultivation Technique—one that required no innate talent or spirit stones.

At first, it imposed no restrictions, and within two years, it helped him breakthrough to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation. But soon, the technique demanded the cultivator’s vital blood and detailed a deadly poison formula. Coincidentally, he realized he had unknowingly gathered all the required spirit herbs.

Now, the only choice left was whether to poison other cultivators. Yet, Lin Ping An suddenly felt something was amiss: Why would I cultivate such a dangerous Demon Cultivation Technique?

The more he pondered, the more uneasy he became, until he abruptly snapped out of the illusion. A monotonous voice echoed:

"Lin Ping An, Excellence rating. Time taken: four quarters of a watch. Comprehensive Excellence rating. Trial passed."

"Congratulations. You’ve earned second place and may choose two rewards."

As the voice faded, twelve jade boxes materialized, containing spirit stones, pills, cultivation manuals, and more. However, three boxes were already empty, clearly picked over.

"Let me guess—Chen Xiao again?"

Lin Ping An looked up and saw the top spot indeed belonged to Xiao Chen.

"Chen Xiao—Exceptional Excellence rating. Time taken: one quarter of a watch. Comprehensive Exceptional Excellence rating."

One quarter of a watch? Lin Ping An sucked in a breath, stunned. He couldn’t fathom how someone escaped such a potent illusion so quickly. Who exactly is this person?

Rewinding to half a watch earlier, before Lin Ping An reached the Mind Inquiry Hall, Xiao Chen had entered a separate Mind Inquiry Hall.

In truth, he saw no illusions at all. Instead, a flat voice announced: "Congratulations. You’ve earned first place and may choose three rewards."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Xiao Chen scratched his head, baffled. "I got first just like that?"

Earlier, when attacked by puppets, he parried with his sword, immediately noticing their weak bodies. Relying on brute strength rivaling a body cultivator, he hacked them into pieces. Then, picking a random path, he ran into a dead end, realized his mistake, and doubled back. Finally, he entered the Mind Inquiry Hall, did absolutely nothing, and passed.

"Did I really deserve first place? Is this trial broken from disrepair?"

"Feels like there’s no challenge at all."

"This the best they call an immortal palace?"

But then he saw twelve jade boxes brimming with lavish rewards—among them a top-grade magic artifact and two vials of Pure Wood Essence.

"Take back what I said—this is a true immortal palace!"

Pure Wood Essence was invaluable, though only effective for cultivators with a wood spirit root. Among second-tier wood-type spirit herbs, it was unparalleled. Its greatest trait? When crafting pills, it could substitute any wood-element herb in a formula. It surpassed all other second-tier wood herbs in every aspect.

Though others had possessed it before, none had ever surfaced on the market. The entire Li Zhou bazaar and auction houses hadn’t seen it in over a century. Xiao Chen had only read of it in pill manuals.

Never did he expect to find two vials here.

Without hesitation, he claimed both vials of Pure Wood Essence, then leisurely browsed the rest.

"Ten thousand spirit stones? Not worth it."

Though he owed tens of thousands in debt, taking spirit stones directly felt underwhelming.

"Angelica Life Extension Pill? A shame."

A rare second-tier spirit pill, its life-prolonging effects rivaled a common top-grade magic artifact. But Xiao Chen had no use for it—especially with a top-grade magic artifact available.

The remaining rewards were earth-tier cultivation manuals or spells. One stood out: an obscure legacy called Jade Carver.

"Didn’t know this niche art existed."

Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow, though he had no interest in mastering multiple arts currently.

"Fine, I’ll take this Lotus Jade Ruyi."

Since his False Core ensured ample mana, he didn’t need another artifact.

Truthfully, he already carried six top-grade magic artifacts—not counting the broken jade bowl.

Normal cultivators, even Foundation Building Ninth Layer, had only 84 mana channels. Carrying too many artifacts was pointless without enough mana to power them.

But Xiao Chen’s False Core granted 123 mana channels at Foundation Building Fifth Layer—and more would come.

"Never thought I’d collect so many top-grade artifacts on this trip."

Since advancing to Foundation Building, he’d never lacked mana, rarely worrying about it. Now, with the Lotus Jade Ru Yi, he felt a sliver of pressure.

"After breaking through my cultivation realm, I should also focus on nurturing my False Core."

Previously, refining spirit herbs had expanded his False Core’s capacity by three channels. But with no mana shortage, he’d neglected further investment. Now, anticipating more artifacts, mere realm breakthroughs wouldn’t suffice. Allocating some spirit herbs to his False Core was necessary.

"Sigh. My dantian’s Yu Ling Jue demands spirit herbs, the False Core outside needs them, and so do my spells."

Xiao Chen sighed, shaking his head. "All critical, yet limited resources."

"Forget it. Let’s refine this Pure Wood Essence first."

After selecting his rewards, he learned of an additional Comprehension phase from a stone tablet—though he’d have to wait for other cultivators to finish.

Xiao Chen didn’t idle. He uncorked a vial of Pure Wood Essence and inhaled deeply.

The effect was immediate. His body felt like parched earth after months of summer sun, suddenly drenched in rain. Like a desert traveler finding an oasis, every cell drank deeply.

He’d taken countless spirit herbs before, but never felt this unity with wood mana.

In that moment, he was wood mana—bursting with vitality, spring’s rebirth, the resilience of trees bending and straightening, and the cycle of autumn leaves falling, flowers withering, and life’s eternal flux.

The Yu Ling Jue in his dantian activated spontaneously, cycling through celestial rhythms.

For three hours, he immersed in the profound understanding of wood’s essence—growth, decay, life, and death.

When he opened his eyes, a piercing light flashed. He exhaled a long plume of verdant qi, lingering in the air for ten breaths before fading.

He turned his spiritual sense inward. The spirit flowers cultivated by Yu Ling Jue, once mere buds, now blossomed larger than their leaves.

Unknowingly, he’d breakthrough to Foundation Building Sixth Layer.

His dantian’s mana capacity increased by six channels, totaling 135 with his Internal Elixir—enough to power all seven top-grade magic artifacts.

He even noticed his spirit flowers’ leaves seemed greener, more vibrant.

"Incredible."

As he reached for the second vial, the walls shifted. A mechanical voice droned:

"Trial concluded."

"Proceed to the Enlightenment Stele via the corridor."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end