Children Are the Only Ones Who Have to Choose!

The moment he stepped through the gates of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, a breath of clear, tranquil spiritual energy washed over him, utterly unlike the clamor of the marketplace outside.

The pavilion's interior was vast and magnificent. The floor was paved with gleaming azure-patterned stone tiles, while the pillars and beams around it were exquisitely carved and painted, elegant yet antique. Tier upon tier of shelves and refined jade display cases stood in orderly rows, exhibiting all manner of cultivation treasures by category. The four main sections—pills, weapons, materials, and cultivation techniques and martial skills—were clear at a glance.

The customers coming and going were either martial artists with deep, steady auras or richly dressed scions of prominent families. Everyone spoke softly and conducted themselves with restraint; no one dared make a loud commotion.

More than a dozen attendants clad in uniform gray robes stood waiting throughout the pavilion. Their manner was respectful, and their eyes were sharp enough to discern a visitor's identity and cultivation level at a glance.

The air mingled the medicinal fragrance of pills, the metallic aura of divine weapons, and the fresh scent of spiritual herbs. A faint spiritual energy curled around him, refreshing both heart and mind.

Chen An strolled inside, his gaze calmly sweeping across his surroundings.

He did not immediately ask about the prices of Earth-rank cultivation techniques and martial skills. Instead, he followed the crowd and browsed at leisure.

When he reached the cultivation technique and martial skill section, looking at the various Yellow-rank and Profound-rank techniques and skills laid out on the counters, Chen An's expression tightened slightly as his gaze fell upon their prices.

Yellow-rank mid-grade cultivation technique—Steel Bone Art, 666 Origin Crystals!

Yellow-rank high-grade cultivation technique—Flame Body-Tempering Formula, 888 Origin Crystals!

Profound-rank low-grade martial skill—Azure Origin Sword Art, 5,888 Origin Crystals!

Profound-rank high-grade cultivation technique—Blazing Flame Mystery Art, 68,888 Origin Crystals!

Profound-rank supreme-grade martial skill—Thunderbolt Burst Fist, 159,900 Origin Crystals!

"Hiss!!~~"

Chen An sucked in a cold breath!

I'll be taking my leave!!!

The moment he saw those prices, he sobered up at once.

Although he was now a Xiantian Realm martial artist, he was still broke!

Even if he added up all the Origin Crystals on him, it would not be enough to buy even a fraction of a Yellow-rank cultivation technique, let alone the Earth-rank and Heaven-rank techniques he had been thinking about!

"Forget it. Rather than spending that money here, I might as well try using it for the system's deductions. If it can deduce an Earth-rank cultivation technique, I'll have struck it rich!"

Judging from the prices of Yellow-rank and Profound-rank cultivation techniques in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, an Earth-rank cultivation technique or martial skill would likely cost over two million Origin Crystals.

Two million Origin Crystals, according to the system's rules, meant two million years of cultivation time.

He did not even dare imagine what realm he could reach if he cultivated for two million years.

Wouldn't he just shatter the void and ascend directly?!

Shaking his head, Chen An abandoned the thought of asking about Earth-rank and Heaven-rank cultivation techniques. Those techniques were not displayed in the main hall, clearly requiring the corresponding identity, status, or cultivation level.

If he revealed his cultivation, then as a mid-stage Xiantian Realm martial artist, he should be qualified to view those Earth-rank and Heaven-rank techniques.

But Chen An had no intention of doing that.

These days, keeping a low profile was the kingly path!

"Still, perhaps I can find a time to sell some cultivation techniques to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!"

After dismissing the thought of inquiring about Earth-rank and Heaven-rank techniques, Chen An thought of the several Profound-rank cultivation techniques and martial skills in his possession.

Now that his cultivation had entered the Xiantian Realm, ordinary Profound-rank techniques could no longer keep pace with his cultivation. They were of no use to him whatsoever.

Moreover, after countless years of refinement through the system, he had already cultivated every one of those Profound-rank techniques and martial skills to perfection. Keeping them would offer no room for further improvement; they would only gather dust on him.

Rather than leaving them idle for nothing, it would be better to sell them all for a large amount of Origin Crystals, using them to support the system's deductions and exchange for cultivation time. That was the optimal choice.

And the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was one of the Great Luo Dynasty's foremost merchant houses. It even sold the rumored Earth-rank and Heaven-rank cultivation techniques to the public, so its foundations were unfathomably deep. It should not possibly covet a few Profound-rank techniques of his.

Thus, choosing the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to sell them would actually be safer and more convenient.

Having made up his mind, Chen An put away his thoughts and wandered around the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for a while longer before finally leaving empty-handed.

"Buns! Freshly steamed buns!"

"Candied hawthorns!!~~"

"Sir, come play!!"

Like an idle street loafer, he wandered the streets for another day, personally taking in the local customs and atmosphere of the county town. After eating dinner at a family-style eatery, Chen An finally strolled leisurely toward home.

"Hmm?!~~"

When he reached his front door and took out his key to unlock it, Chen An's spiritual senses suddenly stirred.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

He suddenly spun around, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the street corner behind him.

At the corner, he saw a furtive figure flash away in an instant.

Looking at the empty, silent street corner, Chen An's gaze darkened slightly, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

He was absolutely certain that someone had been hiding in the shadows watching him just now. That gaze fixed on him carried undisguised chill and malice; it was definitely not the casual glance of an ordinary passerby.

Who was it?!!!

Chen An's eyes flickered as figure after figure flashed through the memories in his mind.

As far as he remembered, the original owner of this body had never formed any deep enmity with anyone. Besides, he was an orphan with neither wealth nor influence. There seemed to be nothing worth anyone deliberately coveting or plotting against in secret.

Could it be... him?!!!

A pair of venom-filled eyes surfaced in his mind.

Bai Yifan!

The original owner did not know much about this man. He only knew that the Bai Family had deep roots and considerable influence in Wurong County. There was no lack of postnatal martial arts experts in the clan, and they carried significant weight locally.

Bai Yifan himself was also a somewhat renowned genius within the county academy. His cultivation far surpassed that of students from the same cohort. Arrogant and narrow-minded, with a heart as small as a needle's eye, he had always looked down on everyone and repaid every slight in full.

Once, after being defeated in a martial contest, the student who beat him had his legs broken in an alley the very next day and was expelled from the academy.

Rumors of this man's vile deeds had long circulated throughout the county academy.

Once, a student had narrowly bested him in an arena match. Yet in less than a day, that student was surrounded in a dark alley on his way home from school, his legs brutally broken. In the end, he was forced to withdraw from the academy, his future utterly ruined.

Relying on the Bai Family's power and his own cultivation, he bullied the weak and suppressed dissent as a matter of course; such deeds were too numerous to count.

Thinking of what had happened yesterday, perhaps—no, Bai Yifan had definitely borne a grudge against him.

And given Bai Yifan's character, the person just now might truly have been connected to him!

A chill flashed through Chen An's eyes.

No matter who it was, if they truly wished to court death, then he would not be polite.

Taking a deep breath, Chen An did not pursue the figure from earlier. Instead, he turned, opened the door, and returned home.

"System!"

After entering the room, Chen An willed it open:

Host: Chen An

Age: 17

Aptitude: Mid-Grade Martial Bones

Cultivation: Xiantian Realm (Mid Stage)

Current Balance: 1083

Looking at the balance on the system panel, Chen An's gaze flickered repeatedly as he pondered what to do next.

Should he spend on cultivation, or deduce a cultivation art?!

Although his current cultivation was enough to deal with most troubles, he did not know who had set their sights on him this time. Naturally, the stronger he could make himself, the better.

But last time, he had spent a full two hundred years before barely advancing from the early stage of the Xiantian Realm to the middle stage. This made him understand all too clearly that he first had to deduce a proper Xiantian cultivation art.

Only when his cultivation art kept pace with his realm could he achieve twice the result with half the effort in future cultivation, rather than wasting long years and squandering the heaven-defying advantage granted by the system.

After hesitating for only a moment, Chen An's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his heart cleared at once.

"Only children make choices."

"Adults want it all!"

He swiftly made his decision.

He would neither blindly pile up cultivation nor shut himself away and stubbornly grind through cultivation-art deduction. He would pursue both in parallel, advancing them simultaneously.

He would first allocate five hundred years to deducing a cultivation art. If it did not succeed, the remaining five hundred years should be enough to ensure that, even without a Xiantian cultivation art, he could still break through to the late stage of the Xiantian Realm.

Having made his choice, Chen An shifted his gaze back to the system panel before him and silently said in his heart.

"System!"

"Consume 500 yuan crystals and fully deduce the Azure Mystery True Fusion Art!!!"

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author—it may simply have been renamed!