Chapter 51: Tell Me, What Use Are You?

The deeper one ventured into the Frozen Ice Valley, the colder it became. Along the way, hardly any cultivators were to be seen, and in the innermost reaches, not a single trace of human presence could be found.

Chen Xiang and his companions had traveled for an entire day before they finally arrived at the entrance of the Icy Sealed Cave.

“Looks like you didn’t deceive me this time. I won’t beat you today!” Chen Xiang released the Rainbow Eel, eyeing the formidable barrier at the cave’s mouth.

The Rainbow Eel rolled its eyes, sprawling weakly on the ground. It was noticeably drained; though their battle the day before hadn’t left it injured, it had certainly depleted its energy. Chen Xiang had ordered it about all along the journey, and it still hadn’t recovered.

The cave’s restriction appeared as a thin layer of white energy, lacking any apparent force—seemingly a simple, ordinary array.

Yet Chen Xiang did not dare underestimate it. He was, after all, a man who had studied an entire volume of foundational array theory. From his observation, he discerned at least three concealed traps within the formation. Though subtle, triggering any one of them would unleash a lethal array far beyond his current ability to withstand.

“Master, this array contains three traps, but breaking it would come at a tremendous cost,” Li Qin’er remarked from beside him.

“Oh?” Chen Xiang raised his brows and asked, “Qin’er, did you spot the traps?”

Li Qin’er then pointed out the three traps, exactly as Chen Xiang had discovered. This deepened his appreciation for her.

“Qin’er, tell me honestly—are you a master of all disciplines?” Chen Xiang inquired seriously.

“Huh? A master? I usually keep to myself, and with plenty of free time aside from cultivation, I dabble in other fields. But I wouldn’t call myself… a master,” Li Qin’er replied, a bit stunned, though she quickly grasped his meaning.

“Amazing, Qin’er, you’re too modest. To reach this level through self-study puts me to shame!” Chen Xiang exclaimed. To discern such formidable traps with casual study—what else could she be but a master?

“Boy, I’ve brought you here. Can I leave now?” the Rainbow Eel asked, sounding exhausted.

Chen Xiang glanced at it, pondering a moment before asking, “Are there any traps or guardian beasts inside the Icy Sealed Cave?”

“No.”

“Can you break the barrier?”

“No.”

…

To every question, the Rainbow Eel answered without hesitation.

Chen Xiang regarded it deeply. Such swift replies suggested there truly might not be any hidden dangers. Yet he still wanted to investigate the creature’s seven elemental attributes.

“Forget it. Since it doesn’t dare leave the Frozen Ice Valley, I’ll just catch it again when we depart,” he thought to himself.

“All right, you may go,” Chen Xiang waved dismissively, though he remained cautious.

“Boy, may we never meet again!” the Rainbow Eel, as if granted amnesty, soared back the way it had come.

Li Qin’er watched the Rainbow Eel depart, then voiced her concern, “Master, you let it go so easily. What if it returns to inform the disciples of the Snowbound Sect that we’re here?”

Chen Xiang smiled at her and replied, “It shouldn’t, and I’ve left a mark of my spiritual sense upon it. If it interacts with others, I’ll know.”

“Now, let’s begin breaking the barrier!” Chen Xiang announced.

“Master, do you already know how to break it?” Li Qin’er asked in surprise.

With a mysterious smile, Chen Xiang kept his secret. He had no idea how to break the array—his foundational knowledge was insufficient. But he could rely on his system.

“Come forth, my system! Break this restriction for me—my blade is thirsting for action!” Chen Xiang thought inwardly.

“Ding. System scan: this barrier is the ‘Divine Ice Entrapment Array,’ a mid-tier Earth Spirit formation. The system cannot break it directly, but will list possible solutions for the host.”

The system’s cold reply left Chen Xiang stunned.

“What? You can’t break a mid-tier Earth Spirit array? What good are you, then?” Chen Xiang grumbled. Qin’er had said the outer valley was shielded by a Profound Spirit array, and the cave by an Earth Spirit array; he guessed the array levels followed the order of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. If the system couldn’t handle Earth Spirit arrays, he could only scoff—and worry for his future.

As he mulled over whether he should be more cautious—perhaps conquer the cultivation world and then retire—a series of system interfaces appeared before his eyes, displaying several solutions.

Shua!

The system listed two options.

Seeing the first, Chen Xiang was delighted; the system wasn’t so useless after all.

“Due to insufficient system permissions, upgrade to version 2.0 required. Breaking a mid-tier Earth Spirit array costs five hundred reputation points.”

So the system could be upgraded—and with higher versions, more permissions and a broader shop would be unlocked.

Chen Xiang checked and found that the first upgrade was free! Such good fortune could not be wasted.

“Ding. Host’s cultivation insufficient; upgrade currently unavailable. Upon reaching peak Core Formation, would you like to trigger tribulation and upgrade the system?”

The system’s voice had barely faded when Chen Xiang was dumbfounded.

A tribulation? He’d never experienced one before—how could he face it with no knowledge or preparation? Such a grand event ought to be postponed.

Upgrading to version 2.0 required reaching Nascent Soul stage. Chen Xiang was nearly qualified; he just needed to break through via tribulation. But having only recently arrived in the cultivation world, he wasn’t ready to embrace this reality.

“Sigh, let’s set aside the first option and look at the second,” Chen Xiang said with a sigh.

The second option was more painful.

“Host must upgrade array master rank. Sequentially: Yellow Spirit Array Master, Profound Spirit Array Master, Earth Spirit Array Master. Total cost: six thousand one hundred reputation points. Alternatively, spend one thousand reputation points to gain a temporary Earth Spirit Array Master identity for three days.”

“Ah! How vexing!” Chen Xiang sighed toward the sky.

He had barely four thousand reputation points, not enough to upgrade his rank. He could only spend a thousand to ‘rent’ the identity of an Earth Spirit Array Master for three days. Alternatively, endure the tribulation, reach Nascent Soul, and use the system to break the array directly—saving five hundred points.

Glancing at Li Qin’er, who stood watching him in confusion, Chen Xiang gritted his teeth and spent a thousand points to exchange for a three-day Earth Spirit Array Master identity.

“Damn it, what’s a thousand reputation points? Once this is over, I’ll earn a hundred million!” Chen Xiang declared resolutely.

“Ding. Host has successfully exchanged a ‘Three-Day Earth Spirit Array Master Trial Card,’ consuming one thousand reputation points.”

“Ding. Would you like to activate the ‘Three-Day Earth Spirit Array Master Trial Card’?”

To be continued…