The Choice

The three secret tomes each had different prices. Golden Soul was a combat-oriented secret technique, incredibly powerful. Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages was created by Xiluoduo, the greatest Elder in the history of the Golden Horn Clan. One could say that the Yan Shen Blade was a simplified version of Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages. Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages was a combat-oriented secret technique, but it could also be considered a research-based one, delving into the fusion of space and metal. This set of secret techniques comprised 36 stages. The weakest, First Stage, could be used by anyone with even a slight comprehension of the laws of space and metal. The strongest, Thirty-Sixth Stage, possessed combat power roughly equivalent to a Marquis-level Undying God. Overall, the attack power of Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages was quite ordinary. The Thirty-Sixth Stage, while demanding extremely high requirements, only matched the combat power of a Marquis-level Undying God. For a secret tome of this caliber, even with its blend of combat and research utility, offering immense benefits to weaker practitioners, its inherent price wouldn't be exceptionally high. A normal price of 100 million Contribution Points would be considered good. However, because it was created by 'Xiluoduo,' it was priced at 910 million Contribution Points. Xiluoduo's Sayings, on the other hand, was a compilation by some of Xiluoduo's Undying God disciples after his disappearance. They recorded all the teachings and sayings their master had imparted to them. The collection was very extensive, containing many explanations and examples of secret techniques. Since it was a compiled collection and not a systematically written secret tome left by Xiluoduo himself, Xiluoduo's Sayings served primarily as a reference for cultivation. It was an auxiliary secret tome, and even with its connection to Xiluoduo, it was given a round price of 100 million Contribution Points. “Which one should I choose?” “Undoubtedly, Golden Soul is the strongest combat secret technique among the three, with a full 72 variations from low to high, even including combat secret techniques at the Universe Venerable level,” Luo Feng mused. “Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages, however, would be extremely beneficial for my cultivation and for eventually crafting a Spirit Weapon tailored to myself. According to Xiluoduo's own introduction, Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages is the most solid foundational study of his lineage. Of course, its combat power is clearly much weaker, being merely an advanced version of the Yan Shen Blade, with its highest power only comparable to a Marquis-level. That's at least two major tiers below Golden Soul.” “Xiluoduo's Sayings is beneficial for cultivation but lacks systematic combat secret techniques. However, many of its contents were personally taught by Xiluoduo to his disciples back then… the effect certainly wouldn't be bad, but it's not systematic!” Luo Feng frowned. All three had their advantages and disadvantages. “Which one should I ultimately choose?” “Golden Soul is a series of combat secret techniques that can be cultivated to extremely high levels, while Xiluoduo's Sayings is purely auxiliary,” Luo Feng pondered, frowning. “Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages, on the other hand, combines both, though its strongest attack only rivals a Marquis-level. It's clearly the foundation of foundations. If only I could get the complete set of secret tomes created by Xiluoduo.” Xiluoduo had a complete set of secret tomes he created. It was incredibly complex and profound. Unfortunately… this Secret Tome Tower did not contain that ultimate technique, only its foundational chapter—Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages. “Alright, I've made my choice.” Luo Feng suddenly stood up. Sesi, the female Golden Horn Clan member who had been standing obediently nearby, exclaimed in surprise, “His Highness Luo Feng, have you already chosen?” “Yes, this one.” Luo Feng picked up the one in the center. “Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages?” Sesi, the female Golden Horn Clan member, was slightly taken aback. She glanced at Luo Feng with a hint of doubt, having expected this human genius to choose the most expensive Golden Soul. “His Highness Luo Feng, I will report your selection of Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages. You can proceed to the first floor of the Secret Tome Tower and wait. The secret tome should be delivered soon.” “Good.” Luo Feng nodded with a smile. ... He descended the stairs, light as the wind. “Better one bird in hand than ten in the forest,” Luo Feng mused. “While Golden Soul is powerful and contains combat secret techniques that even Universe Venerables can wield, a Universe Venerable? How long would it take me to cultivate to that level? What year would that be? By then, my strength would be immense, my horizons broader, and I could completely purchase even better secret techniques from the Virtual Universe Company!” “This set of Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages, after all, is the foundational chapter of Xiluoduo's ultimate technique. He created this powerful foundational chapter, and then, by simplifying it, he created the Yan Shen Blade.” “The Yan Shen Blade has spread throughout the universe, used by numerous races.” “And Xiluoduo is the greatest existence of the Golden Horn Clan. The foundational chapter of his ultimate technique should be the best foundational chapter among all the Golden Horn Clan's cultivation secret tomes.” “Though its power is weak,” “for me, it's even better than Golden Soul.” Better one bird in hand than ten in the forest. What cannot be seen is ultimately not tangible. Golden Soul contained 72 secret techniques, but from the 36th onward, only Undying Gods could wield them. And I've chosen the most difficult path for a Golden Horned Beast; becoming an Undying God is incredibly challenging. “Once I become an Undying God, I will naturally have access to better secret techniques.” “Therefore, for me, only the first 35 secret techniques of Golden Soul would be effective. And these 35 are naturally inferior to Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages. While their attack power might be comparable, in terms of research value and assistance in creating Spirit Weapons, it falls far short.” ... While Luo Feng was choosing a secret tome in the Secret Tome Tower, within the Elder Divine Palace in Holy City. Inside a dim grand hall. Bei Chuang sat silently, his eyes dark and brooding, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. The surrounding space seemed to have solidified. “My dear brother, just because you were defeated by that human genius, are you completely demoralized?” A black-skinned youth in purple combat armor walked in. His appearance was very similar to Bei Chuang's, but their temperaments differed. Bei Chuang was fierce and violent, while this black-skinned youth had cold eyes and an air of profound arrogance. Yet, occasionally, a flicker in his eyes would reveal a hint of ferocity. “Brother,” Bei Chuang immediately stood up, his gaze complex, and lowered his head, saying, “I lost… I lost in front of a billion clansmen in Holy City.” “Losing this battle is nothing, but if you truly remain so dispirited, then even Master will be very disappointed,” the purple-armored youth Bei Qiu said coldly. “Master?” Bei Chuang was startled. Although they belonged to the Elder Divine Palace lineage, their master was not the Elder himself. What status did an Elder possess? At most, they would occasionally guide a genius. For an Elder to take a disciple? Extremely, extremely difficult. “Pull yourself together,” the purple-armored youth Bei Qiu growled. “You lost. I'll just step in and defeat him!” Bei Chuang's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, “Brother, with you acting, you'll definitely defeat him. His strength is only slightly greater than mine. He's far from being a match for you, Brother.” “Hm.” Bei Qiu nodded. Suddenly, a figure rushed in from outside. Upon seeing the genius brothers Bei Qiu and Bei Chuang, the figure immediately stopped. It was a Divine Palace guard, who respectfully saluted, “Commander Bei Qiu, we have received news that the human genius Luo Feng has left his residence and entered the Secret Tome Tower. He should be emerging from it soon.” “Oh?” Bei Qiu's eyes gleamed, and he said softly, “The opportunity has arrived.” Whoosh! Bei Qiu transformed into a phantom and swiftly departed. “Brother.” The younger brother, Bei Chuang, guessed what his elder brother intended to do. A flame ignited in his heart, and he immediately called out, then also transformed into a phantom and rushed out. ... Inside the first floor of the Secret Tome Tower. Luo Feng, Elder Sifanqi, Kashina, Dilun, and the five human Sector Lords were all resting in one area. “Rumble~~~” A powerful pressure permeated the air. A group of blurry shadows appeared in the hall, their forms coalescing. They were precisely twelve Undying Gods of the Golden Horn Clan. “His Highness Luo Feng, they are here to deliver the secret tome,” Elder Sifanqi whispered. Luo Feng, smiling, stood up and walked over. The twelve Golden Horn Clan Undying Gods exuded a subtle pressure. The leader, a green-skinned woman whose aura was no less imposing than Elder Sifanqi's, spoke in a hoarse voice, “His Highness Luo Feng, we have been ordered by the Elder to deliver this secret tome. We hope His Highness Luo Feng will read it here and return it to us once finished. We also hope that after His Highness Luo Feng leaves our Lasiao world, you will not transmit this secret tome to outsiders.” “That is a given,” Luo Feng nodded slightly. The green-skinned woman then flipped her hand, and a thick, metallic book, about thirty centimeters thick, appeared, resembling a small box. The metallic book floated directly out of her palm and finally hovered before Luo Feng. Luo Feng nodded and took the metallic book. Yan Shen Thirty-Six Stages, its name clearly printed on the cover. Luo Feng immediately opened it and began to read. This secret tome was the foundational chapter of Xiluoduo's ultimate technique. Though only a foundation, it allowed Luo Feng to feel the boundless wisdom of that greatest existence of the Golden Horn Clan. “So that's how it is.” “Xiluoduo actually created the Yan Shen Blade in this manner.” “It turns out that creating a secret technique suited to oneself can be done with such ingenious methods.” “Incredible, treating the simple as profound.” The more Luo Feng read, the brighter his eyes became, his face subtly flushed. This was truly the first time Luo Feng had seen an ultimate Spirit Reader technique of the space and metal lineage in such detail! From every single detail of the ultimate technique, Luo Feng could feel the boundless wisdom of that existence, that casual, masterful writing style that directly pointed to the essence. It was as if the creator of the Nine Universe Chaos Tablet, when writing Essays on Space-Time, could casually create hundreds or thousands of secret techniques to interpret any single diagram. “Too, too…” “Too worthwhile.” “A set of combat secret techniques that Universe Venerables can wield only costs a little over 1.6 billion Contribution Points. Yet this foundational chapter alone sells for 910 million Contribution Points. It seems it's not just Xiluoduo's name; this foundational chapter is indeed surprisingly valuable. If there were a complete set… its value would surely be tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of Contribution Points,” Luo Feng mused. “Right, the most core secret tomes of the entire Golden Horn Clan wouldn't be placed in the Secret Tome Tower if I were a clan administrator. There must always be some trump cards. Xiluoduo's complete ultimate technique must be kept in a private collection.” The more Luo Feng read, the more delighted he became. It was worth it, so incredibly worth it. He flipped through to the last page in one go. On the last page, there was only a single passage. “The greatest advantage of the Spirit Reader lineage is the ability to control as many Spirit Weapons as possible. Therefore, the higher your Spirit Power Amplitude, the better. If, at the peak of the Sector Lord stage, your Spirit Power Amplitude limit does not reach 300, then abandon the Spirit Reader lineage, abandon this set of secret tomes. It is not suitable for you. Nor are you suitable to become a true Spirit Reader.”