Chapter 508 - 433: Bloodline Wager, a 3-Hour Crash Course to the Spirit Control Realm

In fact, with high enough aptitude, one could even attempt to forge a new path into their very own Peeping Dao Realm. Absolutely anything was possible.

This was precisely why Jiang Qiu was confident he could obtain a Spirit Fruit from the Nine-tailed Fox. "A Cultivation Technique is priceless by nature," he stated. "You could say it’s me bestowing an ultimate resource upon you."

There was nothing wrong with his statement, but the Nine-tailed Fox was completely stunned. The hazy, bewitching aura around him coalesced, and he seemed to take a sharp, subtle breath. "You can bestow a Cultivation Technique upon me? Do you have any idea what Realm I’ve cultivated to? Why would you think your Cultivation Technique would be useful to me?"

A Cultivation Technique... Such a thing was, of course, high-level. Countless beings spent their lives researching their own Cultivation Techniques. The more powerful the existence, the more powerful the technique they pioneered. To call it priceless was no exaggeration; it signified a Heaven-Ascending Road.

But weak Cultivation Techniques were as vast as the ocean. Take those beings who had just stepped into the Opening Spirit Veins level—hadn’t they also developed their own Cultivation Techniques?

And yet, the vast majority of them remained stuck at the Opening Spirit Veins level, with absolutely no possibility of advancing. This was because their understanding was far too narrow.

’Therefore, unless it comes from an existence of a very high Realm—at least one comparable to my own—a so-called Cultivation Technique is basically worthless.’

’Even if this incomplete Cultivation Technique actually has great potential, how could I possibly know how far it could go in the future?’

’Abandon my original path of Cultivation to explore a new one?’

’It’s unrealistic. It’s completely impossible to abandon my own path of Cultivation for a technique that merely *might* have potential. In other words, unless a high-Realm being was offering a Cultivation Technique, it’s of no use to me—perhaps it could offer some inspiration, but that possibility is infinitesimally small.’

Therefore, the Nine-tailed Fox was rather dismissive of Jiang Qiu’s claim. He simply didn’t believe Jiang Qiu could give him a useful Cultivation Technique. Even if it were truly exceptional, someone would still have to prove the Cultivation Technique’s viability. Otherwise, it was all for nothing, wasn’t it?

As if sensing the distrust in his heart, Jiang Qiu sighed softly. "How about this. I’ll make a wager with you. As long as I can prove my ability to help a being transform, you can exchange resources like Spirit Fruits for my Cultivation Technique. How about it?"

"Hm?"

The Nine-tailed Fox furrowed his brow, an inexplicable curiosity stirring within him. Clearly, at his Realm, his Spirit Communication had reached an entirely new level, far beyond what any ordinary being could hope to match. One could even say he was tinged with a hint of immortal aura.

After a moment of thought, an interesting possibility occurred to him. In all these many years, no being had ever made a wager with him. This was not only because there were too few beings at his level, but also because wagers themselves rarely held any meaning.

He was a Great Dominator, a being above the Spirit Control Realm Level. What sort of wager could possibly matter to him?

So now, he was somewhat interested in Jiang Qiu’s wager. A part of him genuinely wanted to see what this little child was capable of.

As for the guarantee for this wager?

With just a thought, Jiang Qiu initiated a bloodline contract with him, staking his own bloodline potential. The one who broke the contract would lose their bloodline potential, and it would be transferred to the other party.

And the subject of the wager was Xiong Batian.

Jiang Qiu asked, "Nine-tailed Fox, how long do you think it will take for Xiong Batian to transform and reach the Spirit Control Realm Level?"

"Spirit Control Realm Level?" The Nine-tailed Fox knew he was referring to the bear beneath him, but he was puzzled by the term. "What is that?"

"The Spirit Control Realm is the level of a Great Dominator," Jiang Qiu explained unhurriedly. "It means having a certain degree of control over the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, as if you can imbue your very limbs with it to drastically increase your strength."

He and Xiong Batian had actually researched and come up with the concept of the Spirit Control Realm themselves, so it was perfectly normal that others didn’t know it by that name.

Of course, the Nine-tailed Fox was only unfamiliar with the term itself. When it came to what level the Spirit Control Realm actually represented, he certainly understood it better than Jiang Qiu, who had yet to even undergo Opening Spirit Veins.

Sure enough, understanding dawned on the Nine-tailed Fox. He just smiled faintly. "Spirit Control Realm... an interesting name, indeed. However, in his current state, he’s still a long way from it."

Yes, while he didn’t possess the ability to directly probe Xiong Batian’s exact state, he had indeed seen countless living beings. He had seen more beings who had undergone Opening Spirit Veins than he could count—thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.

He could tell with a single glance just how far Xiong Batian was from the so-called Spirit Control Realm—that is, from becoming a lesser Dominator. A very great distance.

This was a conclusion drawn from experience. In truth, he had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of beings with an aura like Xiong Batian’s. But how many of them had truly become lesser Dominators?

Very few.

The reason was simple: storing Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm and comprehending it were two different things. It was like a bucket; if you kept collecting rainwater in it, it would eventually get full, but that bucket of water would never turn into bone broth.

Therefore, judging by his aura alone, Xiong Batian’s accumulation of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm was quite good. He was just a single step away from becoming a true lesser Dominator at the Spirit Control Realm.

But it was a step that countless beings had spent ten, twenty, or even thirty years trying to comprehend. It was a very long process.

Furthermore, looking at Xiong Batian’s vacant eyes, he seemed to be a rather dull-witted creature. It was highly doubtful that much time had passed since his Spiritual Awakening.

’For a creature like this, comprehending the method to transform into the Spirit Control Realm within ten years would already be quite impressive.’ So, the Nine-tailed Fox hesitated a moment before giving a "reasonable" assessment: "Three years."

The reason was simple. Seeing Jiang Qiu’s confidence, he figured that Xiong Batian must have already grasped some inkling of the breakthrough.

Therefore, it was better to be cautious, so he gave an estimate of three years.

In reality, he didn’t believe for a second that Xiong Batian could break through to the Spirit Control Realm within three years. It would be perfectly normal if the bear never broke through at all. But he sensed Jiang Qiu’s confidence and figured the boy expected him to name a much longer timeframe. He just didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.

In other words, he knew Jiang Qiu expected him to say ten or twenty years, but on a subconscious level, he didn’t want to play into his hands and so deliberately said three years.

Of course, it didn’t really matter what he said. He didn’t think he would lose the bet anyway.

As for the stakes of the wager, there were two parts. If he lost, he would provide one Spirit Fruit as Jiang Qiu requested, after which he could still trade other Spirit Fruits for the so-called Cultivation Technique. The penalty for breaking the contract, however, was the transfer of one’s bloodline potential.

The Nine-tailed Fox was quite intrigued by a wager with such dramatic stakes, and so was Jiang Qiu. "Three hours," Jiang Qiu said. "I will have Xiong Batian break through to the Spirit Control Realm and join the ranks of the lesser Dominators."

"What?!"

A sudden cry of astonishment escaped the Nine-tailed Fox’s mouth. His eyes flew wide, his snow-white fur bristled, and even the surrounding white mist condensed into droplets of water.

He stared fixedly at Jiang Qiu. Even Xiong Batian trembled, his own eyes wide and his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

’Three hours to cross the threshold of the Spirit Control Realm?’

’If word of this got out, it’s not that people might not believe it—no, no being would believe it at all. Even a fool who just had its Spiritual Awakening would understand how absurd it was after a brief explanation.’

’Under my rule, there are only a few thousand lesser Dominators. And every single one of them transformed from tens of millions of beings. They are one in ten thousand, requiring a monumental opportunity.’

’And yet, Jiang Qiu claims he can create a Spirit Control Realm expert in just three hours? Is he making a fool of me?!’

For some reason, the Nine-tailed Fox grew annoyed. A hint of fire began to smolder in his eyes, and his voice turned cold as ice. "Are you just here to cause trouble?"