Chapter 328: "I don't know if Senior requires a servant with the cultivation of a True Immortal."

Chapter 328: "I don't know if Senior requires a servant with the cultivation of a True Immortal."

"No."

A cultivator grabbed Fat Dragon's robe, his eyes filled with doubt as he shouted, "You've already been afflicted with Immortal Cancer, why are you still going to pick the rainbow peach? Are you courting death?"

"Hmph!"

Fat Dragon impatiently shook off the cultivator and silently calculated the time in his mind. After a moment, he leaped into the air and plucked a rainbow peach in front of him. He grumbled, "Yeah, since I already have Immortal Cancer, why not pick it? It's not like more fleas will make me itchier."

His words echoed.

The cultivator suddenly froze in place, momentarily stunned, while several others nearby, including the young man who had acted first and was also afflicted with Immortal Cancer, heard this.

This young man, who had initially given up all hope after being afflicted with Immortal Cancer, suddenly stiffened and looked at Fat Dragon, suddenly realizing something.

Yeah.

Since he already had Immortal Cancer, what was there to fear?

Even if it was bad luck, the worst that could happen was getting Immortal Cancer again. If the first time was a gamble with his life, then after getting Immortal Cancer, the second attempt was risk-free.

It was like taking a bribe of two million; if he was to be beheaded for it, the risk was only in the initial two million. Any bribe after that would be risk-free, a sure profit!

He still had two more chances to pick the peach!

The young man, who had been in despair just moments ago, now had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He dashed towards a nearby rainbow peach, leaped into the air, and plucked it. However, his face turned slightly unpleasant after the peach was picked, indicating that he had randomly encountered bad luck again.

But soon, his eyes lit up once more. Since this bad luck had no actual consequences, he immediately rushed towards another peach tree and plucked another rainbow peach.

This time, good fortune finally smiled upon the young man.

"I got it! I finally got it!!!"

"Hahahaha!!!"

His unrestrained laughter echoed throughout Greenstone Square as a semi-transparent panel hovered in front of the young man.

"Please select one of the three rewards below."

"1: Cultivation Progress +100%."

"2: Six Wisps of Soul Fortune."

"3: One 'Immortal World' Upgrade Stone."

All good options, and the young man didn't hesitate to choose the Six Wisps of Soul Fortune.

Treating Immortal Cancer required a wisp of the Yin Emperor's Fortune, and a wisp of the Yin Emperor's Fortune needed nine wisps of Soul Fortune to synthesize. Although he only had six wisps, collecting nine wisps would undoubtedly be much more challenging than gathering three.

Now, he only needed to collect three more wisps of Soul Fortune to cure his Immortal Cancer.

A seemingly hopeless situation now had a glimmer of hope.

The young man took a deep breath, his expression sincere as he shouted towards Fat Dragon, "Thank you, fellow cultivator, for showing me the way. If I can live on, I will repay this kindness!"

". . ."

Fat Dragon's expression was complex as he looked at the young man, who seemed to have narrowly escaped death. For a moment, he didn't know what to say; he had spoken casually and never expected it to cause such a scene.

However, he also couldn't understand why this guy was so happy.

Each person only had three chances to pick the rainbow peaches.

This guy had used up all three of his chances.

Fat Dragon guessed that the guy had chosen the Six Wisps of Soul Fortune, which meant that in this event, he hadn't gained any opportunities and was even in debt for three wisps of Soul Fortune. Fat Dragon couldn't understand what he was so happy about.

He shook his head without saying a word and put the rainbow peach in his hand into his mouth, chewing heartily. Hmm, it tasted pretty good.

After the peach was picked, it turned into an ordinary spirit fruit, no different from any other when eaten.

His three chances were now gone.

He had chosen the three 'Cultivation Progress +100%', and his cultivation instantly soared through three minor realms.

These three options.

The first one increased the foundation.

The second one boosted survival chances.

The third one enhanced combat power.

He didn't consider the survival option; aside from the small chance of getting Immortal Cancer, it was highly unlikely that it would happen to him. Even if it did, he wasn't worried. After all, obtaining the Yin Emperor's Fortune, which was difficult for others, was not a problem for Qiu.

He could just make a trip to the underworld and bring back a batch.

The only hassle was finding the right continent during the underworld's collapse. As for enhancing combat power, he didn't think about it either. Even with stronger combat power, it wouldn't make much difference. Moreover, three 'Immortal World' Upgrade Stones wouldn't make him that much stronger.

After much consideration, he decided that improving his cultivation was the best choice.

This way, he could keep up with Qiu's cultivation realm and at least match his lifespan.

Most of the Mock Heaven Sect disciples, under Chen Qiu's guidance, also picked three rainbow peaches, including Badan and the others. However, Badan didn't choose to increase his cultivation progress but opted for the 'Immortal World' Upgrade Stones.

The 'Immortal World' was the ultimate method for a Peak Heaven Immortal's cultivation, with each upgrade significantly enhancing their combat power.

Especially since the rainbow peach's opportunity reward was a direct 'Upgrade Stone' and not something like 'Cultivation Progress +100%', meaning it could be traded. Badan instructed all his clansmen to choose the 'Immortal World' Upgrade Stones and give them to him.

This immediately raised Badan's 'Immortal World' rank to thirty-eight.

His combat power increased significantly.

Although he was still unlikely to defeat a True Immortal, within the Peak Heaven Immortal realm, he was probably invincible.

"Heh!"

At this moment, Badan's mouth was stretched into a wide grin, his lips barely able to close. It wasn't that he was selfish, but for the current Maan Clan, compared to the overall improvement in strength of those who came with him, it was far more cost-effective to have his own strength significantly enhanced.

Just as he was about to thank his senior again, he noticed that the senior had somehow already reached the middle of the peach trees and casually picked a black peach. He was slightly startled, then helplessly shook his head.

Of course.

There was nothing surprising about it; it should be this way. He was already used to it.

Many people around him also looked dazed when they saw this scene. A few who didn't believe in bad luck leaped into the air again, preparing to pluck a black peach, but as the peach tree grew rapidly and broke through the membrane, they stopped.

Everyone finally realized one thing.

It seemed that only Chen Qiu could pick these black peaches.

No,

To be precise, these black peaches were prepared for Chen Qiu, and even if others wanted to risk their lives for them, they didn't even have the qualification to do so.

"Please choose one of the three rewards below."

"1: Cultivation progress +300%."

"2: A wisp of Yin Emperor's Fortune."

"3: A 'True Body' Upgrade Stone."

After looking at the three panels that popped up in front of him, Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly. Not bad, much better than the rainbow peaches.

The Yin Emperor's Fortune was of no use to him, so he skipped it.

He also skipped the 'True Body' Upgrade Stone, as it was most likely a unique cultivation method for True Immortals, and such a high-grade Upgrade Stone would undoubtedly be valuable. However, with the existence of the Heavenly Mandate Codex Entry, all Upgrade Stones were useless to him, not because they were ineffective, but because their priority wasn't particularly high.

After all, as long as he possessed a 'Rainbow Entry', even if it was only for a day, he could directly ascend to the Ninth Rank.

This was equivalent to nine Upgrade Stones.

Naturally, he chose the first option, increasing his cultivation progress by 300%.

As for the remaining two black peaches, the words that flashed on their surfaces were about to cycle to 'Opportunity'. After patiently waiting for a moment, Chen Qiu quickly plucked both black peaches, as they had both flashed the word 'Opportunity' at the same time.

He chose all of them.

As a result,

His cultivation progress immediately increased by 900%.

".”

Chen Qiu looked at his cultivation panel, his lips twitching slightly. For a moment, he didn't know how to describe it; even he felt that it might be a bit outrageous.

"Cultivation": Tribulation Peak (1720.5%).

What else could he say but 'awesome'?

Now, after leaving the Ascension Assembly, his cultivation would experience explosive growth, bypassing the Immortal Human stage and reaching the "Earth Immortal Eighth Level".

He was just one step away from becoming a Celestial Immortal.

He was not far from reaching the peak of the Celestial Immortal stage, and from there, the True Immortal stage wouldn't be far either. Once he became a True Immortal, he could go to the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm.

His cultivation was about to catch up with Badan's.

That's good.

Chen Qiu silently turned around and looked at Xiao Shuai in the crowd. Although he hadn't met the spirit of this secret realm yet, he had already secretly decided to hold a special celebration for the spirit of this secret realm. Not only had he himself gained a lot, but everyone in the Mock Heaven Sect had also reaped significant benefits.

If you don't count the Cao Tian Palace.

This was probably the greatest opportunity he had ever encountered in his life, of course, compared to the 'Continuous Improvement' rainbow entry, it was still a little lacking.

It wasn't that the 'Continuous Improvement' rainbow entry was particularly invincible, but that this entry appeared at the most appropriate time node. At that time node, there was no opportunity that could compare to 'Continuous Improvement', not even the Cao Tian Palace. There was simply no comparison.

Many people were stunned by Chen Qiu's act of plucking three black peaches in a row.

It was one thing that only Chen Qiu could pick this peach.

But wasn't the probability of adversity for this black peach 99%? Why did you pick three peaches in a row and nothing happened? Was this luck a bit outrageous?

"Here."

The Sect Master of the Toad Sect stood expressionless, his arms crossed as he watched this scene: "I've said it before, don't even think about the grand opportunities in this secret realm, they all belong to this young master. I figured it out from the previous trials, all the divine occupations are in this young master's team, so what's there to say?"

"This secret realm was probably prepared just for this young master."

"The Heavenly Dao's bastard child."

The captain of the Brave Forward Team, standing nearby, also watched this scene without a trace of anger. What could he say? He could only say that this world was like this, and there would never be absolute fairness.

But this was also good.

There was no need to consider the grand opportunities anymore, as it was impossible to obtain them anyway. It was better to focus solely on the smaller opportunities.

At this point, all the rainbow peaches on the peach trees had been picked. There were a total of 1024 rainbow peaches, but the Mock Heaven Sect members had only picked a few hundred, as each person could only pick three. The remaining rainbow peaches were all snatched up.

As a result,

There was a large group of people afflicted with Immortal Cancer.

These people were those who had listened to Fat Dragon's words.

Initially, many people chose the green peaches, even though they only had a 10% chance of encountering adversity. But when people are unlucky, even drinking cold water can go wrong. Quite a few people fell victim, so this group decided not to touch the green peaches anymore and went straight for the rainbow peaches. After all, they already had Immortal Cancer, so what was there to fear?

At this point, there were already over four hundred people afflicted with Immortal Cancer.

Many others hadn't managed to get any rainbow peaches.

At first, after contracting Immortal Cancer, they were terrified, but as they saw more and more people around them also contracting it, their fear gradually lessened. After all, in the early stages of Immortal Cancer, there were no negative effects, not even pain. They would deal with the consequences later.

As for this group of people,

They were most likely doomed.

If only one or two people were afflicted with Immortal Cancer, then with good luck, they might obtain the Six Wisps of Yin Fortune from the Rainbow Peach and even acquire the remaining three wisps outside, completing a thread of Yin Emperor's Fortune.

But with so many people suffering from Immortal Cancer here, there's no chance of acquiring Yin Fortune outside.

Yin Fortune is already extremely rare in the market, and now with so many seekers, the limited Yin Fortune will be driven to sky-high prices. Naturally, what awaits them is death.

As their cultivation realms decline, they wait for death in irreversible despair.

"Senior Chen Qiu's luck is still so good."

In the corner, Miss Bai gazed at Chen Qiu's departing figure and whispered.

"Luck?"

Jiang Buying scoffed coldly and didn't elaborate. This girl had a narrow view; it was pointless to say more. No matter how lucky one is, it's impossible to be this fortunate. Clearly, the artifact spirit of this secret realm has awakened its own consciousness and is blatantly favoring Chen Qiu without any pretense, directly revealing its intentions as if it's about to announce that all the great opportunities in this secret realm are meant for Chen Qiu alone.

The only thing that puzzled Jiang Buying was, what price did Chen Qiu pay to make the artifact spirit go so crazy? It didn't even try to hide it, openly showing its hand, just short of directly announcing that all the major opportunities in this secret realm were meant for Chen Qiu.

He didn't pick any of the fruits.

He was merely an observer.

As he had said before, the opportunities here were useless to him. Miss Bai also didn't pick any of the fruits. For her, the shadow of Immortal Cancer was too daunting. Even with a 1% chance of encountering Immortal Cancer, she wasn't willing to take the risk.

"How well do you know Chen Qiu?"

The Wei King from the Wei Royal Family, standing amidst the crowd with his concubine, the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion from the Second Rank Continent 'Taiping Fu', looked towards Chen Qiu's direction. He had brought his concubine to the Ascension Assembly to let her see the world.

After all, the Ascension Assembly only happened once every ten thousand years, and if they missed this chance, there would be no other opportunity.

She had originally offered herself to the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion because of the Immortal Maiden's gratitude. But over time, she gradually developed feelings for him, not because he had any particularly attractive qualities.

It was simply because, as a woman, she was tired of managing a power alone and wanted to lean on someone's shoulder. Just as she was feeling this way, the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion appeared, and everything happened naturally. However, her cultivation was still a bit low, even though she had already reached the Third Rank Continent.

There was still a long way to go to reach the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, and she was doing her best to support her lover. She hoped that he would reach the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm and stand by her side as her support.

"Hmm?"

The old ancestor of Taiping Mansion hesitated for a while before answering, "I haven't met him much. My understanding of him is based on what happened on the Vast Continent, and it can be summed up in one word: 'Strong.' If I were to use two words, it would be 'Very Strong.'"

"If I must give some advice, it's best not to provoke him."

". . ."

The Wei King glared at the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion, "Do you think anyone dares to offend him?"

But after a moment, she sighed lightly.

"Can't you put in a bit more effort? I'm so tired. I want to retire. Why should a woman like me be at the forefront? I also want to be a good wife and mother."

"I'll try my best."

"Try your best for what?"

"Try your best to get pregnant. With our cultivation, it's too difficult to conceive."

The Wei King's expression darkened as she said, "Who's talking about that now?"

"You said you wanted to be a good wife and mother. How can you teach a child if you don't get pregnant?"

"I'm telling you to quickly improve your cultivation so you can reach the Tide Immortal Plane, and then I'll abdicate and let you become the Wei King!"

"Oh," the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion whispered, "This can't be rushed. Not everyone is like Chen Qiu."

The Wei King shook her head, not intending to discuss this further. Suddenly, she thought of something and forced a smile, "How was that Immortal Maiden the other day?"

"Not good."

"Really not good."

Upon hearing this, the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion's expression turned bitter, and he shook his head solemnly, "To be honest, it felt like being with a pig. She wasn't even half as good as you, my dear."

A few days ago, when she went to the Third Rank Continent to find the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion, an Immortal Maiden came to repay her gratitude. She was about to scold the Immortal Maiden when the latter knelt down and started crying.

The Immortal Maiden explained that her entire family was on the brink of extinction, and if she didn't repay her gratitude and receive the 'Repayment Blessing' in time, her family would be annihilated. She begged her sister to show mercy, promising to be quick.

Looking at the Immortal Maiden kneeling in pain, the old ancestor swallowed the foul words she was about to say.

She could empathize with the Immortal Maiden; no one would willingly offer themselves to a stranger if it weren't for a life-and-death situation. She had been in a similar situation and eventually relented out of compassion.

As a woman herself, she could better understand a woman's pain.

Having been through the rain herself, she wanted to hold an umbrella for others.

This Immortal Maiden was from another Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, and they had chatted a lot before parting, discovering many shared experiences and a sense of mutual understanding. However, when she thought of the old ancestor of Taiping Mansion's behavior at that time, she felt a surge of anger.

"How can this be my fault!"

The old ancestor of Taiping Mansion's expression turned bitter as he said, "I had refused righteously, but you, my dear, were moved by her words and allowed her to humiliate me. I'm the victim here!"

The Wei King scoffed and didn't say more, as she had indeed agreed at the time, and she felt a bit guilty.

An hour later, the Peach Feast came to an end, marking the conclusion of the event.

Some people made a fortune during the event, while others returned empty-handed, and some even contracted Immortal Cancer. By now, there were only a few peaches left on the World Tree, as most of them had been picked.

The number of people afflicted with Immortal Cancer had also increased to over a thousand.

As the frenzy subsided, these people suddenly realized what had happened to them, and some of them became emotionally distraught. Immortal Cancer was almost an incurable condition, a deadly Heavenly illness, and they had gambled their lives on it?

The emotions at that time were too wild.

In such a chaotic state, it's difficult to remain rational, especially when seeing so many people around them with Immortal Cancer acting as if it was no big deal, which only made them more frenzied. Although they were all aware of the dangers of Immortal Cancer.

But when a person's emotions reach a certain level, the brain tends to ignore many things.

Fortunately, there were no casualties.

However, on the Greenstone Square, many cultivators stood in place with dark and gloomy expressions, their pupils filled with despair.

The next activity, the final one, "Ascent of the Immortal Path," was still twelve hours away. During these twelve hours, everyone had to patiently wait on the Greenstone Square. By this time, the peach trees had gradually turned to ashes, scattering with the wind into the void.

The Void

It was truly a perfect garbage disposal site.

Any trash thrown into the void would be perfectly annihilated, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.

During this time, many cultivators once again summoned their Immortal Mansions and patiently waited, while some clever ones began shouting in the crowd, offering to buy Soul Fortune with Spirit Stones.

Their targets were those who had chosen the "Six Wisps of Yin Fortune" from the Rainbow Peaches.

Basically, most people who picked the Rainbow Peaches ended up with Immortal Cancer, and the opportunities they chose were mostly the "Six Wisps of Yin Fortune." There were also a few lucky ones who picked just one Rainbow Peach and hit the jackpot, immediately stopping after that.

The offer from these people was:

You can't possibly acquire the remaining three Wisps of Yin Fortune anyway, so it's better to sell the Yin Fortune you have and leave a substantial amount of Spirit Stones for your sect or family. That way, your family can also protect your descendants, ensuring they live a life free of worries.

For a moment,

Some people with weaker backing were indeed tempted, just as these people said, with their own power, it was impossible to acquire the remaining three Wisps of Yin Fortune. Many of them signed contracts and planned to trade once they left the secret realm.

After all, separating the Yin Fortune required special means, which was difficult to achieve within the secret realm.

Chen Qiu wasn't interested in these external matters.

Since he had joined the gamble, he would calmly accept the situation on the table. The only difference was that some played their cards openly, while others kept them hidden.

"What a pity."

Chen Qiu sighed lightly, shaking his head with a hint of regret. The greatest opportunity in the third-day activity, "Ascent of the Immortal Path," was a direct path to True Immortal. But this opportunity was not meant for him, as his cultivation was not at the peak of Celestial Immortal, and he didn't meet the prerequisites.

There was no surprise that this opportunity belonged to him.

It was just that he couldn't obtain it.

In that case, he could only...

He raised his head and noticed that Badan, at some point, had squatted beside him with eyes full of anticipation and a gleam of concentration, saying, "Senior, do you still remember what I said before? If you lend me a wisp of Yin Emperor's Fortune, Badan is willing to be your eternal servant!"

"Do you need a 'True Immortal' servant?"

". . ."

Chen Qiu's lips twitched slightly, "Do you want it?"

"I want it!"

Badan nodded earnestly, his expression sincere.

"Then I'll give it to you."

Chen Qiu sighed lightly, and there was no one else he could give it to besides Badan. Among those around him, only Badan had reached the peak of Celestial Immortal cultivation. After this Ascension Assembly, Badan would attain the cultivation of a True Immortal, the strongest in the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, with no one as his match.

"I see quite a few at the peak of Celestial Immortal on this square alone. Is it really that difficult to advance from Celestial Immortal to True Immortal?"

"It's very difficult."

Badan helplessly explained, "Without this opportunity, I don't know when I'd be able to break through to True Immortal. The threshold to reach True Immortal is just too high."

"For example, you must possess a Rainbow Entry, and it has to be permanent. Even a temporary one won't do."

"And you must use the remains of a True Immortal as a guide."

"I won't mention the other conditions, but these two are the most challenging."

"You know how difficult it is to obtain a Rainbow Entry. Many people's Rainbow Entries are innate from birth. If you're not born with it, you won't have it in this lifetime."

"For instance, the people from the Rainbow Continent are born with three Rainbow Entries, and that Jiang Taiping, rumored to be the private son of an Immortal Emperor, was born with nine. There's just no comparison."

"Moreover, you must have the remains of a True Immortal as a guide. Where can you find such a thing? Forget about dead True Immortals, I've never even seen a living one. Even if I did, I couldn't beat them."

"That's why, in the Tide Immortal Plane, although many cultivators reach the peak of Celestial Immortal, advancing to True Immortal is even more challenging."

"That's why so many people attach great importance to this Ascension Assembly. For many, this opportunity to advance to True Immortal might be the closest they'll get in their lifetime."

"I understand."

Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the difficulty was not low. According to past conventions, possessing a Rainbow Entry was already a condition for crafting a Twelfth Rank cultivation method. But for advancing to True Immortal, it was merely the most basic requirement.

No wonder so many people were stuck here; it made perfect sense.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end