Chapter 240: Entry Title - "The Ant Holding a Hammer"

Chapter 240: Entry Title - "The Ant Holding a Hammer"

Mystic Heaven State.

Within the Heavenly Palace atop the uninhabited Qingfeng Peak, all disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect were silently cultivating. Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the Heaven Sovereign Throne, also had his eyes closed, slowly cultivating while circulating his mental techniques.

His cultivation speed had once again skyrocketed, increasing by over a hundred times.

The rate at which he absorbed Spirit Qi became even more ferocious.

With his current cultivation speed, the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi was simply insufficient for him. Even the densest Spirit Qi in the most blessed lands couldn't satisfy his needs. Only by fully activating and frequently replacing the Supreme Spirit Gathering Array could he barely keep up with his cultivation progress.

The daily consumption of Spirit Stones had already risen to over fifty thousand!

By his side, the Brown Bear Young Patriarch, clad in a monk's robe, was adding Spirit Stones to the Spirit Gathering Array at an increasingly frequent pace.

"This is great."

Holding a willow branch, he stood at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace like a diligent security guard, gazing at the numerous disciples cultivating beneath the twelve grand statues behind him. His face was filled with a mix of awe and wistfulness.

For some reason, every time he saw everyone cultivating together, he felt a sense of flourishing vitality.

In a corner.

His clansmen were also there, cultivating with an insatiable thirst, and surprisingly, at a decent pace. Most of his clansmen were at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages, low cultivation levels that were practically useless in the Mock Heaven Sect. They couldn't even be considered combat power, as even Soul Transformation and Essence Refinement cultivators could serve as combatants. It wasn't that they were too weak, but rather that the Sect Leader was too strong.

However, the advantage of lower cultivation levels was that they required less time. In such a dense Spirit Qi environment with enhanced cultivation speed, they could achieve great results with minimal effort. The amount of Spirit Qi they absorbed was small, but their cultivation progress was by no means slow.

It was good.

He sat at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace, gazing into the distance. There probably wouldn't be any more visitors, so he sat on the ground, leaning against the Heavenly Palace, his expression distant as if lost in thought.

Under the scorching sun, he felt drowsy, and his head would occasionally droop unconsciously. The atmosphere was heavy, and with no one speaking, the heat of the sun made his whole body warm and cozy, perfect for a nap.

Of course, he wouldn't neglect his duties. Even if he dozed off, he would immediately add enough Spirit Stones to the Spirit Gathering Array to ensure its normal operation.

Just as things in the Mystic Heaven State had finally settled down.

Pingxi Continent.

Upon their arrival and after locating the nearest city, Liu Zide and his group gathered in a courtyard to discuss their plan.

"The old plan?"

Dao Zong Zongzhu Zhang Qing, full of enthusiasm, said, "We've brought a lot of Spirit Stones and have many people. During this time, we should try to bribe all the storytellers to narrate the miracles that our predecessor encountered during his growth."

This was what they had done in the Mystic Heaven State.

After all, any story about the predecessor's past naturally had great appeal and would spread like wildfire.

"No."

Liu Zide shook his head calmly. "This plan won't work on the Pingxi Continent. If you sleep with a woman, you'll be interested in her past and ask about her previous relationships."

"But you'll never care about the past relationships of a random stranger."

"This is called 'relevance'!"

"Only when someone has a strong relevance to you will you be curious about their past and experiences. For example, if you sleep with a woman who is extremely promiscuous but still a virgin, you'll want to know what kind of story led to such a person. But you'll never care about the story of a woman who just walked past you."

"Similarly—"

"The reason people on the Mystic Heaven State were captivated by the storytellers' tales is fundamentally because the Sect Leader had already made a sensational impact there."

"For instance, he immediately claimed the Heaven Sovereign Throne upon his arrival, initiating the Twelve Thrones Contest. He was then blocked by dozens of Essence Refinement powerhouses at the Heavenly Palace, attracting the attention of countless onlookers."

"Moreover, the Sect Leader is the unparalleled genius who completed the twelve milestone tasks on the Lower Continent. He also possesses the Twelfth Stage Golden Core and Twelfth Stage Nascent Soul, and he broke through the Ninth Level Tribulation of the Transcendent, becoming invincible at the Essence Refinement stage and effortlessly slaying dozens of Essence Refinement powerhouses."

"In a short time, several Heavenly Dao Edicts were issued in the Sect Leader's name, and so on."

"Through these achievements, the Sect Leader became famous throughout the Mystic Heaven State and even the vast continent in a short period. At this point, when you send storytellers to narrate the Sect Leader's deeds, everyone will be interested. They will sense a charismatic aura from the Sect Leader, wondering what he went through to reach his current status and whether they can replicate or emulate his path."

"The Sect Leader's fame is due to his relevance to everyone on the Mystic Heaven State, which then sparks their curiosity."

"On the Pingxi Continent, no one has ever heard of the Sect Leader's name. If we send storytellers to forcefully promote his story here, it will be like building a castle in the air—it will be difficult to attract people's attention and even harder for most people to remember his name in a short time."

"I understand." The Dao Sect Leader, sitting beside him, nodded with sudden realization, then sighed with emotion, "So our first step should be to strengthen the relevance between these people and the predecessor, right?"

"Listen up, everyone. Learn from the Elder."

"But Elder, how can we enhance the relevance between these people and the predecessor?"

"No."

Liu Zide shook his head again. "We only have one month, and the Pingxi Continent is vast. To achieve this in one month and ensure that as many people as possible remember the Sect Leader's name, we don't have time for such details.

"For a severe illness, a strong remedy is needed."

"The Sect Leader's requests are simple: three in total."

"First, speed."

"Second, as many people as possible should know the Sect Leader's name."

"So, I plan to try a powerful remedy."

"For example?" The Dao Zong Zongzhu asked again, perplexed. This time, he genuinely didn't understand what a 'powerful remedy' meant.

But soon, he would find out.

Five days later!

In nearly half of the cities across the Pingxi Continent, every storyteller stood in the center, shouting the same lines.

"Chen Qiu! Chen Qiu! There's someone named Chen Qiu!"

"Hey, Chen Qiu! Hey, Chen Qiu!"

". . ."

On the street, the Dao Zong Zongzhu, sitting in a teahouse, looked expressionlessly at the storyteller standing on the street, shouting hysterically. His mouth twitched slightly, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He finally understood what a 'brutal remedy' meant.

A straightforward and aggressive approach.

If the goal is to gain fame, then intricate and flowery stories are useless. It's enough to simply spread the name, like a virus, drilling it into people's minds through repetition.

He had made all the necessary arrangements; no one would dare disturb these storytellers.

But this wasn't the kind of arrangement he would make for a senior; it was a literal arrangement based on his cultivation.

"Will this really work?"

The Dao Zong Zongzhu's face was a mix of emotions, and he hesitantly said, "It feels a bit over the top."

He didn't want to question the Elder's decision, but it did seem a bit farcical.

Liu Zide sighed lightly without speaking. He had no other choice; after all, the time was indeed too short, and he couldn't use other methods. In practice, building a good reputation was much slower than spreading a bad one.

A good name stays indoors, while a bad one travels a thousand miles.

However, he was hesitant to assign stories that would significantly impact the Sect Leader's reputation. With limited time, he could only resort to this somewhat aggressive approach.

Although this method seemed a bit ridiculous, it had only been five days, and there was still over twenty days left, leaving some room for error. Since the Sect Leader had given him the authority to act on his own, he decided to try tarnishing his reputation in this world.

After all, there were eleven continents in total, so trying it out wouldn't be a problem.

Then, Liu Zide turned his head and looked at the Dao Zong Zongzhu, saying softly, "It's a bit over the top, but by the way, your cultivation should be enough to completely crush everyone on this continent, right?"

"Of course," the Dao Zong Zongzhu nodded with a hint of pride. After all, he was the leader of a top-tier sect in Xuan Tian State, and he could easily overpower the natives of a First Rank Continent.

"Hmm."

Liu Zide nodded and then said softly, "Then let's begin the raid. Time is running out. Start the raid immediately and plunder all the forces on the Pingxi Continent in the name of 'Chen Qiu.'"

"Some ungrateful sects will be crushed."

"Then, send some storytellers to spread word of Chen Qiu's atrocities. Let's try this."

His initial approach was indeed aggressive, but the results were mediocre. The main reason was that this continent had never heard of Chen Qiu, which significantly reduced his efficiency. If he couldn't build a good reputation, he would spread a bad one.

Forget about all the details.

Start the raid!

"Raid?" The Dao Zong Zongzhu was slightly taken aback, then scratched his head and couldn't help but smile, "Elder, I understand now."

Soon—

Another ten days passed.

Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, sitting cross-legged on the Heaven Sovereign Throne, overlooking the Mock Heaven Sect disciples cultivating within the Heavenly Palace. After a long exhalation, he stopped his cultivation.

He had broken through again.

Reaching the Sixth Layer of Void Transformation.

The speed was much faster than he had imagined. Initially, he had planned to break through to the peak within a year, but now it seemed that this timeline would be significantly shortened to half a year or more. He had ample time to craft his Twelfth Tier Doppelganger.

The quality of his Doppelganger would undoubtedly be Twelfth Tier, which was beyond question. Regardless of the materials used, he would try his best to gather them. Throughout his journey, he had always aimed for the top-tier Heavenly Dao items, so he wouldn't settle for an Eleventh or Tenth Tier Doppelganger, as that would drive him crazy.

Although the quality of the Doppelganger didn't significantly impact combat power, it directly influenced the quality of the 'Body Integration Move' learned after breaking through the Body Fusion Stage, which did affect combat power.

It was a direct influence on combat power.

After a brief hesitation, he decided to temporarily pass on the opportunity to choose from three Entry Scrolls. He could always use it later. The previous 'Unfettered Person (Ultimate)' Entry Scroll had satisfied him, whether it was the effect of the Entry itself, the Ultimate effect, or the synergy with his other Entries.

But a single Entry wasn't weak either.

After activating 'One Thread of Earthly Pride's Fortune,' he had planned to draw a prize from the 'Heavenly Hall' pools to see if he could get something useful. However, he had forgotten about it in his excitement over drawing an Ultimate Entry Scroll that was perfect for him.

Fortunately, he hadn't lost much, as the rewards in that pool were somewhat mediocre.

Hmm. He would remember next time.

"Should I try for a 'God's Hand' purple Entry?"

Chen Qiu muttered to himself. If he got this Entry again, he could use it to break through the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Layers of Void Transformation, and with these three chances, he could synthesize another Ultimate Entry Scroll.

That would be perfect.

He could choose another Ultimate Entry Scroll that perfectly suited him.

However,

He shook his head and laughed at himself. That would be too far-fetched. If he got it again, he would suspect he was truly cheating.

He had already consecutively obtained the Entry "God's Hand" twice, surely it wouldn't appear a third time, right?

But it did, for the third time in a row. Although this Entry didn't enhance his combat power, it was the best supporting Entry. Of course, this was true for him; for others, the effect might not be as beneficial.

After all, he could choose from three random Entries each time he broke through a minor realm. Others could only do so when they advanced to a major realm. Choosing this Entry was almost like giving up on the chance to select from three options.

It was hard to say whether it was a loss or a gain.

Afterwards, he shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, he looked at the panel shrouded in clouds above his Dantian, curious to see which Entry he had randomly obtained this time.

-

"Cultivation Surge, officially entering the Sixth Layer of Refining Void."

"Please select one of the three random Entries within a hundred breaths."

1:

"Entry Name: Hammer Ant."

"Entry Level: Purple."

"Entry Effect: You will summon an ant that is absolutely indestructible, absolutely unkillable, and absolutely obedient to your commands. It has the cultivation base of the Refining Qi stage and will follow your orders, holding a small hammer. When you summon this ant, it will fly towards the enemy at an extremely fast speed, ignoring all constraints, restrictions, and arrays. Once it climbs onto the enemy, it will start hammering the enemy's head until they die."

2:

"Entry Name: Guaranteed Hit."

"Entry Level: Purple."

"Entry Effect: The speed of all your spells will be weakened by 99%, but once your Divine Sense locks onto the enemy, your spells will definitely hit them, ignoring all arrays and constraints."

3:

"Entry Name: Bridal Chamber."

"Entry Level: Purple."

"Entry Effect: You need to have the 'Nine Bulls' Strength' Entry as a female or the 'Nine Yin's Power' Entry as a male. Then you can dual cultivate with yourself and gain a 3x boost to your cultivation speed. If you possess both 'Nine Bulls' Strength' and 'Nine Yin's Power' Entries, you will gain a 27x boost to your cultivation speed when dual cultivating with yourself."

These three Entries were what he obtained after breaking through to the Sixth Layer of Refining Void.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu's brows furrowed slightly. As expected, without the "God's Hand" Entry, these bizarre Entries appeared. He could somewhat understand the suffering of most cultivators.

After finally breaking through a major realm, he eagerly looked forward to the three random Entries he would obtain. However, he was met with these bizarre Entries, and not only did he have to choose one that suited him, but he also had to figure out how to pair it with other Entries.

It was indeed challenging.

Fortunately, he had the "Rainbow Entry" called "Step by Step Rise," so even if a random Entry was unsuitable, he could wait for the next one. But for others, it could be difficult, and they might have to wait for decades or even centuries.

The first Entry was "Hammer Ant."

A total of seven words, this was the longest Entry name he had encountered, and it was straightforward.

He didn't expect the effect of a purple Entry to be summoning an ant with the Refining Qi cultivation base. Although it sounded impressive that the ant was indestructible and obedient, it couldn't hide the fact that it only had the Refining Qi cultivation base.

Even if the ant caught up with an enemy while holding a hammer, it wouldn't make a difference, not even against a Nascent Soul, let alone a Void Transformation or Divine Transformation cultivator. A hundred years of hammering wouldn't cause any harm to a Nascent Soul.

It was useless in breaking defenses.

The only effect might be to annoy the Nascent Soul, preventing them from cultivating peacefully. After all, having an ant constantly hammering on your head while cultivating would be irritating.

In other words, this Entry was meant to annoy others, especially in the late stages. When cultivators reached the Tribulation Crossing and Great Vehicle stages, or even the Immortal Emperor realm, they would seclude themselves for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. During this time, having an ant constantly hammering on their heads would be incredibly annoying.

Moreover, it would be embarrassing to be seen by others when exiting seclusion, and the ant would ignore all constraints, restrictions, and arrays, making it impossible to escape.

Perhaps this was the reason why this Entry was purple. It seemed unlikely to have any synergistic effects with other Entries.

Forget it!

He wouldn't choose this Entry; it was too useless.

The second Entry, "Guaranteed Hit," was a spell Entry with obvious advantages and disadvantages.

It had a similar effect to the first Entry, meant to annoy others. With this Entry, one could cast a large number of spells from a distance and then turn around and run.

The remaining spells would slowly fly towards the enemy at an extremely slow speed.

Of course, they would most likely miss.

But if the enemy gave up the pursuit and returned to cultivate in seclusion, there was a chance that they would suddenly find a group of thunder dragons rushing towards them during their cultivation.

Alright,

This Entry also seemed to have limited use and wasn't suitable for him. His "Thunder Summoning Art" emphasized zero-frame initiation and absolute instant casting. This Entry had no benefit for him and was all drawbacks.

As for the last Entry, it was even more irrelevant.

The dual cultivation Entry had nothing to do with him. The probability of a female obtaining the "Nine Bulls' Strength" Entry was extremely low, but even a small probability was still a possibility. For dual cultivation Entries, "Nine Bulls' Strength" seemed to be a fundamental Entry, serving as the basis for all Entry combinations.

If he remembered correctly, this Entry didn't have an Entry Scroll, which meant it was all up to fate.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Daxia Kingdom will produce any more dual cultivation holy bodies in the future. After Liu Zide's live-streamed event in Daxia, many individuals with Nine Bulls' Strength were recruited by sects, using Self-Destruction Roots to gamble on their cultivation.

Chen Qiu shook his head and remained silent.

He silently spent 100,000 virtue points to randomly select the third entry, having already decided that no matter how useless the new entry might be, as long as it had even the slightest relevance to him, he would choose it. After all, he felt he had no other choice.

This time, luck wasn't on his side. Perhaps his previous good fortune had been used up.

Soon, the third entry on the panel, shrouded in mist, began to blur, and a brand new entry emerged.

-

"Entry Name": Other Shore Blossom.

"Entry Level": Purple.

"Entry Effect": A Other Shore Blossom will grow in your Dantian. On the first day of each month, this flower will randomly wither or bloom. If it withers, your cultivation speed and spell power for that month will be reduced to one-tenth. If it blooms, your cultivation speed and spell power will increase ninefold for that month.

-

Chen Qiu stood silently, his expressionless face revealing nothing.

Fortunately, since breaking through to the Fifth Layer of Essence Refinement, the time to choose an entry increased from ten breaths to a hundred breaths, giving him ample time to make a decision.

He had already made up his mind that as long as the new entry had even the slightest relevance to him, he would choose it.

However, he never expected that not only would it have no relevance, but it would also be completely useless.

This entry might be very useful for some people. If the Other Shore Blossom blooms in a given month, their cultivation speed would significantly increase, and their spell power would directly increase ninefold.

What does a ninefold increase in spell power mean?

This is equivalent to a direct breakthrough of several minor realms in combat power, an extremely exaggerated ability. Even the power of a spell cast by a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Essence Refinement might not surpass that of a cultivator at the First Layer of Essence Refinement by nine times.

Of course, this comparison does not consider other factors.

This entry directly provides a ninefold increase in spell power, which is indeed a bit absurd. If the flower blooms, it's a matter of killing whoever stands in your way, be they human or divine.

However, for Chen Qiu, it was completely useless. He avoided all entries that randomly affected his combat power, preferring a stable power level that gave him a sense of security, ensuring he wouldn't be caught off guard during his weakest moments.

These four entries were the ones he obtained upon his cultivation breakthrough.

After a long silence, Chen Qiu sighed lightly and chose the first entry, "Hammer Ant," even though none of the four entries were of any use to him. At least this first entry had no drawbacks, unlike the other three.

Once he made his decision, Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the Heaven Sovereign Throne, moved his mind, and soon—

A small ant holding a silver hammer appeared in his palm, its face serious. It was a strange feeling; he could sense a sense of solemnity from the ant's expression.

The ant stood extremely straight, exuding the tautness of a disciplined soldier.

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu looked at the ant in his hand, his eyebrows slightly raised, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He discovered that although the entry's effect was inconspicuous, the way it was activated was extremely rare.

In other words, he didn't need to lock onto the enemy with his divine sense.

As long as he knew the enemy's appearance and name, he could send the ant to fly towards the enemy and repeatedly strike their head with the hammer until they died.

Chen Qiu had heard of such an entry on the Profound Heaven Continent but had never encountered it. Initially, he was cautious, trying to avoid revealing his face to prevent others from remotely activating such an entry against him.

However, after obtaining the "Nascent Soul Defense" entry, which could protect him from rule-based attacks, he relaxed and no longer hid his face.

Although he was cautious, he had never encountered this entry before.

Unexpectedly, the entry he had acquired without much thought turned out to have this activation method.

"Not bad."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly, extending his finger to play with the ant in his hand. Although the effect was useless, the activation method was intriguing.

Moreover, it couldn't be said to be entirely useless.

As he played with the ant, he thought silently, considering the possibilities. After all, he possessed the "Absolute Immortality" and "Ignore All Restraints" attributes, which were somewhat game-breaking. Perhaps, if he found an entry that could amplify the size of his summoned creatures, he could turn this ant into an extremely defensive shield?

He hadn't seen entries that interacted with summoned creatures, but he guessed they might exist, given the vast number of entries that were difficult to catalog comprehensively.

Additionally, in certain mystic realms or forbidden lands, this ant's ability to ignore any restraint might be useful for scouting or delivering messages.

Not bad.

Chen Qiu contemplated, poking the hammer in the ant's hand, and a new idea began to form in his mind.

PS: Typos will be corrected later. Please vote for this chapter!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end