Chapter 26: Secret Realm and Inheritance
'As expected, the price has gone up again!'
Li Changsheng sighed inwardly.
"Begin!"
[Simulation begins.]
[At twenty years old, you killed three rogue cultivators outside the Black Wind Mountain Range. Guided by rogue cultivator Zhao San, you arrived at the ruins of the Vajra Sect.]
[The array spirit detected that you were a disciple of the Vajra Sect and allowed you entry.]
[Inside the ruins, you learned the Divine Devil Nine Transformations and the Starry Sky Sword Technique.]
[At eighty-five years old, you successfully broke through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.]
[At one hundred and forty years old, you successfully broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.]
[At one hundred and sixty years old, experts from the Medicine King Sect discovered the location of the Vajra Sect ruins. An expert from the Medicine King Sect destroyed the array within the ruins with a single palm strike, and you were killed by the shockwave of the battle.]
[You died!]
[Simulation ends. You may retain one of the following.]
[1. Cultivation level at 160 years old.]
[2. Combat experience at 160 years old.]
'It seems this trip isn't too dangerous.'
A smile appeared on Li Changsheng's face.
It turned out that the Vajra Sect was indeed the sect mentioned in the ancient records. He had likely been recognized by the array spirit because he had cultivated the Golden Body Technique to its peak, allowing him to receive the Vajra Sect's inheritance.
However, the strength of the Medicine King Sect far exceeded his expectations. He had initially thought that the Medicine King Sect was only slightly stronger than the Setting Sun Sect behind the Qi Kingdom, but now it seemed it was much more than that.
In the simulation, he had reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he couldn't even withstand the shockwave of a Medicine King Sect expert's palm strike…
"Forget it. The boat will straighten out when it reaches the bridge. I refuse to believe that with the help of the simulator, I won't be able to grow strong enough to control my own destiny within a hundred years!"
Li Changsheng murmured to himself.
"Choose the first option!"
The Nine Transformations Golden Body Technique and the Starry Sky Sword Technique could be learned after arriving at the ruins. For now, it was better to choose the cultivation level.
Boom!
Zhao San, who was walking ahead, suddenly felt a terrifying pressure and stumbled, falling to the ground.
When he turned to look, he realized that the pressure was emanating from Li Changsheng, who stood still with his eyes closed.
'Good heavens! I've lived for so many years, but this is the first time I've seen someone break through while walking!'
Zhao San thought to himself.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that Li Changsheng finally opened his eyes, spotting Zhao San standing nearby, looking bored.
"You didn't run while I was breaking through?"
Li Changsheng said with a faint smile.
Zhao San gave an awkward laugh. "Senior, you're joking. With my meager cultivation, how could I possibly escape from you?"
He had considered running away but feared that Li Changsheng might be testing him. After much hesitation, he decided to stay.
"Let's go!"
Li Changsheng shook his head slightly. He definitely wasn't going to let Zhao San go. Even if he spared his life, he would at least have to leave some restrictions on him. Otherwise, if the Medicine King Sect found out that he had cultivated the Vajra Sect's techniques, he would be doomed with his current strength.
The two traveled through the Black Wind Mountain Range for half a day before finally arriving at a hidden canyon.
Along the way, they encountered a few Qi Refining Stage one or two beasts, but Zhao San easily dealt with them.
"Senior, the ruins are inside this canyon," Zhao San said, pointing to the canyon. "Back then, it took us several months to find this canyon with the map, but we couldn't open the ruins no matter what we tried, so we had to leave."
Li Changsheng nodded.
The canyon was indeed well-hidden. After comparing it to the map, he realized that there were many similar-looking places in the mountain range. Even if he had the map, it would have taken him some time to find it.
"Let's go in!"
"Yes!"
The canyon wasn't large, and there were no beasts guarding it.
Following Zhao San's lead, they arrived at a massive stone gate. The area around the gate was empty, as if it connected to a void.
"Step aside. Let me try!"
Li Changsheng motioned for Zhao San to step back. Instead of using the broken sword, he activated the Golden Body Technique to its fullest, his skin taking on a faint golden hue. He then punched the stone gate with all his might.
Boom!
A loud sound echoed, but the stone gate remained unmoved.
The atmosphere turned slightly awkward.
???
The simulation had said that the array spirit recognized him as a disciple of the Vajra Sect, so why wasn't there any reaction now?
Frowning slightly, Li Changsheng gathered his true energy and punched the stone gate again with even greater force!
Boom!
The stone gate still didn't budge.
"Senior, we tried that too. Back then, Mountain Tiger even used his formation disk to attack the stone gate, but he couldn't even leave a mark on it," Zhao San said, scratching his head.
"To open the stone gate, we might need a key."
Rumble!
Just then, the stone gate slowly began to open outward.
"Come in!"
A deep voice emerged from within the stone gate.
"Let's go!"
Without hesitation, Li Changsheng stepped into the stone gate.
Zhao San gritted his teeth, grimaced, and followed.
Entering gave him a slim chance of survival, but refusing would likely result in Li Changsheng cutting him down with a single sword strike.
Li Changsheng felt the world spin around him. When his vision cleared, he found himself in what seemed like a paradise. Everywhere he looked, there were rare spiritual herbs and springs. Flocks of cranes flew past him, each one possessing a cultivation level comparable to Foundation Establishment, not much weaker than him.
'The concentration of spiritual energy here is several times higher than in Tunmen Marketplace. No wonder I progressed so quickly in the simulation.'
Li Changsheng thought to himself.
Zhao San, on the other hand, was completely overwhelmed, his face filled with shock. He kept muttering under his breath, "Oh my, have I entered a celestial paradise?"
"Senior?"
Li Changsheng bowed slightly toward the void and said, "Please show yourself, senior."
A ripple appeared in the void, and the figure of a middle-aged man materialized before Li Changsheng.
With a flick of his sleeve, the middle-aged man made Zhao San's body disappear.
Looking at Li Changsheng, the middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, "I never thought I'd see a disciple of the Vajra Sect again after a hundred thousand years."
"The person who came with you has been sent to a cave. He's not a disciple of the Vajra Sect and has no right to enjoy the resources of this secret realm."
"However, since you've already reached Foundation Establishment, why have you only cultivated the Golden Body Technique? Didn't your elders teach you more advanced techniques?"
"To be honest, senior, our Vajra Sect has been destroyed. Is this Vajra Sect the parent sect of our Vajra Sect?" Li Changsheng asked with a puzzled expression. "Moreover, our sect instructed us to kill any disciples of the Medicine King Sect we encountered. Are they enemies of our sect?"
"The Vajra Sect?" The middle-aged man frowned. "Your sect must have been established by survivors of the Vajra Sect after that great calamity."
"As for the Medicine King Sect... they're not something you can deal with right now!"
"But since you've found the entrance to this secret realm, it's your fate. I'll now teach you the first three layers of the Divine Devil Nine Transformations, which only inner disciples of our sect can cultivate, and the Starry Sky Sword Technique, which can be cultivated up to the Nascent Soul Stage."
"Normally, with your talent, you wouldn't have the right to cultivate these two techniques... but now..."
The middle-aged man sighed, then pointed a finger at Li Changsheng's forehead.
The cultivation methods of the two techniques appeared in Li Changsheng's mind. One was the Divine Devil Nine Transformations, the advanced form of the Golden Body Technique. The Golden Body Technique was merely the foundational technique for Vajra Sect disciples.
The Divine Devil Nine Transformations was the Vajra Sect's ultimate technique. In ancient times, even inner disciples were only allowed to cultivate the first three layers. Only true disciples could cultivate up to the fifth layer, and the sixth layer and beyond were reserved for the sect's elite, such as the chosen disciples or elders.
The middle-aged man patted Li Changsheng a few times, a look of satisfaction on his face.
"When you cultivate the first transformation of the Divine Devil Nine Transformations, you'll be able to match a Golden Core cultivator with your physical strength alone. By the second transformation, you can rival a Nascent Soul cultivator, and by the ninth transformation, you'll be able to fight against gods!"
"You've already cultivated the Golden Body Technique to the seventh layer, which proves you're suited for the Divine Devil Nine Transformations. Cultivate well here, and when you leave, you'll be able to restore the glory of the Vajra Sect!"