Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 290 - 170: Earth-Storage Spirit Turtle · Joyful Dew · Nine Strengths Mountain Shifting Technique

The world bustles with people, all coming for profit. The world throngs with people, all going for gain.

Xiao Chen had always been well aware that, for the most part, no one would give him anything for free, especially when they were practically strangers.

Every favor has its price.

Well, Elder Su of the Su Family was an exception.

To this day, Xiao Chen still had no idea what Elder Su’s objective truly was.

He had clearly revealed his strength at the Fake Pill Realm and received a mountain of invitations, yet the Su Family had pointedly made no move to contact him.

In fact, strictly speaking, the Su Family had not initiated any contact with him since the day he took those things.

But setting that exception aside for the moment...

Since the Qiu Family had come to his door with the expensive Yin-Yang Unity Contract, the conditions they were about to propose would surely be no simple matter.

Sure enough, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Xiao Chen, Qiu Qichen finally revealed the Qiu Family’s objective: the Earth-Storage Spirit Turtle.

These were a group of Demon Beasts living in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range, renowned for their outstanding Defense.

There were two male-female pairs in total, and each adult individual possessed combat power equivalent to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

Furthermore, they possessed the most notable characteristic of turtles: a lifespan of up to a thousand years.

Qiu Qichen said with a smile, "My family has already contacted two first-rate experts who can coordinate to keep the two male turtles busy."

"But we’re still missing one person—someone who can retrieve the Turtle Eggs from under the female turtles’ watch."

"If you are willing to help, Xiao, this Secret Technique will be your payment for the mission."

Hm?

Xiao Chen was a little puzzled. ’Something about this doesn’t sound right.’

He could understand the Qiu Family’s reasoning for doing this.

Their goal was to use beast-taming methods to hatch the Turtle Egg and raise the young Earth-Storage Spirit Turtle as a Clan Guardian Spirit Beast.

By nurturing it with a large number of Spiritual Objects, they could, in just a few decades, guarantee the family a protector with the combat power of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment for the next thousand years.

From the perspective of ensuring the family’s continuation, it was worth it, even at a high price.

But what Xiao Chen couldn’t figure out was, since they already knew the Spirit Turtles’ location...

...why did the Qiu Family insist on asking him for help, instead of taking someone else to snatch the Spirit Eggs?

It wasn’t as if there were no other cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in Hezhou.

So he asked directly, "Mr. Qiu, is there some particular difficulty with this operation?"

Qiu Qichen thought for a moment and decided to be truthful. "Xiao, I won’t beat around the bush today."

"The cavern of these two pairs of Earth-Storage Spirit Turtles is located extremely deep, and the path to it passes through the territories of three Golden Core Demon Beasts."

"Although the clan has done its utmost to find a Concealing Breath Spiritual Object, we’ve only managed to collect six sticks of God-Avoiding Incense so far."

Xiao Chen had read about God-Avoiding Incense in the records of the Scripture Pavilion.

When lit, its smoke would envelop the user, concealing them from the Divine Sense Investigation of a Golden Core Demon Beast.

"Our clan had originally pre-ordered a batch of God-Avoiding Incense."

Qiu Qichen paused before continuing, "But due to issues with the Divine Fire Sect, that shipment never arrived."

"The Spirit Turtle Eggs take only three years to hatch, and there is very little time left."

"If we can’t retrieve them before they hatch to have them acknowledge a master, it will be difficult to ensure the Spirit Turtles won’t desert us in the future."

With that explanation, Xiao Chen understood.

Since there were only six sticks of God-Avoiding Incense, they could only guarantee a safe round trip for three people.

The problem was, they would be facing four Earth-Storage Spirit Turtles at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, all renowned for their Defense.

Forget three people—even a full team of four cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment wouldn’t necessarily be able to handle them.

Besides, the other cultivators hadn’t formed a Fake Pill like Xiao Chen had.

If one had to fight two of them, just managing to survive would be the mark of an expert, let alone retrieving the Turtle Eggs.

Furthermore, the journey for this operation was long. If they encountered any unexpected situations along the way, they might perish in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range.

Even with the Qiu Family’s connections, they couldn’t gather three cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment willing to take such a risk.

Thus, the matter had been shelved, delayed for a full year.

It was getting to the point where if they couldn’t find a suitable candidate soon, it would be too late.

But then, Xiao Chen arrived in Hezhou.

And he quickly demonstrated astonishing strength, perfectly matching the Qiu Family’s requirements.

"With your strength, Xiao, a mere two female turtles will be absolutely no problem."

After saying this, Qiu Qichen didn’t forget to add a bit of flattery. "As long as you are willing to lend a hand, it’s practically a guaranteed success."

To be fair, this task wasn’t particularly difficult for Xiao Chen.

However, he didn’t agree immediately. "Mr. Qiu, I can do this, but I have three small requests."

Qiu Qichen quickly asked, "And what might those requests be, Xiao?"

"First, I am only responsible for bringing back the Turtle Eggs, not for the safety of the other two."

The Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range was treacherous and unpredictable. If they happened to encounter a passing Golden Core Demon Beast, Xiao Chen could rely on the Blade of Night to protect himself.

Qiu Qichen agreed without hesitation. "But of course. The other two cultivators are also well aware of the risks of this mission."

"Second, I’m very interested in the Covered Pearl and the Tiger Bone. I want to meet the sellers in advance."

If possible, Xiao Chen wanted to acquire these two auction items before they went under the hammer.

Doing so would undoubtedly lower the quality of the items available at the auction.

However, Qiu Qichen only hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. "No problem. I can act as the middleman for you."

"Third, this Secret Technique must be left with me now."

Xiao Chen had already seen the Spiritual Rhythm Map and truly wanted this Secret Technique.

It was definitely best to have the Secret Technique in his own hands. Leaving it with the Qiu Family could lead to unforeseen complications, which would just be more trouble.

"No problem. I have absolute trust in you, Xiao."