Chapter 759

Chapter 759: Departure

Upon entering the Misty Mountains Realm, Wang Chen not only lost all his cultivation but also had his Cultivation Panel, a formidable unique ability, sealed. It had transformed from a luxurious high-end version to a diminished, beggarly state.

Although he could still accumulate skill experience points, the crucial Heavenly Merit and Virtue system had vanished.

In its place, he now had an additional Qi and blood value.

This Qi and blood value was undoubtedly earned through killing, or more precisely, by slaying martial artists.

Back at home, Wang Chen analyzed and deduced that the amount of points was directly proportional to the cultivation level of those he killed.

A first-level Skin Refinement martial artist yielded 1 Qi and blood point, while a second-level Flesh Refinement provided 10 points.

Among the bandits he had slain, there was a third-grade Bone Refinement martial artist, which granted him a rare hundred points of Qi and blood.

This was all very clear and straightforward.

The question remained: what was the purpose of this Qi and blood value?

Wang Chen attempted to allocate points to his technique, but there was no response.

However, when he focused on the skill column, he immediately noticed a “+” symbol silently appearing behind it.

That was it!

【Qi and blood -1】

【Skill: Bone Refinement and Blood Burning Technique (Master): 13/500】

【Qi and blood: 131】

Wang Chen quickly discerned the conversion ratio between Qi and blood and experience points—1:1.

This meant that 1 point of Qi and blood could add 1 point to skill experience.

No matter how much he added, the ratio remained the same.

This outcome left Wang Chen somewhat disappointed; after all, the former Heavenly Merit and Virtue system could enhance attributes and techniques, whereas skill experience points were the least cost-effective.

But having something was better than nothing.

After some thought, Wang Chen decided to invest all his Qi and blood points into his only mastered skill.

【Skill: Bone Refinement and Blood Burning Technique (Master): 144/500】

This saved him considerable time and the resources required for practice.

Speaking of skills, there was another aspect that frustrated Wang Chen.

Without spiritual energy, he could not practice spells, but the Vajra Fist, Heavenly Dragon Vajra Palm, and the martial arts he had learned from the mundane world wouldn’t appear in the skill column, no matter how many times he practiced them.

Fortunately, the primary technique he practiced, the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method, did not suffer the same fate; otherwise, Wang Chen’s progress in cultivation would not have been so rapid, as he broke through to the fourth level of Blood Refinement in just a month.

According to Old Shi Wu, achieving the Blood Refinement stage allowed one to join the ranks of mainstream martial artists in Chibi City.

Originally, the village chief had planned to take Wang Chen to Chibi City in three days.

The sudden appearance of the bandits immediately disrupted this plan.

Old Shi Wu could not guarantee that the escaped bandits wouldn’t return for revenge; for safety’s sake, he, as the only Bone Refinement martial artist in Little Stone Village, had to stay behind for a while.

To ensure Wang Chen’s future was not hindered, Old Shi Wu decided to have his own brother accompany Wang Chen on the journey.

Three days later, the time for departure arrived.

Old Shi Wu’s brother was named Shi Yan. His name sounded tough, and in reality, he was one of the few clever individuals in Little Stone Village. He had been a traveling merchant, visiting numerous cities, which made him knowledgeable and experienced.

The Misty Mountains Realm also had merchants who traveled far and wide.

However, traveling merchants did not need to face the great dangers of crossing the mist-shrouded wilderness.

They took the Sacred Ancestor Path.

The so-called Sacred Ancestor Path was a network of tunnels beneath the Misty Mountains Realm!

Long ago, the Misty Mountains Realm was dominated by fierce beasts, making the living conditions for human cultivators extremely harsh, nearly bringing them to the brink of extinction.

But in the most critical moment, a powerful figure stepped forward to lead the human cultivators against the fierce beasts.

To survive, this strong individual organized people to dig tunnels day and night. One purpose was to fend off fierce beast attacks, while the other was to connect people from different areas.

Everyone helped each other and fought against the fierce beasts together!

Later, this strong individual was revered as the “Sacred Ancestor,” and the tunnels he promoted to dig were called the “Sacred Ancestor Path.”

For centuries, the Sacred Ancestor Path has undergone countless expansions and developments, connecting thousands of villages and cities, allowing human cultivators to communicate and trade, securing a place for them in the Misty Mountains Realm.

The Sacred Ancestor Path was also the only route from Little Stone Village to Chibi City!

The entrance to the path was in the village chief’s house.

When Wang Chen left, over two or three hundred of the four hundred villagers from Little Stone Village came to see him off!

This was not just because Wang Chen had slain the bandits that attacked the village; over the past three days, he had ventured into the wilderness several times, bringing back thousands of pounds of prey.

All of them were second-grade fierce beasts!

This was Wang Chen’s final gift to Little Stone Village, concluding his connection with the village.

The quality of the beast meat was excellent; if utilized properly, it could greatly enhance the strength of Little Stone Village because the Qi and blood of fierce beasts was especially rich, serving as a supplement for martial artists.

Everyone was extremely grateful for Wang Chen’s kindness, so when they learned he was going to Chibi City, they all came to bid him farewell.

After saying goodbye to Old Shi Wu and others, Wang Chen followed Shi Yan into the tunnel leading to the Sacred Ancestor Path.

Holding torches, they walked for a long time in the pitch-black tunnel until they emerged into a broad area where the surrounding space even brightened.

A passage resembling a mine tunnel appeared right in front of Wang Chen.

“This is the Sacred Ancestor Path!”

Shi Yan, who was leading the way, tossed aside his nearly burnt-out torch and sighed, “I haven’t been here for three years.”

The reason Shi Yan, originally a traveling merchant, stopped trading was that three years ago, he was attacked by bandits, losing all his goods and nearly losing his life.

He recuperated in Little Stone Village for a long time before slowly recovering.

This time, if it weren’t for Old Shi Wu’s insistence, he wouldn’t have wanted to enter the Sacred Ancestor Path again!

The Sacred Ancestor Path was not absolutely safe; in fact, it was filled with various dangers.

For instance, bandits, underground beasts, dark rivers, and cave-ins…

No one could clearly say how vast or long the Sacred Ancestor Path was now, nor how many branches it connected.

For centuries, human cultivators continuously dug and expanded it, combined with the caves and dark rivers beneath, creating a magnificent underground maze. Anyone unfamiliar with it would surely get lost.

Although the Sacred Ancestor Path was deep underground, it was not completely dark.

Light came from clusters of mushrooms growing on the cave walls.

These mushrooms had caps covered in white spots and emitted a faint glow.

The light of a single mushroom was negligible, but thousands of them spread out could create enough brightness to illuminate the long Sacred Ancestor Path, preventing them from walking blindly.

Shi Yan noticed Wang Chen observing the mushrooms and smiled, saying, “These are bright mushrooms, found everywhere underground, but unfortunately, they are toxic and cannot be eaten.”

Wang Chen nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Shi Yan continued, “We still have a long way to go!”