NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 224: Securing a Top Ten Spot
Chapter 224: Securing a Top Ten Spot
Xu Lian stepped inside and met the stern-faced elderly woman. He gave a slight bow and said, “Disciple Xu Lian wishes to rejoin the second sequence. I hope the elder will grant me permission.”
The elderly woman looked at him and sighed, “I have already received orders from above. In a few days, the Second Sequence will hold a training session. You can join then.”
Xu Lian said nothing more. After another bow, he turned around and left.
After returning to his residence, he immediately began upgrading his cultivation. He added the necessary ingredients, including the leafless fruit, and advanced to the ninth level of the Grandmaster realm.
Next, he continued to allocate his resources, checking what materials he would need to break through to the Transcendent Realm so that he could purchase them in advance.
[Rank upgrade successful. Adding one Goldstone will allow you to advance to the first level of the Transcendent realm.]
Goldstone?
It was no surprise that Xu Lian hadn’t heard of it…
He left his residence and headed to the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land’s internal resource depot, also known as the “Great Warehouse,” where the sacred land stored its cultivation resources.
Of course, these were the low-tier resources. The mid-tier and high-tier resources were strictly controlled by the higher-ups, and they wouldn’t be stored in a warehouse.
However, the so-called low-tier resources were still incredibly valuable to ordinary cultivators.
Xu Lian arrived at the ” Great Warehouse”. Despite its name, the Warehouse was actually a massive toad demon as large as a mountain. Its cultivation level wasn’t particularly high, comparable to an average powerhouse, but its enormous storage capacity had earned it the position of Warehouse Elder in the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land.
“Senior Brother Xu is here!”
“Make way, make way! Senior Brother Xu is here!”…
The disciples who were lining up to buy cultivation materials noticed Xu Lian and immediately made way for him. Their awareness was truly impressive.
In the past, Xu Lian would have refused such treatment, preferring to wait in line to leave an impression of humility and accessibility…
But now that he had returned to the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land to showcase his strength and compete for the position of Saint, he was here to make a splash.
With that in mind, there was no need for him to be overly humble. He simply cupped his hands slightly and walked to the front of the line without hesitation.
“I would like to buy 511 goldstones.”
He stated his request to the Warehouse Elder.
To enter the first level of the Transcendent Realm, one goldstone was required.
To advance to the second level, you needed two goldstones.
And so on… To reach the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm, 256 goldstones were required.
In total, the entire Transcendent Realm required 511 goldstones. He planned to buy them all at once.
The warehouse elder opened its massive mouth, revealing a “toad-like” smile, and said amiably, “Goldstones are cultivation resources required for the Transcendent Realm. It looks like you’re about to break through. But why do you need so many?
Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t question your intentions. It’s just that the Sacred Land sells cultivation resources at a slightly lower price than the outside world as a benefit to our disciples.
In order to prevent disciples from reselling these resources for profit, each disciple is only allowed to buy resources that correspond to his or her cultivation level, and the amount is limited to what’s necessary for his or her personal cultivation. They can’t buy excessive amounts.
Your request for 511 goldstones is enough for five or six transcendent cultivators. That’s a bit against the rules.
If it were anyone else, I would refuse outright.
But given your status… you’re unlikely to resell them for profit.
So, I can make an exception and sell them to you. However, I’ll need a reason to justify it to the higher-ups during the monthly audit.”
Xu Lian replied, “I have extraordinary talents. The amount of resources I need for each breakthrough is five or six times that of an ordinary cultivator. Will that be enough?”
The Toad Elder’s lantern-sized eyes studied him deeply. “As a bearer of divine laws and a genius favored by the Goddess of Time, it’s reasonable for you to be different from others. This reason is acceptable.”
As Xu Lian prepared to hand over the spirit stones, he asked, “How much per Goldstone?”
The storehouse elder replied, “1.35 million spirit stones each.”
Although Xu Lian had prepared himself mentally, he was still shocked. The leafless fruits required for the Grandmaster realm cost 100,000 spirit stones each. The Goldstone for the Transcendent Realm were more than thirteen times that price. This purchase would cost him nearly 700 million Spirit Stones.
The camp elder raised a claw slightly. “Wait. According to the rules, core disciples and above are entitled to further discounts when purchasing cultivation materials. Do you want to take advantage of it?”
Xu Lian was stunned for a moment. Of course, he wanted a discount. Who wouldn’t? “What do you mean?”
The camp elder explained, “Core disciples and above can choose their discount rate: 10%, 20%, 30%… all the way up to 100%, which means free. What discount rate do you want?”
“…”Xu Lian’s expression turned strange. Was this for real?
Xu Lian said, “Of course, the higher the discount, the better. What’s the catch for getting it for free?”
The students in line couldn’t hold back.
“Senior Brother Xu, don’t fall for it!”
“Each discount rate comes with a corresponding challenge. The higher the discount, the harder the challenge!”…
Xu Lian suddenly understood. However, he still wanted to give it a try. Saving Spirit Stones was always a good idea. He looked at the warehouse elder and asked, “What kind of challenge is required for the 100% discount?”
The warehouse elder pointed a claw at himself. “You have to buy 511 goldstones, a total of 700 million Spirit Stones. If you want them for free, you’ll need to defeat a powerhouse elder like me.”
Xu Lian almost choked. “Forget that… How about a 50% discount? What kind of challenge is required for that?”
The warehouse elder silently calculated and said, “A 50% discount on 700 million is 350 million. You’ll have to defeat 35 opponents at the same level as yourself in one go.”
Xu Lian’s mouth twitched. He considered it carefully. With the combat techniques from the Sacred Spirit Record, it wasn’t impossible. Of course, if those 35 opponents were geniuses with powerful combat techniques, it would be much harder.
It wouldn’t hurt to challenge his limits… Xu Lian had the divine laws protecting him, so he wouldn’t die. “I’d like to give it a try.”
The warehouse elder waved his claw.
Xu Lian’s vision went dark, and he found himself in an enclosed space. He didn’t know where he was, but 35 eerie creatures immediately pounced on him with sinister laughter.
In his left hand, he conjured a golden Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, and in his right hand, he conjured a golden imperial capital of the Yin Dynasty. At the same time, he pushed his movement technique to its limit, leaving behind afterimages as he engaged the 35 creatures in battle.
“Boom!”…
He appeared behind one of the creatures and slammed down the golden Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land and Imperial Capital, shattering it.
Immediately after, he appeared beside another creature and repeated the process, destroying it as well.
“This doesn’t seem too difficult…”
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he noticed that the two creatures he had just destroyed were slowly reforming, completely unharmed.
His expression froze.
“What the hell!”
He looked around, but found no exit… There was no choice but to keep fighting.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”…
He killed all 35 creatures at least once, but they kept reforming. However, it wasn’t entirely futile. He noticed that each time a creature reformed, its form grew slightly dimmer.
He realized that he would need to kill them multiple times to make them disappear completely.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”…
An hour, two hours… He realized that this was just grueling work. He had killed each creature dozens of times, and although they were all much dimmer now, they still hadn’t completely disappeared.
Finally, after about four hours, the creatures disappeared completely.
Xu Lian’s face was pale, and his steps were unsteady… He felt completely exhausted.
The enclosed space vanished, and he reappeared in front of the Warehouse Elder.
The warehouse elder looked surprised, then smiled a “toad-like” smile. “Congratulations on defeating 35 opponents of the same rank. You may now purchase 511 Goldstones at a 50% discount, totaling 350 million spirit stones.”
Thirty-five? This felt more like 350! Xu Lian weakly handed over 350 million Spirit Stones and accepted the Goldstone from the storehouse elder.
A wave of astonishment swept through the onlookers.
“To defeat 35 opponents of the same rank? Brother Xu is incredible!”
“Is Xu Lian invincible among his peers?”…
Four hours had passed. Most of the disciples who had lined up to buy resources had left, but a few had stayed to see the outcome. Xu Lian couldn’t help but admire their persistence.
Some newcomers who had joined the queue were also shocked and couldn’t help but stare.
Xu Lian staggered back to his residence like a man who had drunk fake alcohol. The next time he purchased materials, he decided that a 40% discount would be enough. The 50% discount was just too much.
Back in his residence, he collapsed onto his bed, completely exhausted. It felt like he had entered an ultra-enhanced state of post-battle clarity.
After resting for over an hour, he finally recovered. He took out a Goldstone and silently chanted: Add ingredient.
[Ingredient added successfully. Advancing to the first level of the Transcendent realm.]
The goldstone in his hand turned to dust, and a purer, more powerful energy surged through his body. All the golden energy transformed back into its original mist-like form.
His soul trembled as he felt the sublimation of his flesh and spirit. This was a leap in his life’s essence.
“This feels amazing…”
Xu Lian closed his eyes and savored the sensation of growing stronger. It was truly exhilarating.
He continued to allocate his resources and add more Goldstones.
In one go, he advanced to the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm, preparing himself for the upcoming second sequence training session.
[Name: Xu Lian]
[Rank: Fifth level of the Transcendent realm]
[Techniques: Four Symbols Battle Tactics, Great Desolate Dragon Grasping Technique, Sacred Spirit Record (Immortal Art Supplement), Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Volumes 1-3)…]
[Equipment: Sword of Destruction (not equipped)]
[Note: You currently have 14 unused progression points.]
“At the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm, I should be able to secure a spot in the top ten of the second sequence.”
Xu Lian estimated that after almost a year, the overall strength of the geniuses of the second sequence had probably improved. However, no matter how much they had improved, they couldn’t have advanced as quickly as he had. Breaking into the top ten at the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm shouldn’t be a problem.
By the next training session, he would advance further and aim for the top spot in the second sequence, allowing him to challenge the first sequence.
Then, with each passing period, he would continue to improve. It wouldn’t be long before he dominated the first sequence and became a Heavenly Mystic Saint.
He couldn’t jump directly from the Transcendental Realm to the Void Realm, or even to the Divine Source Realm… That would be too shocking, and would likely lead to suspicions that he was some reincarnated old monster or possessed by one. That would cause unnecessary trouble and investigation.
Therefore, he needed to carefully pace his advancement. He had to showcase his unparalleled talent without raising the suspicion of being an old monster in disguise.