Cultivating with Bragging System

On the contrary, if one's virtue is lacking, one's fortune is insufficient, and one's aptitude is too weak... let alone Imperial Scriptures, it would be meaningless even if you were given a set of Immortal Scriptures.

Wang Xiu noticed him and said with a cupped-fist salute, "I presume this is Brother Qingzhou from Qingtian Dongtian. I have yet to thank you for stepping forward earlier!"

Qingzhou waved his hand and looked at Wang Xiu. "I didn't step out for you, but to maintain a united front for us prodigies from the outside world. I really liked what you said, 'The Great Immortal Gates are all interconnected; we rise and fall as one!' No thanks are necessary!"

As he finished speaking, he paused slightly, a look of surprise in his eyes. "But... as a disciple of the Divination Sect, how did you learn such a variety of techniques? You not only know the Thunder Technique, but you're also an expert in cultivating your physical body?"

He had witnessed Wang Xiu's earlier intervention and realized that his physical body was extremely strong, almost on par with his own. It was astonishing that someone from the same generation in Nanzhou possessed a physical body that could rival his.

Wang Xiu offered a faint smile. "My Divination Sect doesn't have the best reputation. My master worried for my safety, so he had me learn a few extra skills for self-protection. It's just a smattering of knowledge, nothing compared to Brother Qingzhou!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned odd.

Worry about his safety? Putting aside his true strength, the fact that the Longhu Saint Heir calls him Big Brother, the Saintess of Mount Shu is his close confidante, and the Taixu Scion regards him as a peer... If any prodigy of their generation were foolish enough to offend him, they'd probably have to start planning their own funeral.

Qingzhou was so straightforward that he seemed to miss the modesty in Wang Xiu's words. He nodded and said, "That's only natural. After all, I began tempering my body at a young age and have done so for over twenty years—more than seven thousand days and nights, rain or shine... Of course, the most crucial part was that I recently obtained a few strands of precious Life Essence from a treasure spot in the Ancient Forest, which significantly strengthened my body!"

DING!

[Detected someone nearby boasting. Congratulations, Host, you have gained Mana +99!]

As he spoke, his face filled with deep regret and unwillingness. "What a pity. It's all because of that damned Zhuge Changsheng, who insisted on competing with me. Otherwise, I would have become even stronger! If I ever see him, I'll beat him to death!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Yunchong touched his head and raised an eyebrow. "Life Essence... Could it be from that secret place in the hills north of the Ancient Forest?"

Qingzhou was surprised. "How did you know? Were you there that day too?"

At his words, the expressions of the Sanqing disciples turned odd.

Li Zuoyue quickly said, "We were, but we only glanced from a distance. We didn't get close!"

Qingzhou, unsuspecting, nodded. "No wonder. On that day, the Fierce Beasts were like a tide. If it hadn't been for the nourishment from the Life Essence in that treasure spot, I couldn't have held off so many of them at once. Let alone all of you. If you had been caught in it, you would have been facing almost certain death! Such a pity, such precious Life Essence... Each strand was like a gift from the gods, yet so much was wasted!"

The Sanqing disciples kept silent.

If only Qingzhou knew that the very Life Essence he treasured like a priceless jewel was something every Sanqing disciple had absorbed until they were full, and had even bathed in... one could only imagine how he'd feel!

The more Qingzhou spoke, the more distressed he became. He stopped talking with the others, turned, and walked into the mist to comprehend the God and Demon Murals, hoping to find an opportunity there to make up for his past regrets.

"Big Brother, you all should hurry too!" Zhang Yuge reminded them. If they waited any longer and the God and Demon Murals disappeared before they ran out of time, it would be a huge loss.

"Let's go!"

Wang Xiu no longer hesitated. The group set off together, heading into the mist.

***

The stone wall was tall and steeped in ancient charm. Lines traveled across its smooth, old surface, outlining various patterns, each stroke radiating divine light and revealing something extraordinary. These patterns seemed to possess an ineffable magic. A single glance was enough to pull a person's very soul into them.

Wang Xiu stood before the first mural. It depicted an ancient scene: a cataclysmic flood, overwhelming and nearly world-ending.

In a trance, the mist around him surged violently, swallowing him whole.

Everything before him turned into a vast expanse of white; he could see nothing clearly. All sound faded away, as if he had entered a wondrous Cave Heaven. There was only one path beneath his feet, leading to an unknown destination.

He lost track of how long he had walked before a sound rumbled through the fog, thundering as if the Firmament itself were splitting open. Wang Xiu looked up.

The scene from the ancient mural bled into reality. The vast blue sky was torn open by a huge gash, from which a pitch-black heavenly river poured down, flowing across the land and annihilating everything in its path. The waters seemed to contain the might of death itself, capable of easily reaping the life from any living being.

"Save me... save me..."

A creature suddenly appeared at Wang Xiu's feet. It had the body of a lion and the face of a human—a creature from ancient times, with a two-foot-long mane and a fiercely majestic aura. Yet now, it lay limp on the ground, its life force barely perceptible.

Runes began to emanate from its body.

Wang Xiu observed these runes with the Supreme Sensing Chapter, confident that with his comprehension, he could decipher and assimilate them, transforming them into new Divine Skills.

But he had an intuition that if he assimilated these runes here, his path would come to an end. The world within this mural was vast; was it worth stopping here? Of course, it was also possible that this was the extent of his opportunity. There might be better fortunes ahead, but he might not encounter anything at all.

Wang Xiu pondered for a moment, then chose to ignore the runes and continue walking forward.

Before long, another figure appeared in his vision.

It looked like a tiger with two-foot-long fur, a human face, and tiger's feet—ferocious beyond compare.

Tao Wu!

Wang Xiu gasped. This was a Fierce Beast from ancient legends, long since extinct. A pure-blooded Tao Wu was violent and brutal, its power comparable to that of the Ancient Gods.

Yet now, it was listless and weak, its life force drained. It lay on the ground, surrounded by faint runes that looked as though they could extinguish at any moment.