Chapter 313 That's right, it's a free gift.

Mei Liangyu then went to explain to Yu Sui: "The order of the sacrifices has not been announced, but the location of the sacrifices is fixed, which is the main entrance of each courtyard. That is why the terrain of the main entrance remains unchanged."

Yu Sui nodded in sudden realization. He caught a glimpse of Su Xingchao walking with Zuo Qiushan in the crowd. Looking further into the distance, he could also see Pu Heng and Dong Xiude of the Yin-Yang School standing together.

Although the four were not together, their eyes met from time to time across the crowd, as if they were waiting for something.

The main entrance of the famous temple is spacious, with an altar set up in the middle. Bonfires are lit in circles around the altar, dozens of layers deep. People participating in the sacrifice stand in the circles of bonfires, with the largest number of people closest to the altar. At a glance, it is a densely packed crowd of heads.

Yu Sui leaned close to Mei Liangyu and whispered, "Senior brother, who presides over the sacrificial ceremony?"

Mei Liangyu replied, "If the heads of the Yin-Yang School and the Fangji School do not appear, then the head of the main school will appear."

Gu Gan looked expressionlessly at the two people who were almost touching: "What are you talking about?"

Yu Sui made a shushing gesture at him and said innocently, "There are a lot of people here, I'm afraid they'll hear us."

Gu Gan endured the throbbing pain in his temples, looked into Yu Sui's innocent eyes, and was unable to utter a single word.

The bet between Su Xingchao and Sheng Fei was also the focus of everyone's attention. Both of them were disciples of famous families, but now at the sacrificial site, only Su Xingchao was seen, and Sheng Fei was nowhere to be seen.

Many people directly asked Su Xingchao about the progress of deciphering the ancient inscriptions and whether there was any news about the fragments of the Futu Pagoda.

Su Xingchao appeared very confident to the outside world, declaring that Sheng Fei was bound to lose this time.

Pu Heng and Su Xingchao stood in the same circle of fire, but Pu Heng was positioned opposite Su Xingchao.

He looked at Su Xingchao, who was surrounded by many disciples of famous masters. As the sky gradually darkened, the pride and confidence on the young man's face, illuminated by the firelight, were as dazzling as the burning flames.

Dong Xiude whispered to Pu Heng, "The Legalists have released Sheng Fei, but he is still in the Discipline Department and hasn't come out yet."

"The ritual for the famous priests is about to begin, why hasn't he come out yet?" Pu Heng was a little surprised.

Dong Xiude shook his head and guessed, "Could it be that he's afraid?"

The two of them were unaware that Sheng Fei had been knocked unconscious by Fang Tianchen, and Mu Mengbai dared not take the unconscious Sheng Fei out, so they remained in the Discipline Department without making a move.

“What wouldn’t he dare to do? Nangong Sui was humiliated at the Golden Pearl Banquet and ruined the reputation of the Nangong family. Sheng Fei must be furious. If he is released, he will go to Su Xingchao or Nangong Sui immediately.” Pu Heng pondered. “Not to mention that Nangong Sui stole the show at the dormitory today. The changes in her alone are enough for Sheng Fei to show his face.”

Dong Xiude added, "Mu Mengbai is also in the Discipline Department. Could it be that they feel it would be safer to stay in the Discipline Department during the night, which is why they don't come out?"

Pu Heng asked, "Whom did the Legalists send to release Sheng Fei?"

Dong Xiude took out the Wind Listening Ruler and examined it for a while before answering, "It's Xia Feichen and Fang Tianchen."

Pu Heng: "Where did they go after leaving the Discipline Department?"

Dong Xiude looked at Tingfeng Chi and said, "The two of them came out together. This road doesn't show their destination. Then they turned to the dormitory. Xia Feichen accidentally shot the Moon-Going Arrow to help Nangong Sui out of trouble, but it caused Mei Liangyu and Gu Gan to be tied together by the True Spirit Chain."

Pu Heng couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this: "Xia Feichen is an unexpected surprise. I thought that as long as Sha Qian controlled Gu Gan, it would be fine, but I didn't expect that he would also tie up Mei Liangyu."

Gu Gan is a practitioner of both magic and magic, and is also Dean Zhu's disciple. Although Gu Gan keeps a low profile and hasn't revealed much about deciphering the ancient inscription, Pu Heng knows that Gu Gan is definitely trying to find a way to decipher the ancient inscription and find the fragments of the Pagoda.

Taking advantage of the nighttime gathering of the Hundred Families, Pu Heng had someone give the True Spirit Chain to Sha Qian, instructing Sha Qian to lead men to hold off Gu Gan.

Now, not only is Gu Gan trapped, but Mei Liangyu is also being held back by the True Spirit Chain, which is an unexpected bonus for Pu Heng.

"According to Tie Peng and the others, Mei Liangyu was indeed injured in the battle at Sheguan. Now, with his Five Elements Qi sealed, his movements are also inconvenient. This is a great opportunity for us," Dong Xiude said in a low voice. "Should we..."

Pu Heng gently shook his head: "There are too many people who want to take action against him at this time. Let's wait and see for now, and have someone guard the Reverse Ancient Tower to prevent them from breaking the True Spirit Chain."

Dong Xiude bowed his head and said "okay," when suddenly the wind-listening ruler in his hand hummed and vibrated, and a new message came into his view:

"Sheng Fei has deciphered the ancient inscription."

"The fragments of the Floating Pagoda are in the Ghost Dao family, in the Abyss of the Infernal Mountain."

"Follow Fang Tianchen and Xia Feichen to find the fragments."

Dong Xiude stared at the three messages in shock, then immediately grabbed Pu Heng and said, "President, look."

Pu Heng was a little surprised to see him so out of sorts. He lowered his eyes and looked at the Wind Listening Ruler that Dong Xiude handed over. The words that came into view made him pause and his expression became serious.

"Taiyi?" Pu Heng murmured the name of the sender of the message. "Who is he?"

Dong Xiude sensed some danger and replied with a tense face, "I don't know. I don't remember there being such a person in the Listening Wind Ruler, nor have I ever heard of anyone in the academy named Taiyi."

He looked up and scanned his surroundings warily, trying to find some clues.

Pu Heng recalled the rumors about the Communication Institute in the college, and the last time he checked the dormitories, everyone's Listening Ruler received a message from Zhang Xiangyun. Although the Communication Institute's answer was that the mountain was operating incorrectly, there must be someone who knew the inside story.

The Institute of Communications has not given up investigating the mysterious person who invaded the mountains that night.

Could the mysterious person who invaded the mountains be Taiyi?

Pu Heng took the Wind-Listening Ruler and replied with the message. He wanted to ask how the other party knew these things, but his fingers paused, and he changed his question to: "Why did you tell me?"

The other party replied, "Everyone will know by tomorrow morning."

Pu Heng frowned, gave Dong Xiude a wink, and continued to reply, while Dong Xiude went to locate suspicious people nearby.

Pu Heng: "If that's the case, why were you informed in advance?"

Taiyi: "You're one step ahead, but to what extent can you achieve that?"

Pu Heng paused as he looked at the message. His eyes, which were usually filled with gentle emotions, gradually turned cold and somber.

This person doesn't seem to be offering a friendly reminder; they seem more like they're there to provoke us.

No matter what Pu Heng asked next, Taiyi did not reply. Dong Xiude looked around and saw that there were dozens or even hundreds of people around him playing with the Wind Listening Ruler, making it difficult to determine who they were.

Pu Heng took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and handed the Listening Wind Ruler back to Dong Xiude.

Dong Xiude whispered, "What should we do?"

“Since this person dares to use the Wind Listening Ruler like this, he definitely won’t be nearby. It would be too easy to be discovered,” Pu Heng said. “Let’s follow Xia Feichen and Fang Tianchen first.”

After a moment of contemplation, Pu Heng said, "After the ceremony, have Su Xingchao go to the Discipline Department to find Sheng Fei."

Dong Xiude responded, and the noisy environment suddenly became quiet. People looked up in the same direction. The woman in purple at the front was wearing a veil, revealing only a pair of clear and indifferent black eyes.

The master of magic, Changsun Zi, walked at the front, followed by the master of Taoism, Liang Zhen, and the master of the School of Names, Zhu Lao. The three of them walked silently toward the sacrificial altar.

After the three deans emerged, the disciples in the fire circle fell silent, watching Changsun Zi and the other two ascend the sacrificial altar. The long altar was covered with sacred wooden slips and golden talismans, while the second altar held seven purple jade glass cups filled with clear, transparent water, free of any impurities.

Changsun Zi stood at the front, with Zhu Lao and Liang Zhen standing behind her. After Changsun Zi finished inspecting the wooden divination sticks on the table, she gently raised her hand and moved the black wooden divination sticks above the purple jade glass cup.

She flicked her finger, and ripples appeared in the clear water inside the purple jade glass cup. Golden incantations also appeared on the black sacred wood talisman. The crisp and melodious tapping sounded like beautiful string music resounding throughout the sacrificial site.

The small flame flickered and gradually rose with the sound of the jade being struck, and people felt a warm power shining on them, dispelling all the darkness and cold.

Yu Sui and the others stood on the outermost edge. At this moment, the sacrificial ceremony began, and everyone stared intently at the innermost sacrificial altar, paying no attention to what was happening outside.

“Enter the sacrificial area,” Mei Liangyu suddenly said. “Only those within the area can see the hidden map.”

Xiang Feifei was reluctant to take the risk: "After the ritual ends, the secret map will no longer be a secret, and we can just look at what others have posted."

Yu Sui said, "Alright, let's go in."

Xiang Feifei: "..."

She gave Gu Gan a meaningful look, as if to say, "Why don't you control your childhood sweetheart who's always siding with outsiders?"

Gu Gan hesitated for a moment, not wanting to miss the sacrificial ceremony, so he said to Xiang Feifei, "Only within the scope of the sacrificial ceremony can one enjoy the blessings of the masters and receive healing and restoration."

After hearing this, Xiang Feifei remembered that Gu Gan had been injured by Sha Qian and his group. She knew that once he entered the sacrificial area, he would receive blessings and healing from the masters. So she nodded in agreement.

Gu Gan and Xiang Feifei were still somewhat wary and walked slowly, but Mei Liangyu strode forward, pulling Gu Gan so hard he stumbled. Gu Gan looked up angrily and said, "You..."

"Who would dare to cause trouble for you during the sacrificial ceremony?" Mei Liangyu said mockingly out of the corner of his eye. "There are three deans watching over you from above."

That look seemed to say: Coward.

Gu Gan laughed angrily: "I'm afraid these people will keep chasing us after the ceremony!"

"What are you afraid of?" Mei Liangyu said, but his eyes still screamed "coward."

Just as Gu Gan was about to lose his temper, Yu Sui turned around and made a shushing gesture towards the two of them. She blinked lightly, signaling everyone to be quiet.

They entered the outermost circle of fire, a little distance from the dense crowd, and stood in a secluded corner. Xiang Feifei used Shadow Devouring to enter, but as soon as she entered the fire circle, Shadow Devouring was dispersed by the firelight, exposing her to the flames.

Xiang Feifei was startled and shrank back. Gu Gan reached out and patted her shoulder gently to comfort her, indicating that she should not be afraid.

Yu Sui lowered her eyes to examine the sacrificial fire before her. It was bright and flamboyant, and together with the ethereal and melodious sacrificial music, it brought warmth and tranquility. Even those with volatile tempers would become docile and quiet at this moment.

She looked at Changsun Zi on the altar through the Five Elements Light Core. Ripples spread across the clear water in the purple jade glass cup, and the speed of the ripples changed with the rhythm of the music.

Gradually, the reflections of the stars appeared on the water's surface.

The reflection of the stars that appeared inside the first purple jade glass cup floated in the firelight, and everyone participating in the sacrifice could see it.

This is part of the hidden map; connecting the stars within the seven purple jade glazed lamps tonight creates the hidden map of the treasure.

During the ritual, in addition to the healing blessings bestowed by the masters, one can also meditate on the flames to find answers to the problems that trouble them.

In matters of divination and fortune-telling, only practitioners of divination and fortune-telling are respected.

This was Yu Sui's first time experiencing such a large-scale sacrificial ceremony. At this moment, he could clearly feel the power of the blessings bestowed by the masters, and all the fatigue from a long day's work was eliminated.

That should be able to repair the soul that my senior brother was accidentally injured.

Just as Yu Sui was thinking this, he glanced at Mei Liangyu beside him and saw that he was staring intently at the flames in front of him.

As the sacrificial music became more urgent, the flames rose rapidly, reaching the height of Mei Liangyu's neck. The flickering flames seemed to be baring their fangs and claws, and in the firelight he could see neighing and galloping warhorses, with blood-stained armor and silver spears and longswords scattered all over the ground.

The rockets flashing in the darkness resembled a torrential downpour, rapid and dense.

Those scenes seemed like the past, and also like the future; on the battlefield, there were unfamiliar faces, as well as familiar people.

Will the world be destroyed by a different kind of fire, or by war?

Flames flickered in Mei Liangyu's dark eyes, and while his body was being healed by the blessings of the master, something seemed to have changed.

The five elements of energy, which were originally sealed by the True Spirit Chain, were now circulating throughout his limbs and bones, active in his soul, and probing deeper into the seal.

Mei Liangyu noticed the commotion, raised an eyebrow, and at the same time noticed Yu Sui's worried look, so she winked at her to indicate that there was no need to worry.

The flames grew higher and higher, almost reaching overhead.

Yu Sui knew that the fire wall in the ritual would reflect what people deepest desire in their hearts, so she tried to keep her mind in a state of reverie, not seeking any help from the fire wall, not confiding any troubles in her heart, and only firmly remembering the star map reflected in the flames.

The master priest revealed a total of seven hidden clues, and the treasures associated with the nighttime secret clues were also announced.

While Yu Sui was still examining these rare treasures, the wall of fire suddenly rose, and golden spirit words flew out from the flames at the very top and hovered in the sky.

Xiang Feifei asked in surprise, "Does this year's sacrificial ceremony have a key?"

"What key?" Yu Sui asked Mei Liangyu in a low voice.

"Later, those word spirits will transform into a golden key. The person chosen by the key can go to the Leisure Pool to open the Treasure Vault of Masters." Mei Liangyu also looked up at the word spirits flying in the sky. "The Treasure Vault of Masters is full of rare and precious treasures. You can take anything you can."

Yu Sui asked in surprise, "You can just take it for free?"

Mei Liangyu said, "That's right, it's a free gift."

Yu Sui looked ahead, wondering who the lucky one from this family would be, and asked, "Can this key be stolen by someone else?"

Mei Liangyu smiled and said, "Of course."

Those chosen by the key are both lucky and unlucky.

With so many people at the sacrificial site now, it's questionable whether anyone who gets the key will even be able to get into the master's house alive.

Xiang Feifei said, "We have no chance with the Golden Key; it only selects disciples of famous masters."

After saying that, he looked up at Gu Gan and said, "If we choose you, we don't know whether to feel lucky or unlucky."

"If I were to be chosen, it would certainly be lucky," Gu Gan said, raising an eyebrow. "Who wouldn't want the opportunity to freely choose rare and precious treasures from a renowned family's vault?"

Yu Sui also wanted it, but upon hearing that it would only be selected from disciples of famous families, she had to give up with regret.

Mei Liangyu glanced sideways at Gu Gan and Xiang Feifei: "To be precise, anyone with the talent of a master and who practices the Nine Schools of Famous Arts could be selected. Don't make it sound like it's definitely going to be you."

He also felt that this year would definitely be his year.

Gu Gan sneered and said sarcastically, "Wishful thinking. Even if the key to this sacrifice is chosen, it will never be you."

Yu Sui said helplessly, "Brother Gu, why..."

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp bird cry came from the sky. Countless spirits gathered together and transformed into a bird, flying straight towards the girl behind the firelight.

The flickering flames suddenly went out, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the flying bird. The dazzling golden light landed in the outermost circle of fire, and the warm light enveloped Yu Sui. The golden key, pierced by a black thread, gently fell outside her clothes.

Yu Sui was still staring blankly at Gu Gan, who was also stunned. His eyes reflected the golden sacrificial key hanging around Yu Sui's neck, and he felt completely lost.

this

Yu Sui subconsciously reached out and touched the thing hanging around her neck. The cold, hard touch of the key told her that this was real.

The golden key to becoming a master is in her hands.

At the same time, everyone's listening devices were buzzing, as the Communication Research Institute issued a unified notification for the "Hundred Schools Night Journey":

"Golden Key to Famous Artists Recipient: Nangong Sui".

This announcement was sent to the entire academy, and even disciples who were not at the sacrificial site received it.

Wan Qi and Xue Mushi, who were standing at the innermost part of the sacrificial circle, couldn't see what was happening on the outermost edge because there were too many people. When they saw the name of the announcement issued by the academy, they were stunned.

With so many disciples of renowned masters, why was Nangong Sui chosen?!

Yu Sui took out the Wind Listening Ruler and saw that it not only announced the winner of the Golden Key, but also the location of the person. The red dot on the map was very conspicuous.

Not only did the college announce the winners, but they also made the positions public to the entire college. Who could resist that?

While she was still wondering about the Communication Institute's actions, she heard Mei Liangyu say, "Run."

As soon as Yu Sui looked up, she saw someone putting away the Wind Listening Ruler and walking towards her.