TL: Etude
"Invest?" Ye Tian looked at Wang Yan in surprise, not expecting this proposition from her. And Wang Yan guessed correctly – he indeed hadn't been taken as a disciple by any old monster and had no significant background. His only advantage was his high talent, which in this era was the most crucial, more important than any legacy.
But high talent didn't mean he didn't need opportunities, knowledge, or guidance. If Ye Tian hadn't received the cultivation insights from Typhoon King, he wouldn't have attempted to forge a perfect foundation, nor would he have been able to copy someone else's pseudo-mystic level talents. Without a perfect foundation, it would be difficult for him to break through the 100 times amplification limit.
Copying talents wasn't omnipotent; it couldn't help him break the 100 times amplification limit. Only those with a perfect foundation could achieve this breakthrough. Therefore, seizing any chance for such opportunities was essential.
"What do you want to invest in me?" Ye Tian asked directly.
"An ancient civilization relic similar to the War God Tower. I have a quota for it, but I know my strength is not enough. If I go in, I might not only fail to get the treasures but also possibly lose my life. Many geniuses from large forces want this quota, but I haven't given it to anyone. I want to give this quota to you. The only requirement is that you bring back an item that can refine spiritual power," Wang Yan revealed her intention.
"Ancient civilization relic?" Ye Tian was surprised and asked, "What is an ancient civilization relic?"
Wang Yan wasn't surprised that Ye Tian didn't know about ancient civilization relics. Even in the Zhonghai Super Base, only the core disciples of the top powers knew this secret.
"The War God Tower is a treasure left by an ancient civilization," Wang Yan explained. "You can understand ancient civilization relics as relics left from a very long time ago, possibly tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more years ago."
"There were civilizations before humanity?" Ye Tian was shocked. He had also wondered how such a groundbreaking treasure like the War God Tower came into existence, and now he understood. The War God Tower was a treasure from an ancient civilization, dating back to a very long time ago. The civilization that owned the War God Tower must have been incredibly advanced and powerful.
"What happened to those ancient civilizations?" Ye Tian asked.
"Perhaps they perished, or maybe they left Earth. Who knows?" Wang Yan shrugged, indicating her own ignorance.
Ye Tian didn't press further on this topic, and Wang Yan continued to talk about the ancient civilization relic: "The relic is a temple, and within the temple is a space containing many treasures, including items that can increase talents and even condense spiritual power into divine consciousness. The Zhonghai Super Base's ability to produce so many high-talented individuals relies on these treasures; otherwise, the base's strength and talent level would drop by one or two grades."
"Are there any sword techniques inside?" Ye Tian asked casually.
Expecting a negative answer, Ye Tian was surprised when Wang Yan confidently said, "Yes. Most of the strength manuals, sword techniques, spear techniques, etc., in the Zhonghai Super Base are not created by martial warriors but brought out from such relics. There are indeed sword techniques in that temple, even golden-level sword techniques, but they are very hard to obtain."
"Even golden-level sword techniques?" Ye Tian repeated, his interest piqued.
Ye Tian was genuinely tempted by the offer. He was very eager to acquire a golden-level sword technique, knowing that possessing one would significantly boost his strength.
"Are you really willing to give this opportunity to me?" he asked. Although he wasn't sure how many quotas there were for entering the temple, he understood that each quota was extremely precious.
"Of course!" Wang Yan confirmed confidently. "I believe in your strength, and this is an equal exchange, which is what your Loose Cultivator Alliance always pursues, right? I give you the quota, you enter the temple, and if you can bring out an item that refines spiritual power, you give me one. It's a fair trade. My cultivation talent is only extraordinary, and relying on my talent to refine spiritual power is out of the question; it's too slow. To step into the saint level, one must refine their spiritual power into divine consciousness. I can only rely on external items to refine my spiritual power and advance to the saint level. My chances of success are quite high, at least 50-60%. But items that can refine spiritual power are very rare. Even as a descendant of a saint-level figure in the Battle Axe Mercenary Hall, I can't get one, and the only hope is from the relics."
"Alright, I agree!" Ye Tian accepted the offer. Why wouldn't he agree to something that was beneficial for both parties?
He then received more information about the temple from Wang Yan. What caught Ye Tian's attention was that warriors from another super base also had quotas to enter the relic. This super base, called the Long River Base, was established near the Yangtze River. The warriors from Long River Base fought daily with the fierce beasts in the Yangtze River, and with two five-star level spatial rifts nearby, they were less populous but stronger in combat compared to the Zhonghai Super Base, as their warriors were constantly battling fierce beasts.
Wang Yan warned him at the end, "Be careful of other warriors. In the temple space, for the sake of treasures, even people you know might turn on you, let alone strangers."
Ye Tian nodded; he was well aware of this. Selfishness and greed were part of human nature. True noble warriors were rare and not suited to survive in this era. The law of the jungle prevailed: the strong survived, and the weak were eliminated.
Even with Wang Yan, Ye Tian maintained a certain level of vigilance. As she left, she gave him a token, one of the keys to enter the temple. The temple had a total of 365 keys, of which the Zhonghai Super Base only possessed 108. Given the many top forces in the Zhonghai Super Base and only 108 keys to enter the temple, the quotas were extremely precious. Ye Tian would never have obtained this key if it weren't for Wang Yan's investment in him.
"The temple opens once every ten years, and there are two months left. What Wang Yan didn't mention is that the top fighters on the King's List who remain at the king level are probably also waiting for this chance at the temple relic," Ye Tian speculated.
Knowing this, he decided not to rush into the saint level. He could easily advance to the saint level, but learning about the significant boost in comprehension during the breakthrough changed his mind. Though he could copy others' talents, mystic-level talents were exceedingly rare; he hadn't seen any so far, not even in Water Thousand Moon, ranked eighth on the Saint's List.
His defensive talent had already reached the level of seventy percent pseudo-mystic. During his breakthrough to the saint level, he could contemplate it into a true mystic-level talent. He aimed to acquire more mystic-level talents.
"Next, my goal is to copy a pseudo-mystic level talent to the realm of seventy percent pseudo-mystic level," Ye Tian set another small goal for himself.