Chapter 22: Celestial Path Talisman: "Heavenly Dao Retrace Talisman"!

Chapter 22: Celestial Path Talisman: "Heavenly Dao Retrace Talisman"!

He didn't tell his younger brother about his true recognition condition. He knew his brother too well; if he let him know, he would definitely sneak into the secret realm without him or use other means to earn Spirit Stones for him.

But his younger brother was inherently foolish and not very strong. How could he compete with those who considered deception and trickery as a daily routine?

Ever since he fled with severe injuries, he was afflicted with bone-devouring poison and lost all combat abilities, only retaining some clever tricks.

The scholar remained silent, not speaking, but continued to sit cross-legged in his original spot, gazing at the clouds in the sky. He used to have a few close friends; if he asked for a favor, they might lend him 3,000 Spirit Stones.

However, there were two concerns:

First, the risk was too great. He wasn't sure if his old friends would report him, and the bounty on his head was not a small amount.

Second, he was once the top Sword Cultivator in Great Xia.

He had his pride and didn't want those who knew him to see him in such a pathetic state.

If it weren't for his brother, he would rather stand and die than sit like a cripple at the edge of the Ask Heaven Market cliff, being gawked at by passing pedestrians.

He didn't want to bargain with the factions trying to recruit him.

"Alright."

The scholar glanced at his younger brother, whose face was filled with anxiety, his mouth opening and closing without uttering a word. He spoke softly, "Don't worry, I have an idea."

His younger brother was a bit foolish and didn't understand the value of Spirit Stones. He thought that most people could easily offer the price he wanted, and as long as they knelt down and talked to him, they would recognize him as their master.

In reality, 3,000 Spirit Stones was a huge sum that many factions within a hundred li radius couldn't afford.

Those who could afford it wouldn't bother with him.

He dared not reveal that his teleportation range was 200 li. A Golden Core Cultivator proficient in body techniques could fly 100 li in ten breaths, so 100 li was often considered the first-strike range for Golden Core Cultivators.

Exceeding 200 li meant he had surpassed the first-strike range of two Golden Core Cultivators.

The attention he would attract would be immense, and those factions knew him.

Even if he changed his appearance, some unconscious habits would expose his identity, putting his brother in danger as well.

If he claimed a range of 10,000 li, the Great Xia Royal Family would likely be the ones to respond.

Unfortunately, when he fled with severe injuries, his Spirit Treasures and Spirit Ring were taken, leaving him with only this long-time companion, a Yellow Rank Medium Spirit Treasure.

It was now worthless.

In his heyday—

When his azure blade unsheathed, who didn't recognize him in his white robe?

Within three breaths, he could travel anywhere in the world.

These achievements were no joke or idle boast.

Now, these past glories were only preserved in the picture book hidden in his embrace, a book drawn by a scholar with him as the protagonist, recording his mighty deeds.

The book was titled "White Robe Sword Cultivator."

The book didn't record his entire life, but it captured his fleeting existence like a blooming flower.

At this moment, Chen Qiu, located below the canyon, was constantly tapping the ground with his blade to attract the attention of the Face Spiders in the stone caves. The stone caves on the cliff were extremely narrow, making it impossible for him to enter and fight inside, which would be highly disadvantageous.

Soon, numerous pairs of light blue eyes slowly emerged from the stone caves, and the first Face Spider crawled out, climbing onto a transparent spider web in the air.

Its eyes stared at him, rolling in their sockets.

The spider was incredibly creepy, measuring three feet wide with an infant's face embedded in its head. It emitted a crying sound like a baby, echoing through the depths of the canyon as if driving them away.

Soon, the second and third Face Spiders crawled out as well.

Chen Qiu then noticed that the area around the stone caves was covered in transparent spider webs, almost invisible even under the sunlight.

Chen Qiu took a deep breath and waved his right hand, releasing all the Malevolent Spirits he had stored. In an instant, the surroundings turned cold, and ten Qi Condensation Stage Layer Six and one Qi Condensation Stage Layer Eight Malevolent Spirits, along with the demons he had killed in Ask Heaven Market, rushed towards the stone caves!

They wreaked havoc on the spider webs and provoked the Face Spiders.

These Face Spiders were not weak, and they loved to swarm their prey, so Chen Qiu dared not let his guard down.

The "Soul Summoning" was only a green-ranked entry, but it was incredibly useful. The creatures killed by his Malevolent Spirits could also be converted into his Malevolent Spirits. It was hard to understand why such a useful entry was only green-ranked.

He felt it should at least be yellow-ranked.

But at this moment, he had no time to think about it.

Provoked by the Malevolent Spirits, the Face Spiders screeched like infants and charged straight at them.

"Here they come!"

Chen Qiu grabbed Huang Shikai by the collar with his left hand and held his blade with his right, his legs slightly bent. When the first Face Spider reached him, he roared and used Huang Shikai to block the Face Spider in mid-air, then slashed with his blade!)



With just that one slash, the Face Spider was already severely injured and fell to the ground.

He took another step forward and slashed again. White light drifted from the Face Spider's corpse, entering his body. Before he could celebrate this small victory, more Face Spiders were already screeching as they charged towards him.

"Die!"

Just as Chen Qiu was drenched in blood, slaying another "Face Spider" that charged towards him, his right hand, still holding the sword, instinctively scanned the surroundings for the next target.

But the entire canyon, aside from him, was devoid of any standing creatures.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Face Spiders, their scarlet blood splattered across the depths of the canyon.

Fat Dragon, at this moment, was already sprawled on the side, panting heavily. For him, the intensity of the battle was a bit outrageous. Both of them were relatively unharmed, and Huang Shikai had proven to be quite useful. Most of the blood on his body came from the Face Spiders.

Just as he killed the last Face Spider...

He suddenly felt a surge of heat coursing through his body. Sensing something, he looked inward and saw a panel shrouded in clouds appear once again above his dantian.

"Cultivation base greatly increased, officially entering the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation Stage."

"Please select one of the following three random entries within ten breaths."

1:

"Entry Name": Every Blade of Grass and Every Tree.

"Entry Level": White.

"Entry Effect": Upon breaking through each minor realm, you will obtain three Spirit Stones.

2:

"Entry Name": Start Over.

"Entry Level": White.

"Entry Effect": Your Foundation Establishment quality will slightly increase. Each time you fail Foundation Establishment, your cultivation realm will drop to the First Layer of Qi Condensation Stage.

3:

"Entry Name": Never Give Up.

"Entry Level": White.

"Entry Effect": When you fail Foundation Establishment and your cultivation drops, the progress you gain from killing demons in the Qi Condensation Stage will increase a hundredfold.

".

Chen Qiu looked at the three entries that popped up before him, his mouth slightly agape, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. His face contorted, and the hand holding the longsword had veins popping out.

These three white entries, taken individually, were quite ordinary.

They were the kind that had some use but not much.

The first entry was like a seven-colored entry for mortals who didn't have high cultivation aspirations. Gaining three Spirit Stones for each minor realm breakthrough were enough to provide a comfortable life for mortals.

The second entry could only slightly increase the quality of Foundation Establishment, but after a failure, one would have to start over from the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage.

As for the third entry, it was better than nothing. Even if one's cultivation dropped after a Foundation Establishment failure, it would only fall to the early stages of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, just a step away from Grand Completion. Even if the cultivation progress from killing demons during this period increased a hundredfold, it would only speed up the return to Qi Condensation Perfection by a few days, and then one could prepare for Foundation Establishment again.

But...

If one could possess all three entries simultaneously, with just a small initial investment, he couldn't even dare to imagine the possibilities!

Given enough time and an unlimited number of Foundation Establishment attempts, the number of Spirit Stones he could produce daily might even surpass the output of Spirit Stone mines!

If he could obtain another entry after falling and breaking through again, he would truly soar. But this thought seemed a bit unrealistic.

But why!

Why could he only choose one out of three entries and not select all of them!!!

He didn't make a decision within the ten breaths. Instead, with a pained expression, he turned his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, and asked Fat Dragon, "Fat Dragon, is there any heavenly treasure that can allow me to choose previously rejected entries?"

In this world, everyone's first entry obtained at the First Layer of Qi Condensation Stage was non-negotiable. You used what you got, and if luck wasn't on your side, you had to accept it.

However, from the Foundation Establishment Stage onwards, each major realm breakthrough provided three entries to choose from.

This gave cultivators ample choice to select the most suitable entry combinations for themselves.

"I think so."

Although Fat Dragon didn't understand why Chen Qiu suddenly looked like this, he quickly furrowed his brows and replied after some thought, "Yes, I saw it on the auction list at the Ask Heaven Market. There's a type of talisman that can only be produced in the Celestial Path Secret Realm, called the 'Celestial Path Rewind Talisman'."

"It allows cultivators to choose previously rejected entries."

"But it's not cheap. Nothing from the Celestial Path Secret Realm comes cheap. Moreover, you can only choose from the two entries rejected in the last triple choice."

"For example, if you're a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, using this will only allow you to choose from the two remaining entries rejected when you broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. You can't choose entries rejected during the Golden Core stage."

"If, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, you have other opportunities during this period, like a triple choice entry, then you can't even choose the two entries rejected during the Nascent Soul stage. You can only choose from the entry rejected in the previous triple choice."

"As for below Foundation Establishment..."

"The Qi Condensation Stage doesn't even have a triple choice option. You use what you get."

"You can choose at most one rejected entry. If you want both rejected entries, you'll have to buy two."

"What's wrong?"

Fat Dragon looked at Chen Qiu with confusion, "Brother Chen Qiu, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end