Cultivation Base Lowly Xu Jin

The Western Oxhorn Continent, the Endless Sea.

Thousands of spirit stones hovered above the sea, with moonlit crystals darting among them. Slender rays of light shimmered, drifting leisurely downward. The waters of the Endless Sea surged, absorbing these spiritual energies along with the lunar essence—and the blood Xu Jin continued to spill as an offering to the sea.

According to Chu Xingchen, this hidden ritual likely still required a blood sacrifice as a catalyst. Chu Xingchen’s cultivation was weak, and his vitality even frailer, naturally incomparable to Xu Jin—the contemporary core disciple of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, meticulously trained to achieve a flawless, unblemished body.

Xu Jin dismissed the flattery outright, standing high above as he let his blood flow freely.

Chu Xingchen spoke with such earnestness and eloquence when buttering people up, but that was as far as it went. While he was reliable in major matters, when it came to trivialities… well, it was best not to dwell on it.

Fortunately, all that was needed here was to shed some blood, and Xu Jin had already been cut by Chu Xingchen earlier—all he had to do was keep the wound from healing.

As time passed, the waves of the Endless Sea grew increasingly violent.

"You’ve already been to Blazing Frost City, haven’t you? Is Lizhi still alive?"

Xu Jin watched as the spiritual energy below slowly condensed into something dense and heavy, then suddenly recalled something and turned to question Chu Xingchen beside him.

"Brother Xu, it’s rare for you to entrust me with a task—of course I’d see it through flawlessly."

Chu Xingchen raised a hand, pressing the spirit stones downward. "It’s almost ready. This ritual formation is a bit sinister—probably not some righteous burial site."

Xu Jin frowned. "Burial site?"

"Don’t play dumb. Aren’t all secret realms just glorified graves?" Chu Xingchen lifted his gaze slightly. "This thing probably activates on its own every century or so. I doubt any family tomb would be so generous as to invite strangers in for tea."

Xu Jin pressed further, "Then does it have anything to do with the frenzied demon beasts of the Western Oxhorn Continent?"

"Probably connected." Chu Xingchen’s eyes flickered as the waters below abruptly split apart, a surge of spiritual energy erupting from the depths and shooting straight into the clouds.

Xu Jin sensed something and turned his gaze.

From the west, over a dozen auras were rapidly approaching.

Chu Xingchen summoned a swirling current of energy around himself and said,

"Regardless, let’s take a look inside first."

"I’ll stay behind and cover you." Xu Jin drew his sword, his expression calm as he faced the western approach.

"Heh… With all the commotion in the Western Oxhorn Continent, anyone who actually poses a threat to us wouldn’t waste time coming here to pick a fight."

Chu Xingchen raised a hand, extracting all the spiritual energy from the controlled spirit stones, leaving them as ordinary rocks that scattered into the sea.

The waters churned violently, revealing the hidden entrance to the secret realm beneath.

At the same time, the dozen or so figures from the west arrived in an instant.

Chu Xingchen’s divine sense swept over them, his gaze settling on the leader before a smile spread across his face.

Xu Jin, however, tensed.

"What a nuisance."

The leader wore a veiled hat, her voice soft and alluring—but Chu Xingchen recognized it immediately. It was Xu Linglong.

"The Central Continent won’t let me in, and now the Western Oxhorn Continent won’t let me play either." Xu Linglong extended a hand, a crimson dagger materializing in her grip. "Little boys, you think your level of cultivation qualifies you to explore here? Let big sister teach you a lesson—remember it well in your next life."

Chu Xingchen remained unperturbed, his expression one of genuine curiosity as he asked,

"What lesson would that be?"

"Dangerous things should wait until your cultivation is sufficient."

The moment Xu Linglong’s words fell, her figure blurred forward, the dagger slashing straight toward Chu Xingchen.

Xu Jin reacted instantly, an ancient Daoist resonance erupting from his chest to shield Chu Xingchen.

But Chu Xingchen didn’t even flinch. A streak of icy sword light cut across the sky, striking directly at Xu Linglong.

Xu Linglong wrapped herself in primordial energy, deflecting the sword light before retreating a hundred zhang in an instant. Her gaze snapped toward the source of the attack.

There, standing in the sky as if he had always been there, was Bai Xuanling, clad in white robes, his expression lazily amused.

"Allow me to teach you a lesson as well," Chu Xingchen chuckled. "A peerless genius like me usually travels with a top-tier powerhouse as an escort. Going out alone is far too dangerous."

"Now here’s the question."

"How do you plan to escape?"

Xu Linglong’s smile deepened, but she didn’t answer.

Bai Xuanling stepped forward, his sword descending in a casual slash.

A blinding white light erupted, flattening the surging waves.

The sea spray scattered, falling like a dense, fine rain.

"Just a minor trick with a doppelgänger. The real one isn’t here."

Bai Xuanling sheathed his sword back into his spatial ring, while the dozen figures before them disintegrated entirely, leaving only the sea rushing back to fill the void.

Xu Jin watched this unfold, pressing his lips together slightly.

Naturally, he had his own means of escape—the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s sacred treasure was currently in his possession, along with numerous secret artifacts for fleeing and emergency talismans for summoning reinforcements.

But he had never experienced the luxury of having a Tribulation Transcension expert as a personal guardian.

As a Unity Realm cultivator, a proper guardian for him should at least be a Mahayana Realm expert.

But if Xu Jin, armed with the sect’s sacred treasure, encountered a situation even he couldn’t handle, then a Mahayana expert wouldn’t fare much better.

As for a Tribulation Transcension expert…

The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect wasn’t extravagant enough to assign one as a personal escort to a core disciple.

Bai Xuanling nodded slightly to Xu Jin before turning to Chu Xingchen.

"I told you—your fishing method won’t catch anything big. You should at least respect your opponent’s intelligence."

Chu Xingchen grinned.

"Had to try. At least we bagged a dozen small fry—not a total waste."

"Xu Linglong’s attitude was strange. She didn’t seem too concerned about this place being discovered. We should investigate quickly before we’re truly surrounded."

Bai Xuanling ignored this, merely raising a brow.

Chu Xingchen understood the unspoken message from this Tribulation Transcension expert.

Originally, Chu Xingchen hadn’t planned to invite Bai Xuanling as an escort—he hadn’t even wanted Bai Xuanling to come to the Western Oxhorn Continent at all.

Bai Xuanling’s condition appeared stable, but if something happened, there was an eighty percent chance this powerhouse would explode—literally.

That was why even the task of intercepting people at Pudu River had been handed to the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s Elder Huang Miao.

But Bai Xuanling hadn’t said a word—he’d simply picked up a sword and come along.

Chu Xingchen had tried to dissuade him, but clearly, he’d failed. The only consolation was that he’d earned a few punches from Bai Xuanling in the process.

Lv Xuan had also tried to reason with Bai Xuanling.

Perhaps because the sect leader had genuinely helped Bai Xuanling not long ago, Bai Xuanling hadn’t force-fed him any "Tenfold Supreme Pills" or the fists he so despised.

Instead, Bai Xuanling had simply said—

When I can still wield a sword, I’ll go see what I want to see and do what I want to do. Should I wait until the day I can barely step outside before acting?

And with that, he’d convinced Lv Xuan to let Chu Xingchen bring along the ever-unyielding Bai Xuanling.

It was precisely this unrelenting spirit that gave Bai Xuanling his indomitable presence.

To prevent Bai Xuanling from charging off on his own, Chu Xingchen had no choice but to position him as the final trump card, keeping him close.

"We owe you our thanks this time. Without you, Brother Xu and I would’ve been in real trouble." Chu Xingchen laughed, slapping Xu Jin’s shoulder. "Hurry up and thank your Uncle Bai!"

Xu Jin had no idea when this had become his responsibility, but with things at this point, he could only force a smile and prepare to express his gratitude alongside Chu Xingchen.

"No need." Bai Xuanling waved his hand dismissively. "I'll assess the situation below myself. With your low cultivation, it's best not to follow and distract me."

Xu Jin pursed his lips slightly upon hearing this.

He never imagined that one day, the term "low cultivation" would ever be associated with him.

If things stay like this, I might as well take a break... Ah, but I still want to write a good story...

Apologies, dear readers.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author instead—it might just have been renamed!