Chapter 111 – Divine Ability: Forgetting River Curse, Five Peaks Discussion Imminent

After bidding farewell to Lu Chen, Nangong Canjian and Jiang Dongliu didn’t immediately leave the school.

Instead, they turned and headed in another direction.

Besides contacting Lu Chen, they had also reached out to Bian Shouyi – the newly emerged prodigy who had just awakened his Sword Intent.

Originally, their purpose in coming to Luocheng High School was singular: to recruit Lu Chen for Clear River Dao Academy, and see if there might be an opportunity for him to later choose to join Supreme Purity Dao Palace.

But after actually meeting Lu Chen, Nangong Canjian knew it would be difficult to persuade him to join Clear River Dao Academy.

As a Sword Cultivator himself, he understood all too well what Sword Cultivators were like.

Once these fellows set their minds on something, it was nearly impossible for others to change their minds.

Even if it was eventually proven that their decision was wrong, at most they would admit their mistake inwardly while stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it verbally.

Their specialty was being stubborn in speech.

That’s right – Sword Cultivators aren’t just hard with their swords; their mouths are even harder!

Given the Sword Path talent Lu Chen had currently displayed,

Nangong Canjian felt it made little difference whether he went to Clear River Dao Academy or Lihuo Dao Academy.

Because he had already found his own ‘Dao’.

After all, as the saying goes: teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.

Although Lu Chen hadn’t yet entered a Dao Academy, he had already achieved modest success in Sword Path Realm and didn’t need much guidance from others.

In that case, going to Lihuo Dao Academy – the wealthiest and most resource-rich academy in the entire Immortal Alliance – was indeed an excellent choice for him.

Given the situation with those alchemy otaku at Lihuo Dao Academy, they were truly poor in everything except money.

Nangong Canjian could easily imagine the scene:

The moment Lu Chen arrived, those old otaku at Lihuo Dao Academy would absolutely set off firecrackers in celebration, then give Lu Chen whatever he asked for.

From then on, Lu Chen would only need to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation – whatever else he lacked, Lihuo Dao Academy would provide.

A Holy Land of an Immortal Sect with ten-thousand-year Legacy certainly had that level of foundation.

Just thinking about that kind of life made Nangong Canjian feel envious.

Although Nangong Canjian knew he couldn’t win over Lu Chen, his student Jiang Dongliu didn’t see it that way.

“Teacher, are we really not going to try harder for Junior Lu? I feel we still have a good chance.”

Hearing Jiang Dongliu’s words, Nangong Canjian sighed: “Chance? What chance do we have?”

“The young Sect Master of Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect is offering to marry him – what can we use to compete with that?”

“We can’t match them in benefits, we can’t match them in personal connections. If we don’t let go now, we’ll truly be led around by the nose by Student Lu and his teacher.”

“Indecision invites disaster. Besides, even without Lu Chen – with his dual Sword Intent, single Fist Intent, top-grade Five Elements Spiritual Roots, outstanding Heart-Nature, and divine mastery of techniques – haven’t we still gained Bian Shouyi who has comprehended Sword Intent?”

“This round… wasn’t a complete waste!”

“…”

Looking at Nangong Canjian who appeared indifferent on the surface but spoke through gritted teeth, Jiang Dongliu nearly lost his composure.

Seriously, with your bitter, menu-reciting tone like that, old teacher –

Have you truly let go?

Not knowing what Nangong Canjian had thought of, he suddenly asked Jiang Dongliu: “By the way, Dongliu, what’s your take on that Bian Shouyi?”Jiang Dongliu thought for a moment about Bian Shouyi, whom he had briefly encountered a few days earlier, and calmly analyzed, “He’s passable. He should be able to reach about forty percent of my level in the future.”

Hearing this, Nangong Canjian immediately slapped his thigh in excitement and said, “Excellent! This kid is set now—at the very least, he’ll definitely become a Golden Core Sword Cultivator!”

“Huh? Teacher, you have that much faith in my judgment?” Jiang Dongliu scratched the back of his head sheepishly, wondering if Nangong Canjian was overestimating him.

But Nangong Canjian’s next words took Jiang Dongliu completely by surprise.

“What faith in your judgment? Old man here has faith in your mouth!”

“After all, everyone you’ve ever sharply criticized has ended up surpassing others and soaring to great heights.”

“Not to mention distant examples, just take the Meow King from Barren Wilderness Academy a year ago.”

“He clearly had the Bloodline of an ancient tiger demon, but you just had to run your mouth, calling him an orange cat Bloodline and saying he’d only achieve half of what you have.”

“And what happened? Not only did he quickly undergo Bloodline Awakening, but his cultivation also skyrocketed. Now he’s at the Foundation Establishment Peak, just like you.”

“In my opinion, if he were to fight you again now, you might not necessarily win against him.”

“If it were just one or two cases, that would be one thing. But think about the four people you’ve sharply criticized over the past two years—each one has turned out to be an exceptional genius.”

As he spoke, Nangong Canjian began counting on his fingers.

“Meow King Qi Xu from Barren Wilderness Academy, Little Dragon Marquis Chen Yuan, Black Mysterious Fist Wei Heshan from Profound Water Academy, and Great Eater Fan Tianyi from Lihuo Dao Academy.”

“Every two years, the Four Great Academies hold a grand competition. Every single one of these individuals was sharply criticized by you during last year’s academy tournament.”

“And what happened after the tournament? Every one of them started having Epiphanies as if their meridians had been unlocked, completely transforming themselves.”

“Dongliu, I’m not just scolding you for the sake of it. As the saying goes, ‘Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank—don’t bully the young for being poor.'”

“You really need to change this habit of casually criticizing others. Otherwise, you might someday face serious payback from someone you’ve criticized.”

“Sometimes I really wonder if you chose the wrong path. If you had practiced celestial divination instead of the Sword, you might have achieved far greater things than you have now.”

“Oh, by the way, do you know what we old-timers say about you behind your back?”

Hearing this, Jiang Dongliu adjusted his small sunglasses without changing his expression and calmly asked, “What do you say?”

“That you’re the Number One Jinx in the Nine Provinces. Whoever you criticize immediately begins to transform and Ascends on the spot.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dongliu felt utterly exasperated.

What jinx? This is clearly just me having excellent judgment!

I don’t even bother criticizing ordinary people.

Perhaps trying to salvage his dignity, Jiang Dongliu stubbornly retorted, “Then why don’t you ask me what I think of Junior Lu?”

Hearing this, Nangong Canjian immediately became interested.

“Oh? Do tell.”

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Dongliu said seriously, “Based on my observation of Junior Lu’s talent and Heart-Nature, I believe he will surely reach the same heights as me in the future, becoming one of only two people in the Immortal Alliance to achieve Ascension in the last five thousand years.””Although geniuses in the Nine Provinces are as numerous as carp in a river, in my opinion, the only ones who can truly be considered prodigies… are myself and Junior Lu Chen.”

“Good, it’s stable again!”

“What’s stable again?”

Jiang Dongliu looked discontentedly at Nangong Canjian.

“I’m saying that Lu Chen’s future achievements will undoubtedly far surpass yours. After all, I’ve specifically kept track of all the people you’ve sharply evaluated over the years.”

“And guess what? The Little Dragon Marquis, whom you claimed would only reach eighty percent of your future height, now has the highest current strength and potential among those four.”

“Wei Heshan and Fan Tianyi, whom you said would only reach sixty percent of your future height, come next. The Meow King, whom you claimed would only reach half of your future height, ranks last.”

“Look at this list – every single one of them is currently a peerless prodigy shining brilliantly!”

“Since you’ve already started, why don’t you evaluate the Pure Yang Cultivator Chen Fugui, Phoenix Calamity Cultivator Mu Xiaoye, and that mysterious Ghost Controller Shen Feiyang we saw earlier?”

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Dongliu seriously evaluated: “Although Teacher Chen Fugui currently possesses a Pure Yang body, his casual personality and relatively advanced age make it difficult for him to catch up later. I estimate he’ll only reach forty percent of my future height.”

“Student Mu Xiaoye, while exceptionally talented with the entire Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect supporting her, is merely following established paths without forging her own Dao. Let’s tentatively rate her at ninety percent of my future height.”

“As for that Shen Feiyang, I’ve never been optimistic about those who rely on external forces. He should barely reach thirty percent of my future height.”

As he spoke, Jiang Dongliu suddenly noticed something amiss.

“Wait, teacher, why are you taking notes while listening?”

Seeing Nangong Canjian taking out pen and paper to record everything he just said, Jiang Dongliu couldn’t help but complain.

Nangong Canjian calmly closed his notebook and said seriously: “The palest ink is better than the best memory. I’m just recording your words to check these people’s achievements in the future.”

“If all these people surpass you eventually, that would prove your reputation as the Nine Provinces’ most toxic prophet is well-deserved!”

Hearing this, Jiang Dongliu retorted: “Just wait and see, teacher. In the future, I will surely surpass them all and prove that Jiang Dongliu’s words are true.”

Before Jiang Dongliu could finish his stubborn declaration, Nangong Canjian kindly reminded him: “Well, I might not need to wait that long, because the Meow King and the others already seem to be surpassing you.”

“If you want to suppress them in next year’s Dao Academy competition like you did last year, it probably won’t be so easy.”

Jiang Dongliu’s mouth twitched slightly, but he still insisted: “Empty words prove nothing. Let’s talk when they can actually defeat me.”

Although Jiang Dongliu insisted he wasn’t being toxic, with so many coincidences piling up, he couldn’t help but wonder if he really was a toxic prophet.

Things couldn’t possibly be that absurd, right? It couldn’t be true that everyone he sharply evaluated would eventually rise above him, could it?

Were they treating him, the Sword Institute Chief, as some quality inspector for the Nine Provinces’ prodigies?

If they beat him, they’re prodigies; if they lose to him, they’re just ordinary geniuses?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!Just wait and see. Next year at the Dao Academy Grand Competition, Jiang Dongliu will become the undisputed, era-defining prodigy of the Nine Provinces that overwhelms all others.

A prodigy gatekeeper? Don’t make me laugh!

Considering the timing, next year’s Dao Academy Grand Competition will not only coincide with Lu Chen and his peers’ enrollment but also mark the final year for him, Meow King, and the others.

Thinking about it this way, next year’s Grand Competition is likely to be the most intense one in nearly a century.

Even excluding himself, Meow King and the others are all at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. It can truly be called the genuine contest for the title of the Nine Provinces’ top prodigy.

At this thought, Jiang Dongliu’s originally somewhat frivolous expression gradually turned serious, and his gaze became exceptionally sharp.

He radiated an intense Battle Intent.

Three days later, at Danyang Peak of the Azure Cloud Sect.

“After putting in so much effort, I’ve finally managed to consistently refine the Essence Nourishing Pill…”

In his Cave Residence, Lu Chen looked quite pleased as he examined the batch of Essence Nourishing Pills he had just refined.

[Name: Essence Nourishing Pill]

[Quality: Common]

[Effect: After consumption, gain 500 EXP. Can only consume one per day.]

“Just one common-quality Essence Nourishing Pill can grant me 500 EXP.”

“Combined with the special effect of the Peak-level Body-Forging Art, which doubles the efficacy of elixirs, that means I can gain a full 1000 EXP from consuming one Essence Nourishing Pill.”

“As expected of the elixir I’ve been studying for so long—it hasn’t disappointed me.”

“Currently, my daily cultivation grants me 1000 EXP. With the EXP from this Essence Nourishing Pill, I can now earn a total of 2000 EXP per in-game day.”

“Converted to real-world time, that’s a full 20,000 EXP per day.”

“Doesn’t that mean if I don’t spend any EXP from now on, I could raise my Dragon Transformation Sword Intent to the ‘Harmonization’ realm in just fifty real-world days?”

The thought alone made Lu Chen begin to envision the scenario.

However, he was only entertaining the idea and had no intention of actually doing it.

After the recent incident with the Black Lotus Sect, Lu Chen had developed a strong sense of urgency.

Although the Black Lotus Sect had failed this time, he felt they wouldn’t give up so easily.

They were likely watching him from the shadows, waiting for another chance to capture him.

He couldn’t guarantee that his luck would always be as good as encountering a False Core Cultivator like Hao Fu.

If he had encountered a genuine Golden Core Stage expert like the Black Rock King from the joint examination instance, he wouldn’t have stood a chance—let alone using the Heretical Sword to turn the tables.

A mere wave of their hand, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, would render all his skills useless.

Although both False Core and Golden Core contain the word “core,” the gap between them is vast.

At the very least, Lu Chen hadn’t felt the overwhelming pressure from Hao Fu that he had from the Black Rock King, nor that sense of commanding the power of heaven and earth with every gesture.

Therefore, no matter how he looked at it, his top priority wasn’t to improve his Dragon Transformation Sword Intent but to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage in cultivation.

Because once he reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, his strength would undergo a qualitative transformation.

By then, even if he encountered a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, he should be able to retreat unscathed, even if he couldn’t defeat them.

And now, he wasn’t far from successfully establishing his Foundation.

[Name: Lu Chen (Azure Cloud Sect · Inner Disciple)][Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage Peak (12,000/30,000)]

[Skills: Dragon Transformation Sword Intent (Dao Entry 1/1,000,000), Righteous Sword Intent (Dao Entry), Mountain-Shaking Fist Intent (Dao Entry), Purple Dawn Divine Fire (Breakthrough), Azure Lotus Eye (Breakthrough), Body-Forging Art (Breakthrough), Man-Mountain Art (Major Achievement 1/30,000)…]

[Current EXP: 11,000]

“I’ve nearly mastered all Five Elements Divine Abilities. Once I elevate the Man-Mountain Art to the Breakthrough level, only one water-attribute divine ability will remain to fulfill one of the Foundation Establishment conditions.”

“After that, I just need to raise my spiritual power cultivation to 30,000 points to essentially meet all requirements for the Foundation Establishment Stage.”

“With some final preparations, achieving Foundation Establishment shouldn’t be difficult. However, whether I can attain the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment will depend on luck…”

At this thought, Lu Chen immediately checked his long-neglected Novice Mission III.

[Novice Mission III: Become an Inner Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect and reach Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation]

[Minimum Reward: 10,000 EXP, Random Second Innate Divine Ability ×1]

[Note: Higher Foundation quality yields greater rewards]

Lu Chen had already completed half of this novice mission’s requirements.

The only remaining challenge was Foundation Establishment.

Even if he only achieved the lowest Ninth-Grade Mortal Dao Foundation Establishment, he would directly receive 10,000 EXP.

If he could accomplish First-Grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, he speculated the final EXP reward would likely reach the substantial amount of 100,000.

If that were the case, after establishing his foundation, he might quickly accumulate enough EXP to upgrade his Dragon Transformation Sword Intent to the Harmony Realm.

“Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment combined with Harmony Realm Sword Intent… If I truly achieve this, I might genuinely have a chance to contend with actual Golden Core Stage cultivators while still at the Foundation Establishment Stage.”

This wasn’t mere fantasy but a reasonable deduction based on his actual circumstances.

After these deliberations, Lu Chen finally left his long-secluded cave residence and headed to the Azure Cloud Sect Scripture Pavilion.

Although his Man-Mountain Art hadn’t reached Breakthrough yet, given his current EXP acquisition rate, achieving Breakthrough was inevitable—only a matter of time.

Thus, he could proactively search for a suitable water-attribute divine ability.

Once the Man-Mountain Art reached Breakthrough, he could immediately begin cultivating the water-attribute technique.

After mastering all five divine abilities, he could then allocate all remaining EXP to enhancing his cultivation.

Given his current progress, he estimated needing only ten in-game days to fully reach peak cultivation.

“To do good work, one must first sharpen one’s tools.”

Selecting the water-attribute divine ability in advance would enable more efficient subsequent cultivation.

Being no stranger to the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Chen required no guidance this time. He familiarly made his way to the divine abilities section.

Confronted with the dazzling array of jade slips containing divine abilities, Lu Chen promptly began searching for a suitable water-attribute technique.

Considering his current arsenal:

• Offense: Dragon Transformation, Righteous, and Mountain-Shaking—all Dao Entry-level skills—plus the trump card Heretical Sword.

• Defense: Body-Forging Art and Man-Mountain Art.His auxiliary abilities included the Azure Lotus Eye and the Purple Dawn Divine Fire.

Therefore, compared to ordinary divine abilities, Lu Chen actually desired a divine ability related to the Divine Soul more.

After all, he had suffered setbacks in the area of the Divine Soul before.

Although he had obtained a Mind-Calming Lotus Platform through the Ancient Fiend Gift, which allowed him to resist the Divine Soul attacks of ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators and slowly enhance his own Divine Soul strength,

Lu Chen still wanted to find a divine ability in this area.

After all, if he were to place all his Divine Soul safety on external objects, Lu Chen always felt it wasn’t entirely secure.

Because if something were to happen to the Mind-Calming Lotus Platform, wouldn’t he be helpless against the Divine Soul attacks of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators?

After some searching, Lu Chen indeed found a divine ability in the Scripture Pavilion that met his requirements.

[Name: River Styx Curse]

[Description: A special divine ability comprehended by a Great Divine Power expert through insights into the River Styx. At Major Achievement, it can condense a single drop of River Styx water. Using this water to cast the curse can both protect oneself and harm others.]

[Training Requirements: Proficient mastery of the Myriad Talisman True Understanding·Upper Volume, Water Spirit Root must reach High Grade]

Looking at the training requirements for the River Styx Curse, Lu Chen felt that this divine ability might have originally been specifically prepared for disciples of the Ten Thousand Talisman Peak.

Because the prerequisite for this divine ability was to be proficient in the upper volume of the Myriad Talisman True Understanding.

That is, the technique of Air-Drawing Talisman.

Lu Chen speculated that this might be because the subsequent execution of the River Styx Curse required the use of the Air-Drawing Talisman technique, hence this prerequisite.

And as luck would have it, he, Lu Chen, happened to meet both conditions.

After all, back when he was in the second instance, the Ancient Sword Tomb, he had already trained the Myriad Talisman True Understanding·Upper Volume to a proficient level.

This saved him a lot of trouble now.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen immediately decided to train in the River Styx Curse.

Because no matter how he looked at it, this divine ability was the most suitable cultivation manual for him.

Just as Lu Chen spent contribution points to exchange for the training method of the River Styx Curse from the Scripture Pavilion,

the originally tranquil Azure Cloud Sect began to grow lively.

Because the Azure Cloud Sect’s Five Peaks Tournament, held once every five years… was about to begin.

Although not everyone would participate in this Five Peaks Tournament, most disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect generally wouldn’t miss this rare grand event.

It’s worth mentioning that this Five Peaks Tournament of the Azure Cloud Sect was somewhat different from previous ones.

Because besides the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect,

the neighboring Jade Void Mountain would also send some disciples to participate.

Although Jade Void Mountain claimed they wanted to witness the style of the number one sect in the Central Province,

everyone knew in their hearts that Jade Void Mountain must have produced some exceptionally talented disciples and wanted to show off at the Azure Cloud Sect.

To overshadow the Azure Cloud Sect’s prominence.

In response, the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect were rolling up their sleeves, taking this Five Peaks Tournament very seriously.

After all, in previous Five Peaks Tournaments, there were no participants from other sects.

Even when competing among fellow sect members, it was mostly stopping at the right point, without too much competitiveness.

But when it came to competing with Jade Void Mountain, the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect were each and every one excited.

To summarize in one sentence: the members of the Azure Cloud Sect were all meek internally but fierce externally when dealing with outsiders!

The reputation of being the number one school in the Central Province wasn’t just built by the Azure Cloud Sect’s divine ability experts alone.This is also the result that the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect have fought for bit by bit over the past ten thousand years.

How dare a mere Jade Void Mountain come to our Azure Cloud Sect to discuss the Dao?

We guarantee you’ll come on your feet but leave lying down!

If I don’t beat you all black and blue, you’d really think our Azure Cloud Sect’s reputation as the number one Immortal Sect in Central Province is undeserved!

When debating the Dao, it’s perfectly normal to occasionally resort to some underhanded tactics!

After all, if we only debate with words, it’s hard for anyone to convince the other.

We could argue for half a day without reaching any conclusion.

Rather than that, it’s better to settle it with our skills.

As long as I beat you into submission, that proves my Dao… is far superior to yours!

So in a way, so-called “debating the Dao” is actually “beating with the Dao”!

(End of Chapter)