New Hextech!

Normally, it takes a newly promoted Nascent Soul Cultivator about three hundred years to break through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Of course, this is the case where one relies solely on their own hard work and self-cultivation.

If the opportunity arises to use Fourth-Order Spiritual Item for assistance, this process can often be effectively shortened.

Theoretically speaking, Xiao Chen accelerated his cultivation with the help of spiritual objects and Spirit Stone.

However, he spent a little more Spirit Stone than others.

In addition, the spiritual resources consumed far exceed those of ordinary people, and there are also various Secret Method to help them.

In the end, it only took him two years and one month to gather 3,333 strands of true essence and successfully break through in one fell swoop.

"Wow, breaking through even Minor Bottleneck is really not easy."

Feeling the surging true energy within his body and the rapidly growing nascent Nascent Soul, Xiao Chen couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "I almost didn't make it through this hurdle."

"Luckily, I'm a cut above the rest."

Keep in mind that he failed four times in a row before finally succeeding on the fifth attempt.

Fortunately, he had acquired enough Wood Element Dao Comprehension Crystal and Purple-Gold Bodhi beforehand, which helped him at a crucial moment.

Otherwise, the final outcome would be really hard to say.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen has overcome this hurdle, and as his Nascent Soul grows stronger, his Divine Sense also begins to increase rapidly.

Originally, even when he released all his Divine Sense, he could only cover an area within a radius of a thousand miles.

But now this range is beginning to grow dramatically.

With almost every breath, Xiao Chen could feel his Divine Sense expanding outwards by tens of miles.

It eventually swelled to a radius of two thousand miles before finally stopping.

Although it appears to have doubled in size, the actual coverage area is four times larger than before.

The sudden addition of such a large area, not to mention the inanimate objects such as mountains, rocks, rivers, and seas, has resulted in a several-fold increase in the variety of flowers, trees, and fish swimming in the sea.

Xiao Chen was also almost dazzled by the sights, unable to take it all in.

It took me a while to adjust to this completely new field of vision.

At the same time, as the growth of his Divine Sense gradually stopped, the energy within his body also slowly stabilized, which meant that the breakthrough was officially completed.

Three more cards, shimmering with silver light, appeared before him.

[Placebo: Receive a certain amount of gold coins (based on your current Cultivation Realm, the minimum will not be less than Ten Million Spirit Stones, and the maximum will not exceed ninety-nine million Spirit Stone). One of the most effective Placebo in the world is a massive amount of Spirit Stone.]

[Alchemical Overload I: You will explode upon death, dealing damage equivalent to a full-force attack from a Great Ascension Stage cultivator to everything within your maximum Divine Sense Range. Alchemy technology, kid!]

[Black Iron Assets: Obtained the exact location and opening token of a hidden cave abode, containing some of the assets and Breakthrough Spirit Item left behind by the Black Iron Venerable. This treasure is reserved for a destined person.]

"What a pity, it's actually Silver Hextech."

As soon as Xiao Chen saw the silver light, he knew he hadn't managed to draw the Golden Hextech this time.

But it's not a big problem; good Silver Hextech is just as good as gold.

Some can even rival Prism Hextech, but the key is to look at the specific effects.

He followed his usual practice and started reading from the first one.

"Hmm, this name doesn't seem quite right."

Xiao Chen glanced at the words ' Placebo ' and immediately had a bad feeling.

This premonition came true on the spot after he saw its specific effects.

"Can you please remove all the economy-related Hextech? They're just taking up a valuable card slot for nothing."

Xiao Chen, while not making a fortune every day, now has a stable way to acquire Spirit Stone.

He was no longer the low-level cultivator who longed for unexpected wealth, so upon seeing the economic Hextech items, he sighed inwardly.

Then, in my heart, I had basically already chosen to give up.

Although theoretically, he has a certain chance of winning the grand prize of 90 million Spirit Stone, which is enough to directly cover the subsequent consumption of the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method>.

Even at Xiao Chen's current rate of earning money, it would still take him several years to save up 90 million Spirit Stone.

But he still didn't want to choose this Hextech.

After all, for any Nascent Soul True Lord, earning Spirit Stone is ultimately a relatively easy thing.

Moreover, firstly, Xiao Chen doesn't have any urgent need for money right now, and secondly, he might not be able to win the highest prize of 90 million in one go.

Taking all these factors into account, this Hextech offers even less value for money.

"Let's look at the next two."

Xiao Chen turned to look at the second [Alchemical Overload I], and then a huge question mark rose in his head, "Huh?"

"What is this thing?"

What the hell is this alchemical technology?! What the hell is all this?!

He came here to cultivate immortality, not to take revenge on the world.

Although choosing this Hextech almost guarantees Mutual Destruction destruction with your enemy.

It might not just be the enemy; it could probably take the surrounding audience with it.

If the location is chosen cleverly, such as near the enemy's sect or even Holy City.

This could absolutely create a sensational news story, one that would be passed down through the ages and shock countless future generations.

But the cost is just too high; we simply can't afford it.

"But then again, if there are more Hextech revival-type Hextech later on, could there be some unexpected crossovers?"

Xiao Chen tried hard to recall his past life's wisdom, and he seemed to remember there being a resurrection-type Hextech.

The problem is that Hextech retrieval is entirely an uncontrollable event.

Currently, he has only summarized one point: Prism Hextech is almost guaranteed to appear when breaking through to the Major Realm, but the specific type of Hextech remains uncertain.

If you choose this option and then don't get Hextech synergy with resurrection items later, it's practically a wasted choice.

Moreover, there's also the issue of the order in which these effects take effect.

Even if Xiao Chen draws a resurrection-type Hextech later, it would be awkward if he resurrected first and then triggered [Alchemical Overload I].

If this were a game, of course you could consider taking a gamble; at worst, the eighth player would be eliminated.

However, in the Cultivation World, it seems one should be more cautious and avoid doing things with serious risks.

"My luck seems to be a bit bad this time?"

Having encountered two difficult-to-obtain Hextech, Xiao Chen had no choice but to place all his hopes on the last Hextech.

If another trashy Hextech comes along, he'd practically surrender immediately.

Fortunately, the third Hextech [Black Iron Assets] seems pretty good based on its name.

Although it's just an ordinary, unremarkable name, it's even somewhat touching when compared to the two names mentioned above.

Xiao Chen carefully examined its effects. "Black Iron Venerable?"

"Breakthrough Spirit Item!"

Upon seeing those four words, his eyes widened immediately.

Although Xiao Chen had never heard of the title "Black Iron Venerable" before, the fact that he was called Venerable meant that he was a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

A Spirit Transformation cultivator left behind some assets and Breakthrough Spirit Item in his cave abode.

Wow, even just a portion of the assets sounds incredibly attractive!

Although it is only a portion of the assets on paper, it doesn't seem like a lot at first glance.

But you must understand, that came from a Venerable!

Even the slightest leak of something from between the fingers of the other party would be a tremendous fortuitous opportunity for Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Whether it's valuable or not is secondary.

The most crucial point is that if a cultivator's own Cultivation Realm is not high enough, they won't even have the right to look at some rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, let alone obtain them.

Not to mention that it has already been confirmed that at least one of them will be a Breakthrough Spirit Item.

"Oh ho! What exactly is this 'Breakthrough Spirit Item' that a Venerable One mentioned?"

Xiao Chen's eyes darted around. "At the very least, it should be Breakthrough Spirit Item used when Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation breaks through to the Divine Transformation stage, right?"

Without a doubt, this was something extremely important to him!

You should know that since breaking through to the Nascent Soul...

Although Xiao Chen has gradually accumulated quite a few Fourth-Order Spiritual Item, he still doesn't have a single one that can help him break through to the Spirit Transformation Breakthrough Spirit Item.

Forget about finding anything, there wasn't even a single reliable clue.

After all, if there were such a thing or reliable clues, the other True Lord would have already pounced on it.

Since it concerns the vital Dao Path, no one will hold back when they fight for it.

"Okay, I've chosen you!"

Xiao Chen silently recited a command, and the third card instantly split in two.

Half of it landed in front of him, bursting into a violent white light in mid-air.

When the white light dissipated, a jet-black token fell down.

It landed perfectly in Xiao Chen's palm.

The other half flew straight into his sea of consciousness, transforming into a stream of information.

First, a rather rudimentary sea map appeared in his mind's eye, with only a glittering red dot marked on the Kunpeng Sea, closer to the Storm Sea.

About three breaths later, the information flow, like browsing through Inheritance Jade Slip, took him as if to another world.

Then, Xiao Chen, the guide, witnessed the completion of the cave abode and its exact location almost with his own eyes.

"Oh?"

Looking at this location, which almost touched the northern edge of the Storm Sea, Xiao Chen's heart skipped a beat. "It's actually there?"

This location is just too perfect.

If you travel another million miles to the southwest, you will find the famous Vast Sea Secret Realm.

Moreover, it should be noted that over a million miles is a relatively long distance for low-level cultivators.

However, for Nascent Soul True Lord, it is only equivalent to a journey of ten days to half a month.

Furthermore, for someone at the level of the Black Iron Venerable, it's not exactly like being at their doorstep, but it's basically a place they can reach with just a few steps.

"So, this Black Iron Venerable is actually a cultivator from the Storm Sea?"

Xiao Chen made this deduction almost instinctively. "No wonder I've never heard of him in the Compassion Sea."

"No related records have been found in the scriptures of any of the various Scripture Pavilion."

Although he had spent some time in the Storm Sea before, he had never heard of this title before.

But at that time he was just a rogue Golden Core cultivator, so it was normal that he couldn't access information of that level.

I'll inquire about the Black Iron Venerable when I get back there in a while.

However, there's no rush to find out the details; we can postpone that for now.

Xiao Chen's most pressing task right now is to go and retrieve the items from the cave abode as soon as possible.

After all, only what you hold in your hands truly belongs to you.

If someone takes too long to use the token they hold, it might just benefit some lucky Child of Destiny, which would be a real headache.

However, that's not to say that you can just leave whenever you want.

After all, Xiao Chen had just broken through to a higher level of cultivation and needed to adjust to it first.

Although he only broke through a Minor Bottleneck, it wasn't just his Divine Sense that increased.

As his Nascent Soul grows stronger, he now possesses twice the capacity of true essence. Of course, this also means that he still needs to accumulate more than three thousand strands of true essence.

Besides that, there is another important point after entering the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

That is, within the "Disaster Transfer Art," there is a special Law Technique that can only be formally cultivated after breaking through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Its title is "The Disaster Transfer True Art," which is an improved version of the original "Disaster Transfer Technique."

Although they appear to differ by only one word, nearly 30% of the content is completely different.

Because their original design concepts were completely different.

The first edition of the "Disaster Transfer Technique" was mainly developed by the previous Gui Yun Sect Master to transfer his own injuries to his disciples.

It had almost no Battle Intent, and Xiao Chen didn't specifically cultivate it.

However, the middle section of the "Disaster Transfer True Art" leans more towards combat against enemies.

In actual combat, it can transfer its own injuries to the enemy without the enemy's active cooperation.

This creates an effect similar to damage reflection.

Although Xiao Chen doesn't seem to get injured often, he can win easily most of the time, so he doesn't seem to need to use his skills much.

However, he still had some interest in these niche and unusual Law Technique.

Since there's Hextech Enhancement available, I'll just focus on getting the basics right first.

"Hmm, it seems it's getting late. Let's go out and deliver the good news."

Xiao Chen naturally chose to break through this time within the mountain where he had previously broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Su Li continued to act as a temporary protector outside.

At this moment, he walked out with a joyful expression, and his aura was several times stronger than before.

Her eyebrows immediately curved into crescent moons. "Great, I've finally succeeded in breaking through!"

She was deeply distressed to see Xiao Chen fail to advance to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage four times in a row.

It's also thanks to his vigorous blood and energy, which far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Furthermore, being Wood Spiritual Root Cultivator, his true essence is relatively balanced, and even if there is slight damage to his meridians, he can heal it very easily.

Therefore, they are able to frequently bear the cost of failed breakthroughs and try again and again.

Nevertheless, seeing Xiao Chen's furrowed brow after his failed breakthrough, Su Li couldn't help but feel anxious for him.

Fortunately, on the fifth attempt, we finally got through this hurdle, which is truly something to celebrate.

"Actually, these Minor Bottleneck aren't a difficult thing for me."

Xiao Chen slightly raised his chin. "The previous times were just because I wasn't paying attention, and the results were just a little bit off."

"This time I put in a little more effort, and I won it directly."

In fact, the difference is not that great.

If Xiao Chen had used the Purple-Gold Bodhi and the Dao Comprehension Crystal directly from the beginning, and then attempted a breakthrough...

Maybe we can actually succeed on the first try.

However, when it comes to the Dao Comprehension Crystal, we'll need to put in more effort from now on.

Although this breakthrough was successful, it consumed a full five Wood Element Dao Comprehension Crystal.

It should be noted that Xiao Chen didn't have many Dao Comprehension Crystal to begin with.

Although they had obtained quite a few Wood Element Dao Comprehension Crystal in the Cangran Secret Realm, they only had seven in total.

Now there are only two pieces left.

It should be noted that Xiao Chen will inevitably face Minor Bottleneck in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Even based on this level of consumption, we're still three pieces short.

Not to mention the Major Bottleneck to be overcome in the future; barring unforeseen circumstances, there should also be demand in this area.

That would undoubtedly make the gap even larger.

Therefore, he should pay more attention to this aspect and collect more Wood Element Dao Comprehension Crystal or similar spiritual items.

Thinking about this, Xiao Chen felt he needed to rethink his plans for the future.

So, after having dinner with Su Li...

He sat alone on the beach, beginning to sort out his situation.

"Tsk, it seems I don't have many Spirit Stone left."

Xiao Chen previously used the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method> to Condense True Essence. Although the speed was indeed fast, the cost was also quite high.

A total of 23.6 million Low-grade Spirit Stone were consumed.

Without using any Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, he now has just over 14 million Low-grade Spirit Stone left.

After deducting the deposit from the Rebellious Immortal Alliance and the rewards stored by Chu Tianze, there were only a little over eight million left.

Objectively speaking, this is already a huge sum of money.

The problem is that if Xiao Chen plans to continue using the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method> to accelerate his cultivation, then this amount of Spirit Stone will be insufficient.

Even though he is now earning Spirit Stone at an extremely fast pace, even faster than a large sect.

However, it will take two or three years to accumulate more than 30 million Spirit Stone again to break through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

If we're talking about reaching the Nascent Soul Great Perfection, then it will take even longer.

"Looks like I need to find a way to increase the speed at which I make money."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment, "But the situation in the New Cultivation World is still unclear, so I don't think we can count on them."

"As for this place, there's almost no money to be made in the Compassion Sea anymore."

"However, if a trade route between the Compassion Sea and the Storm Sea could be established, that would be a huge sum of money."

He had considered the idea of connecting the two sides with trade while he was on Red Coral Island.

Therefore, as I said before, this matter needs to encounter a suitable opportunity before it can be pushed forward.

Moreover, even if the two sides successfully reach a cooperation agreement, there will not be much benefit in the short term.

"Is there a faster way to make money?"

Xiao Chen thought about it again, "It seems there really is some unexpected wealth."

It's actually quite simple: just go and settle accounts with the three major families Yin Corpse Sect and Three Great Families of Nether Sky Sea.

It's a major sect and three powerful clans, so raising twenty or thirty million Spirit Stone shouldn't be a problem.

Perhaps we can also replenish some Dao Comprehension Crystal while we're at it.

After all, they must have collected and stockpiled such strategic materials.

"Tsk, thinking about it that way, it seems even more necessary to settle accounts."

Since it involved the Dao Comprehension Crystal, Xiao Chen felt it wouldn't be right not to go now.

In fact, even according to the plan he made last time...

Now that we've witnessed the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon and the auction is over, it's time to return to the Storm Sea.

Now there are just two more things to do.

First, we'll adjust the order slightly and go to the Black Iron Venerable's cave abode to retrieve the most important Breakthrough Spirit Item and the rest of our assets.

Then we'll go settle accounts with the Yin Corpse Sect.

Secondly, after arriving at the Storm Sea, I'd like to inquire about the situation of the Azure Wave Rogue.

Try to get another fragment of the Star Sand Wave Stabilizing Shield from him.

"Speaking of which, why hasn't Chu Tianze returned yet?"

Speaking of the fragments of the Star Sand Wave Stabilizing Shield, Xiao Chen thought of Chu Tianze was still nowhere to be found.

We had originally planned to take him to the auction if he returned in time.

He still didn't show up even after the auction ended.

"Could it be that the Earth Dragon Relic were too dangerous and he got trapped inside as well?"

Xiao Chen recalled Chu Tianze's situation, "Hmm, it shouldn't be that bad. That kid has a lot of Fortune on him; he won't get into trouble so easily."

He guessed that the other party had probably encountered something else along the way, which was why they were delayed.

This is actually quite normal; in fact, for them, it would be abnormal if there were no surprises.

Since that's the case, there's no need for me to wait for him; I should get on with my business first.

"In that case, we need to shift our focus back to the Storm Sea."

After reviewing the situation, Xiao Chen felt it was time to go back.

However, before leaving, we still need to settle things.

For example, you could tell Su Li that you have to go on a long trip soon, which might take several months or even a year and a half.

This time is different from the one at the beginning of the year.

That was an unexpected situation that led me to stay at the Azure Sea Immortal Sect and then investigate the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon.

This trip is destined to be a long one, so I'd better let you know in advance.

"So eager, huh...?"

Su Li's eyes flickered upon hearing this, but she still cautioned, "No matter what urgent matter arises, please be extra careful on your journey."

Xiao Chen nodded apologetically, "Yes, I'll be careful."

At the beginning of the year, he genuinely felt that he would be spending the entire year on the island.

However, to prevent any unforeseen complications, we should go to that hidden cave abode as soon as possible to collect the Breakthrough Spirit Item.

It looks like I'll have to break my promise this year.

Fortunately, Su Li is always understanding and doesn't seem to mind too much.

For example, although Xiao Chen has decided to leave without waiting for Chu Tianze to return, he will not actually abandon him here.

Instead, he went to the Azure Sea Immortal Sect and asked them to keep an eye on the other party.

He also told the other party that he had to go out and could wait for him to return at the Azure Sea Pavilion or Azure Sea Market.

Moreover, the Azure Sea Immortal Sect now knows that Chu Tianze is getting very close to them.

In case he gets into any trouble, as long as he stays in the market, he can get the protection of the Azure Sea Immortal Sect.

Then I held on until I got back.

In addition, before leaving, Xiao Chen also took a look at the notice board about the Sea Race Great Demon.

No new leads have been confirmed.

Only then did I feel relieved enough to prepare to leave.