Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body, Talisman Treasure (Please Bookmark)

"There's actually a skeleton here?"

Qi Chuan looked at the skeleton inside the tree hole, his expression filled with surprise.

One had to know that beneath this Spirit Ginseng Tree was a swarm of Bloodthirsty Spirit Bees. Yet this skeleton had actually managed to reach this place while alive?

"It should have arrived in this tree hole before the Bloodthirsty Spirit Bees appeared, then died here in meditation."

Qi Chuan guessed inwardly.

Then, he looked at the skeleton before him.

This skeleton had clearly been dead for many years. Not a shred of flesh remained on its body, leaving only bones. Yet its bones were not pale white, but instead carried a faint crystal-clear sheen, as though they were made of crystal. It was exceedingly peculiar.

"It should be the skeleton of a cultivator, and its owner's cultivation base was likely far from ordinary in life," Qi Chuan thought to himself.

A Mortal could not have entered the Cloud Rising Mountains. Although the Cloud Rising Mountains were relatively safe compared to truly perilous lands, many demonic beasts still dwelled within them.

Moreover, the abnormality of these bones was not something a Mortal could possess.

As for why this cultivator had died in meditation here, whether he had suffered fatal injuries in life, or whether some enemy had pursued him, Qi Chuan knew nothing.

From the surface, this skeleton revealed no mysterious information. Instead, it added an even greater air of mystery, leaving Qi Chuan unable to determine who the other party had been.

"Perhaps he was originally a cultivator from the Wind Moon Sect, or perhaps an outsider?"

Qi Chuan speculated inwardly.

He leaned more toward the possibility that this had been an outsider, because he felt that the skeleton's cultivation base had not been low in life. If he had been a sect cultivator, then even if he suffered fatal injuries, he could have returned to the sect before dying beyond treatment.

Only an outsider would hide within this tree hole for some reason, fearing that he might alert pursuers who could be nearby.

Of course, there was another possibility: the enemy this skeleton had faced in life might have come from within the Wind Moon Sect.

But whatever the reason, it had little to do with Qi Chuan. Right now, he cared more about something else.

Qi Chuan's gaze fell beneath the skeleton's gray robes. The gray robes were also a Dharma robe, but after the erosion of time, the formations inscribed upon them had already failed.

Yet beneath the gray robes, something seemed to be faintly visible.

Seeing this, Qi Chuan swept out a hand. The hem of the gray robe immediately flipped aside, fully exposing the objects within.

"This is..."

Qi Chuan's eyes widened as he looked at the objects. With a beckoning gesture, two items appeared before him.

One was a yellowed booklet, upon which were written five Ancient Script characters: "Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body."

"Could this be..."

Upon seeing those words, a conjecture arose in Qi Chuan's mind, and a trace of anticipation appeared in his eyes. He immediately opened the yellowed booklet and gave it a rough read.

You roughly browsed through the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body once, attempting to understand its contents. Tenfold Critical Hit triggered. You gained tenfold rewards. Your understanding of the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body has improved slightly.

Just as expected, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

"It really is a Body Refining Cultivation Method!"

Qi Chuan smiled faintly at the sight.

At the same time, the understanding of the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body flooding into his mind also confirmed that it was indeed a Body Refining Cultivation Method.

He had actually picked up a Body Refining Cultivation Method.

"It is said that to break through the Qi Refining bottleneck and reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, one must face three great barriers..." Thoughts surfaced in Qi Chuan's mind.

Though he had been born a Mortal, he had come this far and was now an Inner Sect Disciple of the Wind Moon Sect. Naturally, he already understood the basic common knowledge of the Cultivation World.

"The first barrier is that one's Spell Power must reach Perfection of Qi Refining, which is the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining. Only with sufficiently robust Spell Power can one attempt the Foundation Establishment bottleneck."

"The second barrier is the physical body, or rather, the Vitality Stage. The deeper one's vitality, the easier it becomes to charge toward Foundation Establishment."

"Because cultivators possess Spell Power within their bodies, and their bodies are constantly nourished by it, their physical qualities steadily strengthen and their vitality grows abundant. In the end, they can possess bodies comparable to martial artists among Mortals, Martial Arts Masters. But for breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck, that is still not enough."

"Once a cultivator passes sixty years of age, their body weakens and their vitality declines. Their chance of successfully achieving Foundation Establishment will plummet in a straight line."

"Therefore, the physical body is extremely important for reaching Foundation Establishment. I have heard that some exceptionally gifted cultivators, confident that they will reach the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining before sixty, begin cultivating a Body Refining Cultivation Method as a supplementary practice as early as the early and middle stages of Qi Refining. They strengthen their bodies and vitality, thereby increasing their future chances of successfully achieving Foundation Establishment..."

"And I possess Hundredfold Critical Hit. Reaching the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining before sixty will be very easy, and I will have plenty of extra time. Now that I have even found a Body Refining Cultivation Method, why not begin Dual Cultivation of Mana and Body from now on?"

"That should add another measure to my odds of Foundation Establishment!"

Many thoughts surged through Qi Chuan's mind. As he looked at the Body Refining Cultivation Method, the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body, in his hand, his eyes shone with delight.

With Hundredfold Critical Hit, he was not picky about cultivation methods in the first place. As long as it was a Body Refining Cultivation Method, he could cultivate it step by step and eventually master it.

Moreover, based on the understanding of the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body that had just emerged in his mind, this Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body was a rather good Body Refining Cultivation Method.

It had six layers in total. The First Three Layers corresponded to the Qi Refining Realm, while the Last Three Layers corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Once one cultivated to the Third Layer, the physical body alone would be strong enough to contend with cultivators at the Late Qi Refining Stage, or even the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining.

And if one could cultivate it to the Sixth Layer, one would be able to contend with Cultivators below Core Formation.

Unfortunately, after the sixth layer, the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body had reached its end.

Even so, the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body was undoubtedly an extremely good Body Refining Cultivation Method for the current Qi Chuan. After all, it could be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, while Foundation Establishment itself was still somewhat distant for him.

"I'll put it away first. Once I return, I'll begin cultivating it."

With a faint smile, Qi Chuan put away the Minor Profound Crystal Jade Body Manual, then looked toward the other item.

"This one is... a Magic Artifact? Or a Talisman?"

But after examining it for a while, a trace of puzzlement appeared in Qi Chuan's eyes.

Although Qi Chuan had not seen particularly many Talismans or Magic Artifacts, he believed he could still distinguish between them.

But now, he was somewhat confused.

Although this object looked like a Talisman, it was several times larger than an ordinary Talisman in both length and width. Furthermore, it bore the image of a Black Giant Ruler somewhat resembling a Magic Artifact, every detail rendered with exquisite precision and vivid lifelikeness, as though a real, heavy black ruler stood before his eyes.

It was unlike ordinary Talismans, whose Talisman Paper was inscribed with Runes.

"What exactly is this... No, could this be the legendary Talisman Treasure?"

As the puzzled Qi Chuan suddenly thought of something, a look of astonishment spread across his face.

In the Cultivation World, above Magic Artifacts were Spirit Artifacts. However, Spirit Artifacts could generally only be possessed and wielded by Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators.

Above Spirit Artifacts were Magic Treasures, objects that only beings at Core Formation and above could wield.

Yet one type of item lay outside this classification. It surpassed the scope of Spirit Artifacts but was not a Magic Treasure, though it possessed a fraction of a Magic Treasure's might.

That was a Talisman Treasure.

A Talisman Treasure was, in truth, created when a Core Formation Cultivator sealed the might of a Magic Treasure into a special Talisman. However, doing so would destroy the original Magic Treasure. Only Core Formation Cultivators nearing the end of their Lifespan would do such a thing, their purpose being to bestow a Talisman Treasure and protect the growth of their Juniors or disciples.

But even under the best circumstances, a Talisman Treasure possessed only thirty percent of the original Magic Treasure's might, and it could only be used a certain number of times. Once the spiritual energy within the Talisman Treasure was exhausted, it would turn into a pile of ashes.

Thinking of this, Qi Chuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he looked at the enormous Talisman bearing the black ruler.

"This should indeed be the legendary Talisman Treasure!"

It fit too perfectly. Other than a Talisman Treasure, Qi Chuan could think of no other explanation.

He wanted to verify it, but this was not a place to linger, so he could only let the matter rest.

"I'll try out the power of this Talisman Treasure when I get the chance," Qi Chuan thought.

Then, in an exceptionally good mood, he put away the Talisman Treasure as well. After briefly inspecting the tree hole and finding no other valuable items within, he finally prepared to leave.

As for the skeleton, although its owner had once been a cultivator with a respectable cultivation base and had cultivated a Body Refining Cultivation Method, leaving even the bones somewhat unusual after death, it held no value for Qi Chuan.

He swept a glance toward the outside of the valley. Even now, the swarm of Bloodthirsty Spirit Bees had yet to return, but to be safe, it was better to leave sooner.

Qi Chuan immediately leaped down from the Spirit Ginseng Tree. His body rose into the air, and he flew toward the valley entrance. He paid no heed to the Spirit Herbs in the valley, carrying his abundant harvest as he prepared to reunite with Qi Chan'er.