167: A trap to lure Jiang Yuan? Those who are willing to take the bait! (Combined chapter, asking for monthly votes)

“Jiang Yuan? I was just about to come to your house to find you.”

Before Jiang Yuan even reached his doorstep, he heard a familiar voice.

“Why haven’t I seen you around lately? What have you been busy with?” Jiang Yuan turned his head and asked Mu Qianshan with some curiosity.

“Look at my current strength.”

Mu Qianshan smiled at Jiang Yuan, directly activating his Star Power to display his strength.

“Xuanxiao Middle Stage?”

Jiang Yuan was stunned when he saw Mu Qianshan’s strength: “How did your strength improve so quickly?”

“Guess what I’ve been doing lately?”

Mu Qianshan chuckled proudly: “Not only have I been cultivating in the Gathering Star Array every day, but I’ve also occasionally gone to Fallen Star Cliff to cultivate.”

“You could say that during this time, apart from eating, I’ve been cultivating every single moment.”

“My goodness, that’s intense!”

Jiang Yuan looked at Mu Qianshan with an incredulous expression. Cultivation was incredibly dull and boring, yet Mu Qianshan had endured such a long period of monotonous training.

He had to admit, it was truly impressive.

“Enough about that, have you broken through?”

Mu Qianshan smiled and waved his hand. Only he understood the hardships of this period.

As soon as he broke through, he immediately rushed out of his house.

He simply couldn’t bear it any longer; if he continued cultivating, he felt like he would go crazy.

“Xuanxiao Middle Stage strength, I am too.”

Jiang Yuan nodded. How long had it been since he broke through to Xuanxiao Early Stage?

Although his cultivation hadn’t been particularly diligent during this time, crafting cards consumed Star Power, and then replenishing Star Power also counted as a form of cultivation.

Just think about how many cards they had crafted?

Excluding the less than ten thousand cards Jiang Yuan initially crafted, there were over twenty thousand Seventy-Two Transformations - Water Entry cards remaining.

Plus over ten thousand Linglong Pagoda cards, over ten thousand Seventy-Two Transformations - False Shape cards, and eight to nine thousand blue quality Earth Movement Technique cards.

Putting everything else aside, he had basically been crafting cards during this period.

Occasionally, he would go out for a challenge.

Now, Jiang Yuan’s ranking had successfully reached one hundred and seventeen.

The original one hundred and seventeenth place was a Skill Card Master.

Dealing with a Skill Card Master was as simple as could be.

Nezha made his move, and in just a few moments, he took down the opponent.

Qiankun Circle’s Qiankun Strike was perfect for a sneak attack.

With one strike, even if the opponent didn’t die, they would basically lose most of their combat ability.

The rest of the matter became much simpler.

However, if he were to challenge again now, he could only challenge the ninety-seventh place.

Because the top one hundred ranks were challenged in increments of ten.

Speaking of this, Jiang Yuan felt a bit helpless.

It turned out that what restricted his challenge speed wasn’t the ranking limit.

If it were just the ranking limit, it would be fine; he could just waste a bit of time and get through it.

The main problem was that the people he challenged were often not at the academy.

If they weren’t at the academy, he had to wait for them to return before he could continue challenging.

Although he could change his target, for example, challenging the ninety-eighth ranked person.

But the problem was that most of the top one hundred Students in the second year basically wouldn’t stay honestly in the academy.

For them, cultural class grades were not as reliable as Combat Class grades.

“Should I say, as expected of you!”

Mu Qianshan was a little envious; he knew Jiang Yuan’s situation.

He cultivated diligently every day, without stopping for a moment, yet he still couldn’t compare to Jiang Yuan’s speed of improving while crafting cards.

Sometimes, the talent between people truly differed.

“Oh, right, I’ve recently discovered a problem.” Mu Qianshan said, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

“What problem?”

Jiang Yuan was stunned, but Mu Qianshan pushed him towards his house.

“Come on, let’s talk at your place.”

“Alright.”

After Jiang Yuan nodded, he quickly walked towards his house.

Jiang Yuan didn’t plan to tell Mu Qianshan about Jiang Yuan No. 2.

He could keep this secret to himself.

Although Mu Qianshan had already seen Jiang Yuan No. 2 before, he hadn’t explained Jiang Yuan No. 2’s abilities in detail.

If Mu Qianshan asked again, he would just say that he had only crafted a one-time clone card, and it was the kind that only did housework and helped Jiang Yuan craft cards.

After hurrying back home, Jiang Yuan immediately motioned for Jiang Yuan No. 2 to use False Shape and change his appearance.

Although Jiang Yuan No. 2 was a bit strange, he quickly transformed into the appearance of Erlang Shen.

Or rather, Jiao Enjun’s appearance.

“Why are you running so fast? Is there something in your house that can’t be seen?”

After Jiang Yuan No. 2 transformed, Mu Qianshan finally caught up and asked Jiang Yuan with a teasing tone.

“I’m in a hurry to use the restroom, you sit first.”

Jiang Yuan said and then rushed towards the restroom in a hurry.

“Alright then.”

Mu Qianshan pouted, feeling a bit bored.

In the house, there were still only Nezha, Shi Ji, and an unfamiliar person.

He had thought Jiang Yuan had secretly kept a beauty during his absence.

But this was it?

Mu Qianshan looked at “Erlang Shen” with some curiosity, but “Erlang Shen” had no intention of responding to him.

Jiang Yuan No. 2 naturally knew Jiang Yuan’s thoughts.

At this moment, both of them looked at Mu Qianshan expressionlessly.

By the way, in this situation, you should have just dispelled me, your clone.

Why did you bring me back?

How will you explain this later?

Jiang Yuan felt a bit annoyed, so he actively dispelled the clone.

He didn’t want to keep wearing Jiao Enjun’s face.

He would just say it was a Summoning Immortals Card when he explained it later.

After Jiang Yuan No. 2 was actively dispelled, his memory, Star Power cultivation, and mental strength from this period all returned to Jiang Yuan’s main body.

After Jiang Yuan’s mind was muddled for a while, he quickly recovered under the influence of his mental strength.

“Jiang Yuan No. 2 has been quite diligent during this time.”

Jiang Yuan checked his Star Power cultivation, and upon seeing that he was only about one-fifth away from filling the second star of the Xuanxiao Stage, he couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

Indeed, the greatest significance of his clone’s existence was to help him cultivate and craft cards.

By the way, when the clone card’s quality improves and he can split into two more clones, will his cultivation speed be even faster?

If that were truly the case, then he wouldn’t need any other cards or heavenly material and earthly treasure; he could reach Sixth Realm Shen just by cultivating.

Jiang Yuan shook his head, casting aside this thought, and then exited the restroom.

“Why that expression?”

As soon as Jiang Yuan came out, he saw Mu Qianshan sitting on the sofa with a dazed expression.

Nezha and Shi Ji on the side were still doing their own things, neither of them paying attention to Mu Qianshan’s situation.

“Just now, he suddenly disappeared?”

Mu Qianshan pointed to the spot where Jiang Yuan No. 2 had been, then looked at Jiang Yuan with a bewildered expression and said.

“Oh, that, that’s a character I summoned using a card, it has a time limit.”

Jiang Yuan had received Jiang Yuan No. 2’s memories, so he naturally understood his thoughts.

“I have two types of Summoning Cards. One is like Nezha and Shi Ji, which are permanent.”

“The other type is similar to a Summoning Card, summoning a random Card Spirit that disappears after a certain period or after using one or two skills.”

“As for what you just saw, that was someone I summoned to spar with Nezha.”

After Jiang Yuan finished speaking, Nezha looked up at Jiang Yuan with a bewildered expression.

You just called me, right?

Jiang Yuan reached out and, in a place where Mu Qianshan couldn’t see, pressed down on Nezha. Then Shi Ji calmly turned Nezha’s face back.

“Oh, oh, I understand.”

Mu Qianshan nodded, half-understanding.

“By the way, what did you say you discovered just now?” After Jiang Yuan sat down, he quickly changed the subject and asked Mu Qianshan.

Upon hearing this, Mu Qianshan immediately frowned: “Have you offended anyone recently?”

“Or has anyone wanted you to do something recently?”

Jiang Yuan was a little confused: “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember the purple zenith ancient ginseng I told you about before?”

“I remember, does it have something to do with this?”

Mu Qianshan looked at Jiang Yuan with a serious expression and nodded: “Of course it does.”

“The purple zenith ancient ginseng can alleviate the symptoms caused by myasthenia, right?”

“That’s right.” Jiang Yuan nodded, still a little puzzled.

“It’s like this: before, I learned about the purple zenith ancient ginseng being in the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield, right?”

Mu Qianshan’s expression was serious as he explained to Jiang Yuan.

“But in the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield, my strength at that time was only Xuanxiao Early Stage, too low. Not only would it be dangerous to go, but it would also be very likely that I wouldn’t be able to get it.”

“But didn’t I say I don’t need this?” Jiang Yuan frowned and asked Mu Qianshan.

As soon as Mu Qianshan mentioned the purple zenith ancient ginseng, Jiang Yuan understood Mu Qianshan’s intentions.

He had already said he didn't need it, but Mu Qianshan still wanted to go?

Fortunately, he didn't succeed because his strength was relatively low at the time.

“This is a heavenly material and earthly treasure that can alleviate your myasthenia symptoms.”

Mu Qianshan explained, but when he saw Jiang Yuan about to speak again, he quickly stopped him.

“Let me finish first.”

“Okay, you speak.”

After Jiang Yuan nodded, Mu Qianshan continued to speak.

“At that time, wasn't it because my strength was too low? So I thought about going after I broke through to the Xuanxiao Middle Stage.”

“But I didn't expect it to take me so long to break through.”

“You just broke through to the Xuanxiao Early Stage not long ago, and you already want to break through to the Xuanxiao Middle Stage, so of course it would take a long time!”

Jiang Yuan rolled his eyes, complaining weakly: “Although there’s no bottleneck in the early stages of strength, and you can break through as long as you cultivate, you’re taking it too far.”

“Isn't this for your sake?”

Mu Qianshan heard Jiang Yuan’s complaint and weakly retorted.

“Actually, to be precise, it’s not necessary. I’ve already found a solution,” Jiang Yuan shook his head, looking serious as he spoke to Mu Qianshan.

“Your method is your method, but I also need to do my best to provide a guarantee for your method. What if your method fails?”

Mu Qianshan wasn't foolish. Seeing Jiang Yuan's expression, he knew that he might have placed his hopes for treatment on crafting cards.

But as long as it's card crafting, there's a possibility of failure. Even if you, Jiang Yuan, are a genius, you can't guarantee every attempt will succeed.

What would happen if it failed?

I can’t help you with card crafting, but I can provide you with the final guarantee.

Jiang Yuan looked at Mu Qianshan's serious eyes and understood Mu Qianshan's meaning.

“But my method has a very high success rate too.”

However, being poor at expressing emotions, though genuinely touched, he still lowered his head and mumbled.

Although Jiang Yuan only mumbled softly, Mu Qianshan still heard what Jiang Yuan said clearly.

Mu Qianshan rolled his eyes: “Listen to me.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

After Jiang Yuan nodded, Mu Qianshan started speaking again.

“Didn’t I not enter the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield when I was in the Xuanxiao Early Stage?”

“Originally, I was planning to go in after I broke through.”

“But when I realized how long my breakthrough would take, I gave up on the idea that the purple zenith ancient ginseng was still there. I wanted to try my luck during the dongtian secret treasure eruption to see if there were any heavenly material and earthly treasure with similar effects to the purple zenith ancient ginseng.”

Speaking of this, a hint of contemplation appeared in Mu Qianshan’s eyes: “But it wasn’t until I successfully broke through and came out of my home that I learned the purple zenith ancient ginseng still hadn't been obtained by anyone.”

Mu Qianshan looked at Jiang Yuan: “It’s been almost two months since I went into seclusion for my breakthrough, hasn't it?”

“The purple zenith ancient ginseng was rumored to have appeared in the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield two months ago, but two months later, it’s still in the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield and hasn’t been obtained by anyone.”

“So I reasonably suspect this is a trap, a trap to lure someone to the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield!”

Mu Qianshan's face was resolute, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yuan.

“And one of the purple zenith ancient ginseng’s greatest uses is its ability to alleviate myasthenia symptoms.”

“You mean, this is a trap targeting me?”

Jiang Yuan’s face twitched twice: “It can’t be, right? I’m just a small Xuanxiao Middle Stage, who would target me?”

Jiang Yuan was indeed a bit puzzled, after all, he hadn't offended anyone since he came to Zhongyuan Academy.

Of course, those he challenged on the rankings didn't count.

And those weren't really offenses, were they?

If they were considered offenses, how many times would that person be offended every day?

“But think about it, the purple zenith ancient ginseng didn’t disappear until we appeared, and the news is still circulating.”

Mu Qianshan continued: “You can say it’s a coincidence, but the problem is, during the time I was cultivating, I never heard of anyone obtaining the purple zenith ancient ginseng.”

“It exists, but no one has obtained it. Is that reasonable?”

After Mu Qianshan finished speaking, Jiang Yuan also felt it made some sense, but it was still a bit far-fetched.

“So, what do you mean?”

“We go to the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield, and then wait for that person to jump out, and we’ll naturally understand what he means.”

Mu Qianshan smiled. He was still very confident in Jiang Yuan's strength.

At the very least, with his current Xuanxiao Middle Stage strength, he wouldn't be in any danger in the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield.

And he also really wanted to know, who exactly was the person using the purple zenith ancient ginseng to bait Jiang Yuan?

“Huh?”

Jiang Yuan was stunned for a moment: “No need, I don’t really want to go to the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield.”

“No, we’re going now.”

Seeing Jiang Yuan frown, Mu Qianshan understood that Jiang Yuan had misunderstood him.

“We just need to show that we intend to go, and then see who jumps out.”

Mu Qianshan’s eyes were cold; he already had a suspect in mind.

That third-year Student!

Both the news of the purple zenith ancient ginseng and his attempts to influence the way he and Jiang Yuan interacted were highly suspicious.

But why would he do it?

Mu Qianshan was unsure, so now he needed to tentatively shake the fishing hook again, to make the fisherman more anxious.

“But what’s the point of that?”

“If we don’t move, and they don’t jump, are we just going to let them keep plotting against us from the shadows?”

At this moment, Shi Ji had roughly understood Mu Qianshan's meaning, and she looked up at Jiang Yuan and said.

“Hmm, alright, you two decide, I’ll cooperate.”

Although Jiang Yuan was puzzled, since Shi Ji and Mu Qianshan both said so, it was better to listen to them.

“Furthermore, I want the purple zenith ancient ginseng, and I also want to get involved in the dongtian secret treasure eruption.”

After Jiang Yuan made his decision, Mu Qianshan's gaze turned to Shi Ji and he said.

“A horse doesn't get fat without night fodder, and a man doesn't get rich without ill-gotten gains.”

After Shi Ji nodded, Mu Qianshan looked at Jiang Yuan again: “What do you say?”

“I have no problem.”

Jiang Yuan had already understood at this point.

I don't need to worry about who is behind this, or who wants to play dirty.

The Ten Thousand Races Battlefield for Xuanxiao Stage, my current strength is perfectly fine to enter.

Moreover, with Jiang Yuan No. 2 now, I can completely stay in a safe place and let Jiang Yuan No. 2 take Shi Ji and Nezha out.

Besides, it's not like we're going in right now. Maybe in a while, I'll have already broken through to the Xuan Xiao Late Stage.

I am invincible among my peers!

In the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield of the Xuanxiao Stage, no matter who plots or schemes, I have no fear.

Everything needs strength as its foundation.

purple zenith ancient ginseng?

If it's still there, then I'll take it!

Mu Qianshan is right, it's always good to have a guarantee for myself.

It would be foolish not to take something you have the ability to obtain!

“It’s good to go out and stretch a bit; my body has gotten stiff from crafting cards at home.”

“But, will there be a lot of good things when the dongtian secret treasure erupts?”

“That’s for sure. Maybe there are even some card crafting methods,” Mu Qianshan said with a smile.

He wasn't joking; the dongtian secret treasure eruption was somewhat strange.

There was a recorded instance where an awareness of another race's creature erupted from a dongtian secret treasure, and then it was obtained by someone from another race.

The race that acquired that awareness essentially gained the card usage and crafting methods of the other race.

From then on, they soared to great heights.

Besides awareness, some scattered cards might also carry some consciousness from when they were crafted.

Things like inspiration during card crafting, materials for card crafting, and so on. It could be said to be a complete card crafting tutorial; as long as you follow this tutorial, you can craft that card.

In short, the dongtian secret treasure eruption is a very strange, but also very beneficial, kind of natural ecological change.

“The card crafting methods are another matter; mainly, I want some material cards.”

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, then looked at Nezha: “And by the way, see what other races’ creatures are like.”

“Let’s see how strong they are.”

“Alright, then leave the rest to me. I’ll try my best to find out who is behind the purple zenith ancient ginseng.”