Chapter 170: Chapter 167: Unexpected Invitation
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Accompanied by a roar like muffled thunder, three azure bolts of sword light suddenly shot forth, slicing through the air for more than ten zhang and carving a long trench into the ground ahead, one that was over ten zhang long and several feet deep!
At the end of the trench,
the giant boulder that had served as a target—a rock several men tall—was now shattered. Its center had been obliterated into dust by the Thunder Sword Shadow!
Such terrifying power,
was second only to the Cyan Wood Sword Light among all the techniques Shen Changchuan had mastered.
If he used this against an enemy,
he might even stand a chance against a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer!
Shen Changchuan nodded slightly.
He had also tried casting Endless Life.
The results were indeed excellent.
These two techniques truly lived up to their name as High Level Magic,
far stronger than the Basic Magic on his progress panel.
However, Shen Changchuan also discovered a few issues.
Namely, while High Level Magic were certainly powerful,
they couldn’t be cast instantaneously like his Basic Magic, not even after their progress bars reached the Perfection Realm on his panel!
Take the Three-Thunder Shadow-Annihilating Sword and Endless Life, for example.
Even though their progress bars on the panel had reached one hundred percent, the Perfection Realm,
casting them still required a "Spellcasting Warm-up" of about one-fifth of a breath!
Although that one-fifth of a breath for the Spellcasting Warm-up was about as long as the blink of an eye,
making it difficult for even a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer Realm to dodge in such a short period of time,
it still existed.
Against a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer Peak, or one in the Ninth Layer Realm who specialized in speed, he feared this would become a fatal opening!
This was clearly a source of worry for Shen Changchuan.
Fortunately, he soon found a solution.
’This Casting Preparation seems to exist because my Divine Sense isn’t strong enough to complete the mobilization of Magical Power for High Level Magic in an instant...’
’After I broke through to the Eighth Layer Realm, the Cyan Wood Sword Light, which originally took half a breath to cast, now has a ’Spellcasting Warm-up’ reduced to four-tenths of a breath. This undoubtedly proves my point...’
’Perhaps as my Cultivation improves and my Divine Sense strengthens, this problem will be resolved. In the future, I might be able to cast High Level Magic instantaneously...’
After some thought and experimentation,
Shen Changchuan had already reached a general understanding of the issue.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although this discovery did little to improve his current strength,
after all, he couldn’t solve the problem right now,
it at least made him understand one thing: his progress bar panel had a very bright future.
Things like the Casting Preparation would be resolved in the future as his Cultivation Realm increased,
so he wouldn’t face a situation where the more High Level and powerful a technique was, the longer its Spellcasting Warm-up became.
This meant that at higher Realms, High Tier Techniques wouldn’t become less useful due to long Spellcasting Warm-up times.
And this discovery also affirmed one thing:
the path he had chosen from the beginning
was still the right one.
Setting his worries aside,
Shen Changchuan pushed these matters to the back of his mind for the time being.
He refocused on the present.
First, there were the miscellaneous affairs of Dawan Village, which had accumulated during his month of seclusion.
Fortunately, although the arrival of more outside Loose Cultivators had caused some ripples in Dawan Village during this time, there had been no major impact.
With the help of his grandfather, Han Qinhu, everything was handled in an orderly manner.
Nothing had occurred that required his personal intervention.
Moreover, there was still some time before the United Trade Team was scheduled to set out on its next transport run.
Seeing that nothing major was on the horizon,
Shen Changchuan decided he might as well continue his Cultivation,
intending to press on in one fell swoop
and master the few High Level Magic he had purchased from Qing City, further strengthening his arsenal.
To that end, Shen Changchuan was even prepared to splurge and use the Bright Soul Incense to aid his Cultivation.
Once he mastered these few High Level Magic,
the next thing on his agenda would be the United Trade Team’s transport mission.
During the process, he could also make another trip to the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion in Qing City and see if he could find any Elixirs suitable for Cultivation at the Eighth Layer Realm.
’And then there’s the so-called black market...’
In any case, he would do his best to convert the more than ten thousand Spirit Stones in his possession into personal strength as quickly as possible.
Of course,
ten thousand-odd Spirit Stones were certainly not enough for Cultivation in the Eighth Layer Realm.
Never mind the immense sum required to purchase enough Elixirs to advance quickly from the Eighth Layer Early Stage to the Eighth Layer Peak,
the subsequent breakthrough from the Eighth Layer Peak to the Ninth Layer would probably cost an astronomical, unbearable sum.
This time,
there would be no kind soul like Wu Tianhao to gift him a breakthrough Elixir.
More than ten thousand Spirit Stones,
faced with such a need, would likely be little more than a drop in the ocean.
Fortunately, however,
Shen Changchuan no longer felt the same urgency as before.
’My strength now is probably on par with an ordinary Cultivator of the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Realm...’
’With this level of power, I can be considered an expert in the Border Desolate Land... And with the help of the Blood Evil Gourd, Xiaofeng, and my other tricks, I should have a decent chance of escaping from any enemy below the Soul Emergence Realm...’
Now that he no longer had to constantly worry for his life,
Shen Changchuan felt much more at ease.
Although he still wished for his Cultivation to advance more quickly,
he no longer felt the same desperation as before.
’I can take my time; I still have enough of it... Thanks to the deterrence I created by borrowing Senior Shen Tingchu’s reputation, staying in Dawan Village for another two or three years shouldn’t be a major issue...’
’Two years is ample time to reach the Ninth Layer Peak... If I run out of Spirit Stones, I can just spend time diligently studying Alchemy and earn more through my skills...’
As he thought about his future plans, Shen Changchuan’s mood calmed considerably.
But just as Shen Changchuan was collecting his thoughts,
preparing to practice the remaining High Level Magic as planned,
a visitor at his door
interrupted Shen Changchuan’s plans.
The visitor was Nangong City.
Although Nangong City was known in the Immortal Cultivation Realm as a Knight-errant figure who would draw his sword to right an injustice,
his life wasn’t spent wandering the world, fighting for the weak every day.
Playing the hero was just a hobby;
a man still had to make a living.
Recently,
after resolving the lingering affliction left in his body by the Blood Slaughter Three Demons, he had experienced a breakthrough after his ordeal and advanced to the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Realm.
After advancing to the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer, he didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, he began exploring deep within the Border Desolate Forest, searching for Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, seeking opportunities, and pursuing the path beyond the Ninth Layer.
And in the process,
he discovered a massive, labyrinthine underground grotto.
Inside, he had found something incredible.
His visit this time
was precisely to invite Shen Changchuan to join him in seizing that great opportunity, as a way to repay the favor he had been shown...
