Chapter 211: "Your wisdom is truly admirable."

Chapter 211: "Your wisdom is truly admirable."

As the smoke gradually dissipated, not a single ghostly monster could be seen in the arena, only a pile of ashes on the green stone square, which soon vanished into the past under the raging storm.

"Not very durable."

Chen Qiu shook his head, feeling a bit unsatisfied.

If these early-stage Incarnation ghosts had their own term groups, their own spells, and their own Spiritual Treasures, he might have had to exert more effort in dealing with them.

But these ghosts had nothing.

They had no term groups, no Spiritual Treasures, only an Incarnation Realm of unknown rank that shattered upon contact, and early-stage Incarnation cultivation.

For him, it was not challenging enough.

Before he could think further,

A panel shrouded in clouds appeared before him once more.

-

"Successfully passed the second level."

"Please choose one from the three special rewards below."

1. Obtain a Supreme Inner Baby Treasure.

2. One day of Blue Entry.

3. A Supreme Inner Baby Talisman.

-

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked at the three options. The rewards were all quite ordinary, but that wasn't the most crucial aspect. What concerned him the most was that the difficulty of this so-called solitary Heavenly Dao Secret Realm seemed to have exceeded the standard.

For a typical Peak Incarnation cultivator,

If they couldn't achieve absolute suppression through their realm,

It would be nearly impossible to defeat five hundred early-stage Incarnation ghosts. Even ants could kill an elephant, let alone these ghosts, which were not even ants but early-stage Incarnations. If five hundred Incarnation Realms enveloped you, even at Peak Incarnation, you would perish on the spot.

Even if one's cultivation level were to drop by a major realm,

For instance, to the Peak Nascent Soul stage,

It would still be impossible to defeat five hundred early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Within the same major realm, although there is a power gap between each minor realm, it is not so overwhelming that one could fight a hundred opponents.

For an ordinary cultivator, this second level would be virtually impossible to pass.

Of course—

He could sense his divine consciousness connecting to the outside world, allowing him to exit whenever he wished. For a regular cultivator, even if they couldn't pass the level, there wouldn't be any life-threatening danger.

It wouldn't be so absurd that a random one-time entry would directly lead to their death.

What truly puzzled him was

The disparity between the difficulty and the rewards.

With such a challenging level, were these three rewards sufficient? Was this a joke? Moreover, they seemed inferior to the first level's rewards.

Whether it was the Supreme Inner Baby Treasure or the Blue Entry for one day, what use would they be to him? The first level's reward was better, as it had at least enhanced the power of his Lightning Summoning Art, making it more practical.

When things deviate from the norm, there must be a reason.

In this unusual situation, it indicated that this solitary Heavenly Dao Secret Realm must have some peculiarities.

Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, examining his surroundings but finding nothing out of the ordinary. He looked at the three rewards before him and finally chose the Blue Entry for one day.

The other two options were completely useless to him; the Blue Entry was a better choice.

Perhaps he could randomly obtain something usable.

Soon—

A panel shrouded in clouds appeared before him once more.

-

"Term Name": Soul-Shattering Death (One-Day Version).

"Term Rank": Blue.

"Term Effect": When someone is frightened by you, you gain different cultivation progress based on the number of frightened individuals and the degree of their fear. However, you cannot acquire cultivation progress through any other means.

-

Chen Qiu remained expressionless and silent, thinking it was a useless term, at least for him. However, it might be considered a decent term for others.

It was only now that he lacked a quick method to enhance his cultivation progress that he didn't mind having this one-day term.

If it had been a while ago, he would have immediately self-destructed this term.

He shook his head, not dwelling on it, and decided to use this term for self-destruction at the fifth level. After all, it would be of no use once he left, so he might as well self-destruct it for some satisfaction.

After making his choice, the third level appeared immediately, this time with one hundred mid-stage Incarnation ghosts.

The pressure surged.

Of course, this was in reference to a typical late-stage Incarnation cultivator. For Chen Qiu, there was no difference between one hundred mid-stage Incarnation ghosts and five hundred early-stage ones. At the Incarnation stage, he possessed absolute dominance in combat.

The Essence Condensation stage was still somewhat lacking, but he was entirely unafraid of the Peak Incarnation stage.

Soon,

The one hundred mid-stage Incarnation ghosts turned to ashes, and the third level's rewards followed.

-

"Successfully passed the third level."

"Please choose one from the three special rewards below."

1. Enhance the power of a specific spell.

2. Increase your physical strength.

3. Boost your spirit energy capacity.

-

Hmm, this time it was better.

Chen Qiu casually chose the first reward again, enhancing the power of a specific spell, and the fourth level arrived. The fourth level consisted of fifty late-stage Incarnation ghosts.

Fighting fifty opponents of the same cultivation level was already bordering on the fantastical. Normally, one would start exiting the secret realm at this point.

The Thirteenth Rank Incarnation Field "Boundless Spirit Energy" and the Thirteenth Rank Incarnation Field "Three Thousand Thunder Movement" were activated simultaneously.

The opponents were instantly crushed.

The reward panel for the fourth stage appeared once more.

This time, the reward panel was even more simplistic.

"Successfully passed the fourth stage."

"Please choose one of the three special rewards below."

1. 1 Inferior Spirit Stone.

2. 10 Inferior Spirit Stones.

3. 100 Inferior Spirit Stones.

Chen Qu stood expressionless, silently rooted to the spot, not uttering a word. It was a bit excessive, even though he was a blue, single-use entry, and his expectations weren't too high. He didn't expect to receive any exceptional special rewards.

But this single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was designed to adjust its difficulty based on the cultivator's cultivation level. If the difficulty adjusted to match his cultivation, shouldn't the rewards also scale accordingly?

Moreover, if you genuinely couldn't afford the rewards, you could have evenly distributed 111 Inferior Spirit Stones among the three options. Why set it up like this? Even a fool would choose the third option.

His face remained unmoved, and he chose the first option without any emotion. Then, he looked at the Inferior Spirit Stone in his palm and remained silent for a long time without speaking.

To be honest, he had considered the possibility that the reward panel might be flawed. After all, even a fool would know to choose the third option, as it offered the most Spirit Stones.

But the panel's options were so absurd.

So, he thought that the single Spirit Stone in the first option might not be just a single stone. Thus, he decided to go against the flow and take a gamble. Even if he lost, he wouldn't miss those Spirit Stones.

However, to his surprise, the single Spirit Stone in the first option was indeed just one stone, with nothing special about it.

Chen Qiu's lips twitched slightly, and he casually tossed the Inferior Spirit Stone towards the edge of the Green Stone Square. He didn't need this stone, and he felt like it was mocking him. There was no way he would put this stone into his Heavenly Path Ring.

This was an insult to him!

Before he could react further, the fifth stage arrived as scheduled!

This time, there were thirty Peak Divine Transformation cultivators.

Thirty Incarnation Fields were unleashed simultaneously, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. But Chen Qiu had lost interest in continuing, feeling disappointed with this single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. It wasn't that there were no gains, but some were so insignificant that they could be ignored.

The next moment, two Thirteenth Rank Incarnation Fields were unleashed simultaneously!

Countless ferocious thunder dragons roared within the fields, filling the entire space with unstable thunderous auras. Once the chaos subsided, only Chen Qiu stood in the midst of the storm, holding the Heavenly Clue Umbrella.

As Chen Qiu was about to casually select his reward and exit the single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he glanced at the fifth stage's reward panel and froze in place, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Successfully passed the fifth stage."

"You have obtained a token."

A simple statement.

Chen Qiu, back on the peak of Dragon Island, stared at the token in his hand, his face showing a strange silence. He had an entry that allowed him to see through all Heaven-grade Materials, but this token revealed no information, appearing useless.

However, he knew that since it was the final reward of the fifth stage, he placed it in his Heavenly Path Ring and then shook his head, gazing into the distant horizon at the sea.

At this moment, in the palace of the Great Xia Country, a white-robed youth was panting heavily, half-kneeling on the ground. His originally white robe was stained with blood, making him look quite disheveled.

But even more disheveled was the sparring partner at the brink of death in the nearby square.

This white-robed youth was the Seventh Prince of Great Xia.

He was also the one who had grown up under the tutelage of the National Teacher.

"You..."

A woman standing nearby looked at the Seventh Prince with a pained expression, "Your progress is truly remarkable. You don't have to go to the Xuantian Continent. I think Great Xia is great too."

"The National Teacher said that Great Xia is a cage, but how can Great Xia, so vast, be a prison?"

"No!"

Heavy panting came from the Seventh Prince's mouth as he endured the pain and stood up, staggering. With a resolute expression, he gazed towards the boundless snow mountains in the west.

"The National Teacher once told me that if I could defeat that Sword Cultivation Puppet with my own strength, I could go to the Xuantian Continent and follow in his footsteps."

"Now I can already defeat a Golden Core Eighth Stage cultivator. My progress is astonishing. As long as I keep working hard, in a year, I'll be able to cut off that Sword Cultivation Puppet's head!"

"At that time—"

"I want the entire Xuantian Continent to know the name of my teacher, Chen Qiu!"

"I want to use this sword to make my teacher famous, so that everyone in the world will know the might of Chen Qiu!"

"I want every corner of the Xuantian Continent to know the name 'Mock Heaven Sect'!"

The Seventh Prince's eyes were filled with determination and anticipation, as he began to fantasize about the moment when his master would hear that a new swordsman had emerged in the jianghu, one who could slay any enemy with a single sword strike, and that this swordsman claimed to be Chen Qiu's disciple.

His master would surely be shocked.

Perhaps even incredulous? He would never believe that he had defeated that Nascent Soul Cultivation puppet with his own strength and arrived in the Xuantian Continent.

Thinking of this, the Seventh Prince felt even more motivated. He turned his head and glanced at the woman standing beside him, who was looking at him with eyes full of concern. Frowning, he said coldly, "And don't look at me with that pity in your eyes. I hate it when others show pity in their gaze."

"To me, it's an insult."

"And—"

"I don't like you."

"You—"

The woman who had been standing by his side, to be honest, was not lacking in beauty. Even if she went to the capital's courtesan house, she could easily become a top courtesan. Hearing the Seventh Prince's ruthless words, her body stiffened for a moment, and then she forced a smile, tugging at her clothes and shaking her head. "It's okay if you don't like me. It's fine."

"But can you give me a reason?"

". . ."

After a simple self-bandaging his injuries, the Seventh Prince swallowed a healing pill, his face expressionless as he glanced at the woman. "Because you're too weak."

"Huh?"

The woman froze in place, and after a while, she responded unconsciously, "You mean my weakness is..."

"The early Golden Core Cultivation stage is too weak."

"Huh?"

A hint of disbelief flashed in the woman's eyes. She had imagined countless reasons why the Seventh Prince might not like her. Perhaps her butt wasn't curvy enough, or her figure wasn't good enough.

Or maybe her personality didn't suit the Seventh Prince's taste, her voice wasn't sweet enough, or her height wasn't tall enough.

Or maybe her family background didn't meet the Seventh Prince's standards.

She had thought of countless reasons.

After all, whether it was status or strength, the Seventh Prince would never lack women by his side. It was only natural for him to be picky about women.

But she had never imagined that the Seventh Prince would reject her for this reason.

She couldn't help but feel a mix of anger and embarrassment, stamping her foot in annoyance. "Do you even understand romance? I'm a woman. When has a man ever rejected a woman because she's weak?"

"What else?"

"What's wrong with being a woman? Does being a woman mean we can be weak? Does it mean we should accept being weak?"

The Seventh Prince brushed past the woman with a cold expression, not bothering to turn back as he said disdainfully, "If you had the cultivation and strength of my master, even if you were a sow, I'd still bed you eight times a day."

"But you're not."

"If your strength is inferior to mine, even if you're a beauty that could topple nations, in my eyes, you're no different from trash."

"A woman's true charm lies in her strength."

"Not in that stinking flesh."

The woman stood there, feeling a mix of anger and embarrassment. She wanted to retort, but she dared not say a word due to the Seventh Prince's status and power.

Just then—

The Seventh Prince, who had already taken a few steps away, suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked back at her. "You're probably feeling very angry right now, but you dare not show it because you know I can take your life at any moment."

"Do you understand?"

"This is the importance of strength. If you were a Nascent Soul Peak female cultivator, I wouldn't dare say these things to you."

"You've been bringing me meals every day, and although I don't have feelings for you, I advise you to spend this time on cultivation instead. Whether it's a man or a woman, strength is the most important thing!"

"A woman's appearance only has value in the bedroom."

"I think—"

"You don't want to become a woman who can only show her worth in the bedroom."

After saying this, the Seventh Prince didn't linger any longer. He turned and left, unsure if the woman had listened to his words, but he didn't care. He was sincere.

In his eyes, a woman's beauty or ugliness didn't matter, nor did her personality.

He only admired or respected one type of woman—those who were stronger than him.

Xuantian Continent.

Buddhist Sect.

The old man from Green Mountain Palace stared expressionlessly at the Buddhist Sect's elder sitting across from him in the game of chess. "What about your backup plan? It's been a month, and it seems there's no progress."

"Don't worry."

The Buddhist elder, dressed in a kasaya, calmly placed ten black pieces on the chessboard, leaving only one gap. Then, he pointed at these ten boxes.

"My backup plans are like these ten black pieces. Once Chen Qiu falls into this trap, I'll place one more black piece to block the gap, and Chen Qiu will have nowhere to escape. He'll surely die!"

"What about the current situation?"

"The current situation is that Chen Qiu has disappeared, but don't worry. He can't hide forever. There will be a day when he shows himself."

". . ."

After a long silence, the old man from Green Mountain Palace spoke in a faint voice. "I believe that with Chen Qiu's strength, he's not hiding. I'd rather believe that he's found a secluded place to cultivate and is preparing to break through to the Soul Refinement Stage."

"Are you sure that once he reaches the Soul Refinement Stage, your backup plans will still be effective against him?"

"They won't be effective."

The Buddhist Sect's ancestor nodded seriously, "That's why I have another backup plan. I've confined the Buddhist Sect's true disciple, Kongming, and if Chen Qiu appears in the Xuantian Continent again after reaching the Soul Refinement Stage, I'll take Kongming to apologize to Chen Qiu immediately."

"That's also a backup plan."

"After all, without actually activating my backup plans, the conflict between Chen Qiu and me is just about Kongming."

"If we can't resolve the issue with Chen Qiu, then we'll have to deal with Kongming."

"But if Chen Qiu emerges from his closed-door cultivation without breaking through to the Soul Refinement Stage, then my backup plans will be useful."

"No matter what—"

"The Buddhist Sect will always stand invincible!"

". . ."

The Green Mountain Palace elder took a deep breath and slowly forced a smile, looking at the Buddhist Sect's ancestor, "Your wisdom is truly remarkable."

"I'm embarrassed."

"Indeed."

Time passed slowly.

It had been four months since the "Heavenly Strife" version was released.

In the Xuantian Continent, on Dragon Island.

Chen Qiu frowned as he looked at the four small Nascent Souls in front of him.

Yes.

During this period, his Nascent Soul had given birth to three more small Nascent Souls, adding to the one from last time, making it a total of four. He was currently contemplating an important matter.

That is,

whether he should give these small Nascent Souls names.

Some suggested names like Little One, Little Two, and Little Three.

But these four small Nascent Souls seemed to be carved from the same mold, identical to each other, making it impossible to tell them apart. It was really difficult to remember who was who.

Just then—

"Ahhhh!!!"

A nearly hysterical roar came from the beach, a heart-wrenching cry of pain.

Chen Qiu, who was meditating on a peak of Dragon Island, turned his head towards the sound and saw Fatty Dragon surrounded by nearly a hundred baby dragons. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

The first batch of dragon cubs had been born and it had been almost a month.

The growth period of these baby dragons was significantly shortened, and by the time they were one month old, they already possessed the intelligence of a four or five-year-old human child and could start speaking simple words.

And this was the age when children,

whether dragon cubs or human children, were most likely to drive their parents crazy. Especially since the mothers of these dragon cubs were in their slumbering phase, so they could only turn to their father, Fatty Dragon.

Although within the Dragon Clan, bloodline relationships weren't considered extremely important.

However, in the early stages of their lives, the dragon cubs preferred to stick close to family members with whom they shared a blood connection.

Chen Qiu shook his head without saying a word.

He turned his gaze towards the panel floating above his Dantian, shrouded in clouds and mist. Yes, he still had one unread three-choice entry, a panel that had appeared when he reached the ninth layer of Divine Transformation. He hadn't chosen an option or even looked at it for the past three months.

The main reason was that he felt his luck might have been a bit off during that time.

So, he decided to wait a while before making a choice, and before he knew it, three months had passed.

Today, with the good weather and his decent luck, he decided to make a choice later.

Then he turned his attention to his cultivation progress:

- Cultivation: Ninth Layer of Divine Transformation (4%).

During this time, he had cultivated like a typical Divine Transformation cultivator, and as a result, after three months, his cultivation progress had increased by 4%.

Advancing in the ninth layer of Divine Transformation was incredibly challenging.

Reaching the peak of Divine Transformation from the ninth layer required 100% cultivation progress, and similarly, advancing from the first to the second layer of Qi Condensation also required 100% cultivation progress. Clearly, these two stages were not comparable and were as different as clouds and mud.

The reason he had come out of seclusion today was that a disciple of the Mock Heaven Sect was preparing to face a Thunder Tribulation, and he intended to join him and face the tribulation together. He possessed the "Ultimate Thunder Body" entry.

The more powerful the tribulations he faced, the more his physical body would be tempered by the tribulations, enhancing the strength of the thunder-based spells he could cast.

Although this disciple of the Mock Heaven Sect had an ordinary-grade Nascent Soul and no sin points, it was highly likely that he would face the most basic Nine Tribulations.

It was far from Chen Qiu's "Annihilation Thunder Tribulation."

But,

even a mosquito is still meat.

After all, the small amount of cultivation progress gained from secluded cultivation wasn't very useful, and it was better to temper his body.

The more powerful the protectors during a tribulation, the stronger the tribulation would be.

So, when protectors couldn't be certain that their strength would be enough to protect the younger cultivator, it was generally better to let the younger cultivator face the tribulation alone.

Otherwise, if the protectors were struck down, the younger cultivator wouldn't survive either.

PS: There's only one chapter tonight. The power went out, and it's so hot in the house that my brain feels fried.

The next chapter will be a year later, and it's the main storyline as we wrap up the Xuantian Continent. There's a lot of important stuff to write, and I think it's better to write these crucial parts when I'm in a cooler state, woohoo~

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end