Chapter 74

Ge Xuanqiao usually didn't bother with the affairs of the Ancestor Hall, but today he came to the Disciple Trial Tower and personally activated the grand formation in the underground chamber. Dong Ning, who sensed something amiss in the Trial Tower, was naturally puzzled and perplexed.

She cast a suspicious glance around the side hall, but apart from the head of the side hall, she couldn't detect any other abnormalities. She then smiled sweetly and asked, "Why is Ancestor Ge here?"

"Nothing to do, just wandering around!" Ge Xuanqiao said, as if he had nothing better to do and had come to the Trial Tower for fun.

Dong Ning didn't believe Ge Xuanqiao's words and her beautiful eyes darted around the head of the side hall.

The head of the side hall, seeing that Ge Xuanqiao had preemptively hidden the projection of the Water Moon Mirror, naturally guessed that the Ancestor had some matters he didn't want others to know about, so he stood quietly on the side without a word.

Dong Ning guessed that Ge Xuanqiao might have some private matters he didn't want others to know about, so she stopped prying and said, "Ning'er has been practicing the Great Derivation Sword Technique recently and has some confusion, making it difficult to break through the bottleneck. I was just looking for Ancestor Ge for guidance."

"No guidance, no guidance. This old Taoist has only so much to offer. If you can understand the true meaning of the Great Derivation Sword Technique, what bottleneck can't you break through? You don't need this old Taoist's guidance." Ge Xuanqiao waved his hand, as if he was afraid of the trouble Dong Ning would bring.

"Ancestor Ge promised to guide Ning'er in front of my grandfather. Why are you reneging now?" Dong Ning said in a coquettish voice, feeling that Ge Xuanqiao was hiding something from her and decided to stick around.

"Oh, right," Ge Xuanqiao's white brows furrowed, thinking of something, and asked, "Your fiancé, who has a marriage contract with you, has recently entered the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation. Have you met him?"

The marriage contract with the Yao family had long been forgotten. If it weren't for seeing that good-for-nothing rascal bullying others in the Trial Tower today, Dong Ning would have almost forgotten about it.

Others wouldn't dare to mention this in front of her, but Dong Ning didn't expect the shameless old man Ge Xuanqiao to directly bring up her sore spot. She felt extremely uncomfortable and could only pretend to be confused, saying, "Who is Ning'er's fiancé? I don't know. Could it be that Ancestor Ge has noticed some talented young man in the sect and wants to introduce Ning'er to him?"

Seeing Dong Ning cleverly change the subject, Ge Xuanqiao chuckled and said, "If you keep playing this game with me now, you'll regret it later..." He just wanted to see the fun and didn't want to reveal that her fiancé was not as bad as rumored.

At just twenty years old, he had already entered the realm of martial arts true meaning. How could he be so bad?

Dong Ning didn't know what was wrong with Ge Xuanqiao today, but she was afraid he would bring up the matter again, so she found an excuse and fled with her attendant.

Ge Xuanqiao laughed and patted his tattered clothes, then walked out of the side hall, giving the head of the side hall a meaningful look and making a gesture to keep quiet.

The head of the side hall naturally knew that Ancestor Ge wanted him to keep it a secret. He didn't understand why Ancestor Ge wanted to hide this secret, but he dared not disobey. Unless Princess Ning put a knife to his neck, he wouldn't say anything.

The head of the side hall, still feeling uneasy, didn't dare to privately spy on the disciples' competition anymore.

Even though he couldn't spread the secret he saw today, he was still curious about the identity of the disciple with the spear. He couldn't imagine that someone had already entered the realm of martial arts true meaning at the Spirit Penetration stage and had caught the attention of the Ancestor Hall's head, Ancestor Ge.

He went to the first floor of the Trial Tower and saw Chen Hai, Wu Meng, and Zhou Jun, who had just finished a spirited competition, coming out of the C-numbered arena. He looked them over and noticed that Chen Hai was abnormally tall and even somewhat bulky, with a large, ugly face covered in scars, giving off a killing aura typical of a battlefield general. His narrow eyes also had a hint of cunning, and there was no trace of the refined and detached demeanor of a noble family's young master.

As Chen Hai, Wu Meng, and Zhou Jun walked out of the Trial Tower, the head of the side hall, seeing some familiar fellow disciples, frowned and asked, "Who is this disciple? I've never seen him before. Has he just entered the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation?"

"He is the nephew of Lord Zhaoyang Pavilion, Chen Lie. He hasn't opened the Secret Palace of the Spirit Sea, but he entered the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation as the legitimate son of Lord Zhaoyang Pavilion. He's not an easy one to deal with. I heard his original name was Yao Xing, but to enter the Upper Seven Peaks, he shamelessly changed his name to Chen Hai and was registered in the Chen clan's genealogy!" The disciple who had witnessed the conflict between Chen Hai and Chai Rong earlier shook his head as he recalled it.

"Lord Zhaoyang Pavilion's nephew?" The head of the side hall repeated hesitantly. He had been cultivating in the Upper Seven Peaks for a long time and suddenly understood why Ancestor Ge had smiled so strangely at Princess Ning. Wasn't this Chen Hai the fiancé with whom Princess Ning had a marriage contract?

The head of the side hall shrank back, thinking that no matter how Ancestor Ge arranged things, it was best for him to pretend he knew nothing.

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Chen Hai and the others didn't know what had happened in the underground chamber of the Trial Tower. After a spirited competition, both Chen Hai and Wu Meng had gained something, and Zhou Jun, who had been watching, was eager to try his hand. He thought that Qiyun Ridge was indeed a good place for disciples to cultivate.

They had tried the lower-level competition arena today and planned to find an opportunity to try all the upper eight levels of the Trial Tower.

Zhou Jun and Wu Meng, who aspired to serve in the military, were particularly interested in the Bronze Statue Hall, eager to experience the feeling of fighting alone amidst a thousand troops.

Chen Hai, however, had no such expectations.

He often sneaked into the Blood Cloud Wasteland, and many times he found that the hiding place of his puppet clone had been occupied by a group of Rakshasas. He had to go through great lengths to change his hiding place, and if he wasn't careful, he had to fight his way out of the encirclement of a large group of Rakshasas...

Such practical combat experience was something he had plenty of, so there was no need for him to go to the Bronze Statue Hall in the Trial Tower.

The most important thing from today's competition with Wu Meng was that Chen Hai verified the effectiveness of the disciple fish token in enhancing his six senses. It improved his perception by about ten percent, which was crucial for him to match Wu Meng's current level.

However, Chen Hai didn't plan to overly rely on the disciple fish token to enhance his six senses. He even thought about cutting off the connection with the token during regular times.

Only by breaking this dependency could his six senses be further enhanced.

Even after opening the Secret Palace of the Spirit Sea, it didn't mean that other main meridians didn't need cultivation.

In fact, the six yin main meridians—Hand Lesser Yin, Hand Bright Yin, Hand Jue Yin, Foot Lesser Yin, Foot Bright Yin, and Foot Jue Yin—were connected to the internal organs where the spirit and soul resided. Cultivating these meridians could strengthen the organs, nourish the spirit and soul, and also enhance the six senses, which were closely related to the spirit and mental power.

This was one of the fundamental cultivation practices for disciples at the Spirit Penetration stage, whether they were martial artists, swordsmen, or mystic cultivators.

These practices were also the foundation for opening the Ancestor's Aperture and the Sea of Recognition. After entering the Bright Aperture stage, the six senses would be elevated to the level of spiritual and divine perception, allowing mystic cultivators to accurately perceive external objects beyond the physical senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

At this stage, controlling a sword over a thousand miles and defeating powerful enemies would become a reality.

However, in addition to being able to cultivate the six yin main meridians to enhance his six senses, Chen Hai could also strengthen his spirit and mental power through the cultivation of Dao seals, thereby further enhancing his six senses.

From this perspective, after entering the Spirit Penetration stage, there were no insurmountable cultivation obstacles for him.

Chen Hai calmed down and planned to use the next few months to lay a foundation. He would then return to Yulong Mountain to cultivate step by step. He made an appointment with Zhou Jun to visit the Treasure Hall and the Scripture Pavilion the next day to see if there were any valuable magical treasures and mystic techniques worth exchanging for...

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The next morning, Chen Hai met with Zhou Jun and went to the Treasure Hall to select magical treasures. Although Wu Meng had to protect Chen Hai's safety, the possibility of an accident happening on Qiyun Ridge was extremely low, so he could enjoy a peaceful and focused cultivation life.

As inner disciples, they had the advantage of being able to exchange cultivation manuals, magical treasures, and elixirs with the sect at a much lower cost than in the Dao Academy.

A low-grade yellow magical treasure in the Dao Academy would cost at least ten thousand points of sect merit, but as inner disciples, they only needed to spend less than half of that. Various Dao talismans were also much cheaper compared to the Dao Academy.

Of course, there were still some restrictions.

Inner disciples could only exchange for a set of low-grade yellow magical treasures, including defensive, offensive, and auxiliary magical treasures, at a lower price. If they wanted more, the cost in sect merit points would return to the same level as in the Dao Academy.

Clearly, there were no loopholes for Chen Hai to exploit.

Chen Hai already had the Nine Flame Dragon Seal and the Golden Sharp Spirit Ring, which were sufficient for him even after officially entering the Spirit Penetration stage. Even if he used the privileges of an inner disciple to exchange for a set of low-grade yellow magical treasures, it would be for others.

This advantage was still worth taking, as the price difference compared to the Dao Academy was more than double.

Even if no one in the Medicine Garden could use them, a set of low-grade yellow magical treasures would be highly sought after by many clan descendants who didn't have the qualifications to enter the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation.

Not all Spirit Penetration mystic cultivators could enter the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation. Whether from a clan or a humble background, unless they were the legitimate descendants of a feudal lord, they had to open the Secret Palace of the Spirit Sea before the age of thirty to qualify for entry.

People like Ge Tong and Shen Kun, who had good potential, but due to a lack of cultivation resources in the early stages, usually opened the Secret Palace of the Spirit Sea between the ages of thirty and forty, thus losing the qualification to enter the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation. If they wanted to cultivate higher-level mystic techniques, they had to first join a clan.

Shen Kun, for the sake of his son Shen Xiu's future, refused to join a clan, thus cutting off the possibility of further enhancing his cultivation realm.

This rule restricted the rise of humble background disciples and allowed Chen Hai to make a small fortune upon entering the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation.

When they arrived at the Treasure Hall, Chen Hai found that they had limited choices among the low-grade yellow magical treasures.

It seemed to be limited to the Spirit Pattern Sword, the Green Essence Spirit Armor, and the Small Mustard Ring. One was an offensive magical treasure, one was a defensive magical treasure, and one was an auxiliary magical treasure, almost the standard choices for all new disciples entering the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation.

Chen Hai, who hadn't opened the Secret Palace of the Spirit Sea, could only use the Green Essence Spirit Armor, but he already had the Nine Flame Dragon Seal for protection, so the Green Essence Spirit Armor would be for resale.

The Small Mustard Ring was a storage ring, with the largest storage space being about one cubic meter, but it required a continuous injection of true essence to maintain the storage formation.

Zhou Jun, with six spirit meridians, could only store a few extremely valuable and small items in the Small Mustard Ring to minimize the consumption of true essence and magical power. The Spirit Pattern Sword had to be carried on his back.

Additionally, during focused cultivation, these items had to be taken out to avoid the continuous consumption of true essence interfering with the cultivation.

Therefore, the Small Mustard Ring was of little use to Spirit Penetration disciples, but the options for auxiliary low-grade yellow magical treasures were very limited.

The Tinghou Manor was also in a tight spot, and Chen Hai couldn't unjustly occupy too many resources. He thought that these three low-grade yellow magical treasures were of no use to him, but reselling them could earn him about ten thousand points of sect merit...

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