Decision!

Decision!

Gu Qingshan refused to give up and continued asking, "What about the Military Camp? The people may all be dead, but the armory should still be there, right? Didn't any weapons remain?"

Zhao Liu suddenly understood. "I have the key to the armory, but I don't know how to use weapons, so I've never gone inside. Why don't you come take a look with me?"

Gu Qingshan readily agreed. "All right."

The two opened the armory doors and looked around by candlelight.

Row after row of weapon racks stood empty. They walked from one end to the other and found only a Standard Scimitar broken in half on the last rack.

Gu Qingshan frowned, then searched along the walls. At last, he discovered a hidden lock.

Behind the hidden lock was where the Military Camp's senior officers stored their belongings.

That was exactly the same as in his previous life.

In his previous life, whenever players came across an abandoned cultivator stronghold, the first thing they did was search for treasure. Later on, all kinds of methods and tricks developed into an entire field of study.

By the late stages of the game, even a profession known as treasure seekers had emerged.

Gu Qingshan took one look at the hidden lock and immediately understood.

He said, "This hidden lock is fairly high-level. I'm guessing only the General guarding the Military Camp had the key."

Zhao Liu stared at the hidden lock in surprise. "The General died in battle long ago."

Gu Qingshan asked, "Do you know where his quarters were?"

"That, I do know."

"Come on. Let's take a look."

The two retreated and searched the General's quarters for a long time. At last, Gu Qingshan felt out the key.

Gu Qingshan returned to the armory with the key and opened the hidden lock in the wall. Inside lay a small booklet and a filthy round disk.

The disk was covered in cracks, and several sections of its patterns had already flaked away.

"An array disk?"

Gu Qingshan's heart jolted, and he snatched up the disk.

"Low-level array disk (Damaged), permanently deploys a Bewilderment Array."

"To comprehend the deployment method of the Bewilderment Array requires 17 points of Soul Power."

Seventeen points—far beyond Gu Qingshan's Soul Power Limit. He simply could not comprehend it.

But that was not what Gu Qingshan cared about.

He flipped the array disk over and pressed the central hub. The disk immediately sprang open.

Pale green motes of light fell from the array disk and scattered across the floor.

Gu Qingshan gently pressed another spot on the disk, and even more motes of light dropped to the ground.

"Spirit Stones!"

Zhao Liu screamed and threw himself to the floor, frantically picking them up.

Gu Qingshan also felt a weight lift from his heart.

Though the array disk was damaged, the Spirit Stones on it had barely been used. Even the reserve Spirit Stones it stored had not been touched in the slightest.

The General guarding the Military Camp must have died unexpectedly, while no one else knew of this matter. That was why the Spirit Stones had remained behind.

This truly was an unexpected delight.

The two gathered all the Spirit Stones. When they counted them, there were actually seventy-five!

With these, the camp's Concealment Array could last several dozen more days.

Gu Qingshan set down the array disk, picked up the small booklet, and casually flipped it open.

"Military Body Refining Qi Method,

First Layer: Quchi,

Second Layer: Yinmen,

Third Layer: Shaoshang,

Fourth Layer: Taiyin,

Fifth Layer: Shuzhong,

Sixth Layer: Lingxu,

Seventh Layer: Shentang;

To comprehend the first three layers requires 1 point of Soul Power;

To comprehend the fourth and fifth layers requires 2 points of Soul Power;

To comprehend the sixth layer requires 3 points of Soul Power;

To comprehend the seventh layer requires 6 points of Soul Power."

This was a Cultivation Method used in the military. Among all Qi Refinement methods, it was the most ordinary, unable to compare with the secret cultivation arts of sects and great families.

Still, this Qi Refinement method had its advantages. The foundation it laid was incomparably solid, which benefited one's future attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. Moreover, people who cultivated it could be found everywhere, so it did not stand out at all.

This was like someone delivering a pillow just as he was dozing off. But didn't leveling up require Experience Points?

How could Soul Power work as well?

Gu Qingshan's heart stirred, and a row of firefly-like words appeared on the God of War Interface.

"The complete Cultivation Method has appeared. The War God Operating Interface is ready."

"From now on, players may choose to use Soul Power in place of Experience Points to raise their personal level."

"Soul Power is exclusive. Once Soul Power is used, Experience Points can no longer be used to level up. Please choose carefully."

So it really knew how to adapt. With a cultivation method, leveling up became like comprehending skills—it only required Soul Power.

That made Soul Power even more important.

Gu Qingshan stared at the God of War Skill interface and fell into thought.

"What exactly is Soul Power?" he asked.

The God of War Interface replied, "The most fundamental strength of all living beings, originating from the source of the soul."

The words "fundamental" and "source" were extremely rare in the game. They represented a certain ultimate extreme.

Such ultimate power was bound to possess its own unique traits.

Gu Qingshan immediately began to take it seriously.

By the later stages of the game, each level required an astronomical amount of Experience Points, causing players immense trouble.

Soul Power, meanwhile, seemed to be a higher-level power. Choosing Soul Power would allow one to escape the shackles of Experience Points, but no one knew what lay ahead.

Yet so many astonishingly talented players had ultimately failed to reach the highest level of combat power in this world. Experience Points were one of the chief culprits.

Now that he had begun again in this life, was he still going to tread the same old path?

He might as well make a big gamble.

After a brief consideration, Gu Qingshan decided, "I choose to use Soul Power to level up."

"The player has chosen Soul Power and taken another step forward on the path to becoming a God of War. Keep up the good work."

Accompanied by the system's icy voice, the "Experience Points" section on Gu Qingshan's personal interface vanished completely, leaving only "Soul Power Value."

Gu Qingshan silently looked over the God of War Interface, then tucked the booklet in his hand into his robes.

The two left the armory and headed toward their quarters. Zhao Liu was so delighted along the way that he could not close his mouth.

They parted ways and entered their respective rooms. Gu Qingshan shut the door, sat down on the bed, and placed the Military Body Refining Qi Method booklet on his knees.

Gu Qingshan had already opened Quchi, Yinmen, and Shaoshang, so he skipped over those three layers and looked directly at the fourth and fifth layers.

Now that he had obtained a cultivation art, this was the best choice if he wanted to increase his strength and raise his Soul Power Limit.

Gu Qingshan was not one to dither. Having reached this point, he no longer hesitated.

"I choose to comprehend the method of breaking through Taiyin, the fourth layer."

"Comprehension begins. 2 points of Soul Power consumed. Remaining Soul Power: 2/5."

A current of heat spread from the booklet and surged into Gu Qingshan's Sea of Consciousness.

In just the span of a breath, the circulation of Spiritual Power, the rhythm of breathing, and the method of moving his blood and qi needed to break through this realm were deeply imprinted in Gu Qingshan's mind.

Gu Qingshan closed his eyes, silently circulated his Spiritual Power, and began attacking the barrier within his body.

He was like a cultivator at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, turning back to review the process once more.

Though the Military Body Refining Qi Method was simple and rough, it would never contain errors or omissions, much less cause qi deviation. He could cultivate with complete peace of mind.

Spiritual Power rotated within the barrier, suddenly contracted, then expanded again, bursting through Shaoshang in one stroke.

Gu Qingshan looked inward and saw Spiritual Power slowly revolving within his Dantian, now a full circle stronger than before.

New book uploaded. Please give it some recommendation votes, fellow readers. Thank you all. Bow.