Others Level Up, but I Pursue Cultivation!

Su Xing continued walking for several dozen steps.

In the depths of the treasure vault, he saw several towering shelves.

The shelves were labeled with a variety of tags; besides those mentioned by Shadow Protector, there were even skill scrolls, restorative potions, rare materials, and more.

Most of these items could be used by profession users, more comprehensive than what Su Xing had seen in the Jin Merchant Guild.

Su Xing did not linger here long but went straight to the ancient book section.

In the ancient book section, it was not the exceptional techniques Su Xing had imagined; the majority were notes left by profession users, some dungeon strategies, and even the secret history of the Human Race over a thousand years.

For example, a book titled "Elder Hua and His One Hundred and Eight Boyfriends: A Story That Must Be Told." Though it seemed to record the flamboyant life of an elder named Hua, it actually documented many secrets of major forces within the Blue Star in a travelogue format.

Or a book titled "Resident Chang Yang's Incursion into the Abyss and One Hundred Days with His Charm Demon Girlfriend," which described information on some of the monsters in a dungeon called the Abyss.

Su Xing quickly scanned through these and began looking for his true objective, cultivation techniques.

After sifting through the travelogues and secret history volumes on the top, wiping away the thick dust, it took Su Xing over twenty minutes to find two cultivation techniques.

One was called the Nourishing Body Technique, and the other the Golden Core Condensation Method.

Su Xing only skimmed through the Nourishing Body Technique and did not pay much attention to it because it was a very basic cultivation technique.

It was difficult even to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage, making it suitable for ordinary people to maintain their health and prolong their lives.

But for Su Xing, who already possessed the Changchun Technique, it was useless.

What really surprised Su Xing was the Golden Core Condensation Method, for according to its description, it was a secret technique that could aid cultivators in better condensing their Golden Core!

This technique detailed the qualities of Golden Cores: lower grade, middle grade, upper grade, and the even higher Nine Revolution Golden Core, which matched exactly with what the simulator had told Su Xing.

The method described in this technique to enhance the quality of the Golden Core involved compressing spiritual power and integrating it into the core!

Su Xing could not determine the authenticity of this technique, but at his current stage, he had no better method to condense a Golden Core.

If he relied solely on accumulating time to condense a Golden Core, Su Xing feared it would take dozens of simulation attempts to achieve a Nine Revolution Golden Core, which was too wasteful of simulations.

Yet, not pursuing a Nine Revolution Golden Core would be a waste of the simulator's immense advantage for Su Xing.

Thus, this Golden Core Condensation Method was essential for Su Xing; the only regret was that he had not found the second half of the Changchun Technique.

Just then, Shadow Protector appeared behind Su Xing, looking at the techniques in Su Xing's hands with some confusion

and said:

"Could it be that Elder Yao wants to cultivate? Oh right, I forgot, your profession is that of a cultivator! But in our world, there is no spiritual energy. How can you cultivate?"

Su Xing explained:

"Shadow Protector, cultivation and alchemy are intrinsically linked. Alchemy is the external method, and cultivation is the internal method... Although I have no fate with the path of immortality, I still wish to refine more and better elixirs for the sect, so naturally, I must study this Golden Core Condensation Method!"

Shadow Protector, taken aback by Su Xing's righteous words, nodded after a moment, touched, and said:

"Ah, Elder Yao, you truly are a rising star within our sect! Such dedication, even I am ashamed to admit, I cannot compare. If Elder Yao had joined the sect ten years earlier, you might already be at protector level!"

Su Xing felt a bit embarrassed by Shadow Protector's praise, as his true motive was for himself and not for the Descending Sect.

Finding the Golden Core Condensation Method was an unexpected gain, but Su Xing's main goal for this trip was still the second half of the Changchun Technique, which he had yet to find.

So, he curiously asked:

"Shadow Protector, to be honest, I have a strong inclination towards cultivation and wish to witness ancient cultivation texts, but I have not had the chance. Does our sect hold any cultivation-related ancient texts? I would like to feast my eyes on them!"

Shadow Protector's tone revealed a sense of pride as he said:

"Elder Yao, you indeed asked the right person! When it comes to mastery over cultivation dungeons, our Descending Sect is undoubtedly the top force on Blue Star! Even the official Great Xia Country is far behind!"

"However, the advanced cultivation techniques are all in the hands of the fanatics. To exchange for those techniques, you would need to pay a considerable amount of contribution points…"

Moved, Su Xing asked:

"Oh? Shadow Protector, how many contribution points are needed? Over the past year, I have completed dozens of alchemy tasks, saving up ten thousand contribution points. Would that be enough?"

Shadow Protector shook his head, saying:

"Ten thousand contribution points are more than enough to exchange for a technique called the first half of the Changchun Technique... but the second half requires one hundred thousand contribution points. You are still far from it..."

Su Xing was stunned; the first half of the technique cost several thousand points, while the second half demanded a hundred thousand? It was almost like a scam!

Feeling helpless, Su Xing asked:

"Shadow Protector, why is exchanging for this technique so expensive?"

Shadow Protector explained:

"It's because the Protector Zong, like you, is particularly obsessed with cultivation. He has been in the sect for hundreds of years, being one of the most powerful protectors. He bought most of the sect's cultivation-related items early on with contribution points, so you can only purchase them from him now, making the price naturally high…"

For powerful profession users reaching the Heavenly King level, they would undergo a life transformation that greatly extended their lifespan, becoming long-lived beings.

Heavenly King level profession users, if not killed in battle, could live three or five hundred years easily, whereas protectors, at least at the Martial Emperor level, could live five or six hundred years without difficulty.

Hearing Shadow Protector's words, Su Xing's expression turned uncertain. Obsessed with cultivation items, the most powerful protector...

Su Xing suddenly remembered an old man he had encountered in one of the simulations, who coveted his Spirit Rice and aimed to torment him to death to extract information about it.

With Shadow Protector's description, Su Xing guessed that old man was probably Protector Zong.

"But why is Protector Zong so obsessed with cultivation? Could he also be a cultivator?"

Su Xing pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"Impossible. The profession panel shows that I am the only cultivator... so Protector Zong cannot be one. There must be a big secret behind his obsession with cultivation!"