Chapter 0485: Simple Advancement
Even if Lan Ya had not mentioned it, Ning Cheng already knew that he did not have the required strength to visit the Arenas or the Casinos.
Although it was a first for Lan Ya to come to this place, she still managed to find a living quarter quickly. With a down payment of 10 million Blue Coins, she managed to rent an Immortal Cave in a very safe cultivation environment for ten years.
Leasing the Immortal Cave in the Ocean Gambling City was not too expensive as it equated to a lease of 1 million Blue Coins per year for ten years. Lan Ya thought that Ning Cheng’s cultivation was too low to live in a place with poor security. This was the only reason why she decided to use 10 million Blue Coins to help Ning Cheng rent a better Immortal Cave.
The Immortal Cave was not extravagant; except for a five by seven feet large Spirit Grass Garden, there were only two rooms. However, Ning Cheng found it satisfactory because of the abundance of starry skies’ Essence Qi in this location. For him, although safety remained an important factor, he also placed a similar, if not higher, importance to cultivation.
“Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, you can choose any room, and I’ll take the other room.” Ning Cheng had calmed down from his initial shock. He knew what he needed the most at this moment was to go into cultivation seclusion and cultivate for as long as possible.
Lan Ya gave a smile, “We can be friends from now on. You saved me, while I also helped you out. I already mentioned to you that I would not stay in the Ocean Gambling City. I will go out and check out the other places. Currently, the most pressing matter for me is to earn Blue Coins. After I earn enough Blue Coins, I will then leave the Lesser Thunder Star. However, since I currently have no Blue Coins on me, I can’t leave this battleship with you.”
Ning Cheng did not expect that Lan Ya would leave immediately; however, he also did not try to persuade her to stay back. The starry skies were vast, and one day in the future, he would leave the Ocean Gambling City definitely, which meant that this place was just a temporary stop in his journey.
Thinking of this, Ning Cheng took out the card with nearly 100 million Blue Coins and passed it onto Lan Ya., saying, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, I will definitely be going into seclusion in this place. I already have enough Spirit Stones and Blue Essence Stones, along with nearly 100 million Black Coins. You can keep these Blue Coins; I anyways cannot use them temporarily.”
Lan Ya did not expect Ning Cheng to be so generous. Do not look at the fact that they had used up 200 million Blue Coins to purchase the battleship, both of them knew they had suffered quite a loss. A hundred million Blue Coins still had a plethora of uses in the Lesser Thunder Star. However, now that a Crucible Transformation Cultivator like Ning Cheng actually decided to part with these Blue Coins without hesitation, it truly touched some of Lan Ya’s heartstrings.
She did not refuse it, taking Ning Cheng’s Blue Coin Card, she replied, “I really do have a need for Blue Coins. Thank you for your help. I will definitely come back here to see you before I leave the Lesser Thunder Star.”
Ning Cheng understood Lan Ya’s meaning. Lan Ya wanted to head out to make money and to get ready to leave this place. However, she definitely will come back in the future to return the money.
……
After Lan Ya left, Ning Cheng placed a Rank 8 Defensive Array outside of his Immortal Cave and immediately readied himself to go into cultivation seclusion. As for the original Defensive Array Formation outside the Immortal Cave, he did not remove it. This Defensive Array Formation was at a higher level compared to his own Array Formation anyway, and he could not arrange something on the same level right now.
Luofei was in the Rootless Black City, Shi Qionghua was in Qin Wu City and his little sister Ruolan had taken away Grey Toottoot. For Ning Cheng right now, he honestly felt all alone in a foreign land within the starry skies. This made him even more eager to cultivate to a higher level and then leave this place as soon as possible.
In the Ocean Gambling City, Ning Cheng’s arrival was akin to an additional speck of dust, which did not cause even half a wave of fluctuation or any ripples. No one knew who Ning Cheng was, and no one cared who Ning Cheng was anyway.
Ning Cheng also did not care about the Ocean Gambling City. He anyway did not belong to this place, nor did he want to come to this place. His stay here was only a temporary stop.
After resuming cultivation, Ning Cheng only felt joy in his heart. Under the powerful Laws of this world, his cultivation speed soared to an unimaginable level.
As he absorbed the starry skies’ Essence Qi, he did not feel even half a shred of discomfort. Even the True Essence in his body had automatically started transforming into Celestial Essence. In other words, although he still had not achieved Nirvana, nor had he passed the Nirvana Tribulation, yet his True Essence had automatically initiated the transformation because of the changes in the Spirit Source he absorbed.
His meridians had also started to expand under the influence of the more powerful Celestial Essence and slowly turned sturdier. Even if it did not improve upon his realm, his strength had definitely improved by more than a few grades or even more.
After his True Essence completely transformed into Celestial Essence, Ning Cheng instantly broke through the Crucible Transformation 7th Level and entered the Crucible Transformation 8th Level. Moreover, Ning Cheng found that after the type of energy he absorbed changed from the essence of Spirit Qi to the Starry Skies’ Celestial Essence, the Mysterious Yellow Origin flowing inside his meridians had become even more active, which improved his cultivation fundamentally to an even stronger level.
In just three months, he advanced once again from Crucible Transformation 8th Level to Crucible Transformation 9th Level. Another three months later, Ning Cheng’s cultivation reached the Grand Completion of the Crucible Transformation Realm.
Ning Cheng immediately stopped cultivating after reaching this juncture. He knew that he had to find a place to surmount the incoming tribulation and then advance to the Plundering Life Realm.
A Thunder Tribulation for the Plundering Life Realm did not account for much in the Lesser Thunder Star, so after leaving the Ocean Gambling City, Ning Cheng just chose a spot of barren wilderness.
In the Lesser Thunder Star, trying to surmount the Thunder Tribulation for crossing a realm did not require any need of pills or even decorating a Spirit Gathering Array Formation. This was because the Worldly Law’s and the Worldly Essence Qi in this place was more than enough.
Ning Cheng, who had already reached Grand Completion of the Crucible Transformation Realm, under the powerful Worldly Laws, almost immediately touched upon the barrier to the Plundering Life Realm. Ning Cheng had just thought to attack the boundary of the Plundering Life Realm when his Celestial Essence instinctively struck the Plundering Life Realm’s Cultivation Barrier.
After it attacked the barrier a few times, the Thunder Tribulation immediately started gathering in the sky above and quickly descended down onto him. The first wave of this Thunder Tribulation consisted of dozens of thick lightning arcs, mixed in with large swaths of Thunder Waterfall.
Ning Cheng possessed a Thunder Spirit Root, plus his True Essence had long since transformed; therefore, even if the Thunder Tribulation turned even more violent, he felt that he would not need to bring out his Everlasting Blue Thunder City.
Ning Cheng easily breezed through the first two waves of the Thunder Tribulation. At the same time, just when the Thunder Tribulation’s third wave descended, Ning Cheng finally managed to break through from the Crucible Transformation Realm, becoming a Plundering Life 1st Level Cultivator. Following that, Ning Cheng felt disinclined even to passively resist the rest of the Thunder Tribulation. He just sat down on the spot and let the Thunder Tribulation descend upon him; however, he made sure to absorb as much of the Thunder Spirit Source along with converting it into Celestial Essence to improve his cultivation as much as possible.
When the last wave of the descending Thunder Tribulation disappeared, Ning Cheng also managed to break through from the Plundering Life 1st Level, advancing to the Plundering Life 2nd Level.
In the Lesser Thunder Star, a Plundering Life 2nd Level might be something insignificant; however, Ning Cheng still felt some satisfaction. As he thought back upon it, there should only be a handful of people like him, who could immediately reach the second level right after surmounting their tribulations, right?
At the time of entering the Ocean Gambling City, Ning Cheng was only a cultivator at the Crucible Transformation 7th Level; yet, now his cultivation had reached the second level of Plundering Life Realm. Looking back at it, it only took him 6 months to accomplish it. Initially, Lan Ya had said that he might need a few decades to advance from the Crucible Transformation Realm to the Plundering Life Realm. As for cultivating to the Domain Realm, it might even take a hundred to two hundred years. However, if he followed his current rate progress, then he definitely had a significant chance of advancing to the Celestial Novice Realm within 10 years.
Ning Cheng finally felt the benefits of cultivating within the starry skies. Not only was the starry skies’ Essence Qi a lot stronger than ordinary Spirit Qi, but even the Worldly Laws were also far from those within the low-level Void. One just did not need to prepare too much for advancing to the Plundering Life Realm.
After cleaning himself, Ning Cheng then returned to the Ocean Gambling City. It was just as he thought; his descending Thunder Tribulation had not attracted the attention of anyone at all. After returning to the Ocean Gambling City, he still wanted to continue with his original thought of cultivation, cultivation and even more cultivation.
There were many people within the Ocean Gambling City with similar cultivation to Ning Cheng, and many with cultivation even lower compared to Ning Cheng. Therefore, Ning Cheng with his cultivation of Plundering Life 2nd Level did not stand out within the streets of the Ocean Gambling City.
“Get out….” someone thundered, followed by a young man wearing grey robes flying out and falling right in front of Ning Cheng. If not for Ning Cheng’s quick reaction, of immediately taking a few steps back, the flying youth would have definitely smashed into him.
The grey-robed youth was just about to get up, when a man with brown hair descended and with a foot on the back of the grey-robed youth coldly spoke, “Jing Hao, the next time you dare to repudiate a debt in my casino, I will immediately sell you to the slave market, get lost…..”
After the brown-haired man finished his words, he spat on the grey-robed youth before turning around and slowly walking into the building across the street.
Ning Cheng then saw the words ‘Ocean Gambling’s Premier Casino.’ This casino also had a pair of couplets underneath those words, ‘Guests from the boundless heavens, bringing together endless wealth.’
Ning Cheng shook his head internally, not to mention about Lan Ya’s warning to him about not going to such a place, even if Lan Ya had not reminded him, Ning Cheng would never visit such a site. This person, named Jing Hao, seems like a Celestial Novice Cultivator, how could he still indulge in establishments like casinos?
Jing Hao? Ning Cheng suddenly had another thought before he came to an immediate stop. It was as if he had heard of this name somewhere.
In just a short moment, Ning Cheng recalled where he had heard the name, Jing Hao. Once in the Graceful Star Mainland, there was quite a famous character by the name of Jing Hao.
This person was once the premier disciple of the Kun Yun Academy; however, because he loved a woman, who also was a Devil Cultivator, he decided to help her. As a result, it ended with the eradication of the Kun Yun Academy by the joint forces of the other academies at that time.
At that time, Ning Cheng felt quite the admiration towards that Jing Hao. If replaced by him, he also would not have hesitated to help the woman he loved. No matter what label people put on her.
However, now that the Kun Yun Academy had long since disappeared in the long rivers of time, Ning Cheng could not confirm if this Jing Hao was the same Jing Hao from the Kun Yun Academy.
Thinking of this and wanting to satisfy his curiosity, Ning Cheng deliberately went to the other party and asked with cupped fists, “This senior, I want to ask if senior knows about the Le Continent’s Kun Yun Academy?”
Even if Jing Hao had an embarrassed look over his face, he still had a Celestial Novice Cultivation; as such, Ning Cheng did not dare to act out at will.
Initially, seeing that Ning Cheng was just a little Plundering Life Realm Cultivator, the grey-robed man did not care much about him. Even if kicked out by the casino, he still had a Celestial Novice Cultivation, while Ning Cheng was just a little cultivator in the Plundering Life Realm, how could he place someone like him on an equal footing?
However, after hearing Ning Cheng’s words, he only felt shocked. His mouth remained open as he stared at Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng did not need an answer from the other person; he knew that his guess was spot on. This Jing Hao definitely was the premier disciple Jing Hao from the Le Continent’s Kun Yun Academy.
“How do you know about the Le Continent’s Kun Yun Academy? Where are you from?” Only after a good while did Jing Hao spoke out in eagerness.
However, Ning Cheng felt a few vague Spiritual Consciousnesses sweep over his body at this time; these Spiritual Consciousnesses absolutely did not have any good intentions contained within them. Ning Cheng sighed; it seems that this Jing Hao has offended a few influential people within the Ocean Gambling City. To be honest, he actually had nothing to look for and talk to with Jing Hao, his previous actions were just to satisfy some curiosity; however, he did not know if he would end up finding himself in trouble.
“I’m sorry.” Jing Hao suddenly apologised to Ning Cheng with a truly apologetic tone, before he once again asked in anxiety, “Excuse me but, is Kun Yun Academy still okay? My master…..”
Jing Hao was not a fool. On seeing Ning Cheng’s change in expression, he immediately guessed some of the things that might have happened.
Ning Cheng also did not feel the need to conceal anything and spoke up, “When I went to the Le Continent, I found that Kun Yun Academy had already vanished a long time ago. However, I also heard that several other major academies had joined forces to destroy the Kun Yun Academy.”
