99: Chapter 96 Revive Pill 99: Chapter 96 Revive Pill Chu Xisheng listened to Zhou Xiangshan’s words, feeling nothing but an immense headache.
Actually, he was somewhat interested in this Nine-Grade Secret Realm.
Of course, he was even more interested in the Zhou Family’s greeting gift.
A trip there could fetch him two thousand taels of Demon Silver, which seemed like a good deal.
In the black market, he couldn’t earn that much even after several bouts in the Life and Death Arena.
Yet Chu Xisheng worried that if things didn’t go well, he might end up offending the Coastal Zhou Family.
And the risks within the Secret Realm could not be ignored.
He now had eighty-nine Martial Arts Points, enough to exchange for eight Qin Muge Character Cards, but that didn’t guarantee absolute safety.
The Qin Muge Character Card had Eighth Rank cultivation, but whether it could be used in the Nine-Grade Secret Realm was also in doubt.
Chu Xisheng couldn’t afford to be careless.
Hesitantly, he asked, “Since it’s about the inheritance of the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace, I presume that this Nine-Grade Secret Realm will surely be a gathering of talents?”
“Indeed, it is a gathering of talents.”
Zhou Xiangshan smiled slightly and nodded, “At most five hundred people may enter this Nine-Grade Secret Realm.
When the time comes, all the powerful families, sects, and gangs from all over East State will participate.
However, this incident happened abruptly, and with only a month and a half for all parties to prepare following the sudden appearance of the thirty-six inheritance secret realms of the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace, there’s no time to cultivate Ninth Grade masters.
Thus, I can assure you that there won’t be many experts from the various families, and there won’t be more than five who can match you—”
There are only a few who could assuredly defeat Zhou Liangchen.
Those with strengths on par with Zhou Liangchen amount to merely twenty or thirty people.
To Chu Xisheng, these individuals might as well be dregs.
If he accepts the invitation, their Zhou Family is certain to win.
Qiu Feng, who was sitting in attendance, suddenly filled with doubt and intrigue.
Is Chu Xisheng really that strong?
Or does it mean that those Ninth Grade prodigies from the East State Qingyun List won’t be entering the Nine-Grade Secret Realm this time?
Chu Xisheng also felt a twinge of doubt, wondering if the standard of martial arts in East State was so weak now?
That there were only five people who could compete with him?
He did not know that the individual they were seeking was actually the young master who defeated Zhou Liangchen with a single strike that day, but he remained half-convinced, “That can’t be possible, right?
As far as I know, there are several young geniuses on the East State Qingyun List with Ninth Grade cultivation.
And wouldn’t the competition for the Secret Key be extremely perilous?
I’m worried that I might not be adequate and fail to live up to your expectations.”
Zhou Xiangshan couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking that Chu Shaohua was being far too modest.
The Heavenly Prides of Ninth Grade on the East State Qingyun List were indeed monstrous figures in the eyes of ordinary people, with incredibly solid foundations at the Ninth Grade stage and super-level combat strength, far surpassing even their own family’s heir.
But what were they in front of Chu Xisheng?
“Chu Shaohua, you worry too much.”
Seeing Chu Xisheng’s bowl piled high with food, Zhou Xiangshan filled his cup with wine again, “To say that there are no dangers in this secret realm would be a lie.
However, I can guarantee with my reputation that with your cultivation, as long as you are a bit more cautious and careful, there is absolutely no danger to your life within the secret realm!
And you only need to do your best, rest assured, whether you succeed or not, our Zhou Family will not blame you.”
He patted his chest earnestly and spoke convincingly.
As long as Chu Xisheng was willing to make an effort, how could there be any question of defeat?
Seeing the other party’s earnest guarantee, nine-tenths of the doubts in Chu Xisheng’s heart immediately vanished.
Zhou Xiangshan was a figure of some standing and was unlikely to spout empty promises.
Zhou Xiangshan then continued to tempt, “Divine Turtle Wanderer lived for a thousand years, amassing treasures and rarities enough to rival a nation.
To lure future generations’ heroes to participate, each Nine-Grade Secret Realm comes with its own generous rewards for participants.
The top ten finishers will each receive a Seventh Rank Magic Artifact, and the top three will receive a ‘Divine Origin Revival Pill’ personally refined by Divine Turtle Wanderer himself, with an even higher quality of magic artifacts.
My Zhou Family does not care for these treasures, and we harbor no egregious ambitions towards the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace.
If Chu Shaohua emerges victorious this time, not only will my Zhou Family refrain from taking anything, but we will also offer a generous gift.
We only ask that Shaohua gifts us the Ninth Grade secret realm and, once the doors of Cloud Sea Immortal Palace are open, assist our two Sixth Grade masters in entering the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace.”
Hearing the words ‘Divine Origin Revival Pill’, Chu Xisheng’s pupils constricted, and he was deeply moved.
An hour later, under the scorching midday sun, as she was about to push Chu Xisheng to practice his swordsmanship, Chu Yunyun couldn’t help but raise her tone involuntarily, “So you’ve agreed?
To partake in the Ninth Grade Secret Realm?”
“He was utterly sincere, how could I not agree?”
Chu Xisheng let out a bitter chuckle, swinging the weighty Black Iron Heavy Blade in his hand.
“However, the top three in this Secret Realm competition will receive a Divine Origin Revival Pill.
I remember you once told me that this is one of the rare elixirs in the world that could help you heal your injuries and even restore a fraction of your True Yuan, right?”
Chu Yunyun, upon hearing this, massaged her forehead with a headache, “But how much use would one Divine Origin Revival Pill be?
At most, it can restore one ten-thousandth of my True Yuan.”
Chu Xisheng raised an eyebrow slightly, “As a First Grade Master, when your cultivation was at its peak, you had the power to pick stars and grab the moon – one ten-thousandth of your True Yuan is quite a lot.”
Chu Yunyun fell into a silent, wordless contemplation.
What Chu Xisheng said wasn’t wrong; a ten-thousandth of her True Yuan really was quite substantial.
Whether in quality or quantity, it far surpassed that of a Ninth Grade Martial Cultivator.
With it, she could regain some of her strength, and maybe even unleash ten percent of the power of the Ten Thousand Gods Tribulation.
It might even help rid her of the Poison Curse within her body and heal her wounds.
With time, the benefits would be even greater.
Yet she sighed, “Conflicts like these over the Secret Realms have been occurring for generations.
Sometimes they fight for inheritance, sometimes for the Secret Realm itself.
Many Independent Cultivators have used this as a method to select their Inheritor Disciples.
Do you know how severe the casualties typically are in these battles over Secret Realms?”
Chu Xisheng was startled, his expression filled with surprise and doubt, “Are the casualties that severe?”
Not long ago, Zhou Xiangshan had assured him there would be no risk to his life in this endeavor.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Chu Yunyun gazed into the distance, “Just sixteen years ago, three Seventh Rank Secret Realms left by Cold Crow Taoist appeared.
Of them, the one with the lightest casualties had ninety-seven deaths out of five hundred participants, with over two hundred suffering grievous injuries that nearly destroyed their futures.”
Chu Xisheng couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Wasn’t this more than half the participants meeting death or injury?
If that was the least deadly, what about the other two Secret Realms?
What were their casualties?
“Of course, Cold Crow Taoist was known for his ruthlessness, making the Secret Realms he left behind particularly brutal.
Although Divine Turtle Wanderer is a Half-demon Loose Cultivator, he is a man of the Righteous Path.
He wouldn’t intentionally place people in mortal danger when selecting Disciples.
However, throughout history, fights for the Dao Tong inheritance are exceptionally bloody, especially since Divine Turtle Wanderer left behind a plethora of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Immortal Elixir and Magical Artifacts, and a Ninth Grade Secret Realm capable of nurturing Spiritual Medicine and aiding cultivation—making it even more coveted.”
Chu Yunyun said this and laughed bitterly, “You’ve seen the last issue of the East State Qingyun List; there are seven Heaven’s Prides with Ninth Rank tiers.
Right now, you wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them.”
Chu Xisheng’s face stiffened slightly.
Zhou Xiangshan said there were no more than five people who could oppose him in terms of strength.
He spoke with a hesitant look, “However, a long time has passed, in theory, these people should have been promoted to Eighth Rank by now.”
“After the appearance of the Coastal Ninth Grade Secret Realm, why would they rush to promote their cultivation?”
Shaking her head, Chu Yunyun disagreed, “Under these circumstances, suppressing one’s cultivation is commonplace.
Some even deliberately damage their cultivation, forcibly lowering their Primordial Skill to Ninth Grade, just to grasp at a slim chance.
Not to mention the demon clan and the Hidden Sects, which will also have some unknown masters joining the fray.”
Chu Xisheng felt a shiver run down his spine, thinking to himself that he was still far too naïve, no match for the treacherousness of others.
Zhou Xiangshan appeared to be a straightforward and open man, but he was unexpectedly cunning.
The man was clearly setting him up!
However, if Zhou Xiangshan lured him to participate in the Secret Realm competition and even offered a precious slot, what exactly was his intention?
If the Zhou Family wanted to deal with him, they wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble.
They had several Fifth Grade experts who could squash him like an ant; why bother with such a cumbersome approach?
This man was indeed very strange.