Godly Revival System: I Buy My Killer's Stats #Chapter 97: [Heaven's Virtue] - Read Godly Revival System: I Buy My Killer's Stats Chapter 97: [Heaven's Virtue] Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT
'Ding,
Heavenly Talent: Heaven's Virtue.
Effect: No matter how small it is, a good deed will reward the host with Life Points.
Information: The Heavens always reward those who do good deeds. Though it may take time, the reward is inevitable. However, with this Heavenly Talent, the host will receive blessings instantly.
Note: A Heavenly Talent can't be converted into a Special Talent.
'As I thought, I can earn Life Points by doing good things.'
From the name of the Heavenly Talent, Ethan already guessed he could earn Life Points through it.
Based on this, he decided to buy the Heavenly Talent rather than the other options.
'Through this talent, I can easily earn some Life Points and buy other Heavenly options in no time.'
Ethan's mind raced with possibilities.
Whether in the Modern World or the Cultivation World, there were countless chances to do good— from helping the weak, protecting the innocent, donating wealth and cultivation resources, and many more.
'Let's go out and check out the effects of my new talent.'
Ethan couldn't wait to understand more about his new talent. So, he decided to take a stroll in the town.
'Swiish'
'Sera, protect my parents while I am gone.'
After leaving a command to the Night Demon Seraphis, Ethan silently left the courtyard.
…..
The bustling town greeted Ethan with the usual sights and sounds, with merchants calling out their wares, cultivators haggling over spirit herbs, and commoners going about their daily lives.
However, this time, he wasn't just here to observe—he wanted to test the effects of [Heaven's Virtue].
As he walked down the stone-paved streets, his sharp senses caught sight of an old beggar.
'A simple good deed should be enough to test it.'
Ethan gave a silver coin to the beggar, making him shocked and causing him to hurriedly thank Ethan.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received 0.1 Life Points.'
'Huh? 0.1 Life Points?'
Ethan frowned and hurriedly found another beggar, donating two silver coins, but he still received only 0.1 Life Points.
"So, just throwing money around won't get me more Life Points… Then what exactly determines the reward?"
Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'Let's change the approach.'
Instead of just handing out silver coins, he bought a warm meal from a nearby stall and personally delivered it to an old beggar huddled in the corner.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received 0.1 Life Points.'
'It's still only 0.1 Life Points.'
Ethan was a bit disappointed, but he continued his research by doing various good deeds throughout Greenspire Town.
Next, he noticed a frail old man coughing violently on the roadside. Without hesitation, Ethan handed him an unranked medicine for the cough.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received 0.1 Life Points.'
Next, he saw a wounded young boy clutching his bleeding arm.
Ethan quickly applied a medicinal salve and wrapped the wound with clean bandages.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received 0.1 Life Points.'
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent…
'Ding,
The host…
.
.
.
'No matter what I do, I am getting only 0.1 Life Points.'
After an hour of strolling, Ethan barely got one Life Point as he concluded, 'Maybe it is because mortals have a low impact in the world, so I am not getting more Life Points.'
The deeds he did were indeed good; however, they had almost no impact on the heavens. Simply giving silver coins to beggars wasn't going to change the world because a beggar couldn't do anything great to impact it.
In this world, the stronger someone was, the more impact he or she would create under the heavens. So, Ethan guessed that if he wanted to earn more Life Points, he had to do good deeds that had some impact on the world.
'How do I start creating an impact with my good deeds to earn more Life Points?'
Once he finished his research, he started thinking for some time, and a few ideas stuck in his mind.
'That's it! I know what to do.'
Once he had those ideas, Ethan didn't waste any more time and returned to the courtyard to gradually implement them in the coming days.
….
That evening, Merrick visited the courtyard along with a young girl around the age of eighteen.
The young girl was beautiful and wore the Greenfire Sect's uniform. Her facial features bore some similarities to Merrick, making it easy for anyone to guess she was his daughter.
"Kai, Elias, meet my daughter, Selena. She has just returned from the Greenfire Sect to participate in the [Beast Extermination Trial]."
Merrick introduced Ethan and Elias to the young woman and likewise, introduced her to them.
"Hello."
Selena politely greeted them without putting on the airs of a sect disciple.
"Hi."
Ethan and Elias became even more polite and respectful after learning she was Merrick's daughter.
"She will be your teammate for the upcoming event."
After the introductions and greetings, Merrick explained why he brought her here and continued, "Since she has higher cultivation than you and more experience than either of you, she will be the leader of your team."
Although she joined the Greenfire Sect, Selena was a member of the Lin Family. According to the rules of the [Beast Extermination Trial, family members who had joined the Greenfire Sect could return to their families to participate in the event.
It wasn't just Selena; all the other participants — except for Ethan and Elias — had joined the Greenfire Sect due to their talent and had now returned to join the event.
Of course, if Ethan and Elias's talents were revealed, they would be able to join the sect without any problems.
But, previously, when Merrick said that he would recommend Ethan to the Greenfire Sect using the Lin Family's status, Ethan had rejected it. After that, Merrick never brought the topic up again.
"We will follow Uncle's words."
Ethan agreed without any hesitation, and as for Elias, he was okay with whatever Ethan said.
"You can go to the family's training grounds to train and discuss the strategy for killing as many Berserk Beasts as possible."
Merrick smiled and asked them to train properly.
"Don't worry, Father. I will make sure to secure a good ranking for the family."
Selena assured her father and then looked at Ethan and Elias.
"As long as you follow my lead, I will help you obtain some good cultivation resources while we take care of the Berserk Beasts in the Secret Realm."
Seeing his daughter take control, Merrick smiled and informed Ethan, "Other than introducing my daughter to you, I have come for another matter. It's about the Clearheart Lotus you nurtured."
'Here it comes.'
Ethan felt a surge of excitement.
"All the Elders in the family have unanimously agreed to make you an Elder of the Family."
Merrick revealed a mysterious smile and said, "Not just a regular elder but a Special Elder in charge of nurturing Rank 3 Spirit Plants for the family in the Family's Ancestral Garden."
"What?"
He was thrilled to hear Merrick's words.
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"What? Special Elder of the Ancestral Family Garden?"
Although Ethan was expecting some kind of reward from the Lin Family for his successful harvesting of a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, he was not expecting the reward to be even greater than he imagined.
After staying in the Lin Family for weeks, how could Ethan not know about the Ancestral Family Garden?
The Lin Family's Ancestral Family Garden was a heritage of the Lin Family that was filled with all kinds of rare and high-ranked Spirit Plants and was protected by a Rank 5 Formation along with other Rank 5 Formations to replenish the Spirit Essence and ensure better growth of the Spirit Plants inside.
Although he didn't have much information, Ethan was sure that there were at least a couple of Rank 5 Spirit Plants, dozens of Rank 4 Spirit Plants, and hundreds of Rank 3 Spirit Plants.
As for the Rank 1 and Rank 2 Spirit Plants, there were none in the garden because they were not worth nurturing in the garden filled with rich spirit essence.
"The Special Elder of the Ancestral Garden is responsible for nurturing and overseeing all Rank 3 Spirit Plants. It's a position of great honor, but also one of great responsibility."
"Other than you, there is another Special Elder who is currently in charge of the Rank 4 Spirit Plants, and the Rank 5 Spirit Plants are taken care of by the Grand Elder, who is also the only Golden Core Realm Cultivator of the family."
Since Ethan had become a permanent elder with the approval of all the Elders, Merrick started sharing more information about the Family's Ancestral Garden.
"When should I enter the Family's Ancestral Garden and take on my duties, Uncle Merrick?"
Since he had the opportunity to enter the Family's Ancestral Garden to nurture the Rank 3 Spirit Plants, Ethan was excited and wanted to start his duty as soon as possible.
"There are a few days left for the last batch of Rank 3 Spirit Plants to be harvested, and since you also need to prepare for the [Beast Extermination Trial, your duties will start after the event."
Merrick replied and added, "So, for now, just focus on the [Beast Extermination Trial] because with a good ranking, the Greenfire Sect might give our Lin Family some rare Rank 3 and above Spirit Seeds."
"T-this…"
Ethan wanted to enter the Ancestral Family Garden as soon as possible and plant a bunch of Rank 3 Spirit Plants so that he could harvest Life Points a bit sooner.
However, since there were already some Rank 3 Spirit Plants that were close to maturity, Ethan could only suppress his urge.
"Uncle Merrick, I have a request."
Ethan didn't wait for Merrick to respond as he spoke about his request, "I want to plant the next batch of the Rank 3 Spirit Plants before the event."
"This…."
"It will only take a couple of hours, and I will give my best in the trial. Please."
As Merrick was about to speak, Ethan pleaded even more.
"Fine."
In the end, Merrick accepted it since it was not a bad thing to plant the Rank 3 Spirit Plants a few days earlier than planned.
"Thank you, Uncle Merrick."
Ethan hurriedly thanked him, and at the same time, he took out a jade box and gave it to Merrick, "This is a small gift I have prepared for you, Uncle Merrick."
"A gift? For me?"
Merrick was surprised as he looked at his daughter and said in a low voice, "Someone needs to learn it."
"Father, what did you say?"
The gentle look on Selena's face disappeared as she glared at her father.
"I..I said nothing. You remind me of your mother a lot."
Merrick hurriedly changed the topic, "I wonder what Kai has gifted me."
He opened the jade box and saw a pill inside; however, Merrick was unable to identify it.
"Kai, I am unable to tell what pill it is. Can you tell me about it?"
Merrick asked about it without any hesitation.
"It is a Minor Foundation Pill. A pill that can easily promote a Perfected Qi Refining Cultivator to a Foundation Establishment Realm."
Ethan didn't leave Merrick in suspense and told him the name and the effects of the pill.
"What? This is a Minor Foundation Pill?"
Not only Merrick, even Selena, who was standing beside him, was shocked by Ethan's reply.
Soon, Selena became excited and happy for her father.
Like Ethan, Selena was also concerned about her father, who could not live past 100 years, and even with lifespan-extending resources, he wouldn't live past 200 years.
So, she was always keeping an eye out for the treasures that could improve the spirit root of a cultivator and even for the Minor Foundation Pill.
Even Selena, as an Inner Disciple of the Greenfire Sect, didn't have a way to get a Minor Foundation Pill.
Ethan smiled as he saw the astonishment on their faces. He understood their reaction — after all, the Minor Foundation Pill was not something that could be easily obtained, even by those with status.
'I should thank my first killer, Shadow Ryu.'
Ethan didn't forget his first assassin, from whom he got the Hidden Foundation Pill.
"I knew Uncle Merrick had a low-level Spirit Root and had already lost hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. So, I prepared this Minor Foundation Pill for him."
Merrick's hands trembled, hearing Ethan's words as he reached for the jade box.
"Ethan… This is too precious. I—"
His voice was hoarse with disbelief; however, he could not finish his words.
"Uncle Merrick, there's no need for formalities. This pill is useless to me or anyone who has a good Spirit Root, but it is a perfect treasure for you to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and greatly increase your lifespan."
Ethan shook his head with a reassuring smile as he mentioned the only disadvantage of the pill, "However, once you use it to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, your cultivation will forever be stuck at Level 1 Foundation Establishment Realm."
"I know about it; however, I will be satisfied with a Level 1 Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation."
Merrick shook his head and informed Ethan that he didn't care about the limitations.
"Even among the Inner Disciples of the Greenfire Sect, this pill is something we can't get. And yet, you're giving it away so freely?"
Selena took a deep breath, her eyes turning serious as she asked what Ethan wanted in return.
"It's not about giving it away. It's about helping those who matter to me."
Ethan chuckled and muttered to himself, 'And triggering the [Heaven's Virtue] to earn some Life Points.'
That's right! After thinking about doing good deeds to create an impact, Ethan had thought about the Minor Foundation Pill that was lying in his storage ring and then about Uncle Merrick, who was stuck at the Perfected Qi Refining Realm for years.
Hence, he decided to give away the Minor Foundation Pill to Merrick not only to repay Merrick's help but also to trigger the [Heaven's Virtue].
"Thank you, Kai, thank you very much."
Merrick clenched the jade box tightly, his heart surging with emotions.
He had spent decades resigning himself to his limitations, but now… for the first time in years, hope flickered in his heart.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received...'
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'Ding,
The host has helped Merrick break his shackles of being a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator and helped him break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
'Ding,
The host has changed Merrick's future by increasing his Lifespan by at least 150 years.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been activated. He received 1000 Life Points.
'T-this…my Heavenly Talent triggered already?'
Looking at the series of system notifications in front of him, Ethan was pleasantly surprised.
Even though he knew that he would trigger the [Heaven's Virtue, Ethan thought it would trigger after Merrick actually consumed the pill and broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
'Interesting. So, I will receive Life Points even before the impact of my good deed happens.'
Ethan thought only for a moment and stopped thinking when he saw the 1000 Life Points he received from this new talent.
'1000 Life Points in exchange for a Minor Foundation Pill…it's totally worth it.'
As Ethan previously said, the Minor Foundation Pill is useless to anyone having Mid-level and above grade Spirit Roots.
As for the cultivators with Low-level Spirit Roots, they can't afford the Minor Foundation Pill.
Moreover, for Ethan, Life Points are more valuable than Spirit Stones. So, he felt it was totally worth giving the Minor Foundation Pill to Merrick.
"Kai, I was able to find 10 Clearheart Lotus Seeds in the Family's Seed Inventory. The Elders decided to reward you with these seeds for giving us a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus."
Merrick took out a jade box from his storage ring and gave it to Ethan.
Previously, Ethan had asked Merrick for more Clearheart Lotus Seeds and the Lin Family decided to give all the seeds in their inventory as a reward to him.
"Thank you, Uncle Merrick."
Ethan believed he would be happy if he received five seeds but he got ten Clearheart Lotus Seeds. So, of course, he was happy as he hurriedly thanked Merrick.
"I will go and prepare for my breakthrough. I am going to shock everyone before the [Beast Extermination Trial]."
After that, they spoke for a while as Merrick repeatedly thanked Ethan and soon, he left the courtyard to consume the pill and complete his breakthrough.
"Kai, Elias, let's discuss the [Beast Extermination Trial]."
After seeing how excitedly her father was, Selena was also excited and wanted to do well in the [Beast Extermination Trial] with her team.
So, she started explaining many things about the Beast Extermination Trial for a couple of hours.
"Let's meet in the Family's Training Grounds tomorrow morning. I want to assess your strengths and weaknesses to come up with a proper plan."
Seeing that it was getting dark, Selena asked them to join her in the Training Grounds before leaving the courtyard.
"Master, I will go and cultivate."
Elias also went back to resume his cultivation, hoping to break through to the Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm before the event.
"Once you finish the Azure Spirit Pills, let me know. I will give you more."
Ethan still had 40 Azure Spirit Pills, which were more than enough for both him and Elias at the moment. So, he informed Elias to ask him if he needed more pills.
'It is time to plant the Clearheart Lotus Seeds.'
Once Ethan was alone, he took out the 10 Lotus Seeds and started planting them on the edges of the Spirit Pond.
Even though the Spirit Pond was not big, it was able to host all ten Clearheart Lotus Plants along with the Dragonheart Lotus.
In fact, the Clearheart Lotus Plants seemed to be excited to be planted close to the Dragonheart Lotus.
'I thought the Dragonheart Lotus would be slightly angry, but its [Live Status] turned from Unhappy to Happy.'
Ethan had expected conflict between the Dragonheart Lotus and the Clearheart Lotus, given the stark difference in their ranks.
Typically, higher-grade spirit plants would suppress or even drain the vitality of lower-grade ones when planted close to each other.
However, to his surprise, the two plants flourished side by side, making Ethan happy.
[Spirit Plant Name: Dragonheart Lotus]
[Grade: Special Rank 5]
[Status: Happy: For some reason, I am able to calm my anger. It must be because of you guys...thanks for keeping me calm and happy. I will attract the Spirit Essence for you to absorb and thrive properly as thanks]
[Maturity: 9998 days]
[Spirit Plant Name: Clearheart Lotus]
[Grade: Special Rank 3]
[Status: Excited: Senior, it is our blessing to get a chance to help you in calming down. As for the Spirit Essence, we will be eternally grateful to you]
[Maturity: 200 days]
'Interesting…very interesting.'
Today, Ethan learned another new thing: the Clearheart Lotus and the Dragonheart Lotus can complement each other.
The Dragonheart Lotus…as its name suggests, it has a dragon's anger and gets angry easily. It was also for this reason that it always remained Unhappy no matter how much Spirit Rain and Spirit Essence Ethan provided for it.
On the other hand, the Clearheart Lotus exuded a pure, stabilizing aura that naturally complemented the Dragonheart Lotus's intense, fiery nature, calming it and making it happy.
'Wait a second…since it is happy, should I try using my usual farming techniques?'
Suddenly, Ethan got an idea and decided to give it a try.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Sprinkle'
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
Ethan completed one round and quickly checked their [Live Statuses] and [Maturity, only to be shocked.
[Spirit Plant Name: Clearheart Lotus]
[Maturity: 185 days]
[Status: Excited but tired: Thanks to Senior Dragonheart, we are able to absorb lots of Spirit Essence and Plant Essence in a single go. Farmer, we need a day to digest what we ate just now]
[Spirit Plant Name: Dragonheart Lotus]
[Maturity: 9988 days]
[Status: Happy: Farmer, unless you give me dragon blood, don't bother with the Spirit Rain and the Plant Essence until tomorrow. I hate eating side dishes without the main course]
'T-this…their maturity was reduced by 15 and 10 days respectively in a single round of my nurturing session.'
Ethan was shocked to see the huge reduction in the maturity of all the Lotus Plants in the Spirit Pond.
'Excellent, at this rate, I can harvest the Clearheart Lotuses in just 14 days, and since they are also helping the Dragonheart Lotus, I should nurture more of these Clearheart Lotuses.'
After seeing the benefits of nurturing the Clearheart Lotuses, Ethan decided, 'I will learn the Seed Condensation Method for the Clearheart Lotuses and mass produce them to speed up the growth of the Dragonheart Lotus.'
For now, Ethan didn't have a source to get Dragon Blood; however, he decided to use the Clearheart Lotuses to speed up the growth of the Dragonheart Lotus.
However, he was not in a hurry to learn it and decided to wait until the Clearheart Lotuses matured.
'Let's cultivate now.'
After taking care of the Lotuses, he took care of the Spirit Grass before cultivating.
'Toss'
He tossed an Azure Spirit Pill into his mouth to further boost his cultivation speed and continued cultivating.
The next day,
'Felix, I am caught up with something today. I will meet you tomorrow.'
Ethan informed Felix through the communication talismans they exchanged in the past before going to the Lin Family's training grounds with Elias.
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In the early morning, Ethan, Elias, and Selena met in the training grounds as planned.
The Lin Family's training grounds were a vast yet quiet place on the outskirts of Greenspire Town.
In the training grounds, there were sturdy wooden dummies, sparring platforms, and wooden weapon racks neatly arranged under the morning sun.
There were already a few Qi Refining cultivators practicing diligently, their strikes echoing through the otherwise empty space, giving the area a serene yet disciplined atmosphere.
'First, let's warm up.'
As soon as they entered the Training Grounds, Selena shouted, taking the role of an instructor.
Soon, the three began their training with agility drills, dashing between wooden dummies while dodging incoming arrows.
'He not only has a good mastery over his movement techniques but even his sword moves are not bad.'
They practiced coordinated strikes, with Ethan leading precise sword moves using his [Sky-shattering Sword Technique, making Selena surprised.
Although Ethan's sword moves were fast, Selena was faster with her swift movement, easily dodging all his attacks.
As for Elias, his mastery over his cultivation techniques was only at the Beginner's Stage because he started learning new fire-type cultivation techniques recently, which mainly focused on explosive power.
"Elias, your explosive power is good; however, you just need to increase your mastery of your cultivation techniques so you can take down foes with higher cultivation than you."
Just because Elias' mastery over his cultivation techniques was low, Selena didn't look down on him; instead, she motivated him.
Next, they engaged in sparring rounds, testing their reflexes and teamwork.
Ethan blocked a strike from Elias while Selena struck from the side, forcing Elias to adjust. They switched roles, adapting to each other's fighting styles.
Finally, they worked on spiritual energy control, refining their attacks and defenses.
By the time they finished, they were exhausted, but they had a good understanding of one another's battle prowess.
Of course, Ethan was not really displaying his full strength or mastery of the cultivation techniques; however, it didn't affect the rapport they built with one another.
'[Blazing Fire Palm] is exclusively for 'Ethan' and not for 'Kai'.'
Since he decided to keep both his identities separate, Ethan didn't plan to use the same cultivation techniques for both identities.
Using one cultivation technique was fine; however, using two or more cultivation techniques might give away the connection between his two identities.
"Let's continue."
After taking a short break, they resumed their training until evening and eventually, Ethan gave Selena the name 'Devil Instructor'.
Nevertheless, Ethan felt that today's session had greatly improved his own battle prowess and taught him some tactics to catch his opponents off guard.
"Tomorrow, you can focus on your cultivation and the day after tomorrow, let's meet here again."
With a gentle smile, Selena informed them; however, that gentle smile looked more like a 'Devil's Smile' to Ethan and Elias, who were tired to the core.
Soon, they dragged their tired bodies back to the courtyard, refreshed, and ate something before going back to their duties.
Elias went back to his cultivation session, whereas Ethan started his nurturing session on the Spirit Grass.
'Thankfully, the Dragonheart Lotus and Clearheart Lotuses need only one round of nurturing; otherwise, with my tired body, it would have been impossible to nurture them today.'
Ethan felt thankful for the Clearheart Lotuses.
'Hizz'
"Pebble, I am very tired today. Let's stop playing for today."
The Mystic Soil Turtle made sounds, asking Ethan to play with it; however, Ethan was tired and wanted to get proper rest today because tomorrow he planned to enter the Azure Serpent Realm again.
Hence, he didn't play with the little turtle for long and went to sleep.
The next day,
'Ethan, here are the Azure Essence Pills and the Clearheart Lotus Seeds I have exchanged for your 50 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass.'
Ethan and Felix met some distance away from the Azure Serpent Realm, and Felix gave him 1000 Azure Essence Pills and 200 Clearheart Lotus Seeds.
Originally, a stalk of Azure Profound Grass could be exchanged for 10 Azure Essence Pills; however, thanks to the Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass, Felix was able to exchange it for 30 pills per stalk, getting him 1000 Azure Essence Pills for 33 stalks.
As for the remaining 17 stalks, Felix used his bargaining skills and got 200 Clearheart Lotus Seeds.
'Thank you, Felix.'
Ethan excitedly took 1000 Azure Essence Pills and 200 Clearheart Lotus Seeds as he thought, 'These pills are enough for both me and Elias until we reach the Golden Core Realm.'
'As for the Clearheart Lotus Seeds, they can be used to speed up the growth of the Dragonheart Lotus.'
"Ethan, shall we explore some new locations in the Azure Serpent Realm?"
Felix asked, rubbing his hands with excitement.
It's been a week since they entered the Azure Serpent Realm, and Felix was already itching for some adventure.
"Felix, you have a High-level Spirit Root, right?"
Ethan didn't answer Felix; instead, he asked a question.
"Yes."
Felix nodded with some confusion in his eyes.
"Good then. Let's explore together after you break through to the Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm."
With his [Godly Revival Ability] on cooldown, there was no way Ethan was entering the Azure Serpent Realm together with Felix, who was being followed by a Perfected Foundation Realm Assassin from the Eternal Shadow Guild.
The sole reason why Ethan met with Felix was to collect the Azure Essence Pills and seeds from him; however, since he was already here, Ethan thought about entering the Azure Serpent Realm alone.
He wanted to enter the Azure Serpent Realm to nurture the Azure Profound Grass before quietly returning, and bringing Felix with him would only attract a lot of attention.
"T-this…"
Felix didn't expect Ethan to say those words as he didn't know what to say.
"Felix, you have already accumulated enough wealth, don't you? Use it to rapidly break through a level or two to become more powerful."
Although Ethan had spent only a little time with Felix, he had more or less understood a few things about him.
Felix wanted to explore the Azure Serpent Realm and go through some dangerous encounters to become powerful overnight.
Hence, he started explaining ... no … reminding the basics to Felix — that things won't work like that.
Moreover, with his high-level Spirit Root and the wealth he accumulated just from the Azure Profound Grass, it was enough for him to break through multiple levels in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
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"I understood."
After hearing Ethan's words, Felix realized something and could not help but think, 'Was I too much in a hurry to break through to the Golden Core Realm?'
"I will be busy for the next two weeks and once I am done with my things, I will let you know. At that time, let's explore the other parts of the Azure Serpent Realm."
Soon, Ethan gave some words of encouragement and talked about a few more things for a while before parting ways.
After parting ways with Felix, Ethan changed his entire attire and exuded his full cultivation which was Level 5 Foundation Establishment Realm and entered the Azure Serpent Realm.
'Swiish'
With his speed, in no time Ethan reached the hidden grove on the small floating island where he planted lots of Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
'Huh? They have grown so big in just a week.'
Looking at the thriving Azure Profound Grass in the grove, Ethan was shocked and hurriedly checked their maturity period.
…
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 185 days]
[Status: Excited]
…
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 199 days]
[Status: Excited]
…
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 175 days]
[Status: Excited]
…
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 180 days]
[Status: Excited]
.
.
.
.
'This…how did they grow this big already?'
As he checked the maturity period of each Azure Profound Grass, Ethan was shocked to see it was below 200 days.
It's been only 9 days since he had already visited the grove and back then, the first batch of Azure Profound Grass he planted had a maturity period of 440 days and the newly planted ones had 480 days.
Although the Azure Essence in the Azure Serpent Realm is rich and speeds up the growth of the Azure Profound Grass, it is still not enough to mature them this fast.
'Is it the Azure Serpent Fiend King? Because there was no mature Azure Profound Grass in the grove is he nurturing them every day?'
Suddenly, Ethan thought of something and hurriedly focused on the [Live Statuses] of the Azure Profound Grass around him to get some clues.
[Status: Excited: I was missing the Human Spirit Farmer and my prayers were very strong that he finally appeared]
[Status: Excited: The Azure Serpent Fiend King has ended his today's nurturing session and it seems we will get another nurturing session from this human]
[Status: Excited: Human, don't worry about the Azure Serpent Fiend King, he won't be coming until tomorrow]
.
.
.
'Phew…so, he won't be coming out today. That's good.'
Almost all the Azure Profound Grass were telling him not to worry about the Azure Serpent Fiend King, making him heave a sigh of relief.
'Also, they are asking for more nurturing.'
Another thing that shocked Ethan was that the Azure Profound Grass were asking for more nurturing.
'Wait a second…if the nurturing skills of the Azure Serpent Fiend King*'s* and mine are combined, won't these Azure Profound Grass mature in a couple of days?'
Suddenly, Ethan thought of something that made his eyes light up.
Once they matured, if he could harvest all the Azure Profound Grass in the grove, he could get a ton of Life Points.
With those Life Points, he could easily buy one Heavenly Option right away and could buy another one after a few days.
'Let's do it.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan no longer hesitated or wasted any time as he started using his nurturing techniques to speed up their growth.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Sprinkle'
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 165 days]
[Status: Excited but tired]
…
[Maturity: 179 days]
[Status: Excited but tired]
….
[Maturity: 155 days]
[Status: Excited but tired]
….
[Maturity: 150 days]
[Status: Excited but tired]
…
After two hours of nurturing, Ethan successfully reduced the maturity period of all Spirit Plants by 20 days.
'It looks like I should visit the Azure Serpent Realm another three or four times before harvesting them.'
Ethan roughly estimated and decided to enter the Azure Serpent Realm for the next few days.
'It's time to leave.'
Although Ethan wanted to try out his Special Talent [Primal Beast Sovereign] and the Cultivation Technique [Primal Beast Transformation Art, he suppressed his urge.
Since he would be entering the Berserk Beast Realm known for all kinds of Spirit Beasts, Ethan decided not to use either the talent or the cultivation technique.
'I can look for some rare spirit beasts to add to my cultivation technique or tame them using my Special Talent; however, I have to enter even deeper into the Secret Realm.'
Although Ethan had Revival Life Cards, he didn't want to carelessly use them.
Moreover, his goal for entering the Azure Serpent Realm was to nurture the Azure Profound Grass and since he had completed it and even received a pleasant surprise, Ethan wanted to leave the Secret Realm.
[Night Phantom Concealment]
'Swiish'
First, he activated the concealment technique to erase his traces as much as possible.
[Shadow Steps]
'Swiish'
Next, he moved like a shadow at an incredible speed towards the exit and luckily nothing unexpected happened as he finally left the Azure Serpent Realm.
"Haha."
After Ethan left, Galen slowly walked into the small Floating Island and started laughing like a maniac, seeing the thriving Azure Profound Grass in the grove.
The Night Demon Puppet sent by Galen's Brother had patiently waited outside Greenspire Town and when it sensed Ethan leaving, it quietly followed him and informed Galen about it.
At first, Galen wanted to attack Ethan after entering the Azure Serpent Realm; however, seeing that Ethan was alone, Galen held back his killing intent and secretly followed Ethan to the small floating island.
"So, this is where he got so much Azure Profound Grass."
Looking at the grove filled with Azure Profound Grass, Galen understood where Ethan and Felix got the Azure Profound Grass from and he also understood why his brother died.
'Brother Silas, just wait and watch how I will not only take all his hard-earned Azure Profound Grass but also torture him to death.'
Galen's eyes shone with bright light as he smiled evilly.
"You have worked hard. Keep following and inform me again when he enters the Azure Serpent Realm like today."
Galen looked at his shadow and spoke to it.
'Swiish'
As soon as he finished his words, a black silhouette jumped out of his shadow and disappeared into the distance.
'Brother Ronan, you have always disliked Silas and likewise, he disliked you. However, if only you had given him a Night Demon Puppet too, he would have still been alive.'
Galen hated his Brother Ronan who always cared for himself and used all the cultivation resources for himself to break through to the Golden Core Realm which widened their gap.
However, Galen decided to forget all those things and become his brother's lackey to occasionally receive some gifts, which quickly boosted his cultivation to the Perfected Foundation Realm.
On the other hand, Silas was too proud to beg his Elder Brother who had put them in danger many times just for his cultivation. So, his cultivation was severely lacking compared to Galen.
Now, after Silas's death, his hate towards Ronan had increased even more; however, there was no way Galen could teach a lesson to Ronan who was already a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.
Nevertheless, for now, he decided to use his brother as much as possible and break through to the Golden Core Realm.
'Once I take care of these two little b*stards, I will take care of you.'
Galen swore to not only kill Ethan and Felix but even Ronan because he blamed Ronan as much as he blamed Ethan and Felix.
'Everyone who is responsible for your death, I will send them all to you, Little Silas.'
Galen took one last look at the grove filled with Azure Profound Grass and turned around to leave.
He didn't have any plans to destroy the Azure Profound Grass; instead, he had other plans for Ethan and Felix.
'Once they mature, I can exchange them for Golden Azure Pills to rapidly increase my cultivation in the Golden Core Realm.'
Galen chuckled and left the Azure Serpent Realm.
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"It looks like I can not only buy the Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique but even the Heavenly Lifespan Dew from the Interface within a week."
Ethan was oblivious that he was tracked by Galen and even that he had found out his Secret Groove in the Azure Serpent Realm.
Currently, he was in a good mood because the Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove would mature within a week, and he could harvest them.
Other than getting hundreds of stalks belonging to the Azure Profound Grass, he would get lots of Life Points, which were enough to buy nearly two Heavenly Options from the interface.
So, of course, thinking about it made Ethan excited.
"Although I have to run for nearly six hours for the next few days, it is totally worth it."
From Greenspire Town to the Secret Groove in the Azure Serpent Realm, it takes six hours to travel back and forth; however, thinking about all his gains in a week, Ethan was excited.
'I will just consider it as training.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan rushed home by evening.
'Let's nurture the Spirit Plants and go back to cultivation.'
Through manual cultivation, for every level he breaks through in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Ethan could save 5000 Life Points.
Hence, he sat for cultivation after nurturing the Spirit Grass.
Of course, Ethan didn't forget to plant 10 Clearheart Lotus Seeds in the Spirit Pond.
Actually, he wanted to plant more; however, he had already got a warning from the Dragonheart Lotus and the rest of the planted Clearheart Lotuses not to plant any new Clearheart Lotus Seeds.
The next day,
'Let's skip the training session until I harvest the Azure Profound Grass.'
Ethan informed Selena through Elias that he was on the verge of a breakthrough and needed to enter seclusion, successfully escaping the training session.
In three hours, Ethan reached the Secret Groove and checked the [Live Statuses] of the Azure Profound Grass.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 123 days]
[Status: Excited: Are you going to have another double nurturing session today?]
…
[Maturity: 149 days]
[Status: Excited: Haha….First the Azure Serpent Fiend King and now a human…we are really blessed to have two nurturers]
…
[Maturity: 130 days]
[Status: Excited: I thought the human nurturer wouldn't be coming today, but he arrived to take care of us]
…
.
.
.
'As I expected, their maturity period has decreased by an average of 25 days.'
Ethan was happy to see the reduction in the Maturity Period of the Azure Profound Grass as he muttered, 'At this rate, in just three days, they will be mature.'
Suppressing his excitement, Ethan quickly started his nurturing, and in just a couple of hours, he successfully reduced another 20 days of maturity time from all the Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove.
'Time to go.'
Other than nurturing the Azure Profound Grass, Ethan didn't have any other thoughts, so he quickly left the Azure Serpent Realm after completing his nurturing session.
….
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, another two days passed as Ethan strictly followed his routine.
Six hours for traveling, two hours for nurturing the Azure Profound Grass, one hour for his Spirit Plants, some time spent with his parents, and the remaining time was fully dedicated to his cultivation.
Although he was yet to break through to Level 6 Foundation Realm, he had successfully refined his Foundation Bead to 80 percent. He was confident that he could break through in five days with ease.
'But that's not important. Right now, it is time to harvest the Azure Profound Grass.'
Soon, he rushed to the Secret Groove where Azure Profound Grass was thriving and only a few days away from reaching their maturity.
'I just need to complete today's nurturing session and start harvesting them.'
Without wasting any time, he started his usual nurturing session.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Sprinkle'
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Excited. For your hard work, I will become your trophy, my dear nurturer]
'Finally….'
Ethan became excited when he saw "Ready to Harvest" and excitedly harvested his first Azure Profound Grass.
That's right!
It was the first Azure Profound Grass that he planted.
Previously, Ethan had harvested hundreds of Azure Profound Grass stalks from the Secret Groove; however, they were all planted and nurtured by the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
But in the new batch of Azure Profound Grass that had matured in the Secret Groove, Ethan had planted around 500 seeds, and the remaining 500 were planted by the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
The one he was planning to harvest first was none other than the Azure Profound Grass he had planted.
'I wonder how many Life Points I will get from harvesting a stalk of Azure Profound Grass.'
Ethan hoped to get a good number of Life Points and gently harvested his first Azure Profound Grass.
'Ding,
The host harvested a Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and received 25 Life Points.
'25 Life Points? 15 Life Points more than the Clearheart Lotus.'
Ethan was shocked to see the 25 Life Points because, from his past experience of harvesting a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, he believed he would at most get 15 Life Points from harvesting a Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass.
Hence, seeing the 25 Life Points, Ethan was shocked but soon became excited because they would be doubled thanks to his [Heaven's Harvest].
'Ding,
[Double Yield: 1 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 25 Life Points.
'A Single Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass gives me 50 Life Points…which means if I can harvest all the Azure Profound Grass I planted in the Secret Groove, I will get more than 25,000 Life Points, right?'
Once this thought came to him, Ethan's heart raced as he quickly started harvesting the Azure Profound Grass one after another.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete: 2 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 50 Life Points.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete: 2 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 50 Life Points.
.
.
.
Some of them gave Life Points, but some of them didn't because they were not planted by him. Since Ethan didn't know how to differentiate the Spirit Plants he planted from the ones planted by the Azure Serpent Fiend King, he was not bothered much about it and continued to harvest.
'Wait a second.'
Amidst his harvesting, Ethan suddenly thought of something.
'What if they become angry after I harvest 100 stalks of Azure Profound Grass?'
This thought made Ethan pause his harvesting because, once they became angry, any harvest would awaken the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
When the Azure Serpent Fiend King awakens, things won't go as he planned.
The thing is, Ethan didn't want to come to the Azure Serpent Realm again after today until the [Beast Extermination Trial] was completed.
'Even though I planted half of the Azure Profound Grass, I am not sure whether they will let me peacefully harvest more than 100 stalks .'
Previously, when Ethan was planting these seeds, he had already harvested one Matured Azure Profound Grass in exchange, so Ethan didn't think he could peacefully harvest 500 stalks of Azure Profound Grass.
'If only I could plant more seeds, I might be able to peacefully harvest the Azure Profound Grass.'
Ethan didn't have to think about it, as an idea struck him: 'It looks like I should do that.'
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'It looks like I should do that.'
Ethan smiled a little as he took out a white-colored stone from his Vital Bloom Ring.
It was none other than the Mystic Seed Condensation Stone, which is a one-time usable treasure that not only records the Seed Condensation Method for Spirit Plants but also transfers that knowledge to a cultivator.
That's right! Ethan decided to learn the Seed Condensation Method for the Azure Profound Grass using this stone.
Previously, he wanted to learn the Seed Condensation Method for the Clearheart Lotus, which seemed to have good benefits for mass nurturing.
However, the benefits from the Azure Profound Grass completely outweighed the benefits of Clearheart Lotus.
'If I can condense and extract the seeds from the Azure Profound Grass, I can continue to mass-nurture the Azure Profound Grass in this Secret Groove.'
Ethan was thinking from a long-term perspective when he decided to learn the Seed Condensation Method for the Azure Profound Grass.
By repeating the cycle of planting the seeds and harvesting the mature Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove, Ethan could create a steady source of Life Points.
'More importantly, I have a helper who is not only powerful enough to protect the Secret Groove but even knows how to take care of the Azure Profound Grass better than me.'
The helper Ethan was talking about was none other than the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
So, clearly, learning the Seed Condensation Method for the Azure Profound Grass was greatly beneficial to him compared to the Clearheart Lotus Seeds, which he could only nurture 20 of at once.
'Let's do it.'
After thinking everything over, Ethan no longer wasted any time and placed one of the harvested Azure Profound Grass against the Mystic Seed Condensation Stone.
'Swiish'
In the next second, the white-colored stone shone brightly with a mix of blue and green light.
'Ding,
The Mystic Seed Condensation Stone has successfully recorded the Seed Condensation Method for the Azure Profound Grass.
The recording process was completed in just a few seconds as he received a confirmation from the system.
'Time to learn my second Seed Condensation Method.'
Ethan smiled as he looked at the azure-blue colored stone in his hands and crushed it.
'Swoosh'
In the next second, some mysterious energy was released from the Mystic Seed Condensation Stone, which entered into Ethan's head.
'Shhh'
A sharp, piercing pain shot through Ethan's mind as foreign knowledge and profound insights flooded his consciousness.
'I have died multiple times already. This pain is nothing.'
Ethan gritted his teeth and encouraged himself to endure the piercing pain for the next few minutes.
'Ding,
The host has successfully learned the Seed Condensation Method for the Azure Profound Grass.
After ten minutes, the piercing pain disappeared, and a congratulatory message appeared from the system.
'It's time to condense some seeds.'
Ethan wiped the sweat off his forehead and resumed his work.
"I have planted less Azure Profound Grass on this side. So, let's condense the seeds from this side of the Secret Groove."
He didn't start condensing the seeds from the random Azure Profound Grass but instead chose a corner in the Secret Groove.
Although Ethan couldn't tell the difference between the Azure Profound Grass he planted and the one planted by the Azure Serpent Fiend King, he could tell where he planted more and where he planted less.
So, he decided to condense and extract the seeds from the least-planted zone and harvest from the most-planted zone in order not to lose more Life Points.
'Let's begin the process.'
He quickly selected one excited mature Azure Profound Grass and gently touched it at the base.
'Inject'
Ethan carefully infused a thin stream of Spirit Essence into the base of the plant.
'Swiish'
The moment his Spirit Essence entered the Grass, azure-colored veins lit up along the stem, showing the complicated vein-node structure of the Azure Profound Grass.
Each plant has a different vein-node structure, and because of that, each Spirit Plant has a different Seed Condensation Method.
'So, this is how the veins and nodes look for the Azure Profound Grass?'
Looking at the lit-up vein structure on the stem of the Grass, like it was mentioned in the knowledge he received, Ethan knew he was going in the right direction.
Generally, most Spirit Plants won't light up their veins, but the Azure Profound Grass was a special plant.
'Thanks to this, condensing the seeds for the Azure Profound Grass is much easier than for other Spirit Plants.'
Since the Spirit Plants won't light up their veins, it is a bit difficult to accurately fill up those veins, but there was no such problem with Azure Profound Grass, making Ethan excited.
'Let's fill up those nodes that are supposed to be activated.'
Soon, following the Seed Condensation Method in his head, Ethan injected the Spirit Essence to fill the nodes that were supposed to be filled inside the complicated network.
However, it wasn't easy to do because of the visibility of the network.
'Move and reveal the seed formations.'
Once he filled the Spirit Essence into that complicated network, it melted and became the pure Core Essence of the Azure Profound Grass.
Using precise Spirit Essence control, Ethan moved the plant's Core Essence to the plant base and searched for tiny seed cores in it.
'One..two…three…..ten?'
Ethan was shocked to find ten tiny seed cores in the core essence; however, his shock turned into excitement because he could condense 10 seeds from these 10 seed cores.
'Let's activate them.'
With a final energy pulse, Ethan activated the seed cores.
'Now, all I have to do is wait.'
After activating the tiny Seed Cores in the core essence, Ethan patiently sensed the changes at the base of the Azure Profound Grass.
The tiny Seed Cores, after being activated by Ethan, crazily devoured the core essence around them and solidified into a tangible form.
'Swiish'
As time passed by, the thriving Azure Profound Grass dried up in no time and disappeared, leaving behind 10 healthy Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
'Ding,
The host has successfully condensed 10 Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
'Ding,
[Double Yield] under the [Heaven's Harvest] has been triggered.
'Ding,
The host received an additional 10 Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
'It is much easier than condensing the seeds for the Spirit Grass.'
Ethan never in his wildest dreams thought it was much easier to extract the seeds from a Special Rank 3 Spirit Plant compared to a Common Rank 1 Spirit Plant.
'Moreover, the number of Spirit Seeds I extracted from Azure Profound Grass is higher.'
The Spirit Grass…at maximum, he could extract 8 Spirit Seeds, but from Azure Profound Grass, he got 10 Spirit Seeds.
Thanks to the [Double Yield, these 10 Spirit Seeds became 20 Spirit Seeds, making Ethan extremely happy.
'20 Spirit Seeds means 20 extra Azure Profound Grass I can harvest from the groove.'
However, Ethan didn't rush to harvest; instead, he condensed and extracted seeds from more Azure Profound Grass.
'Ding,
Condensation Successful: Received 20 Spirit Seeds.
'Ding,
Condensation Successful: Received 20 Spirit Seeds.
'Ding,
Condensation Successful: Received 20 Spirit Seeds.
.
.
.
All Azure Profound Grass he condensed gave 10 Spirit Seeds each, making Ethan happy, and because of this, he only condensed 50 Azure Profound Grass, gaining 1,000 Spirit Seeds.
'1,000 Spirit Seeds are more than enough to harvest all the Mature Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove.'
Ethan stretched his body before starting to harvest the Azure Profound Grass for Life Points.
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'Ding,
Harvest Complete: 2 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 50 Life Points.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete: 2 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 50 Life Points.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete:...
.
.
.
Ethan harvested until he finally noticed the change in the [Live Status] of the Azure Profound Grass.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Burning with Rage. Human, you should know when to stop. You have already harvested whatever you planted.]
.
.
.
[Status: Burning with Rage. Human, claiming your share is fine, but aren't you a bit greedy to take everything for yourself? Looks like I should call the Azure Serpent Fiend King.]
.
.
.
[Status: Burning with Rage: I thought you were a good person, but I didn't expect you to be this greedy. If you harvest another one of us, we will summon the Azure Serpent Fiend King.]
After Ethan harvested around 450 Mature Azure Profound Grass, all the Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove became angry and threatened Ethan.
'Here they go... threatening me using the Azure Serpent Fiend King.'
Ethan was already used to their words as it was not his first time.
"I will plant the Azure Profound Grass before I harvest you all."
Ethan said to all the Spirit Plants in the Secret Groove and started planting the Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Sprinkle'
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 480 days]
[Status: Excited but tired]
After planting more than 500 Azure Profound Grass and nurturing them, Ethan successfully calmed all the angry Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove before resuming his harvesting.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete: 2 Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass and 50 Life Points.
'Ding,
Harvest Complete:...
Soon, Ethan harvested the remaining less than 500 Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Groove.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 30,550.
Since he planted more than 500 Azure Profound Grass Seeds in the Secret Groove, Ethan received around 2,600 Life Points and, along with his old Life Points, he accumulated more than 30,000 Life Points.
'Phew…finally, I am rich again.'
Looking at the huge number of Life Points, Ethan was over the moon as he thought, 'I can finally buy the remaining three Heavenly Options.'
'Huh?'
Suddenly, Ethan felt an intense killing intent from a distance, making him frown a bit.
'Am I sensing things?'
Ethan only felt that intense killing intent for a moment before it disappeared without a trace.
"I swear I felt a weak presence… oh, never mind, it must have been the wind."
"Hah! Was that your 'killing intent'? I've felt more danger from a drunk beggar waving a rusty spoon."
"Wait a second…I got it. This must be your grand strategy? Hide until I die of boredom?"
"Keep hiding, rat. The longer you wait, the worse it's gonna be when I rip you out of your little hole."
.
.
.
Nevertheless, Ethan didn't want to take any chances and decided to provoke whoever was watching him.
He was not worried about the intense killing intent from a Spirit Beast; however, he was worried if it was from a human…because human cultivators are far more dangerous than Spirit Beasts.
As long as a human cultivator was hiding in the surroundings, Ethan believed at least one of his taunts would make them come out.
'He sensed that last bit of killing intent I released even from such a distance?'
Away from the small floating island, Galen, who was waiting for Ethan to leave the small floating island, was shocked by Ethan's senses.
Galen wanted to enter the Small Floating Island to take Ethan's life today after he harvested the Azure Profound Grass.
For that, he had arrived early only to see the Azure Serpent Fiend King moving around the Small Floating Island, which scared the shit out of him. Hence, he stayed away from the Small Floating Island.
Seeing that Ethan was still not coming out of the Secret Groove, Galen lost patience for a moment and unintentionally released the killing intent.
Nevertheless, he quickly retracted it, but Ethan's [Predator's Spirit] caught the scent of that intense killing intent which lasted only for a moment.
'T-this b*stard…he is intentionally taunting me.'
Although there was a great distance between them, he could still hear Ethan's words loud and clear, which only made him furious.
However, Galen knew what Ethan was trying to do.
'If not for the Azure Serpent Fiend King on this Small Floating Island, I would have already rushed in and started torturing that b*stard.'
Galen was not an idiot as he could guess what Ethan was trying to do; however, he had no plans to make his move…at least not yet.
…
"Are you hiding out of fear or grief? If it's the second one, I'd say stop crying—I did you a favor by getting rid of trash."
"Come out and cry properly. If your brother was dumb enough to die by my hand, I doubt you're any smarter."
"I don't even remember who I've killed—too many worms under my feet. But if you're pissed, that means one of them belonged to you. Sucks to be you, huh?"
.
.
.
On the other hand, Ethan continued to taunt with his lines, which he really didn't mean, but he was left with no choice.
The longer the other party hid, the more vulgar his taunts became.
'Looks like I must be overly cautious….huh?'
Just when Ethan thought about giving up on his taunts, he felt an intense killing intent far more powerful than before.
'There is definitely someone watching me…but since when?'
Ethan became serious and a bit anxious when he thought of someone spying on him for who knows how long.
'Although there is an Azure Serpent Fiend King to protect the Secret Groove, I don't want others to know about it.'
This Secret Groove is an important 'Farming Location' which he didn't want others to know about.
'Moreover, the most important question is, how long has he been observing me?'
'Even if the Secret Groove became public, it's fine; however, if someone knows about my real identity, then…..'
Ethan didn't even finish his thought as his eyes burned with fury.
Hence, he thought, 'I should eliminate him.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan started planning his options; however, thanks to the [Radiant Clear Heart, his anger disappeared as he was able to think properly.
….
Outside the Small Floating Island,
'T-this b*stard…how dare he say such words about me and my brother?'
Although Galen thought he could handle Ethan's taunts, he could not suppress his killing intent when Ethan started taunting his brother.
Due to his momentary anger, Galen's intense killing intent was revealed, and Ethan was able to confirm that he was being watched.
'No…no…he is intentionally provoking me to walk into the Small Floating Island.'
'I don't know how he was able to bond with that monstrous Azure Serpent Fiend King, but I am sure the moment I enter, it will be the end of me.'
'So, let's wait... whatever he is saying, I will make sure he regrets the words he said and begs me to kill him.'
Galen no longer bothered to hide his killing intent; however, at the same time, he didn't plan to enter the Small Floating Island.
"The moment you step out of this island, I will show you what true fear looks like."
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Inside the Small Floating Island,
'He has so much killing intent towards him. I don't think it is just because of the Azure Profound Grass.'
Even from a great distance, the killing intent Ethan felt from this unknown cultivator was so intense that it made Ethan conclude that the cultivator wanted him dead not just because of the Azure Profound Grass.
'Is it because of the resources I got from the Cultivator's Gathering? Chances are less.'
Ethan's mind raced as he started thinking of all the possible reasons. He had not made any enemies as far as he knew.
Cultivation Resources, or Azure Profound Grass—none of those would be enough for someone to radiate such killing intent.
'Wait…'
A sudden realization struck him.
'This isn't about the spirit plants, or the Cultivator's Gathering. This killing intent is personal.
'It must have something to do with the Sect Disciple that Felix and I killed together a week ago.'
Although Ethan didn't even know the name of the Sect Disciple they killed, he felt it was about his death.
'But, how did he know it was me who killed that Sect Disciple? There is no way Felix would reveal it.'
Ethan's mind was calm as he was able to slowly connect the dots and figure out how this Unknown Cultivator was able to track him down.
'Wait a second…there was that b*stard Galen, who gifted me with a Night Demon Puppet.'
For some reason, Ethan could not help but think about Galen, the host of the Cultivator's Gathering.
'Although I destroyed the Night Demon Puppet, he must have other ways to track me down and he must be waiting.'
'As for how this b*stard Galen knew about me, it must be because of that killer named Shadow Bee, who was the only person silently following Felix and me back then.'
'As a member of the [Eternal Shadow Guild, he knew how valuable the information of the killer was to the relatives of the victim.'
'This is it…everything makes sense now.'
Soon, Ethan was able to figure out everything, but he was not happy about it — just anxious and worried.
'If it really was Galen, then he must know I live in Greensire Town. I should not let him live at any cost.'
The more Ethan thought about it, the more he wanted to kill him.
'But, he is a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator.'
Ethan knew Galen's cultivation, and back then, everyone was already congratulating him for his Golden Core Realm breakthrough.
'Should I just die and give up for once and sever ties with this b*stard?'
With his current strength, there was no way he could win against Galen, who not only had a higher cultivation realm but also God knows how many trump cards he was hiding.
Since he could not kill Galen, Ethan thought dying must be a way out for him.
Once he was dead, Galen would forget him and go on with his life…at least that's what Ethan thought for a while.
Although his [Godly Revival Ability] was still in cooldown and needed two more days to reset, Ethan was not worried about death as he still had four Revival Life Cards.
'But, the problem is, there is no way he is going to kill me.'
Ethan took a deep breath and decided, 'Let's not worry about death now. Let's focus on the rewards for my hard work.'
Since he was not in immediate danger, Ethan decided to buy the Heavenly Options that he worked hard for over the last four days.
[Interface of Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Perfected Foundation Establishment Realm - 22,500 Life Points]
Note: Due to the increase in the Life Points, the available [Cultivation] has also increased.
[2) [Heavenly Technique] Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique (Beginner's Stage) - 10,000 Life Points]
[3) [Heavenly Item] Heavenly Lifespan Dew - 10,000 Life Points]
[4) [Heavenly Talent] (Already Purchased).
[5) [Heavenly Beast Companion] Spirit Beast Egg - 10,000 Life Points.]
'T-this…how did I miss this thing out?'
However, when he saw the [Cultivation] in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats, Ethan was surprised.
It was not the first time there had been changes in the [Cultivation] option; however, he hadn't thought about it while searching for a way out of his current situation.
'However, if I use 22,500 Life Points for my cultivation, I won't be able to buy the Heavenly Options.'
With his current Life Points, leaving out the [Cultivation, Ethan could buy the remaining three available Heavenly Options, but he would suffer a fate worse than death.
So, either he had to give up on the Heavenly Options, or he would become a puppet, which was the fate he was talking about — worse than death.
That's right!
Ethan was not worried about death but about becoming a puppet, just like how Night Demon Seraphis was turned into a Night Demon Puppet.
'Since Galen's Brother is a Puppet Master who can turn demons into puppets, Galen would make sure I became a puppet.'
Ethan could commit suicide for instant death and directly revive in the Small Courtyard; however, he wouldn't be at peace knowing about Galen.
'Until earlier, I didn't think I had a chance to turn around my situation, but by buying [Cultivation] from the Interface, I can change it.'
After thinking for a while, Ethan decided to kill Galen at any cost today.
'As for his Elder Brother, who is a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, I have a perfect plan to avoid his revenge.'
Ethan's eyes shone with determination as he swore, 'Galen, your brother chose the wrong target, and you made the same mistake too.'
'System, I will buy the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique].'
Soon, Ethan came up with a plan, and as a part of it, he bought the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique].
He planned to buy the cultivation from the Interface; however, Ethan was not in a hurry, as he had a better plan on how to buy the cultivation.
'Ding,
The host has spent 10,000 Life Points and bought the Heavenly Technique [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique].
'Swiish'
As soon as he bought it, mysterious foreign knowledge appeared in Ethan's mind. Complex circulation paths, unique breathing patterns, and profound insights into refining spirit essence surged into his consciousness like a raging river.
'Shhh'
With such valuable information, a sharp, piercing pain struck his mind as if his very soul was being branded with divine enlightenment.
'Aargh'
Ethan's body trembled, his forehead covered with sweat as his meridians instinctively adjusted to accommodate the newfound technique.
The process lasted for a few moments, but for Ethan, it felt like an eternity.
'This… this technique is incredible!'
Nevertheless, when the pain subsided and he felt the changes in his body, Ethan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Unlike other refinement techniques that simply absorbed the spirit essence from nature, the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique] enhanced the quality of the absorbed Spirit Essence.
'What's more, even when I don't circulate the cultivation technique, the Spirit Essence is passively absorbed into my body and refined by the Foundation Bead in my dantian on its own.'
In short, the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique] was giving him much better benefits compared to a high-level Spirit Root.
'It's time to test the effects of the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique] by actively circulating it.'
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Once Ethan learned that he could directly buy the cultivation of the Perfect Foundation Establishment Realm, he was not in a hurry to buy it.
Instead, he wanted to save as many Life Points as possible before making the actual purchase.
That's right! He had already learned in the Mystic Soil Domain that by manually cultivating and increasing his cultivation, he could reduce the Life Points.
Among the other Heavenly Options, Ethan believed that the [Heavenly Technique] would definitely increase his cultivation speed by a lot, and he wanted to see whether he could make a breakthrough to the Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm.
'I have already refined my Foundation Bead by 80 percent, and I am not far from breaking through to the Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm.'
It was because he was so close to breaking through to the Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm. So, Ethan believed that since the Azure Serpent Realm had relatively rich Spirit Essence compared to the Small Courtyard, he could achieve a breakthrough.
Moreover, after some thinking, he bought the [Heavenly Technique] because he believed it would further speed up his cultivation speed.
Even before using the [Heavenly Technique, Ethan liked its benefits, which seemed much better than having a High-level Spirit Root.
'I am confident that I can easily achieve a breakthrough.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan sat cross-legged and circulated the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique].
'Swoosh!'
The moment he circulated it, the surrounding Spirit Essence responded instantly, rushing toward him like a hurricane, and it was automatically refined and integrated into his Foundation Bead.
'It feels like driving an automatic car after driving a manual car for years.'
Ethan could not help but compare his current feeling to the automatic and manual cars.
'Shhh'
A faint glow surrounded Ethan's body as the Spirit Essence continuously funneled into him.
'This is incredible… the refinement is almost flawless!'
The more Ethan circulated the Heavenly Technique, the more he liked it as he wondered, 'If it is already this powerful at the Beginner's Stage, how powerful will it be when I upgrade it to the Small Success Stage? Or the Completion Stage? Or the Greater Completion Stage?'
Amidst his thoughts, Ethan's Foundation Bead rotated with extreme force as the last 20 percent of refinement progressed at an astonishing rate.
'81 percent…82 percent…83 percent….'
For every minute, his Foundation Bead was being refined by one percent, making him closer to his breakthrough.
In less than 30 minutes, the Foundation Bead was completely refined and started striking the dantian walls to crack itself open to release the Foundation Energy stored inside it.
'Kacha'
In the next few minutes, there was a crisp sound inside Ethan's body as his Foundation Bead broke and released the Foundation Energy.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to the Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm.'
'I thought it would take at least 8 hours before I broke through; however, thanks to the Heavenly Technique, I did it in less than an hour.'
Seeing the system notification, Ethan could not help but clench his fists in excitement.
'Ding,
Due to the host's breakthrough in his cultivation, there is a change in the [Cultivation] of the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
[Interface of Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Perfected Foundation Establishment Realm - 20,000 Life Points]
.
.
.
.
[Available Life Points: 20,550]
'Buying the Heavenly Technique was the right decision.'
Ethan was not surprised by the changes in the cultivation as he patted himself on the back for buying the Heavenly Technique.
Although it might seem risky to buy the Heavenly Technique, Ethan was confident in his breakthrough.
Moreover, even if he was unable to break through even with the Heavenly Technique, he had a Plan B for his breakthrough.
'Since my Cultivation Speed is top-notch, I should try to break through to another level using my Manual Cultivation.'
Seeing his cultivation speed, Ethan decided to try breaking through to another level because there were still seven hours before the night descended.
'Let's do it.'
Soon, Ethan resumed his cultivation and circulated the Heavenly Technique.
Unlike before, his refining speed had decreased a bit. He now needed 3 minutes to refine his Foundation Bead by 1 percent. That meant he could break through to Level 7 in just five hours.'
It was not his refining speed that decreased, but the amount of Spirit Essence needed to refine his Foundation Bead had increased.
After making sure he could break through to Level 7, Ethan continued circulating the Heavenly Technique with full enthusiasm.
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, five hours had passed by as Ethan once again received the system notification he was waiting for.
'Kacha'
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to the Level 7 Foundation Establishment Realm.'
'Ding,
Due to the host's breakthrough in his cultivation, there is a change in the [Cultivation] of the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
[Interface of Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Perfected Foundation Establishment Realm - 15,000 Life Points]
.
.
.
.
'This is not enough. Let's strike the iron while it is still hot with my Plan B.'
With a thought, a dark-green-colored fruit appeared in Ethan's hand, which was his Plan B in case he was unable to make a manual breakthrough in his cultivation.
It was none other than the Mystic Earth Fruit that could increase a cultivator's level during the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Ethan was saving it for the future when his cultivation reached Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm; however, since things had changed, he decided to consume it ahead of his plan.
'Gulp.'
Without wasting any time, Ethan swallowed the Mystic Earth Fruit whole.
The moment the fruit entered his stomach, a powerful surge of pure Earth Essence erupted within him.
'Boom!'
The Foundation Bead vibrated violently as the condensed Earth Essence of the Mystic Earth Fruit merged into it, refining the bead at an incredible speed.
The process was similar to before; however, this time, the entire process was extremely fast.
Maybe it was because Ethan's Spirit Root belonged to the same element as the Pure Earth Essence released by the Mystic Earth Fruit, Ethan enjoyed the whole process without any pain.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to the Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm.'
In no time, Ethan had successfully broken through another level, making it three levels in a single day.
'Ding,
Due to the host's breakthrough in his cultivation, there is a change in the [Cultivation] of the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
[Interface of Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Perfected Foundation Establishment Realm - 10,000 Life Points]
.
.
.
[Available Life Points: 20,550]
'Haha'
Seeing the original cost of 22,500 Life Points drop to 10,000, Ethan could not help but laugh.
'With a bit of proper planning, I was able to save 12,500 Life Points.'
Ethan didn't waste any time because in less than two hours, the night would descend, and he wanted to quickly take care of Galen before that.
'System, I will buy the cultivation.'
As soon as he made the choice, a series of system notifications rang in Ethan's ears.
'Ding,
The host has spent 10,000 Life Points and purchased cultivation from the Interface.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully upgrading his cultivation to the Perfection Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
'Ding,
[Available Life Points: 10,550]
'The first and foremost step has been done. Now, it is time for the second step.'
Ethan didn't celebrate his new cultivation. Instead, he revealed a cold smile as he moved on to the next step of his plan.
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'The second step is to upgrade my Cultivation Techniques.'
Although Ethan had just enough Life Points to buy another Heavenly Option, he still didn't buy it.
Instead, he decided to upgrade his cultivation techniques to take down Galen.
'Just because I have the same cultivation as that bastard, it doesn't mean I can win the fight.'
Ethan knew full well about his own battle prowess.
'The only way to win the fight is by overpowering him with the mastery of Cultivation Techniques.'
Matching his cultivation with Galen's cultivation was a basic thing, whereas upgrading the cultivation techniques was a way to swiftly kill Galen.
For him, taking care of Galen was more important than the Heavenly Option.
Of course, that didn't mean Ethan had given up on the remaining two Heavenly Options. He believed that he would still be able to buy at least one of the Heavenly Options in a couple of weeks.
'System, how much does it cost to upgrade my Completion Stage Cultivation Techniques to Greater Completion?'
Ethan asked the system about the cost of the upgrade.
'Ding,
The [Godly Cultivation Insight] requires 4000 Life Points to upgrade your cultivation technique to the Greater Completion Stage.
'4000? As I expected, the cost has increased by ten times.'
Previously, when he upgraded the mastery of the Cultivation Techniques from Small Success Stage to Completion Stage, it only cost 400 Life Points, but the subsequent higher upgrade increased to 4000 Life Points.
Nevertheless, Ethan was already expecting it and was not surprised by it.
'Looks like I can only upgrade two Cultivation Techniques as I planned.'
Before he executed his plan, Ethan had already planned almost all the things he had to do. So, he didn't have to think much before he gave an order to the system.
'System, give me insights into [Night Phantom Concealment] and [Blazing Sun Palm] and upgrade them to Greater Completion Stage.'
He chose [Night Phantom Concealment] because it not only helped him camouflage his cultivation, but it could also help him erase his presence.
Of course, at his current mastery of that cultivation technique, its effects were not good against the Perfect Foundation and Golden Core Realm Cultivators.
However, once it was upgraded to the Greater Completion Stage, even Golden Core Realm Cultivators wouldn't be able to see through him.
As for the [Blazing Sun Palm, it was the only powerful attack technique that Ethan had, and by upgrading it to the Greater Completion Stage, even early-stage Golden Core Realm Cultivators would need to be careful of his palm technique, not to mention Galen, who was only a Perfected Foundation Realm Cultivator.
'Ding,
The [Godly Cultivation Insight] has been activated. Please bear the pain if there is any.'
As soon as he gave the order, the system activated the [Godly Cultivation Insight] and burned the Life Points as fuel.
Soon, countless profound insights related to the [Night Phantom Concealment] and the [Blazing Sun Palm] flooded Ethan's head.
'It's just a minor pain. It will disappear.'
Ethan gritted his teeth as he endured the sharp, piercing pain in his head.
The pain didn't last long as he received a series of system notifications.
'Ding,
The host has spent 4000 Life Points and successfully upgraded his [Night Phantom Concealment] to the Greater Completion Stage.
'Ding,
The host has spent 4000 Life Points and successfully upgraded his [Blazing Sun Palm] to the Greater Completion Stage.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 2550.
'And here I am, back to being poor again.'
Ethan bitterly smiled; however, he shook his head and muttered, 'With these Azure Profound Grasses, I can get a steady source of Life Points.'
'For that, I need to plant the remaining 500 Azure Profound Grass Seeds.'
Previously, Ethan had only planted 500 seeds, and since he had emptied the remaining half of the Secret Grove, he wanted to plant and nurture them before executing the last step of his plan.
In his current situation, the Secret Grove had become a major source of Life Points for him. So, he wanted to fulfill his duties regarding it.
In the next hour, he nurtured the newly planted Azure Profound Grass Seeds, replenished his Spirit Essence, and got an understanding of his upgraded cultivation techniques.
"It is finally time to leave."
With all the preparations done, Ethan was ready to leave the Secret Grove, hoping Galen would do what he was supposed to do.
'Swiish'
After camouflaging his cultivation as a level 5 Foundation Establishment Realm, Ethan hurriedly rushed out of the Secret Grove and then the Small Floating Island.
To any onlooker, it would seem as if he was escaping in sheer panic, running for his life from an unknown killer who wanted to kill him.
His movements were swift yet restrained and just fast enough to look desperate.
'If this bastard wants to kill me so badly, he won't be able to resist this bait.'
Ethan thought coldly in his mind while he ran towards the exit of the Azure Serpent Realm.
So far, his understanding of Galen was that he was calm and composed and seemed to be a meticulous planner. Hence, Ethan wanted to make Galen believe that he was trying to run away from him.
But, everything was an act to make Galen come out of his hiding, and Ethan was using only fifty percent of his speed.
'Swiish'
'Swiish'
Just as Ethan left the Small Floating Island, dozens of sharp needles rained on him.
'Danger.'
Ethan's [Predator's Spirit] instantly warned him about the incoming danger.
Without hesitation, he twisted his body and moved in a zigzag motion, and avoided the incoming needles by a narrow margin.
Of course, with his full speed, Ethan could easily dodge them; however, he was trying his best not to display his battle prowess in front of Galen.
The needles whizzed past, some grazing his sleeves, others embedding themselves into the ground where he had just been standing.
'He is more prepared than I thought he would be.'
Ethan's sharp eyes caught the faint, eerie glow on the needles—they were definitely coated with a lethal toxin, making him think, 'If even one had pierced me, it would have been troublesome.'
'Poisoned needles? A coward who can't even show himself and now, he is resorting to these underhanded tactics.'
Seeing that Galen was still not showing himself and was making his moves from the shadows, Ethan didn't miss the chance to flaunt his taunting skills.
'Swiish'
"Bastard, you have no right to talk about it when you sneakily killed my little Silas."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the trees, and this time, a voice filled with rage echoed from the darkness.
"So, it was really you, the great host of the Cultivator's Gathering, Galen."
Ethan laughed in his heart as his taunts truly worked like magic.
"That's right! I am Galen, the brother of the person who was killed by you exactly here… his name is Silas… Silas Wei."
Galen's face was filled with fury, and he shouted at Ethan as his aura burst out violently while he shouted his little brother's name.
"Silas… Silas… Ah, that coward who left his teammates to die?" He snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! I barely put any effort into killing him. Didn't even know his name, by the way."
With Ethan's words, Ethan confirmed that all his guesses were true, and Galen indeed wanted to take revenge for the Sect Disciple he killed a week ago.
"Damn you… bastard."
Galen's aura exploded with rage as he madly rushed at Ethan.
'Isn't this what I wanted from you?'
Looking at the madly rushing Galen, Ethan could not help but laugh in his heart because everything was going as he planned… at least until now.
[Shadow Steps]
'Swoosh'
Just when Galen's punch was about to land on Ethan, his figure blurred and vanished, leaving behind his silhouette, which Galen's punch went through.
"What? How did he move like that?"
Galen frowned when he missed his punch, and at the next moment, a bad feeling arose in his heart, "Damn it… something's wrong!"
'Swiish'
"You must be looking for me, right?"
'Swiish!'
Before Galen could even process the situation, a whisper brushed past his ear.
Instinctively, Galen's pupils shrunk as he twisted his body to move away; however, it was too late.
[Blazing Sun Palm]
'Boom!'
A fiery explosion erupted as Ethan's palm, blazing with golden-orange flames, struck Galen's chest.
The fiery force behind the attack sent Galen flying into a row of trees, destroying them.
'T-this power… it's so powerful.'
Ethan was shocked to see the trail of destruction caused by his [Blazing Sun Palm].
Although Ethan knew that the [Blazing Sun Palm] had great explosive power after successfully upgrading it to the Greater Completion Stage, he felt he had greatly underestimated it.
'The required spirit essence to use the [Blazing Sun Palm] has also greatly increased. If not for my increased cultivation, I could've barely used it a couple of times.'
His Perfected Foundation Realm cultivation had passively helped him in many ways. Other than the quantity of the Spirit Essence, its quality had also greatly increased.
More importantly, his raw strength had greatly increased multiple times, making his [Blazing Sun Palm] very deadly to Galen, who was also a Perfected Foundation Realm cultivator.
"Cough… how are you this powerful? You are just a Level 5… cough."
Blood spewed from Galen's mouth as he coughed but still spoke, with his entire body trembling from the devastating impact.
"Huh? You are still alive?"
Ethan was a bit surprised to see Galen alive as he slowly walked towards him and replied, "If I weren't in a hurry, I would've had a nice conversation with you to explain all these things. But, sorry, I am busy."
'Slash'
Unlike Galen, Ethan didn't have any plans to torture his target. Moreover, he still had things to do.
So, he quickly killed Galen and moved to the last stage of his plan, but he paused when he received a series of system notifications that pleasantly surprised him.
'Ding,
The [Heaven's Virtue] has been triggered.
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'Ding,
The [Heaven's Virtue] has been triggered.
'Ding,
The host has killed a vile cultivator who thrived on bloodshed, deceit, and torment.
'Ding,
The host has successfully avenged the countless cultivators killed at that vile cultivator's hands.
'Ding,
The host has been rewarded with 5,000 Life Points and the right to select one Life Card from the low-level cards previously drawn.
'What? 5,000 Life Points?'
Ethan had not expected that his [Heaven's Virtue] would be triggered, much less that he would receive 5,000 Life Points.
'It's not just 5,000 Life Points but also a low-level Life Card that I want. I just spent 10,000 Life Points to buy the talent, and I have already earned 6,000 Life Points plus a low-level Life Card.'
Looking at the rewards from his [Heaven's Virtue, Ethan once again felt he had made the right decision to buy it from the Heavenly Options.
'I don't have the time for this. I still have to finish the last step.'
Soon, Ethan came out of his thoughts, took Galen's storage ring, and stored the corpse inside before rushing towards the exit of the Azure Serpent Realm.
'Swiish'
With his speed, in less than half an hour, Ethan was successfully out of the Azure Serpent Realm.
At the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm, the area was bustling with cultivators hastily making their way out of the secret realm before nightfall.
'It's perfect that there are so many cultivators here.'
Standing at the entrance, Ethan smiled at the dozens of cultivators and, altering his voice, he shouted, "I don't know who this b*stard is that dared to sneak attack me only to get himself killed."
'Swiish'
Ethan took out Galen's corpse from the storage ring and threw it out of the secret realm.
"For the next couple of days, I will be exploring the Azure Serpent Realm. Anyone who wants to take revenge for him, they can patiently wait for me to come out of the secret realm, or you could just find me inside it."
After saying those words, Ethan ran into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
'With this, my last step of the plan is done.'
Ethan smiled and went back to the secret grove.
'Huh? Who is that?'
'I have never seen him before.'
'Is something interesting going to happen in the next couple of days?'
'It depends on the corpse's identity. I hope he has some good background and entertains us for the next few days.'
'We will only know that after we see whose corpse it is.'
Soon, the onlookers who were leaving the Azure Serpent Realm became curious and excited but didn't dare to go close to the corpse.
If the corpse's relatives were unreasonable, they might get killed for checking.
Finally, someone couldn't hold back his curiosity and turned over the corpse.
"T-this… this is Sect Disciple Galen."
"What? You mean the one who recently hosted the Cultivators' Gathering?"
"Yes, and he was just on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm."
"Someone inform the sect. I heard his elder brother is a Golden Core Realm Cultivator and an Elder of the Sect. The masked killer will be killed."
Soon, everyone was shocked, and all the loose cultivators were excited after seeing that it was Galen who was dead.
Although Galen always looked down on the loose cultivators and even killed countless of them,
As for the Sect Disciples, they also seemed happy because, with his brother's backing, Galen was always overbearing, and they always had to bootlick him with praises.
Anyway, they still carried the corpse back to the sect and informed Ronan about Galen's death.
"What? Galen is dead?"
Once he learned about Galen's death, Ronan was shocked for a moment before fury built in his chest.
"Who did it? Who had the audacity to kill my brother?!"
Ronan's furious roar shook the entire hall as his aura surged uncontrollably.
"We don't know the killer; however, he issued a challenge to either enter the Azure Serpent Realm or wait for him outside if anyone wants to avenge Galen."
The disciples standing before him trembled, not daring to meet his gaze as they narrated everything that Ethan had announced to the world.
"Huh? He wants me to either enter the Azure Serpent Realm or wait outside until he arrives?"
Ronan clenched his fists in anger as he flew to the Azure Serpent Realm in less than ten minutes.
"Everyone, you must have seen Galen's killer, right? I have a task for you."
As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm, Ronan issued a bounty on Galen's killer. "Whoever brings my brother's killer alive will receive a Golden Core Pill as a reward."
"What? A Golden Core Pill?'
"It is said that a Golden Core Pill increases the success rate of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm by 50%."
"I want it… as long as I have it, I can easily break through to the Golden Core Realm."
.
.
.
Ronan's offering was very tempting, and all the loose cultivators who dreamed of becoming Golden Core Realm cultivators were instantly hooked.
Without wasting any time, they hurriedly rushed into the Azure Serpent Realm.
'The killer has taken Galen's storage ring; that means he must have that thing on him. The moment he takes it out, I can actively track him.'
Suddenly, Ronan thought of something, and he summoned four Night Demon Puppets with Perfect Foundation Realm Cultivation.
"You two, also enter the Azure Serpent Realm. The moment you sense it, bring that b*stard to me."
"As for you two, stand guard at the entrance and catch him if you sense the killer."
After giving his commands to the four Night Demon Puppets, Ronan took one last look at the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm and turned towards the two disciples standing guard at the entrance.
"Elder."
The two guarding disciples hurriedly bowed, their faces full of anxiety.
"From now on, anyone who leaves the Azure Serpent Realm will be thoroughly checked by my servant. You must stop all the cultivators and make sure they go through my servant."
Ronan ordered them, making those two disciples hurriedly nod their heads.
"Raven, use this [Truth Judgement Mirror] to ask the proper questions regarding Galen's death and find his killer."
Ronan ordered his loyal servant, who had accompanied him for years, to take care of Galen's killer.
"Don't worry about it, Master. I will find the killer and bring him to you."
Raven, with a scar on his face, looked quite dangerous as he assured Ronan.
"With you working on it, I can focus on my cultivation."
Ronan patted Raven's shoulder and returned to the sect.
Unlike Galen, who wanted to personally take revenge on Silas's killer, Ronan didn't have such plans.
He was self-centered and cared more about becoming powerful; however, that didn't mean he would let his brother's killer roam free.
He would take revenge, but he wouldn't put aside his current goals.
'This idiot… he should have just broken through to the Golden Core Realm before avenging Little Silas.'
Ronan shook his head in disappointment, unsure whether it was for his brother's death or the loss of a potential Golden Core cultivator in his faction.
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In the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm,
After throwing Galen's corpse out of the Azure Serpent Realm and shouting loudly, Ethan used his [Night Phantom Concealment] and the [Shadow Steps] to the fullest.
One is to completely erase his presence and traces, whereas the other one was to move extremely fast into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
'So far, my plan is working perfectly.'
From the moment he started cultivating in the Secret Groove six hours ago to the point where he threw Galen's corpse out of the Azure Serpent Realm…everything seemed very smooth.
However, a lot of thinking went into it, and of course, Ethan had even planned some alternatives in case any part of his plan didn't go as he planned.
Thankfully, everything went as he planned…to be honest, better than he had planned.
Using the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique, he was able to manually break through two levels in a row, significantly reducing the cost of his purchase by 7500 Life Points.
Moreover, because of the crazy explosive power of the Blazing Sun Palm, Ethan was able to almost kill Galen in a single attack.
'No matter how much I was able to think, it is all thanks to my Special Talent [Radiant Clear Heart].'
Although it didn't increase his thinking abilities, it made sure he didn't forget even the smallest details, which greatly helped him in his planning.
'Now, all I have to do is die.'
That's right! Currently, the reason he was rushing into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm was to get himself killed by the dangerous Spirit Beasts.
It was part of the plan Ethan had come up with to escape the revenge of Galen's Elder Brother, who was not only a Rank 5 Puppet Master but also an Elder of the Greenfire Sect.
His plan was to ensure that everyone saw him enter the Azure Serpent Realm, thus making his death inside the realm a means to avoid the Golden Core Realm Cultivator's wrath.
As long as he died inside the Azure Serpent Realm, Ethan could use the Revival Life Card to revive in the Small Courtyard.
'Once I revive in the Small Courtyard, I just have to hide my presence well and reveal only a Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation.'
It was also the reason why Ethan upgraded the [Night Phantom Concealment] to the Greater Completion Stage—to avoid any tracking methods that Galen's brother might use to locate him.
'A perfect Spirit Beast to get killed by. It's time to go home.'
As Ethan was searching for some swift ways to die, he found some deadly Spirit Beasts in the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
Finally, he selected a huge python covered in blue flames in the distance.
'It must be the rumored Azure Fire Python that devours its prey instantly.'
Ethan prepared himself both mentally and physically and casually threw a stone at it to provoke it.
[Azure Fire Breath]
'Swiish'
Contrary to Ethan's expectations, the Azure Fire Python didn't devour him; instead, it released a deadly fire breath.
'Maybe it already had its dinner.'
This was the last thought in Ethan's head as his body turned into ashes.
'Ding,
The host has been killed by a Rank 5 Spirit Beast: Azure Fire Python.
'Ding,
Since the host's [Godly Revival Ability] is on cooldown, the Revival Life Card will be activated.
'Ding,
The host didn't receive any Life Points.
'Ding,
The system can't generate the [Interface of the Killer's Stats]. So, the existing [Interface of the Killer's Stats] will still exist.
.
.
.
The moment Ethan's consciousness returned, his head was filled with a long series of system notifications.
'There is nothing surprising in any of the system notifications.'
Ethan already knew that he wouldn't get either the Life Points or the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] for using the Revival Life Card.
Hence, he patiently waited in his soul form.
'Waiting for one hour in the soul form is boring; however, I can watch the documentary on the Night Life in the Depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.'
With a slight smile, Ethan spent a single Life Point and started watching the scenes in the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
'Roar'
'Hiss~'
'Swiish'
He saw many Rank 4 Spirit Beasts hunting on the ground and even Rank 5 Spirit Beasts passing through the spot where he died.
As for the humans, Ethan didn't see anyone.
'Although I didn't get to witness the fights between the Spirit Beasts, watching powerful spirit beasts was still quite interesting.'
As his one-hour time was coming to an end, Ethan was satisfied with his viewing experience and felt that spending Life Points was worth it.
'Ding,
The one-hour waiting time is completed. The host can revive now.
Finally, the system notification he was waiting for had finally arrived, followed by another notification asking him for his revival location.
'Ding,
Host, please choose one of the following revival spots:
1) Death Point.
2) First Safe Point: Hidden Cave.
3) Second Safe Point: Mystic Soil Domain.
4) Third Safe Point: Small Courtyard.
'Small Courtyard.'
Ethan didn't have to think much as he had already made his decision long ago. So, he directly chose the Third Safe Point.
Choosing the Mystic Soil Domain might seem like a good idea as he could easily earn another batch of Life Points in no time and even initiate the Inheritance Trial to claim the Mystic Soil Domain.
However, the [Gentle Voice] warned him that having a Golden Core Realm Cultivation would increase the chances of completing the Inheritance Trial.
'According to the [Gentle Voice, if I fail the Inheritance Trial, I can no longer re-initiate it. So, it's better to be careful than to regret it later.'
Moreover, Ethan didn't want to miss out on the [Beast Extermination Trial] in a week.
….
Ethan's Room, Small Courtyard.
In no time, Ethan was directly revived in his room along with all his belongings, except for his clothes.
'I still don't know why I can bring all my items but not the clothes.'
It was a mystery for Ethan; however, he didn't think much about it and focused on hiding his presence.
'I want to check the items in Galen's Storage Ring; however, I don't think it is the right time to do it.'
Since Galen was preparing for the Golden Core Realm, Ethan knew there would be good cultivation resources.
Nevertheless, Ethan suppressed his urge to check Galen's Storage Ring because he was worried that Galen's brother might somehow track him.
'Anyway, I will be entering the [Berserk Beast Realm] in a week. By then, even if I open it, there will be no problem, right?'
Ethan decided to check out the Storage Ring during the [Beast Extermination Trial, where the environment was filled with lots of violent energies and scents.
'Anyway, let's nurture the Spirit Grass and other Spirit Plants in the courtyard.'
Putting aside all his thoughts, Ethan went to take care of his Spirit Plants, played with the Little Turtle for a while, and checked on his parents.
'Let's see which Life Card I select.'
Once Ethan was done with his routine, he thought about the reward he had gained through his Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] for killing Galen.
'Ding,
Please select a Low-level Life Card from the following:
1) Revival Life Card.
2) Multiplier Life Card.
3) General Revival Life Card.
Soon, a list of Life Cards appeared in front of Ethan, asking him to choose one.
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'General Revival Life Card.'
Ethan had long made his decision the moment he first received the system notification regarding the reward.
Among the three low-level Life Cards displayed in front of him, the General Revival Life Card was the most valuable one.
The Revival Life Card… after using one earlier, Ethan was still left with three of them.
The Multiplier Life Card was good; however, compared to a loyal subordinate, getting an extra 2000-5000 Life Points of Death Allowance was nothing in Ethan's eyes.
He had already created multiple sources from where he could get the Life Points.
'Even though I never have enough Life Points, I will never give up on the General Revival Life Card for a measly 2000-5000 Life Points of Death Allowance.'
Although Ethan thought it was a measly amount, if it were a different situation, he would not have given up on even a single Life Point, but now, he was getting a General Revival Life Card.
'Ding,
The host is rewarded with a General Revival Life Card.'
'Now, I can get another loyal subordinate.'
Ethan was happy with the General Revival Life Card as he thought, 'I could have used this General Revival Life Card to revive Galen and saved myself some trouble of dying.'
If Ethan wanted, he could have done it; however, he intentionally chose not to revive Galen for multiple reasons.
First, due to Galen's intense killing intent towards him, Ethan worried that his loyalty might not be high — or that there might not be any loyalty at all.
Second, Galen was on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, and according to the system, the stronger the target was, the lesser the loyalty would be.
Third, and most importantly, Ethan had killed Galen's brother, Silas. Even if Ethan wanted, he couldn't maintain the relationship with Galen like nothing had happened.
Whether Silas was an evil cultivator or not, for Galen, he was a little brother. So, Ethan felt it was only right to let the two brothers unite in the otherworld.
'As for the Elder Brother in the Sect, he still has some time. In the future, when I become powerful enough, I will let the three brothers have a proper reunion in the otherworld.'
Of course, the main reason why Ethan was interested in killing Ronan was because he believed he would get lots of Life Points through [Heaven's Virtue].
'Someone who turns living entities into puppets regardless of whether they are human or demons, I don't think he is a good person.'
Ethan silently made a decision to take out Ronan in the future after he broke through to the Golden Core Realm.
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, a day passed by in peace, making Ethan feel that his plan had worked perfectly after seeing no suspicious activities happening in Greenspire.
'The Spirit Grass has matured. It's time to harvest.'
That day, after his nurturing session had come to an end, Ethan noticed that the Spirit Grass in the Spirit Field and Spirit Domain had matured.
So, he quickly harvested the Spirit Grass and gained 1100 Life Points.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 9150.'
'I just need less than 1000 Life Points, and I can buy the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg.'
Looking at the available Life Points, Ethan felt a bit excited as he thought about the last two remaining Heavenly Options in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
Among them, Ethan was interested in the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg.
As for the Heavenly Lifespan Dew, it seemed like an interesting item and was even useful to him; however, having a Heavenly Spirit Beast as a companion seemed more beneficial and fun to him.
'I can get lifespan by various methods; however, getting a Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg... I don't think I can get another one if I miss it.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan planned which Heavenly Option he had to buy after accumulating 10,000 Life Points.
'Anyway, let's give some rest to the Spirit Field for today and plant the Mutated Spirit Grass Seeds.'
The Spirit Field in the Mystic Soil Domain was mysterious, whereas the one in his Small Courtyard was just a basic Spirit Field.
So, he didn't immediately plant the next batch right after the harvest; instead, he gave some time for the residual energies to disappear.
'Ding,
The Thunderleaf Grass on the host's Spirit Pet has matured.'
'Ding,
The Mystic Soil Turtle has gained a new Special Skill for successfully nurturing the Thunderleaf Grass to maturity.'
As Ethan was spending time with his parents, he received system notifications that made him smile.
Ethan had already expected it. So, he went to the little turtle that slowly moved towards him to celebrate the good news together.
"Well done."
Ethan lightly patted the turtle's head before checking its information.
'Ding,
Spirit Beast: Mystic Soil Turtle (Pebble).
Strength: Rank 2.
Skills: Spirit Soil Shell, Spirit Domain.
Special Skills: Morning Mist Brew, Thundercloud Nourishment.'
'Thundercloud Nourishment? The new skill looks good.'
For Ethan, the name of the new Special Skill looked good as he hurriedly checked the Skill's Information.
'Ding,
Skill Name: Thundercloud Nourishment.
Effect: Upon activation, the turtle can summon a Thundercloud that is filled with pure Thunder Essence, which can speed up the growth rate of Thunder/Lightning-type Spirit Plants.'
'Although it is only effective on Thunder/Lightning-type Spirit Plants, I can make full use of this new Special Skill.'
Ethan was excited about the skill because he felt it was a useful skill for him.
He was planning to become a Spirit Farmer, and he would be nurturing and harvesting all varieties and grades of Spirit Plants.
The higher the grade of the Spirit Plants, the longer their maturity period.
For example, the Dragonheart Lotus Plant requires 10,000 days to mature; however, with the turtle's new skill, if Ethan planted Special Rank 5 Spirit Plants related to Lightning and Thunder, he could reduce their maturity period by a good margin.
'Moreover, if I add my [Green Pulse Art, I can greatly reduce the maturity period of those Spirit Plants.'
Thinking about it, Ethan was excited and looked forward to seeing how effective this new skill would be in the future.
'Looks like I have to get some Lightning/Thunder-related Spirit Plant Seeds.'
Ethan wasn't in a hurry to do that; however, he made a mental note to look out for the Lightning/Thunder-type Spirit Seeds in his future outings.
'Ding,
The host has harvested a Perfect Quality Thunderleaf Grass and received 2 (2) Life Points.'
Putting aside his thoughts, Ethan quickly harvested the Perfect Quality Thunderleaf Grass and miraculously received another one from the Heavens.
'Pebble, you have grown big after nurturing the Thunderleaf Grass. So, how about I plant three Spirit Plants on your back?'
Although the Mystic Soil Turtle had not broken through to the next rank after successfully nurturing the Rank 2 Thunderleaf Grass, its size had increased.
Now, Ethan could easily grow three Rank 1 or 2 Spirit Plants on its shell.
'Hizz~'
The turtle excitedly nodded its head, asking for the Spirit Seeds to be nurtured on its shell.
"You are really a good pet."
Ethan lightly patted its head and fed it three Mutated Spirit Grass Seeds.
'I hope you can break through to Rank 3 after successfully nurturing them.'
Ethan wanted his Mystic Soil Turtle to become stronger and grow big, so that he could plant more Spirit Plants. By planting more Spirit Plants on its back, it could grow powerful even faster.
It was a cycle where the stronger the Mystic Soil Turtle became, the greater the benefits both he and the turtle received.
So, he started playing with the Mystic Soil Turtle, increasing their bond.
'Ding,
The host's [Godly Revival Ability] has come out of cooldown.'
'Finally, it has come out of cooldown.'
Ethan was a bit excited as he muttered, 'It is finally time to see how much it costs to break through to the Golden Core Realm.'
He was curious about the cost for his breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm and he thought that if it was very high, he would start making preparations for a manual breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.
'It is a perfect time to go out.'
Looking at the night sky from his courtyard, Ethan smiled, and in the next second, disappeared into the shadows.
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At the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm,
"Hey, do you have any new information on Galen's Killer?"
"There is nothing."
"Even though hundreds of Perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the sect and even loose cultivators were searching for anyone that matched the Killer's description."
"However, there was no trace of him as though he had disappeared into thin air."
"That Golden Core Realm Servant left behind by Elder Ronan was always checking those who left the Azure Serpent Realm and even using the [Truth Judgement Mirror]."
"What's more, Elder Ronan has sent four Rank 4 Night Demon Puppets into the Secret Realm to search for his brother's killer. There is no way he is coming out alive."
"Yeah. There is no way that killer left the Azure Serpent Realm."
"I think he must have been killed by some Rank 5 Spirit Beasts in the Azure Serpent Realm."
"I feel the same. It is very deadly to stay in the Azure Serpent Realm at night."
A group of cultivators was discussing some things, standing at the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm regarding the recent incident that made hundreds of cultivators go crazy for catching Galen's Killer.
"By the way, I have some interesting news."
Suddenly, one of the cultivators in that group remembered something as he quickly shared, "While searching for that killer, nearly a dozen Perfected Foundation Realm Cultivators died at the claws and bites of the Rank 5 Spirit Beast."
"I knew it….who asked them to enter the Azure Serpent Realm at night?"
"Last time, I was just a few minutes late to exit the Azure Serpent Realm at night and I was surrounded by a bunch of Rank 4 Azure Serpents. If not for passing Sect Disciples, I would have died."
"A Golden Core Pill is worth it; however, compared to life, it is just a materialistic resource. So, never risk your life for cultivation resources. They are really not worth it."
Soon, no one felt any pity for those who died in the Azure Serpent Realm while searching for Galen's Killer.
'Interesting…interesting.'
However, what they didn't know was that Galen's Killer was standing close to their group as he listened to their conversation.
'Since, everyone still thinks I am inside the Azure Serpent Realm, my plan is working perfectly fine.'
Ethan chuckled a bit as he continued, 'With the thing I am about to do in the Azure Serpent Realm soon, the so-called Elder Ronan won't think that I have left the Secret Realm at all.'
'Steps'
With that thought in mind, Ethan walked towards the Azure Serpent Realm's entrance.
"And here goes another idiot into the Azure Serpent Realm to catch the killer at this hour."
"Maybe, he wants to die very badly."
"Leave him be. There are many cultivators entering the Azure Serpent Realm at night these days."
Seeing Ethan walk towards the Azure Serpent Realm, the group who was discussing the recent events happening around the Azure Serpent Realm could not help but mock Ethan.
They thought Ethan was another one of those reckless cultivators who were dreaming of catching Galen's Killer.
They were not mocking Ethan for his dream of catching Galen's Killer; instead, they were mocking him because Ethan was entering the Azure Serpent Realm at night which was the most dangerous time to enter.
After paying 1,000 Spirit Stones as the entrance fee, Ethan easily entered the Azure Serpent Realm without any mandatory checking.
Only those who were leaving the Azure Serpent Realm were being checked and interrogated by a Golden Core Realm Cultivator left by Ronan.
'If he had checked those who were entering the Azure Serpent Realm, I would have given up on entering this Secret Realm.'
Ethan had entered only after making sure those who were entering the Secret Realm were not checked or interrogated.
'Anyway, let's go and find a temporary resting spot.'
He quickly kept his thoughts aside and swiftly moved deeper into the Azure Serpent Realm; however, he didn't enter the real depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
'This will do for now.'
He quickly found a tree and climbed onto it.
'It's time to check out what treasures Galen was holding onto.'
There were two reasons why Ethan entered the Azure Serpent Realm even in his current situation.
One, it was to find out the exact cost for him to break through to the Golden Core Realm.
Second, he wanted to check out the contents inside Galen's ring.
'I believe there will be something inside the storage ring that can give away my exact location to Galen's Older Brother.'
'If there really is such an item, it will only help me to my advantage.'
Actually, Ethan was not sure about his assumption; however, he hoped his assumption was true because Ronan could confirm that Galen's killer was still in the Azure Serpent Realm.
As for Ethan, he was anyway planning to die again today and safely revive in the Small Courtyard so Ronan could only continue to search for Galen's Killer in the Azure Serpent Realm.
'It is such a good thing that once the owner of the Storage Ring dies, the spirit lock left by the owner will disappear too.'
Ethan didn't have any problem with the Storage Ring and sent a small portion of his consciousness into the Storage Ring.
'T-these…so many good items.'
When Ethan's consciousness saw the insides of Galen's Storage Ring, he was shocked by the wealth inside.
'There must be at least 10,000,000 low-level Spirit Stones.'
It was Ethan's first time seeing so many Spirit Stones and he could not help but say, 'Is this the power of having a Sect Elder as a backer?'
For Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators like him, 10,000,000 low-level Spirit Stones was a huge wealth; however, for the Sect Elders of the Greenfire Sect, it would be a chump change.
As a little brother of such a powerful personality, Galen could easily carry such wealth on him like it was nothing.
'However, compared to the Spirit Stones, I am very much interested in his other treasures.'
Other than the Spirit Stones, Ethan found five valuable items that he recognized almost all except for one, making him thoroughly shocked.
All those items were valuable; however, that wasn't the reason behind his shock.
'T-these items…aren't they all from the Cultivator's Gathering?'
That's right!
Ethan was shocked because he recognized two out of the five items as supposed to be in the hands of other cultivators and not in Galen's storage ring.
The two items were none other than:
1) Talent Blessing Fruit which was bought by armored cultivators for more than 1,000,000 Spirit Stones.
2) The Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg that Galen exchanged for the Dragon Marrow Crystal from a cultivator in the gathering.
'How did he get them back into his storage ring? Don't tell me…..'
Ethan didn't have to finish his thoughts to know exactly what Galen had done.
'No wonder the [Heaven's Virtue] has rewarded me with 5,000 Life Points.'
Thinking about the evil deeds that Galen had done, Ethan finally understood why he was greatly rewarded with not just 5,000 Life Points but also a Low-level Life Card.
'Galen must have worked hard to get these cultivation resources; however, in the end, it will be me who is going to enjoy them.'
Ethan smiled as he muttered, 'Let's start by destroying the Night Demon Puppet.'
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'Let's start by destroying the Night Demon Puppet.'
With a thought, Ethan summoned the Night Demon Puppet out of Galen's Storage Ring.
Among the five most valuable things that Ethan had found inside Galen's storage ring, the Rank 4 Night Demon Puppet was one of them.
Unlike the Night Demon Puppet he destroyed in the past, the Night Demon Puppet in front of him was a male Night Demon, handsome and looking to be around 25 years old, just like Seraphis.
Looking at it, Ethan didn't want to waste any time and destroy it, freeing the Night Demon's Soul trapped inside.
'This might be the way for Galen's Elder Brother to track me. So, let's wait a moment before destroying it.'
However, Ethan suppressed his urge and intentionally waited for a minute because he wanted Ronan to sense the Night Demon Puppet.
'This is enough.'
[Blazing Sun Palm]
'Swoosh'
'Boom'
After waiting for a minute, Ethan directly blasted the Male Night Demon in front of him without any hesitation.
'Ding,
The host has destroyed a Night Demon Puppet and successfully freed the Night Demon Soul trapped inside.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been triggered.
'Ding,
The host has been rewarded with 1000 Life Points.
'T-this….the [Heaven's Virtue] will give Life Points for destroying the Night Demon Puppets?'
Ethan was not expecting to receive Life Points for destroying the Night Demon Puppets. So, he was pleasantly surprised.
...
In one of the mountain peaks of the Greenfire Sect,
'Huh? The Night Demon Puppet I gave to Galen…I can sense it.'
When Ethan took out the Night Demon Puppet from Galen's Storage Ring, Ronan was able to sense its presence.
'Haha…he is still alive and even took out the Night Demon Puppet from Galen's storage ring.'
Sensing the Night Demon Puppet, Ronan could not help but laugh as he hurriedly took out the four command tokens.
The command tokens were none other than the Soulforged Command Insignia that could control the Night Demon Puppets.
'The killer has taken out the Night Six. Go and bring that b*stard to me with his last breath.'
He gave the orders to the four Night Demon Puppets he sent into the Azure Serpent Realm.
'It looks like I can avenge Galen's death tonight. As for Silas's killer, let's not waste my resources on that proud little brat.'
Ronan smiled and was about to resume his cultivation when he lost the connection with the Night Demon Puppet that was called Night Six.
"Damn it…damn it…damn it…I have already lost one Night Demon Puppet and now, another one."
Ronan was furious when he sensed that Galen's Night Demon Puppet was destroyed by Galen's killer.
"B*stard, I have worked months to refine a single Night Demon Puppet, and you destroy it casually?"
The more Ronan remembered about the back-to-back loss of his Night Demon Puppets, the more furious Ronan became and swore, "I will make you beg me to kill you."
"Are you turtles? Where is your speed? Run faster before that b*stard disappears into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm."
With the destruction of the Night Demon Puppet, Ronan lost interest in his cultivation and actively communicated with his four Night Demon Puppets.
Ronan believed that Galen's Killer must be hiding in the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm, and if he went back again, it would be difficult for his four Night Demon Puppets to find him.
Therefore, he urged his Night Demon Puppets to move faster.
….
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 10150.
On a treetop, Ethan could not help but glance at his Available Life Points with a big smile on his face.
It was because he finally had enough Life Points to buy another one of the Heavenly Options from the interface.
Originally, Ethan was planning to exchange a revival Life Card to buy the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg before using his [Godly Revival Ability] to revive.
And now, thanks to the [Heaven's Virtue, he had received 1000 Life Points, saving him a Revival Life Card.
Although the Revival Life Card was useful to him, Ethan didn't want to give up on the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg.
'Even though I could have stopped the Heavenly Options in the Interface from expiring, I didn't want to miss my weekly death allowance, and at the same time, I want to know the exact cost to break through to the Golden Core Realm.'
'Moreover, I was required to come to the Azure Serpent Realm to make Ronan believe that I was still in the Azure Serpent Realm and make him believe that I had ways to survive in the Azure Serpent Realm for many days.'
Ethan had already thought about it multiple times, and he knew he had to come to the Azure Serpent Realm for sure and had to die another time.
Thus, when he received the 1000 Life Points for freeing the Night Demon Soul from the Night Demon Puppet, Ethan was touched to the point of tears for his Heavenly Talent's generosity.
'System, I will buy the [Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg].'
'Ding,
The host has spent 10,000 Life Points and bought a Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg.
Since he had enough Life Points, Ethan didn't waste any time and directly bought the Spirit Beast Egg from the interface.
'Let's check it after I return home.'
Right now, Ethan was close to the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm, and anything could happen.
So, he didn't want to waste his time checking the Spirit Beast Egg, which wouldn't help in his current situation anyway.
It was the same with the other treasures inside Galen's Storage Ring.
The only reason Ethan took out the Night Demon Puppet was to attract Ronan's attention and get rid of it.
Unlike the other cultivation treasures in Galen's Ring, Ethan didn't want to bring it back with him because Ronan would figure out that he was not in the Azure Serpent Realm anymore.
However, who would have thought that destroying the Night Demon Puppet would give him 1000 Life Points, helping him redeem the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg.
"Human, my name is Zepharis."
Suddenly, the soul trapped inside the Night Demon Puppet was freed, and like Seraphis, this Male Night Demon Puppet also introduced himself and started speaking.
"Thank you for freeing my soul from the Puppet Body…..huh? Why do I sense Seraphis's aura from you?"
However, in the middle of his words, he suddenly spoke about Seraphis, making Ethan raise his brows.
"Do you know Seraphis?"
Ethan was not surprised much, considering both were Night Demons.
"Yes, Human. She is my Elder Sister, and we were both captured by a Human Puppet Master, and he converted us into Puppets."
Zepharis was sad while explaining his past as he asked, "Human, did you destroy the Puppet Body of my Sister and free her soul from it?"
It was the only conclusion Zepharis could come to, and he hoped it to be true.
Trapped inside one's body that became a puppet…he knew how painful it was and how much he had suffered every moment while inside it.
Hence, he hoped that his sister was freed just like him and had moved on to the next life.
"Yes, and I have good news…no, two…no, three pieces of good news."
Ethan took out a white-colored Life Card and crushed it.
'Ding,
The host has used a General Revival Life…..
'Ding,
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue]...
'What?'
Looking at the last system notification, Ethan was once again shocked to the point where he rubbed his eyes to check it again.
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From the beginning, Ethan was planning to use the General Revival Life Card on Zepharis because Night Demons have some good skills that can be used for both protection and assassination.
Ethan already has Seraphis, but he believed that having another Night Demon as a loyal subordinate would be quite useful.
When Ethan learned that Zepharis was Seraphis' little brother, he needed no other reason to revive Zepharis, reuniting the Brother and Sister duo as they can both help out with his things.
Also, the reason why he picked the General Revival Life Card earlier was to have more subordinates, and a Night Demon would become a good subordinate for him.
Therefore, Ethan didn't hesitate and used the General Revival Life Card by saying that he had three pieces of good news for Zepharis.
However, he didn't explain them and directly revived Zepharis, which was one piece of good news.
'Ding,
The host has used a General Revival Life and successfully revived a Night Demon: Zepharis.
'Ding,
The Night Demon's loyalty is maximum. He won't betray the host no matter what unless you kill his sister Seraphis.
'Ding,
The host's Heavenly Talent [Heaven's Virtue] has been triggered.
'Ding,
By reviving a Night Demon, you have not only given a new life to the Night Demon but also gained an ally for the Human Race.
'Ding,
The host has received 10,000 Life Points from the Heavens as a reward.
'T-this….is it for real?'
Looking at the 10,000 Life Points, Ethan was thoroughly shocked before becoming excited.
'Getting 1000 Life Points from freeing the Night Demon Soul was already a surprise, but now, I am getting 10,000 Life Points.'
Many thoughts ran through Ethan's head as he started seeing the real value of the General Revival Life Card.
'Looks like I should not just destroy the Night Demon Puppets, but I should revive them.'
Previously, Ethan swore to Seraphis that he would destroy the Night Demon Puppets he encountered in the future and free the trapped souls inside.
However, now, he planned to revive them because not only would he get some good subordinates, but he would also get 10,000 Life Points for each successful revival.
'I should get more of these General Revival Life Cards and increase my loyal subordinates.'
Ethan clenched his fists in excitement as he decided to free more Night Demons and revive them.
'I just hope that I get more General Revival Life Cards.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan quickly put aside his thoughts and looked at the now-confused Zepharis.
Ethan welcomed his second Night Demon into his head.
"Thank you, Master. "Welcome back to life, Zepharis. This is the first piece of good news for you."
"From this moment onwards, my life belongs to you."
Zepharis didn't know why, but he had a feeling that the human in front of him was the only person who could help him with his goals.
"It's alright! Your life belongs to you, but just help me occasionally, and I will help you free more Night Demons that were turned into puppets."
Ethan assured Zepharis as he didn't wait for any reply and continued speaking, "The second piece of good news is that I have not only freed your sister Seraphis, but I have also revived her just like you."
"T..thanks, Master."
Zepharis' voice trembled slightly, his usually cold and detached demeanor cracking for just a moment as he thanked Ethan.
"As for the third piece of good news, I will help you reunite again; however, it will take some time. Can you survive in the Azure Serpent Realm on your own for a week or two?"
Although Ethan had revived Zepharis, he had no way to bring him home because Ethan would be directly reviving in the Small Courtyard.
"Rest assured, Master. As long as we don't encounter Golden Core Realm Cultivators or Rank 5 Beasts, no one would even know about my Night Demon presence."
Zepharis confidently assured Ethan about his survival skills.
"I know, but I suggest you stay close to the entrance at night and freely move in the daytime."
Nevertheless, Ethan still asked him to be careful and said, "You remember my scent, right? Next time I enter the Azure Serpent Realm, just come and find me."
Night Demons were good at tracking through scents…especially the living ones. Hence, Ethan was not worried about their reunion once the whole issue related to Galen was settled.
'Anyway, go now.'
Ethan didn't talk much with Zepharis and quickly sent him away before focusing on the next important thing.
'System, I will buy the Heavenly Lifespan Dew.'
Having just received 10,000 Life Points from reviving Zepharis, Ethan didn't waste any time making his decision.
He just wanted to purchase and use it immediately to ensure that whatever additional lifespan he gained from the Heavenly Lifespan Dew would be included in his Death Allowance before his next death.
'Ding,
The host has spent 10,000 Life Points and bought the Heavenly Lifespan Dew.
'With this, I have successfully purchased all the options from the Interface.'
When Ethan first saw the Heavenly Options on the Interface, he didn't think he could buy all of them; however, he had bought them all.
'It's all thanks to Galen. Thank you, Galen.'
If he hadn't killed Galen, he wouldn't have gotten 5,000 Life Points, the General Revival Life Card, and the Night Demon Puppet to destroy it before reviving it.
In short, Galen contributed 20,000 Life Points for Ethan to purchase two Heavenly Options from the Interface.
'Anyway, let's consume the Heavenly Lifespan Dew and increase my lifespan before finding a way to die.'
Although Ethan said that, he didn't directly consume the Heavenly Lifespan Dew that was stored inside a small glass bottle.
Instead, he checked out its information, which he could finally do after completing the purchase.
'Ding,
Heavenly Item: Heavenly Lifespan Dew.
Effect: A single drop can increase the lifespan of the consumer by 1000 years.
Note: There are three drops of Lifespan Dew inside the bottle.
'Great.'
Ethan expected to increase his lifespan by 1000 years; however, seeing that he could increase his lifespan by 3000 years, he was pleasantly surprised.
'3000 years of lifespan is much higher than a regular Golden Core Realm Cultivator's lifespan. No wonder it is a Heavenly Item.'
Ethan didn't think much of it as he directly drank the three drops of Heavenly Lifespan Dew.
'Ding,
The host has consumed three drops of Heavenly Lifespan Dew and increased his lifespan by 3000 years.
'Ding,
The host's lifespan has reached 4080 years.
'Less than 1000 years to reach 5000 years. If I have a Multiplier Life Card, then I would get lots of Life Points for my Death Allowance.'
When he first arrived in this world, Ethan never expected that in a span of two months, he would have more than 4000 years of lifespan.
'Since everything is done, it is time to die now.'
'Swish'
Just as he planned to move, Ethan's [Predator's Spirit] sensed four silhouettes coming toward him from four directions.
'Night Phantom Puppets? Looks like my plan really worked.'
Ethan smiled when he saw the Night Phantom Puppets and thought, 'It is even better that they have found me sooner than I thought.'
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From the conversations of the passerby cultivators, Ethan learned about the Night Demon Puppets that were searching for Galen's Killer.
Hence, Ethan was expecting the Night Demon Puppets to come for him after taking out the Night Demon Puppet from Galen's Storage Ring.
So, he was not surprised to see the incoming four Night Demon Puppets.
'It is much better to die in front of them rather than dying alone.'
With a smile, he stretched his body a little before running into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
"Master, we found the killer. He is running into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm."
One of the Night Demon Puppets communicated with Ronan, sharing Ethan's details.
"Go after him. Make sure he dies today at any cost and bring his corpse to me."
Ronan was confident in the skills of his Night Demon Puppets…especially their surviving skills. So, he was not worried about the dangers of the Azure Serpent Realm.
So, he ordered them to kill Ethan at any cost and bring his corpse to him.
"Yes, Master."
The four puppets nodded their heads like robots as they pursued Ethan.
'Come…come, follow me. You will witness a good show.'
With Ethan's speed, if he wanted to run away from the Night Demon Puppets, he could have easily done so; however, he intentionally stayed within the sight of the Night Demon Puppets as he planned a good show for them.
'Swiish'
'Swiish'
The chase continued for a while before Ethan thought, 'I guess that's enough running. Time to end it.'
Once he believed it was enough, Ethan changed his direction and rushed straight to the territory of the Azure Fire Python that killed him last time.
'Swiish'
'Swiish'
'There it is. It must be sleeping after dinner.'
Since Ethan already knew the Azure Fire Python's territory, he found it had no trouble sleeping just like the last time.
'Wake up, my dear friend. Time to help me.'
The moment he found it, Ethan didn't waste any time as he threw a stone at the Python with his full power.
'It's time to roast myself into nothingness.'
Since he got burnt to ashes last time, Ethan prepared himself both mentally and physically for his death.
'Hiss~'
Although that stone didn't harm the Python, it was annoyed to be woken up from its sleep and hissed at Ethan.
'Swoosh'
'Slurp'
Despite its size, the Azure Fire Python moved at an insane speed, and Ethan barely had any time to react as he was swallowed by it.
'Huh? It swallowed me?'
Ethan was prepared to get burned alive but not to be swallowed.
Nevertheless, in the next second, fiery flames appeared in the python's stomach that perfectly roasted him.
The intensity of those flames was so high that Ethan got killed within seconds after entering the Python's stomach.
...
"Master, he was devoured by the Azure Fire Python."
Outside, the four Night Demon Puppets quickly shared the news with their master.
"What? He got eaten by the Azure Fire Python?"
Ronan was slightly surprised because the Azure Serpent Realm is quite dangerous at night, not to mention in the depths…it is not a place for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
"Good work. Wait and silently observe the Azure Fire Python for a while before returning. Also, bring Raven with you when you come."
Ronan was already expecting that the killer's fate would end up in the claws or jaws of the Spirit Beasts in the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm and was happy with it.
Unlike Galen, Ronan didn't have any interest in torturing his prey. If he found the target useful, he would convert them into Puppets, and if the target was useless, he would just kill them and move on.
'Since I have taken care of that b*stard…it is time to cultivate and break through to the next level in my cultivation.'
With Ethan's death, Ronan became calm and focused on his cultivation.
Actually, if Ronan had been in the place of the Night Demon Puppets, although it was hard, he might have felt something was not right with Ethan's death.
However, because the Night Demon Puppets were just puppets without actual thinking ability, they were unable to sense anything wrong with Ethan's death.
As for why Ronan actively believed the Puppet's words, it was because they couldn't lie to him.
Moreover, he was already expecting Ethan to be killed by Rank 5 Spirit Beasts if he entered the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
Nevertheless, Ronan still ordered his puppets to wait and observe to see whether Ethan might come out of the Python's stomach alive.
…..
In the soul state,
'Ding,
The host has been killed. The [Godly Revival Ability] has been triggered.
'Ding,
The host has received a Death Allowance of 4064 Life Points.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 4214.
'Ding,
The [Interface of the Killer's Stats] is being generated. Please wait for a while.
Ethan regained his consciousness as he listened to the system notifications.
'I just hope that so-called Elder Ronan will stop searching for me now.'
Ethan silently hoped before focusing on the Life Points.
'With these Life Points, there is no way I can break through to the Golden Core Realm, but at least I will know the cost required for the breakthrough.'
He patiently waited for the system to generate the options in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
The cost of all the items shown in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] was within the limit of Ethan's available life points. If Ethan had no Life Points, there would still be options available on the Interface with the lowest cost possible.
For example, before breaking through to the Perfect Foundation Realm, if he had zero Life Points, in the [Cultivation] tab, the system would generate the next level that Ethan could break through to, which had a cost of 5000 Life Points.
For this same reason, since Ethan's next breakthrough was into the Golden Core Realm, he was sure that the system would generate the Golden Core Realm Breakthrough in the [Cultivation] option.
'Ding,
The [Interface of the Killer's Stats] is ready. Please check and buy the things you like.
After waiting for a while, the interface appeared in front of Ethan.
'T-this…it's very costly.'
'T-this…is very costly.'
Looking at the interface in front of him, Ethan could not help but drop his jaw.
'Ding,
[Interface of the Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Level 1 Golden Core Stage - 500,000 Life Points]
[2) [Cultivation Technique] None]
[3) [Skills] Flaming Python Rage - 3000 Life Points]
[4) [Cultivation Talent] Blazing Python Physique - 1000 Life Points]
[5) [Inventory] Fire Dragon Blood Essence - 1000 Life Points]
'500,000 Life Points…500,000 Life Points. When can I accumulate that many Life Points?'
Ethan knew that breaking through to the Golden Core Realm would be costly and was expecting it to be around 100,000 Life Points.
However, it was five times more than what he had expected, making him thoroughly shocked.
'Looks like I should break through to the Golden Core Realm through manual cultivation.'
Since there were still five more months left before the deadline of his [Golden Core Mission, Ethan felt that he could try to break through manually.
Currently, he not only had a High-level Earth Spirit Root, but he also had the [Heavenly Spirit Essence Refining Technique].
With these two things, Ethan was confident about breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.
'I can use the Perfect Quality Azure Profound Grass to get some cultivation resources that will increase my chances and help me break through smoothly to the Golden Core Realm.'
With the Azure Profound Grass he harvested previously, and the ones he would be harvesting in the future, Ethan was not worried about money.
'Since my cultivation is taken care of, let's check out the other available options on the interface.'
Only after finalizing his plan for the Golden Core breakthrough did Ethan pay attention to the other available options on the interface.
'I thought the system would come up with a Cultivation Technique. Looks like I was wrong.'
Cultivation Techniques are for humans, whereas Spirit Beasts have Skills.
Nevertheless, Ethan was expecting that since the system was able to convert the Spirit Beast's Rank into cultivation, he thought it could convert one of its skills into a Cultivation Technique.
'Ding,
Due to the lack of a Cultivation Technique, the host will be compensated with 1000 Life Points.
'1000 Life Points as compensation for the missing Cultivation Technique? Great.'
Ethan was not too disappointed about the missing Cultivation Technique; however, receiving 1000 Life Points brightened his mood.
'The Skill: Flaming Python Rage looks powerful, and it costs more than the Azure Serpent Eyes I bought from the Azure Serpent Fiend King. So, let's buy it.'
'The Fire Dragon Blood Essence—it might have other uses; however, I think it can be used to nurture the Dragonheart Lotus in the Small Courtyard.'
'As for the Cultivation Talent: Blazing Python Physique, there is no way I am missing out on something that costs only 1000 Life Points.'
In the past, 1000 Life Points for a cultivation talent was very costly for Ethan; however, now, it seemed quite cheap.
Moreover, he had just enough Life Points to buy them. So, without any hesitation, Ethan bought all the available options except for the [Cultivation] option, which he could not afford.
'Ding,
The host has spent 3000 Life Points and bought the Skill [Flaming Python Rage].
'Ding,
The host has spent 1000 Life Points and bought the item [Fire Dragon Blood Essence].
'Ding,
The host has spent 1000 Life Points and bought the Cultivation Talent [Blazing Python Physique].
'Ding,
All the purchased items will be issued along with the host's revival.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 214.
Soon, Ethan received the confirmation notifications from the system.
'Back to 214 Life Points.'
Ethan smiled and looked at his pitiful Life Points; however, he was not worried about it.
Right now, Ethan had various sources from which he could earn Life Points.
Excluding his major source, the Azure Secret Grove, he could earn Life Points from harvesting Spirit Plants, nurturing Spirit Beasts and subordinates, doing good deeds that had an impact on the world, and, last but not least, the Weekly Death Allowance he received from dying.
So, it was only a matter of time before he accumulated a lot of Life Points.
Time continued to pass, and one hour went by in a flash, as the system asked him to choose his revival location.
'Third Safe Point: Small Courtyard.'
Without hesitation, he chose to revive at the Small Courtyard, and in the next second, he lost his consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he was successfully revived in his room.
'Time to check out the details about my last transactions.'
In his soul form, he would not get the full information about the items he bought from the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
Hence, the first thing he did after reviving was to check out those things he had bought from the interface.
'First, the Skill [Flaming Python Rage].'
As soon as he thought about the skill, the system displayed the information about the skill.
'Ding,
Skill Name: Flaming Python Rage.
Effect: Upon activation, the host's body doubles in size, and all of his battle prowess is increased by two times for five minutes.
Cooldown: One day.
'What? Directly doubling my battle prowess?'
Ethan was pleasantly surprised by the skill effects and liked it.
'If I had this skill, I could have easily killed Galen in a face-to-face fight.'
Although Ethan's [Blazing Sun Palm] was powerful, he knew that the real reason he was able to kill Galen was the support from his [Night Phantom Concealment] and [Shadow Steps].
If not, Galen would have easily avoided his Palm Technique and summoned the Night Demon Puppet from his storage ring.
'If he had played it safe and summoned the Night Demon Puppet, things would have been different for Galen.'
Ethan was not arrogant just because of his Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivation and three Cultivation Techniques with Greater Completion Mastery.
'With this new skill, no one could defeat me in a one-on-one combat.'
Ethan clenched his fists in excitement as he checked out the next item, which was a fiery red-colored blood drop stored in a small glass bottle.
Just by holding it, Ethan could feel the heat emitted by the blood drop.
'Ding,
Item Name: Fire Dragon Blood Essence.
Grade: Rank 5.
Effect: When a Rank 4 Fire-type or Dragon-type Spirit Beast consumes this blood essence, their chances of breaking through to Rank 5 increase by 30 percent.
Note: There is a small chance for the Spirit Beast to awaken the Fire Dragon's Bloodline.
'It seems this Blood Essence is a minor version of the Primordial Beast Blood.'
This Blood Essence was only effective on two types of Spirit Beasts, namely Fire-type and Dragon-type, whereas the Primordial Beast Blood could be consumed by all Spirit Beasts, guaranteeing their breakthrough to Rank 5.
'Hm…currently, I don't have any Fire-type or Dragon-type Spirit Beasts; however, I can use it to nurture the Dragonheart Lotus.'
The true reason he bought the Fire Dragon Blood Essence was for the sake of the Dragonheart Lotus.
Since it didn't have any heaven-defying effects like the Primordial Beast Blood, Ethan decided to use it for the Dragonheart Lotus.
'The last item is my favorite—the Cultivation Talent.'
After keeping the blood drop aside, Ethan looked at his new Cultivation Talent, [Blazing Python Physique] with expectant eyes.
'Ding,
Cultivation Talent: Blazing Python Physique.
Effects:...
'Ding,
Cultivation Talent: Blazing Python Physique.
Effects:
1) (Passive) Defense of the user will be doubled, and it will be tripled against fire-type attacks.
2) When learning defensive cultivation techniques, the comprehension speed will be doubled, and it will be tripled if it is both a defensive and a fire-type cultivation technique.
'Passive Defense? It's a good cultivation talent.'
Ethan was only expecting the first effect, so he felt happy to see there was another effect.
'However, converting it into a Special Talent…I don't think it is necessary.'
Although he liked it, Ethan didn't have any plan to convert it into a Special Talent.
Not to mention he had to spend 100 Life Points, but when he converted another Cultivation Talent in the future, the cost would increase to 1000 Life Points.
'Let's only convert the Cultivation Talents that are quite good like Primal Beast Master or the Essence of Harvesting. There is no need to convert all the Cultivation Talents I encounter in the future.'
Ethan knew that there were many good cultivation talents out there waiting for him.
Once he obtained them, he would convert them into Special Talents, upgrading their effects to a whole new level.
Hence, he decided not to casually convert all the Cultivation Talents he bought from the Interface.
'Regarding this new Cultivation Talent, I don't feel any changes. Maybe because I was revived with it.'
Unlike other cultivation talents, the [Blazing Python Physique] was quite different, and Ethan thought he would feel the difference.
However, he didn't feel any difference, making him conclude that it must be because he had revived with it.
'Anyway, there is no need to think about it.'
Ethan stopped thinking about it as he quickly thought of another interesting thing.
'It's time to check out the valuable cultivation resources I gained from Galen's storage ring.'
Back in the Azure Serpent Realm, Ethan had already transferred all the Spirit Stones and other valuable cultivation resources from Galen's Storage Ring into his own Storage Ring.
So, he slowly took out one item after another from the Vital Bloom Ring.
'The first item is the Dragon Marrow Crystal, which greatly helps while breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.'
Ethan took out an irregular but polished gemstone from the ring. It was none other than the Dragon Marrow Crystal.
'It feels warm and full of Life Energy.'
Touching the smooth texture of the irregular gemstone, Ethan sensed the Life Energy inside as though something inside the stone was alive.
'Ding,
Item Name: Dragon Marrow Crystal.
Effects: Increases the chances of a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm, and at the same time, the ascended cultivator gains more lifespan compared to those who haven't used it.
Note: The lifespan effect will be added to the cultivator's lifespan after his successful breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.
Information: It is formed from the solidified essence of an ancient dragon's bone marrow over thousands of years.
Soon, the system displayed the information about the Dragon Marrow Crystal, which made Ethan a bit surprised when he read it.
'It will increase the lifespan of the Golden Core Realm Cultivator if he uses it for his breakthrough?'
Whenever a cultivator breaks through to a higher realm, his lifespan greatly increases.
For example, a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator's lifespan increases from 100 to 250 when he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The same cultivator, when he breaks through to the Golden Core Realm, his standard lifespan of 250 years will be extended to 1000 years.
Of course, in the above example, it is assumed that the cultivator has not used any treasures or Cultivation Resources that increase his lifespan, which is actually true for most cultivators.
Hence, Ethan was shocked that other than increasing the breakthrough chances, the Dragon Marrow Crystal increased lifespan.
'It is truly a great item.'
For Ethan, who had decided to break through to the Golden Core Realm through manual cultivation, he was in need of items like the Dragon Marrow Crystal.
The additional effect of increasing lifespan was a bonus for him, making the Dragon Marrow Crystal a great item.
'No wonder Galen exchanged it for a Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg. But that egg somehow ended up in Galen's storage ring again.'
Deep down, Ethan could not help but feel happy that Galen was an evil cultivator; otherwise, he would have missed out on lots of good things.
'Let's store it for now and use it when I am ready to break through to the Golden Core Realm.'
Ethan kept it inside and took out the remaining valuable items.
'The Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg can be hatched anytime as long as I drip some of my blood and Spirit Essence into it; however, let's hatch it after I check out my gains.'
Ethan gently touched the egg and sensed a strong lifeform inside it and thought, 'There is also the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg; however, I should not hatch it here.'
Hatching a Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg might not be an issue; however, Ethan was worried about hatching the Heavenly Spirit Beast Egg in the small courtyard because of the energy fluctuations created by the Heavenly Spirit Beast inside.
'I should hatch it after I successfully gain full control over the Mystic Soil Domain.'
He had already planned to hatch it in the Mystic Soil Domain, where there wouldn't be any issues.
'As for the Talent Awakening Fruit, since I have already eaten one, I can't eat another one.'
When it comes to treasures like the Talent Awakening Fruit, a cultivator can't eat more than one. Even if he does, he won't awaken another talent.
'But, I can give it to others and help them awaken a new talent.'
Thinking of this, Ethan could not help but become happy because he could trigger the [Heaven's Virtue] again and get Life Points for his actions.
'The last valuable item…I am not sure, but I feel it is the legendary Golden Core Pill that increases the success rate of the breakthrough to the Golden Core by 50 percent.'
Ethan picked up the glass bottle in which a golden pill was placed and guessed its name.
'Ding,
Item Name: Golden Core Pill.
Effect: When breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, if the cultivator consumes the Golden Core Pill, his chances of forming the Golden Core increase by 50 percent.
Additional Effect: In case the cultivator still fails to form the Golden Core in his dantian, he will be protected by the excess energy of the Golden Core Pill.
Note: In short, his dantian and the foundation bead will be protected even if he fails to break through to the Golden Core Realm.
'It is really a Golden Core Pill.'
Ethan's eyes lit up when he read the full information about the Golden Core Pill and understood why it was valuable.
'With both the Golden Core Pill and the Dragon Marrow Crystal, combined with my High-level Earth Spirit Root and the Heavenly Spirit Essence Cultivation Technique, there is no way I am going to fail in breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, right?'
With the two cultivation resources he gained from Galen, Ethan was quite confident in his breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.
'I wonder what type of Spirit Beast Cub will come out of this egg.'
Ethan kept the Golden Core Pill aside, and without wasting any time, he started hatching the Unknown Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg in front of him.
'Kacha'
'Kacha'
A fine crack appeared on the surface of the egg as a faint surge of energy pulsed from within, as more cracks rapidly spread like a spider's web.
'Inject'
Ethan continued to inject Spirit Essence into the egg, and maybe because it was an egg of a Rank 5 Spirit Beast, it continued to absorb more and more Spirit Essence.
'Boom!'
With a sudden burst of energy, the shell shattered into countless fragments, revealing a small, curled-up creature within.
'A Wolf Pup?'
Ethan was surprised to see the little creature.
The Rank 5 Spirit Beast Egg indeed hatched a small yet sturdy wolf pup with its fur damp and sticking close to its body.
'Twitch'
Its ears twitched as it instinctively sniffed the air, as though it was searching for its mother.
Then, suddenly, its nose stopped sniffing in Ethan's direction, and its tiny golden eyes snapped open.
For a brief moment, the two locked eyes.
And then…
"Awoo~"
The wolf pup let out a soft, high-pitched howl before its body sprang into motion.
Without hesitation, it dashed toward Ethan, stumbling clumsily at first before quickly regaining its balance.
By the time it reached him, its tail was wagging furiously, golden eyes gleaming with excitement.
"It is quite funny and cheerful."
Looking at the pup, Ethan could not help but laugh.
'Awo…awo'
The little wolf barked and circled around Ethan's legs, rubbing against him as it let out soft, eager whines.
'Ding,
The host has formed a contract with a Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf (Pup). Do you want to change it into a Special Contract under your Special Talent [Primal Beast Sovereign]?'
As Ethan was playing with the wolf pup, a sudden system notification appeared in front of him.
'Hm…I want to know about this Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf (Pup) before making that decision.'
Although Ethan knew that the Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf Pup had the potential to reach Rank 5, he didn't want to waste his Special Contracts under the [Primal Beast Sovereign].
Currently, Ethan could form four Special Contracts with the Spirit Beasts using his Special Talent and gain one of their abilities for free. So, Ethan wanted to be careful with his Special Contracts to awaken some rare and useful skills.
'Show.'
'Ding,
Thanks to the host's Special Talent related to the Spirit Beasts, the system can now provide more detailed information on his Spirit Beasts.'
'Ding,
Spirit Beast: Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf.
Grade: Rank 1 (Pup).
Skills: Moonlight Blessing.
Moonlight Blessing: Under the moonlight, it can absorb lunar energy to increase its strength, heal its injuries, or recover its stamina.
Potential: Rank 5.
Likes: Moonlight, Cool Breezes, High Places, Beast Cores…
Dislikes: Sunlight, Water, Being Ignored, Loud Noises.
Information: The Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf is a rare and powerful Spirit Beast known for its exceptional agility, intelligence, and latent potential for evolution. The moment they are born, they start as an average Wind-type Spirit Beast; however, as they grow, they have only one goal in life, and that is to evolve into a very powerful Spirit Beast.
More Information: Without any evolutions, it will become a Rank 5 Spirit Beast in its life without much difficulty; however, if it can evolve, its potential can grow to Rank 7 or even Rank 9, or beyond, depending on its evolution.
Compared to the time when the system showed the information about the Mystic Soil Turtle, the information about the Golden-Eyed Silver Wolf was very detailed to the point where it even mentioned its likes and dislikes.
Ethan was not surprised by the change because even if the system didn't give such detailed information, he could have just checked the additional information on his Spirit Pet with his Special Talent.
'So, it is a powerful Spirit Beast, but forming a Special Contract with it… seems not ideal… at least for now, it's not a good idea.'
The thing is, it is not at all ideal to form a Special Contract with a hatchling because they only have one or two skills.
So, Ethan didn't reject the thought of forming a Special Contract with it.
Although the pup had a skill [Moonlight Blessing, which seemed interesting, Ethan was not interested in it.
'For now, a simple contract with it will do, and in the future, when it evolves and unlocks some cool skills, I will think about it.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan kept aside his thoughts and started playing with it before bringing it to the Mystic Soil Turtle.
"Pebble, meet Fang."
"Fang, it's Pebble."
Fang was the name Ethan had come up with for the wolf pup because it was born with a sharp fang. Ethan was not good at naming things, as he tended to give casual names that he thought suited his Spirit Pets.
Soon, he introduced the two little Spirit Beasts to each other, where Fang excitedly circled around its new friend.
However, the Mystic Soil Turtle seemed to be shy as it hid itself inside its shell, occasionally glancing at the wolf pup.
With the pup's cheerful mood and playful nature, it eventually made Pebble come out of its shell.
'They seem to have become good friends.'
Ethan heaved a sigh of relief that his two little Spirit Beasts had become friends because he had heard in the past that his colleagues sometimes complained about their pets fighting each other at the beginning.
'Maybe because they are not normal animals but Spirit Beasts, they know how to become a family in no time.'
This was the conclusion that Ethan had come to before joining them to relax for a bit.
In less than half an hour, the little wolf was tired and fell asleep after Ethan fed it a Rank 1 Beast Core.
'Time to nurture the Mutated Spirit Grass.'
Ethan felt refreshed after spending some time with the two little Spirit Pets and went back to his main work, which was to nurture the Spirit Plants.
'Mutated Spirit Grass is done. Now, Clearheart Lotus Plants and the Dragonheart Lotus.'
After taking care of the Mutated Spirit Grass, Ethan walked to the Small Spirit Pond.
On the edges of the Small Spirit Pond, there were 20 Clearheart Lotus Plants thriving under the care of both Ethan and the Dragonheart Lotus.
He carefully stepped to the edge of the Small Spirit Pond, his gaze fixed on the Dragonheart Lotus at the center of the pond.
"The Dragonheart Lotus looks quite majestic and magnificent among the Clearheart Lotus Plants. As expected of a Special Rank 5 Spirit Plant."
Looking at the majestic appearance of the Dragonheart Lotus, Ethan could not help but shower it with praises.
As though hearing his praises, the deep crimson petals of the Dragonheart Lotus swayed gently despite the absence of wind, faint embers flickering around them.
'Swiish'
The spirit energy surrounding it pulsed faintly, as if the Dragonheart Lotus was acknowledging his praises.
'Huh?'
Seeing the sudden movement of the Dragonheart Lotus petals made Ethan think of something, so he hurriedly checked its [Live Status].
[Spirit Plant Name: Dragonheart Lotus]
[Grade: Special Rank 5]
[Status: Happy: Finally, you know how to appreciate me, Human. Do it more often, and I might surprise you when you harvest me.]
'T-this… it likes being praised?'
Ethan was surprised for a moment; however, his eyes lit up.
"How could I not appreciate a majestic Spirit Plant like the Dragonheart Lotus? For your highness, I brought a little delicacy that will surely match your taste."
While saying that, Ethan took out the Fire Dragon Blood Essence from his storage ring and thought in his head, 'Let's see how much the Fire Dragon Blood Essence speeds up the Dragonheart Lotus's growth.'
Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
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