Chapter 141: Forging the Cauldron's Star Chart, Owing a Massive Debt!

The Martial Apprentice Realm is about opening one's own apertures and stimulating the potential within them.

To break through from Martial Apprentice to Martial Warrior is similar to a process of turning points into lines; this process can regard the apertures within the body as stars in the sky, building divine bridges between them, penetrating the apertures, and forming a star chart with nine apertures.

Thereafter, as long as one continually opens apertures and penetrates them to form the star chart, one can reach the peak of Martial Warrior.

In the secret chamber, Fang Xu sank his consciousness into his body.

After the beast skin bearing the records of the Divine Extension Canon was absorbed by himself, Fang Xu found that he could now naturally enter the Inner Viewing State every time he cultivated.

His current cultivation is at the peak of the eighth level of Martial Apprentice; to break through to Martial Warrior, he still needs to open one more aperture and then completely refine the chaotic power within it.

For Fang Xu, who possesses the Divine Extension Canon, breaking through the Martial Apprentice Realm already presents no bottleneck whatsoever.

Rising and leaving the secret chamber, he had no hesitation and directly came to the gate of the Cliffside Earth Palace.

While refining the energy of the ninth aperture space, Fang Xu's consciousness split into two, and his conscious body once again arrived at the first aperture he had opened—the Inner Gate Aperture.

This...

The cauldron's form became increasingly complete, until finally, even the surface of the great cauldron bore some strange patterns!

Gazing at the nine points of light formed by the great cauldron, Fang Xu felt a hint of enlightenment arise in his heart.

Fang Xu heard the words and replied with a bitter face: "What if I don't have a hundred thousand contribution points?"

Martial Apprentice?

"Become an inner sect disciple, and you will receive a reward of ten thousand contribution points."

Seeing this, Fang Xu went completely numb.

But now, whether it is the apertures or the divine bridges, they seem to have their own consciousness, stubbornly building the bridges according to their own ideas; upon encountering an unopened aperture, they actually forcefully blast through it.

After much painful thought and deliberation, he also decided to stop worrying about it.

This feeling...

He was truly afraid; in the Ascension Immortal Assembly, doing anything seemed to require paying contribution points.

"The second option: you can continue breaking through, and any excess time will be charged at fifteen thousand contribution points per day, calculated every ten days, totaling one hundred thousand contribution points."

Combining the insights from the Cliffside Heavenly Canon, his consciousness made minute adjustments to the patterns on the entire bronze great cauldron; gradually, he again forgot the passage of time.

"Choose one: should I wake you when the time comes, or wait for you to wake up yourself?"

But I only have three days to observe the Cliffside Heavenly Canon; this breakthrough, I also don't know how long it will take, and if I cannot break through after three days...

After being strengthened by this primordial energy, his physical quality has already far surpassed that of a Martial Apprentice, and even a Martial Warrior cannot compare.

"Then there's no need." Wu Ling said with a light smile.

Roar!

A faint yet terrifying howl echoed from the bizarre, colorful world before him!

From this howl, Fang Xu heard a hint of pain, anger, and unwillingness.

"Two charges total two hundred thousand, but seven days cost one hundred and five thousand; if you stay another three days, the contribution points you owe will not only not increase, but actually decrease by five thousand."

The tug-of-war continued, the black lightning gradually retreated, and now the stone gate remained less than one-third of its original form.

Wu Ling reminded him.

"You owe it, and a daily interest of one-thousandth is charged." Wu Ling said with a smile.

Even so, he still couldn't fully open the stone gate, and he also decided not to hold back, directly unleashing the Three Transformations of the Demon Ape!

I feel that not much time has passed at all.

"There are still two hundred and eighty thousand; remember, the daily interest is one-thousandth."

Obviously not!

Wu Ling said with a light smile: "This situation generally has two solutions."

Now that there are still three days left, he wants to see if he can use the Cliffside Heavenly Canon to perfect those things.

But the strengths of both sides are clearly not on the same level.

"You've got it wrong!"

Only after all nine apertures are fully opened and then connected via divine bridges to form a second star chart is one considered to have reached the second level of Martial Warrior.

Consciousness shouting, Fang Xu wanted to control it to extend slightly in other directions, but at this moment he realized that everything seemed no longer under his control.

If this scene appeared in the outside world, even a Martial Warrior or Martial Venerate would likely not be able to withstand a single arc of lightning scattered from their clash, and would be directly vaporized.

"Kid, hand over your identity token."

Hum!

The star chart formed, the nine apertures instantly lit up, and Fang Xu suddenly felt his body sink heavily, as a phantom of a bronze great cauldron appeared behind the star chart!

The strange scene of the Great Sound, Rare Voice reappeared!

The entire aperture space underwent violent trembling; the stone gate before him, which originally had only a fine crack, now widened again, faintly revealing the flowing, colorful world within.

After his gaze shifted from the disappearing stone gate before him to the strange vortex that replaced it, Fang Xu fell silent.

Somewhat unwillingly handing over his identity token, Fang Xu said pitifully: "Elder, leave me a little..."

Seeing Fang Xu's anxious expression, Wu Ling smiled and said: "Not long."

Fang Xu slowly opened his eyes.

After one strike, Fang Xu slightly furrowed his brow, then without any pause, a blood-colored demon ape nearly three zhang tall appeared behind him!

That strike just now was already the strongest attack he could muster aside from the Three Transformations of the Demon Ape.

Fang Xu was dazed!

Fang Xu nodded, then added: "I remember you said before that donating martial techniques and cultivation methods can also earn contribution point rewards?"

Wu Ling nodded: "There's still one hour left, kid; want to contemplate a bit more?"

Just as Fang Xu thought this breakthrough would end in total failure, a terrifying burst of energy suddenly erupted from within the Inner Gate Aperture!

Upon close inspection, one can see that the patterns on the bronze cauldron are extremely similar to those on the broken sword he had seen earlier in the Divine Weapons Hall!

"Folding contribution points three hundred and five thousand."

Not only that, wherever the golden lightning passed, the black lightning, like ice and snow under the scorching sun, was rapidly evaporated, and as the black lightning gradually receded, the entire aperture space was soon filled with golden lightning.

Fang Xu handed over the token representing entry into the Cliffside Earth Palace to Wuling, then walked straight in.

Seeing the divine bridge extending from the third aperture toward the fourth, Fang Xu faintly sensed a guess in his heart.

Hearing this, Fang Xu didn't even bother to check his specific condition, and hurried out of the stone chamber.

He also didn't know exactly what lay behind the stone door.

For a moment, heavy, vast, ancient, and strange feelings surged into his heart.

On the broken sword of the Divine Weapon Hall, the strange patterns were incomplete; when he had previously forged the bronze great cauldron in his sea of consciousness, the patterns on the cauldron's body were not entirely complete either.

Gradually, the entire star map slowly emitted a mysterious aura, which Fang Xu did not notice.

After the failed attempt to blast open the stone door last time, he had not continued trying since.

What secrets does the Divine Extension Canon actually contain?

Why has my aperture space been changed into this state?

The world behind the stone door...

"Hahaha..." Wuling laughed heartily, then turned serious: "Kid, remember this: there's no free lunch in the world; everything comes at a price."

At this moment, Fang Xu slowly woke up.

"First, the old man went in and forcibly woke you up."

Fang Xu quickly shook his head; he was afraid.

After utterly shattering the black lightning and the stone door, the golden lightning within the aperture space receded like a tide, eventually vanishing to an unknown place.

Or has it not been fully opened yet?

In the blink of an eye, three days are about to pass.

Golden lightning gradually devoured the black lightning on the stone door, and the massive door began to show pitted and uneven corrosion under the golden lightning's erosion.

Gripping a long staff, eyes fixed on the stone door, Fang Xu's gaze sharpened, then his body sprang forward as he swung the staff, tracing a heaven-reaching staff shadow that smashed toward the stone door!

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu instantly grew anxious: "Elder, don't tease me like this—I don't even know when I'll be able to repay this!"

When the ninth aperture was broken through, Fang Xu shockingly discovered that his cultivation seemed to have already reached the peak of the Martial Master realm.

Below the jade tablet, Wuling chuckled and spoke.

No matter how the aperture space changes, it remains fundamentally my own aperture space.

"Martial Elder, how long have I been inside?"

"Of course, the higher the reward, the greater the risk—you must absolutely not lose your life just because you're eager to earn contribution points."

"By the way, I forgot to remind you: before your contribution points are repaid, you cannot continue to enjoy any resources in the Ascension Immortal Association that require contribution points."

It felt as if a true great cauldron had been hidden within my own body!

He now completely couldn't tell whether his cultivation path was right or wrong.

Jiang Feng told him that when breaking through to Martial Master, it would be best to go to the Cliffside Earth Palace.

The powers of the two lightnings intertwined with each other.

"Kid, if you don't come out now, another day will have passed."

The crimson demon ape's phantom, along with that heaven-piercing earth-shaking staff shadow, was instantly shattered by countless bolts of black lightning, and simultaneously, the massive stone door was struck with streaks of black lightning!

Black lightning, carrying a world-destroying might, rapidly climbed up the stone door until it completely covered the entire door!

Fang Xu's consciousness-body stood within the aperture space, gazing at the lightning filling the sky, and a deep-seated fear from the depths of his soul made him tremble uncontrollably!

After the light extended to the second aperture, another ray of light appeared, extending downward once more.

Crack!

"Is this what it feels like to be a Martial Master?" Feeling the sensation after breaking through within his body, Fang Xu slowly rose to his feet.

The black lightning actually tried to forcibly bind the stone door together?

Gazing at the scene before him, Fang Xu had an idea pop into his mind.

These nine stages are precisely the process of opening the nine apertures.

Everything seemed to confirm Fang Xu's guess: with an endless supply of energy from the inner gate aperture, the divine bridge, upon encountering mountains, opened them; upon encountering water, it built bridges, directly forming within his body, following the light points transformed from the great cauldron, a strange star map!

In the next moment, Fang Xu discovered that his original twenty-odd thousand contribution points had now dwindled to mere scraps.

Consciousness returning to his physical body, Fang Xu was about to take some Blood Qi Pills when he suddenly recalled Jiang Feng's earlier warning.

After the black lightning filled the stone door, it began emitting terrifying sounds one after another.

"Does the stone chamber not require contribution points?" Fang Xu quickly asked.

Wuling's following words left Fang Xu petrified on the spot!

Is this the divine bridge!?

Feeling the massive amount of Blood Qi Power being drawn from within his body, Fang Xu quickly mobilized the Blood Qi Power stored in the Divine Servants to provide energy for constructing the divine bridge's framework.

This energy flowed along the divine bridge into the second aperture, then passed through the second aperture to reach this aperture that had not yet been opened!

At this moment, the hand of the crimson demon ape's phantom also appeared holding a blood-colored great staff about ten zhang in length!

Accompanying Fang Xu's movement, the crimson demon ape's form also leapt forward in sync, swinging a heaven-shattering, earth-destroying blow at the massive stone door before it!

This time, the entire aperture space violently trembled, the surface of the massive stone door began to show crack after crack, as if it would shatter completely in the next moment!

The black lightning had already retreated to guard the stone door, now accumulating all its strength to hold the door in place.

The consciousness-body stood within the Inner Gate aperture space, gazing at the massive stone door before it, now with a gap already torn open, Fang Xu fell into deep thought.

Now, what I must do is fully open the ninth aperture, then construct the divine bridge between the apertures to form a star map, and only then break through to Martial Master.

Many places are things he deduced on his own based on his understanding.

After entering the earth palace, he chose a stone chamber, swallowed two sixth-grade Blood Qi Pills, then had the Divine Servants temporarily store the Blood Qi Power within his body, and began to both observe the Cliffside Heavenly Canon and undertake his breakthrough.

The light went straight to an aperture that had not been opened up and directly entered it.

Fang Xu nodded resentfully: "It's not just ordinary black!"

"The Affairs Hall has many tasks for inner sect disciples, ranging from dozens to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of contribution points."

But Fang Xu suddenly discovered that the direction in which the light extended no longer had any unopened apertures.

The great cauldron had become like this, but Fang Xu was not overly worried, for he could feel that his consciousness still had complete control over the great cauldron.

Now burdened with a debt of three hundred thousand, if I were to turn back and accidentally exceed the time limit again, I fear I would never be able to repay it in this lifetime.

Breakthrough is the most important; if, three days later, I have not completed my breakthrough and am forcibly awakened, everything will have been for naught.

The entire form of the great cauldron gradually faded away, leaving only nine points of light emitting endless radiance, standing silently in the depths of the sea of consciousness.

Watching the energy of the inner gate apertures continuously pour in, illuminating the nine apertures one by one, Fang Xu did not know what to say for a moment.

Although the black thunderbolts feared the golden thunderbolts, at this moment they seemed to have been driven to desperation, unwilling to abandon the stone gate, and could only stake their lives in a life-or-death gamble against the golden thunderbolts.

"Just one month."

Hum!

As the patterns were continuously adjusted, Fang Xu's body's cauldron-forging star chart also underwent this change continuously.

In the depths of the sea of consciousness, the bronze great cauldron reappeared.

The construction of the Divine Bridge requires massive support from Blood Qi Power.

In the depths of consciousness, the bronze cauldron embryo, which had initially forcibly fused the four martial techniques, emerged; with Fang Xu's comprehension, the cauldron embryo began to slowly rotate in the depths of his sea of consciousness.

Accompanying the rotation, the bronze cauldron embryo gradually transformed from an ugly bronze lump into an initially formed bronze great cauldron, and then became increasingly refined.

Having made his decision, he immediately reached out and grasped the strange long staff floating in the inner gate aperture space.

The aperture space returned to tranquility, and Fang Xu, still feeling lingering fear, looked around at everything.

But the golden thunderbolts were overwhelmingly domineering, giving the black thunderbolts no chance to react, as vast arcs of electricity directly struck the huge stone gate covered in black thunderbolts!

Boom!

Boom!

The terrifying thunderstorm's roar echoed throughout the aperture space; Fang Xu, dwelling within it, seemed like a small boat in a stormy ocean, liable to be torn apart at any moment by this heaven-destroying, earth-shattering power!

Wu Ling shook his head and said: "You exceeded by twenty-seven days, which counts as two periods of seven days."

But given his current realm, he obviously could not figure out what had happened to his body, so he could only continue cultivating step by step for now.

Too terrifying!

"Do you feel it's very dark?" Seeing his expression, Wu Ling asked with a smile.

Wu Ling nodded: "That's right, but third-grade and below martial techniques are of no use to the Ascension Society."

Boom!

The originally progressive golden thunderbolts seemed to have lost patience, suddenly erupting with a bucket-thick bolt of electricity that instantly shattered the remaining black thunderbolts and that half of the stone gate on the spot!

"Yes."

Wu Ling nodded and drew a line through the contribution points in his identity token.

"You consider it carefully yourself."

How could all the energy in the ninth aperture space have been completely refined?

After pondering for a long time without understanding what was going on, Fang Xu suddenly felt a mix of laughter and tears.

One could even buy an ordinary third-grade martial technique!

Moreover, this interest is probably calculated in a compounding manner; if I delay repayment for a period, I fear I will have to serve the Ascension Society as an ox and horse for the rest of my life to repay it.

Hum!

Accompanied by the energy surging from the inner gate aperture, this unopened aperture instantly burst forth with a strong light, and then was actually forced open by this energy!

Wu Ling shook his head: "Naturally not joking; if you do not leave now, in another quarter of an hour, it will be the thirty-first day."

My attempt to open this stone gate seems to have violated some taboo, actually provoking this heavenly apocalyptic thunder!

But according to the division of this cultivation realm, I now have neither constructed the Divine Bridge nor formed the star chart, nor am I a martial master.

Yet merely from the primordial energy seeping out from behind the stone gate, I can feel that the world behind the stone gate is absolutely not simple.

Gazing through the window directly ahead of the stone chamber, Fang Xu fixed his eyes on the jade stele before him, calmed his mind, and began to contemplate it.

The Divine Bridge does not follow the already opened aperture spaces; it insists that you choose a path you wish to walk yourself.

At this moment, if there were outsiders present, they would surely notice that, at the instant Fang Xu opened his eyes, a vague phantom of a great cauldron flickered in his pupils.

Wu Ling has an impression of him, laughing heartily as he said: "Kid, are you ready to use up your contemplation opportunity?"

The ninth aperture was soon successfully opened.

Because the nine apertures opened previously, this breakthrough to martial master only used two of them, while the remaining seven were chosen by the Divine Bridge itself and then forcibly opened by harnessing the primordial energy of the inner gate apertures!

You have character, you are amazing!

However, the great cauldron now is virtualized, as if entirely supported by shimmering starlight, without any physical substance.

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu let out a slight sigh of relief.

My cultivation, no matter how I look at it, seems rather unreliable.

Opening the Divine Bridge and forming the star chart should simply involve connecting the apertures one has already opened.

Vast amounts of primordial energy surged out from the vortex, instantly filling the entire aperture space, and, along with it, the dispersing energy rapidly strengthened Fang Xu's body!

In this aperture space filled with primordial energy, Fang Xu felt as if his consciousness-body were soaking in a pool of jade nectar and ambrosia, about to die drunk in the pool at any moment.

"Alright, go in."

But Fang Xu's body is now completely in chaos.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu hurriedly left the cliffside earth palace.

The last time I came here was during the entrance examination. Fang Xu arrived at the gate of the Earth Palace, and the one guarding it was exactly the Wuling he had encountered on the twelfth floor of the stone tower back then.

After a martial artist enters the Warrior Realm, each realm can actually be divided into nine stages.

"Ah?" One-thousandth of the interest—one hundred thousand contribution points a day in interest is just one hundred contribution points!

"Huh? Kid, you timed this really well."

"Still possible like that!?" Fang Xu heard it, frowned, had no more nonsense, and directly returned to the Cliffside Earth Palace.

Below, before the jade stele of the Cliffside Heavenly Scripture, Wuling stood with hands behind his back, watching Fang Xu who had already risen, and spoke lightly.

Outside the Earth Palace, Wuling took out a paper and said: "You entered on the twenty-seventh of Winter Month, and now it's already the twenty-seventh of the First Month—soon it will be the twenty-eighth of the First Month."

Three hundred and five thousand contribution points—daily interest is over three hundred. When will this ever be paid off?

"Kid, if I were you, I'd just go back in and stay for three more days." Wuling suddenly spoke.

No way! No way!

Enduring that comfortable feeling, Fang Xu hurriedly withdrew his consciousness from the aperture space!

Watching the endless energy overflow from the Inner Gate aperture, feeling the subtle changes in his body every moment, Fang Xu didn't know what realm he was currently in.

"Elder isn't joking, is he!?"

"Hehe... this kid!" Wuling saw the situation, chuckled, and shook his head.

Inside the body, the apertures that had been opened also slowly unfurled with a faint glow. Then, from the Inner Gate aperture, a fine line of light began to extend, gradually reaching toward the second aperture.

What on earth is behind this stone door!?

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment and said: "Or maybe I should just wait until I wake up on my own."

Crack!

I currently only have over twenty thousand contribution points on me. Wanting to repay three hundred thousand, relying solely on doing odd jobs inside the gate will definitely not be enough.

"After deducting your three-day reward, you owe a total of twenty-seven days."

Now I can fully attempt this again.

"Greetings, Martial Elder."

Inside the Cliffside Earth Palace, Fang Xu returned once again to the previous stone chamber, suppressed all thoughts in his heart, and prepared to use the Cliffside Heavenly Scripture to properly perfect that mysterious bronze great cauldron.

The path taken by the Divine Bridge... how does it feel the same as the nine points of light transformed from the great cauldron in the Sea of Consciousness!?

"You should choose a stone chamber; otherwise, if another disciple enters, you'll be affected."

"Wrong!"

Without paying attention to the Inner Gate aperture, Fang Xu's consciousness had just arrived at the newly opened ninth aperture when he suddenly discovered that, at this moment, all the chaotic energy inside the ninth aperture had already been refined!

Until the end, when those patterns gradually spread across the entire bronze cauldron, the whole bronze cauldron suddenly burst forth with an ancient, vast, and mysterious aura!

The next moment, the four legs, two ears, and the body of the bronze great cauldron gradually lit up with nine dazzling points of light!

Hearing this, Fang Xu snatched the paper and examined it closely—his face instantly fell.

Hiss!

Fang Xu nodded, then said: "Elder, this time I entered, I only have three days. If I'm at a critical breakthrough moment when time runs out, what will happen?"

Just as the stone door was about to shatter, suddenly, within the crack of the opening stone door, a large amount of black lightning appeared!

Using the Magic Ape Three Transformations in consciousness form does not consume Blood Qi Power!

Is the black lightning stopping me from opening this stone door?

As Fang Xu's mind stirred, suddenly, within the aperture space, golden lightning appeared out of nowhere!

The moment the golden lightning appeared, it forcibly seized back the aperture space previously occupied by the black lightning with an even more domineering posture!

"Martial Elder, is there any quick way to earn contribution points?" Fang Xu asked.

Jiang Feng reminded himself to come here when breaking through, but I don't know its specific use.

Fang Xu walked out of the stone chamber and hurriedly said: "Three days already?"

The great cauldron gradually took shape, its patterns slowly spreading...

My current strength, compared to when I last bombarded the stone door, has increased significantly.

Although the illusory great cauldron flashed and vanished, Fang Xu clearly felt his body had become different!

Hiss!

Fang Xu just stood there in place, silently watching everything before him.

Never mind—first, let's go check out the Cliffside Earth Palace!

A Martial Apprentice breaking through to Martial Warrior needs to construct the Divine Bridge.

After Wuling finished speaking, he slowly stepped away from the Earth Palace.

Fang Xu also walked out with a bitter face, beginning to think about how to quickly earn contribution points and repay this huge debt as soon as possible.

(End of Chapter)