Chapter 231 – Divine Ability Enhanced, An Inch of Gold Buys an Inch of Time

Enhancing an Innate Divine Ability—this was the System prompt Lu Chen received after arriving beside the Sea of Learning.

It was also the fundamental reason why he hadn’t rushed to start fishing.

Throughout the day and night, Lu Chen’s thoughts were simple.

He reviewed everything he had learned so far, comparing which of his two Innate Divine Abilities would be most effective to enhance.

After a day of contemplation, Lu Chen ultimately decided on the “Three-Inch Time” Innate Divine Ability.

This was because the “Heretical Avatar” Innate Divine Ability had long relied on the “Heretical Sword” to demonstrate its power.

But now, Lu Chen no longer lacked offensive methods.

Whether it was the Four Sword Domain or the “Sealing Heaven Sword Mountain” he later created by fusing the copied “Double Pupil Art: Heaven Sealing Stele” with the “Fiend-Severing Sword Formation,”

both were extremely powerful offensive techniques.

In this regard, the Heretical Sword could still serve as Lu Chen’s trump card,

but the strength of this trump card couldn’t be enhanced by improving the Heretical Avatar Innate Divine Ability.

It could only be boosted through Lu Chen’s own cultivation and Sword Path comprehension.

Thus, after setting aside the special case of the Heretical Sword,

the Heretical Avatar Innate Divine Ability actually didn’t contribute much to Lu Chen’s combat strength.

But the second Innate Divine Ability, “Three-Inch Time,” was different.

The special effect of the fourth-level Innate Divine Ability was “Reverse Time.”

Its effect allowed Lu Chen to reverse his own time by five seconds.

For Lu Chen, this effect was undoubtedly immensely significant.

As long as an enemy couldn’t kill him in one strike, Lu Chen could instantly return to full health.

Although activating this divine ability required absorbing vast amounts of Spiritual Power,

and reversing time wouldn’t restore the Spiritual Power Lu Chen had already consumed,

the existence of this skill essentially gave Lu Chen an extra chance at revival.

Moreover, Lu Chen felt this Innate Divine Ability’s true potential went beyond that.

Its truly terrifying aspect lay in allowing Lu Chen to avoid the side effects of certain powerful secret techniques.

For example, if Lu Chen took a “Blood-Burning Pill”—a special elixir that temporarily multiplies a cultivator’s strength—

he could simply activate Reverse Time at the fourth second, returning to four seconds before taking the pill.

Then he wouldn’t suffer from the Blood-Burning Pill’s negative effects of damaging his Foundation and burning his Origin.

In other words, besides being a life-saving ability, Reverse Time was also an incredibly powerful trump card.

It gave Lu Chen four seconds to go all out without worrying about any consequences.

Similarly, if this duration could be extended—

for instance, increasing the original five seconds to ten seconds—

then Lu Chen’s burst duration would extend from four seconds to nine seconds.

This additional time would undoubtedly further enhance Lu Chen’s strength.

It was after realizing all this that Lu Chen finalized his decision to enhance the “Three-Inch Time” Innate Divine Ability.

Lu Chen stood up and walked to the edge of the Book Mountain cliff, just one step away from the Sea of Learning.

Only two days and one night remained until the entire Academy session ended.

Most people on Book Mountain had already left.

Some, though aware they might not cross the Sea of Learning, still wanted to try and had already entered the sea.Thus, apart from Lu Chen, only two individuals remained on Book Mountain—both having long given up on the Academy’s examination in their hearts.

The reason they lingered despite abandoning the test was simple curiosity: they wondered what kind of Divine Ability fish Lu Chen might reel in from the Sea of Learning.

Fortunately, Lu Chen did not keep them waiting long.

Watching Lu Chen approach the cliff’s edge, the two stood up and turned their gaze toward the sea.

Lu Chen raised his hand, and a unique fishing rod materialized from Spiritual Power.

Though he had only just released his Spiritual Power, the previously calm Sea of Learning began to churn violently.

Upon closer inspection, countless Divine Ability fish surged to the surface, seemingly eager to be caught by Lu Chen.

Among these Divine Ability fish were many large ones measuring over ten meters, some even dozens of meters long.

In previous fishing sessions at the Sea of Learning, the largest “Divine Ability fish” they had witnessed was the Divine Ability Flood Dragon caught by the gluttonous woman.

That Divine Ability Flood Dragon stretched over a hundred meters.

It was also the first time since the Academy’s inception that they had heard of a student fishing out a Flood Dragon from the Sea of Learning.

They had thought catching a Flood Dragon was already an earth-shattering feat.

Yet now, Lu Chen had merely produced his fishing rod—without even baiting it—and the commotion he stirred was no less than the mysterious woman’s.

Thus, a terrifying thought crossed the minds of the only two people on Book Mountain:

Could this guy also hook a Dragon?

Unaware of their thoughts, Lu Chen gazed at the turbulent sea and conjured a fishing hook on his Spiritual Power rod.

The two on the mountaintop were taken aback upon seeing Lu Chen’s hook.

Not only was there no bait, but the hook was also straight.

Although fishing in the Sea of Learning differed from real-life fishing, could a straight hook even catch anything?

Soon, Lu Chen demonstrated through action that not only could a straight hook catch fish, but the fish it caught were extraordinary.

As Lu Chen cast the hook, the already turbulent sea erupted into a frenzy.

Thousands of Divine Ability fish rushed forward, vying to bite Lu Chen’s hook.

But the straight hook was not something any fish could latch onto.

Some smaller Divine Ability fish reached the hook first, but the straight design left them unable to bite down.

To seize the sole hook, the thousands of Divine Ability fish began jostling and competing fiercely.

“Roar!”

Amid the chaotic scramble, a furious roar echoed from the depths of the sea.

A massive fish, dozens of meters long, leaped from the water.

Its enormous size allowed it to easily shove aside the smaller fish as it charged toward Lu Chen’s hook.

But before it could advance far, many other fish of similar size emerged from the surrounding waters.

These dozens-of-meters-long fish, rarely seen before, now appeared simultaneously.

Though they fought fiercely over the hook, none could claim victory.

Watching these giant fish battle to the death for a single straight hook, the two on Book Mountain were struck speechless with awe.

Meanwhile, high above the clouds, Gu Yue True Immortal and Cloud Deer observed the scene with keen interest.Unlike the inscrutable expression on Gu Yue True Immortal’s face, Cloud Deer wore a look of confusion.

He knew very well that Lu Chen wasn’t actually fishing at this moment, but rather letting the Divine Ability fish come to him on their own.

When others fished, they would wish they could pour all their Dao charm onto the fishing hook, trying to attract the largest possible Divine Ability fish.

Only in this way could they ensure the Awakening of their Innate Divine Ability.

For those who had already Awakened their Innate Divine Ability,

the larger the Divine Ability fish, the more pronounced the enhancement effect on their Innate Divine Ability would be.

Therefore, they would also try their best to catch a big fish.

But Lu Chen was strange – he hadn’t actually displayed his Dao charm at all.

After all, Cloud Deer clearly knew that Lu Chen had mastered Dao Integration Realm Sword Intent.

He hadn’t even released his Sword Domain,

which indicated he hadn’t put out any bait.

Yet even under such circumstances, the entire Sea of Learning was still churning.

This could only mean that Lu Chen’s Spiritual Power had already integrated some Dao charm.

This was something Cloud Deer had never noticed before.

Could it be that this person, like that girl named Shangguan Yunmeng before, possessed a First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation?

Otherwise, why would his Spiritual Power be so special?

Under Cloud Deer’s curious gaze, Lu Chen simply allowed the numerous Divine Ability fish to fight among themselves without taking any action, as if waiting for something.

Before long, as the entire sea level rose,

a massive dark shadow slowly emerged from the water.

Its appearance caused the entire school of fish to fall silent.

It was a giant Flood Dragon, estimated to be nearly 150 meters long.

Significantly larger than the Divine Ability Flood Dragon that Shangguan Yunmeng had summoned before.

But the commotion in the sea didn’t end there.

A small island appeared from afar and eventually stopped not far from Book Mountain.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t an island at all,

but rather the back of a giant sea turtle.

The Flood Dragon and the sea turtle confronted each other, neither backing down.

In an instant, the sea surface was divided into two sides.

The oppressive atmosphere could even be felt by the two outsiders on Book Mountain.

If it were anyone else, they would have been ecstatic by now, but Lu Chen remained remarkably calm.

He didn’t even look at the Flood Dragon and the sea turtle, instead maintaining an expressionless gaze toward the depths of the Sea of Learning, as if waiting for something.

Deep in the Sea of Learning, two small fish were swimming continuously.

One black and one white, though not large – each about the size of a palm.

Unlike the dull eyes of the surrounding Divine Ability fish, these black and white fish were exceptionally lively.

Not only that, but these black and white fish displayed astonishing agility.

Despite being in a dense school of fish, they could freely navigate through them.

Neither the Flood Dragon in the east nor the giant sea turtle in the west seemed to affect them.

Thus they gradually approached the fishing hook that Lu Chen had placed.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen atop the mountain seemed to sense something, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“When the time comes, heaven and earth lend their strength; when the momentum fades, even heroes lose their freedom. It’s about time.”

As these words fell, Lu Chen’s fishing hook submerged into the Sea of Learning began to move.

The hook continued to sink deeper, and the surrounding Divine Ability fish began to boil with excitement upon seeing this.Amidst the school of divine ability fish, the two small black and white fish seemed to sense something in advance, leisurely swimming toward a certain direction.

No one noticed these two small fish.

Not even the dragon and the turtle.

Just as the dragon and the turtle confronted each other, vying for ownership of the fishing hook—

It was as if the fishing hook had known in advance that the black and white fish would arrive at a certain location.

The moment the two small fish reached a specific area of the sea, they bit onto the hook.

In the next instant, Lu Chen sharply pulled the fishing rod.

Watching the two small fish—one black and one white—that Lu Chen had hooked, the two figures atop Book Mountain were stunned.

Neither of them had expected Lu Chen to catch such tiny fish.

After all, in the Sea of Learning, the smaller the divine ability fish, the less divine power they contained within.

Two divine ability fish, each only the size of a palm, combined were even smaller than a single scale of the divine ability flood dragon not far away.

They couldn’t understand why Lu Chen would pass up a flood dragon and a giant sea turtle in favor of these two seemingly ordinary small fish.

But what they failed to comprehend, someone else could.

High above in the clouds, Gu Yue True Immortal sighed as he watched Lu Chen reel in the two small fish. “To even hook the Reincarnation Life-Death Fish… No wonder the Lunar Fairy speaks of him with such caution. It seems this one is the variable in this great era.”

After saying this, Gu Yue True Immortal gently patted the Cloud Deer beside him and said, “Little deer, the time left for you and me is running short. You’ve played for so many years—it’s time to think about your own future.”

“In this great era, even Immortals struggle to remain untouched. There are matters you must decide for yourself.”

“But how you proceed is up to you. After all, the Dao is a path one must walk alone—no one else can interfere. Think it over carefully.”

Cloud Deer’s eyes grew complex, and he soon fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, down below, Lu Chen gazed contentedly at the two small fish before him.

[Reincarnation Life-Death Fish (Life/Death)]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Effect: Can enhance time-based innate divine abilities.]

The white fish represented life, the black fish represented death.

One life, one death, intertwined—perfectly symbolizing a cycle of reincarnation.

Moreover, from these Reincarnation Life-Death Fish, Lu Chen sensed a Dao charm reminiscent of the “Taiji Two Forms.”

Thus, rather than calling them two separate fish, it would be more accurate to say they were a single fish with dual aspects.

They were fundamentally one entity.

[Absorb the divine power of the Reincarnation Life-Death Fish to enhance the innate divine ability · Three-Inch Time?]

Seeing the prompt on the game interface, Lu Chen didn’t hesitate to select “Yes.”

[Your innate divine ability · Three-Inch Time is being enhanced…]

[You have acquired a new innate divine ability: Reincarnation Time.]

[Innate Divine Ability: Reincarnation Time]

[Grade: Fourth Realm]

[Effect: Upon activation, allows the user to foresee the target’s state 10 seconds into the future. The greater the disparity in cultivation and the more targets involved, the more spiritual power required to sustain the ability.]

[Special Effect · Reverse Time: Can reverse one’s own time by five seconds, restoring the body to its state five seconds prior. Does not recover spiritual power. Additional reverse time can be purchased using experience points—100,000 experience points for 1 second of reverse time.]

[Note 1: The cost of Reverse Time varies with cultivation level.]

[Note 2: Fifth Realm divine abilities require specific conditions to awaken.]Compared to the initial Three-Inch Time, Reincarnation Time only added one additional effect similar to “an inch of gold can buy an inch of time.”

Yet it was precisely this effect that brought about a qualitative transformation in this Innate Divine Ability.

Is 100,000 experience points expensive for buying one second of Reverse Time?

Not at all.

Because in a certain sense, that reversed second is enough to save a life.

An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.

The Innate Divine Ability of Reincarnation Time granted Lu Chen a means to purchase time with gold.

This was something countless people dreamed of but could never obtain.

With this Innate Divine Ability, Lu Chen felt his strength had increased by at least fifty percent.

Because as long as he wasn’t instantly killed, no matter how severe his injuries, he could recover in an instant.

Such an Innate Divine Ability—Lu Chen found it difficult to put its value into words.

Most importantly, this Innate Divine Ability would remain useful even after his future Immortal Ascension.

Its value was truly immeasurable.

With the enhancement of his Innate Divine Ability complete, there was no need for Lu Chen to remain at Book Mountain any longer.

Lu Chen stood up, and two Spirit Fish—one black, one white—intertwined to form a special Taiji Diagram that appeared behind his back.

Then he took a step forward, and a Flying Sword immediately carried his body as he flew toward the Sea of Learning.

Watching Lu Chen soar out of Book Mountain on his sword, the two people still remaining on the mountaintop both showed expressions of envy.

The ability to fly on a sword over the Sea of Learning indicated that Lu Chen had gained its recognition.

From the very beginning, what confined examinees to the Sea of Learning was never the “boundless sea,” but whether they could “apply what they had learned.”

If they couldn’t “apply what they had learned,” even if they left Book Mountain, they would remain trapped in the Sea of Learning.

But if they could “apply what they had learned,” how they crossed the Sea of Learning was entirely up to them.

After all, at this level, the Sea of Learning was no longer boundless to them—it had limits.

The Taiji Diagram appearing behind Lu Chen signified that he had learned something from the Sea of Learning and could put it into practice.

Therefore, whether he swam across the Sea of Learning riding Spirit Fish of Divine Ability or flew over it on a sword made no difference.

At this moment, though Lu Chen seemed to have just entered the Sea of Learning, he already had one foot on the other shore.

Only one day left until the Academy examination?

One day was enough.

In the sky, after flying on his sword for a while, Lu Chen spotted a massive island floating above the Sea of Learning in the distance.

On a stone tablet on the island, two characters were clearly inscribed… Penglai.

And this was the “other shore” of the Sea of Learning—the final destination of the examination.

(End of Chapter)