Chapter 38: -38- Two Halls

Chapter 38: -38- Two Halls "Would you each like to make your selections for becoming a Transcendent lifeform in both Qi and body cultivation?" the old man asked.

"Yes, please," Silas answered.

"Very well," the old man said as he pulled out a normal-looking old book.

"This book has recorded within it magic treasures of the ranked grade. You can choose from them..." the old man said as he handed the book to Silas.

The book seemed very ordinary; it had a rough brown cover that had seen better days, and the pages had turned yellow with time.

He then opened the book, with Kai looking over his shoulder as well. On top of each page was a diagram of a treasure or unique item, and below it was its description.

"Wow," Silas thought as he began to flip through the pages.

'These magic treasures here make the treasures used in the inheritance realm look fucking terrible,' Silas thought.

As he continued to flip through the pages, it was top-grade treasure after top-grade treasure, with very few high-grade ones.

Silas nodded absentmindedly, his eyes scanning the descriptions beneath each treasure. They boasted abilities he could barely wrap his mind around. Each one of them could drastically change the course of any battle or adventure.

'The only problem is these are all just rank 2 weapons,' Silas thought. As amazing as all these treasures were, he was soon going to rank up to rank 3 Revolving Core, and then these treasures would need to be replaced. While these top-quality ranked-grade treasures would still be useful to him as a rank 3 Disciple, they wouldn't be as helpful as he'd like.

Since he would soon have the opportunity to select the Spiritual-grade treasures, his initial excitement quickly calmed down.

"Senior, do you happen to have any spirit stones? Do you think I could just have some spirit stones worth the equivalent of one of these treasures?" Silas asked the old spirit. While Silas had never seen a spirit stone, as they were almost impossible to find in the small inheritance realm, he did have an idea about them from texts he had read from his clan of the outside world.

The old man nodded his head. "Very smart... with your comprehensions, nothing is stopping you from reaching rank 3 other than time and energy, and with enough spirit stones, you could indeed reach rank 3 quickly."

"So I can make this trade?" Silas asked.

"Of course... While I won't be able to give you nearly as much as you could make if you were to sell these in the outside world, I can still give you some spirit stones in exchange for one of these weapons, if that's what you would like..." the old man said, as he looked at both Silas and Kai, asking if this was their decision.

Silas quickly made up his mind and nodded his head. "Yes, Senior, that will be my choice."

Kai quickly nodded his little head as well. "Mine too."

"Alright, as you wish," the old man said as he began to summon two small piles of bright blue spirit stones.

Silas was at first extremely excited, but once he saw the two small piles, his smile quickly disappeared.

'Four,' Silas thought. A top-quality ranked-grade magic treasure is only worth four spirit stones...

"Hahaha," the small child began to laugh so hard he fell on the floor.

"You should have seen your faces... Do you really think these ranked-grade treasures will be worth much? While they are high-quality treasures, especially for Transcendent lifeforms, to the likes of immortals, they are worthless... ha..." the small child continued to laugh.

The old spirit, unamused by the situation, said, "Silas, quickly use these eight spirit stones and reach the peak of Transcendent in your Qi cultivation. Then you and Kai can challenge the first level of the battle hall. Once you defeat this level, which I have slightly more than 50% confidence in you doing, you will be able to select a Spiritual-grade treasure, and with it, you can once again decide if you wish to reach rank 3 now or not."

Silas quickly put the irritated thoughts out of his head and said, "Kai, since you've reached the peak of Transcendent already, you wouldn't mind if I used these, would you?"

"No, boss, go ahead," Kai quickly said.

Silas then sat down in a lotus position and began to use the spirit stones to rank up.

He grabbed two, one in each hand, and began to pull the energy inside of them into his body.

After going through five spirit stones, he had finally reached the peak of Transcendent in Qi cultivation.

"Let me go give these three spirit stones to Red so he can also reach peak Transcendent, and then I will challenge the battle hall," Silas said. While it had taken him five spirit stones to go from late to peak Transcendent, this was because his Transcendent dantian was far stronger and more complex than Red's, who just used one of the Armstrong clan's Qi cultivation techniques. With these three spirit stones, he should just barely be able to go from mid to peak Transcendent.

The group then made their way outside to the main hall where Thea and Red were waiting.

Both of them were sitting in a lotus position in meditation, but they quickly opened their eyes upon hearing footsteps.

"Have you both made your selections?" Thea asked.

"I decided to just ask for spirit stones instead of picking a rank 2 weapon, so Red, quickly use these and reach peak Transcendent in your Qi cultivation," Silas said as he tossed Red the three spirit stones.

"Thanks, Silas," Red said, without refusing. He knew if Silas had made up his mind to give him these, that his mind was already set.

"We'll be right back," Silas said as the group of four—Silas, Kai, the small child, and the old man—walked into the battle hall.

"Be careful," Thea said as she saw Silas enter the battle hall.

Once inside, the old spirit said, "Who would like to go first?"

"I will," "I..." Silas barely beat Kai to the punch, so the old spirit nodded his head and teleported Silas into the first level.

"Your first challenge will be to defeat this peak rank 3 Disciple," the old man said.

[Golem - Qi Cultivation: Peak Revolving Core]

(A/n: For now on for the sake of simplification when it is a pure qi cultivator and not a body cultivator it will just be shown as this :)]

"That's it?" Silas asked.

The old man shook his head slightly before continuing, "Do not underestimate the strength of a rank 3 Disciple. You might think it's an easy task, but let me explain something to you, Silas, so that you fully understand what you're about to face."

Silas paused, listening carefully.

The old man's voice grew serious. "Once a cultivator reaches the Revolving Core level and establishes their Revolving Core, everything changes. It's like breaking free from the chains of mortality. A rank 3 Disciple generates elemental power within their body—energy that flows with every strike, empowering even their most basic attacks. Their punches, their kicks—everything becomes far more devastating than anything a Transcendent can imagine. It's not just strength; it's elemental control. They wield the forces of nature."

"Even pure Qi cultivator's bodies are stronger than they would appear. While they naturally can't compare to the likes of a fiendgod cultivator, the Qi they produce will naturally strengthen their body ever so slightly with each increase in rank to the point that a peak rank 3 Disciple has the bodily strength and durability of a very weak Early Transcendent fiendgod practitioner.

"And while this golem is only a qi cultivator, it is far stronger than the average qi cultivator."

Silas's eyes narrowed as the old man continued, "And more importantly, rank 3 Disciples have access to Spiritual-grade magic treasures, artifacts that channel power beyond a Transcendent's reach. They can wield treasures that would make even the most seasoned Transcendent quiver. Imagine a sword that could sever the sky, or armor that could resist fire and lightning. Spiritual-grade magic treasures aren't just tools—they're weapons of war, and in the hands of a rank 3 Disciple, they change the game completely." Sёarch* The Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Silas nodded, understanding the weight of what the old man was saying.

"Let me put it simply," the old man continued, "The gap between a Transcendent lifeform and a rank 3 Disciple is like the difference between a newborn and an adult. A peak Transcendent might be powerful in your eyes, but to a rank 3 Disciple, they are but ants. One flick of their hand, and you could be erased from existence. That's the scale of power we are talking about."

The room seemed to grow colder as the old man's words sank in. Silas swallowed hard, and for the first time, a hint of doubt flashed across his face.

"But that's not all," the old man said, his tone more somber now. "Rank 3 Disciples come in many forms. Some control venomous beasts or wield sorcery that can turn your own mind against you. Others manipulate formations that can trap you in endless illusions. You will never truly know what a Zifu Disciple is capable of until you face one. And if you happen to face one who counters your strengths perfectly, no matter how strong you are, you will perish."

Silas clenched his fists but remained silent, absorbing every word.

"The weak can defeat the strong under the right circumstances. A lower-ranked rank 3 Disciple could kill one at a higher rank if their techniques match up well enough. That's how dangerous this path is. The Dao of Immortality embraces all aspects of existence. There are too many techniques to count, too many ways to die." The old man sighed, casting a weary glance at Silas. "Even a rank 3 Disciple might fall to someone skilled in poison or soul manipulation. There are endless possibilities."

Silas's breath hitched as he felt the weight of the path ahead.

***

***

[A/n: I changed some of the ranks it now goes:

1. Mortal

2. Transcendent

3. Revolving Core

4. Golden Core]