Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 322 The Secret of the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven
Apart from defensive spells.

The art of escape is naturally indispensable.

Xiao Chen specifically chose a spell called "Flying Clouds and Treading Waves Technique" this time.

As the name suggests, this is a water escape technique.

Objectively speaking, the Metal Release was used during Foundation Establishment, the Fire Release was used during Golden Core Formation, and now the Water Release has been changed, which seems a bit illogical.

But to be honest, the main reason was that we didn't have any other choice before.

Now, Xiao Chen stands in the Tiangang Sect's Scripture Pavilion, where spells of all kinds are displayed in abundance, and he can choose freely.

That's why he changed his original mindset of using whatever was available first.

After careful consideration, I decided to develop my next magical abilities.

As we all know, magic and cultivation techniques are different.

The most important thing about magic is its purpose, or rather, its effect.

Without a doubt, the next step will be either an almost inevitable confrontation with the sea creatures, or a return to the Storm Sea to settle scores with the Yin Corpse Sect.

They all inevitably have to fight on the vast ocean.

Based on this demand, Water Release is undoubtedly more suitable than other escape techniques.

Especially for Xiao Chen, switching to water escape techniques has two advantages.

Firstly, he believed that he would be in the position of hunter when facing the sea creatures, and that water escape techniques would allow him to better pursue and kill fourth-tier great demons.

Secondly, it applies to the entire Eastern Region.

Water-type spirit creatures are produced the most!

Moreover, these spiritual objects are far superior to those of the other four elements, and can basically account for more than half of the output.

This factor is very important.

This means that Xiao Chen will have the easiest time obtaining water-based spiritual items in the future, whether through trade or as spoils of war.

If he cultivates water-based techniques, he can use these spiritual objects to cultivate.

If he cultivates other escape techniques, then the water-type spiritual items he obtains will have to be disposed of, which would be somewhat wasteful.

all in all.

Choosing as many water-based spells as possible, including escape techniques, is the most advantageous decision for Xiao Chen at present.

"The previous 'Four Symbols Mountain Suppressing Cover' contained the Xuanwu spirit pattern, so there's no problem with it."

"Should we also replace the 'Crimson Sky Mountain-Splitting Palm'?"

Xiao Chen pondered, "Or perhaps, should I learn an additional water-based attack spell?"

"This 'Azure Wave Penetrating Needle' seems quite good, and I happen to have experience using the 'Frosty Light Ice Soul Needle' before."

"It should be easier to get started."

The reason why Xiao Chen had to pick and choose between defensive spells and escape techniques here, instead of learning all the spells he could see at once, was that he did not do so.

This is the biggest reason why things seem to be dragging on.

This is because learning magic requires time and resources, so quality is more important than quantity.

Secondly, the Tiangang Sect possesses an excessive number of magical techniques.

At least for Xiao Chen, it was truly too much!
There are hundreds of common offensive and defensive spells alone; it's impossible to learn them all, and there's absolutely no need to learn them all.

In addition, the Tiangang Sect has collected a large number of auxiliary spells.

That's right, it's an auxiliary spell similar to the "Fire Absorption Treasure Talisman" that I cultivated back in the Fire Gate.

Previously, when Xiao Chen was resisting the fire in the Ember Sea, he was thinking of having a chance to supplement his support spells.

But seeing so many support spells all at once is overwhelming.

Based on their different effects, the Tiangang Sect possesses eight auxiliary spells in three categories and five techniques.

The five arts are barrier-breaking arts, breath-concealing arts, tracking arts, illusion arts, and rejuvenation arts, which are categorized into three types: fire-avoidance, water-avoidance, and poison-resistance.

Moreover, some of them even consist of specialized spells that are compiled into separate books and are highly targeted.

For example, a specialized spell called "Dragon Scale Technique" was developed to counter flying needle spells.

This does not include auxiliary spells related to various cultivation arts such as beast taming, puppetry, and spiritual plants.

Therefore, for Xiao Chen...

He was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the dazzling array of choices at that moment.

Even if you only choose one of the five arts and three categories, first eliminate the special enhanced and variant types, and then eliminate the less commonly used barrier-breaking and poison-resistant arts.

In theory, he would also need to choose and practice six more spells.

If common offensive and defensive spells as well as escape techniques are included, theoretically, one would need to master nine spells simultaneously to be considered well-rounded.

However, this was still an ordinary cultivator.

For someone like Xiao Chen, who cultivates both physical and magical abilities and occasionally uses a flying sword, he will need to cultivate qi and blood martial arts and sword control techniques in the future.

That means we need two more spells.

"That makes a total of eleven spells."

Xiao Chen stood inside the scripture pavilion, surveying the nearly one thousand spellbooks around him: "Hahaha, even the Four Books and Five Classics only have nine subjects. Being a cultivator is so troublesome!!!"

"No, eleven spells are still too many. It's enough to have a little knowledge of a few spells."

In fact, very few monks can manage so many categories.

Most of the time, people will look for similar alternatives.

For example, healing spells like Rejuvenation can be replaced with Healing Elixir.

The same principle applies to anti-poison products.

For example, auxiliary spells like fire-avoidance can be replaced with magical artifacts that have fire-avoidance effects, just like the Fire-Hiding Gourd was used back then.

To put it bluntly, we can consider using spirit stones to make up for these shortcomings.

Xiao Chen had seen similar situations before.

The Sword Pavilion True Inheritance Storage Ring that he picked up from the Cangran Secret Realm contained antidote pills and array flags to counter illusions.

"But since we're already here, there's no need to give up right away."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pick one of each and just get started for now. I'll use the Hextech boost to make do."

"After that, we'll decide whether or not to pursue further spiritual practice, depending on the specific circumstances."

In fact, upon closer analysis, he is quite different from other cultivators.

For them, a spell they've just learned is unlikely to be very effective.

However, for Xiao Chen, with the enhancement from Hextech, even his basic spells could achieve effects comparable to those of an ordinary cultivator who had painstakingly studied for decades.

And if you're just getting started, it won't take up too much time and resources.

"Hiss, from this perspective, wouldn't the more types of spells there be, the more advantageous it would be for me?"

A sudden inspiration struck Xiao Chen, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

To be fair, his "Red Sky Mountain-Splitting Palm" is only at the very beginning stage.

It can still exert considerable power.

With this in mind, Xiao Chen regained his enthusiasm and began to carefully select items.

Prioritizing water-based spells, eight auxiliary spells, one martial art, and one swordsmanship were selected.

Although the last two are not needed for the time being, since we're already here, we might as well deal with them all at once.

The saying goes, "Don't bother two people with one matter."

Of course, Xiao Chen also remembered the magnanimity of the Tiangang Sect and the Gangyuan True Lord.

If the opportunity arises in the future, I will definitely repay it double.

And this won't take too long.

In a more immediate sense, Xiao Chen staying at Qingcang Peak to help fight against the sea race can be considered a form of repayment.

This effectively alleviated the pressure faced by the Tiangang Sect.

If we consider a slightly more distant future, and if Xiao Chen successfully explores the new cultivation world and obtains any extra fourth-tier spiritual items there, he could consider prioritizing selling them to the Tiangang Sect.

Of course, if this really works out, it would be a win-win situation.

For True Lord Gangyuan and his ilk, they can prioritize selecting useful spiritual items.

It can also solve the problem of Xiao Chen's lack of sales channels and reliable manpower on the Compassion Sea side.

Of course, that happened later.

The most crucial thing right now is to use the library to supplement information.

Xiao Chen deliberately suppressed the speed at which his divine sense could read, reading only one book at a time to ensure that his memory was clear and that he would not get confused.

He first memorized all the selected spells three times.

Only then did I begin browsing the remaining ancient books and biographies.

I read almost every book, from top to bottom.

During this process, Xiao Chen gained a preliminary understanding of the major events, special situations, and solutions that had occurred in the entire Compassionate Sea over the past hundreds of thousands of years.

At the same time, I got to know many common fourth-tier spirit creatures here.

It includes plants, minerals, many marine specialties, and some common marine fish species.

"Does a Nascent Soul cultivator really have such a way of handling spiritual objects?"

Xiao Chen learned from a travelogue that even the fourth-tier spiritual creatures in the Compassionate Sea have different classifications.

This classification is mainly divided into two categories and three levels.

Most natural or man-made spiritual objects that can be produced in a fixed quantity are divided into three grades: superior, medium, and inferior.

The bottle of Purple Fire Refining Essence that Xiao Chen obtained before was a low-grade artificial spiritual item.

The main reason is that it has a fixed formula, which allows for stable production.

Even the Purple Gold Bodhi is considered a low-grade natural spiritual object.

Because it has fixed acquisition channels and its own effects are relatively limited, it often needs to be used in conjunction with other spiritual objects.

Items like the Dragon-Tiger Convergence Stone, the Dao-Nourishing Crystal, and the Ashes of the Azure Phoenix's Burned Feathers are considered mid-grade natural spiritual objects.

Their characteristics include their relative rarity or their ability to help cultivators comprehend the Great Dao.

As for top-grade spiritual items, they are extremely rare.

They are basically the kind of things that are used up one by one, or things that can play an extremely special role and are almost irreplaceable.

However, the book still lists as many superior spiritual objects that have appeared in the Sea of ​​Compassion over the past hundreds of thousands of years as possible.

Although the description is not very detailed, there is very little information that can be confirmed.

However, most of these items are accompanied by illustrations that are as detailed as possible so that future generations can quickly identify them when they encounter them.

For example, the legendary Hidden Edge Greatsword, which can cut through anything below the fifth rank.

For example, the Three Flowers Gathering Spirit Dew can help Nascent Soul cultivators more easily transform into Divine Realm cultivators.

Or, to put it another way, it can be used as the core material for setting up the Nine Extremes Magnetic Array—Magnetic Refined Gold.

"Hey, why does this thing look so familiar?"

Looking at the illustration of the Yuan Magnetic Refined Gold, Xiao Chen suddenly remembered that he had obtained a piece of Yuan Magnetic Refined Gold before on Tianxing Island. However, he hadn't taken it seriously at the time and was even planning to sell it for money.

Fortunately, I never lacked spirit stones, so I didn't sell them and kept them in my storage ring.

"Was this thing really that valuable?"

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised: "Or is it that the Heavenly Star Sect is just too wealthy?"

It should be noted that his Azure Phoenix Feather Ashes, Infant Transformation Jade, and other items were all legacies left by the Heavenly Star Sect.

Even if it weren't for his special circumstances, those Heaven-level inheritances would be extremely valuable.

It's hard to imagine that anyone would be willing to leave a fourth-grade high-quality spiritual item to their descendants.

It's not hard to deduce that the Tianxing Sect must have been extremely powerful back then, but unfortunately it eventually disappeared into the annals of history.

However, this is naturally a good thing for Xiao Chen.

If the Tianxing Sect were still around, he certainly wouldn't have had the chance to go to Tianxing Island to obtain spiritual items.

"Unfortunately, this thing ultimately requires the setting up of an array, so it probably won't be very useful to me."

Xiao Chen said with some regret, "If only I had gotten a different fourth-grade high-quality spiritual item back then."

However, since the Tiangang Sect has relevant records, perhaps they can use them?
Judging from the description in the book, this Nine Extremes Magnetic Array seems to be quite powerful.

In that case, it might be worth considering a collaboration between the two parties.

Xiao Chen provided Yuan Magnetic Refined Gold to the Tiangang Sect to set up an array, in exchange for some fourth-order spiritual items that would be helpful for cultivation from Gangyuan Zhenjun.

Firstly, he really doesn't need this thing.

Secondly, since we've already seen the scriptures for free in the library, it wouldn't be appropriate to think about taking more for free after we leave.

He prefers a win-win situation where both sides cooperate and achieve mutual benefit.

"However, we can discuss the matter of trading spirit items after we get out of here."

Xiao Chen estimated that it was at least ten days' journey from here to Pudu Temple, and the round trip would take almost a month.

Even with methods like the telepathic sword, it still takes time for many messages to spread.

In other words, even if the sea creatures were to take any further action, it would take them a long time to react.

"Then there's no rush. Let's focus on reading first."

Xiao Chen gathered his thoughts and continued reading the remaining ancient books in the library.

Not long after, he saw a familiar place name in another rather old golden book—Sanshan Dongtian.

Moreover, the handwriting on that bottle of 'Drunken Mountains and Rivers' was almost exactly the same.

Xiao Chen was very interested in this place at the time, and now he has indeed seen the relevant books on the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

It seems that this is indeed a secret message that only a core disciple of the sect or a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have access to.

He couldn't wait to read on.

Then they learned a shocking truth: there was actually a blessed land in this world!
It was an extremely special place, somewhat like a secret realm, but much larger than an ordinary secret realm, and the way to enter it was even more unique.

Although this grotto-heaven is probably located at the junction of the Central Region, the Northern Region, and the Eastern Region.

However, it does not have any fixed entrance.

If a cultivator wants to travel between the two sides, he must use a special medium as a guide, which is the Boundary-Breaking Stone!

The book thoughtfully includes an illustration.

Therefore, Xiao Chen recognized it on the spot: "Hey, isn't this that strange stone?"

He actually already had a Boundary-Breaking Stone in his hand, which was equivalent to having the ability to go to the Cave Heaven.

This thing is very easy to use.

Once you're in a suitable location that has already been identified, you can use 810 strands of true essence to activate the Boundary-Breaking Stone in your hand and successfully travel to the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

In other words, theoretically, cultivators in the late Golden Core stage are already capable of visiting the grotto-heaven.

Of course, this is only in theory. In reality, having the ability or qualification to obtain the Boundary-Breaking Stone is the real threshold.

The book also specifically notes in cinnabar that a Boundary-Breaking Stone can only be used once before turning into dust.

In other words, if you go there but don't get a new Boundary-Breaking Stone, then don't even think about coming back.

Therefore, before setting off, one must either collect two Boundary-Breaking Stones before considering going, or be prepared for a long time or even a lifetime from returning.

"I never imagined that such a place existed in the world?"

Xiao Chen immediately became interested and continued reading, even slowing down his reading speed to digest the new information.

Then, he resolved a long-standing question that had been lingering in his mind.

Where has our Nascent Soul Master gone?

Actually, Xiao Chen had this question back in the Storm Sea, but he didn't take it seriously at the time.

After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator is elusive and difficult to understand; how could a mere Golden Core cultivator like myself possibly comprehend such a being?

But later, he gradually realized that something was wrong.

This doubt has only grown stronger since the sea creatures launched a massive invasion of the Compassionate Sea.

To be honest, if there were even one Venerable One of the Compassionate Sea who disapproved of the sea creatures, where would the current predicaments and crises be?

What are Golden Core Sea Fish swarms and fourth-order great demons? They are all trivial problems in front of the Venerable One.

But the Ocean of Compassion is already in such a terrible state.

The sea race advanced triumphantly, while the human race suffered repeated defeats, yet not a single Nascent Soul cultivator intervened to turn the tide.

This led Xiao Chen to even begin to doubt, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, whether there was any Deity Transformation realm at all in this world.
Of course, his initial thought was that if there really wasn't one, he could take Su Li away from Ji'e Island.

After all, at this moment, no Nascent Soul True Monarch has time to worry about a minor issue like the lunar eclipse curse.

If there were any fools out there, Su Li was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

But now, Xiao Chen has finally learned the truth.

First, there are Nascent Soul cultivators in the Eastern Region, and more than one.

On the other side of the Compassionate Sea, Pudu Temple had long been confirmed to possess the lineage of the Divine Transformation, which is why it occupied the best location.

However, in Buddhism, they are not called "transformation spirits" but are called "wisdom kings," with the full name being "immovable wisdom king."

This also explains why a phantom image of a ten-thousand-foot-tall golden Buddha appeared outside Pudu Temple two years ago during the first month of the lunar calendar.

Secondly, they are all located in the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven, so the outside world can't see them at all or hear any reliable rumors.

"What a magnificent Immovable King! He truly remains unmoved."

Xiao Chen was speechless. He knew that Kuji Temple and Juehai Temple had fallen one after another, Xiao Banruo Temple was completely out of contact, and even Pudu Temple had been attacked to the temple gates.

Even at a time like this, the Buddhist wrathful deities still haven't made a move.

Even on the Taoist side, what are our Nascent Soul Venerables doing?
Xiao Chen didn't believe they were unaware of the changes happening here.

After all, if he could obtain the Boundary-Breaking Stone, then the major sects must have already relayed the news to the cave heaven.

However, although the specific details of the communication are unknown, the results clearly showed no effect.

What does this mean?
Don't they care about anything?

If they can't even attend to something as important as the sea creature invasion, what are they busy doing? Busy cultivating immortality?
However, having reached the level of a Nascent Soul Venerable, it seems that this is the only goal left.

They probably wouldn't even look at the idea of ​​vying for power, establishing a celestial dynasty, or making everyone bow down to them.

But while they might not intervene in minor matters, they should at least keep an eye on important human affairs.

Xiao Chen didn't quite understand what they were thinking.

The book doesn't mention this either.

At the end, the book only specifically notes that there are fifth-order spiritual veins in the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

Moreover, it's not a pseudo-fifth-order spiritual vein created by using formations like the one at Pudu Temple, but a genuine top-tier fifth-order spiritual vein.

Therefore, the spiritual energy inside is extremely concentrated, truly deserving of the name of a blessed land.

At the same time, nourished by spiritual energy, the Three Mountains Cave Heaven also contains many special spiritual plants and special spiritual beasts that cannot survive in the outside world.

For example, the superior spirit wine 'Zui Shan Chuan' is a specialty of the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

Bringing them out would be expensive, but the key issue is that the stock is limited and acquiring them again would be very difficult.

It represents one of the highest levels of hospitality etiquette in the outside world.

From this perspective, True Lord Gangyuan is actually quite generous.

The 'Drunken Mountains and Rivers' that had been stored for 298 years was taken out directly.

Unfortunately, Xiao Chen didn't notice this layer on the table at the time.

And if I hadn't seen this book today, I probably still wouldn't know.

If that were the case, it would be like casting a seductive glance at a blind man for Gangyuan Zhenjun.

The main reason was that he firmly believed that Xiao Chen, as the successor of a reclusive Daoist lineage, could not possibly be unaware of a place like the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

Therefore, I deliberately didn't emphasize or explain it in detail, so as not to offend people by saying too much.

"That idiot Su Li definitely doesn't know about this."

Xiao Chen had already figured it out by now.

She certainly didn't know about the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven, which is why she was worried about attracting a Nascent Soul Venerable when she went out during the previous discussion.

There's nothing we can do about it, based on information we gathered from previous conversations.

Su Li was the first cultivator in the history of her small sect to successfully form a Nascent Soul.

It's estimated that the entire sect is unaware of this secret information.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the fact that the Nascent Soul Venerable has no intention of dealing with the sea race should be bad news for the vast majority of cultivators in the entire Compassionate Sea."

Xiao Chen sighed, "But for those human traitors, it's actually a good thing."

"Is this why people's joys and sorrows are not shared?"

However, on the other hand, it's also a good thing for Su Li.

Without the constraints of the Nascent Soul Venerable, whether or not to leave Ji'e Island is now entirely up to her.

Xiao Chen decided to go back and tell her the good news once things had settled down a bit at the Tiangang Sect.

Even for him personally, this was somewhat good news.

After all, if he could act together with Su Li in the future, it would be like having an extra helper.

However, Su Li's personality actually has some minor issues.

Based on Xiao Chen's understanding of her, dealing with the sea creatures should be no problem, since it's almost a matter of course for cultivators to slay demons and monsters.

However, Su Li was a bit too gentle with human cultivators.

Let's find a more short-tempered True Lord.

When I saw him picking the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Mushroom, I guess I immediately made a move.

He usually seems very approachable and I don't recall him ever losing his temper.

This kind of personality can actually make one vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

However, given her cultivation level, she doesn't need to worry too much about this issue.

After all, there aren't many people as powerful as her, especially since she's a Nascent Soul cultivator.

(End of this chapter)