Chapter 188: The Second Spiritual Item

"Congratulations, your luck has played a role, and you are attracted to a pool of water ten meters to your left."

"Through the somewhat murky water, you see a dark cave beneath the pool, and you realize that there may be something hidden there. You head towards the pool."

"As you approach the edge of the pool, a monster suddenly leaps out from the water and attacks you. You react quickly and unleash a serpent made of fire, reducing the monster to ashes."

"As you carefully examine the cave under the pool, you notice clear signs of human-made alterations. Intrigued, you decide to enter the cave to investigate further."

"Ensuring there are no other dangers in the pool, you leap into the water and swiftly descend into the cave."

"Two minutes later, you unexpectedly arrive in a strange underground space, and a small stone temple stands before you."

"Upon entering the stone temple, you immediately see a statue of a creature with the head of an ox and the body of a man."

"With your previous experience, you check the changes in your abilities first. Surprisingly, you find that here, you cannot use your Bloodline Strength from the Physique or Mystical Powers categories. The only Bloodline Strength available to you is from the Secret Power category."

"Another restriction on using only one type of Bloodline Strength?"

Su Nan wondered, unable to fathom why the ancient powerhouse had set up such tests.

The ancient human cultivation techniques focused on ancient scriptures and did not involve bloodline fusion. However, these ancient scriptures were divided into three categories: Physique, Secret Power, and Mystical Powers.

This could be seen from the three ancient scriptures available in the Contribution Store.

"First, it was the Physique category, and now it's the Secret Power category. It seems that the spiritual item in the Endless Ice Plain may require the power of Mystical Powers to obtain."

"Is the ancient powerhouse doing this to limit the warriors who can obtain the spiritual items? Could it be that he wants to select three warriors who cultivate different categories of powers?"

Su Nan couldn't help but speculate.

"Sensing your presence, the statue suddenly comes to life and opens its eyes."

"The statue looks at you and speaks first, telling you that finding this place means you are a person of good fortune. However, to obtain the spiritual item here, mere luck is not enough; you must defeat it."

"You attempt to inquire about the nature of the spiritual item, but the statue does not reveal it. Instead, it launches a psychic attack at you."

"The statue's realm changes in response to the realm of the challenger. Your realm is at the peak of the Spirit rank, and the statue's realm is also at the peak of the Spirit rank. However, its strength is comparable to that of the mid-stage Profound rank."

"So the statue's realm changes with the challenger's realm? I see."

Thinking back to the Spirit-ranked monster he had been killed by earlier, Su Nan suddenly understood why the guardian of the spiritual item in this ancient trial site was a Spirit-ranked monster. While Spirit rank was considered high in the current world, it was nothing compared to the ancient era.

Although Spirit-ranked creatures had a low realm, their strength was far from weak. This time, the statue had reached the mid-stage Profound rank!

The Spirit rank and Profound rank were separated by a vast gap, despite the small realm difference.

When Su Nan was at the early stage of the Spirit rank, he could easily kill a Spirit-ranked monster with his racial talent alone. However, to deal with a Profound-ranked monster at the early stage, he had to use all his strength and careful planning.

"Facing the statue's attack, you immediately activate the Enraged Specter Form, channeling your Qi and Essence into your psychic power."

"Unfortunately, even with this, relying solely on the power of the Secret Power category, you can only match the statue's strength. Defeating the statue proves to be quite challenging."

"Three minutes later, your racial talent effect wears off, and your strength significantly decreases."

"You are defeated by the statue."

"Defeated?"

Su Nan's heart sank, but he wasn't entirely surprised.

Compared to the Physique category with multiple bloodline enhancements and the Mystical Powers category infused with the Fire Spirit Essence, the Secret Power category had always been his weakest. It had primarily served as auxiliary strength.

In other circumstances, the combined power of all three categories had allowed him to fight opponents of higher ranks. But in a place where he could only use the power of one category, he was just slightly stronger than an ordinary warrior due to his racial talent.

"I've always been able to fight opponents of higher ranks because of the synergy between the three categories of power. Now that I can only use one type of power, I only have the advantage of a racial talent."

"Even with my racial talent, it's challenging to defeat the statue. This is going to be difficult."

Su Nan frowned, quickly brainstorming potential solutions.

At this moment, he regretted not bringing his External Avatar. With the External Avatar, he wouldn't fear psychic attacks, but it was too late for that now.

"Trying to defeat the statue with my own strength won't work. I'll have to rely on external items."

With this in mind, Su Nan took out two items from his inventory.

One of them was a broken arrow, only half intact, which he had obtained from the County Governor's Mansion's treasure vault. It contained the power to severely injure a Demon King as long as it made contact with demon blood.

The other item was a small incense burner about the size of a baby's head. He had recently acquired it as a divine artifact.

Because he had left the sanctified place, holding the incense burner in his hand did not pose any danger. However, what would happen if he used his psychic power to interact with it was uncertain.

Su Nan planned to use the incense burner to resist the statue's psychic attacks.

The premonition began again.

...

"Facing the statue's attack, you immediately activate the Enraged Specter Form, channeling your Qi and Essence into your psychic power."

"Unfortunately, even with this, relying solely on the power of the Secret Power category, you can only match the statue's strength. Defeating the statue proves to be quite challenging."

"At a critical moment, you take out the divine artifact you stole from the City God Temple and attempt to use it to resist the statue's psychic attack. To your delight, something remarkable happens."

"As the statue's psychic power strikes the incense burner, the incense burner emits a force of attraction."

"The pulling force has no effect on you but pulls the statue's psychic power into the incense burner."

"A battle ensues within the incense burner, and after ten breaths, you witness the statue's body explode into countless pieces, scattering."

"Among the fragments, you immediately notice a gray crystal about the size of an egg."

"You realize that this is the spiritual item you've been seeking, and you quickly pick up the crystal."

"Congratulations, you have obtained a Spiritual Core Stone."

"It worked! Just by having the incense burner in contact with psychic power, it could draw the statue's psychic power into it!"

Reading the information in his premonition, Su Nan's face lit up with joy.

The statue's realm changed with the challenger's realm, but when it was drawn into

 the incense burner, the statue's realm clearly did not change. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been defeated by the divine artifact.

The premonition ended, and Su Nan acted swiftly.

A few minutes later.

In the underground stone temple.

After the statue's psychic power was drawn into the incense burner, its body shattered into countless pieces, just as in the premonition.

"Congratulations, you have completed the daily task 'Obtain the spiritual item in the Death Swamp,' and 15 Spirit Power has been granted."

"Current available Spirit Power: 211 points."

"Success!"

Quickly stowing away the incense burner, Su Nan picked up the egg-sized gray crystal from among the fragments.

"Spiritual Core Stone: A spiritual entity of heaven and earth. A human body has 108 apertures, one of which is called the 'spiritual core.' Wrapping this stone with your psychic power and placing it inside the spiritual core for fourteen days can condense a second spiritual core."

"Condensing a second spiritual core?"

"What a fantastic item!" Su Nan's eyes sparkled.

Although he didn't know the specific benefits of condensing a second spiritual core, it was undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

Su Nan eagerly wrapped the Spiritual Core Stone with his psychic power and placed it inside his spiritual core.

It was strange that the normally intangible and formless psychic power could pick up the Spiritual Core Stone as if it were held by an invisible hand. It was quite miraculous.

"Psychic Power Manipulation?" Su Nan's eyes lit up.

His spiritual power, under the influence of elemental energy, was formidable but still far from being able to move objects. Perhaps, only when he reaches the King level, could his spiritual power manifest in that way.

However, facing the Spirit Core Stone before him, his spiritual power effortlessly lifted it. This was clearly due to the Spirit Core Stone.

His spiritual power enveloped the Spirit Core Stone, and as he withdrew it, the stone, upon contact with his forehead, seamlessly melded into his brow.

Immediately, he felt as if he had gained an extra pair of eyes.

He could see that within his body, a peculiar space had formed, where the Spirit Core Stone hovered silently, slowly absorbing his spiritual power.

"Is this my spiritual core? It's truly miraculous."

Su Nan's heart was filled with joy. Originally, he couldn't observe his spiritual core, but now, because of the Spirit Core Stone, it appeared before his eyes.

"Fourteen days aren't that long. Hopefully, it will bring some surprises by then."

He glanced at the previewed information on the surface.

In the premonition, he revisited the stone hall, making sure nothing was overlooked, before leaving.

After leaving the pool, Su Nan continued to have premonitions.

To his surprise, this time, he only had three premonitions before he walked out of the Death Swamp.

"Finally, I can leave."

Su Nan was in high spirits.

He had obtained the spiritual item, and he could finally leave the Death Swamp. This journey had already achieved two-thirds of its goal.

Eight or nine minutes later.

He stood outside the Death Swamp, and a world completely different from his current surroundings appeared a kilometer ahead of him.

It was an icy world!

Undoubtedly, this was the final trial in this testing ground—the Endless Ice Plain!

"Congratulations, you have completed the daily task 'The First to Leave the Death Swamp,' and 15 Demonic Power has been granted."

"Current available Demonic Power: 226 points."

"Two hundred and twenty-six points of Demonic Power should be enough to elevate both bloodlines to the Grand Perfection stage, but I still lack the Ancient Demon Blood."

Su Nan sighed but had no way to obtain it.

Although he possessed the essence of the Dragon Turtle, he lacked the corresponding cultivation method and couldn't integrate it.

"I wonder if nurturing the Dragon Turtle to the Spiritual level would grant me its cultivation method?"

...

At the moment Su Nan left the Death Swamp and completed his task, in the Death Swamp, Qian Yu, who had already entered, noticed a change in the mission.

Staring at the second mission, now turned gray, Qian Yu was filled with shock and doubt.

"How is this possible? He didn't die!"

Qian Yu's expression changed rapidly. The dangers of the Death Swamp were clearly stated in the information he received. He had witnessed them all on his journey. If he hadn't prepared countermeasures in advance, he might have died by now.

He couldn't fathom how Su Nan had safely left.

"Oh no! The spiritual item!"

Qian Yu suddenly remembered the spiritual item in the Death Swamp. In the past, he would never have thought that Su Nan could obtain it.

However, after considering the unexpected turns of events Su Nan had brought twice, he couldn't be so sure anymore.

Without further delay, he quickly headed in the direction where the spiritual item was located in the information.

More than ten minutes later, he finally arrived at the pool. However, when he entered the underground stone hall and saw the statue shattered into countless pieces, he was dumbfounded.

"Wang Nan! This is all your fault!"

Qian Yu roared, his expression twisted with anger and regret.

He was angry that his possessions had been taken, and he regretted his decision to explore the secret place with Su Nan in the first place.

He had believed that with the information he possessed and his extensive preparations, he could ensure that Su Nan would gain nothing in this secret place. Whether Su Nan could leave or not would depend on him.

But now, everything had changed!

Qian Yu didn't return to bring the other members inside; instead, he quit the game directly.

Climbing out of the game capsule, he grabbed his phone and quickly dialed a number.

The call was soon answered, and Qian Yu said in a low voice, "I agree to cooperate with you!"

He wasn't contacting just anyone; it was the Destiny Sect!

Previously, the Destiny Sect had approached him to team up against Wang Nan, and he had neither accepted nor declined.

Now, he had made up his mind. He wanted Wang Nan dead!

Upon receiving Qian Yu's response, on the other end, the members of the Destiny Sect dressed in black laughed, "Very well, now that Qian Yu has agreed, the plan is nearly secure!"

"Let the others know, and prepare to take action."

As Qian Yu agreed to cooperate with the Destiny Sect, the members of the Destiny Sect who were in the game took swift action.

Tianyun City.

The Demon-Slaying Division.

Three players found Su Nan's incarnation, disguised as Zhang Yang, within the Demon-Slaying Division, whom the Destiny Sect had sent earlier.

"The Ancient Cave Mansion? Wang Nan was actually invited by Qian Yu to the Hongshan County?"

"You're teaming up with Qian Yu to trap Wang Nan in the cave mansion of an ancient powerhouse?"

Hearing the words of the three players, the incarnation feigned surprise but couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He wasn't surprised that Qian Yu and the Destiny Sect were working together.

In fact, when they deliberately concealed the key to enter the cave mansion, he had already classified them as allies with the Destiny Sect.

(End of this chapter)