Chapter 97: Tenfold Spellcasting

Chapter 97: Tenfold Spellcasting

Chen Qiu couldn't help but suck in a breath of cool air, feeling a tingling sensation in his teeth, and his desire to improve his cultivation grew even stronger.

His cultivation was still too weak.

If his cultivation power were a little stronger, no matter what happened, who would dare provoke him? He could wipe them all out!

This world was still too dangerous; he had to become stronger quickly!

That day, he didn't go anywhere and just stayed in the inn to cultivate.

The sense of unknown crisis made him reluctant to go out. He just wanted to stay in the inn and cultivate, even though he knew that even if he cultivated all day, his cultivation wouldn't improve much.

Soon, night fell, and it was midnight.

The scholar located Chen Qiu through the communication bracelet and, with a flash of light, appeared in front of him with a long sword in hand. He tossed two storage bags to Chen Qiu, his face beaming with excitement.

"Brother Qiu, take a look. It's an absolute surprise."

"I can tell you, Brother Qiu, that Liu Zide is an absolute genius. I've never seen anyone crazier than him. It's not that he's particularly smart, but he's insanely crazy, to the point where I felt like running away."

"Today's harvest will definitely satisfy you, and we expect even more tomorrow!"

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows rose slightly as he took the storage bags from the scholar. He probed with his divine sense and exclaimed in surprise, "So many?"

There were exactly 283 Inferior Celestial Path Foundation Realm Cultivation Pills in the bag.

There were only 67 yesterday, and today there were about four times as many.

"Of course."

The scholar also felt proud of the results, his face glowing with satisfaction. "Today, 187 people made it onto the Fame Ranking Chart, and if you look at the bottom 500 names, almost all of them are our people."

"The news of the Celestial Path Cultivation Pills' effects hasn't spread yet."

"Those in Autumn Far City don't even know what we're up to."

"And this is just the beginning. According to Liu Zide's plan, we can double the number tomorrow and then double it again the day after. Our people's fame value is rising, and as their rankings increase, the Heavenly Blessings they receive will also multiply!"

"As of midnight tonight, the highest-ranked person on the Fame Ranking Chart is already at 781."

Chen Qiu nodded with satisfaction. This progress was quite impressive. At this rate, it seemed like there was a good chance of recovering the 25,000 spirit stones he had invested.

After the scholar left, Chen Qiu turned his attention to the bag of Celestial Path Cultivation Pills. Without hesitation, he popped them into his mouth like candy beans.

After consuming 24 Celestial Path Cultivation Pills, his cultivation broke through to the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.

At that moment, a familiar panel, shrouded in clouds, appeared once again above his dantian.

-

"Cultivation Surge: Officially entering the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Please choose one of the three random terms below within ten breaths."

1:

"Term Name: Sword Heart."

"Term Grade: Green."

"Term Effect: Will slightly enhance your innate talent for the sword path."

2:

"Term Name: Ancestral Shield."

"Term Grade: Green."

"Term Effect: Any attack you suffer will be transferred to your parents."

3:

"Term Name: Unknown."

"Term Grade: Unknown."

"Term Effect: This is the only unknown term. Its true nature will be revealed after selection, and it cannot be discarded by any means."

-

Another sword cultivation term. Chen Qiu couldn't help but feel a little speechless. Did the heavens want him to cultivate the sword path? Was he truly suited for it?

If the next suitable sword cultivation term appeared, he would cultivate both sword techniques and dual cultivation!

He didn't believe in such superstitions.

The Ancestral Shield term was completely useless to him; he had no parents. Unless he could call someone 'father,' and they would become his parent, it would be an invincible combination, but upon closer inspection, he knew such a term couldn't possibly exist.

That would be too overpowered.

His only choice was the last unknown term. To be honest, he was quite excited about it. His "Dantian Expansion" term had come from an unknown term.

Moreover, it was the only term of its kind, and so far, the only unique-grade term he had obtained.

He wondered what term this one would reveal.

Soon—

A panel, shrouded in clouds, appeared before him once more.

-

"Term Name: Double Spellcasting."

"Term Grade: Green."

"Term Effect: When you release any spell, you can cast it again without consuming additional resources."

-

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded. Not bad; it effectively doubled his combat power.

Just then—

"Bang, bang."

A knock sounded on the door.

"Brother Qiu, it's me."

Chen Qiu opened the door with his spirit energy, and only then did he turn to look at Fat Dragon, who was standing at the door. He frowned and asked, "Why are you bringing two dead rabbit demons to my room in the middle of the night?"

"Um..."

Fat Dragon spoke softly, a little embarrassed. "Brother Qiu, you gave me some spirit stones during the day and asked me to buy a dual cultivation technique, right?"

"I went to the Mountain Opening City market and bought a Foundation Establishment Intermediate-grade dual cultivation technique that produces a Celestial Path Secret Realm. It's quite effective. Then, I went to the beast market in the market city and bought some beasts."

"I took a look, and I felt that I could barely handle the rabbit demons."

"So, I bought a bunch."

"But rabbit demons are a bit weak; they usually die after one attack. Of course, there are some benefits. Killing beasts can also increase your cultivation progress, although the progress gained from killing these Qi Condensation rabbit demons is almost negligible. Still, it's better than nothing."

"These Qi Condensation first-layer rabbit demons are cheap because of their low cultivation and rapid reproduction. Many ordinary people also buy rabbit demons to bring home as pets for their children.

"I've been a little too eager to become stronger."

"That's why I have thousands of dead rabbit demons in my room. I figured since they're not worth much, I might as well do something with them."

"Why don't we go to the rooftop and grill some rabbit meat?"

". . ."

Chen Qiu stared expressionlessly at Fei Long, who was standing at the door holding two dead rabbits. After a long silence, he waved his hand and said, "Come here, come in front of me."

"Oh."

Chen Qiu then silently took out a jade-made feather fan he had bought from Ask Heaven Market and leaped off the bed. He furiously started pounding Fei Long with it.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"Huh?"

"Did you lose your mind from dual cultivating with yourself?!"

"Do you want me to eat these dead rabbits you've used? Do you believe I'll go find Liu Zide right now and ask him to cut you open?!"

"Are you here to annoy me in the middle of the night?!"

"Brother Qiu..."

Fei Long, dazed by the sudden beating, took a while to react. He hugged his head and curled up in the corner of the room, his voice filled with tears and grievance, "I just killed these rabbits! They're fresh!"

"Fresh!"

"How could I possibly give you rabbits I've used and ask you to eat them?"

"It's just that you gave me spirit stones today and asked me to buy a dual cultivation technique, and you even gave me a seven-colored entry jade slip. I didn't know how to thank you, so I picked two of the fattest and most delicious-looking rabbits. I didn't even dare to use them myself. I brought some roasted peanuts and a knife, thinking we could go to the rooftop and have some drinks."

"How could I be so stupid?!"

". . ."

Chen Qiu suddenly felt a bit apologetic and froze in place, saying awkwardly, "Oh, I see. Sorry, I misunderstood you. It's a bit unfair for you to take this beating. Consider it my way of thanking you."

"Let's go to the rooftop and have some drinks then?"

Fei Long, feeling rather aggrieved, wiped away his tears with his sleeve and nodded heavily.

"Mm-hmm."

On the rooftop of an inn in Mountain Opening City.

Chen Qiu and Fei Long sat on the rooftop, with a slow-cooking grill nearby roasting rabbit meat. They happily chatted, drinking and eating as they went.

They talked about their past lives.

They talked about what happened before they met.

They talked about what happened after they met.

They talked about everything.

"Brother Qiu..."

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Fei Long, with a slurred speech, hugged Chen Qiu's shoulder and said drunkenly, "Do you know why I'm called Fei Long?"

"Mm-hmm."

Chen Qiu didn't cultivate that night; instead, he sat on the rooftop with Fei Long, drinking for half the night. He was a bit tipsy and absent-minded when he replied, "You said you changed your name to Fei Long, but then you said you've always been called Fei Long. Who knows why you're called Fei Long?"

He didn't use spirit energy to force out the alcohol.

If you drink alcohol, using spirit energy to force it out is no different from drinking water.

"Hehe."

Fei Long, with a slurred speech, smiled and said, "Actually, when I was born, there was a five-clawed fat dragon hovering above our house. So my parents named me Fei Long."

After saying this, he laughed, obviously finding his own words a bit far-fetched.

"Here, Brother Qiu, let me offer you a toast!"

Just then—

Chen Qiu suddenly saw a towering giant in the distance, walking in the night sky with each step creating a lotus bloom. He was heading straight for Mountain Opening City and soon arrived in front of them.

His massive body was extremely eye-catching in the darkness! He squatted down, almost filling the entire bluestone road, and even then, he was still much taller than the inn. He looked down at Chen Qiu and the others and said in a deep voice, "Brother Chen Qiu, the Sect Leader sent me to find you. He said you might be in danger, so I'm here to support you."

"Huh?"

Chen Qiu looked up at the towering giant in front of him, feeling a bit dazed. He wondered, "The Sect Leader sent you to find me? What danger am I in?"

Before he could say anything—

Zhao Yishi's throat moved slightly, and the sound of him swallowing his saliva was like thunder in a clear sky. His eyes fixed on the grilled rabbit meat on the grill, emitting a delicious aroma, and asked, "What does this rabbit meat taste like? Is it good?"

". . ."

Although Chen Qiu didn't know why he would encounter Zhao Yishi here, he helplessly waved his hand, signaling Fei Long to pass the rabbit meat to Zhao Yishi. The rabbit meat, which was not small to begin with, looked like a small piece when it entered Zhao Yishi's mouth.

As expected.

Zhao Yishi merely took a sip, and without even seeing his throat move, the rabbit meat disappeared. He smacked his lips and said shyly, "Is there more? I couldn't quite taste it."

"The Sect Leader hasn't fed me enough recently, and I'm so hungry."

Although Fei Long was a bit speechless at this person's familiarity, he still stood up and walked towards the downstairs guest rooms, saying, "Wait, I'll go and kill a couple more for you. There are still two rabbit demons left."

Soon—

Fei Long came back to the rooftop carrying two freshly killed rabbit demons. Before he could put them on the grill, a deafening sound came from Zhao Yishi's stomach, and he said, "I can eat them raw, no need to grill them."

"You eat them raw?"

"As long as they're not alive, I'll eat them."

". . ."

Fei Long didn't bother to argue and threw the two rabbit demons into Zhao Yishi's mouth. However, after eating these two rabbit demons, Zhao Yishi obviously still wasn't full and lowered his head. His huge eyes followed Fei Long into his guest room and exclaimed happily.

"Fei Long, there's so much delicious food in your room!"

"They've been dead for a while, but they're still fresh." Fei Long, feeling annoyed, picked up the roasted peanuts and continued drinking half a jar before saying with a slurred speech, "If you like them, I'll give them all to you."

Then he turned to Chen Qiu, who was drunk, and said, "Come on, Brother Qiu, let's keep drinking."

"Wait a moment."

Fei Long suddenly remembered something, and his entire body instantly sobered up. His face turned anxious, and he shouted urgently, "You can't eat them! You can't eat them!"

However, it was too late.

Zhao Yishi lifted his head, holding a giant toothpick in his hand. He had just used this toothpick to extract and eat the rabbit demon from Fei Long's guest room, much like scooping out snails.

With his enormous head, he looked down at Fei Long in a daze, "Huh? I've finished eating."

".

."

Chen Qiu's intoxication also instantly vanished, and after remaining expressionless and silent for a long time, he finally managed to control his spiritual energy and suppress the overwhelming feeling within him. Pretending that nothing had happened, he turned his head to the side.

He didn't want to stay in this world anymore.

He wanted to go home.

This world was too chaotic, and many things were twisted beyond recognition. He wasn't sure how to face this world anymore.

Even Fei Long fell silent, unsure of what to say, and ignored Zhao Yishi, who was still puzzled. He just lowered his head to look at the mud on his boots, also longing to go home. This world had gradually transformed him into someone even he couldn't understand.

At least...

Before this, he had never thought about rabbit demons.

But...

He had to become stronger, right?

If he didn't, he would die.

He had no choice, and while he didn't want to if given the chance, he didn't want to die, either.

He still had so much left to do; how could he just die so casually? He hadn't fulfilled his dreams, and he hadn't even taken revenge on the Blossom Sect.

As Chen Qiu and Fei Long both fell into silence, even Zhao Yishi was at a loss.

Suddenly, a furious roar echoed from the distant sky, and the originally quiet night was instantly engulfed by a brilliant light, as bright as day. A terrifying Golden Core Mid-Stage Cultivation, carrying a soaring sword intent, was rapidly approaching Mountain Opening City from the west.

"Old Ghost of Mount Qiu!"

"Hand over the Tenfold Spellcasting Entry Jade Slip, and I'll spare your life! Otherwise, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"

Two streaks of flowing light could be vaguely seen rapidly approaching the city.

The black streak of light at the forefront carried an extremely terrifying demonic aura, and the pressure it emitted, even though it wasn't directed at Mountain Opening City, still made them feel an intense oppression.

"Hahaha!"

It was clear that the sword cultivator at the back was slightly stronger, as the sword intent he exuded caused even the longsword in Chen Qiu's storage ring to tremble. He was about to catch up to the black streak of light ahead.

The demon cultivator at the front, also at the Golden Core Mid-Stage, seemed to be mocking in fear.

"Do you want it?"

"Then here you go!"

The voice reverberated throughout Mountain Opening City, waking up many sleeping mortals.

Soon after, a jade slip was thrown down from the sky, falling straight towards the city below.

However, the Golden Core Late-Stage sword cultivator behind didn't stop, continuing to chase after the demon cultivator with a sinister smile, "Do you think I'm a fool, Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator, Ji Taiping?"

"Do you think I'll fall for this diversion tactic?"

Amidst the commotion.

The two streaks of light vanished from above the city in the blink of an eye, shooting off into the distance with formidable auras!

Chen Qiu's face was filled with disbelief as he stared at the jade slip in his hand, which had fallen from the sky and landed perfectly in his embrace.

-

"Entry Name": Tenfold Spellcasting.

"Entry Level": Purple.

"Entry Effect": You can release any spell ten times without consuming additional resources.

Chen Qiu's throat rolled slightly, and his face showed a hint of shock as he looked at the two streaks of light that had long since disappeared from above the city.

Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator?

Ji Taiping?

That guy didn't lie to you; he really dropped it!

You misunderstood him!

But almost instantly, he reacted, taking out the communication bracelet from his embrace and urgently saying, "Scholar, come protect me, quick!"

After a few breaths.

The scholar appeared before him.

Without a word, Chen Qiu grabbed the scholar's collar and urged, "Let's go, no questions!"

In the blink of an eye, several people, including Zhao Yishi, vanished from their original spot!

Just as they disappeared, Ji Taiping returned to the sky above Mountain Opening City with a somber expression, and with a wave of his hand, a golden sword rain enveloped the city!

This was Ji Taiping's signature sword technique.

"Seven Slaying World Devastating Sword."

It was a sword technique that combined his understanding of the sword path with array formations, making it impossible for anyone weaker than Ji Taiping to break. Whether it was sound transmission or other transportation arrays, no one could break through this grand array.

A voice, suppressing anger, echoed above the city like thunder.

"Please, City Lord, come out and talk!"

"Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator, Ji Taiping, has an item that fell within the city!"

"Please cooperate with the search!"

"Too scary."

Chen Qiu, who had already escaped to Autumn Far City, recalled the terrifying sword intent from earlier and muttered in awe, "Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator is indeed terrifying."

"Tenfold Spellcasting."

It was indeed a valuable item.

Whether it was for spell cultivators, sword cultivators, or even demon and evil cultivators, it was a rare treasure with no side effects. Who wouldn't want their spells to be more abundant?

Even the Spring Rain Art could cultivate more fields.

An hour later.

Ji Taiping's spiritual sense swept through everyone in the city, but he couldn't find the jade slip. There were only two possibilities.

One was that the person who picked up the jade slip had already fled.

But this was almost impossible, as no one could be that fast.

The other possibility was that the jade slip had been crushed and imprinted into the Dao Foundation.

He couldn't determine which possibility it was right away, and he couldn't check the dantian of every person in the city one by one.

Hundreds of thousands of people, it would be exhausting for him.

Moreover, if it had already been crushed and embedded into the Dao Foundation, then even if it was discovered, it wouldn't be of much significance.

However, Ji Taiping's expression darkened as he looked towards the direction of the capital. When he flew past Mountain Opening City earlier, he vaguely saw a giant within the city. There was only one giant in the entire Great Xia Kingdom, and that was Zhao Yishi of the Heavenward Sect.

At this moment, Zhao Yishi was no longer in Mountain Opening City.

Regardless of the means Zhao Yishi used to escape right under his nose, Heavenward Sect was a place he couldn't avoid visiting.

After that, he finally looked down at the portrait given to him by the people below.

These two people had also left Mountain Opening City—a young man in a green robe and a fat man.

Coincidentally, he knew this man in the green robe.

Chen Qiu, a minor spellcaster.

This person, together with the White Robe, had their Memory Stone spread in the capital, and he was extremely interested in all news about the White Robe. How could he not have seen that Memory Stone recording?

"White Robe...Chen Qiu."

Ji Taiping's expression remained calm as he turned his head to look around. It seemed that he had to settle both new and old grudges. According to the information provided by the City Lord of Mountain Opening City, the White Robe had been quite active in Xuzhou these past two days, and many people had seen her, mainly staying in Autumn Far City, seemingly working on some kind of Memory Stone. In any case, it had caused quite a stir.

Good.

The White Robe had already dared to act without any concealment, seemingly not taking Ji Taiping seriously. Since that was the case, he would go to Autumn Far City tonight to take a look.

It had been a long time since he last saw the White Robe.

It was indeed a good idea.

Inside Autumn Far City.

Chen Qiu, who had just caught his breath, soon remembered something else. He turned his head to look at Zhao Yishi beside him, his large figure still standing out even in the darkness, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

"Zhao Yishi, I think it's best for you to return to your sect and lay low for a while."

"There might be some danger outside."

Just now, when the Great Xia's first sword cultivator, Ji Taiping, flew over the city walls of Mountain Opening City, he must have caught sight of Zhao Yishi, especially with his large figure standing out in the middle of the city.

It was impossible not to notice him.

"Hmm."

Zhao Yishi nodded seriously. "I was thinking the same. It's indeed too dangerous outside, with Golden Core sword cultivators flying everywhere. This time, if I don't enter the Golden Core realm after returning to the sect, I won't leave again."

"In a few days, it will be the annual Talented Youth Ranking Competition. Disciples from various sects will participate. Are you going to join?"

"Even without a sect, you can still participate. It's mainly to compete for rankings on the Talented Youth Rankings."

"Moreover, His Majesty will also grant additional rewards to the sects and participating disciples based on their rankings."

"Perhaps I'll join this time. You can come and cheer me on."

"We'll see about that later."

Chen Qiu glanced around and waved at Zhao Yishi with some unease. "You should quickly return to your sect. It's a bit dangerous out here."

Then he looked towards Zhao Yishi's back as he disappeared into the sky.

Only then did he heave a long sigh of relief and turned to the scholar, frowning. "Liu Zide's plan is too big. I have the jade slip containing Ji Taiping's entry here. Once he finds the innkeeper and asks around, he'll know that you and Fat Dragon have disappeared. It's very likely he'll be able to track us down."

"We need to change locations as soon as possible."

"How's Liu Zide's side progressing?"

The scholar spoke softly, "It's almost done. According to Liu Zide's plan, we could have fled tonight because the groundwork has already been laid. Now, it's just a matter of letting it ferment."

"As long as we control those people, there will be a continuous stream of profits every day from now on."

"It's estimated that the profits will reach their peak in three days and then remain at this peak level before gradually declining."

"But Liu Zide doesn't think there's any immediate danger. Even the local government in Autumn Far City is quite supportive of him, so he plans to expand the operation a bit more tomorrow."

"Stop right there."

Chen Qiu spoke in a low voice.

"Ask Liu Zide to bring those people here. This operation is already big enough. Let the rest ferment naturally."

"Okay."

Soon.

Liu Zide arrived with over two hundred people from a distance and stood beside Chen Qiu, explaining, "Among them, 187 people have already been influenced, and the remaining 38 are still in the process. But I estimate that they'll be ready soon."

"Good."

Chen Qiu nodded and, after glancing at the over two hundred people, turned to Liu Zide and spoke softly, "The profit margin is a bit tight to give you ten percent. We've just started, and I don't know how much ten percent is. Give me a number."

"Hmm..."

After some thought, Liu Zide hesitated, "Brother Qiu, I still have over two thousand spirit stones that you gave me. How about I consider these two thousand spirit stones as the ten percent?"

"Alright." Chen Qiu nodded in agreement. "Then let's wrap up the operation, and I'll take the lead in retreating."

"Understood."

Leading these two hundred people to a secluded spot in the quiet of the night, Chen Qiu ensured they were alone and waved his sleeve, instantly sucking them into his small world.

"Please stay here for a while."

All these people were at the Qi Condensation Stage, and he easily took them into his small world.

"Brother Qiu."

The scholar opened his mouth to ask, "Where are we going next?"

"Let's find a hidden place and cultivate for a while. There are still many Heavenly Path Cultivation Pills left to take."

"Aren't we going to the Talented Youth Ranking Competition in the capital?"

"For such a small benefit, it's too dangerous to put ourselves under the watch of so many people.

"That makes sense. I know of a hidden place, a cave abode I built during the Foundation Establishment Stage in an extremely secluded location. How about we go there?"

"Good."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end