Chapter 260: Unmatched Prodigy, Top-Level Secret Scripture (II)

That night, many were destined to be sleepless. The shock was too great, and it was so late that no one noticed the update on the big screen, where Chen Chu's cultivation level on the first-year Genius List had changed to the late stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm.

After defeating all of the geniuses of his generation in one day and claiming the top spot, Chen Chu did not act as high-profile as many had imagined. Instead, he quietly returned to the Nantian base in the middle of the night.

While Xia Youhui and the others were excitedly eating BBQ and drinking fruit wine, Chen Chu applied for a private cultivation room and went into seclusion again. Having just condensed his Hellblood Battle Will, he needed to consolidate it and familiarize himself with this power, which was different from true power, will, and spirit.

While Chen Chu was in seclusion, the next day, the school announced that the information network covering the Yunwu Mountain Range had been completed, and the tasks for external missions were now classified by levels.

The Jiuhuan Mountain Range was classified as level 1 to level 2, while the outskirts of the Yunwu Mountains were level 3, the midsection level 4, and the depths level 5.

All students could compare their own strengths with the danger levels and enter the mountains accordingly. Meanwhile, the Celestial Satellite System would increase its monitoring of the entire southern battlefield.

Immediately, most students above the Third Heavenly Realm were excited. Within half a day, over a thousand squads were formed, flooding into the Yunwu Mountains.

After being closed off for years, the mountains contained countless resources that the few students who had previously entered could barely discover.

Now, with the teacher squads killing the high-level mutated beasts ahead of time and the information network fully covering the area, it had become an ideal place for exploration, as long as one was careful.

***

Two days later, as the door to the cultivation room slowly rose, Chen Chu walked out in casual clothes.

After not trimming his hair for a few months, it now covered his ears, and his bangs shaded his eyebrows, revealing gentle, jade-like eyes.

At the moment, his aura was mild, completely concealing the invincible might he had displayed two days ago when he had dominated the battlefield.

With a thought, Chen Chu took out his phone from his Sumeru Bracelet. Sure enough, as soon as he turned it on, a stream of messages came through, from Xia Youhui, Liu Feng, and Chen Qi.

Chen Chu first opened Xia Youhui’s voice message.

"Ah Chu, we’ve gone out to make some money... no, I mean to hone our skills at the outskirts of the Yunwu Mountains. We’ll find you to eat BBQ and drink to celebrate when we get back."

"Damn, Chen Chu, are you a monster? You just finished a battle and broke through to the late stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm. How are we supposed to catch up?"

"Chen Chu, when I get back, remember to sign dozens of autographs for me. In a few years, when you become a king, I can sell them for money..."

"These guys." Chen Chu chuckled, then opened Chen Qi’s text message.

It was a simple one, asking him to come to her office. He remembered what Chen Qi had previously mentioned. "Is it about my future cultivation?"

Lost in thought, Chen Chu walked toward the teachers' office building.

"Prodigy Chen, you’re out of seclusion!"

"You're too kind. Just call me Chen Chu."

"Haha

,

great job! This time, our Nantian has become famous as well."

"Genius, good morning."

Along the way, whether it was senior students from the second or third years or staff members, everyone greeted him warmly. It was as if the entire world had changed overnight. Chen Chu had anticipated this situation, and responded with a smile to everyone.

"You’re here, come and sit."

In the office, after Chen Chu sat down, Chen Qi took out a sealed envelope and handed it to him.

"Ma’am, what is this?" Chen Chu was puzzled as he took the envelope. When he tore open the seal, he keenly sensed a warning aura dissipate.

Inside the envelope was a postcard-like item. It contained his profile details and a symbol indicating a level 6 [Prodigy] status, along with a pass key with thirty-six digits and runes contained within.

At this moment, Chen Qi spoke into the phone. "Connection complete." Then, she set the phone down and turned off the synchronized network camera.

Seeing his confusion, Chen Qi explained. "This time, you’ve demonstrated absolute dominance over the younger generation in the southern martial arts world. Your talent has been officially rated as the Prodigy level.

"It’s the highest available level for the younger generation. It grants you access equivalent to high-level cultivators, and allows you to see previously unavailable information."

"In addition, the authorities have granted you access to view all high-level arts. Of course, this is just to view their general outlines. If you want to cultivate other high-level arts, you still need to exchange for them. This is to respect the knowledge of the creators.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"The passcode on the card is your core verification from now on. After viewing it, destroy it immediately. There are countless abilities in this world, and any verification method has loopholes—fingerprints, irises, even spiritual fluctuations. But the one thing that cannot be forged is memory.

"This key information is known only to you and the Celestial Think Tank System. If it doesn’t match when logging into the East Xia core information database, you will be denied access. Some special items, such as exchanging for top-level arts, will also require this passcode for verification."

"Such a high level of security," Chen Chu remarked in surprise.

Chen Qi continued. "Besides access, the military is also rewarding you with a top-level secret scripture, which you can cultivate once you reach the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm."

"A secret scripture?" Chen Chu sat up straight in astonishment.

Earlier, he had been worried about where to earn the 3,000 merit points needed to exchange for a top-level secret scripture after reaching the Sixth Heavenly Realm. He didn't expect to be directly rewarded with one.

However, Chen Qi shook her head slightly. "But I don't recommend you cultivate the secret scripture immediately."

Chen Chu looked puzzled. "Why is that, ma’am?"

Looking at the young man who had just entered the mutated beast battlefield a month ago and had already become the top of the younger generation, Chen Qi's gaze was somewhat sentimental.

"Because your talent is extraordinary. Before reaching the Third Heavenly Realm, we cultivators mainly temper the body and alter the physique. From the Fourth Heavenly Realm, we refine true power and will.

"When we reach the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, we nearly reach the physical limit of martial arts. What follows involves the 'Dao', or the Path. What is Dao? Heaven, earth, all things, and all beings are the Dao, but we cannot touch or directly see it, hence the creation of runes.

"These are derived from human experts observing mythical colossal beasts and excavating relics from the mythical world. Though they appear as characters, each one is a representation of power, incredibly complex on a microscopic level, that allows intelligent beings to more intuitively understand Dao.

"The Seventh Heavenly Realm's True Martial Phantom is formed by using a complete rune as the core and continually adding more. Simply put, it's like constructing a house, eventually forming a more powerful whole, which then merges with the will and manifests externally to harness the power to control the world.

"The Seventh Realm’s True Martial Phantom and the Eighth Realm’s True Martial Battle Body both lay the foundation for breaking through to the Ninth Realm and achieving king-level status. But after breaking through to the Eighth or Ninth Realm, many cultivators find every following step extremely difficult.

“This is because the shape of the ‘house’ varies between individuals; some are mythical colossal beasts, some are dragons, and some are humanoid structures. Each secret scripture is most suitable for its creator, as it’s a representation of their unique path’s manifestation.

“Later cultivators merely try to follow that path, but the further they go, the more their path diverges from that of the creator, and their established foundation makes it difficult to make the needed adjustments and modifications.

"But you, Chen Chu, are different. With your talent, you can forge your own path, so following someone else's might be a lesser choice. Even if you rely on your extraordinary talent to reach the king level, you'd be among the weakest, because you'd find greater conflicts between yourself and that path.

"Another reason is that the secret scripture corresponding to the Tyrant Body art you cultivate, the Divine Might Dragon Elephant, is incomplete."

"Incomplete? Why?" Chen Chu frowned slightly.

"Because the predecessor who created the Dragon Elephant Art and the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body died in battle over twenty years ago, just after breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

"As a result, his Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture only includes content up to the Ninth Realm, and lacks the laws and paths for cultivating to the peak of the Ninth.

"The military's reward of a secret scripture to you now is likely to help you prepare in advance and construct your own true martial art secret scripture."

"Creating my own secret scripture? Ma’am, you have too much faith in me." Chen Chu smiled wryly.

Chen Qi responded in an encouraging tone. "Chen Chu, you need to have confidence in yourself. You are a genius who reached the late stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm as a freshman, and your current cultivation is only at the late stage of the Fifth, with a long way to go before reaching the peak of the Sixth. You have enough time.

"Of course, I'm not forcing you to create your own secret scripture. It's just a suggestion. If, after breaking through to the late stage of the Sixth Realm, you still have no idea about creating a secret scripture, you can choose one that suits you to cultivate.

"Also, I think you should start planning your future. Consider whether to join the military or one of the three major Federation departments after graduation."

Chen Qi then discussed some other important matters with Chen Chu before he left.

This time, Chen Chu's access level was increased by one level, and he received a top-level secret scripture. Other than that, there were no substantial rewards.

It didn’t sound like much, but a top-level secret scripture was worth tens of thousands of contribution points, with a prerequisite of having the required access level to exchange for it.

Coupled with the intangible benefits of level 6 access and the condensed battle will, this display of talent and sweeping victory across the southern battlefield had been incredibly profitable.