Chapter 523: Chapter 523, Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer
Amidst the white waves, Steward Bai Gu extended his arm, a terrifying aura radiating from his body, causing ripples in the air. Countless sharp Bone Elemental Powers converged in the sky, transforming into numerous spikes, whizzing towards Chu Ming.
Chu Ming’s eyes narrowed, recognizing that this Blood Cage Imprisonment was clearly a Low Tier Secrets Martial Arts. The pervasive Secrets of Bone caused him to feel a sense of space solidification.
Buzz!
In a flash of lightning, Chu Ming retreated rapidly, his eyes shooting Sword Light, black hair flying, white robes flowing. He held the Star Trace Sword above his head, muscles bulging, 108 acupoints within his body furiously operating, forming a sun-like halo above his head.
"Void Wounding Sword!"
Thud!
A dominant green Sword Aura erupted from the Star Trace Sword. The sun-like halo above Chu Ming’s head turned into strands of red, merging into the Sword Aura, enhancing its power.
Boom!
With a single Sword Slash, the sky darkened. The surrounding bone spikes seemed to waver in the air, pressed by the Sword Light, emitting cracking sounds. Steward Bai Gu’s eyes narrowed; Chu Ming’s move clearly reached the level of Low Tier Secrets Martial Arts.
Boom!
Thud thud thud...
The Sword Light collided with countless bone spikes, violently exploding in a confined space, creating a kilometer-wide mushroom cloud that soared into the sky.
Swoosh!
"Next time, you won’t be so lucky!"
Through the dissipating waves, Steward Bai Gu’s voice echoed from the mist, followed by a black shadow swiftly passing through, leaving countless afterimages in the air. Chu Ming did not give chase. The urgent matter now was to quickly refine the True Essence Fruit and break through to the Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer. Once achieved, he would have nothing to fear from Steward Bai Gu.
Swoosh!
Chu Ming flew back to Rainbow City. The battle with Steward Bai Gu was witnessed by many. Seeing someone who could fight on par with Steward Bai Gu being such a young man, the spectators marveled in astonishment.
"I underestimated him!"
The Pill Cauldron Pavilion’s steward smiled lightly, then turned back to the pavilion to continue his work.
In the inn, Chu Ming sat cross-legged on the bed. With a flash of light, the True Essence Fruit appeared in his hand.
The True Essence Fruit, about the size of a fist and entirely white, caused the surrounding Spiritual Power to surge into it the moment it appeared. Spirals of white Spiritual Power mist floated around it.
As soon as it entered his mouth, the terrifying Spiritual Power surged along Chu Ming’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians within his body. Without delay, Chu Ming immediately recited the mantra of the Twelfth Layer of the Pure Essence Sword Qi Technique, constantly refining the Spiritual Power, merging it into his Sea of Spiritual Power.
Compress, compress...
Droplets of Spiritual Power were compressed by Chu Ming, but the total amount of Spiritual Power continually expanded. Gradually, he seemed to hear the sound of flowing water within his body, clear and crisp, the sound of Spiritual Power rolling.
...
At this moment, the entire Rainbow City was bustling, all because of a Fragment of the Ancient Battlefield map auctioned. Although the Pill Cauldron Pavilion ultimately fulfilled their promise by copying the Fragment ten thousand times, selling each for a hundred Spirit Stones, the demand far exceeded supply, and they were snapped up instantly.
In the end, some enterprising individuals made additional copies, selling them for fifty Upper Grade Spirit Stones each, turning a small profit.
In a pavilion on the second floor of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, surrounded by bird songs and floral scents, a red silhouette quietly watched the busy street below.
"Young Miss, is it really useful to make the Fragment public?"
Beside Gu Wan’Er stood an elder in a gray robe, his eyes sunken but with a rosy complexion and long breath, indicating high cultivation.
"We’ve studied that Fragment in the Pill Cauldron Pavilion for over a decade without any results. But with the collective effort of the entire Rainbow City, perhaps we might unlock its secrets."
Gu Wan’Er hesitated slightly, uncertain.
"Moreover, during the last Demon invasion, Elder Xing Yue divined that the aura of the Ancient Battlefield had leaked into Rainbow City. As she is rarely wrong, there should be some truth to her words."
Hearing this, the white-bearded elder did not refute. Elder Xing Yue, as the chief Grand Elder of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion skilled in divination, had saved the pavilion from countless crises, earning the unwavering trust of everyone in the pavilion.
...
Boom!
A terrifying aura flashed within Chu Ming’s body and then was quickly restrained. Within him, countless stars seemed to burst and merge, luminously sublimating.
Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer!
Within Chu Ming, threads of Spiritual Power, like silver threads, intertwined and connected, forming a unified whole.
Exhale!
Chu Ming gently opened his eyes, lightly clenched his right hand, feeling the Spiritual Power within, a smile appearing on his face. Breaking through to the Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer, his Spiritual Power increased by about thirty percent. If he encountered Steward Bai Gu again, he was confident he could defeat him without using the Void Wounding Sword.
Swoosh!
Leaving the inn, the entire Rainbow City was abuzz with discussions about the Fragment of the Ancient Battlefield. Chu Ming, intrigued, spent fifty Upper Grade Spirit Stones to buy a copy from a peddler.
"This diagram is quite peculiar!"
On the second floor of the inn, Chu Ming sat by the window, a Fragment placed on the table. Staring at the diagrams, Chu Ming’s brow furrowed.
It was no wonder Chu Ming was perplexed. Besides a few mountain peaks, the Fragment was covered in ghost-like runic scripts, clearly not from the present day. Chu Ming wanted to consult the Ancient Sword Emperor but received no response despite several attempts, understanding that the emperor wished for him to become self-reliant.
"Waiter, do you know anyone in Rainbow City who studies ancient artifacts?"
The innkeeper walked by and was stopped by Chu Ming.
"Sir, many people in Rainbow City study ancient artifacts, but they have likely already been approached by others."
The innkeeper smiled wryly.
Chu Ming nodded, took out a Middle Grade Spirit Stone from his Storage Ring, and tossed it to the innkeeper, who gratefully retreated.
Indeed, refining the True Essence Fruit took some time. The ideas Chu Ming had were likely thought of by others too. It seemed another approach was needed.
Chu Ming’s eyes gleamed, quickly leaping from the second floor to the street, wandering aimlessly but scanning the shops with his Spiritual Sense.
"Got it!"
Chu Ming halted in front of a two-story building with a signboard overhead.
Ancient Artifacts Hall.