Chapter 452: The Chosen One Kneels in Regret!
"When Yin and Yang revolve, life and death depend on each other. The Two-Aspects are Chaos, and the mystical begins..."
After comprehending a fraction of the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture, Shen Anyu couldn't help but praise it, a deep joy surfacing in his eyes.
'As expected of a Nascent Soul True Scripture,' he thought, 'it was truly profound. Whether it's the cultivation technique or the accompanying divine abilities, they far exceed the limits of mere martial arts.'
"This Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture isn't just a medical manual; it's a complete cultivation path. It cultivates the twin qi of life and death, which conveniently requires slightly less spiritual qi from heaven and earth. It's perfect for me."
A pleased smile stretched across Shen Anyu's lips. "Hehe, Immortal Doctor Lu Ran went through hell and back, even allowing his own cultivation to collapse, just to get his hands on this Nascent Soul True Scripture. Now, he's nothing but a remnant thought trapped in that ring, unable to even cultivate it himself. It really was all for my benefit."
This world, which Lu Ran had called the Mortal Realm, was thin on spiritual qi. Otherwise, those ancient cultivators wouldn't have all packed up and left for the Xuanhuang World long ago.
However, the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture could be cultivated by drawing on the qi of life and death, lessening the dependency on ambient spiritual qi. Of course, it was only less dependent, not completely independent. A spiritual-qi-rich environment would still accelerate cultivation significantly.
Furthermore, for realms at Golden Core and above, cultivating without spiritual qi would be excruciatingly slow—so slow that one would likely die of old age before making any progress.
But for the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages, it wasn't much of an issue.
The qi of life permeated all living things—flowers, grass, trees. One could refine it for cultivation.
And the qi of death was the aura of decay and mortality, present everywhere things withered and died.
Moreover, the scripture contained a remarkably potent core divine ability, a secret art with ten stages in total. One could begin to learn it as soon as they started on the path of the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture.
Its name was the Two-Aspects Life-Death Mystical Light.
It was an art that governed the two aspects, an art that concerned lifespan and controlled the boundary between life and death.
Once unleashed, this Mystical Light could bypass the physical body and most defensive spells or treasures, directly severing an enemy's lifespan or extending an ally's.
Of course, this required one's own cultivation to be profound and the secret art to be mastered to truly unleash its terrifying power. This was because the Two-Aspects Life-Death Mystical Light was somewhat similar to the Seven Wounds Fist—it harmed oneself before harming the enemy.
Reducing an enemy's lifespan or increasing an ally's required a sufficient reserve of life and death qi. If one's reserves were depleted, they would have to sacrifice their own lifespan.
This reserve of qi had to be accumulated daily, and its maximum capacity was restricted by one's cultivation realm, like a reservoir that expanded as one grew stronger.
All things in nature sought balance.
When the Two-Aspects Life-Death Mystical Light reached the first stage, it was a one-to-one exchange. For example, sacrificing ten years of lifespan could reduce a same-realm enemy's lifespan by ten years, or a powerful enemy one major realm higher by a single year. Stronger foes would require an even greater expenditure.
But if the art reached the tenth stage of perfection, the Mystical Light's effect would increase a hundredfold. Ten years of one's own lifespan could obliterate a thousand years from a same-realm enemy or a hundred years from an opponent one major realm higher.
According to the scripture's records, a cultivator who perfected this art would be nearly invincible among their Nascent Soul peers. Even a Soul Transformation Divine Lord would have to be wary of them.
The principle for extending lifespan was the same.
Furthermore, the general outline of the scripture clearly hinted that it was incomplete, suggesting that this Nascent Soul True Scripture had a continuation.
But that was a concern for the distant future. Shen Anyu hadn't even officially started his cultivation journey; he wasn't even in the Qi Refinement stage yet.
His current martial arts world of Heavenly Human Unity was roughly equivalent to the late stage or even perfection of the Qi Refinement stage in immortal cultivation. A Land Immortal was comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, cultivators possessed a vast array of techniques, making them all-around powerhouses—true hexagonal warriors.
Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation—the path of cultivation was long and arduous. Even Immortal Doctor Lu Ran had been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment, unable to form his Golden Core. In his depression, he'd risked his life in a secret realm, only to end up in his current pitiful state.
But even so, Shen Anyu knew he had to pursue it. With such power, wealth, and beautiful women at his side, he refused to become a pile of dirt after a mere hundred years.
If there were no path forward, he could accept it. But with such a heaven-sent opportunity laid before him, not seizing it would be a true waste.
"Now that I have over eight million destiny points, many of my plans can be moved up."
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing within them.
As Immortal Doctor Lu Ran's soul scattered to the winds, the mental space he had constructed shattered.
Shen Anyu felt as if he had just woken from a long, vivid dream. The hustle and bustle of Magic City's Antique Street—the sounds of bargaining, the chatter, the distant traffic—all rushed back into his ears.
With a soft crack!, a fissure appeared on the white jade thumb ring in his hand. It grew much dimmer, all of its spiritual essence gone.
But the legacy jade slip of the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture, now floating in his mind and glowing with a brilliant purple-gold light, was proof that what had just happened was no dream.
'Shen Anyu, are you alright?'
Huangfu Xian's concerned voice echoed in his mind. She had clearly sensed him being pulled into the mental space but was too weak to do anything about it.
Now, feeling his familiar aura return, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
'I'm fine,' Shen Anyu transmitted back with a mental smile. 'In fact, I have you to thank for the warning. I gained a tremendous opportunity because of it.'
'Xian'er, you truly are my virtuous wife from a past life. You really know how to bring me good fortune.'
Hearing his teasing, Huangfu Xian huffed softly. Her delicate, jade-like face flushed slightly as she muttered back, 'Who's your virtuous wife? Don't talk nonsense.'
'I'm tired... I need to go into a deep sleep. Wake me if anything important happens.'
Huangfu Xian was already incredibly weak. If she hadn't been worried about him, she would have fallen dormant long ago.
'Go to sleep. When you wake up, I'll have a surprise for you.'
Shen Anyu's voice was gentle. Huangfu Xian felt a flicker of curiosity and a small measure of anticipation...
"Young man, young man! You, uh, you broke my white jade thumb ring. This isn't good."
The old stall owner was smiling at Shen Anyu, pointing at the cracked ring in his palm. His simple, honest demeanor was laced with a hint of sly cunning.
"I'll buy it. Thirty thousand yuan. I heard the price when I passed by yesterday."
Shen Anyu swiftly took out a stack of cash. In reality, he'd pulled it from his storage ring, which held a massive pile of various currencies, gold, and jewels from countries all over the world.
Most of it, however, consisted of various uniforms: student, teacher, nurse, maid, police officer... complete with black stockings, white stockings, fishnets, and gradient silks.
He had no intention of bargaining. For one, he was ludicrously wealthy. For another, this ring had just netted him over four million destiny points and the legacy of a Nascent Soul True Scripture.
Forget thirty thousand—even three hundred million would be a drop in the ocean.
After gaining such a massive advantage, haggling would be utterly pointless.
The old stall owner was overjoyed, his smile stretching from ear to ear. He gazed at Shen Anyu with a look so affectionate it was as if he were looking at his own father.
"Dad—no, young man! Is there anything else you want to buy? All my stuff here is top-notch!"
Shen Anyu shook his head with a faint smile. "Not for now. But stall owner, I do need a small favor from you."
"Just say the word, young man!" The old stall owner looked at him curiously. As long as it wasn't too difficult, he was happy to oblige. This was a big spender, rich and refreshingly direct.
"Yesterday, that young man who abandoned this ring at your stall to buy a Yuan Datou coin—when he passes by later, I want you to sigh and say something... Hmm, like this..."
Listening to Shen Anyu's instructions, the old man was a little puzzled. But when Shen Anyu handed him another ten thousand yuan, he immediately agreed, beaming with delight.
"Alright, alright! No problem at all, young man!"
...
"Tch, what rotten luck..."
A few minutes later, Long Hao emerged from the restroom, shaking his head with a gloomy expression.
He had thought he could seize the perfect opportunity while Lu Ran was in trouble. He'd imagined himself playing the hero, saving the "Immortal Doctor," earning his trust, and becoming his friend. He would successfully invest, get a massive return, and reach the pinnacle of his life. Then he'd make Shen Anyu and Su Hongmian kneel and weep in apology.
But a squad of policemen had arrived with great fanfare and simply handcuffed the thugs away.
A perfect opportunity, gone just like that.
Long Hao cast one last glance at Lu Ran's stall, shook his head, and prepared to leave.
Just then, the old man at the stall next to Lu Ran's let out a casual sigh.
"There are so many rich people these days. Someone actually willing to spend thirty thousand to buy that broken white jade thumb ring, and even said it concerned the immortal doctor's heritage..."
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