Using entries to cultivate immortality in chaotic times

Chapter 420: Chapter 173: “One must use their own life to uphold the teacher’s prestige.”_3
 

…

Quzhou, to the north.

A mere moment, measured by the time it took to drink a cup of tea, had passed when Chen Qiu found himself enveloped in darkness. When he next opened his eyes, he was already standing in a secret realm.

At the same time,

All cultivators throughout the Xuantian Continent who possessed Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Divinity Transformation Cultivation had similarly vanished in an instant, their vision swallowed by darkness before disappearing from their original locations.

This secret realm was extremely claustrophobic.

Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings, estimating it was roughly the size of the Green Stone Square within the Da Xia Palace, a vast distance for mortals perhaps, but for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was so short that not even the full strength of their movement technique could be activated.

Should anyone fully trigger their movement technique,

And if their divine sense was not mastered or familiar, or if they weren’t proficient in their movement technique either,

The outcome would be the same.

They would crash into the barriers of the secret realm.

At that moment, a small flag was planted in the center of the square. Other than himself, nine other cultivators stood at various corners of the realm. The rules were simple: within a thousand breaths, whoever held the flag the longest would pass the trial.

It was that straightforward.

“…”

Chen Qiu, currently unable to move, probed the realm’s barriers with his divine sense and found himself enclosed within a milky-white dome-shaped barrier of spiritual energy, very sturdy indeed.

It wasn’t something he could destroy.

Which meant that, unlike the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in Da Xia, one couldn’t simply break the other platforms’ barriers and annihilate the opponents in one fell swoop.

As everyone remained immobile, one person seemed unaffected by the constraints and dashed forward, ecstatically clutching the flag tightly in his hand. It was clear he held the entry “Take the initiative.”

However, the joy on this person’s face quickly faded, and his complexion changed slightly. Biting his lip, but still holding the flag in his hand, he moved cautiously to a corner and warily eyed the others still bound by the constraints.

Chen Qiu simply glanced at the man and then diverted his attention. It was obvious that although the man had the “Take the initiative” entry and could pick up the flag first, the trial had not officially started yet. The clock had not started to tick, rendering his possession of the flag useless for the moment. At best, once the realm began, he could seize the initiative.

Of course, that would also make him the first target of everyone’s collaborative attacks.

There were advantages and disadvantages.

Come to think of it, the “Take the initiative” entry seemed common; he felt he had seen many people with it.

“…”

Chen Qiu slowly closed his eyes and began patiently waiting for the constraints to dissolve. Perhaps he was just lucky, as the others inside this chamber were all at the early stages of Nascent Soul, posing no threat to him.

Ten breaths later,

He suddenly felt the constraints lift.

Immediately thereafter, immense spiritual energy surged forth, with dark clouds swiftly enveloping the sky above the small secret realm, and a ferocious storm began to howl. His fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivation aura was released without reservation.

In that instant—

The other eight who had been ready to strike suddenly froze in place, their expressions turning sour as they looked towards Chen Qiu.

This person was at the fifth level of Nascent Soul cultivation. As they were all merely at the early stages of Nascent Soul, they stood no chance against him, especially when his display of power far surpassed that of an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. They could sense his strength, but its extent was beyond their ability to gauge.

It felt as if he could even eliminate a sixth-level Nascent Soul!

And he looked so young, a Nascent Soul prodigy capable of fighting beyond his level!

“Chen Qiu, that’s Chen Qiu from Quzhou!”

Perhaps it was because Chen Qiu’s method of attack was so memorable; someone among the eight quickly recognized him and, with a slightly panicked expression, couldn’t help but exclaim aloud. Upon hearing this, the remaining seven collectively held their breath.

Then, without any hesitation,

They slowly raised their hands and retreated to the corners of the Green Stone Square, signifying their withdrawal from the competition.

If it were just an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator, a combined rush by all of them might have stood a chance, as even a fierce tiger can be overwhelmed by a unity of forces. At the level of Nascent Soul, it’s rare for one fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator to be able to overpower a group of first-level Nascent Souls in battle.

Within the small realms of Nascent Soul, the disparity in combat power is not that vast.

After all, anyone capable of cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage is no weakling. Some trump cards are definitely there, and if truly pressed into action, without necessarily overcoming levels, they certainly wouldn’t be completely non-threatening.

Of course, all these premises were based on the assumption that the opponent was merely an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

But the person they faced now was far from ordinary. He was an unparalleled Pride of Quzhou, who slew his way across the Evil State alone and formed a twelfth-grade top-tier Nascent Soul of the Heavenly Dao at the fifth level!

A name has its shadow like a tree! Anyone who could be listed on the Heavenly Dao Decree was far from useless, and this one had appeared on it multiple times.

They ceded.

A mere “Nascent Soul Combat Power Leaderboard” secret realm wasn’t worth losing their lives over. It wasn’t necessary.

…

Chen Qiu paid no mind to the eight early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who had already retreated to the corners. He simply walked over with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his expression calm, toward the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who had first seized the flag and was now cornered, trembling as he looked at Chen Qiu.

Gazing down at the still quivering cultivator, Chen Qiu paused for a while, noting the man’s unwillingness to surrender the flag, then reached out and said softly,

“Give it to me.”

“I won’t, I won’t!”

The cultivator curled up in the corner, completely lacking the composure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, stared at Chen Qiu with trembling voice, filled with fear in the first refusal and a forceful, angry roar in the second, as if trying to embolden himself.