New Cultivation Method, Invitation

On the city walls, bodies lay everywhere.

Some were Abyssal Demons, others were cultivators.

A rough estimate showed at least fifty disciples from various sects had died that night. Those who survived were all battered and exhausted.

Qin Yuan stood at the edge of the city wall, his grey robes stained with a few drops of blood, but his aura remained steady. He glanced at his token:

Points: 9780

In a single night, his points had increased by four thousand.

Chu Wuyue walked over, panting heavily. He looked at Qin Yuan's token and gave a wry smile, "I fought for my life and only gained two thousand... Junior Brother Qin, you kill way too fast."

Yun Qingyao and Zi Ling also gathered around. Both of their points were around four thousand.

"Fellow Daoist Qin..." Zi Ling hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you... really only at the early Nascent Soul stage?"

Qin Yuan didn't answer. He looked towards the center of the city wall.

There, Yan Lie was coldly surveying the survivors.

"Those who survived have some skill," he said, his voice still icy. "Rest today. Tomorrow night, the Abyssal Demon Tide will be fiercer. If you don't want to die, use this time to heal and improve your strength."

With that, he turned and left with his two companions.

In the center of Yellow Earth City, there was a special building.

It was a three-story stone building with a plaque at the entrance: "War Merit Pavilion."

During the Hundred Sects Battle, all points earned on the battlefield could be exchanged for resources here. This was a rule set by the upper sects to encourage disciples to fight bravely.

When Qin Yuan entered the War Merit Pavilion, there were already quite a few people inside.

In the first-floor hall, jade slips were hung on all four walls. Each jade slip was marked with the required points and a description of the item.

"Profound tier high-grade flying sword 'Flowing Fire', requires 5000 points."

"Earth tier low-grade cultivation art Blazing Sun Art, requires 8000 points."

"Fifth-grade pill 'Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Pill', requires 12000 points."

There were many good items, but the point requirements were terrifyingly high.

Most people hovered around one to three thousand points, only able to sigh at these prices.

With over nine thousand points, Qin Yuan was practically a tycoon here.

He looked around, frowning slightly.

Flying swords, magic treasures, pills, talismans... these things were good, but their usefulness to him was limited.

He had the System, so he didn't lack cultivation. He had the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art, so he didn't lack cultivation techniques. As for magic treasures—he had already sacrificed the Profound Bone Three Treasures of the Dao Integration stage, so these below the Earth tier were simply not worth his attention.

It wasn't until he reached the third floor.

There were very few people on the third floor, only a handful of powerful individuals with over ten thousand points browsing.

The items here were even more precious.

"Heaven tier low-grade defensive magic treasure 'Mystic Turtle Shield', requires 30000 points."

"Sixth-grade pill 'Nascent Soul Pill', can increase the success rate of forming a Nascent Soul by 30%, requires 25000 points."

Qin Yuan's gaze swept over them, and he suddenly stopped at a black jade slip in a corner.

The surface of the jade slip emitted no light, appearing unremarkable. But the description made his pupils contract:

Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art

Tier: Unknown

Description: An ancient incomplete text. To cultivate this art and form a Nascent Soul, one must undergo nine life-and-death trials, taking ten times longer than ordinary cultivation methods. However, once achieved, the Nascent Soul's strength, total spiritual power, and Spiritual Sense range will far surpass those of the same level.

Warning: Not for those without great perseverance and fortune.

Required Points: 9000

The Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art.

Ten times the time, in exchange for strength far exceeding peers.

To others, this was useless—on the path of cultivation, time was life. Who would be willing to spend ten times the time to cultivate a single stage?

But for Qin Yuan...

"What I lack the least is time," he murmured softly.

Eighty years of cultivation a day, eight hundred years in ten days. Ten times the time? Even a hundred times, he could afford it.

He took down the jade slip and walked to the counter.

Behind the counter was an expressionless old man. He glanced at the jade slip, then at Qin Yuan's token, "Nine thousand points, confirm exchange?"

"Confirm."

The old man took the token and swiped it.

The points dropped from 9780 to 780.

The restrictions on the jade slip were lifted, and Qin Yuan's Spiritual Sense probed into it, flooding his mind with information.

Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art, as its name suggested, required the Nascent Soul stage cultivator to undergo nine life-and-death tribulations. Each tribulation was an extreme refinement of the Nascent Soul; a single misstep would shatter the Nascent Soul and lead to death.

However, if successful, after the nine tribulations, the Nascent Soul would reach a near-perfect state. Not only would its strength far surpass that of cultivators at the same stage, but it would also possess various incredible divine abilities.

"Just what I wanted." Qin Yuan put away the jade slip.

As he was about to leave, a voice suddenly called out from behind him:

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

Qin Yuan turned around and saw a young man in a moon-white robe.

The young man had a handsome face and an elegant demeanor. He held a scroll in his hand, looking more like a scholar than a cultivator. However, his aura had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul middle stage, and it was extremely solid.

"I am Li Qingfeng from the Book Sword Sect," the young man said, cupping his hands with a smile. "I saw you exchange for the Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art just now, and I was curious. This cultivation technique is extremely dangerous and time-consuming. In the past hundred years, only three people have exchanged for it, and none of them managed to cultivate it successfully. Do you… truly have confidence?"

The Book Sword Sect was ranked fifteenth among the Hundred Sects and was known for its dual cultivation of Confucianism and swordsmanship.

Qin Yuan calmly replied, "I'll just give it a try."

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Qingfeng's eyes, and his smile widened. "Fellow Daoist has an extraordinary presence. To be frank, I came here today to invite you to explore a secret realm together."

"Secret realm?"

"Indeed," Li Qingfeng lowered his voice. "According to my sect's ancient records, deep within this battlefield lies an Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion, left behind by an ancient powerful being. The cave mansion is protected by formations and requires at least five cultivators at the Nascent Soul middle stage or above to join forces to open it. I have currently found three people and am still looking for one more."

He looked at Qin Yuan with sincere eyes. "Fellow Daoist is at the Nascent Soul middle stage and your combat power far exceeds that of others at the same stage, making you more than qualified. If you are willing to join, the spoils from the cave mansion will be distributed according to each person's contribution."

Qin Yuan fell silent for a moment.

An Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion… Perhaps, there would be something he needed inside.

"When do we depart?"

Li Qingfeng's eyes lit up. "We'll meet outside the city in three days. Here are the map and the token."

He handed over a jade slip and a jade pendant.

Qin Yuan took them. "See you in three days."

By the time he left the Battle Merit Pavilion, the sky was already nearing dusk.

Qin Yuan returned to his inn room and sat down cross-legged.

He took out the Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art jade slip and began to study it again.

"Nine tribulations… It would be best to use the Earth Core Flame Fire for the refinement."

The Earth Core Flame Fire was a heavenly and earthly strange fire that even Deity Transformation Stage cultivators dared not touch lightly. Using it to burn the Nascent Soul was practically suicidal.

But a glint of excitement flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes.

"Perfect, I can try out the System's 'Energy Conversion Enlightenment' function."

He closed his eyes and silently chanted in his mind:

"System, convert ten thousand energy, activate enlightenment state."

[Converting energy…]

[Enlightenment state activated, lasting for twelve hours.]

In an instant, Qin Yuan felt his thought speed increase a hundredfold!

The profound mysteries of the Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Art, which were originally obscure and difficult to understand, now appeared as clear as lines on his palm. The properties of the Earth Core Flame Fire, the key points of burning the Nascent Soul, the secret methods for protecting the Nascent Soul… Everything was rapidly deduced and perfected in his mind.

Twelve hours later.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes, a hint of realization flashing within them.

"So that's the secret…"

He looked out the window.

The night deepened.

The second wave of the Abyssal Demon Tide was about to arrive.