Chapter 136: Red Ming Celestial Patrol

Lu Bai ambled over to the entrance of the Underground Gambling House. The Old Gambling Ghost seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.

Instead of squatting by the wall as usual, he was standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Although his clothes were still tattered and his appearance disheveled, his aura was completely different from before, carrying a hint of profound mystery.

His stall wasn’t set up. A bundle wrapped in ragged cloth was simply piled on the ground.

"Leaving?"

Seeing this, Lu Bai guessed the Old Gambling Ghost’s intentions.

The Old Gambling Ghost nodded. "I promised to give you a treasure. Go on, what do you want?"

Lu Bai asked, "Senior, are the Thirty-Six Wondrous Treasures and the Seventy-Two Exotic Treasures you mentioned before real?"

The Old Gambling Ghost was about to leave, and they might never see each other again, so Lu Bai had changed how he addressed him.

"Of course."

The Old Gambling Ghost said proudly, "Those are the most supreme treasures in the world. The appearance of any one of them would attract countless powerful experts to fight over it. Many of them have even been lost to time."

Lu Bai asked, "Can you give me one of those Wondrous or Exotic Treasures?"

"What are you thinking, kid?"

The Old Gambling Ghost felt like cursing. "I only have one such treasure myself. Why would I be willing to part with it for you?

Besides, with your current Cultivation, getting a Wondrous or Exotic Treasure would be like a child carrying gold through a bustling market. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Fine."

Lu Bai knew this request would never work.

He was just starting with an impossible, even outrageous, request before lowering his conditions. It was a way to increase his chances of success.

It was called the concession effect.

"In that case, how about an Ultimate Skill Method?"

Lu Bai revealed his true goal.

"I do have Ultimate Skills, but they’re Profound Sect Techniques for Cultivation. You only have a Mortal Spirit Root. Giving you a Profound Sect Technique would be a waste."

The Old Gambling Ghost shook his head again. "No, that’s not just a waste. It’s a blasphemous squandering of a divine gift, a bright pearl covered in dust, good cabbage fed to a pig."

Even on the verge of leaving, the Old Gambling Ghost didn’t pass up the chance to mock Lu Bai.

Lu Bai, however, didn’t really mind.

Hearing the three words ’Mortal Spirit Root,’ his eyes lit up!

’I have a Spirit Root!’

Lu Bai was thrilled.

This meant he was qualified for Cultivation!

In the future, he too could perform Sword Flight and soar through the Qingming!

"What are you so excited about?"

The Old Gambling Ghost shot Lu Bai a sidelong glance, crushing his hopes. "Do you even know what a Mortal Spirit Root is? It’s a Five Elements Spirit Root. Even if you can sense Spiritual Qi, you can’t filter it. Your cultivation speed will be as slow as a snail, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment in your lifetime.

Forget Foundation Establishment—if someone with a Mortal Spirit Root could reach the Third-Layer Qi Refining in their entire life, they would be considered a person of immense willpower.

In the Cultivation Realm, it’s also called a Pseudo Spirit Root or a Wasted Spirit Root."

’Uh...’

Although Lu Bai knew a Mortal Spirit Root meant extremely poor aptitude, he hadn’t expected it to be *this* bad.

"Would it still be useless even with a Profound Sect Ultimate Skill? And what if I get a lot of resources like Spirit Stones and Elixirs?"

With the Ancient Mirror in his possession, Lu Bai wasn’t ready to give up.

"Even with an Ultimate Skill, the Eighth or Ninth-Layer Qi Refining would be your absolute limit. Foundation Establishment would be impossible."

The Old Gambling Ghost shook his head. "From ancient times to now, no one has ever heard of a Wasted Spirit Root reaching Foundation Establishment. With that amount of resources, you could train countless Profound Sect disciples.

Forget a Wasted Spirit Root—even for a four-attribute Lower Grade Spirit Root, reaching Foundation Establishment is as difficult as ascending to Heaven. Unless..."

At this, the Old Gambling Ghost suddenly paused.

"Unless what?"

Lu Bai quickly pressed, "Senior, you’re about to leave. Don’t speak in riddles."

"I’m not trying to be mysterious. I’m just afraid you’ll go astray and fall into the Demon Dao."

The Old Gambling Ghost continued, "Throughout history, there have indeed been some who used the ways of the Demon Dao to reach Foundation Establishment and form a Golden Core. But the Demon Dao is a wicked path. Once you succumb to it, you lose control of yourself and your true nature. Even if you succeed, you will no longer be you.

By the end of that path, you’re no longer human."

As he said this, a trace of fear flashed in the Old Gambling Ghost’s eyes.

After a brief pause, the Old Gambling Ghost said, "Kid, your talent in the Martial Dao is exceptional. There’s no need to get sidetracked. The Great Dao is long, and all paths eventually lead to one. Human effort has its limits. If you can cultivate the Martial Dao to its peak, even the Great Power ancestors of the Cultivation Realm will have to bow their heads to you!

The Ancient Five Emperors are proof of this. In their time, every single one of them was a nearly invincible existence."

"Alright."

Lu Bai agreed placatingly.

In his heart, however, he couldn’t let the matter go.

Putting everything else aside, just being able to cultivate a sliver of Magical Power to use a Storage Pouch would be far more convenient than what a Martial Artist could do.

Besides, he had looted two Storage Pouches from corpses.

He didn’t trust anyone else to open them, so his only option was to cultivate Magical Power himself and see what was inside.

The Old Gambling Ghost took out seven yellowed books from his robes and fanned them out in his palm.

Lu Bai focused his gaze.

Rain Covering Sword Technique, Blood Slaughter Nine Tribulations Sword, Heaven-Burning Sword Technique

Bursting Flower Rain, Shocking Swan Void Escape Technique, Sun Chasing Step, Wandering Dragon Technique

The Old Gambling Ghost said, "Your combat strength is decent now, but you have many shortcomings in your Martial Arts. Your Swordsmanship, Hidden Weapon techniques, and Body Techniques are all ordinary."

Lu Bai thought to himself, ’Ordinary? I’m practically clueless about them.’

The Old Gambling Ghost might seem unreliable, but he had clearly put a lot of thought into the seven techniques he had prepared.

They were all the Martial Arts skills he needed most.

"Seeing as you use a longsword, here are three Swordsmanship manuals, all of them Celestial Tier."

The Old Gambling Ghost began his introduction. "Take this Rain Covering Sword Technique. When the Sword Stance unfolds, it’s like a gentle, drizzling rain, then a torrential downpour, then a raging storm... truly formidable, enough to overturn the clouds and summon the rain.

This Blood Slaughter Nine Tribulations Sword involves refining your own Blood Qi to unleash the immense killing power of the Sword Dao. It has nine Sword Moves in total. The further you progress, the more Blood Qi you refine, and the more powerful the moves become."

After a slight pause, the Old Gambling Ghost said, "However, I still recommend you cultivate the Heaven-Burning Sword Technique. Since you’ve joined the Evil Extermination Bureau, this technique’s searing, masculine Swordsmanship, with its power to incinerate the heavens, will be the most devastating against Ghostly Creatures and other foul things."

"What about the other four?"

Lu Bai asked.

"Bursting Flower Rain is nothing special to talk about. It’s a Hidden Weapon technique, an Earth Tier Martial Art."

The Old Gambling Ghost continued, "The remaining three are all Celestial Tier Body Techniques. You’ll have to cultivate Innate True Qi before you can practice them."

"No Ultimate Skills?"

Lu Bai gave a light cough and asked tentatively.

The Old Gambling Ghost’s face darkened. "I don’t practice the Martial Dao! Where would I get a Martial Arts Ultimate Skill for you? These Celestial Tier Martial Arts are more than enough for you to practice!"

Lu Bai’s eyes lit up. "So you’re giving me all of these?"

The Old Gambling Ghost: "..."

"Just one. Pick it yourself."

The Old Gambling Ghost waved his hand, annoyed.

’This kid is really trying to fleece me like I’m some huge sucker.’

Lu Bai mulled it over and over, unable to make up his mind.

According to the Old Gambling Ghost, the Heaven-Burning Sword Technique was indeed the most suitable for him.

But he also lacked a Martial Arts Body Technique right now.

Just a moment ago, he had run as fast as his legs could carry him and still couldn’t catch up to that skinny old man.

Seeing Lu Bai’s hesitation, an idea struck the Old Gambling Ghost. He mused, "I do have an Ultimate Skill for Swordsmanship, but it’s a majorly incomplete fragment..."

’He really was holding out on me!’

Lu Bai quickly asked, "What’s this Ultimate Skill for Swordsmanship called?"

The Old Gambling Ghost replied, "Red Ming Celestial Patrol."