Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 88 - 86: Obtaining a Prismatic Augment

However, Xiao Chen didn’t have time to dwell on why his Divine Sense was so exceptionally powerful.

The ability to release his Divine Sense externally meant that his Foundation Establishment had been a success, and it also signaled that the entire process was nearing its end.

He quickly refocused his attention and took out the True Inner Core he had obtained earlier from his Storage Bag.

The first step was to bite his finger and drip a drop of blood from the tip onto it.

As the Inner Core absorbed the blood, a very faint connection immediately formed.

Next, he enveloped the Inner Core with his Divine Sense and began to strengthen this connection.

Then, he continuously infused Magical Power into the Inner Core and began the refinement process.

Soon, a fine powder began to drift off the Inner Core, making it look as though it had been pulverized.

Yet, it still retained the appearance of an Inner Core.

This continued until the Inner Core became completely illusory.

With a single Divine Thought from Xiao Chen, WHOOSH, the Inner Core shot into his mid-abdomen, settling into a space above his Dantian and below his chest.

Then, guided by his Magical Power, it gently drifted downward and settled firmly against the edge of his Dantian.

"Success!"

A look of joy spread across Xiao Chen’s face. He quickly infused Magical Power into it and discovered that, just as he’d hoped, it could store Magical Power like a second Dantian.

This meant that from now on, his total Magical Power capacity would be double that of most other cultivators at the same realm.

Moreover, he could continue to refine it in the future. Once the Inner Core was refined into a Fake Pill, he would be able to attain power far beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm ahead of time.

After the Inner Core settled into place, his overflowing Divine Sense gradually calmed and retracted completely into his Sea of Consciousness.

As the remaining Wood Spiritual Power finished strengthening his entire body, his Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment came to a perfect conclusion.

Xiao Chen continued to operate his Cultivation Technique, taking advantage of the lingering effects to absorb the remaining pale-green mist in the air, ensuring none of it went to waste.

Then, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he collected all the unused Spirit Stones and returned them to his Storage Bag.

’Having Divine Sense really makes things so much more convenient.’

’Hiss... to think I actually used up six hundred and forty Spirit Stones!’

’Since I don’t have a Spirit Vein, I had to rely entirely on Spirit Stones to replenish my Spiritual Qi. The cost of this Foundation Establishment was truly far beyond my expectations.’

’Thankfully, I prepared a surplus from the very beginning to handle any potential Spiritual Qi shortages.’

’But I shouldn’t have needed to use so many Spirit Stones. It’s all the fault of that Luoyun Wanderer who appeared out of nowhere.’

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. ’He certainly didn’t expect me to have the Vertical Earth Golden Light technique, let alone a tenfold boost from my Augment.’

’And he would have never imagined I could complete my Foundation Establishment so quickly.’

’Once I master Tier Two Magic, I’ll show him the true meaning of "keep your eyes open and don’t provoke someone you can’t afford to cross."’

’I hope he’s just as arrogant then as he was a few days ago.’

FLASH! Three cards suddenly lit up before his eyes.

Completely different from before, each of these three cards shimmered with a diamond-like, prismatic light.

[At Any Cost: Immediately advance to the Nascent Soul Stage. You can no longer receive future Augments.]

[Prized Treasures III: Immediately gain one random Top-Grade Magical Artifact. At the start of each year for the next ninety-nine years, you will gain another random Top-Grade Magical Artifact.]

[Divine Protection Veil: You are immune to all negative effects. This includes but is not limited to: Immobilization, Stun, Charm, Fear, Enchantment, Curse, Poison, Plague, Intoxication, etc.]

’They’re all Prismatic Augments!’

Augments were divided into three tiers: Silver, Gold, and the highest, Prismatic.

’Could it be that because I broke through a Major Realm, all the options I received are top-tier Prismatic Augments?’

’Or was I just really lucky this time?’

A theory immediately formed in Xiao Chen’s mind, but since this was his first time breaking through a Major Realm, he couldn’t be certain. For now, he could only push the thought to the back of his mind.

’Let’s see... the first one is "At Any Cost"?’

’Honestly, if this were a game, I would’ve picked this one without a second thought.’

’It’s all about level suppression—putting immense pressure on everyone else.’

’The joy of being king of the grind is just that simple and unpretentious.’

’The problem is, this isn’t a game.’

’Nascent Soul Stage cultivators are the stuff of legends in Li State.’

’But if I want to achieve Ascension to Immortality in the future, I’ll inevitably have to face enemies at the Nascent Soul Stage, or even higher.’

’Without the help of future Augments, I’d feel really uneasy.’

’The second one, Prized Treasures III, is incredibly powerful on its own.’

’From what I know, a single Top-Grade Magical Artifact can sell for several thousand, even tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, with the average price holding steady above ten thousand.’

’On a normal day, even some struggling Foundation Establishment Cultivators only use Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts.’

’In many smaller clans, a Top-Grade Magical Artifact is even treated as a foundational Treasure meant to secure the clan’s destiny.’

’The hundred Top-Grade Magical Artifacts from this Augment would have a combined value well over a million Spirit Stones—an absolutely astronomical price.’

’Plus, this Augment provides an immediate return; it’s not just an empty promise for the future.’

’If I chose this, I could either use a suitable Top-Grade Magical Artifact to directly boost my own power...’

’...or I could auction them off for Spirit Stones to fill my coffers. Either way, it’s incredibly useful.’

’Basically, choosing this would grant me an immediate power boost and would be like indirectly owning a massive fortune in Spirit Stones.’

’I’d be able to live very comfortably for the entire Foundation Establishment Stage.’

’However, when it comes to long-term potential, the last one has to be the best—Divine Protection Veil.’

’The first two Augments share a common flaw: they’re incredibly strong in the short term...’

’...but their value diminishes significantly over the long run.’

’Divine Protection Veil is different. While it seems to have limited strength right now and provides no direct Combat Power...’

’...in the future, as my Cultivation increases, the value of this Augment will grow alongside it, becoming increasingly crucial.’

’The Intoxication part isn’t a big deal, but immunity to Immobilization and Curses... Hiss... that seems insanely powerful.’

Xiao Chen mulled it over. The more he thought, the more crucial it seemed.

’In terms of Combat Power, I have Featherweight to fall back on. I just need to find some Tier Two Yellow-level Techniques later.’

’As for finances, I have Buy One Get One, so I shouldn’t be short on money in the future.’

Although he was still a half-baked Alchemist who could only concoct one type of elixir, this was mainly because he had been an Alchemist for less than a year.

’With Buy One Get One, it’s only a matter of time before I make a fortune.’

Moreover, Xiao Chen had noticed a potential pattern: of the twelve Augments he had seen so far, none had been repeats.

’This implies that an Augment, once it appears, might never show up again.’

’As long as I don’t pick the first option, I’ll get new Augments to bolster my strength or finances once I reach the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.’

’But if I pass on Divine Protection Veil now, I might never get another chance to obtain it.’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Xiao Chen’s thoughts cleared. "I choose you—Divine Protection Veil!"