Chapter 107

After Ning Xu updated the post, the Jin family began a new round of turmoil.

The Fourteenth was in shock, “Elder Jin Yue, is what’s said in the post true? Is it true that Gu Jia Xiao Qi was…”

The female cultivator called Elder Jin Yue calmly spoke, “Fourteenth, you’ve crossed the line.”

Although Jin Yue did not give a clear response, this sentence had already answered the question.

The Twelfth, ranked twelfth in the direct lineage, looked doubtful, “We didn’t even know about these things, how did that person find out?”

“The most important thing is that the person exposed the fact that Fourth Uncle has a divine artifact.”

Fourth Uncle, mentioned by the Twelfth, had a serious expression, not saying a word from start to finish. Among so many people present, he was definitely the most anxious one.

Once that person exposes his name, he would face endless pursuit. Even if he denies it, it’s useless. Those old fellows would rather kill him by mistake than let him go.

The Fourteenth casually said, “Could it be that person is also a divination practitioner like us?”

As soon as this was said, the whole study fell silent.

It had to be said, the Fourteenth may have accidentally guessed the truth.

The Fourteenth froze for a moment, “Could it really be like that?”

At this moment, the family head, who had been quietly listening to their discussion, spoke.

“The cultivation world is full of hidden talents, and many capable individuals emerge. The divination methods our family passed down are indeed exquisite, but there are always others better than us.”

“As far as I know, the head of the Xingchen Pavilion is exceptional in divination, and it is said that there is nothing she cannot predict in this world.”

Jin Shen speculated, “Does the family head mean that the person who posted may be related to the Xingchen Pavilion?”

The family head’s tone was heavy, “It’s just a guess.” After a moment of contemplation, she said, “I want to cast a divination to probe this person’s depth. You all protect me.”

The others exchanged glances and then said in unison, “Yes, family head!”

The highest cultivation in the Jin family wasn’t the family head, but when it came to divination techniques, she was undoubtedly the number one in the family.

She had devoted most of her mind to the ancestral divination methods, neglecting her cultivation, which is why she lagged behind Jin Shen and others in cultivation.

The three Mahayana cultivators of the Jin family stepped forward to shield the area tightly.

The other younger generation members of the Jin family held their breath and waited patiently for the result.

Half an hour later, the family head spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly collapsed backward.

“Family head!”

“Family head!”

Jin Shen stepped forward and quickly supported the family head. “Family head, are you alright?”

In just half an hour, the family head’s already aged face was even more wrinkled, her complexion as pale as paper, her lips trembling. The once strong elder now seemed somewhat fragile.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she forced herself to speak, “Great calamity, great calamity! A foe from the heavens! The family is in… great danger!”

After speaking, the family head fainted.

“Family head!”

“Family head!”

The Jin family was thrown into chaos!
After dropping a huge bombshell, Ning Xu returned to her room to meditate and cultivate.

While the gossip was important, cultivation could never be neglected. It was the foundation of her survival in this world.

Let the matter ferment slowly.

As Ning Xu immersed herself in cultivation, the cultivators at the Three Thousand Cultivators Exchange Area had lost focus on their own cultivation.

【Where’s the poster?】

【We’re waiting for the divine artifact, the Mountain and River Map!】

【I’m going crazy! If I don’t hear any news about the Mountain and River Map, I won’t be able to cultivate tonight!】

【The poster really knows how to tease people’s appetites.】

Not only the cultivators at the Three Thousand Cultivators Exchange Area were closely following the matter, but even some old-timers who had been in seclusion for a long time had heard the news and came out of their closed-door practices.

A divine artifact…

If they could obtain the divine artifact, could they take one more step toward ascension?

Meanwhile, Ning Xu was also splitting some of her attention to keep track of the latest developments in the cultivation world through the Melon-Eating System.

【Tsk, three Mahayana cultivators who were in closed-door cultivation have come out.】

【All cultivators in seclusion, whether in the Mahayana or Tribulation Stage, who aren’t about to break through immediately, have all rushed out of seclusion.】

【Wow, wow, the Mahayana Stage really isn’t that valuable anymore.】

Because there are just so many of them.

Ning Xu didn’t comment.

The allure of the divine artifact was indeed considerable. Any cultivator would covet a divine artifact.

It was only the cultivators without ambition who were truly rare.

The Melon-Eating System muttered, 【The Mountain and River Map is really an amazing thing. The more I read its description, the more I crave it.】

【So…】

Ning Xu waited for a while but didn’t hear any follow-up from the Melon-Eating System, so she asked, “So what?”

The Melon-Eating System spoke confidently, 【So, such a good thing, it should be ours!】

Ning Xu: …

When it comes to ambition, no one beats the Melon-Eating System.

In comparison, Ning Xu was much more pragmatic.

She replied calmly, “Of course the divine artifact is good, I want it too.”

“But, there are too many powerful enemies.” Getting the Mountain and River Map wouldn’t be easy.

Let alone the fact that the Mountain and River Map already had an owner, but even those old-timers rushing out of seclusion were no pushovers.

The Melon-Eating System chuckled, 【The more powerful the enemies, the more interesting it is.】

【When everyone is scrambling for something, that’s when its value is truly highlighted.】

【If no one is fighting for it, I wouldn’t even want it.】

Ning Xu pulled her attention away from her cultivation and analyzed, “If it’s based purely on cultivation, we definitely won’t be able to get the Mountain and River Map.”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【But the Mountain and River Map is truly extraordinary. If we can’t get it, we’ll definitely regret it.】

Even cultivators couldn’t escape certain regrets.

Everyone wanted good things, but not everyone had the fate to get them.

Looking at the entire cultivation world, with so many cultivators with spiritual roots, how many of them are truly children of destiny?

Ning Xu pondered for a moment and said, “For now, we can only wait.”

“Wait for an opportunity.”

The Melon-Eating System immediately became excited, 【Great! We’ll wait!】

【Host, I have a feeling that the Mountain and River Map will definitely end up in our hands!】

Ning Xu closed her eyes and once again immersed herself in cultivation. “Then I’ll take your words as a good omen.”

Outside the house, the old yellow ox, which was munching on grass, happily swished its tail.

Waiting for an opportunity?

Then it would start waiting now, to see whether they could obtain the divine artifact, the Mountain and River Map.

—

The next day, Ning Xu finished her cultivation feeling refreshed.

She stretched lazily, in an excellent mood.

【Host, half of the cultivation world is talking about you right now.】

【The other half is talking about the Mountain and River Map.】

【We’re famous.】

Ning Xu was not surprised by this result.

After finishing the breakfast delivered by the Sword Immortal’s attendant, she started editing a new post again.

The atmosphere had been brewing long enough. It was time to release the remaining gossip.

The current owner of the Mountain and River Map was definitely not going to be able to keep it. So many cultivators at the Mahayana Stage had their eyes on it, even breaking seclusion specifically for it. Even if the Jin family poured their entire clan’s resources into protecting it, they wouldn’t be able to hold on.

That left only one question—

How could she become its new owner?

The Melon-Eating System was ambitious, and as its host, Ning Xu was naturally ambitious as well.

However, unrealistic ambition was nothing but an illusion.

What she wanted was ambition that could be made real.

—

More than half an hour later, the cultivators who had been waiting all night finally saw the long-anticipated new post.

They cheered with excitement and eagerly began reading.

【The Mountain and River Map ranks third on the Divine Artifact List.

Fellow cultivators familiar with the list should know that the top-ranked divine artifact is the Heavenly Sword, which shares the first place with the Earth Cauldron.

The Heavenly Sword excels in offense but has weak defense.

The Earth Cauldron has no offensive power but boasts incredible defense.

Each has its strengths.

But the Mountain and River Map is different.

It is a divine artifact that integrates both offense and defense.

Even a cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage can wield it, as it has extremely low requirements for its contractor.

However, the lower the contractor’s cultivation, the harder it is to fully unleash its power.

Currently, this divine artifact is in the hands of a male cultivator at the Mahayana Stage.

Now, let’s take a deep dive into how he obtained it.

That family’s direct descendants are all divination cultivators, but how much they can actually learn depends on their own abilities.

Within the clan, he is considered one of the most talented. But even so, it took him hundreds of years of calculations to finally locate the Mountain and River Map.

By the time he found it, the artifact already had an owner.

As previously mentioned, forming a contract with the Mountain and River Map is not difficult—even a Qi Refining cultivator can become its master.

So why was it so easy?

The main reason was that, at the time, the Mountain and River Map was damaged.

Although it still bore the title of a divine artifact, it had a glaring flaw and was no longer so unattainable.

As a result, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was able to pick it up.

You can probably guess what happened next.

After obtaining the Mountain and River Map, the Foundation Establishment cultivator hid deep in the mountains, focusing on cultivation, not daring to even step into a bustling city.

However, he had only possessed the Mountain and River Map for three months before he was killed, and the artifact was stolen.

Even though he hid well, he was still found.

Now, the current owner has held the Mountain and River Map for over three hundred years and has successfully advanced to the Mahayana Stage thanks to it.】

As soon as the post was updated, countless cultivators flooded the comments.

【Good grief, seriously?!】

【So that family just goes around killing and robbing, huh?】

【I mean, their methods are ruthless, but can you really say they were wrong? Killing to seize treasures is pretty much the norm in the cultivation world.】

【Sure, it’s common, but that doesn’t make it right!】

【Have some basic morals. Possessing a treasure invites disaster, but killing to seize it still accumulates karma. How many top cultivators have been stuck at the Mahayana Stage, unable to even reach their tribulation? Isn’t it because they’ve accumulated too much karma?】

【Hiss… while you’re all condemning their actions, am I the only one drooling over the Mountain and River Map?】

【Who isn’t drooling over it?】

【Honestly, the two artifacts tied for first place on the Divine Artifact List are undoubtedly incredible, but in terms of overall practicality, the Mountain and River Map is the best.】

【It integrates both offense and defense. Ranking third on the Divine Artifact List means its capabilities must be near perfection.】

【Looks like this artifact is about to cause a bloodbath.】

Just as a melon-eating bystander posted that comment, the Melon-Eating System spoke up.

【Host, some old bastards have already started making moves.】

【Damn, everyone’s really quick to act!】

Everyone wanted a divine artifact. If they hesitated even a moment, wouldn’t someone else take it first?

Right now, all Ning Xu could do was wait.

As countless powerful cultivators stirred restlessly over the Mountain and River Map, a new comment suddenly appeared under Ning Xu’s post.

Among the flood of gossip and discussions, this comment stood out.