Chapter 256 - 254: The Survival Grotto Heaven Opens

"Luo Tian, you’ve been promoted to an Upper Sect Disciple?"

Even seeing it with his own eyes, Cheng Wanli was still skeptical.

Normally, one couldn’t enter the Upper Sect Area without being an Upper Sect Disciple.

But there were exceptions for special circumstances. ’Perhaps Luo Tian is one of those cases. That must be it.’

"Are you blind? Can’t you see the Upper Sect Disciple uniform I’m wearing?"

Luo Tian was a little speechless.

"..."

Cheng Wanli was even more speechless. ’Maybe I really was blind just now.’

"Incredible, Brother Luo! In just over two months, you broke through to the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm and became an Upper Sect Disciple!"

Cheng Wanli said with a smile, a hint of admiration in his voice.

He had incredibly high standards, and very few people earned his praise and recognition. Not even many of the elite disciples in the Upper Sect could impress him.

"You’re not bad yourself. For an Artifact Refiner, your cultivation speed is astonishingly fast!"

Luo Tian gave Cheng Wanli a deep look.

The last time he saw Cheng Wanli, his cultivation was around the Sixth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Now, Cheng Wanli’s cultivation was at the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, and even approaching its peak.

"Heh, my Martial Vein is Earth Tier Top Grade!"

Cheng Wanli smiled proudly.

’Earth Tier Top Grade?’

Luo Tian was genuinely shocked. He hadn’t expected Cheng Wanli’s Martial Vein Tier to be so high.

Aside from his own, it was the highest-Tier Martial Vein he had ever seen.

"Surprising, isn’t it? You won’t find many geniuses like me in the entire Yunxiao Sect."

Cheng Wanli began to gloat.

For some reason, showing off in front of Luo Tian gave him a special sense of superiority.

Perhaps it was because Luo Tian had given him too many surprises last time, even gifting him a Middle Level Ice Rune, which had been a huge blow to the ever-proud Cheng Wanli.

But Cheng Wanli saw that Luo Tian quickly calmed down, looking as if it was no big deal.

"An Earth Tier Top Grade Martial Vein! What Tier is your Martial Vein?"

Cheng Wanli thought Luo Tian hadn’t heard him clearly, so he emphasized it again.

At the same time, he was also curious about Luo Tian’s Martial Vein Tier. After all, Luo Tian’s cultivation speed was also shockingly fast. It was either due to a powerful Martial Vein or some special opportunity.

"I heard you about your Martial Vein. Good for you! My Martial Vein is ordinary, nothing worth mentioning."

Luo Tian said with a deadpan expression.

’If I revealed my Divine Vein, I bet Cheng Wanli would be too scared to ever gloat in front of me again.’

"..."

Cheng Wanli felt like he was being patronized like a child.

"But with your kind of talent, becoming an Artifact Refiner is really... willful of you!"

Luo Tian added.

If Cheng Wanli focused solely on Martial Arts, he would definitely become a renowned prodigy in the Eastern Domain.

"My dream is to become the number one Artifact Refiner on the Dongchen Continent!"

Cheng Wanli cast aside his frivolous and arrogant demeanor, his eyes shining with a bright light as he spoke with extreme earnestness.

It was a somewhat childish statement.

If anyone else had said it, Luo Tian would have thought them arrogant and ignorant.

But coming from a genius with a top-tier Martial Vein who had given up Martial Arts to study Artifact Refining, Luo Tian could feel Cheng Wanli’s fierce and unwavering determination.

"What Treasure Artifact are you looking to have refined this time?"

Cheng Wanli asked.

He didn’t think Luo Tian was just there to catch up.

"An Upper Grade Defense Treasure Armor!"

Normally, a Mid Grade Defense Treasure Armor would be more than enough for someone at Luo Tian’s level.

Upper Grade Defense Treasure Armor was used by experts at the Eighth to Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm or even the Earth Element Realm.

But Luo Tian’s goal right now wasn’t just to get by; it was to perform his absolute best and strive to earn one hundred thousand Points!

The Survival Grotto Heaven happened to have a greater need for such defensive capabilities.

"I’ll give you a discount. Three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins and three thousand Contribution Points!"

Cheng Wanli said generously.

That price was less than sixty percent of the original.

But Luo Tian was blunt: "I have no money and no Contribution Points."

"...Then why did you come to me for Artifact Refining?"

Cheng Wanli’s expression froze, and then he shouted in anger.

Trying to get an Upper Grade Defense Treasure Armor crafted with nothing to offer—this was like trying to get something for nothing!

"I can owe you for now. I’ll pay you back when my Points on the Grotto Heaven rankings reach one hundred thousand."

Luo Tian said shamelessly.

"One hundred thousand Points?"

Cheng Wanli looked at Luo Tian in astonishment.

Although he always stayed on Artifact Refining Peak, he had grown up in the Yunxiao Sect and was crystal clear about the situation with the Four Grotto Heavens.

"One of the Four Grotto Heavens has already opened, right? Have you tried it yet?"

Cheng Wanli asked.

"I tried it once. Got over seventeen thousand Points."

Hearing the number of Points, Cheng Wanli’s expression faltered.

He had thought that getting around twelve or thirteen thousand Points on his first try would be good for Luo Tian, and he had been planning to advise him to face reality.

Over seventeen thousand Points—this far exceeded his expectations.

From this, Cheng Wanli could also deduce Luo Tian’s approximate strength, and he couldn’t help but be shocked again.

"Brother Luo, your talent and potential are indeed very high, but your cultivation is still too low. Since you’ve only just entered the Upper Sect, it’s practically impossible for you to get the one hundred thousand Point reward!"

Cheng Wanli still held to his opinion.

Of the Four Great Grotto Heavens, the Slaughter Grotto Heaven was the easiest, but it would still be very difficult for Luo Tian to reach his goal there.

His scores in the next three Grotto Heavens would only get lower, especially the trial in the final Grotto Heaven, which even the ten Core Disciples would find troublesome and vexing.

"I know what I’m doing. You just need to help me with the Artifact Refining."

Luo Tian said calmly.

’If I can’t even reach one hundred thousand Points, how will I attract the attention of the higher-ups? How will I become the disciple of a powerful expert?’

He had to achieve this goal, or he would find himself in a perilous situation.

"Alright!"

Cheng Wanli saw Luo Tian’s determination, and he even saw a reflection of himself in Luo Tian’s eyes.

He said no more and immediately began to custom-make the Upper Grade Treasure Armor for Luo Tian.

Cheng Wanli had only recently become an Upper Sect Refiner, and his ability to refine Upper Grade Treasure Artifacts was not yet stable.

Just like last time, Luo Tian stayed to watch over Cheng Wanli to prevent any accidents.

The process went relatively smoothly.

Luo Tian only had to give a reminder during the final stage.

「Ten days later.」

The Upper Grade Treasure Armor was successfully refined.

It was a golden Treasure Armor made of a very soft material, with a water-like texture on its surface.

"This Upper Grade Treasure Armor is engraved with seven Inscriptions. The materials used are quite precious, providing outstanding Defense. It’s even stronger against Water and Fire Attribute Attacks."

Cheng Wanli explained.

In terms of Tier, this Upper Grade Defense Treasure Armor was about on par with the Ice Trace Sword.

"Not bad."

Luo Tian was very satisfied. He took the golden Treasure Armor and prepared to leave Artifact Refining Peak.

"Hey, Brother Luo, wait! I... Don’t you know a thing or two about Artifact Refining? I happen to have a few questions to test you with!"

Cheng Wanli’s expression was unnatural as he forced himself to speak.

"If you want to ask for advice, just say it. Don’t be shy!"

Luo Tian bluntly exposed him.

In the end, however, he used the power of the Celestial Book to resolve a few of Cheng Wanli’s doubts about Artifact Refining.

Cheng Wanli had an epiphany and praised Luo Tian repeatedly.

"That’s enough, I’m leaving!"

Luo Tian hurriedly retreated.

’The Celestial Book consumes Energy to answer questions. If Cheng Wanli keeps asking, I’ll suffer a huge loss.’

...

After returning to his courtyard, Luo Tian entered his Cultivation Secret Room.

The Survival Grotto Heaven was set to open in a few days, and Luo Tian needed to enter seclusion to prepare.

"Let’s see just how strong my Defense is now!"

Luo Tian activated his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body and put on the Upper Grade Defense Treasure Armor.

He gathered Guiyuan True Qi in his palm and struck himself hard in the chest.

Luo Tian used seventy percent of his strength in this strike, its power equivalent to an attack from an ordinary Spirit Sea Seventh Layer cultivator.

BAM!

A dull sound echoed as the force of the palm strike hit the Treasure Armor and was then transferred to his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body.

"Hmm?"

Luo Tian’s body swayed slightly as he let out a soft sound of surprise.

The sensation from that palm strike felt like a massage—it was even a little comfortable, with not the slightest bit of pain.

"It seems an ordinary Spirit Sea Realm Seventh Layer expert can’t harm me at all!"

A smile appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

And even for someone at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, it would be very difficult to seriously injure him.

Of course, this was under normal circumstances.

The disciples of the Yunxiao Sect’s Upper Sect were all extremely powerful, far stronger than Martial Artists of the same rank outside the sect, and they had more trump cards.

"Luo Tian, are you there?"

A woman’s melodious voice suddenly called from outside.

"Senior Sister Ning, what is it?"

Luo Tian opened the door and saw Ning Xin standing in the courtyard.

"Your score has been verified, and there was no cheating. Li Zhiyun has conceded the bet. He had to sell everything he owned, but he came up with six thousand Spiritual Essence Coins."

Ning Xin chuckled, covering her mouth.

She took out a large wooden box from her Storage Space and said, "We’ll split it evenly. Here is your three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins."

"Thank you for bringing it to me personally, Senior Sister."

Luo Tian smiled and took the Spiritual Essence Coins.

"The Survival Grotto Heaven opens in a few days. Should we go check it out together then?"

Ning Xin asked for Luo Tian’s opinion.

On the very day the Slaughter Grotto Heaven opened, disciples had died inside.

The Survival Grotto Heaven had the highest death rate, so Ning Xin was worried that Luo Tian’s thirst for Points would lead him into danger. She planned to go with him so she could advise and warn him at critical moments.

"No problem."

Luo Tian agreed.

After Ning Xin left, he returned to the Cultivation Secret Room to continue his seclusion.

’If I can advance the Second-Layer of the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body to the Small Success Realm, my defense and survivability will be even stronger.’

...

「Three days later.」

The opening of the Survival Grotto Heaven drew the attention of even more disciples.

Luo Tian, engrossed in his secluded cultivation, had lost track of time and didn’t rush over immediately.

「Two days after that.」

When Ning Xin came to visit, Luo Tian finally came out of seclusion.

"I’m still just a little bit away from reaching the Small Success Realm for the Second-Layer!"

Luo Tian lamented.

Perhaps it was because his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body had only just broken through to the Second-Layer, and he didn’t have any high-quality Body Refinement resources on hand.

The closer the Second-Layer of the Treasure Body got to the Small Success Realm, the slower his progress became, making it difficult to break through in a short time.

"Junior Brother, are you ready?"

Ning Xin’s cheeks were rosy, her gaze bright and lively.

"Let’s go."

The two of them went together and arrived before the Four Grotto Heavens.

Next to the entrance of the Slaughter Grotto Heaven, a new Light Cave had appeared—the entrance to the Survival Grotto Heaven.

At this moment, three balls of light floated above both Grotto Heaven entrances.

This proved that they were full and they would have to wait.

"Luo Tian?"

Someone nearby suddenly cried out in surprise.

Luo Tian looked over and saw it was Li Mu.

This person had once been ranked third among the Lower Sect Disciples and had nearly come to blows with Luo Tian during the Upper Sect Disciple assessment.

After entering the Upper Sect, Li Mu had always been thinking of finding a chance to teach Luo Tian a lesson.

But at this moment, Li Mu’s face showed trepidation, his previous arrogance gone.

Next to Li Mu was the graceful woman who had also secured a spot in the Upper Sect on the same day.

Previously, this woman had paid Luo Tian little mind, but now she took the initiative to flash a slightly charming smile and greet him.

Luo Tian couldn’t be bothered with Li Mu. He nodded in response to the graceful woman and turned to look at the Point leaderboards on the canyon wall.

The names on both leaderboards had, for the most part, only challenged once.

Li Mu was ranked fortieth with thirteen thousand Points.

Luo Tian looked at the top of the leaderboards.

"Slaughter Points Board, Rank 1: Yi Jingwen. Points... Fifty thousand!"

Luo Tian was instantly dumbfounded.