Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 706: Golden Cicada Shell

The old horse pulled the two to their third destination—Yanshan City[1] in Quan Province.

“The third person is named Tao Tingfeng,[2] fifteen years old, and from Yanshan City, Quan Province. Uh, Man Gu discovered him when he passed through Yanshan City after descending from Mount Yan, where he had gone to slay demons.”

“How did Junior Brother Man evaluate him?” Lu Yang asked curiously.

Meng Jingzhou looked at the words in the booklet with a peculiar expression. “He said Tao Tingfeng is timid, doesn’t dare to stir up trouble, and that his character is far inferior to Brother Lu’s and Brother Meng’s.”

“...Is Junior Brother Man praising us?”

Meng Jingzhou couldn’t figure it out either. “Judging by the overall context, he should be praising us.”

Tao Tingfeng was born into a Nascent Soul ancestral clan, a prominent local clan.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou easily found the Tao residence.

The Tao family had hired a teacher, so their descendants didn’t need to attend the city’s private school. Moreover, unlike private schools, the Tao Family not only had their disciples study the Words of Sages but also taught cultivation knowledge.

When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou stealthily sneaked into the Tao residence, Tao Tingfeng and the other Tao Family disciples were listening to a lecture from a clan uncle.

The Tao Family disciples regarded this clan uncle as an idol. He had considerable talent in cultivation, already reaching the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage by just thirty years old. The clan members believed he had the potential to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage, becoming the Tao Family’s second Nascent Soul old ancestor.

“The path of cultivation fears impatience most. Before cultivating, one must cultivate the mind and heart. Those who are often restless while cultivating are prone to qi deviation...

“Qi Training, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul... each cultivation realm is a massive step. If you can ascend one major step, your status and standing will undergo a tremendous transformation.

“Don’t think that our Tao Family being a Nascent Soul ancestral clan and having some say in this small patch of area in Yanshan City means anything much. If you leave Yanshan City and meet a Divine Transfiguration ancestral clan, you’ll realize our proud Nascent Soul ancestral clan is nothing special.

“When I traveled through Quan Province in my youth, I once witnessed an Apex Nascent Soul expert make a move. It felt like the mountains were shaking and ocean waves were roaring, sweeping everything with its dominance and stirring people’s hearts.”

The Tao Family’s old ancestor was only at the Basic Nascent Soul Stage.

“Another example is the great battle in Yanshan City half a month ago. A demon secretly infiltrated Great Xia and hid in Mount Yan. Fortunately, a righteous expert stepped in and killed it; otherwise, who knows what disaster might have happened.

“If I’m not mistaken, that was likely a legendary Divine Transfiguration expert.”

The Tao Family disciples gasped upon hearing the words “Divine Transfiguration.”

“This Nascent Soul cultivator of the Tao Family...”

Lu Yang was bored by the lecture and split off a wisp of his spiritual consciousness to scout out the Tao Family old ancestor’s condition.

The Tao Family old ancestor and Lu Yang were both at the Basic Nascent Soul Stage. Logically, those at the same level couldn’t probe each other with spiritual consciousness, but Lu Yang was clearly beyond logic.

“What about the Tao Family old ancestor?” Unlike Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou was listening to the lesson attentively.

“Rather than a true Nascent Soul cultivator, he’s more like a Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator. It’s probably a side effect of a forced breakthrough. He has the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator but with a limit on how many times he can use it.”

Isn’t calling yourself a “Nascent Soul ancestral clan” a bit too forced?

“What is this?” Meng Jingzhou waved his hand. As the young master of the world’s number one ancestral clan, he had seen all kinds of clans. “I’ve even seen a Golden Core cultivator getting his fortune told, and the fortune teller said he would definitely reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Afterward, he made his family call themselves a ‘Nascent Soul ancestral clan’ publicly.”

After all, ancestral clans weren’t organizations that required annual assessments to get certified by the imperial court. Their perceived strength relied entirely on their reputation in the local community and could largely be inflated.

Of course, the Meng Family’s reputation was not inflated in the least. If their strength had any exaggeration, they wouldn’t still be thriving in the imperial city.

“Class is over.”

“Come, let’s go out and play.” Children at this age were fond of playing, and Tao Tingfeng was no exception.

Having heard the clan uncle describe the battle on Mount Yan, Tao Tingfeng felt an itch in his heart to go check out the situation for himself.

I’m going to take a look.

Tao Tingfeng was conflicted for a moment but quickly made up his mind to head to Mount Yan.

Although Mount Yan had already been sealed off by the authorities and entry was forbidden, he had played there since childhood and knew a small path.

This small path is indeed not blocked. Tao Tingfeng effortlessly made his way to the site of the battle on Mount Yan.

The depths of Mount Yan were filled with deep craters punched out by Man Gu’s fists. Lu Yang could recognize them at a glance.

Upon seeing these craters, Tao Tingfeng’s eyes widened, his mouth agape. So this is what a battle at the Divine Transfiguration Stage is like?

Suddenly, something flashed across the sky and crashed toward Mount Yan with a whoosh. It landed not far from Tao Tingfeng, startling him greatly.

Tao Tingfeng originally didn’t dare approach, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to head over to take a look.

“It’s a person!” Tao Tingfeng finally saw what had fallen. It was actually a cultivator, severely injured and barely breathing.

The gravely wounded cultivator tensed up upon seeing someone approach, but relaxed upon realizing it was a mortal who posed no threat.

Then, he remembered something. So what if he is a cultivator or a mortal? Even if he holds malicious intent, what can I do? My injuries are beyond saving; there’s no point in killing me—I’m going to die anyway.

“Are you alright?” Tao Tingfeng cautiously approached the cultivator, who clearly didn’t seem alright.

The cultivator gave a bitter laugh. “To think that I, Chess-Observing True Lord, would meet a boy like you at my life’s end. Despite all my calculations, I ultimately couldn’t out-calculate fate.”

“Chess-Observing True Lord?” Lu Yang mumbled softly. In his recollection, there seemed to have been such a Fusion cultivator during the Great Qian Era. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“Never mind, it seems that I’m destined to have no affinity with this item.”

Only then did Tao Tingfeng notice the wooden box that the Chess-Observing True Lord was clutching tightly against his chest.

“This item is called the Golden Cicada Shell. I seized it from an intractable opponent at a heavy cost. I never imagined it would end up benefiting a kid like you in the end.

“It appears this item has an affinity with you.

“Kid, this item is incredibly rare. Once you obtain it, you must be extremely cautious. Never let a second person know you possess it!”

With that, the Chess-Observing True Lord closed his eyes peacefully. His body gradually turned to dust and dissipated, leaving only the wooden box.

Tao Tingfeng was bewildered by this turn of events. He pressed his palms together and bowed twice toward where the Chess-Observing True Lord had vanished. Trembling, he opened the wooden box and found it contained a Golden Cicada Shell that was shining brightly.

“Immortal Fairy, what is the Golden Cicada Shell?” Lu Yang asked.

“In ancient times, there was a cicada demon who cultivated to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage, a level the cicada race had never attained before. His entire body turned golden, and he comprehended a divine ability called ‘Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell,’ which could be used to improve one’s aptitude. It was precisely by relying on this divine ability that he cultivated to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage.

“The shell he left behind after his transformation is called the ‘Golden Cicada Shell.’ It’s a top-tier treasure for improving one’s aptitude.”

“What happened to that cicada demon after that?”

“This immortal squashed him to death.”

1. “Yanshan” could translate to “swallow mountain” or the Yan mountain range in Hebei Province. ☜

2. “Tingfeng” translates literally to “listen to the wind.” ☜