I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 806: One Hundred Chapters: Blinded by Greed (Asking for some monthly votes to enter top 500)

“Hey, seeing how completely dejected you looked just now, I thought something serious had happened. Is that all?”

Tang Luo let go of the worry in his heart and sat down casually opposite Cui Haoran. “There are quite a few Lingwang-level powerhouses in the illusionary realm, with combat power almost reaching a regular Martial Ancestor’s level. If you’re unlucky enough to encounter one, it’s normal to end up with nothing. And since the second trial doesn’t eliminate anyone, what’s there to be so grief-stricken about?”

“Captain, I didn’t run into the Lingwang you mentioned…” Cui Haoran weakly asked, “Also, did you say the second trial is an illusionary realm?”

“Yes, the trial ground for the second stage isn’t the Minor Spiritual Realm, but an illusionary realm.” Tang Luo nodded. “The entire Xumi Mountain is an Illusion Array. Remember the constantly changing mountain paths after we entered? At that point, we were already within the Illusion Array. As for the Spirit Realm Gate that appeared later on, it’s nothing more than a decoy. Everything within it is a construct of the illusionary realm. As long as the challengers don’t recklessly use secret techniques that consume vital blood, there’s no real danger.”

Realizing why Cui Haoran seemed so downcast, Tang Luo said, “So, not only did you not bring back any jade coins, but you’ve also depleted your vital blood?”

“Yes…” Cui Haoran was on the verge of tears. “Captain, please check and see if my martial foundation is ruined.”

“Let me have a look.” Tang Luo frowned, extended his hand to press on Cui Haoran’s crown, and sent a stream of Innate Qi of solid earth to carefully probe the young man’s internal organs.

After a while, Tang Luo lifted his hand from Cui Haoran’s head and asked with a complex expression, “What exactly did you encounter in the illusionary realm? Right now, your vital blood is severely depleted, the spiritual essence within your five organs and six viscera is almost dried up. Extracting from your organs like this will greatly affect your soul’s strength. With your current physical condition, you’ll need to nourish yourself with spiritual medicine and medicinal baths for several years before there’s hope of recovery, and even then, your internal organs won’t be the same as before…”

Although the words were spoken gently, Cui Haoran understood and couldn’t help but let tears fall, his features twisting with regret.

Now you cry, what were you doing earlier?

Tang Luo tapped on the table in front of the young man and said displeased, “Don’t be in a hurry to regret. Tell me, why did you use your vital blood secret techniques so many times in the illusionary realm? Didn’t I tell you before we parted, that if you encountered danger, to just activate the jade coin and escape?”

Most things in the world are like this. Even if you’ve been forewarned with foresight, some people still stubbornly do as they please, ending up exactly as predicted, and then present a sorrowful and pitiful image. That is why the old saying goes, ‘those who are pitiful surely have a hateful side.’

It was just a trial without elimination; Tang Luo really couldn’t understand what was worth risking one’s martial foundation to continuously use vital blood secret techniques for.

Knowing his martial foundation was greatly damaged, Cui Haoran had lost all his spirit and said sadly, “Captain, you won’t understand. The allure of the Four Imperial Spirit Seals is too great for a martial artist like me who specializes in Spirit Arts…”

“You only see the thief eating meat but not getting beaten?”

Unexpectedly, a fool had slipped into the Longxi squad. Tang Luo said coldly, “Control spirits but not the heart, cultivate qi but not the soul. What use is a martial artist who dies peacefully at a hundred years old?”

“Of course, I also know the drawbacks of cultivating only one seal, but what if one cultivates all four?”

Cui Haoran disheartenedly said, “Yin and Yang combined, twin creation and endless cycles—if one could cultivate all four Imperial Spirit Seals together, they would surely unleash tremendous power…”

“So you sacrificed the jade coin to cultivate the divine seals?” Tang Luo frowned. “What does that have to do with you using vital blood secret techniques? What, did you plan to kill all the guardians of the holy altars?”

“Of course not…” Cui Haoran bitterly smiled, “But who would have thought that the Divine Seal that the Four Imperial Spirit Clans could obtain by sacrificing just one Jade Coin, I would need so many. Just on the Altar of Earth alone, I sacrificed fifty-two Jade Coins!”

“Fool…” Tang Luo cursed inwardly, holding his forehead, “So you used all your Jade Coins to sacrifice at the altar?”

“Yes.” Cui Haoran’s face was the picture of misery, “After a successful sacrifice, I could use the Divine Seal to refine the Earth’s Spirit Charm, control the pliability of the earth, and my combat power soared!”

“I see, and then you went to the other altars to continue sacrificing?” Tang Luo was really laughed in frustration, “Didn’t you stop to think, this kind of enhancement that defies the principles of martial arts, could possibly be realized? If it truly were possible, wouldn’t the Four Imperial Spirit Realms be overrun with Spirit Kings and swarming with Grandmasters like stray dogs?”

“I was mesmerized by the Four Imperial Spirit Seals at the time, how could I have thought of that.” Cui Haoran covered his face, and continued to explain with a bitter expression, “After obtaining the Earth and Water Divine Seals, I was able to easily manipulate the powers of Xuanming and Hou Tu, overpowering the Fierce Realm with my combat strength, this made me even more eager to obtain the other two Divine Seals…”

No warrior does not thirst for strength, especially this kind of enhancement that requires only the sacrifice of Jade Coins for immediate power. For all warriors, to be able to control the four top-tier spiritual powers ahead of time is an infinite temptation. In the face of such temptation, many details that should have been noticed are overlooked, just like Cui Haoran, who completely forgot his original purpose of entering the Four Imperial Spirit Realms, began his pursuit of the Divine Seals, and even resorted to the Blood Escape Technique to travel, all to embrace the Four Seals within three days.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison. To Tang Luo, the crude Four Imperial Spirit Seals, which he found unworthy, might be regarded as divine skills sought after by many clan disciples, who only felt that the natives of the Four Imperial Spirit Realms had not developed them well, and that given the chance, they themselves would be able to unleash their brilliant splendor.

How truly foolish, Tang Luo shook his head, and consoled helplessly, “Fortunately you’re still young. Spend more time nurturing your organs, perhaps you can replenish the lost vitality. Don’t be too hard on yourself; fall into a pit but come out wiser. If you can gain from this experience, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Go back and rest now.”

Cui Haoran left Tang Luo’s room, utterly dejected.

At the same time, on the transport formation of Mount Xumi, many challengers who had shifted out were wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.

“Where’s the Divine Seal!? It was just on the back of my hand!”

“Where did my Xuanming power go, why has it disappeared?”

“Return the Zhurong Divine Fire to our young master! That Divine Seal cost me a whole sixty Jade Coins!”

“What are you all yelling for! I persuaded as many as two hundred Spirit Controllers to follow me, and clearly, they shifted out with me using the Jade Coins, where are they? Where are they!?”

…

Longzhou Calendar, 1784, the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, in front of Mount Xumi

All the challengers of the second trial had completed their test and regrouped in that familiar bamboo forest.

Some were overjoyed, others sorrowful; those brimming with pride were mostly disciples who had seen through the Illusion Realm, whereas the sons of noble families had mostly used Jade Coins to shift out of the array and, even if they had resisted the temptation of the Four Imperial Spirit Seals, still had half their number of Jade Coins deducted.