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Chapter 88: The Divine Flame Summoning Banner's Surprise
Chapter 88: The Divine Flame Summoning Banner’s Surprise
Inside the cave, Xiao Chen calmed his mind and resumed meditating, consolidating his grasp of his newfound Foundation Building realm and its transformations.
A breakthrough at a major cultivation stage was worlds apart from minor advancements.
First came lifespan—doubled instantly. Without accidents, every Foundation Building cultivator could expect to live two centuries. In the mortal world, entire dynasties often crumbled before reaching two hundred years. This extension of life was what truly set cultivators apart from mortals, the ultimate goal driving countless practitioners forward.
Most solitary cultivators never deluded themselves into dreaming of godlike powers or ascension. Their true aspiration was simpler: to reach Foundation Building and savor an extra hundred years of wealth and comfort. Those resigned to never breaking through to Core Formation would settle in areas rich in spiritual energy, building sprawling estates, marrying dozens of concubines, and expanding their bloodlines.
This was why Li Zhou teemed with countless small cultivation families.
Second, his mana had transformed from qi into liquid—a complete departure from its previous state. He needed to adapt quickly, lest he overexert himself while casting spells.
While a Foundation Building cultivator nominally possessed thirty-six mana channels—only slightly more than the twenty-one of a Cultivation Great Perfection cultivator—the quality of each channel was vastly superior. Xiao Chen estimated that a single channel now equaled three of his former ones.
This meant even identical spells could unleash triple the power. Don’t underestimate this gap.
For example, in an arm-wrestling match, a threefold strength difference was crushing—let alone a mere thirty percent.
For Xiao Chen, though, the key lay in how hexes multiplied effects based on mana quality. The improvement to his power wasn’t threefold—it was thirty times.
Generally, a Yellow Tier Spell paled next to a Mystic-tier by two to three times. The gap between Mystic-tier and Earth-tier, or Earth-tier and Heaven-tier, followed the same ratio. A Yellow Tier Spell versus a Heaven-tier could differ by up to twenty-seven times.
“Holy crap,” Xiao Chen blurted. “Does this mean my Yellow Tier Spells are stronger than Heaven-tier?!”
He shot upright, electrified by his own realization. “So am I… terrifyingly strong now?!”
Suddenly, he lunged forward. “Earth-Shaking Technique!”
His fist smashed into the cavern wall.
Boom!
A five-foot-thick stone wall shattered, leaving a ten-foot-wide crater. Debris scattered—chunks hurling outward, one smashing into a locust tree dozens of feet away, felling it instantly.
“Pity I don’t have any second-tier spells handy to truly test a Foundation Building cultivator’s might,” Xiao Chen sighed, his excitement fading slightly.
His breakthrough had come too swiftly. Though his cultivation base had soared, he lacked matching manuals, spells, or artifacts.
“Wait—I have the Divine Flame Summoning Banner!”
Recalling his artifacts, he remembered the premium-grade treasure he’d acquired. It would suffice temporarily.
Activating a top-grade magic artifact required at least six mana channels. This Divine Flame Summoning Banner, a masterpiece among such artifacts, demanded an additional three.
“No wonder that demonic cultivator struggled. No wonder he only used it twice—his mana reserves must’ve been drained.”
Now, Xiao Chen casually retrieved the banner, raising it overhead with ease. No need to clutch the pole or chant incantations. Simply channeling mana through spiritual sense summoned nine fireballs rolling off the banner.
They hit the ground, morphing into nine-foot-tall fire soldiers clad in blazing armor, wielding fiery longblades. Their aura pressure hovered around the early Foundation Building level.
“Liquid mana powering an artifact actually enhances it this much?!”
Xiao Chen’s shock melted into delight.
After acquiring the banner, he’d tested it once before. Back then, it had summoned mere late-Lian Qi soldiers. He’d never imagined it had hidden depths—only now, with his cultivation realm elevated, could its true potential shine.
“No wonder top-grade artifacts cost tenfold what mid-grade ones do.”
“The Green Gourd, even fully repaired, would fetch only six to seven hundred spirit stones. But this banner? Six to seven thousand. Now I see why.”
The cultivation world recognized four major realms: Louse Realm (Louse Stage), Junior Friend Realm (Foundation Building), Dao Friend Realm (Core Formation), and Senior Realm (Golden Core).
With the Divine Flame Summoning Banner at his side, Xiao Chen’s status had leaped. In Li Zhou’s petty battlegrounds, unless facing a Golden Core expert, he could now command respect as a true Junior Friend Realm cultivator.
After inspecting his fiery soldiers, he retracted the banner, moving to his final test.
Foundation Building cultivators differed from ordinary ones in a key way: flight.
Not that lower cultivators couldn’t wield flying swords—only that their meager, low-quality mana made flight slow and short-lived. Most avoided it unless showing off.
But liquid mana changed everything.
Xiao Chen’s hand drifted to his waist—then froze.
“Wait… where’s my Evergreen Sword?!”
He recalled: the sword had been sacrificed earlier to distract his pursuer.
“Evergreen Sword, Plains Shield, Inner Sect Magic Robe, and that lower-grade robe I lost at the start… four artifacts gone!”
Before Foundation Building, he’d been helpless, forced to flee. Now, with boosted mana and the banner’s surprise, his combat power had skyrocketed.
Next time they met, the hunter and hunted would swap roles.
(End of Chapter)
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